Building for UCSD’s future
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Thursday, September 22nd
Money for new homeless programs was left on the tableMore on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
Repairs to a pipeline that’s sending millions of gallons of sewage across the border are expected to be completed today..
The international boundary and water Commission says the flow rate from the busted pipe is estimated at 36 million gallons per day..
The leak from the busted pipe started on Monday, just after 693 million gallons flowed across the border during the rain.
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Helping more San Diegans of color become homeowners is the goal behind a new grant..
The Wells Fargo Foundation is providing 7-and-a-half million dollars to the San Diego Housing Commission to pay for credit counseling, down payment assistance, and other services for homebuyers of color.
A study of San Diego households found homeownership rates of 29 percent among Black households and 35 percent among Latino households,
That’s compared with 55 percent among white households.
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Several local cities that oppose changes in zoning for low-income housing, won't get their day in front of the state supreme court.
Coronado, Solana Beach, Imperial Beach and Lemon Grove argued that they shouldn't have to change their zoning laws to accommodate the number of housing units set by the regional planning agency SANDAG.
The lower courts disagreed and the cities appealed to the state’s highest court which declined the case and upheld the lower court ruling.
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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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Oceanside is the largest recipient of county grants intended to startup homeless shelters.. County officials made money available to help stem the crisis unraveling on San Diego streets.. But KPBS North County Reporter Tania Thorne says millions of dollars are going unused.
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Earlier this year the county offered $10 million dollars in grants to cities for projects tackling homelessness.
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“When I introduced this I thought we’d get 30 or 40 million dollars in requests and we didn't, we only got requests for half of the funding available.”
But County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher says only 3 cities applied.
He awarded $3 million dollars toward Oceanside’s first homeless shelter.
Vista and San Diego are the other 2 cities that got grants.
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“Were also awarding the city of Vista $65k for their safe parking program 25 vehicle safe parking lots and the city of SD about $1 million dollars for a safe parking program for a 60 vehicle lots.”
Fletcher says he is re-inviting cities to step up and apply for the five-million that is still up for grabs.
The grants are intended to get programs started. Each city is pitching in its own funds to keep the programs going.
TT KPBS News
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New sales of natural gas furnaces and water heaters could soon be a thing of the past.. KPBS Environment reporter Erik Anderson says state regulators are poised to outlaw them by 2030.
The California Air Resources Board – CARB -- is expected to take a monumental step Thursday to shrink the state’s carbon footprint and reduce nitrogen-oxide pollution. That’s a key ingredient for creating smog. The panel is widely expected to ban the sale of gas-powered furnaces and hot water heaters. Clean air advocate Leah Louis-Prescott is working to eliminate the use of fossil fuels in buildings.
“This is, this is the binding commitment to doing this. To phasing out fossil fuel appliances.”
Laura Feinstein is a member of a bay area public policy think tank.
“Homes and buildings in California generate four times more nitrogen oxide pollution than California’s gas power plants do combined.”
She says the phase-out-plan for gas-powered water heaters and furnaces is part of a sweeping statewide effort to reduce California’s carbon footprint.
Erik Anderson KPBS News
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Fully electric buses are the centerpiece of a new school transportation center in the east county.. KPBS Reporter Jacob Aere was there yesterday as Grossmont Union High School officials unveiled some state-of-the art clean and green technology.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to celebrate Grossmont Union High School District’s new Transportation Services Center.
The 32,000-square-foot facility focuses on green technology for a future of fully electric buses in the district.
Mary Beth Kastan (CAST-in) is the superintendent of the district.
“This relentless commitment to resource conservation across the district saves more than $2 million in annual energy costs.”
The transportation services center will start by running 17 electric buses. That’s the first phase of the district’s plan to replace 67 diesel fueled buses over the next 20 years.
And the district says all the money that’s being saved by using electric buses instead of diesel ones… is going back to serve the students. Jacob Aere, KPBS News.
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Coming up.... Engineering the future at UC San Diego.. A new building brings new momentum for the school's growing program.. We’ll have that story and more, next, just after the break.
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Six months ago a Ukranian teengager lost his leg to a Russian tank.. And now a San Diego Prosthetic’s company is helping him get back on his feet. KPBS REPORTER KITTY ALVARADO WAS THERE AS HE TOOK HIS FIRST STEPS ON A NEW LEG.
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PROSTHETICKID 1 1:10 SOQ
Nat sound
CREEKING
These are 16-year-old Ivan Chaban’s first steps on a prosthetic leg.
nat sound continues excellent beautiful
He’s taking them in Mira Mesa, with prosthetist Peter Harsch.
But his home is in Sumy, Ukraine. That’s where almost six months ago his life changed forever..with the help of a translator he tells us what happened about a month after the Russian invasion …
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ukrainian
He said a column of enemy russian vehicles caught up to them …one of the tanks went directly towards them
Ivan’s stepfather died in the attack. But Ivan lost part of his leg.
The Ukrainian Embassy in Washington D-C partnered with the San Diego based Right to Walk Foundation to bring Ivan to the U-S..
Ivan has big dreams
Ukrainian
Hollywood
To go to Hollywood to be an actor
Ivan still needs a local host family to help him through his recovery.…
so he can make his dream a reality .
Send this back to his mom tell him he’s walking
Kitty Alvarado KPBS News
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A new building will open on the campus of UC San Diego tomorrow (Friday)…housing all kinds of engineers… designing products that have never been seen before.
Franklin Antonio Hall is named after the late Qualcomm co-founder.
…and as KPBS Education Reporter M.G. Perez tells us…there is already futuristic work being done there.
SOUND UP FULL 2541 17:47:56-17:48:01 “I might represent a remote student attending school virtually.”
That’s Alex Chow…a graduate student at UC San Diego working on his masters degree in computer science. He’s actually a hundred miles away at home in Riverside, remotely operating a new robot that's in development on the campus in La Jolla.
SOT (Alex) 2541 17:48:08-17:48:28 “So with this robot …you could move the robot around like so…and turn around your environment. Grab stuff with the arm and the gripper and basically interact with your classmates to get a more immersive experience of school while you’re at home.”
Chow is one member of a team of UCSD graduate students experimenting with this bionic simulated person that could someday soon help children with special needs.
pra-TOO-sha Gosh is also on the team doing research for her P-H-D dissertation.
SOT 2541 17:46:54-17:47:01 “if they’re unable to physically attend school…then they may be able to use the robot to actually actively participate in school as a robot.”
This group project is happening on the second floor of the brand new Franklin Antonio Hall…named after the late Qualcomm co-founder who was a UCSD graduate. Antonio donated 30-million of the 180-million dollars it cost to construct the 4-story state-of-the-art building…designed by engineers to house the next generations of engineers.
SETUP SOT 2477 17:18:10-17:18:12 “we’re bursting at the seams”
Albert Pisano was a good friend of Franklin Antonio. He is also the Dean of the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering…which has reached a record enrollment of almost 10-thousand students. This new building makes room for growth and brings students, professors, researchers, and industry leaders together under one solar powered roof.
SOT 2477 17:20:46-17:20:56 “when you sit in this building you are simultaneously motivated to look out and to work within…to collaborate and to think big thoughts independently.
The building is divided into more than a dozen collaboratories…labs with collaboration going on every day…on every floor…
SETUP SOT 2592 18:03:38-18:03:40 “right now we’re working on a home robot that can take your groceries and put them away.”
Henrik Christensen is director of Robotics. He teaches and mentors mechanical and electrical engineering students and also those who are working on degrees in computer science…who design software to make the magic happen.
SOT 2592 18:04:08-18:04:17 “now I get to have them all in the same space which makes a big difference for them to talk to each other …to really understand how can they compliment each other in building products we’ve never seen before.”
SETUP SOT (Dean Pisano) 2477 17:25:24-17:25:28 “this isn’t your grandfather’s engineering anymore…I can assure you that.”
In the past ten years, Pisano and his team have led the Jacobs School into the top 10 Engineering universities in the country. He says the new home that was built on what used to be a parking lot…will keep the school in the top 10… housing research in artificial intelligence, development of powerful longer lasting batteries for electric cars…and this…
SOT (Dean Pisano) 2477 17:22:04-17:22:24 “making thin film sensors even less intrusive than a bandaid…that not only can understand what’s going on with your metabolism but be powered by the very sweat that your skin exudes…no batteries!”
SOUNDBREAK 2557 17:54:55-17:54:59 “ try to move the robot towards the target.”
The learning curve and vibe running through Antonio Hall is just getting started…as unpacking and set up continues. There is no social distancing here. Engineers are working side-by-side and face-to-face. As the saying goes…If you build it they will come..and they have.
Pisano has the welcome mat out…
SOT: 2477 17:26:16-17:26:32 “the world is filled with issues that need to be addressed now. A workable solution now is better than a perfect solution later.”
So the future is now and it’s happening in real time. MGP KPBS News.
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Tonight In Encinitas the The Solento Surf Festival is kicking off (Thursday) with the Australian documentary “Facing Monsters.” KPBS film critic Beth Accomando has this review.
"Facing Monsters" profiles surfer Kerby Brown, who rides the intimidating slab waves found in West Australia.
KERBY BROWN: It's got these mutant, crazy pieces of water and these waves that come out of really deep water onto these really shallow rock ledges. And they're quite unpredictable and rogue, I guess you would call them. And I'm looking for these different pieces of water to try and ride, basically.
"Facing Monsters" conveys the beauty and terror of that experience in stunning footage. But the film explores more than just the waves Brown surfs. It takes a deep dive into his personal life and how the ocean offers him solace but his pursuit of dangerous waves creates tensions in his family.
KERBY BROWN: I just really wanted it to be a raw, honest look into my life. I'm not trying to sugarcoat anything. I don't feel like it's trying to glorify what I do. It's just a straight up look into what I'm doing.
In the hope that it might help take someone from a dark place to a better one.
"Facing Monsters" launches its U.S. theatrical run at the Solento Surf Festival.
Beth Accomando, KPBS News.
That’s it for the podcast today. 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.
