Four school districts closed Monday because of icy, snowy conditions

S1: San Diego County remains under a winter storm warning.

S2: Overall , this was a good storm , very beneficial.

S1: I'm M.G. Perez with Jade Heineman. More rain is off this week. You're listening to KPBS midday edition. Here are some of the personal stories of survival on the U.S. picket lines.

S3: I wish I understood the disconnect of why I was forced to live in my car. Other than the fact that the U.S. will do anything it can to not pay us the wages that we deserve.

S1: We talk with one proud dad about the historic Lincoln High School football state title and the Magic Fish , a tough book Pact for Teens. That's all ahead on Midday Edition. We are still just over a week away from the official start date of winter , but the cold and rain and even some snow are already here. A winter storm continues to threaten San Diego County today after causing dozens of accidents on the road Sunday and forcing cancellation of the San Diego Bay boat Parade of lights. Today , campuses in the Julian Union , Spencer Valley and Warner Unified school districts are closed as a winter storm warning remains in effect until 10:00 tonight for mountain areas. Here to tell us more is Alex Tardy , warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in San Diego. Alex , welcome back to mid-day.

S2: Yeah , thanks for having me on again.

S1: So we were warned it was coming and it did.

S2: Overall , this was a good storm , very beneficial. Everyone received rainfall. In fact , every city location has seen between a half an inch to almost an inch and a half places in North County , up around an inch and a half , like in Se Candido in the mountains. We've seen even more 2 to 3 inches of water. And overnight it's changed over to snow. And we're seeing snowfall all the way down to 4000 feet in Julienne , nice , big white flakes.

S1:

S2: It'll gradually start to wind down during the end of the day as the storm shifts to the east. Now , we're in the cold part of the storm. We even saw this morning thunderstorms move through Encinitas that came off the ocean. So some of the rain has been heavy. And like you mentioned , it's caused some urban and local type of flooding in low lying areas.

S1: When there is a lot of rain.

S2: On Election Day with that last storm , we had the first storm of the year. So this is really all tents and purposes. Our second storm. Perfect timing. Normally in December , we see two or three storms of this magnitude. So we really needed it to get us back on track with this rainfall in San Diego. We're now right around normal or average where we should be in December. Our mountain areas are actually a little bit above average. So this is extremely beneficial to really put a damper on the fire season until later this winter. Now , in terms of the drought , we still got a long ways to go because we have two years behind us that were drier than average.

S1: The Sierras were also hit by a storm this weekend , closing ski lifts and closing roads.

S2: That's 2 to 3 feet in a 24 hour period , a one day period. That's near record breaking for snowfall even up there , that's really heavy snow. Now , if you go back to last week and add the storms up , the mountains up in Lake Tahoe have received 7 to 8 feet. That's taller than me. And you up in the mountains is such huge amount of snowfall. So it's crippled. Travel caused some avalanches and the high winds have also been a huge impact up there. Things are settling down now , but there are digging out.

S1: We have talked in recent months about how the region would experience another year of La Nina conditions this winter.

S2: La Nina , which is the cold phase of the ocean temperatures along the equatorial Pacific Ocean , opposite of the El Nino. The La Nina is there and we can see it on satellite. It's now three years in a row that it's sitting along the equator. So nothing's changed along the equator in terms of the ocean. Now , the atmospheric pattern has temporarily changed. But it's too early to say if we're going to stay in this active pattern. If you think back to just last year , December 21 , we had a remarkable wet and snowy start to the year in December , and then it pretty much just shut off after the new year. So we're cautiously optimistic that we'll see more significant precipitation in January , February , like we should. At least to keep us normal. But the overall prediction for Southern California still remains falling a little short for this season.

S1: Alex , I can bet you there are some people listening to us right now headed to the snow or driving in the rain.

S2: You got to bring those chains. You buy them in San Diego. It's much easier where they're available and they're cheaper. Put them in your car before you head up there and then pack extra clothing and food and water because. I've been stuck in traffic before. It can happen to anyone. When you're going up there in the snow.

S1: Hanukkah starts Sunday , Christmas , less than a week later.

S2: It's not nearly as cold or as wet and looks like it's going to impact us next weekend. So a lot of our schools are off end of this week or Friday , if not before. So I think a lot of people start going on their Christmas holiday break this upcoming weekend. And we do have in store another rain event potentially for this weekend. It's a different type of storm. So it's slower moving and it's and it's warmer , but nonetheless , it looks like it'll bring us some rain right before the main Christmas week.

S1: Alex Tardy is warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in San Diego. Alex , thank you and happy holidays.

S2: Thank you so much. Happy holidays to you all.

S1: A quarter of the striking University of California academic workers ratified a new contract over the weekend , but that still leaves 36,000 teaching assistants and graduate student researchers on strike statewide. Those unions have put their picket lines on hold for the winter break after agreeing to mediation with university negotiators , which is now underway. I spoke to some of them who say they will not give up what they consider a fight for their lives. And while. 25 year old. A new partner is an accomplished musician who riffs on his electric guitar in the comfort of his North Park apartment he shares with a roommate. He's also an avid surfer , and he is one of more than 7000 graduate postgraduate and academic workers on strike at UC San Diego.

S3: We are doing world class research in our labs. We're providing some of the best teaching that you can get anywhere in the country. You know , all of that is given by graduate students. I wish I understood the disconnect of why I was forced to live in my car. Other than the fact that the U.S. will do anything it can to , you know , not pay us the wages that we deserve. You have a mattress sitting up here , down in here , have a water tank.

S1: Pretoria was homeless and lived in his Toyota Tacoma for almost two months early this past summer because the apartment near campus he shared with three roommates was destroyed in a flood caused by a sewer line break.

S3: It just kind of was like a week by week thing where I kept thinking that , you know , by next week I'll find a place that I can afford and I'll be able to move out of here. And , you know , just with how little money I was making , I just couldn't even qualify to apply to most places.

S1: And while he was homeless , living in his car , he also got COVID. You see , academic workers only make between 24 and $30,000 a year. That is at the heart of the labor dispute.

S3: It's just very expensive to buy a car and , you know , keep keep it up. And I don't feel like I could do that financially.

S1: Ahmed Akar moved from Chicago to San Diego almost six years ago. He's never been able to afford a car. He has been a U.S. teaching assistant graduate researcher and continues to work on a Ph.D. in physics. His housing scholarship will soon run out , leaving him in limbo. That prompted him and his colleagues to form a new union called Student Researchers United. Teaching assistants and post-doctorate researchers were already unionized under the United Auto Workers of America. The new union is also under the UAW , which offers significant financial and bargaining power.

S3: For the longest time , students , researchers didn't have a union. We didn't have this tool for for getting rights , for enforcing our rights , for protecting our rights. And now we do.

S2: All right. I was told to announce that there's going to be an April session or something.

S1: The strikers are also fighting for better working conditions. They want learning and research environments free of harassment and bullying alleged by union members to be common among tenured professors and administrators. International students want protection from unjustified threats of having their visas revoked without cause. Varun Rama Prasad is here from India. He is willing to accept the risk of joining the union and being visible on the picket lines.

S3: I think it will be worth it. I think we have already made like huge gains. But the U.S. is like trying to not negotiate and then not trying to give us what we deserve , but we are going to keep fighting for it.

S2: For academic workers , this.

S1: Is a fight for survival. A new Pretoria is grateful to be housed again. He's not sure the dream of getting his doctorate is still moving in the same direction. It could be on hold for a bigger purpose to help prevent others from suffering his pain and past.

S3: I want to fight to build a system , a coalition , a union where people don't have to go through that. You know , if it wasn't for my community , I'd I don't know. I don't know how I would have made it. And that's why , you know , something like a union is so important to me because that is the essence of community and how community can be there for you.

S2: You know , I'm hundred one.

S1: Some news now about alternative energy sources. The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management just sold five leases for wind turbine projects off the coast of California. Three are along the Central Coast. Casey B excuse. Gabriela Fernandez reports from Morro Bay , where local indigenous tribes are getting involved.

S4: The windows at Morrow Bay's Natural History Museum look out to sweeping views of the ocean. Someday in the future , locals and visitors could see lights in the water from wind turbines about 30 miles off this coast. The state's coastline is sometimes called the blue Serengeti for its biodiverse ecosystem , filled with species like elephant seals , sea otters and whales. The animals living here are culturally significant resources for local indigenous communities.

S5: It's the symbolism and the teachings that are passed down are all based off of this natural world.

S4: That's Chad Jackson , a California state parks archaeologist whose office is at the museum. He works with local tribal communities to manage the cultural resources of Morro Bay. Jackson and state parks don't have an official position or comment on more Obama's offshore wind development. He says his job is to collaborate with the tribes to help explain the cultural significance of Morro Bay.

S5: The indigenous people of California really depended upon a balanced environment to provide them with sustenance , obviously food , but also just their reverence for their homeland and how they carry about their traditions and their stories and really just the beauty and abundance of of the California coastline.

S4: In San Luis Obispo County , where Morro Bay sits , the northern Chumash and Selene and tribes have been living on this land for thousands of years. Violet Sage Walker is the chairwoman for the Northern Chumash Tribal Council. She's a supporter of Morel Bay's wind energy projects , saying they're a promising source of renewable energy. But she also has concerns. She's working closely with BOEM to make sure the offshore wind turbines don't disrupt the beauty and resources of the ocean.

S6: So we want to make sure that the offshore wind is done in a way that is compatible with our lifestyle and our values , which is what's really important for us.

S4: She says she wants to make sure building and maintaining the turbines doesn't end up killing vulnerable marine species.

S6: My main concern is how the wildlife is going to be affected by the industrialization of the ocean , which means seismic , acoustic and , you know , any type of blasting that will be to anchor the wind mills to the ocean floor.

S4: Local marine researchers say there will be impacts on the ocean ecosystem , but they also say there isn't enough research on how big of a threat they could pose to marine species. With the history of oil spills off the Central Coast , Sage Walker wants to ensure the switch to renewable energy doesn't perpetuate the exploitation of the ocean.

S6: So I'm hoping we didn't go from the foam offshore oil oil spills and make all these things that we've been dealing with for the past 40 years to another one.

S4: The Morro Bay wind energy area also encompasses the local Sleeman tribe's ancestral land. The tribe did not respond to requests for comment on this story. I'm Gabriela Fernandez in San Luis Obispo.

S7: You're listening to KPBS midday edition. I'm Jade Hindman with Meg Perez. Maureen CAVANAUGH eyes off. New York City has Central Park. San Francisco has Golden Gate Park. And here in San Diego , we have Balboa Park. For more than 150 years , the park has been one of the city's landmark attractions , bringing in over 4 million visitors annually. But a new report by the Burnham Center for Community Advancement identify some of the major issues currently facing the iconic park space and lays out a path for improvements in the years to come. Joining me now with more is Burnham Center CEO Tad Pozen. Tad , welcome to the program.

S2: Thanks for having me.

S7:

S2: So it's not like it's decrepit in any way. It still has so much to offer. But in order to preserve it for the next generation and the generation after that , we've got to invest in it and invest in some of the non sexy things like infrastructure improvements and also update the governance and the relationship between the city and the park tenants and all the people that use the park so that it can run more efficiently and effectively.

S7: And this report outlines hundreds of millions of dollars worth of repairs , renovations and general improvements.

S2: We've been very careful not to get into the weeds on that because then you invite all kinds of arguments about why you should do this first. You should do that first. Really , we all know there's a lot to do. And the city has done a nice job of cataloging all the all the backlog. Our point is , we've got to find to find a way to fund that. And then we've got to find a way to manage that investment going forward. So the park gets reinvigorated and stands as a great international symbol of of our great region for generations to come.

S7: And more on funding in a moment.

S2: We've identified a need and it's nothing new. This is these are needs that were identified ten years ago , 20 years ago , and there have been a number of attempts to resolve this issue and come up with solutions. We're trying to start to restart the conversation and not just talk about it , but then spur action in the end so we can come together as a community , both inside the park , outside the park and at the city in order to get get to real solutions , because we've tried a number of times on this and haven't quite got there. So we call our selves a think and do tank because we don't really put points on the board until the action gets done and the problem is solved. So that's our role in the play. We don't want to run the park. This is this is not our this is not ours to run in the end , but it is ours to catalyze the conversation and the solution.

S7:

S2: You'll get a lot of different answers to that. Our main focus is this infrastructure funding and governance , because no matter what you see as the main issue in terms of who gets to do what in the park or what programs get funded or what institutions are there. And I'd like to point out that the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership is doing a wonderful job of trying to create what I believe it's called the One Experience plan so everyone can see themselves in the park or in the cultural district they're running with what happens in that cultural district. We're more concerned about the infrastructure and making sure that the buildings are standing , that the restrooms are clean and safe , that there are enough restrooms , there's enough lighting that the plumbing holds up , that the drainage systems are updated , and that we move past some outdated governance models that were set up decades ago that just don't meet the needs of today. So that's what that's where we're focused.

S7:

S2: And that's part of the hard part , because it's challenging within the existing city budget to get that done. So we've made a number of recommendations. It might be a revenue measure for deferred maintenance. Either the city could do that , the county could do that , or they could come together as a Joint powers authority and do a limited time joint powers authority , just like happen for the old San Diego Stadium. Then when the job was done , that Joint Powers Authority sunset , you could deploy some top funds that I know that there's that's controversial , but we're just laying the options out. So total funds might be available on it on an annual basis if some of the. Could be redirected or if we could increase that and I'm not proposing that we do , I'm just laying the options out. And it's many times we've talked about having conservancy model like New York City does , and that's been tried here and efforts are continuing. So we could strengthen , strengthen that there could be a big business improvement district. You could have additional quick commercial activity in or near the park , which again , that's controversial. We're just putting that option on the table. So there are all kinds of ways to generate this revenue. We've got to be open to some new ideas. We have one of the one of the most iconic parks in in the world. We are the only park of its kind in the United States , as far as I know , where there is a cultural institution concentration within a giant municipal public park like we have. So so it's it's it's it really should be held up to international hospitality standards and become that shining star on the hill like it like we envision it to be.

S7: You touched on this earlier , but the issue of who is actually in charge of Balboa Park isn't as clear as one might think.

S2: I think it's one that we're all asking , as you pointed out , that the way the park has evolved between the city and the stakeholders and the city departments that interface with the park , it's never come to pass that there was a park mayor , if you will , if you look at the park , kind of like a small municipality , Think about what happens in the park. It's a lot like its own city and it and it needs something like that. This is my personal view. So somebody to be a little more in charge , whether that's at the city or inside the park or both. So so as I mentioned earlier , we set up systems decades ago to serve a park that has grown , our needs have grown , our community has changed. So just the context within which the park sits and the aging of the infrastructure just requires a new governance model with with somebody really taking hold and setting direction for the park so that we can be a little more decisive and efficient in how we get things done in the park.

S7: This report suggests that organizations within the park , rather than the city and county government should really lead the charge for these improvements.

S2: So we want to think about the community in terms of how it uses the park , how it sees itself in the park , how it would like the park , how I would like to see the park , how they want to access the park. And then then you the you bring the circle a little smaller and think about the people that really live and work and create the magic of the park every day. And that's the internal park stakeholders and have them help reimagine how this would work and help lead in partnership with the city's city owns the park , which means we all own the park. So it's really a user experience that we're after. We at the Burnham Center are focused right now because other institutions are focused on the experience. We're focused on making sure the park is in good , good financial and physical state and is governed efficiently.

S7: And we've touched on this throughout our conversation.

S2: And you have this revered public space that everybody , everybody has has an opinion about and has a voice. And so when you're doing a public process like that gets messy and it gets challenging and politicians are are doing the best they can , the city is pedaling as fast as it can with what it has to work with. But there are so many demands on city funding and in the attention of city of the city bureaucracy and city leadership , that it's very hard to to get the like I said before , the non sexy stuff like plumbing or electrical or drainage to get that to bubble to the top. You see this in in school facilities a lot where , you know , school general funding goes to teachers and programs and supplies and and and other things that are critical to day to day operations. It's very challenging for public entities to fund long term deferred maintenance. So this is we're not unique this way. This is not it's nobody's I'm not we're not pointing the finger at anybody. Everybody's doing the best they can with the systems and the funding that they have to work with. So we've got to generate a new approach to to how we do this and one that streamlined and takes takes community voice into account but still gets done. What needs to be done in our particular interest area , there's less subject matter content. So it's not about what program gets run or what institution gets what funding.

S7: Tad , thank you so much for joining us.

S2: Thank you. It's always a pleasure.

S7: San Diego's Lincoln High School football players are state champions now. On Friday , the Hornets defeated the Delasalle Spartans from Concord , California , 3328 , winning the Division one CIF State Football Championship. The team's victory was clinched by a record four touchdowns by star running back Roderick Robinson Junior. Joining me to talk about this championship win is his proud father. Roderick Robinson , senior. Welcome to Midday Edition.

S2: Hey , how you doing ? Great.

S7: Great.

S2: It was an amazing , amazing game to watch and all their hard work as it paid off. And those guys went out there and they handle business. So I'm extremely proud for them.

S7: And you gave your son a special gift before the game. Tell me about that belt.

S2: I was in Dick's looking for t shirt for him to wear for the game up under his pads. And I walk by this backplate and it had a goat on it. And in my eyes , my son is one of the greatest of all times. You know , he's. He's been excellent all year long. So when I saw it , I just immediately thought , you know , this would be a good year for Rob for his last high school football game. So I reached out to him. I took a picture of it , showed it to him , and he was like , Oh , Dad , yes , yes , yes , please. So I bought the bill and I took it to him.

S7:

S2: It was a crazy atmosphere. Both stands were really energized and loud. And it was just so surreal just being out there , especially playing against a program like Delasalle. I mean , everybody knows that is one historical program. They've done it for a long time. They won for a long time. Lincoln's the historical program in his own right. And so it was just an amazing opportunity to see two teams with such great history of go out there and play against each other.

S7: And you watch this from the sidelines. I know the energy had to have just been electric.

S2: Yes , it was. It was. It was it was really nerve wracking , to be honest. It started off kind of slow for us. But as the game kept going on , it just picked up even more. The guys , the kids got energized. They were motivated. So it was a bunch of highs and lows , ups and downs. But it was a great game. That's I mean , that's how state championship football games should be.

S7: Right ? And it was you mentioned it was nerve wracking. And I know your son was injured. Tell me about that.

S2: Yes , my son was injured about seven or eight weeks ago in a game league game against Scripps Ranch. And ever since then , he had been dealing with the really bad hamstring pull hamstring strain. So it almost came a time when we were going to shut him down. But with all the trainers we have been seeing and all the doctors we have been taking him to and all the extra treatment he had been getting and just trust in Rod and his coaches and being able to be there to , you know , watch it when it comes on and off the field. It helped a lot with being a little bit more comfortable. Let him continue. You know , Rod didn't want to quit on his team and he wanted to be out there for his team as much as he could. So we trusted them. We let them keep going and it was nerve wracking just watching him go through it sometimes. But , you know , we trusted him and he put it off.

S7: And this victory was obviously a team effort. They had a 13 one season.

S2: I mean , this team was was different. They they were always together. They were always working out together. They were always watching film together. They were always doing things together. They did hikes together. They they did seven on seven together. They went and did offensive line training together. I mean , they were constantly together and they were more like a family than anything. So I think that played a big part in them getting this done. These kids , they just believed in each other.

S7: Well , and , you know , that's that's obviously key that that teamwork and they've been putting in the work since January.

S2: So they've all known each other. Right. Might have been one of the Rod and Micah , one of the linebackers who actually went down in the game was a big part of our defense , but he went down early in the game. They were two of the newest kids to the group , but they welcome them both in this like they were part of the family , like they've known him their whole life.

S7: And so Rod will be a Georgia bulldog.

S2: He was going to have to play against the Bears , because Ryan feels that in order to be the best , you have to play against the best. So when we went there on a visit , a lot of things played into his decision. I mean , just being in the SEC and the atmosphere and how crazy and loud the fans are and how energetic and exciting the games are , is that played a big part ? And then us being from that side of the country and it just felt like the right place for him.

S7: Your son Rod leaves for the University of Georgia on January 4th.

S2: Scott , Stay. Stay proof. Prayed up. Trust God. The only thing that's changing is the school , and you're going off on your own. But at the end of the day , I'm still going to be here. Is mom still going to be here ? Is coaches Is I mean , is family. Everybody's still going to be there cheering for him at a distance. And that , you know , whenever he needs us , we're always going to be there for him. But Rod is a very , very intelligent young man. And I think he's going to be he's going to do great. Just go out. I tell him , go there , work hard , because he's going to control whether he sees the field or not. It's going to be up to him. It's going to be up to him and how much work he puts in to be the best and just stay on top of everything. The school sports , do it all.

S7: All right. Well , congratulations again. I've been speaking to Roderick Robinson , senior , the father of Rod Robinson Jr , who scored four touchdowns in the championship game for Lincoln High. Congratulations again and thanks for joining us.

S2: Thank you so much. And thanks for having me.

S7: You're listening to KPBS Midday edition. I'm Jade Hindman with Meg Perez. Maureen CAVANAUGH is off this year's KPBS. One book , one San Diego Selection for Teens. Is The Magic Fish , a graphic novel by writer and illustrator Trung Li , when also known as triangles. The novel is about a second generation Vietnamese American teenager who uses fairy tales to help his mother learn English. When spoke with KPBS arts producer and editor Julia Dixon Evans.

S4: Hey , Trang. Thanks for joining us. Hi.

S2: Hi. Thank you so much for having me.

S4: So this book is told primarily through the perspective of Tien , a teenager , and his mother living and working in the United States. Can you tell us a little about who this family is ? Sure.

S2: So I based a lot of the characters in The Magic Fish on the experiences of my own family that I observed kind of growing up in the United States and learning English and learning the culture alongside them as well. And so it's a family that because dynamics are kind of based on what I observed , both in my own family and in other immigrant families that I grew up around.

S4: And Tien is gay and he struggles with coming out to his family. He says that he doesn't know the word in Vietnamese.

S2: This was a struggle that I also had growing up , trying to articulate my sexuality to my parents when I was growing up. We didn't share a language or share a vocabulary to discuss these things. And so it was one of those situations where I do remember going to the library and trying to find language resources to be able to articulate the exact things that I wanted to tell my parents. And I think I was really encouraged to explore this in the Magic Fish , because when it comes to describing sexuality , when it comes to describing gender and queerness , the ways that we talk about these things , the words that we use kind of change all the time. They're dependent on where we find ourselves in time and regionally as well. And so for the magic Fish , I think the continued impetus for me to want to tell this precise type of story is that even within queer communities , we we shift in the ways that we describe ourselves and we kind of have to offer each other a little bit of grace around the language through which we find ourselves , basically. So I think exploring language both within the context of culture and from the context of very practical day to day existence. That was something I was kind of interested in exploring in the Magic Fish.

S4: Now there are several fairy tales told inside of the book , some of them very telling of the Cinderella story and another of The Little Mermaid. Can you tell me about your use of fairy tales in the story and why those stories ? Sure.

S2: I think the the seed of this project was I had always wanted to retell the Vietnamese Cinderella as I had heard it growing up , because that was the story that was familiar to my parents. And I have a lot of strong , warm , sentimental feelings about it. And so I'd always wanted to take it on as a project. And originally the Magic Fish was just supposed to be a bunch of Cinderella story is kind of put together. And then I had to figure out what these stories meant to me and why I was drawn to Cinderella stories and stories about transition in these ways. And so I kind of started with the Vietnamese Cinderella , and then I told another Cinderella story as a point of comparison for readers to kind of give them the sense that even those stories might be very similar. They have different priorities depending on who's telling the story , and then transitioning from those two stories into The Little Mermaid. It felt very natural for me because even though The Little Mermaid is not strictly a Cinderella story , it is a story about giving up the things that are familiar to you in order to be with the people that you love and to have the life that you want for yourself. And that's something that I find to be really resonant as an immigrant. But The Little Mermaid is also a queer allegory in the iteration that we best understand it through Hans Christian Andersen. It was sort of a love letter. And so all of these themes sort of coming together wasn't something that I had intended at the very beginning , but reaching in and exploring why those themes were really resonant with me really helped me tether the important elements of the fairy tales together within the context of the overarching story and the magic fish.

S4: And when you say there's a Vietnamese Cinderella as an immigrant , was it surprising that every culture has seems to have a version of these same fairy tales ? Yeah.

S2: When I was a kid , I was really surprised. I was like , Oh , there's this wonderful. Kind of underlying story archetype that manages to find its way across different cultures. And I realize that the Cinderella story wasn't the only one. There are a lot of really common , you know , fairy stories and common tropes that show up from culture to culture. And I think a part of my attraction to fairy stories is that they're so organic , they feel like they're they're people almost. I love the notion that a fairy tale is something that that can exist in multiple places or that it moves from place to place and it changes clothes depending on the culture in which it finds itself and it changes its priorities. And so fairy tales illuminated the notion that stories are more about the storyteller and that even though the content of the story might be really similar from place to place , depending on who's telling the story , you get a sense for that person's priorities and their hopes and their fears and their dreams. And all of those things highlight to me that storytelling is a communal activity , it's a shared experience , and it's a way for us to impart kind of difficult to describe parts of ourselves to each other. And I really love that about fairy tales.

S4: So this book travels through time and language and imagination where weaving through the present tense , his parents past , and also these fairy tales and uses color to kind of structure this. Can you tell us how and why you do that ? Sure.

S2: It's a combination of really excellent editorial feedback and also limitations. I had originally pitched the Magic Fish as a story that I wanted to tell in black and white. I grew up reading a lot of manga and a lot of Sunday comic strips , and so I was used to reading comics in black and white , and it was where I was most comfortable. Aesthetically and coloring is enormously difficult for me. And so I wanted to tell the story in black and white , and my editors really wanted to be able to print it in full color. And so we came up with a compromise where I could use a limited palette in order to tell the stories. And then because I wanted to tell the story in a way that was a little bit more elegant and I knew that I would be kind of jumping between different story universes. One of my editors actually suggested , Well , what if we changed the palette to help orient the readers in different spaces ? And so then we kind of came up with this palette change between the different story universes. I wanted to use different colors that way because I didn't want to use text boxes too much. I didn't want to be too didactic for the reader , and I wanted them to be able to pick up on the nuances of the shifts in the hues so that they could orient themselves in the stories for themselves that way.

S4: CHANG Thank you so much.

S2: Yeah , Thank you so much for your questions.

S7: That was Truong Lee Wen , author of The Magic Fish , speaking with KPBS , arts producer and editor Julia Dixon Evans. When will hold two events This week for one book , one San Diego , one is 4 p.m. today at San Diego State University. Another live streamed event will happen on Tuesday at 950 in the morning. More information about those on our website. KPBS dot org.

S1: As the song goes , it's the most wonderful time of the year when neighborhoods around the county glow with holiday decorations. KPBS arts producer Julia Dixon Evans is back now in the holiday spirit with some of the most popular light displays around the area. She spoke with KPBS. Who's Debbie Cruise ? Here's their conversation.

S6: Let's start with a long standing tradition in town. The San Diego Bay Parade of Lights. What do we need to know about this boat parade ? Yeah.

S4: So this is their 52nd annual installment of this parade. There'll be something like 80 boats , and it's all free. You just find a spot along the route to watch. You can find a schedule online of when the parade is expected to pass certain points along the waterfront. It starts from Shelter Island , and it heads to the recent addition of Cesar Chavez Park. And then it hooks around to finish at the Coronado Ferry Landing. And it happens over two weekends. And the final parade the final weekend is this Sunday , the 18th , starting at 5:30 p.m. , and it's expected to finish around 730.

S6: And , of course , one of San Diego's most beloved tourist destinations is the Hotel del Coronado. For the holidays , they deck out the grounds with a musical light show , which has a very long history at the hotel. What can you tell us ? Yeah.

S4: So the hotel's outdoor holiday light show , it goes all the way back to 1904. So 108 years ago , when it was the site of the world's first outdoor Christmas tree to have electric lights , it was the Norfolk Pine on the founder's lawn. And there's a lot more than just the one tree now. So first , the entire hotel building and all the surrounding palm trees , they're rimmed with lights. And then on the founders on again , the grove of pines sets the stage for this big light show with music. So you can just kind of settle in on the lawn and look up. And it's about an 11 minute show. It runs every half hour from 5 to 9 nightly and through New Year's Day. So this is free. No reservations are needed. But if there has been rain , you might want to check with the hotel about potential cancellations.

S6: And how about one in East County Spring Valley's Enchanted Village ? I understand. This one is amazing.

S4: And the Enchanted Village is it's ticketed. Prices range from about 14 for kids to 22 for adults. And the proceeds do benefit the organization. And they take over the grounds. There's acres worth of lit up walking paths. There's light tunnels , gigantic candy canes , and in total , over a million lights. And there's also entertainment and food and drink to buy. There's characters dressed in costumes. And Santa is there every night. And this one runs December 16th through the 22nd from 5 to 8. And you'll want to get tickets in advance for it.

S6: Too much fun. How about in North County ? Yeah.

S4: The California Center for the Arts , Escondido has a free light display and it's open daily to the public at sunset through January 2nd. And there's a big rainbow light tunnel that's the centerpiece of this one. But there's also a bunch of LED trees and some light shows , too.

S6: And there's another ticketed option at the San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas.

S4: And this is another one that boasts over a million lights. It's about a mile long path with a bunch of different light installations. There's the Winter Cathedral , which is a massive gold and light tunnel. There's also a fire garden. And this is ticketed. You do have to book. A timed entry to the exhibit ranges from 13 to $29 , But it is cheaper if you're a member of the Botanic Garden. And it runs every day from the 14th through the 23rd. And then it will reopen on December 26 through New Year's Day.

S6: Well , thank you , Julia. These halls sound great.

S1: That was KPBS arts producer Julia Dixon Evans speaking with KPBS in San Diego. News now anchor Debbie Cruise.