Waterfront Park's coming attractions

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Good morning. I'm Anica Colbert. It's Thursday, January 27th, waterfront park sports park more on that next, but first let's do the headlines.

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San Diego county. The health officials reported more than 6,000 new COVID 19 cases on Wednesday and 18 additional deaths hospitalizations decreased. Again, this time by 12 health officials continue to remind residents to get booster shots to date nearly 50% of San Diegos who are fully vaccinated have been boosted over preve this week for San Pasqua academy, the residential and education campus for foster youth in Escondido, the county board of supervisors approved a plan to transition the academy into a multipurpose campus for foster youth, Reverend Shane Harris, with the people's association of justice advocates has helped with the efforts to keep the academy. Open. Staff

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Are still probably feeling a little anxious and a little concerned because they work for new alternatives incorporated. And if we're talking about the repurposing of now a newly multipurpose facility, then we're talking about new RFPs, which essentially means that all these people do not have guaranteed jobs. New

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Alternative Inc has been managing the academy for the last 20 years, but supervisors will solicit bids for new management in order to add and expand. The services offered at San Paal academy. Many of the world's best golfers are here in San Diego for the farmers insurance open players like Phil Nicholson and Jason Day are teen off at Tory Pines. Over the next few days, about a hundred people were lined up early on Wednesday morning to see the match as fans were welcomed back to the course for the first time. In two years, masks and vaccines were not required. The tournament worked with the county to follow all guidelines for outdoor events. They say there's plenty of room for people to socially distance and feel comfort from KPBS. You are listening to San Diego news. Now stay with me for more of the local news. You need Something new is planned for waterfront park in downtown San Diego KPBS reporter. Katie Alara tells us there's a lot of excitement about a plan meant to bring more activity to an unused portion of the park.

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Waterfront park has received several makeovers over the years. Now the Northeast corner of the park will get its own transformation into a sports park. The county board of supervisors got a step closer to making that a reality as they put the jerked out for construction bids. That motion passes unanimously with chair. Nathan Fletcher says, this is a big step forward.

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We've been working on this for a long time, and it's really exciting to, uh, to begin to see it come to fruition and, and ready to start seeing some dirt moving, uh, and some stuff get done. So

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Very, very, very excited

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About that. The plan for the bear one and a half acre parcel on Pacific coast highway and grape street is packed with recreational spaces that include basketball and pickle ball courts, a teeball field table, tennis fitness equipment, and a dog park with agility equipment. During the me chair, Nathan Fletcher said he came up with a plan people who live here and use the park regularly. Think this will be a great addition to what the park already offers. Kelly Miller, who was enjoying the park with his new friend. Benny says he's especially looking forward to the dog park.

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Oh, I think it would be a, a great move for the community. Um, even today around, I see so many dogs out here and, uh, people enjoying, uh, you know, the, the, the park here. And I could just see that being advantageous for just about anybody that I see down here.

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Lexi Hutchin says she has a degree in recreation administration with an emphasis on healthy communities. She says, this is exactly what the park and community need. There's not a

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Lot of to do with your friends. Um, so being able to play like Bochy ball or pickle ball basketball, it kind of creates a better community around healthy

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Activities. But parents like Ryan Rola are the most excited. He can't wait to bring little Logan there to run and play. When it's all finished, it's

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Hard to find, uh, get my, uh, son's attention. We have to moving around because he gets bored and all that stuff. So I think it would be a great place to just take him over here and just, just run, uh, get rid of a

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Lot of his energy construction is expected to start this spring and be done by late summer. Kitty LVRA KPBS news,

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A local developer has purchased property across the street from the newly opened Claremont drive trolley station KPBS, Metro reporter, Andrew Bowen says they plan on building a lot more housing.

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The three and a half acre site has already been cleared for 156 apartments, a with commercial space and a public Plaza, but the site's new owner and Sanita space development firm Zephyr is aiming to more than double the density and build 350 apartments. That's great news to Matthew VAAs of the nonprofit climate action campaign, which advocates for more transit oriented development, our region,

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And invest 2 billion into a new trolley line that can help us meet our climate action plan goals by getting people closer, uh, to that infrastructure, uh, and out, uh, biking and walking and enjoying a higher quality of life with more economic opportunity, uh, that's climate safe. So, you know, we really need to capitalize on that. And by building more homes near transit, uh, we're gonna be able to, uh, meet our climate action plan goals.

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But the new plans are also likely to spark opposition from neighbors who for years have sought to limit the density and height of development near the new trolley stations. The 11 mile extension of the blue line connects Claremont to U C S D university city downtown, the south bay and the border Andrew and KPBS news

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20 states started off this year with an increase in their minimum wage in including California. A new study finds those wage hikes can help low income renters avoid eviction KPCC reporter. David Wagner

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Has more at a time when many low income Californians are struggling to keep up with rent. A new economic analysis offers a glimmer of good news. The paper published in the journal of urban economic looks at data on monthly rent payments in states that increase their minimum wage. The researchers find that after a minimum wage hike, low income renters, or 10.6% less likely to miss a payment, putting them at lower risk of eviction. One of the researchers is Musa Diop in assistant professor of real estate at USC, all studies

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That minimum wage increases do definitely help

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Low income renters. The authors find that landlords do tend to raise rents after a minimum wage hike, but in the long run, renters are still better off California enacted a statewide minimum wage of $15 per hour at the start of the year. I'm David Wagner in Los Angeles list

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Five years after the move, a local woman has filed suit against the national football league and the Los Angeles chargers over the team's decision to leave San Diego K PBS's. Matt Hoffman says any money, generat it by the lawsuit would go to the city.

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Former San Diego city attorney Micah Geary is leading the effort to Sue the NFL and its 32 teams arguing that the league violated its own relocation rules and allowing the chargers to move to Los Angeles. The actions that they

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Took to give us the impression that they might stay were really not

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Honest. Former deputies, San Diego city attorney Maria Severson says for more than 50 years, the city spent millions in subsidies and stadium upgrades. But when the chargers left, it was the NFL who received a more than $600 million relocation payout, the chargers

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Leave and pay all the other teams, but they don't pay anything to San Diego. Those teams were unjust enriched.

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The lawsuit was filed on behalf of San Diego resident, Ruth Henricks who owns the huddle restaurant in mission Hills, Matt Hoffman, K PBS news,

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Coming up, getting help to people living near the regions. Freeways.

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We find 80 to 85% of the folks are very interested. They're just saying, please help us understand how to work the system to, to navigate it. Um, we would love to not be living here on the side of the freeway, and that has been consistent in our experience here as well.

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We're on that next, just after the break, A new partnership between Caltrans and in San Diego's newest homeless outreach program is working to help unsheltered people living along the state's highways. K PBS's Alexandra. Ron hill has more.

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One of the spots that we're going to first is gonna be G street and 17th.

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This is the first stop of the day for city net. The city's latest homeless outreach, a handful of people in hard hats carried snack packs and iPads, ready to reach out. They made their way through a hole in fence to get to an encampment that sits on a hillside above interstate five in downtown San Diego. Hi, sitting

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That homeless outreach is anyone home.

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Good morning. Six makeshift tents are here. All our homes, belonging to someone, a pair of city, net staffers, visit each tent, hoping someone is home and ready to receive help they

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Shelter ready shelter.

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Oh no, no, no, no. Karen Garner is a case manager with city net. She says, this is their third time visiting this encampment. Yeah, we've been here about

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Three times. Um, so this, this in itself is a little bit shelter resistant. Um, but we try to come in and we just continue to try to work with them. Um, we try to see what we

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Can do when homeless man accepted a snack pack, but was not ready to go to a shelter, but that's okay. Garner says today's no could be tomorrow's. Yes. Garner says the that's the beauty of their program. They continually engage with individuals living on the street and they build a rapport with them until they finally are willing to accept help.

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We find 80 to 85% of the folks are very interested. They're just saying, could please help us understand how to work the system to, to navigate it. Um, we would love to not be living here on the side of the freeway and about how has been consistent in our experience

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Here as well. Bradfield house is the executive director with city net. He's helping leave the efforts in San Diego to help and shelter people living along the state's freeways. It's the first agreement of its kind in the state. And it's part of governor Gavin. Newsom's $22 billion California comeback plan to battle homeless. Caltran hopes to eventually clear these dangerous areas where homeless people are camping out. They don't just want to clear people out and put up signs. Does it sound like they're there Caltran meets with city, net crews daily and escorts them to each encampment. An area is not cleared out until city net has had the sufficient time to get people into shelter.

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We're here to make sure that they, these clients know that, um, like we value them. We're here to, to help them in any

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Aspect for some encampments. It may take weeks before individuals accept help. Since the team started working in San Diego, they've engaged with more than 460 homeless people, more than a hundred have accepted help, which includes case management and connecting with behavioral health services. But only 11 people have been successfully placed in shelters. Garner says it can be disappointing when a person doesn't want to accept, help.

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You know, they have to be ready to make the change and, and take it off the streets.

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I was homeless when I got him.

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Catherine was camping in a canyon along the 8 0 5 south after a decade of living on and off the streets, she was finally ready for some stability.

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You know, I'm doing it for my daughter and my grandson's

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Catherine has two pubs. She wasn't willing to leave behind. Fortunately she found a shelter that took all three of them in

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And, and it, and it happened at the last moment, like they were saying, no, we don't have a spot. And then at the last moment they said, yes. So I knew that it was a God thing to, can you give Levis to the puppy? Can you give,

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She walks her dogs every morning and visits her friends that live near her shelter. She says the transition hasn't been easy, but

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I'm determined. And uh, you know, they're worth it. And my family's worth it. You know, you're worth it. You're and I'm worth it. You're worth it.

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Thank you. Garner says, seeing people like Catherine make a positive change is what it's all about.

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Um, so being able to see her and like, get that follow up from her, um, you know, just makes all the, makes this job even better. It makes it even, um, you know, makes the stories come to fruition and it can, it encourages us to just continue to keep going.

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The city will evaluate the programs, success rate in June and decide if the contract will be extended Alexandra KPBS news. And that's it for the podcast today. Be sure to catch KPBS mid edition at noon on KPBS radio, or trick out the midday edition podcast. You can also watch KPBS evening edition at five o'clock on K PBS television. And as always you can find more San Diego news online@kpbs.org. I'm Manou Colbert. Thanks for listening and have a great day.

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The, I.