California to expand program meant to prevent gun violence
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Wednesday, August 7th.
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The state is expanding a program that identifies and disarms dangerous gun owners. More on what local leaders plan to do, next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
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People experiencing homelessness in San Diego now have access to an I-D Bank.
Local nonprofits Think Dignity and the Regional Task Force on Homelessness launched the document acquisition and storage service last week.
It’s located at the Third Avenue Charitable Organization in downtown San Diego.
At the I-D Bank, people dealing with homelessness can acquire and store I-D and related documents.
Officials with the nonprofits said this service will make a difference, and having access to vital documents is a step toward services that can help people transition off the streets.
Outreach locations will open over the next few weeks throughout the county, including in downtown San Diego, Kearny Mesa and National City.
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The hot temperatures are going to drop slightly today (Wednesday).
The National Weather Service says the mid-week temps will be closer to average for this time of year.
In the inland and mountain areas, temps will be in the low 80s, and by the coast, it’ll be in the mid 70s.
In the deserts, there’s a slight chance of rain and thunderstorms today (Wednesday), with temperatures in the low 100s.
The weather is expected to heat up again over the weekend.
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The San Diego Humane Society is asking the public to adopt or foster dogs right now because of a record number of them in its care.
The society has a record 844 dogs at the moment.
Most of them are adults, which are seven months and older, and some puppies are available too.
And more than 100 dogs have been with the organization for three months or more.
If you’d like to adopt a pet, visit sd-humane-dot-org-slash-adopt, and to sign up to become a foster, you can visit sd-humane-dot-org-slash-foster.
If you can’t take in a dog right now, officials said there are other ways to help, including donating to help care for the nearly two-thousand pets in shelters right now.
To do so, head to sd-humane-dot-org-slash-donate.
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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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The state is expanding a program that identifies and disarms dangerous gun owners.
Reporter Katie Anastas says state leaders are looking to San Diego as a model.
San Diego has obtained more gun violence restraining orders than any other city in the country. They prevent people from accessing firearms if a court decides they’re a danger to themselves or others. California Attorney General Rob Bonta says they work. BONTA This is a powerful tool that is being underutilized, and could be utilized fairly and lawfully more often to increase safety. Now, local leaders have $4.2 million in state funding to expand the program. The San Diego City Attorney’s Office will train law enforcement agencies throughout the state on court orders that prohibit gun possession. The office has launched a PSA as part of a public education campaign. Regional law enforcement agencies have also formed a task force to make sure the court orders get enforced. Katie Anastas, KPBS News.
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The commission on police practices recommended the San Diego Police Department change their vehicle pursuit policy.
Reporter Katie Hyson says the police union is pushing back.
The commission began reviewing the San Diego Police Department’s policy after a December car chase killed Mason and Malikai Orozco-Romero, just 4 and 8 years old. Commissioner Armando Flores – There's no need for recklessness to that degree on the streets . . . They found the majority of SDPD chases started over minor infractions, like speeding or running a red light. About one in five involved a crash, most of which left someone injured. And they disproportionately involved Black and Latino residents. It's become normalized to us. We really see cops speeding by and we give it no second thought. They suggested changes last month. Top of their list? That police only start car chases for violent felonies. That’s not unusual. Many cities already do this. The San Diego Police Officers Association did not respond to interview requests. But they did post on social media. Calling the suggested change dangerous and horrific. Saying it would prevent them from pursuing suspects for things like drunk driving or battery. Flores says the recommendations were preliminary for a reason. They want to talk with SDPOA and get feedback. Katie Hyson, KPBS News.
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A San Diego-based Navy doctor and a Navy Seal commander could be forced out of the service over conditions at the Naval Special Warfare Basic Training Command in Coronado.
Military reporter Andrew Dyer says one of them is taking issue with the investigation.
In February 2022 seaman kyle mullen died just after finishing hell week at the navy’s basic underwater demolition seal training center in coronado. commonly referred to as bud/s. according to a navy investigation mullen died of acute pneumonia and an enlarged heart. investigators blamed seal leaders and medical staff for poor oversight and singled them out for punishment. during an appearance on the shawn ryan podcast this week, former bud/s commander capt. brad geary says the service is just looking for someone to blame. he says investigators ignored the role performance enhancing drugs might have played in mullen’s death even though a large amount was found in his vehicle. capt. brad geary, former commander, naval special warfare training center “the only crime here in this entire case start to finish is schedule iii controlled substances on a us installation.” the navy’s investigation says its medical examiner didn’t test for peds during an autopsy. a navy spokesperson tells kpbs the service is proceeding with “accountability actions” against geary and the former senior medical officer but won’t comment further on administrative matters. andrew dyer, kpbs news.
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The U-S-S Eisenhower aircraft carrier returned home last month after what its commanding officer called the most active Navy deployment since World War two.
It was in the Red Sea trying to contain the Middle East conflict.
And its deployment demonstrated how the Navy is likely to fight in the future.
Steve Walsh reports for the American Homefront Project.
The USS Eisenhower had F-18’s in the air nearly every day, during its seven months in the Red Sea. Marvin Scott - the commander of Carrier Wing 3 - says it was the busiest deployment he'd ever seen. “When were were established in the Red Sea, we were flying six to seven days per week, sometimes launching alerts at night, anywhere between 80 and 120 to sometimes 140 sorties per day. Very, very busy operational tempo.” The Ike left Norfolk days after war broke out between Israel and Hamas. By the end of the year, the strike group moved to the Red Sea as Houthi Rebels in Yemen began disrupting international shipping. Scott says the carriers’ F-18 strike fighters shot down around 60 drones launched by the Iranian backed group. He says pilots learned that drones are difficult to see on the plane’s radar. “The other difference is you're generally not defending yourself, you're defending someone else. It is not going to hit you, it's going to hit the several hundred people on the USS Philippine Sea and the airwing took that very seriously.” The carrier saw only two port calls over a nine month deployment, because of the constant threat from a host of weapons. “The most complex series of engagements that the Navy has seen since World War II. Absolutely” After the carrier pulled into port, Captain Chris Hill said the mission was a learning experience for the Navy. ”There's a lot of firsts that happen, you know, getting to go up against unmanned vehicles, aerial vehicles, surface vessels, unmanned underwater vehicles, I mean, and then, of course, anti ship ballistic missiles, which we had never seen before. It was next level in terms of complexity.” Another first: The carrier included ship-wide wifi to help morale. Hill became a minor celebrity on social media, initially just posting about Navy life - like Taco Tuesday. But when inaccurate reports surfaced - first on social media - and then in news stories, that the Houthis had successfully attacked the Eisenhower, HIll countered with video of planes landing and sailors below deck. “I was already doing that before the Houthis got involved. So I was telling the truth, like I did every day. And so if there was a question about the integrity of the ship and whether or not there was a hole in it, all I had to do was show a video that there was not a hole in it. And just display normal Navy life.” Bryan Clark is a former naval officer who is now with the Hudson Institute. He says for the Houthis, social media posts declaring that the Ike was in flames are a way of throwing sand in the gears, to make people lose trust in what they’re seeing from the west and their allies. “The Navy is now starting to figure out that that's a piece of the job that they have to address and make sure that commanders are prepared when they get out there to do this.” The Navy has a number of high tech weapons in the pipelines, such as lasers, which would lower the cost of doing battle against relatively cheap, low tech drones and missiles, like those provided by Iran. There is a lot of off-the-shelf technology the Navy could use to upgrade its ships right now, Clark says. “These are all technologies that exist and the Army has been using them. The Navy is just catching up now to how do you deal with a threat that the Army has been facing for about a decade.” The USS Roosevelt has taken over for the Ike in the Red Sea, as the Houthis show no signs of ending their campaign against international shipping. In Norfolk, I’m Steve Walsh.
TAG: This story was produced by the American Homefront Project, a public media collaboration that reports on American military life and veterans.
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The Paris Olympics are in full swing, and skateboarding is in the spotlight.
Reporter Tania Thorne tells us about the San Diegans going for the gold.
This is the second time in Olympic history that skateboarding is an event in the Summer games. Four San Diego County skateboarders made team USA and are competing in Paris. The women’s “park” team included Ruby Lilley from Oceanside, and Bryce Wettstein from Encinitas. Wettstein came in second place for the women’s skateboard park prelims- but placed sixth in the finals on Tuesday. The men’s park team competes on Wednesday… and the local competitors are Gavin Bottger from Vista and Tate Carew from San Diego. The third member of the men’s park team also has a San Diego connection… Tom Schaar went to San Dieguito High School Academy TT KPBS News.
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Two San Diego Zoo giant pandas will soon make their anticipated public debut.
Starting tomorrow (Thursday), visitors will get to see Yun Chuan and Xin Bao at the zoo's new panda ridge.
The pandas were flown to southern California from China.
They’re the first pandas to enter the U-S in 21 years.
They arrived in San Diego earlier this summer, and have spent the last several weeks getting used to the zoo and their new habitat.
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That’s it for the podcast today. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. Join us again tomorrow for the day’s top stories. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great Wednesday.
