City of Carlsbad declares another storm-related emergency

Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Tuesday, February 20th.

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The City of Carlsbad declares its third storm-related emergency. More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….

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Chula Vista Councilmember Andrea Cardenas who is facing criminal charges has resigned.

Cardenas represented the fourth district in Chula Vista — until yesterday … when she sent her colleagues a letter of resignation.

KPBS got a copy of that letter.

In it, she said she’s resigning effective immediately in order to prioritize her mental health… and the health of her community.

She said it’s been an honor to work in the role and serve her Chula Vista alongside her fellow colleagues.

The resignation comes after months of controversy and accusations against her, including grand theft, money laundering and tax evasion.

She faces felony charges, and her case is scheduled for a readiness conference in court today.

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More rain is on the way throughout the county, starting later today and lasting through tomorrow morning.

A flood watch is in effect until 10 a-m tomorrow (Wednesday), in the county’s coastal, mountain and valley areas.

Some parts of north and east county could see up to an inch of rain per hour at times.

The city of San Diego says crews are clearing mud and debris from storm drains and sweeping the streets and encourages residents who live in low-lying areas to take precautions ahead of the storm.

President Joe Biden yesterday declared a major disaster status for California and ordered federal assistance for San Diego County areas affected by severe storms and flooding last month.

If you have questions about applying for assistance, call 800-621-FEMA.

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Just a reminder… today is the deadline to register to receive a ballot in the mail for the March 5th Presidential Primary Election.

Registration forms must be postmarked or delivered to the Registrar’s office by today.

You can also register online until midnight at sd-vote-dot-com.

But, if you’re not registered to receive a mail ballot after today’s deadline, you can still vote… you’ll just have to conditionally register in person at the Registrar’s office or at a vote center through March 5th.

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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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As more rain is ready to hit the county … the City of Carlsbad has declared its third storm-related emergency in recent weeks.

Reporter Jacob Aere says total estimated costs for the three projects total nearly 2 million dollars.

The most recent storm-related emergency declaration in Carlsbad is to repair a sliding slope near El Camino Real and Trieste Drive … that’s threatening the backyards of some homes. It's estimated to cost just over a million dollars to fix. It follows two other emergency declarations by the city. That includes clearing the Buena Vista Creek Concrete Channel, alongside State Route 78 – which is prone to flooding. Estimated repair costs are around 770,000 thousand dollars. The final emergency measure is to repair a storm drain pipeline on Carlsbad Village Drive near Pontiac Drive, which is expected to cost $140,000 to fix. The city council approved all three emergency declarations … which allows for expedited repairs. Jacob Aere, KPBS News.

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California State University professors and other faculty have approved a new contract.

Education reporter M.G. Perez has more on what the deal includes.

Members of the California Faculty Association approved the tentative agreement with the C-S-U by a 76-percent majority. The deal grants a 5-percent salary increase for all faculty retroactive to July 1st of last year…and another 5-percent pay increase this July 1st…It also raises the salary floor for the  lowest-paid lecturing faculty And Increases paid parental leave from six to 10 weeks. But almost a quarter of the union voted NO. Gloria Rhodes is CFA president of the San Diego State chapter. She is reaching out to those members.. let us know what we can do to bring you aboard…what would it have taken for you to vote ‘yes’ on this.”  CSU Trustees still have to meet and vote on the agreement before it can go into effect. MGP KPBS News.

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Point Loma Nazarene University is hosting the 29th annual Writer’s Symposium by the Sea this week.

During the event, the art of writing will be explored with renowned authors.

One of the writer’s appearing at this year’s festival is Nick Hornby.

He’s known for best selling novels like High Fidelity and About a Boy— as well as several screenplays.

Along with his masterful storytelling, his writing also evokes a love of pop culture of all kinds–, be it music, literature, even sports.

He joined my colleague Jade Hindmon to talk about some of his work, and his inspiration behind some of it.

Your most recent work is a non-fiction work called Dickens and Prince- and it takes 2 well-known cultural figures who are not often associated together- the 19th century English writer Charles Dickens and the late musician Prince… Can you tell us more about what they have in common- and how you came up with this idea?

Several of your novels were adapted as films. Two of those- Fever Pitch and High Fidelity- adapted novels originally set in the UK and changed the setting to the U.S. I’m wondering how you feel about your words and characters changed to an American setting?

One thing I noticed about the characters in your books is that they all seem to have their quirks and issues. Tell me about those quirks and why you choose to write your characters in that way?

Where does the inspiration for your characters come from?

You use so many different vehicles to write…music, film, books…How do you manage to stretch beyond one particular box or another when writing?  Do you think this makes your writing more accessible? 

Could you ever see yourself setting a story in San Diego? What would that look like?

TAG: That was author and screenwriter Nick Hornby, speaking with KPBS Midday Edition host, Jade Hindmon.

Hornby will be appearing at this year’s Writer’s Symposium By The Sea on the campus of Point Loma Nazarene University, on Friday at 7p-m.

To learn more about the event and see the full list of author’s appearing at this year’s festival, you can visit our website at kpbs dot org.

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That’s it for the podcast today. Join us again tomorrow for the day’s top stories. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great Tuesday.