White actress denied Black roles sues library alleging discrimination

Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Thursday, May 22nd.

A proposed city policy makes it harder to build ADUs in the city’s whitest and wealthiest neighborhoods.

More on that next. But first... the headlines….

Some relief is on the way for those living with constant sewage pollution in the South Bay.

Federal officials say a planned expansion to the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant could be finished in a hundred days.

Officials say the project – originally projected to take two years – has been fast-tracked.

South Bay government officials have pressed the federal government to get more involved in solving the cross-border sewage problem.

The county is shifting almost 5 million dollars from a Lakeside homeless shelter project to a sleeping cabins site in Lemon Grove.

The board voted unanimously this week to divert the funds.

There will be 60 sleeping cabins that will provide temporary housing for about 140 people a year.

The Willow Avenue RV parking project in Lakeside ran into opposition from the community and was halted for further review in August.

Board members say the sleeping cabins site will have security and be drug-and-alcohol free.

May is Bicycle Safety Month and San Diego Police are reminding drivers and cyclists to share the road.

Traffic safety operations this month are targeting speeding, illegal turns, failures to yield and running red lights and stop signs.

Police remind cyclists to ride with traffic and follow the rules-of-the-road.

Drivers, they say, should slow down near intersections, check for bikes before opening car doors and change lanes or allow three feet of clearance when passing cyclists.

From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now.

Stay with me for more of the local news you need.

THE SAN DIEGO CITY COUNCIL IS PREPARING TO VOTE ON CHANGES TO A HOUSING PROGRAM THAT INCENTIVIZES A-D-U’S. METRO REPORTER ANDREW BOWEN SAYS THE CHANGES WOULD LIMIT GROWTH IN THE CITY'S WHITEST AND WEALTHIEST NEIGHBORHOODS.

AB: San Diego's ADU bonus program is one of a kind in California. It allows at least four additional homes on lots that are zoned for single-family housing. Even more are allowed near public transit. The program has led to hundreds of new homes in neighborhoods that were previously off-limits to new development. But it's also sparked a backlash from homeowners who see it as an attack on community character. In response, Mayor Todd Gloria proposes eliminating the program in areas zoned for very low density. A KPBS analysis found 87% of those areas are considered "high-resource," according to state housing officials. That means the proposed changes would block opportunities to build housing in neighborhoods with the best schools, cleanest air and most access to economic opportunity. KPBS also analyzed the proposal's impact on so-called racially concentrated areas of affluence. These are the whitest and wealthiest neighborhoods in California. 25% of those areas would be excluded from the ADU bonus program, meaning fewer chances to integrate those communities with more lower-cost housing. The San Diego City Council is expected to vote on the ADU reforms next month. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.

REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS DON’T AGREE ON MUCH THESE DAYS. SAVE FOR THIS. MORE THAN 86-PERCENT OF VOTERS FROM BOTH PARTIES THINK MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SHOULD BE BANNED FROM TRADING STOCKS.

PUBLIC MATTERS REPORTER AMITA SHARMA HAS MORE.

UC San Diego researchers found that information about congressional lawmakers trading stock sinks public trust. A study by the nonpartisan group Unusual Whales revealed in 2024 GOP Congressman David Rouzer’s investment returns shot up 149 %, for Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Schulz 142 %, Republican Senator Susan Collins 77% and Democratic Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi 71%.  UCSD  found  people who reviewed those increases, and other details, mostly saw Congress as corrupt and were less likely to abide by its laws. Rady School of Management Assistant Professor Tage Rai elaborates.

“Citizens say, Well, if I don't believe that the people who have been invested with the authority to reward good behavior and punish bad behavior are playing by the rules, then why should I play by the rules either?” 

Rai says the attitude has dire implications for democracy. UCSD Doctoral student Raihan Alam says people viewed lawmakers who didn’t make a profit with equal disdain.

“The message to Congress is to ban stock trading because you're reducing the legitimacy of an institution that already has confidence and trust at an all-time low.”

Only 22 percent of Americans trust Congress according to a recent Gallup Poll. Amita Sharma, KPBS News.

A HOMELESS SHELTER IN THE MIDWAY DISTRICT HAS BEEN CHEERED AS A MODEL WORTH REPLICATING. NOW THE SHELTER COULD BE FORCED TO CLOSE. FOR OUR LATEST WHY IT MATTERS SEGMENT, VOICE OF SAN DIEGO REPORTER LISA HALVERSTADT EXPLAINS WHAT’S GOING ON.

The city and county are battling over responsibility for a homeless shelter, leaving its residents very uncertain.

Here's the backstory.

A few years ago, the city, county and philanthropists partnered to open a shelter in the Midway District. Now that collaboration – and the shelter itself – may end. That's partly because the city faces a $258 million dollar budget deficit.

Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposed budget left out nearly $5 million in annual funding for the shelter. He says that's for two reasons. One, the county needs to step up. Two, an upcoming project will make the shelter untenable.

The shelter is next door to a building the county plans to tear down next year. County officials say the shelter can safely stay open during the demolition. Gloria disagrees. 

The city and county estimate it will cost $1 to 2 million dollars to set up new utilities.

On Tuesday, County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer successfully proposed that the county direct $800,000 in unspent federal stimulus funds to help cover that bill. People who live and work at the Midway shelter are upset and worried about where they may end up next.  

Gloria and city officials promise they’ll help them find other shelter or housing. But shelter residents aren’t sure what to believe.

Meanwhile, the city’s homelessness crisis rages on. There are far from enough beds for everyone who desperately wants one.

I’m Lisa Halverstadt for Voice of San Diego and that’s why it matters.

A WHITE ACTRESS IS SUING THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY LIBRARY FOR NOT ALLOWING HER TO PORTRAY BLACK CIVIL RIGHTS ICONS.

REPORTER KATIE HYSON SAYS IT’S ONE OF A WAVE OF LAWSUITS ACROSS THE COUNTRY CLAIMING DISCRIMINATION AGAINST A MAJORITY GROUP.

Annette Hubbell wrote a one-woman show. 

She portrays historical figures. White, like herself. And Black.

It never occurred to me that that might even be an issue. 

She says Rancho Santa Fe Library asked her to perform her show for women’s history month.

She gave them a list of characters to pick from.

They chose Harriet Beecher Stowe, a white abolitionist.

Mary Mcleod Bethune, Black civil rights leader.

And Harriet Tubman, who escaped slavery and rescued others.

A couple weeks before the show, they asked Hubbell to swap out Bethune and Tubman for white characters.

And I said, why? And they said, she said, because it's not appropriate for you to be doing this. You're a white woman. And I said, oh, no, no, no, you don't understand. I'm honoring these women . . . 

And she said, that doesn't matter. And I said, you mean I'm only to perform women whose stories of bravery and courage should be told if they're white? And she said, that's pretty much it. So I'm not getting it. So I said, well, tell me how this is different from the Hamilton play. 

In Hamilton, non-white actors portray white historical figures.

The debate escalated to the library’s diversity and inclusion team. They affirmed the decision. 

But Hubbell refused to swap out the characters.

So the library cancelled her performance.

The library said it won’t comment on pending legal matters.

Hubbell doesn’t use makeup for her characters.

I think if people thought I was doing blackface or a parody of these people not respecting them, then that might be a cause for an objection. But all they have to do is read my stories . . . and they would see how deeply I respect and honor and admire these people.

The San Diego Union Tribune published an opinion piece by a former San Diego city attorney supporting her. 

And a lawyer from the Pacific Legal Foundation read it.

And they called me and said, this is horrific . . . We need to do something about this.

Hubbell says he convinced her to sue.

If these women that I portray fought against such injustice and such egregious wrongdoings in their lives, who am I to stop at fighting this? 

Pacific Legal Foundation says it fights for individual liberties.

It’s filed suits against implicit bias training, race quotas for licensing boards, and programs meant to close racial opportunity gaps.

Hubbell’s lawyer, Chris Barnewolt –

The government simply doesn't have the right to exclude anyone by race

Is there hope with any of these cases that it might set legal precedent?

Oh, for sure. We do this because we're interested in the impact. 

So-called “reverse discrimination suits” stretch back to at least the 19-70s.

Recently, high profile cases have made headlines again. Like the Supreme Court ruling against considering race in college admissions.

And in San Diego. After a white plaintiff sued, the City removed the race requirement from a program meant to help people of color buy their first home.

Dan Eaton is a legal analyst.

He says these lawsuits rely on laws enacted after slavery and the Civil Rights Movement.

The impetus of these laws was to address the legal discrimination against particularly formerly enslaved individuals who were African Americans.

But the reasons a law was written don’t really matter in a court of law. Only what the words say.

What we are seeing as the law has evolved is the application of these laws, or constitutional amendments, as the case may be, to claims by members of the majority.

Really interesting to see that all be turned on its head.

Angie Chandler has advised arts institutions across the country, including in San Diego.

She’s also played Harriet Tubman.

Even as a Black woman, it was one of the most difficult roles I've ever had to play.

And she’d love to play Mary McLeod Bethune – whose body, she says, was central to her experience.

A woman over 200 pounds, dark-skinned Black woman living in the 1800s and 1900s in this country. There is not a way that I can even invite you into what it's like to walk around this country in a similar body in . . . 2025.

She says Hubbell’s performance is not the same as the colorblind casting in Hamilton.

It’s not a two-way street because color blindness is a response. Color blindness is a response to historic exclusion to the erasure of our stories.

And she says, it ignores the harmful history of white people portraying people of color.

The foundation of the American arts movement means that it will never be as simple, innocent, and neutral for a white person to attempt to tell or perform the story of a Black person.

Under the letter of the law, that may not matter.

Katie Hyson, KPBS News.

The kitchen of a skilled nursing facility in El Cajon was temporarily shut down last week after a routine inspection uncovered major health violations. Health reporter Heidi de Marco says county health officials report closures like this are rare, but serious.

County health officials ordered the San Diego Post Acute Center to close its kitchen on May 14th.

Inspectors found multiple major violations, including surfaces where food is prepared that had not been properly sanitized and a vermin infestation. That typically means: 

Roaches and cockroaches and rodents.

Ryan Johnson runs the County’s Department of Environmental Health and Quality. He says these are considered major violations because they carry a higher risk of cross-contamination and foodborne illness.

We have a website that is www.sdfoodinfo.com. And that's where anybody in the county can look up any one of our permitted food facilities and see their inspection history.The kitchen reopened within 12 hours.County officials plan follow-up inspections in the coming months.

Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.

Legoland opened its new driving schools yesterday (Wednesday).

The new tracks feature real road scenarios, intersections and roundabouts for kids to navigate as they learn the rules of the road.

Driving School and Junior Driving School at Legoland is for kids 3 to 13.

Adults looking to brush up on the basics should refer to the California DMV’s website for a list of accredited schools.

That’s it for the podcast today. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. For your next listen, check out The Finest, our arts podcast. The latest episode is about the final edition of San Diego’s last alt weekly and what it means for alternative media. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great day.