A call for accountability over the response to January floods

Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Tuesday, October 22nd.>>>>

There’s a call for accountability over the response to the January floods.

More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….######

NEARLY 24-HUNDRED KAISER MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS ARE ON STRIKE AGAIN TODAY (TUESDAY) ACROSS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.

THEY ARE DEMANDING RESTORED PENSIONS AND GUARANTEED TIME FOR ESSENTIAL PATIENT CARE TASKS LIKE DEVELOPING TREATMENT PLANS.

THEY SAY THEIR PAY LAGS BEHIND OTHER KAISER NON-MENTAL HEALTH EMPLOYEES IN SIMILAR ROLES BY AS MUCH AS 40 PERCENT.

JOSH GARCIA HAS BEEN A MENTAL HEALTH THERAPIST AT KAISER FOR 10 YEARS.

KAISERPICKET 2A (0:12)

"We're on strike because we really want to keep our community safe. We want to keep our patients safe. We want to make sure that we're not burning out of therapists. And we really just want parity with what Northern California and with what Hawaii has."

IN A STATEMENT, KAISER SAYS IT HAS OFFERED FAIR PROPOSALS, INCLUDING WAGE INCREASES OF 18 PERCENT OVER FOUR YEARS.

THEY SAY INCREASING NON-PATIENT CARE HOURS WOULD REDUCE PATIENT CARE.

KAISER SAYS PATIENT CARE WILL CONTINUE DURING THE STRIKE.

NEGOTIATIONS WILL RESUME TOMORROW (OCTOBER 23RD).

########

People working and living near the Tijuana River Valley and nearby beaches can share their concerns and experiences in a new survey.

The assessment of chemical exposures survey is being conducted by the C-D-C and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

Teams walking in the community and beach areas will provide people with a Q-R code to the survey.

Anyone who has spent time near or on the water in the last 30 days is eligible

to participate.

This survey follows a survey last week that focused on households and families.

Both surveys are looking at the health impacts of the border sewage pollution crisis.

########

The county is offering free flu shots at events happening over the next few weeks.

The C-D-C recommends everyone six months and older should get the flu vaccine every year.

The next event will be held next Wednesday at the Northgate Market in Chula Vista from 1 to 4 P-M.

There will be another one on November 5th at the Southeastern Live Well Center, and another on November 13th at the Mission Valley Library.

If you can’t make it to the events, free flu vaccines are also available at some Public Health Center locations.

#########

From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now.Stay with me for more of the local news you need.

<<<UNDERWRITING BREAK>>

######

<<<MUSIC BUMP INTO A BLOCK>>

##########

NINE MONTHS AGO TODAY (TUESDAY), AN OVERFLOWING STORM CHANNEL FLOODED SAN DIEGO HOMES, MAKING THEM UNLIVABLE.

NOW THERE’S A CALL FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY ABOUT THE RESPONSE.

REPORTER JOHN CARROLL TELLS US, COMMUNITY ADVOCATES SAY IT WAS DISORGANIZED AND INCOMPETENT.

FLOODAUDIT 1 1:02 SOC

San Diego county contracted with Equus Workforce Solutions to organize and provide lodging for people left homeless by the January 22nd floods. But community activists like Clariza Marin of the Harvey Foundation say Equus failed in its responsibilities. “We had residents that called and reported that they’d been sent to hotels that had been shut down, complaining of having to repeatedly and repeatedly  provide the same information over and over again followed with threats of being evicted if they didn’t immediately comply.” “Our communities have serious concerns, serious concerns with the response and the servicing under this contract.” Fourth District Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe also has concerns. So she’s asking her fellow supervisors to approve an audit of the Equus contract. Steppe will introduce her call for an audit at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting. We reached out to Equus for comment, but did not hear back by our deadline. JC KPBS NEWS

##########

THIS FALL, LOW-INCOME COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS WHO LIVE IN MEXICO, BUT GO TO SCHOOL IN SAN DIEGO OR IMPERIAL COUNTY WILL PAY IN-STATE TUITION.

SOUTH BAY REPORTER KORI SUZUKI SAYS IT’S BECAUSE OF A NEW STATE LAW THAT GOES INTO EFFECT THIS YEAR.

SWSTUDENTS 1 (ks) 1:12  soq

When Tijuana resident Christopher Garcia first started at Southwestern College in Chula Vista back in 2021, it was really expensive. A big reason was the cost of non-resident tuition – which can add up to thousands of dollars every semester. Some weeks, Garcia would stay with a family member in Chula Vista just to keep his commuting costs down. It was quite crazy, you know, because I had my family, but I had lived my life over there. And so of course, it was like a big factor of being sad and emotional, not being with my family right now just for this. But this semester, Garcia says he’s been able to spend a lot more time with his family. That’s because, last year, California lawmakers passed AB 91 ... which lets low-income students who live less than 45 miles south of the border pay in-state tuition. – at community colleges in San Diego and Imperial County. This/Monday morning, officials from San Diego and Baja California gathered at Southwestern for a celebration of the new law. State Senator Steve Padilla is a co-author of the legislation. It's important that those of us that live and work here understand that we are one region, that we are North Americanos. Somos knows that we are linked together. Our economic and social futures are an extremely linked. and we have always recognized that. Padilla says AB 91 demonstrates that connection … and is an important step toward increasing access to education for students throughout Baja California. In Chula Vista, Kori Suzuki, KPBS News.

##########

LOCAL DEMOCRATS ARE SUPPORTING A PLAN TO EXPAND ACCESS TO CONTRACEPTIVES.

YESTERDAY (MONDAY), SEVERAL ELECTED OFFICIALS WERE JOINED BY U-S HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY XAVIER BECERRA (ha-VEE-air beh-SERR-ah) AT A PHARMACY IN CARMEL VALLEY.

THEY WERE THERE TO TALK ABOUT A RULE CHANGE TO MAKE OVER-THE-COUNTER BIRTH CONTROL PILLS AND CONDOMS AVAILABLE FREE OF CHARGE.

PILLACCESS 1A :15 You should not have to pay out of pocket to get the contraceptives that you need. And two, you should not have to come with a prescription in every case for certain types of contraceptives.

CURRENTLY THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT ALLOWS FOR FREE CONTRACEPTIVES IF THE PATIENT HAS A PRESCRIPTION.

THE PROPOSED RULE CHANGE WOULD REMOVE THAT REQUIREMENT FOR THOSE WITH PRIVATE INSURANCE.

########## NO MUSIC BUMP (health-related news)

In other health-related news, ONE IN EIGHT WOMEN WILL GET BREAST CANCER.

IT’S THE SECOND MOST COMMON CANCER AMONG WOMEN.

AND AWARENESS HAS GROWN TO WHERE WE NOW KNOW WHY BASEBALL PLAYERS SOMETIMES WEAR PINK SHOES.

SCI TECH REPORTER THOMAS FUDGE TELLS US ABOUT THE HARD CHOICES WOMEN HAVE TO MAKE, AND THE STORY OF ONE WOMAN’S JOURNEY.

BEASTCANCER (tf)    4:17   …SOQ. 

Janelle Franca Correia (FRANK-ah coh-RAY-uh)  is in her Point Loma hair salon where she has just recently returned to work. Life was pretty normal until about a year ago, when she got a mammogram at the age of 41. It was negative, but soon after it she started feeling some pain in her breast. “I met my general doctor and she said do not worry. Things like this happen. Pain is not associated with cancer. It may be just a mass that’s touching a nerve and that’s why yer having pain. And either way, we’ll do a biopsy and see what it is.” She got the results of the biopsy from a phone call.  “It was my kids’ last day of school. Picked them up at school. Took them to Denny’s and then I got the call back. And automatically my oldest… ‘I could tell something is wrong.’ I said it’s OK. I'm just on the phone with my doctor. So I immediately texted my husband. It came back cancerous. We're going to finish up here and head home.” Every person’s journey through cancer is different because lives are complex and so is breast cancer. Daniel Hollern is a cancer biologist at Salk Institute. He said he devoted himself to the field of study after two of his heroes, his uncle and his grandpa, died from cancer. He says cancer is a very general term for many different diseases. “Also within breast cancer we have triple negative breast cancer,  we have hormone receptor positive breast cancer. We have Her2 receptor positive breast cancer. Each of those have different sort-of treatments that work. Therefore every cancer patient enters their journey from a unique place.” Hollern’s research is focused on immunotherapy treatment… teaching the immune system to attack cancer cells in a robust way. T Cells are his attackers. But when it comes to breast and other cancers, the cell targets are hard to find. And some cancer is good at evading the immune system with what Hollern describes as false messages. He’s looking for ways to activate B Cells, another part of the immune system alphabet, so they can direct T Cells toward their cancerous targets.  Will this therapy become the best way to treat breast cancer? “I think even though immunotherapy has struggled to work, it’s not a hopeless endeavor. I truly believe that this is the way to go because, you know, cancer cells can develop resistance to drugs but when you have your immune system locked on there’s no place for it to go.” Hollern’s research may hold promise for the future of breast cancer treatment. But it wasn’t an option for Janelle Franco Coreia, who had no family history of breast cancer. So she made the tough choice of having a double mastectomy. They discovered a cancerous lymph node in the process, so she will begin radiation treatment next month. Losing both breasts was hard. She says losing that part of her and having to wear baggy shirts has been very tough. “It’s definitely been mentally and emotionally a huge challenge. I haven’t really gone to parties or anything. I just don’t want to get dressed in that sort of way yet. But the mental and emotional side has been the hugest part, and I’ve talked to lots of women who feel the same way.” October is breast cancer awareness month. The Susan G Komen foundation has been using it to fundraise and sponsor events that bring attention to the cause. Leia (LAY-uh) Brune is executive director of Susan G Komen San Diego. She says they are focused on bringing their message, and therapies they underwrite, to women of all ethnic backgrounds. “Latina women, it’s the most diagnosed cancer in Latina women. And like I mentioned the… 40 percent more likely for black women to die from this disease. So these are really large disparities that we need to continue just putting a focus on.” One of the culminating events of Breast Cancer Awareness month will be the Susan G Komen “More than Pink” walk in Balboa Park. The celebratory walk takes place on Sunday, November 3rd. SOQ. 

########## Longer music break

SINCE 19-94, THE SHERMAN HEIGHTS COMMUNITY CENTER HAS HONORED LOVED ONES WHO’VE PASSED ON FOR DIA DE MUERTOS.

VIDEO JOURNALIST MATTHEW BOWLER GIVES US A LOOK INSIDE THIS SPECIAL CELEBRATION OF LIFE AFTER DEATH.

SHERMAN ALTARS 1 (:39) SOQ   

Every year for 30 years, the Sherman Heights Community Center is transformed. Francisco Soto, the center’s Programs Manager, says Dia de los Muertos is one of the most important events for him. “It's about family. It's about tradition. It's about culture. It's about history. It's not Halloween or anything like that. It's more cultural, historical, educational.” The celebration lasts seven days, with each day dedicated to different people who’ve passed on. And then, on November 2nd, comes the big day. "Dia de los Muertos. It’s more about love, it’s more about honoring the memory of a person.” Matthew Bowler, KPBS News.

TAG: THE SHERMAN HEIGHTS COMMUNITY CENTER IS HOSTING DAY OF THE DEAD EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE MONTH.

##########

<<<SHOW CLOSE>>>

That’s it for the podcast today. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. In tomorrow’s podcast, one of our KPBS web producers joins me to talk about our newsroom’s Voter Guide. Join us again tomorrow for that, plus for the day’s top stories. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great Tuesday.