Being harassed on duty
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Tuesday, November 8th.
A Marine tells her story of being harrassed while serving.
More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
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Today is Election Day… and you still have time to vote.
There are over 200 vote centers and more than 140 ballot drop boxes across the county.
They’ll be open from 7 this morning until 8 tonight.
If you plan to mail in your ballot, it must be postmarked by today.
To find the vote center or ballot drop-off location closest to you, check out KPBS-DOT-ORG-SLASH-VOTER-HUB.
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Make sure to grab your rain jacket and umbrella if you leave the house today.
The National Weather Service says *heavy* rainfall and strong winds are expected all day and into the night.
Tomorrow will be another cold day, but less rain is expected.
Temps are predicted to be in the 60s today and the 50s tomorrow.
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A Powerball lottery ticket worth more than one-million-dollars was sold at a pharmacy in Encinitas.
The ticket had five matching numbers, but was missing the Powerball number.
No tickets were sold with all six numbers.
According to the Multi-State Lottery Association, the odds of matching all five numbers and the Powerball number is one in 292-point-2 million.
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From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
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More than 500-hundred-thousand San Diegans have already voted by mail..
KPBS Reporter Matt Hoffman says Election officials are predicting a 50-to-60 percent turnout for the midterms.
First returns from the registrar will come around 8pm Tuesday with updates as counting continues.. Due to mail in ballots and same-day voting, counting is expected to last a couple weeks.. A reminder, to avoid any confusion, San Diego County’s Registrar of Voters Cynthia Paes says posted results will no not reveal the percentage of votes already in. Under the voters choice act vote center model we no longer we will show the precincts reported until we certify the election on dec 8 Paes says she’s expecting around 250-thousand mail ballots to be dropped off on election day or received later in the mail.. And remember, mail-in ballots must be postmarked by election day to get counted. MH KPBS News.
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HISTORICALLY, VOTER TURNOUT HAS BEEN LOW AMONG STUDENTS.
KPBS REPORTER KITTY ALVARADO VISITED UC-SD TO SEE IF STUDENTS ARE CASTING THEIR BALLOTS.
At U-C San Diego , almost every single student we approached had voted v, like 20 year old Alex Patterson. It’s pretty important it’s you know the only way we really have to make our voice heard Then there are eligible voters like 21 year old Daniel Ramirez, who say they are tired of the rhetoric. they hype it up to be like if we don’t do this… the country is going to go into chaos, Student body president Sky Yang says it’s frustrating to hear about people who choose not to vote. He wants students to know that voting makes a difference.. Even though I can’t vote as a permanent resident ….These ballots are our voices ticket to make the change we want to see. … we can't get things changed … we want to see… KAL KPBS News.
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Coming up.... A marine tells her story of experiencing harassment while on duty. We’ll have that story and more, next, just after the break.
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Now we bring you the story of an American veteran.
Growing up as the daughter of a Marine, C.J. Scarlet dreamed of following in her father’s footsteps.
When she enlisted in 19-81, she was part of the first class of women to receive combat training.
But a pervasive culture of sexism and sexual harassment derailed her military career.
Here is C.J. Scarlet with her story.
C.J. SCARLET: I was an honor graduate of my platoon in boot camp. And that meant so much to me because my father was sitting there in the parade stands at my graduation sitting next to the general crying on his shoulder going, "That's my daughter." How proud he was of me meant everything in the world. Well, I aced the Military Entrance Exam, and could pretty much choose any field I wanted. And so I got a six year contract to sign up as a photojournalist. And so I was so excited to get started with my career when I got to Camp Pendleton. I didn't share what was going on on a day to day basis with a sexual harassment. There was just this daily onslaught, there were comments, there were touches, there was inappropriate behavior, coming from all angles. So I would be sitting at my typewriter working on a story and feeling like a professional journalist. And I never knew when someone would come behind me and plant a kiss on the back of my neck and just make me feel instantly like a sexual object, just completely devalue me, and disrespect me and make me feel like I was not worthy to be there. They would back me up against the file cabinets, literally, and try to kiss me. And when I entered in the relationship with my first husband, I stopped telling him what was happening because he would become so angry at our co-workers that I was afraid he was going to hurt somebody. Our staff noncommissioned officer in charge was particularly bad. He used to go out of his way to goad him, put his arm around me and nuzzle my neck and say, "Why don't you be with a real man" right in front of my husband. And my husband would just be gritting his teeth and wanted to punch his lights out. But of course he couldn't. What he wasn't seeing was all things that were happening outside of his line of vision. It was when I got to Albany, Georgia, that things really shifted. He saw the daily harassment that I endured in Albany, Georgia, there was no escaping that because it was such a tiny office and we were super close proximity to one another. My boss there did not sexually harass me. He was a misogynist. He hated women in his military. He taunted me he, he made my husband made me stand at attention in front of everyone in the office while my husband had to chew me out in front of everybody. Working in an environment where I so clearly was not wanted, and where I was under so much emotional stress from just the scrutiny of this person made me anxious, so anxious, I got into therapy. And that was the killer, because he would actually introduce me to people as, "This is Sergeant Crazy Marine, which was humiliating." I was eventually drummed out of the Marine Corps because I was on medication. And I was depressed. And so I say that I came into the Marine Corps with a roar and I went out with a whimper. My loyalty to the Marine Corps was so strong that I felt like I was betraying it by speaking my truth. And so I didn't for so long. But now I recognize that speaking my truth is the only way I can really honor that experience, because just as the Marine Corps and the military service has this incredible aura and power, it also has a shadow side. It has a dark side. And if we're not talking about that shadow side, we're not telling the whole story. We're not encompassing the entire military experience.
That was C.J. Scarlet, recorded by Insignia Films for G-B-H Boston.
This excerpt was produced by the American Homefront Project, a public media collaboration that reports on American military life and veterans.
Funding comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Bob Woodruff Foundation.
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San Diego city leaders say homelessness is down by 27 percent among veterans. Getting that number down even lower was the topic of a roundtable at the Veterans' Museum in Balboa Park yesterday. Here’s KPBS reporter Melissa Mae.
MM: Supervisor Nathan Fletcher was one of the many roundtable attendees who spoke about how homeless veterans can connect to housing more efficiently. NF: “We have a federal government and the VA that have programs and systems in place and so I think more aggressive outreach and engagement to get veterans signed up for what they’re available for, get them through the VA verification process. I think that’s an area where we can go and we can move.” MM: The Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing or VASH program includes rental assistance for homeless veterans. Fletcher hopes landlords will step up and start to accept these vouchers to help get those who served off the streets. Melissa Mae KPBS News.
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Catalytic converter thefts have been on the rise, and law enforcement and lawmakers are working to crack down on the crime.
KPBS reporter Tania Thorne has more on what’s being done.
Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed two bills tackling catalytic converter thefts. The first sets limits on who can buy and sell used catalytic converters. The second bill requires recyclers to obtain the vehicle's year, make, model, and copy of the title of the catalytic converter they are purchasing. Sgt. Anthony Molina is with the Chula Vista police department. He hopes the new laws combined with law enforcement vigilance will bring catalytic converter thefts down. So my hopes is that in conjunction with all the other things we're doing, that this will be helpful right, if if nothing else. It sends a message to these thieves that we're tired of being victims of catalytic converter theft, and that everybody's coming together to do something about it. Sgt Molina urges car owners to get their catalytic converters etched with their VIN number in case a theft is to occur. The new laws go into effect January 1st, 20-23. TT KPBS News
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That’s it for the podcast today. Remember to vote and join us back here tomorrow for an update on the election results. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
