Who's been spending big money on midterm races?
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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson … it’s FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30TH>>>> [ WHOSE BEEN SPENDING BIG ON MIDTERM RACES?}
More on that next. But first... the headlines….#######
FOUR LOCAL MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ON THURSDAY ANNOUNCED THEIR OPPOSITION TO A DATA CENTER AT NAVWAR
SARA JACOBS, MIKE LEVIN, SCOTT PETERS AND JUAN VARGAS, ALL DEMOCRATS, SAY THEY WILL INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO STOP A DATA CENTER FROM MOVING FORWARD WITHOUT LOCAL-GOVERNMENT CONSULTATION OR APPROVAL
LOCAL LEADERS, INCLUDING SAN DIEGO MAYOR TODD GLORIA AND THE CITY COUNCIL, HAVE ALREADY VOICED THEIR OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSED 400-MEGAWATT DATA CENTER
THEY SAY IT WILL RAISE ELECTRICITY RATES AND IMPACT AIR AND WATER QUALITY.
IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT, SARA JACOBS SAID IT’S NOT WHAT PEOPLE WANT AT THE 70-ACRE FEDERAL SITE SAYING QUOTE–”WE WERE PROMISED HOUSING, AMENITIES, AND PUBLIC PARKS AND INSTEAD WE COULD GET THE STATE’S LARGEST DATA CENTER.”--END QUOTE
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SAN DIEGO’S STREETS FOR ALL PROGRAM AIMS TO MAKE CITY STREETS SAFER AND MORE LIVEABLE…AND THE CITY IS ASKING FOR YOUR INPUT
THE PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD ON A MANUAL PRODUCED FOR THE PROGRAM IS OPEN UNTIL NOVEMBER 13TH.
STREETS FOR ALL COMPONENTS INCLUDE WAYS TO SLOW VEHICLE TRAFFIC AND ENCOURAGE WALKING, PLAYING, AND BIKING
THE CITY IS LOOKING TO PAIR RESIDENTS AND BUSINESS TO WORK TOGETHER…AND COME UP WITH PROJECTS THAT CAN BE PLANNED AND FUNDED QUICKLY
SAN DIEGO’S INVOLVEMENT BEGAN IN 2023 WITH FEDERAL FUNDING. . YOU CAN VIEW AND COMMENT ON THE DRAFT MANUAL ONLINE AT SAN DIEGO-DOT-GOV
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A PROPOSAL FROM THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS WOULD ALLOW VISITORS TO LEGALLY CAMP ON PRIVATE FAMILY FARMS, RANCHES AND VINEYARDS
THE BOARD’S VOTE DIRECTS COUNTY STAFF TO DRAFT AN ORDINANCE THAT BUILDS ON A RECENT STATE LAW ALLOWING SOME LANDOWNERS TO SUPPLEMENT THEIR INCOME BY ALLOWING CAMPING
THE COUNTY SAYS THE MEASURE COULD HELP PROVIDE A BOOST IN AGRI-TOURISM AND SAYS MORE THAN 100 COUNTY LANDOWNERS ALREADY EXPRESSED INTEREST OR ARE USING ONLINE PLATFORMS LIKE HIPCAMP FOR BOOKINGS—A LEGAL GREY AREA.
COUNTY STAFF WILL CONSIDER CHALLENGES LIKE FIRE SAFETY REQUIREMENTS AND PERMIT FEES BEFORE RETURNING TO THE BOARD WITHIN SIX MONTHS
From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now.Stay with me for more of the local news you need
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ELECTION DAY IS NEXT TUESDAY AND THERE’S A LAST-MINUTE PUSH FOR VOTES.
BUT WHO’S BEEN SPENDING BIG ON THE MIDTERM RACES? THAT’S WHAT KPBS AND OUR NONPROFIT NEWS PARTNER VOICE OF SAN DIEGO WANTED TO FIND OUT.
REPORTER JAKE GOTTA SAT DOWN WITH KPBS ANCHOR DEBBIE CRUZ TO DISCUSS THE PUBLIC MATTERS CAMPAIGN FINANCE PROJECT.
SDMONEY (jg/qo) [3:01] SOQ: [Thanks for having me!]
JAKE, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
[ Thanks, I’m happy to be here!]
SO LET’S START WITH THE PROCESS. WHAT DID IT TAKE TO GATHER ALL THIS DATA?
[ That’s a great question, and I’d like to start by shouting out our in-house data guru from the web team, Michael Wayne. He was able to pull campaign filings from the state, county, and local cities to compile into one spreadsheet that let us tally up these totals. He did use an AI tool to help pull that data from all the sources, but then my colleague Lisa Halverstadt from Voice of San Diego joined us in verifying those numbers in the spreadsheet against the original filings themselves – it took a long time, I can tell you that!]
THAT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF WORK! BUT DID IT PAY OFF?
[Well after we isolated spending in San Diego or by San Diego based groups we had a list of the top spenders and donors in the County in this election, at least up to the October 22nd reporting deadline. There’s more money being spent right now that doesn’t get fully reported until February; but the biggest spender across the county so far is the California Democratic Party.]
THAT MAKES SENSE, RIGHT?
[It does; the state party is a big spender on behalf of local candidates. They’ve spent more than 1.5 million dollars supporting Catherine Blakespear in her reelection campaign, and almost a million helping Mara Elliott attempt to flip a state senate district in San Marcos. Overall, they’ve spent more than 3 million dollars supporting candidates in the San Diego area so far.]
THAT IS A LOT OF MONEY! BUT, I’M THINKING THEY’RE NOT THE ONLY GROUP SPENDING BIG THIS ELECTION?
[Nope! The next big spender is the Yes on Measure B campaign – they’ve spent more than 2.5 million to pass Measure B, the county-wide half-cent sales tax that’s supposed to fund healthcare, public safety, and tijuana river sewage solutions.
After that, a group called California Leads dropped more than a million dollars just in the primary to support Ed Musgrove – who didn’t even make it to the general election.]
BUT WHERE ARE THESE GROUPS GETTING ALL THIS MONEY? IT HAS TO COME FROM SOMEWHERE
[That was the other piece of the puzzle that we had to figure out! So the Democratic Party gets a lot of donations from a lot of places, but two of their top donors this year are Kalshi, the prediction market (read: gambling) website, and the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, and the California Teachers Association.
The Yes on B campaign has received large sums from Melvyn Katz, who co-founded the San Diego Foundation, and Irwin Jacobs, who’s a pretty well known philanthropist in the San Diego area. And then California Leads, that group is funded by corporations like Google and Meta, or Facebook. ]
INTERESTING … SO IS THIS ALL THE SPENDING IN THE SAN DIEGO AREA OR IS THERE STUFF, WE STILL MIGHT BE MISSING?
[This is what data is publicly available as of the latest deadline. All of these groups have to disclose donations, spending, and contributions to others; but there’s a lot of spending that happens between the last filing deadline and the election; that won’t be fully reported until February.
And this doesn’t capture federal election data, just local and state races here in San Diego County.
But it gives us a pretty good idea of who the big players are in the area, at least this year.]
JAKE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE
[Thanks for having me!]
ANCHOR OUT: WE SHOULD NOTE IRWIN JACOBS IS A FINANCIAL SUPPORTER OF KPBS. THE KPBS NEWS OPERATION MAINTAINS EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE FROM KPBS EXECUTIVES, SDSU AND CORPORATE UNDERWRITERS AND DONORS
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DAYS AFTER A MAN DIED AT THE OTAY MESA DETENTION CENTER, IMMIGRANTS RIGHTS ORGANIZERS GATHERED OUTSIDE THE FACILITY TO HOLD A VIGIL FOR DÍA DE MUERTOS.
REPORTER KORI SUZUKI SAYS THEY HONORED THE DOZENS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE DIED AT THE HANDS OF ICE THIS YEAR.
OTAYVIGIL 1 (1:15) SOQ
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As the sun dips low, the organizers set up the ofrenda.
Pedro Rios and Adriana Jasso [HAH-so] lay out the cempasúchil [SEEM-pah-SOO-cheel], or marigolds. The bright orange petals stain their fingertips as they place them on the asphalt. Here’s Rios.
SOT: 20261029_ksuzuki_otayvigil_1206 / :13
We're breaking up the cempasúchil flower, the marigolds, and creating a path from the Otay Mesa Detention Center to the altar,
Rios and Jasso are with the American Friends Service Committee. They’re creating a pathway outside the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego.
The pathway leads to the ofrenda. It’s decorated with candles, calaveras and monarch butterflies. Jasso says dozens of photographs show people who ICE agents have shot… or who have died in the agency’s custody this year.
SOT: 20261029_ksuzuki_otayvigil_1208 / 8:05
It was not the time for them to uh leave their families, to leave their relationships. And so the space and and the intention is to remember them, but also to honor them.
Just last weekend, an immigrant from Guatemala… Guillermo Pascual Vergansa... died inside a cell at Otay Mesa. ICE says his death is under investigation. San Diego County officials are demanding an outside probe.
Kori Suzuki, KPBS News
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A STATE LAW THAT TOOK EFFECT IN JANUARY ALLOWS MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO PHOTOGRAPH COURT RECORDS INSTEAD OF PAYING FOR COPIES.
REPORTER SCOTT RODD SAYS THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT WAS NOT COMPLYING WITH THE LAW UNTIL THIS WEEK.
COURTFEES (1:06) SOC (SS)
I went down to the San Diego County central courthouse the other day to get some records from a criminal case.
I was told I couldn’t take photos of documents … and instead had to pay 50 cents a page for copies. There were even signs on the wall that said people who break this rule would be escorted out of the building.
This caught me by surprise. Because the Legislature passed a law last year that allows people to make their own copies of records while in the courthouse reading room.
3:27
LOY-1 (3:27) “Excessive charges are a barrier to transparency. They get in the way of the public's right to understand what happens in our court system.”
David Loy is legal director for the First Amendment Coalition. He says the law is supposed to benefit the public…and the courts.
7:38 - 7:47 / 8:02 - 8:05
David Loy, First Amendment Coalition
“It may be a significant drain on court resources for clerks to have to make a copy of every single page in a court file, particularly if it's hundreds of pages. So it should be a win-win for everybody.”
The San Diego County Superior Court said it would comply with the law in the coming days…after KPBS questioned court officials about the policy.
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FATHER JOE'S VILLAGES TODAY (THURSDAY) BROKE GROUND ON ANOTHER AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN THE EAST VILLAGE. METRO REPORTER ANDREW BOWEN SAYS IT MAKES USE OF AN ECO-FRIENDLY BUILDING MATERIAL.
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MASSTIMBER 1 (ab) 1:20 soq
AB: The project at 16th and Island is the first affordable housing project in San Diego to be built with mass timber. That's an engineered wood product made by joining smaller pieces of wood together to form large structural panels and beams. Mass timber takes far less energy to produce than steel and concrete. Jodi Rothery is the project's developer. She says the choice of mass timber wasn't just environmental. It also lowered development costs and shortened the construction timeline.
JR: A lot of these components are off-site built. So one, that allows for simultaneous work to be happening, both on-site and off-site, and also in the end relies on fewer people to put everything together in the field.
AB: The eight-story development will offer 124 apartments with below-market rents. Father Joe's CEO Deacon Jim Vargas says for many San Diegans, one rent increase or medical bill can make the difference between keeping their housing or losing it.
JV: This is what drives homelessness. Addressing housing is how we will end it. Every affordable home we build is one more person or family that finds stable housing instead of ending up or staying on the streets.
AB: The project is scheduled for completion in March 2028. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news
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FOR MORE THAN THREE DECADES, THE SHERMAN HEIGHTS COMMUNITY CENTER HAS HOSTED A CELEBRATION OF DIA DE LOS MUERTOS, OR DAY OF THE DEAD. COMMUNITY MEMBERS SET UP ALTARS AND PARTICIPATE IN WORKSHOPS BEFORE A CANDELIGHT PROCESSION ON NOVEMBER 2ND.
MORNING EDITION ANCHOR KATIE ANASTAS STOPPED BY DURING A WORKSHOP AND HAS THIS AUDIO POSTCARD.
SHERMAN1 1:39 “...that’s really special.”
KELLY: My name is Daniella Kelly, and I am executive director of the Sherman Heights Community Center.
Pan de muerto is one of the items that are traditionally found in the ofrendas that people make in honor of their deceased loved ones, and it's a Mexican sweet bread, like a pan dulce that people know of. And it's usually in circular in form, and it has decorations that look like bones on the top.
ARANDA:...when it gets all together, we have to add the sugar, and it will start coming apart…
IVAÑEZ: My name is Cynthia Ivañez and I’m from Paradise Hills.
Every year we make an altar there at the house, but I’ve never made my own bread.
I was a teacher, and so I used to take it in to my students, and the kids would always say, ‘Ooh, we’re eating huesitos, bones! How can we eat that?’ They all used to love it.
ARANDA: With some melted butter, we are putting it on the warm bread, and then we’re covering with sugar. They can add sugar and cinnamon, or sugar with some freeze dried fruit, or with Mexican chocolate and this will taste really, really good.
LOPEZ: I’m Yanet Lopez.
I had a death of a student not so long ago, and just certain things that have made the reality of death a lot more present. And finding a way to kind of channel that remembrance into something like dia de muertos, where you’re able to keep folks front and center and think of them a lot more in this dedicated time and honor them. And I think Sometimes there isn’t a setting for that. It's a tradition, there’s a lot of ritual in it, and I think that’s really special
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DIA DE LOS MUERTOS, OR DAY OF THE DEAD, IS AN ANCIENT MEXICAN TRADITION WHERE FAMILIES WELCOME BACK THE SOULS OF THEIR DECEASED LOVED ONES FOR A BRIEF, JOYFUL REUNION.
REPORTER JACOB AERE SAYS ONE CEMETERY IN SAN DIEGO’S SOUTH BAY IS PROVIDING THE COMMUNITY WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO CELEBRATE ON NOVEMBER FIRST JUST AS MANY FAMILIES DO … SOUTH OF THE BORDER.
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MUERTOSCEMETERY (ja) SOQ 4:38
Colorful orange marigolds and brightly colored paper cut with intricate designs … skulls and skeletons … and the early stages of altars …. cover La Vista Memorial Park’s grassy hills and gravesites.
Here in San Diego’s Lincoln Acres neighborhood, the cemetery takes on a secondary role during this season. It's an annual tradition that began nearly 20 years ago.
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Angela Riggs | Honors her son on Dia de los Muertos
17:24:03 - 17:24:10 (:07)
“I didn't grow up observing dia de los muertos, death was a very taboo subject in my household, we didnt talk about it …”
Angela Riggs’ family is celebrating the life of their son Leo, who died when he was just 26 days old.
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Angela Riggs | Honors her son on Dia de los Muertos
17:21:46 - 17:21:57 (:11)
“In 2013 we lost our son unexpectedly to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, as you can imagine it was devastating and tragic, completely unexpected.”
Riggs says when Leo passed away there was nothing physical for her to do anymore. So, she says since his death they've built an altar here … year after year.
SOT 3347
Angela Riggs | Honors her son on Dia de los Muertos
17:25:02 - 17:25:29 (:27)
“... to build an altar, to put it together, to make the seven levels that represent the ascension, to put the salt that represents the taste of what their spirits would flavor their food with;… it was such a therapeutic way for me to continue to do something as his mother.”
Luisa McCarthy is co-owner of La Vista Memorial Park. She’s originally from Mexico City – one of the major urban areas known for its Dia de los Muertos celebrations.
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Luisa McCarthy | La Vista Memorial Park and Mortuary Co-owner
16:17:49 - 16:18:04 (:15)
“It started with my dad’s passing. And he's laid to rest in Tecate, Baja California. But when I came and integrated here at La Vista I thought ‘woah, I don't have his headstone here, but what I can do is have an altar for him.’”
She says the holiday takes place during the first two days of November, with many families beginning preparations and offerings well in advance.
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Luisa McCarthy | La Vista Memorial Park and Mortuary Co-owner
16:27:55 - 16:28:17 (:22)
“These are the three stages of life – which is your youth, when you grow old, and death. So that way it's not scary. It's a tradition of love where we remember our loved ones with their personal mementos.”
McCarthy says long before Pixar and Disney brought recognition to this holiday in the U.S. with “Coco,” she’s offered a more traditional Mexican celebration of the holiday … north of the border.
Here, families are planning their altars … and will soon gather in the cemetery at night … when it's believed the border between the physical and spirit world cross over … and the souls of the dead return to eat, drink, and enjoy music with loved ones.
SOT 3326
Luisa McCarthy | La Vista Memorial Park and Mortuary Co-owner
6:22:45 - 6:23:08 (:23)
“The cemetery lights up by its own personal light that the families bring, which is really what it's all about. It's about decorating your resting place, building your own personal altar in your resting place and bringing food, like potluck style, and sharing it with your neighbor.”
Racquel Galicia is the matriarch of another family taking part in the celebration at the cemetery.
SOT 3361
Racquel Galicia | Honors family members at cemetery for Dia de los Muertos
17:47:18 - 17:47:25 (:07)
“Pues para nosotros el significado del Día de los muertos es una ofrenda de amor …”
Translate: “For us, the meaning of the Day of the Dead is an offering of love…”
Galicia always brings food to share. That includes pan de muerto… or bread of the dead… which holds extra meaning in their family.
SOT 3361
Racquel Galicia | Honors family members at cemetery for Dia de los Muertos
17:47:54 - 17:48:15 (:21)
“Aquí en este cementerio está mi esposo y está mi nieto. Mi esposo fue el que fue una de las personas que pues como todos los emigrantes, llegamos aquí sin dinero y todo, pero él tenía la intención de emprender un negocio y emprendió el negocio de Sammy’s Mexican Bakery hace 30 años.”
Trans: “My husband and my grandson are here in this cemetery. My husband was one of those people who—like all immigrants— arrived here with no money or anything else; however, he had the intention of starting a business, and 30 years ago, he launched Sammy’s Mexican bakery.”
Thomas Gallardo (TOW-moss GUY-yar-doe) lost his father last year.
Just a few months after his passing, he and his family built an altar for the first time at the cemetery.
He says it’s helped the grieving process.
SOT 3379
Thomas and Maribel Gallardo | Honors father on dia de los muertos
18:37:00 - 18:37:17 (:17)
“ es algo bonito poder superar las cosas, es algo bonito poder venir y estar aquí y sin estar que andando llorando no? Uno los deja hacer soltar. Ya pasaron su tiempo aquí ya están en otro lugar, mucho más mejor.”
Translate: “It’s a beautiful thing to be able to move past things—to be able to come here without spending the whole time crying, you know? You just let go, and that’s that. Their time here has passed; they’re in another place now—a much, much better one.”
McCarthy says their celebration has changed in size and scope over time, but the essence of what they offer hasn’t strayed.
She will be there overseeing the celebration and competitions… dressed from head to toe as an elegant skeleton – a Catrina.
SOT 3326
Luisa McCarthy | La Vista Memorial Park and Mortuary Co-owner
16:32:12 - 16:32:29
“We don't want it to become another Cinco de mayo. It is what it is. It's a tradition, its a sacred tradition of dia de los muertos to remember your loved ones. You drink, but you bring them the drink, and you can share the drink with your families, whoever is around that headstone.”
McCarthy says the public is welcome to come visit and explore.
She expects a couple thousand people … including the park’s families, the greater community and the souls of loved ones … will stay until midnight in the cemetery together … if only for a brief moment in time. Jacob Aere, KPBS News.
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HERE ARE SOME WEEKEND EVENTS HAPPENING AROUND THE COUNTY THAT YOU AND YOURS COULD TAKE PART IN!
THIS IS THE FINAL WEEKEND, MORE SPECIFICALLY THE FINAL 48 HOURS FOR KIDS FREE OCTOBER. THE PROMOTION’S LAST DAY IS SATURDAY.
SAN DIEGO PARENTS CAN SAVE SOME MONEY AS DOZENS OF SAN DIEGO BASED MUSEUMS, AQUARIUMS, ATTRACTIONS AND MORE ARE OFFERING FREE ENTRY FOR CHILDREN AGED 12 YEARS OF YOUNGER
ON SATURDAY, THERE IS A 21 AND UP WILLY WONKA INSPIRED HALLOWEEN DANCE PARTY!
IT TAKES PLACE AT THE MUSIC BOX IN LITTLE ITALY AND NATURALLY, WONKA-THEMED ATTIRE IS ENCOURAGED
IF YOU’RE INTERESTED, TICKETS CAN BE FOUND ON TICKETWEB DOT COM
ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN DOWNTOWN CHULA VISTA YOU CAN ATTEND THE SIXTH ANNUAL DIA DE LOS MUERTOS CELEBRATION!
ITS A FREE EVENT FEATURING A COMMUNITY ALTAR, A DIA DE LOS MUERTOS THEMED COMPETITION AND CONTESTS, KIDS CRAFTS, A CAR SHOW AND LOCAL VENDORS
FOR MORE INFO YOU CAN VISIT DOWNTOWN CHULA VISTA DOT COM
WHATEVER YOU DO THIS HALLOWEEN WEEKEND … BE SAFE AND ENJOY!
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That’s it for today’s podcast. The podcast today was edited by Ted Robbins and is hosted and produced by myself, Lawrence K. Jackson. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
