What will happen if RSV, flu and COVID-19 all surge at one time?
S1: Respiratory illnesses spread as COVID cases are expected to rise.
S2: This triple damage of flu , RSV , COVID , I mean , we've had enough of COVID , no less the other two viruses.
S1: I'm Jade Hindman with Maureen CAVANAUGH. This is KPBS midday edition. Voters are being asked to enshrine reproductive rights in the state constitution.
S3: I certainly have not seen any polling indicates that this is anything but a slam dunk , given how strong support is for abortion rights in California.
S1: A breakdown of sports betting and how props 26 and 27 fit in. Plus an excerpt of Boondocks. That's ahead on Midday Edition. Last week , Governor Gavin Newsom announced California's COVID 19 state of emergency would end in February. Now , as the nation enters its flu season with highly contagious COVID variants and widespread RSV , there are concerns we may be lowering our guard too soon. Joining me with more on all things COVID 19 is our frequent guest , Dr. Eric Topol , director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Hoya. Dr. Topol , welcome back.
S2: Thanks so much , Jane.
S1:
S2: I mean , we're going to go through another wave in the weeks ahead. And so it's hard to forecast how long that's going to last , how bad it's going to be , and whether there'll be further wave. So I think it's optimistic to think that we'll be out of the woods by then. But let's see. Let's see where it takes us. Right now things are looking quite good. And so you get the illusion that we're just going to get better. But we're already seeing signs in New York and elsewhere that COVID is starting to invert in terms of getting a little bit worse. And it's likely to continue. And as you mentioned at the top , we also have a couple of other viruses to reckon with.
S1: Yesterday , President Biden received his booster dose of the COVID vaccine. You previously said you'd wait before receiving a no Macron specific booster.
S2: Good. The president is having his booster. And we know that boosters in general help , particularly people over age 50 , prevent deaths and hospitalization. And we have data from the CDC that shows even 18 to 49 years of age boosters reduce hospitalization during the A5 wave , which was the wave that we're just getting over now. I had my Bivalent booster weeks ago , and we also have new data from the HO lab in Columbia which shows that to be a five booster really isn't that different from the original booster ? That is , it augments arm unity , it gets up , revs up the neutralizing antibodies and our T cells to take on new variants like the ones that we're going to be facing in the weeks ahead. But it isn't as special as some people had thought it might be in terms of being really strong against five because the original booster has very similar properties. So yeah , I've had it. I've had the typical response that I get from each of these shots after the first one , which was chills , fever , headaches , feeling really profoundly tired for a day , day and a half. But would I rather have that than to get COVID and the possibility of long COVID ? Absolutely. So I know a lot of people who get the boosters , they don't have a problem at all. I'm just one of those reactors , which I'm sure many of the listeners can identify with.
S1:
S2: Now there's a very similar immune escape variant. Singapore just went through the first wave in the world and they have a very high booster rate over double what we have here in the U.S. and they withstood that challenge very well , likely because of the vaccines. They did not have much of a bump in hospital admissions or ICU , their deaths. There was some , but not nearly what might have been without the vaccine. So that's a really good proxy telling us that vaccines will protect against even the more immune escape variants.
S1: Also , you know , our R , the rapid antigen test still highly effective given that we've got these newer variants.
S2: Yes , they really help and they should be used in people if you have COVID. So help guide when they can get back because it's typically at least seven eight days and 2.5 , like the CDC guideline is just asking for trouble. So if the rapid tests are helpful for diagnosis and also for guidance about isolation length.
S1: You've also spoken about the need for additional COVID remedies , such as nasal sprays and antiviral medications.
S2: We've seen success in a vaccine in India. It was actually built in the U.S. at Washington University in St Louis and also in China. But we do not have vaccines in late trials here in the United States. We do have a company that has outlicensing the India vaccine , and we have little support from FDA or this government right now to push on nasal vaccines. Best way to stop infections and transmission. You know , the big bet in this country has been made on shot and there's never been the priority for the nasal vaccine. Some of our best academic labs , like I mentioned. Wash U. There's also Mt. Sinai that is developing in Mexico. And there's little enthusiasm and resources that have been put into it. Meanwhile , our government purchased 171 million booster shots , which is 30 billion plus dollars at cost. A lot of those funds for these boosters aren't going to get used. That's clear. They should , but they won't. A lot of those funds could be put towards accelerating the nasal vaccine programs that are underway , but at much earlier stages than overseas.
S1: With the flu season underway. Health officials are having to contend with the triple threat of COVID , RSV and , of course , flu cases.
S2: 95 or 95. That's going to give you protection against these viruses when you're indoors , when you're in groups , when you're going into places that you have no idea what the status are , the people with respect to their potential infections or ability to spread. But the real problem with RSV is , of course , is the children. And we're already seeing places in the United States hospitals outside of our region that are getting under strain because of RSV in children , you know , getting quite ill. And also the same group that's susceptible to flu and COVID , the older folks , particularly immunocompromised within them , they are potentially a hazard for flu and RSV as well. So , you know , just gearing up with the respiratory , these are respiratory viruses. We know how to protect against them. We just have to use the tools we have.
S1: Rady Children's Hospital is seeing a surge of the respiratory illness , RSV , like what's being reported nationwide with all of these different viruses circulating. How does that affect the health risk for kids ? Right.
S2: Well , of course , in some places that are in colder climates where more people are indoors without ventilation , the RSV problem is even worse than here in San Diego in Rady. But yeah , this triple dimmock of flu RSV , COVID , I mean , we've had enough of COVID no less the other two viruses , but we do know how to work against this. And that's why it's important for the kids as well as older adults to take all the precautions that they can. And , you know , if some if if a child is not well , it's not a good thing for that child to be in school and potentially spreading , whether it's , you know , RSV or or any other virus. So we have to be really attentive to whether it's child care centers or schools , because kids can certainly be a vector for respiratory infections and we don't want that to happen.
S1:
S2: But on the other , you know , if you're hit hard with any one of these viruses , that's a counterforce. So , yeah , the only specific immunity you gain from an infection , that particular virus , it doesn't necessarily going to protect you from other viruses , of course. So the best thing is to avoid these , especially in the high risk groups for RSV , it's the young children and for COVID and influenza. It's particularly people who are seniors in the older , older age groups.
S1: And finally , there's been a lot of talk about how newer variants pose a particular threat to people with compromised immune systems.
S2: That is very helpful for the immunocompromised. So we're going to lose that edge. And that's why it's all the more important for people who are immunocompromised to keep up with their boosters and try to stay ahead , get their immune system as revved up as much as possible against COVID. But the problem is the virus keeps evolving. It's under pressure from our vaccines , from our boosters and our infections. And the virus is evolving rapidly. And we don't have the replacement therapies , whether it's for EV , you showed other monoclonal antibodies. If we do meet up with resistance against packs or we don't have a backup pill right now. So everything we can do to prevent getting infection or reinfection , prevent getting long COVID and prevent serious or severe illness. And so we we can do this with what we have today , but it's really requires. Diligent attention to the tools , including boosters especially , but also high quality mask.
S1: I've been speaking with Dr. Eric Topol , director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute in La Hoya. Dr. Topol , thanks , as always , for talking with us today.
S2: Thanks , J. Always good to talk with you. And I think it's good that we're in a lull right now. But let's not let ourselves to complacency.
S4: California voters are being asked to enshrine reproductive rights into the state constitution in the upcoming election. Proposition one would amend the California Constitution to say the state shall not deny or interfere with an individual's right to have an abortion or choose or refuse contraceptives. Although these rights are already protected by state law , supporters say having them in the state constitution gives California more leverage against any further federal moves against abortion rights. Opponents say the proposition is unnecessary and may interfere with restrictions on later term abortions. Joining me is Jeremy White , reporter for Politico's California Playbook. And Jeremy , welcome.
S3: Great to be here.
S4: Is this proposition the direct result of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v Wade ? Absolutely.
S3: And even before we learned that the Supreme Court was indeed going to overturn that precedent. You saw lawmakers in the state legislature and Governor Gavin Newsom preparing for the likelihood this was something that folks saw coming , especially when Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the Supreme Court. So this is one part of a multipronged strategy California has employed to respond to that. Other pieces , including laws limiting the enforcement of other states , laws , more money to pay for reproductive procedures here in California.
S4: So supporters say this proposition represents more than just a statement of California's support for abortion rights.
S3: As I noted , they passed even more this year. But the fear among supporters and similarly the rationale for this initiative is we've just seen the U.S. Supreme Court overturn what was thought to be settled law. And so folks just want to ensure that , say , if Congress were to pass a law restricting abortion , what have you , that California's autonomy to pass its own abortion restrictions would be enshrined in the Constitution , which is the highest and most difficult to dislodge level of legal protection.
S4:
S3: I am not a constitutional scholar , so I don't want to guarantee anything. But the folks who support this would make that argument. Yes.
S4: So since reproductive rights are guaranteed already as part of state law , what arguments could opponents have against Prop one ? Yeah.
S3: Opponents have argued essentially that this goes too far by overriding any sort of restrictions on at what point a woman can obtain an abortion. I'm not so sure that's the case. There are various other laws restricting that , and I think that's something that would perhaps end up being sorted out in the courts. But that that is essentially the argument that proponents make , which is that this is either unnecessary and therefore sort of a stunt , or that it goes further than what's already in the law.
S4:
S3: They would say we already have various laws on the books delineating when women can get abortions and that type of thing , and that this constitutional amendment would just ensure that fundamentally they can.
S4: The fact that many Republican candidates in California do not support Prop one is being used against them by their opponents.
S3: There is certainly evidence , if you look at the polling , that Democratic voters are more motivated to vote based on abortion than are their Republican counterparts. At the same time , you see evidence that Republicans are more enthusiastic to vote in general in these midterms and evidence that economic issues , things like the cost of living and the price of gas may be top of mind for voters. And so it , of course , depends on the district. Some of the contested seats we're seeing this year include wealthier coastal Orange County districts and then a larger , less affluent Central Valley districts. And so the way this issue plays is , of course , going to depend on the seat and the candidates. I think it's certainly safe to say that Democrats are running on this issue , whether that can be determinative. We're going to find out in a couple of weeks.
S4: And Governor Newsom just started releasing ads for his election cycle. And instead of promoting his own candidacy , he's urging people vote for Proposition one.
S3: I don't think there's any doubt he is about to win a second term. And that means that he has 20 plus million dollars that he can kind of use for what he wants. And so I think part of this is that the governor genuinely believes in women's reproductive freedom. And I think if you're looking at it from a political perspective to your earlier question , I think to the extent the governor is able to encourage more people to vote for Proposition one , that could potentially turn out more Democrats in general , which could ripple across other races in California.
S4:
S3: I certainly have not seen any polling that indicates that this is anything but a slam dunk , given how strong support is for abortion rights in California and given the level of urgency that has been created around this issue in the light of the Supreme Court striking down Roe v Wade.
S4: To go back to something that you alluded to earlier , when the ruling striking down Roe v Wade first came out , there seemed to be this outpouring of outrage among supporters of reproductive rights and the idea that this was going to result in a huge turnout in November.
S3: Is that in and of itself going to be enough to generate a big bump in turnout ? I think is one of the big questions in this election. A lot of these races are going to be close. But again , I think in some cases it's really going to be the balance of abortion as an issue that is motivating voters versus a sort of middling economy and inflation. And so it's it's a complex sort of stew of ingredients in terms of what is going to motivate voters here.
S4: I've been speaking with Jeremy White , reporter for Politico's California Playbook. And , Jeremy , thank you so much.
S3: Thank you.
S4: This is KPBS midday edition. I'm Maureen CAVANAUGH with Jade Heineman. Voters are seeing two sports betting propositions this election cycle. KPBS reporter Matt Hoffman tells us about the differences between Prop 26 and Prop 27.
S3: Another special interest ballot proposition.
S5: Hundreds of millions are being spent on propositions 26 and 27. It's almost hard to miss. All of their online and TV ads.
S2: Only one proposition supports California tribes like ours. Vote No on. Prop.
S4: Prop. 27.
S2: 27. Yes on Prop 27.
S5: Both would amend the state constitution to allow for sports wagering in California. Proposition 26 would introduce dice games like roulette and in-person sports wagering at tribal casinos. It would also allow sports betting at four racetracks in California , including in Del Mar. Kathy Fairbanks is the spokesperson for the Yes on 26 No on 27 campaign.
S2: People betting will have to show their. Ideas.
S3: Ideas. Someone will check their IDs and make sure that they're adults and that they're following the law and they're gambling legally.
S5: Fairbanks represents a coalition of business groups and more than 50 tribes. Locally , the Verona Band of Mission Indians and the second band of the Kulmiye Nation have contributed to the campaign. Tribes would need to work with the state to determine government payouts , and racetracks would be required to pay 10% of daily bets minus winnings.
S3: The independent , nonpartisan legislative analyst says that Proposition 26 will.
S2: Result in tens of millions of dollars going to California coffers to fund.
S3: State priorities like education.
S1: Transportation , even.
S3: Homelessness efforts.
S5: The other Proposition 27 would legalize online sports betting for tribes and online gambling companies. Businesses would have to partner with the tribe to get a license. It's backed by betting companies like FanDuel , bet MGM and DraftKings , along with a few smaller tribes. Nathan Klick is the spokesperson for Prop 27.
S3: 25 other states have legalized online sports betting. They're proving that you can do so safely and responsibly and create real revenue for states.
S5: Under Prop 27. A 10th of betting profits would go to address homelessness with a smaller portion of that split among tribes without casinos.
S3: The state's independent auditor takes a look at every initiative that crosses its path. They found that only Prop 27 would raise hundreds of millions of dollars each year that would go directly towards homelessness and mental health support.
S5: Prop 27 is supported locally by the CEO of San Diego's Regional Task Force on Homelessness.
S2: I'm supportive of whatever it takes to get dedicated , committed funding on a permanent basis.
S5: Tamara Koehler says it's an opportunity to finally secure a permanent funding source.
S2: This funding is also not just for supporting the the housing solutions , but also mental health , behavioral health treatment supports and.
S4: Above all , housing.
S5: If Prop 26 passes , it would mean a sportsbook could open at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. President and Chief operating officer Josh Rubinstein says his organization is supporting the measure. He thinks a sportsbook would help support the racing business and increase tax revenue.
S3: In terms of foot traffic for these local businesses. You would think for busy events like Super Bowl and the Final Four that that would translate to additional business for for Nazionale Kelley.
S5: The public has been hammered with ads from both propositions. Yet a UC Berkeley L.A. Times poll from earlier this month found the measures polling under 50%. Both need a simple majority to pass.
S2: Our priority , the tribe's priority from.
S3: Day one since 27 , showed up was to defeat that measure. So we are looking at the poll results in a positive light because our number one priority is being met.
S5: Click with the Proposition 27 campaign says they're undaunted.
S3: The voters I talked to , they understand completely. You know , we need a solution to homelessness. They support online sports betting. And it's a win win for the state of California.
S5: For more information , check out the KPBS voter hub online.
S4: That report was from KPBS reporter Matt Hoffman , who joins me now. And Matt , welcome.
S5: Great to be here , Maureen.
S4: Estimates are that more than $400 million has been spent in advertising for Prop 26 and 27. And that makes these propositions among the most expensive in U.S. history.
S5: And bottom line , short answer , there's a lot of money on the table , Maureen. I mean , you know , we know California is one of the largest economies in the world. There's a lot of people here who they estimate , you know , want to do sports betting. I mean , if we're talking at least just with Prop 27 , if we're talking hundreds of millions of dollars per year , just based on that 10% tax , then we're talking billions and billions of dollars that that this online gambling and in-person gambling market is here in California.
S4: Kathy Fairbanks , who's in your report , she's with Prop 26 , says their main goal was not to get their proposition to win , but to get Proposition 27 defeated. Can you tell us more about that ? Yeah.
S5: So Fairbanks , you know , she very much frames this. As you know , she's representing more than 50 tribes , more of the larger ones in California. And they really framed this as the tribes versus these big out-of-state gambling companies like DraftKings , Bet , MGM , FanDuel. So , you know , when this was coming out , you know , when they were hearing that there was collecting signatures , they wanted to defeat this measure so that , you know , the big tribes can hold on to their , you know , reign over gambling in the state of California. So while obviously they want Prop 26 to pass , as you heard in that story , they are very happy just seeing Prop 27 go down.
S4: Prop 26 supporters have largely run negative ads against Prop 27. And one of the main themes is that underage kids might get seduced by online betting.
S5: Now , we are hearing from the Proposition 27 folks that , you know , if this were to pass , that this would go to the California office of attorney general and they would be tasked with creating a safe online betting marketplace. So they don't foresee these issues happening. But , yeah , you know , you're going to have to , like submit a photo of your I.D. and all sorts of things like that. So there is some worries about kid access. But , you know , backers of Prop 27 , they don't seem that worried about it.
S4: Supporters of Prop 27 have said that a portion of the revenue from online sports betting would go to support homeless and mental health programs.
S5: We're talking 10% of the profits on those bets. Those are going to be the revenue that the state gets after all , these wins are being paid out. But specifically for Prop 27 , it would create this new fund. It's called the California Online Sports Betting Trust Fund. And of that money , you know , 85% would go to homelessness and 15% would go to smaller tribes , tribes that do not offer gambling.
S4: Many of the ads for Prop 27 suggest that is supported by most Indian tribes in the state.
S5: There's at least three smaller tribes up in northern California that are backing Prop 27. But here in San Diego County , you know , there's no tribes here that are officially backing Prop 27. The ones that have said where they are are supporting Proposition 26. We're even seeing some local tribes here in San Diego County putting , you know , millions of dollars behind Proposition 26 and to defeat Prop 27. So it's a very big issue for them. But , you know , I think it is false to say that most Indian tribes are supporting Proposition 27. A lot more are supporting Proposition 26.
S4: You mentioned the polling that came out showing both propositions , failing to get the required 50% of the vote. And a major funder of Prop 27 seems to be anticipating defeat.
S5: And he's saying , you know , we believe that there's a path to get there , whether that's , you know , this year , whether that's in 2024. So almost kind of conceding defeat there. I don't know if that's looking at some of the polling numbers , but I think this harkens back to what I talked about earlier , about $600 million raised on both sides between these propositions. That's a drop in the bucket of the billions of dollars that these companies could be getting. So whether these companies spend $400 million , $500 million , you know , just this year trying to get. Has done. They're looking at this long term and they see a big market here. So , yeah , while voters you know , if this doesn't pass in November , I would not be surprised if the next election cycle we don't see something similar coming back up again. And then if we do see that seeing something again , maybe coming from like these tribal casinos like we saw on Prop 26.
S4: To what you're saying about perhaps anticipating defeat , the out-of-state online sports betting companies backing Prop 27 also stopped ad spending in California earlier this month.
S5: I just walked into the gas station the other day and I heard on the radio an ad for Proposition 27. So the companies are definitely still spending money here. I don't think you're going to see them , you know , come out and say , hey , this is not going to happen. You know , they're in it all the way through November here to try to get this to pass. There's just too much money on the table here for these companies. But it's going to be really interesting , Maureen , to see , you know , the most expensive propositions in state history. And it looks like they're both not going to pass.
S4: I've been speaking with KPBS reporter Matt Hoffman. Matt , thank you.
S5: Thanks , Maureen.
S1: As we just heard , hundreds of millions of dollars are being poured into political advertisements in California ahead of the November election. The resulting political ads are flooding the airwaves with perspectives on everything from sports betting to immigration. But who's responsible for making sure the content of those ads is factual ? Nikki Ascher is an associate professor in communication studies at the University of San Diego. They say , quote , Information disorder and political polarization make it harder than ever to discern facts from baseless claims or misinformation. And Professor Nikki Ascher joins me now with more. Welcome to you.
S2: Thank you so much for having me.
S1: So let's start with that idea that you wrote in your op ed for the Los Angeles Times this week.
S2: After all , that is exactly why political advertising exists. It's asking you to change in attitude and take an action. And so when it comes down to Election Day , we're seeing all sorts of efforts by ad campaigns to try to get us to go their way in the voting box. And it's confusing because we've got national news , local news , regional news , news from our friends names , social media , YouTube and all of that is a swirling mix that makes it hard to really understand. There's often this do your own research sort of thing rely on factual information , but that's really hard for an ordinary person who doesn't have a ton of time.
S1: You point to a particular ad that aired during the Padres Dodgers playoffs from a group calling itself Citizens for Sanity.
S2: But that's besides the point. It's the same people behind it. Stephen Miller of the Trump administration is behind the Citizens for Sanity and Citizens for Sanity. Sounds like pretty innocuous , right ? Like yay , sanity. We all want sanity. And yet it is a focus on the most brutal crimes that have in any way been associated with somebody who is not a citizen. And really raising that sense of moral panic and fear and all law and order. Vote Republican is more implicit and explicit. Hmm.
S1: Hmm. You point out that viewers might believe that their local network has fact checked the ads they air , but that's not the case.
S2: Political activity and political speech has some of the most heightened protections for free speech. And so these political ads aren't fact checked. In fact , that's sort of the whole point. They're designed to persuade you to make a political decision you might not otherwise make. And so I think part of the problem is , is that these networks take in quite a windfall from political advertising every two years. And it's part of what helps make all of the local news possible on television. But I think that there's kind of this implicit sense that if it's running on a trusted station that I rely on for my local news , that maybe that this is actually okay , maybe it's right , somebody has had to have signed off on it. And so I guess it can't be as bad as something that people are sharing on the Internet. So I think that it gives these ads end up getting a veneer of credibility because the messenger is a network that or a station that people trust. And I think that that's kind of where it gets really complicated.
S1:
S2: The first is that people really do trust their local news. Even though they don't trust lots of news , they tend to trust their local news more than anything else. And the second thing that we know is actually local news can actually help mitigate political polarization. So when people don't have a good understanding of what's going on at home , they tend to take their cues either from national political parties or national news media. And those folks are often really divorced from the conditions on the ground that people are actually living in. And so it makes it hard to make good decisions about what's affecting you directly in your own backyard.
S1: You say that while election laws are hard to change , there may be ways for the Federal Trade Commission to step in to ensure that the information in political ads is truthful. Talk a little bit about that.
S2: So we have a really exciting group of people who are leading the FTC right now that are really aware about the challenges to information disorder , security , privacy , all of this sort of stuff. But anybody watching the news is a consumer. Anybody watching baseball is a consumer. So technically , this is about elections , which wouldn't be under the purview of the Federal Trade Commission. But when you start to think about protecting American consumers , that's immediately under the FTC. And so in my best imagined world , there would be some form of disclosure that was would happen before the ad that this ad is not provided or checked by the station that is hosting it , some sort of , you know , warning almost to the consumer. The FTC has come down against false advertising for decades. And at this point , we need to think about what that might mean for political advertising.
S1: I've been speaking with Niki Usher , an associate professor of communication studies at the University of San Diego. Professor Usher , thank you so much for joining us.
S2: Thank you so much for having me.
S4: This is KPBS midday edition. I'm Maureen CAVANAUGH with Jade Heineman. October is Filipino American History Month , and San Diego is home to one of the largest Filipino communities in the state of California. Yet despite the significant population , meaningful representation of Filipino culture and identity is often missing in art , media and other creative sectors. Earlier this year , however , a new KPBS docu series broadened that representation by exploring the question of Asian-American identity through the lens of San Diego's vibrant Filipino community. Out of the Boondocks features Filipino artists and creatives who discuss how the importance of their work ties into their strong cultural identities. Midday Edition producer Harrison Patino spoke with show hosts Rio Villa and JJ Mannix. Villa begins by discussing how they came up with the title for the program.
S2: The root of the word boondocks actually comes from a Tagalog word for mountain. And we know that that's only one dialect that comes from the Philippines , but it's one of the main ones. So that's why it it has basically been translated into English. But the two words have a totally different meaning , right ? So the Tagalog word is boondock , which means mountain and boondocks. It's kind of a negative word in a way. If you're from the boondocks , you're kind of seen as an outsider. So taking the duality from those two words , we came up with the title so that we're basically saying Filipinos , like you had said , are one of the largest Asian groups in America , and we're the largest Asian group in San Diego and in California. Our presence is strong. We are here and present and are adding to the cultural layout of San Diego. But like you said , our representation doesn't really match that. So the word bundle can mean something strong and unified , and Boondocks means something far and unknown. And that kind of represents the Filipino American experience of those of us in San Diego.
S3: JJ How do you think the show explores the duality that Rio is talking about there ? For many years we haven't been able to tell these stories and had the platform , and with the word Boondock Boondocks , it's like coming from a faraway place and a lot of our heritage and our culture comes from an island which is so far away from here. And many of us Filipino Americans like me and Rio , we grew up here in San Diego trying to find a connection to our heritage , and it's really important for us to show that the culture behind the Filipino-American experience. So I think it's really important to highlight that. And can you talk a little bit about the show itself and some of the people you'll be talking to.
S2: Some of the people that are going to be featured on the show , our ground floor murals. I'm sure so many people listening to this have seen their murals around town. They're just eye catching. And so life like mostly sports icons and animals and things that represent San Diego. And another is the queer. He's a tribal tattoo artist and he's helping revive Filipino tribal tattoo. Oftentimes when people think of tribal tattoos , they think of maybe like Polynesian tattooing. But the Philippines also has its own tribal tattoo traditions. And so he's one of those people who are helping those living in San Diego who might not feel that connected to their Filipino roots connect back to that history.
S3: Another person that came to mind is someone that Rio interviewed , and that was Jess mercado , and she practices a screamer , which is Filipino martial arts , and her talking about her journey through Filipino martial arts and connecting with the culture and her roots. We also interview my cousin. She is a theater casting director for the Old Globe , and she talks about her role as a casting director and how she came from the Philippines , lived in Indonesia , and how she was trying to identify with with her Filipino American identity. Now , as we're talking about here , you'll both be speaking with people from a pretty diverse group of different creative backgrounds and interests. What made you want to share and highlight these kinds of perspectives ? I think each of the creatives that we've interviewed this season , they're all so different and also unique and they just really exude the spirit of the Filipino and of somebody here that's a creative that happens to be San Diegan and guys like Willie Santos , who is a professional skateboarder and he's Tony Hawk's best friend , and he's a person that's known within the San Diego community , not just through Filipino Americans , but everybody. He's he's a pretty famous skateboarder , and skateboarding here in San Diego is a huge thing. So we just wanted to have a nice variety of creatives and this is who we ended up with. So we're excited to tell their story.
S2: And these can be stereotypes of the careers that we tend to go into. And so we just wanted to show that there are tons of different routes that we have taken to get to where we are in order to improve representation , to document our stories. And all these people are doing it in so many different ways. Another person we interview is my dad and he just retired from being in the education system for 36 years and his art form. Is helping students go to college , students who are often first generation. So everyone is helping the community in so many different ways. And that itself is is creative.
S3:
S2: We wanted to just show that we are in all of these different places , that we are in this tattoo shop , The Good Life and Downtown. We are in a health center that provides traditional massage. My doctor catches another interview of ours that we are in the film industry in San Diego , and you'll see that with Alma Francisco and Benito Bautista of the San Diego Filipino cinema. We're present in so many of these different places , and even within our own community , we often don't know about these people. So we're trying to show people who are non Filipinos about where we are and what we're doing here , and also the Filipino community that might not be aware.
S3: And JJ , to that point , what do you wish more San Diegans knew about Filipino culture and the Filipino experience in general ? I'd like to have us break the stereotypes of just the general people that don't know about the culture , to know more about just the lumpia and the pine set at parties and you know , those types of things. Filipinos are around and they have talents in all spectrums from being muralists and skateboarders. And they're not just , you know , some of these people could be nurses or doctors , but at the same time , they also have a side passion. And we just want to show those more well-rounded types of stories.
S2: I'm literally over here giving thumbs up to what he was saying , because that's exactly what we want people to get from this and to also in the process learn more about our history that we we throw in some historical facts as well. And for people to want to learn about our history , about our culture and our creative outlets.
S4: That was Mid-day Edition producer Harrison Pitino talking with the hosts of Out of The Boondocks , Rio Villa and J.J. Mannix.
