Newsom Survives Recall, Now What?

Speaker 1: 00:00 San Diego joins the rest of the state and saying no to the recall. Speaker 2: 00:05 Yes. To science, you said yes to vaccines. They said yes. To ending this pandemic. Speaker 1: 00:11 I'm Maureen, Kevin all with Jade Heinemann this is KPBS mid-day edition. The arrest of an Oceanside man in Washington, DC could be linked to right-wing terrorism. One of the, Speaker 3: 00:30 The problems that I think we're seeing with regard to extremism overall is that we're a little late to respond to the changing trends. Speaker 1: 00:39 We'll explore the increase in senior homelessness in the county and on our port of entry podcast, excerpt affordable care for pets south of the border. That's a head-on midday edition. Governor Gavin Newsome celebrated his victory in the recall election last night by telling voters, they didn't just say no to the recall here's governor Newsome. Speaker 2: 01:11 We said yes to science. And we said yes, to vaccines. They said, yes, to ending this pandemic, we said yes to people's right to vote without fear of fake fraud or voter suppression, we said yes to women's fundamental, constitutional right to decide for herself what she does with her body Speaker 1: 01:33 Newsome racked up a major win. And the recall with more than 60% of voters supporting the governor, the numbers are similar in San Diego with about 59% of San Diego wins voting. No with 70% of the votes currently counted. The question remains what Newson will do with this show of support and what happens to his recall challengers specifically former San Diego mayor Kevin Faulkner joining me is UC San Diego political science professor Thad. Couser that welcome. Thanks. Now, I remember speaking with you a couple of months ago when the polling was not looking good for Newsome. And you said despite that Newsome would probably survive the recall, what gave you that confidence? Speaker 4: 02:18 Well, this is California let's remember, right? This is a strongly democratic state that Joe Biden won by by 5 million votes. And that just gave Gavin Newsome, such a margin of error. What we saw over the course of this election, that was, you know, he, he made some big moves right around that time, mid summer, late July, early August, when several polls had a neck and neck, he gambled big on making this a referendum on COVID and on his vaccine requirements for teachers, for healthcare workers on the mask mandates that his Republican opponents posed. And as you just heard in his victory speech, that was really what he led with, right? It was science and vaccines. That's what he staked his governorship on. And that's part of what led him, not only to survive this recall, but to, to win a renewed mandate for California's approach to COVID and, and, uh, and re-energize his not only his governorship, but it's potentially a future political career Speaker 1: 03:13 KPBS. Metro reporter, Andrew Bowen spoke to some voters yesterday. We have a little bit of a sound bite from one of them. Let's play that. Now. Speaker 5: 03:21 I believe that our current governor is doing all that he can given the circumstances Speaker 1: 03:27 That was San Diego voter McKayla. Sabido on why she voted no. On the recall my question to you fed why don't we know about why people voted no. On the recall, did people vote more for Newsome or against the recall Speaker 4: 03:41 There we're checking off the same box for both. It's, it's impossible to, to tell, but here's what we know from, from exit polls, right? COVID was the top of the mind issue, uh, for, for the largest number of voters. It was the biggest issue in the campaign. And it was the biggest issue, especially for Democrats, 40% of Democrats, but only 20% of Republicans said this was their top issue. So I think that that seems to fit with the story that the Democrats embraced him, even though they may not love every single thing about the way he's governed for three years, even though they may still recognize the strong challenge as the California places and things like housing, homelessness, um, poverty, you know, uh, racial justice, like at least on a top issue of the day COVID he seems to have won a mandate for his approach versus the approach backed by all of his Republican opponents. Speaker 1: 04:31 And there was another factor that a lot of people are pointing to that got Newsome, uh, over this recall. And that was the entrance of Larry elder in the race. What kind of effect do you think he had? Speaker 4: 04:43 So Larry elder, both galvanized the Republican base really led to much more fundraising for the recall. A lot of people who are, who are volunteers, we saw signs that in ways that we hadn't seen coming up and we're in front of Republican homes over the last few elections, but he also put, I think a ceiling on, on both his candidacy and, and the effect of the recall because he is very much a Trump Republican. He has what people love about Donald Trump, but also what people are worried about. He shoots from the hip and he said a lot of things, the DP deeply alienated, not only the Democrats who came running back to Gavin Newsome, but voters in the center. And I, and I think that made it both put him clearly ahead in the recall replacement race, but also effectively doomed the recall replacement question. Speaker 1: 05:30 And what kind of role do you think Larry elder might have in California politics moving forward? Speaker 4: 05:37 Look, Larry elder is now the dominant figure in, in Republican politics in California. He, he trouts John Cox, right? Who had been the Republican standard bear in the 2018 election. And, and now was unfortunately for him and also ran in this campaign. He solidly beat Kevin Faulkner, who have seen as the great hope for the future of, of, of a bridge-building Republican and Republican who could get to 50%, all of them paled compared to Larry elder, who, if you look at his percentage in this recall placement race, he did almost as well at 47% is Arnold Schwartzenegger did back in 2003, but that's a Mirage. It misses the fact that 4 million voters skip that second question, essentially turning it into a Republican primary, but at least it shows that he's the Republican primary front Reiner in 2022. Speaker 1: 06:26 Now, Gavin Newsome now has this re recall election campaign behind him. Uh, what kind of agenda do you expect to see him pursue over the next months? Could this embolden him to become more progressive? Speaker 4: 06:40 I think so. I think he clearly has, uh, a renewed mandate, uh, and he's got the pressure to deliver from all the progressive groups that put so many troops on the ground to help turn out the vote. For this recall, he has governed in many ways, rather timidly, not taking the sorts of bold steps that he took, uh, as a mayor, when he embraced same-sex marriage licenses as a Lieutenant governor, when, when he embraced the proposition on, on, on legalized marijuana, he stayed on the sidelines and, and hemmed and hawed on key issues, such as housing police reform, even vaccines a few years ago, I think by taking a bold step and winning in this recall by embracing his COVID approach, owning it and winning on it, I think he may, Embold be emboldened to take some stronger steps on progressive issues. Things like single-payer healthcare police reform, that if he wants to have those national ambitions for eight years, two or six years from now, it really, uh, he's got a, he's got a run on that record. Speaker 1: 07:40 I've been speaking with UC San Diego political science professor fed cows, or that thank you very Speaker 4: 07:45 Much. Thanks for having me Speaker 1: 07:52 GOP recall candidate Larry elder made unsubstantiated claims of potential voter fraud prior to yesterday's recall election, but did not revive the claims last night. Here's elder speaking to supporters in orange county, Speaker 6: 08:07 As you know, my opponent, governor Gavin Newsome, come on. Let's let's, let's be gracious. Let's be gracious in defeat. Speaker 1: 08:20 Despite the earlier claims by elder and former president Donald Trump, there were few reported problems with voting yesterday, California, secretary of state, Dr. Shirley Weber spoke with cap radios, Randall white about the earlier claims of voter fraud and the security of the state's voting process. Speaker 7: 08:39 Secretary Weber, when you hear claims by some very influential people that California's voting process is rigged. What goes through your mind? Speaker 8: 08:48 You know, uh, I, I think, uh, we hope that, that we don't become too, um, uh, heart and against the allegations that are untrue, you know, because these are not new allegations. If so, we'd probably be shocked, but they're, they're old allegations, but at the same time, I don't want to become it a point where I just start ignoring them because every now and then there may be a grain of truth in some of it. So we want to make sure that every allegation is looked at in a logical manner, without saying, here we go again. Speaker 7: 09:17 I think statements like this due to the democratic process as well. Speaker 8: 09:22 You know, I, before I became secretary of state, I said someone that we, we have a fragile democracy and I don't think people here realize it because we've had people who believe so much in what we do as a democracy to constantly put ourselves second. And not first, you know, we, we will generally say, okay, I, you know, I'll, I'll conceive the election or I'll do this or that because it's for the good of the country, but just to attack for no reason to create a sense of frenzy among the public weakens this democracy and what, and so what we see, which was shocking to all of us was January 6th, that's a serious issue. And we need to make sure that our, that our comments that we make about the democracy are helpful and help us to strengthen it rather than just allegations because we didn't win an election and we want to win another Speaker 7: 10:14 Secretary. We are on the heels of another election year and these claims have rigged elections don't appear to be going away. So how do you plan to address this issue in the coming months so that when voters cast their ballots in November of 2022, they can feel secure in their vote regardless of what others might be saying. Speaker 8: 10:35 And that's, and that's a real challenge we have, um, what we've tried to do, a couple of things on helping people understand the democracy itself and what this democracy is about and how they can help, because, you know, we don't do a lot of, uh, civic education. And so our first effort at dealing with the question of voting rights and what it means and the struggle to get it and how it fits into this whole democracy that we have will be the first one will be at Fresno in the next two weeks. Uh, we're going to be doing, uh, where we'll have some in-person discussion with young people, as well as with the Delores workers with me on the first one, uh, as well as we'll be doing it, uh, alive, uh, on Facebook and other places. And so we plan to do one there. We've got one set thing scheduled for Sacramento. Someone has asked us to come to him or sad. So we hope to in the next 12 months, hopefully we'll do one a month to be able to be up and down the state to really educate Californians. I mean, I think much of our challenge is really educating us about what we have, you know, what this democracy means and what their role is in maintaining it. Speaker 1: 11:38 That was California secretary of state, Dr. Shirley Weber speaking with cap radios, Randall white, Speaker 9: 11:59 You're listening to KPBS mid-day edition. I'm Jade Hindman with Maureen Cavenaugh and Oceanside man was arrested earlier this week, near democratic national committee headquarters in Washington, DC for possession of prohibited weapons, including a bayonet and a machete. According to Capitol police, he was found in a pickup truck covered with swastikas and other white supremacist imagery. The arrest comes as authorities are stepping up security at the nation's Capitol over a planned rally to be held this Saturday in support of the January 6th insurrection as the nation grapples with a rise in hateful rhetoric and activity within its own borders. Law enforcement and intelligence agencies are beginning to acknowledge domestic terrorism as one of our top national security threats. Joining me with more is Brian Levin director of the center for the study of hate and extremism and a professor of criminal justice at California state university, San Bernardino. Uh, professor 11, thanks for joining us. Speaker 3: 12:58 Thank you so much for having me. So the Speaker 9: 13:00 Man arrested in this incident was from ocean side. Uh, what can you tell us about the culture of white nationalism here in San Diego county and in the greater Southern California area? Speaker 3: 13:10 There has been a welcome shift. We are now seeing products and reports, which were absent during the last administration, but I will say that one of the problems that I think we're seeing with regard to extremism overall is that we're a little late to respond to the changing trends and what we've seen certainly since 2018 has been a shift, certainly with extremist homicides end up swimming with the more radicalized people who have a folklore often, but not always. These grievance monger are white supremacists. Not always though. And that's, what's so interesting about what we're looking at. We have fascistic folks who sometimes are white supremacists, sometimes you're not. And in this case, unfortunately it appears that Donald Craighead had some psychological issues as well, that were longstanding Speaker 9: 14:04 It's America's intelligence apparatus, beginning to change how it assesses the threat of white nationalists, domestic terrorism. Speaker 3: 14:11 Unfortunately, we have seen a one step behind approach, uh, with regard to extremism and that's, uh, when dice was expanding last decade. And then when we had warned, our sender had consistently warned about the rise of far right violence, including the white supremacy. And indeed, when I testified before the us Senate last month, I said, we've now elevated our risk because of how widely dispersed the threat is to loaners themselves, including loaners like Mr. Craighead, who appear to have psychological issues as well. So we're getting a triumvirate of folks are newly minted extremist, if you will, who are cajoled online people with psychiatric histories, as well as what we call the mission offenders, the hardcore folks who are looking to take this time of grievance fear and social media overdosing during a pandemic for their own propaganda. And that's a problem Speaker 9: 15:17 Opinion. Has there been a distinct shift at all in how the nation approaches the issue of domestic terror since president Biden took office? Speaker 3: 15:25 The problems that I think we're seeing with regard to extremism overall is that we're a little late to respond to the changing trends and what we've seen certainly since 2018 has been a shift certainly with extremist homicides to far right and white supremacists. However, more recently we've seen a diversification. So bottom line, I think the threat that we have from this widespread anger and grievance, it will bubble up in various locations is more regionalized. So you're as likely to see something at a state Capitol or a city council meeting or county supervisors fora, as you are going to see these things that are more widely reported at the us Capitol, Speaker 9: 16:10 You know, where does Q Anon fit into this rise and extremist ideology? Speaker 3: 16:15 That was a great question. And what's so interesting about enough, and it is so elastic that one can really construct almost an idiosyncratic set of villains and targets. And one of the things that I also think unfortunately, is a hallmark of some of the violence that has the monitor of cure que and honor, at least the gift wrap is that again, we have people who have either, for instance, the case in Florida, someone who was on meth, uh, and in this other case, someone who may also have psychological issues. So the problem is we have a multiplicity of offenders, some of which are like your James Bond type villains, but others, frankly, who are more of an idiosyncratic cobbled mix, some of whom become extreme because they're stressed and have a peer group that they found online, which radicalizes them, others do it in a more solitary manner. Speaker 3: 17:15 Oftentimes social media and psychological stress or illness plays a role. And that is what I think is so interesting. It's a very diverse and regionalized type of threat that is different from the ones that we saw in the past, which involved more hierarchical and organized groups. Now, no matter what your vulnerability is, whether it's anger, stress, psychological issues, or the desire for some kind of subcultural peer validation. That's what we're seeing with regard to extremists. We're seeing this with respect to hate crime. What I'm saying is we're seeing a democratization of symbolic targeted violence of which hate crime and terrorism is a part of, Speaker 9: 18:00 You know, today we remember the 58th anniversary of the Birmingham bombing, uh, and on the heels of the 20th anniversary of nine 11. And just ahead of this rally in DC, what stands out to you in terms of how this country, um, treats and has focused on external threats of terror versus white nationalists domestic terrorism Speaker 3: 18:21 Bottom line is, is we have to have the alacrity to respond early to all these threats. And we are at a place of realignment. However, as of now, certainly the shorter term risk is coming from domestic extremists. They're most likely far, right? Oftentimes white supremacists, but they're not the only ones we're seeing. Now, this idiosyncratic mix we saw our first violent Salafist jihadist homicide in, uh, uh, in a few years, just in the last month. And last year we saw the first hard left homicides take place. So while far right, are increasingly skilled, the most prominent risk in is becoming a more diverse threat matrix. And what we have to do is have the alacrity in, in how we approach this to tackle the bull being kicked from any end of the field. Speaker 9: 19:16 I've been speaking with Brian Levin director of the center for the study of hate and extremism and a professor of criminal justice at California state university, San Bernardino, professor Levin. Thank you so much for joining us. Speaker 3: 19:27 Thank you. It's always a pleasure. And thank you for the work that you and other public radio professionals do across the country. Speaker 1: 19:44 A recent study of the planet's warming climate predicts working outside will become riskier as communities endure more extreme heat days, more often KPBS environment reporter Eric Anderson says that has implications for the nation's economy. Speaker 10: 20:01 Josh Middleton scans a project blueprint in the shadow of a trolley platform at the university town center. Speaker 11: 20:08 We have to run a pipe from here to here. 33 dash one Speaker 10: 20:14 Middleton runs C electric. The firm is a subcontractor on the mid coast trolley extension. One of San Diego county's largest public works projects. His workers Visel Chan and Brandon Short Reed are up in a cherry picker under a track platform. They're drilling holes into the underside of the trolley bridge, installing electrical lines to connect to an electrical box just across the street. Speaker 11: 20:40 I don't see it in this column. Speaker 10: 20:43 Only select columns under trolley stations will be lit. So passengers, the platforms at night and Middleton says this work is fortunately in the shade, but that's not the case for every job. In fact, sun and heat can be brutal without special gear. Speaker 11: 20:59 They make certain visors your, your, your sunglasses, um, different types of cooling packs. Speaker 10: 21:05 Sometimes isn't enough as hospitals get more intense happen more often. And last longer Middleton says the key is finding ways to cope Speaker 11: 21:16 Really based on the circumstances of the job environment, we would increase water intake and we would probably allow more time for break periods. Speaker 10: 21:26 The rules require extra attention for people working in hot conditions. Middleton makes sure his employees have plenty of shade and at least two gallons of water per worker. The climate scientists warn making simple adjustments may not be enough. A recent report, too hot to work from the union of concerned. Scientists finds outdoor workers face higher risks as the number of extreme heat days goes up. And the intensity of heat spells increases Speaker 12: 21:53 Now in the middle of the century, outdoor workers are going to increasingly lose work time because it's too hot to work. And in many cases that's going to mean that they will lose out on potential earnings as well. Speaker 10: 22:06 The group's climate researcher, Christina doll says those lost earnings could total more than $55 billion a year by the middle of the century. And communities of color will suffer more, Speaker 12: 22:18 Who identify as black African-American Hispanic or Latino make up about 32% of the population in the U S but they make up about 40% of outdoor workers. And in some different occupations, those numbers are even higher. Speaker 10: 22:35 The analysis concludes that more than 7 million workers could lose up to 10% of their pay because of extreme heat conditions that keep them from doing their job. Employers can provide extra protection and more breaks, but a report coauthor, Rachel licker says avoiding work in the middle of the day. Doesn't always help Speaker 13: 22:53 Shifting work schedules to cooler parts of the day can in and of itself have implications that are negative for outdoor workers. So, you know, not everyone wants to work nighttime shifts. Um, it can have implications for your ability to see your family, your mental health, et cetera. Speaker 10: 23:08 Liquor says the federal government can take action to keep workers from suffering in the heat. As it protects their pocket books. She says, all those lost wages could have negative effects on local regional and national economies. But liqueur says, slowing climate change remains the best strategy for avoiding extreme heat. Speaker 13: 23:27 We can save, you know, tens of billions of dollars and after worker earnings, if we take action now, and those solutions to climate change, we have in hand into these are measures like, you know, investing in more renewable energy resources we can get off of fossil fuels, electrifying or of our energy. A Speaker 10: 23:45 Recent United nations climate report found that moderating climate change may be a good strategy, but climate change is already here and companies and workers will have to find ways to cope with the extra eight. Speaker 1: 23:59 Joining me is KPBS environment reporter Eric Anderson, Eric. Welcome. Speaker 10: 24:04 Thank you, Marine. Speaker 1: 24:05 This warning about outdoor work. Doesn't seem to me like the usual climate change warnings about drought or sea level rise, because this is an issue all of us can understand by simply stepping outside. Did the workers you spoke with say they noticed that it's getting hotter? Speaker 10: 24:23 I don't think they've noticed a big change. Uh, up to this point, I talked with some folks who are working on the trolley extension project up in the UTC area. Um, and they kind of have a benefit of being able to work in the shade because a lot of their work right now is underneath that trolley elevated trolley platform. Um, and, and so there are some breaks there, but you definitely know from talking to them that, uh, they know that, um, kind of respecting that heat, uh, while they're doing their work is important. There's a lot of extra water on hand. They have areas, uh, where they can rest outside of the rays of the sun. Uh, and so it's definitely something that's part of their, their daily routine, Speaker 1: 25:07 Our outdoor workers already threatened by heat-related illnesses or even death for me to exposure Speaker 10: 25:14 Absolutely a 35 times higher. That's the risk of dying from heat exposure. If you're an outside worker, as opposed to someone who does their job inside of a building. So yeah, the risk of death, uh, is, is much higher. Uh, people who work in agricultural fields in California are very well aware of what it's like to be out in the middle of the day when the sun is beating down on the back of your neck and you're trying to do this work. Um, and that's something that, uh, uh, state legislation has attempted to account for. Uh, there have some been some bills that, uh, require certain safety standards for workers there to make sure that they get the rest that they need, make sure they get the shade and, and the additional water so that they can avoid any, any sort of, uh, death from heat exposure in California, Speaker 1: 26:07 The California just experienced its hottest summer on record. Is there any sign that employers are taking note of this new hazard for their workers? Speaker 10: 26:17 Sure. The workers I talked to, uh, in the course of the past week, uh, or union workers, uh, international brotherhood of electrical workers, and that's something that their union is very well aware of. They have requirements in their contract that require, uh, the employers to provide, uh, certain things like water hydration stations, and have a plan for dealing with extreme heat conditions. So yes, it's something even in temperate San Diego, where are the conditions are not as hot as say in the Imperial valley where we're looking at, you know, long stretches of triple digit heat, even here in San Diego, uh, workers are aware of the, of the danger of working in, Speaker 1: 27:00 And you mentioned Imperial county, that's one area where more than 25% of the workforce are outdoor workers. And that's also an area where hot weather is expected to increase, isn't it? Speaker 10: 27:12 Yeah. And increased pretty dramatically. Uh, MOCAD jumped 30 to 50 days a year, uh, with unsafe heat conditions. Um, you look at the temperatures out there this week in the triple digits all through the week in the middle of the day. Um, and that also reduces your productivity and that has an impact on economics. Speaker 1: 27:36 And as you mentioned, that there's this huge projected economic impact of it becoming too hot to work. Is there a concern that outdoor workers though, we'll just keep working in increasingly hot and unsafe conditions so they can bring home a paycheck? Speaker 10: 27:51 I think that's where the union of concerned scientists, places, a lot of their concern. That's a pretty big pressure point for an employee. If they're going to lose a week's worth of work, because it's just too hot to work outside, they still have to provide for their family. Um, and that creates a pressure to perhaps work in an unsafe condition. And that's something that they're concerned about, but even if you do take that time off, protect yourself from the extreme heat and miss out on that work, um, you know, that's a big economic chunk. Uh, they estimate that by 2050, um, if some of the worst global warming, uh, conditions, uh, arrive here, it could represent somewhere in the neighborhood of $55 billion worth of lost wages. So it's a pretty significant chunk there, uh, as the climate warms Speaker 1: 28:47 And Eric, does this report predict different outcomes? If more action or less action is taken to mitigate climate change? Speaker 10: 28:55 Well, what the report's authors say is that if we do nothing and we continue on the current course that we are on, we're going to see some of the worse outcomes, some of the harshest outcomes, more heat days, more intense heat days, longer heat spells. They say there's still a chance to influence that outcome by doing some common sense things, which is reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, uh, boosting our reliance on renewable energies like solar and wind things that are environmentally friendly. Uh, we still have a chance to, to affect the outcome so that the worst of those climate changes won't happen. And we won't see as severe an impact on the workers. And they say that's really actually, uh, the best, uh, strategy is, uh, if you can keep those outcomes from happening, then you don't have to worry so much about economic, uh, support, uh, legislation or, or safety legislation to keep workers safe. Speaker 1: 29:57 I've been speaking with KPBS environment reporter Eric Anderson, Eric, thank you. Speaker 10: 30:02 My pleasure. Speaker 9: 30:12 A new report finds one in four of San Diego's homeless adults is over the age of 55 and more than 40% of them are experiencing homelessness for the first time in their lives. The nonprofit organization serving seniors, published the report called senior homelessness, a needs assessment. Paul Downey, who is president and CEO joins us to talk about the issue of homelessness among seniors and what's being done about it. Paul welcome. Great Speaker 14: 30:40 To be with you. Thank you. Why did Speaker 9: 30:41 Your organization take the lead in having this report done? Is this information that wasn't out there before. Speaker 14: 30:48 It hasn't gotten the attention that it needs serving. The seniors has been working with homeless older adults for more than 20 years. We've been providing direct services, but when the conversation goes on at the federal state and even the local level, there wasn't much discussion about the needs of older adults. And as you noted more than a quarter of the folks on the streets of San Diego are older than 55. So we wanted to put this report together as a way to be a catalyst for discussion about what the recommendations might be, uh, to, to address this, this situation. There's a lot of discussion out there about youth and about veterans and the chronically homeless as there should be. But when you've got a quarter of the population being 55, plus it also warrants some focus. Speaker 9: 31:35 Can you talk about some of the reasons the senior population in particular is more vulnerable to homelessness than other populations? Speaker 14: 31:43 Well, a lot of it is economic. I mean, that's the thing that came through loud and clear that for, for most of these folks, it was, uh, an illness. It may be, it was a spouse's illness and the cost of caregiving loss of the job, uh, cost of housing. You know, other things like that that caused the homelessness. Uh, the numbers of folks that reported mental illness was very low. It was 27%. Substance abuse was 7%. So these are not the chronic homeless that we see that are need extensive and very expensive services. What came through is this is a cohort that can be moved through the system quickly, uh, because you're not dealing with the depth of problems that you're seeing with some of the other populations. And so that really prompted us to look at really some low hanging fruit in terms of some solutions, to be able to, to address this and take this group sort of out of the system and allow the more extensive resources, you know, to be focused on those that are chronically homeless. Speaker 9: 32:43 So what are your top takeaways from the senior homelessness report? Speaker 14: 32:48 The top takeaway was that it was $300, was the difference for the people surveyed between being housed and unhoused. So we simply, we asked the question, how much money would it have taken? So we gave them a hundred dollars, $200 up to $800. And 56% of them said $300 or less. So what it tells us is this notion of a shallow subsidy. Uh, you know, if you gave $300 towards rent, could keep somebody from becoming homeless and so $3,600 a year. Well, if you compare that to the cost of a homeless person on the streets, depending on who you talk to, it's 30,000 to $50,000 a year when you factor in police, fire, paramedic hospital, et cetera. So it is a relatively inexpensive intervention to keep somebody from becoming homeless or somebody who is homeless, helping them transition back into the housing. The other next takeaway was that shelters were deemed really not to be safe. Speaker 14: 33:47 I mean, older adults don't want to be in the shelters because they are physically afraid of being attacked. They're concerned about things being stolen from them. And they're concerned about being around substance abuse. So one of our recommendations was, was a real simple one, which is to create separate areas within shelters, for older adults that are age friendly, maybe with a little more security, maybe, uh, more space so that somebody who has a Walker or wheelchair has space to be able to store their items, uh, you know, and also bring in the specific services that they may need. So again, that's an easy solution. It doesn't require a lot of money and it can be done right now. Speaker 9: 34:30 Do you think senior homelessness is increasing right now at this point in time? Speaker 14: 34:34 It's the economic pressures, it's illness. I mean, you know, people who have saved, I mean, they get sick. Spouse gets sick loss of a job, can't get reemployed. And so you see that having a major impact, the cost of housing, a medium price for a one bedroom apartment in San Diego is just under $2,000 a month. And so that lack of affordability is puts a lot of pressure on people who are on a fixed income. And so what we see is these economic pressures causing people to spiral into homelessness. Speaker 9: 35:08 What's next in terms of advocating and pushing the recommendations your organization has made? Speaker 14: 35:15 Well, we've already met with the city and the county, the mayor's office, and then the county chairman Fletcher has been involved with it from the county as are other members of the board of supervisors. So what we want to do is not be a standalone. We want to have this incorporated into the plans that are being developed. Um, I'll give you a perspective for the city of San Diego, their current plan. If you go to their website, they're nowhere in it. Doesn't mention older adults, not a single mention in the current plan, that's a significant oversight and they're aware of it. And they're, they're working to incorporate some of these recommendations. So working through those two entities, we're also meeting with elected officials at every level in the region to talk about it and have older adults become part of the dialogue. So, you know, we're, we're eager to actually see these things implemented. Um, you know, we don't want another taskforce and other study. We want to get things done and get them done right now. Speaker 9: 36:10 I've been speaking with Paul Downey, president and CEO of serving seniors. Paul, thank you so much for joining us. Speaker 14: 36:17 Appreciate it. Thank you. Speaker 1: 36:31 This is KPBS midday edition. I'm Maureen Cavenaugh with Jade. Heinemann when your pet is sick, most owners will do almost anything to get them healthy again, but sometimes the price tag is just too high. And then pet owners are faced with the gut wrenching decision of what to do, whether to go broke, getting a furry friend fixed up or put your friend down. Well, a San Diego woman is offering up another option across the border in Tijuana on a new bonus episode of KPBS, his border podcast, port of entry host Alan Lillian Thall introduces us to Anna. Gansky a young woman who started a business that picks up pets and San Diego and crosses them into Tijuana for more affordable veterinary care. Speaker 15: 37:23 Good morning. And I hear with Mexi bet. So it is Saturday and we are on our way to go pick up our frequent flyer, Marco, who is going for his fourth and possibly final chemo treatment. Good morning, Anna here with max Yvette. It is Sunday working on a Sunday, Sunday morning, around nine 15, and I'm on my way to pick up a dog named Vita who is getting me tendon repair surgery. Good morning. It's about 8:00 AM. And I am on my way to pick up a little Chihuahua named pokey who has hip dysplasia. Speaker 16: 38:09 So this is an again. And as you can hear, she's a busy woman in 2018 and, uh, started a business called Mexi vet express. And at first it was just a little side gig, but now it's big business. She drives around picking up animals in San Diego. Speaker 15: 38:28 Hey guys, how you doing? Hi, he is, he's going to the vet. Do you know what he's done there? Yep. They're going to clean his teeth. They're all brown and dirty. Not like your ads. He just looked very good. Yes. He doesn't brush his teeth as much as you do. I bet. Speaker 16: 38:45 And it takes the pets across the border. Speaker 15: 38:48 It is about nine 15 and we are crossing into Mexico right now. It's about 10 0 8. Um, we're crossing into Mexico shortly. We are at the border. It is eight 30 and we've just crossed into Mexico really quickly. Now that Pius is about 10 minutes from this point, Speaker 16: 39:19 Once in Tijuana, the pets get way more affordable vet care, Speaker 15: 39:23 And we are at that place. And I'm going to go check us all in, even though we are quite early Speaker 16: 39:32 And his ability to easily cross the border from San Diego to Tijuana is what makes her business possible because the deals she gets at places like vet pliers are pretty darn good. Speaker 15: 39:43 The x-rays here are $40, pretty amazing. And I think that the extractions here are around $10, sometimes even less per tooth when they extract so many, they probably won't charge the full 90. And, um, that's quite the deal is in the U S they can be like 200 a piece. Speaker 16: 40:01 So because of the huge price difference between the us and Mexico, when it comes to vet care and actually pretty much everything and his business is booming. Speaker 15: 40:13 Yeah. At this point I have to build in a day off. Yeah, I'm getting really, really bad Speaker 16: 40:18 Back. When we first talked to Anna last year, she was running her business solo. Now she's up to a team of 11, six dedicated drivers who help her cross the border with people's pets. And for other support staffers who help with things like marketing and administration. Speaker 16: 40:38 I completely understand why Anna's business is taking off. I have a dog that I found in Mexico. His name is Talco and he's pretty much my son Keswick Delco is a champ, super healthy. So I haven't had to take him to the vet for anything serious yet. But if he ever did need anything done, I would without question, do anything that I could to get him what he needs. And I'm definitely not alone. Most humans that I know will do anything they can to keep the animals alive and healthy. We love our pets. They're part of our families sometimes though, at least in America, the price tag is just way too high. And we're asked to make a really impossible decision. Go broke to save our animal friends or put them down forever. Anna though is offering an alternative to that. Speaker 15: 41:40 So we're here at Malana's home. Milan has just gotten out of the car and the family's had a chance to see her. So how are you guys feeling with having Milana back? Happy, welcome. She looks, she looks good. She looks happy. She already looks very acclimated to her new tripod. Yay. Speaker 16: 42:03 Oh, she's using our proximity to the border here to help families like the one you just heard pay for big things like the amputation Mona needed, Speaker 15: 42:12 You know, it's, it's fun having a job where you are making a difference where you like really mattered to somebody, um, where you're providing this really important service to them. You know, in some cases you're like saving their pet's life and they wouldn't have been able to afford it otherwise. Okay. Another happy Mexi that customer. And now I go home for one hour and then I go back down. Speaker 16: 42:49 So before Anna was driving back and forth across the border to take pets from San Diego and LA to vets down into Quana, she was a barista at a coffee shop. And because she was in a barista's budget, she used to take her own dog across the border for care when she needed it. Speaker 15: 43:05 And that started probably about five years ago. Um, my dog got a quote at a vet up here in San Diego for some dental work that she needed. And it was going to be like teeth cleaning possible extractions, blood work, you know, the huge and I was quoted upwards of 2000 and I had just kind of had sticker shock, like, oh my gosh, for dental. And I was talking to one of my girlfriends and she was like, we get our dental stuff done in Mexico. Maybe they have like doggy dental in Mexico. I was like, you're a genius. Maybe they do. Speaker 16: 43:43 And I ended up paying just a few hundred dollars that first trip down to the corner and her dog's teeth were as good as new. Speaker 15: 43:51 Yeah. From then I was hooked. So then I, then I felt this like freedom, this Liberty to kind of give my dog the like Cadillac package of vet care, you know, like little, any little lump. I was like, let's get that little lump checked. Let's do cytology on that. Let's see what it is. We can afford this. We have a hundred bucks. Let's do it. Speaker 15: 44:15 And I would always tell my friends, oh yeah, I'm going down to our vet and TJ, we're getting this done. And this done, and this done, it's going to cost this much. And I'm like bragging for three years. I'm so proud and excited of what I'm able to afford for her and the care I can provide her. And my friends were always like, you know, that's really great. And we w we would do that for our pets, except for, you know, we don't know the roads or we don't speak Spanish. We don't feel comfortable doing it. So they were always kind of pushing me like, you should start a business out of this. You're so comfortable doing it. You should start a business out of this. Speaker 1: 44:54 So, and again, ski did start a business out of it, and you could learn more about it and how the pandemic has impacted it in the full episode of port of entry out today, find it online at port of entry, pod.org, or get it on apple or wherever you listen to podcasts.