San Diego’s Vaccine Efforts Praised

Good Morning, I’m Annica Colbert….it’s Monday, April 5th. Vaccination efforts in San Diego are getting praise from the Governor More on that, just after the headlines…. ###### Governor Gavin Newsom says when California has administered 4 million covid-19 vaccinations in low-income communities, which could happen as early as next week...he expects the state to lower the threshold for counties to move into the state’s orange covid-19 tier. That change will make it easier for San Diego to advance from the red into that less restrictive orange tier. That would mean the county could lift capacity restrictions at retail stores, at businesses such as restaurants, movie theaters, fitness centers, and they could increase the number of fans permitted at Petco Park. ######## One problem never seems to end: Sewage contamination from the Tijuana River caused the Silver Strand and Coronado shorelines to close down over the weekend, according to San Diego county environmental health officials. Officials extended previous water closures notices at the Tijuana Slough and Imperial beach areas as sewage flows from the Tijuana river continue to move north. ######## A part of Carlsbad’s history and identity is being torn down. Demolition started on the 400-foot tall smokestack at the Encina Power Station. The smokestack has been part of Carlsbad's identity since the 1970s. The plant was decommissioned in 2018 and in an agreement with the city, has to be completely torn down within three years. The smokestack is expected to be demolished by July. ######### From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need. Governor Gavin Newsom toured a pop up vaccination site in City Heights on Friday. KPBS reporter Max Rivlin-Nadler tells us he was there to showcase the county’s efforts in speeding up vaccine distribution… Newsom toured the one-day vaccination site, flanked by San Diego’s political leaders…. Promoting the efforts the state has made in trying to reach its most vulnerable, and provide easy access to vaccines….and especially the progress that San Diego has made on this front. 19:13 This county, this city, is leading the way in the state of California, in terms of doses administered in terms of meeting, not just the broad platitudes, broad strokes on the issue of equity, but actually manifesting them by doing the hard work of getting into communities like this. The vaccination site came after days of efforts by community organizations to sign people up for an appointment…. Newsom said by leading with community organizations as trusted messengers… and targeting communities most impacted by COVID-19… San Diego is on the path to a broader reopening. 19:52 This state, is the only state in the country, that has committed 40% of all of its first doses to be set aside under an equity framework. /cut/ 20:20 which will allow cities and counties like San Diego to move more quickly through these tears, ultimately getting to a green tier, which we’ll be talking a lot more about next week. City Heights is home to thousands of undocumented older people… many of whom were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic….. Last year, Newsom removed a budget allocation for expanding Medi-Cal to that community. Even though he said the state is poised for a full economic recovery, he did not commit to including that expansion in May, when the legislature revisits the budget. 37:17 We’re in a completely different place, because of our budget surplus and the support coming from the federal government, but I’m also mindful a lot of that is one-time. And we have to be mindful as we prioritize and set aside those investments, how we do that. City Heights Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera toured the vaccination site with the governor and volunteered there on Friday. He said that the lack of a permanent vaccination site in City Heights shouldn’t stand in the way of access to the vaccine. 42:00 What it really comes down to is saying, “these people are having a hard time accessing the vaccine,” and asking the question of what we need to do to cut through the barriers they’re facing. Whether that means transportation, whether that means historical discrimiination and very good reasons for distrust of the medcal field, and being really intentional about the outreach necessary in order to do that.” The vaccination event in City Heights will be followed this weekend by similar events in Barrio Logan and other immigrant communities. And that was KPBS’ Max Rivlin-Nadler. ########## Over the last year, San Diego home prices have risen to some of the highest in the nation. KPBS’ Jacob Aere reports. San Diego home prices rose the third fastest in the nation for major cities this year, according to S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices. A couple of reasons for the surge in costs are due to limited supply and record low interest rates, according to San Diego real estate broker Voltaire (Vole-tare) Lepe (Lep-eh). “There isn’t enough properties out there. There’s 2300 homes for sale, same time last year there was 4800 homes for sale. There's a 5% increase in buyers. Some when you have this many homes, but this many buyers, that's naturally what’s going to happen. “ Lepe said he expects a small correction for the high home prices, but added that the only people who should potentially wait to buy a home in San Diego are cash buyers. Jacob Aere, KPBS News. And that was KPBS’ Jacob Aere. ########## The Biden Administration recently announced plans to boost the production of green energy through offshore wind turbines. But it’s unlikely California will see immediate gains. One reason is that the state’s steep ocean shelf makes anchoring turbines to the floor impractical. Nancy Kirshner-Rodriguez is the western director of the Business Network for Offshore Wind. Nancy Kirshner-Rodriguez: “For the West Coast, for California, all of our wind farms will have to be floating offshore wind.” She says the East Coast will see immediate gains from Biden’s executive order. However, she says, the prospect of dozens of gigantic floating turbines off the California coast is certainly brighter under the current administration. ######### Later this month, as more Californian’s get vaccinated, the state will begin allowing crowds at events like conferences and live performances. The relaxed restrictions apply to both indoor and outdoor events. CapRadio’s Mike Hagerty talked with politics reporter Nicole Nixon who detailed the upcoming changes. That's CapRadio's politics reporter Nicole Nixon talking with anchor Mike Hagerty. Coming up.... The San Diego Public Library Foundation wants your input on a new library master plan. We’ll have that story next, just after the break. Most Libraries in San Diego have been closed for months, with some open to only limited in-person services. During that time, virtual library services have been expanded, with virtual book chats and online books becoming more available Now the San Diego Public Library Foundation wants the community to think about the future of libraries. It’s developing a new Library Master Plan, which is a blueprint for how the library system can look and function in the coming years. A community survey is open to all San Diegans until April 17th. Patrick Stewart is the CEO of the San Diego Public Library Foundation, and he spoke with KPBS Midday Edition Host Maureen Kavanaugh That was Patrick Stewart, CEO of the San Diego Public Library Foundation, speaking with KPBS Midday Edition Host Maureen Kavanaugh. That’s it for the podcast today. Be sure to catch KPBS Midday Edition At Noon on KPBS radio, or check out the Midday podcast. You can also watch KPBS Evening Edition at 5 O’clock on KPBS Television, and as always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Annica Colbert. Thanks for listening and have a great day.