Complaints claim sexual abuse at San Diego County-owned shelter

Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Wednesday, October 2nd.>>>>

Legal complaints claim staff at a county-owned emergency shelter sexually abused more than one hundred children.More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….######

The San Diego City Council says the sewage crisis at the southern border is an emergency.

Yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon, they unanimously passed a resolution calling on the Biden administration to declare a state of emergency.

The resolution was introduced by District 8 councilmember Vivian Moreno, who lives within a mile of the Tijuana River.

She says it’s good that work has now begun on fixing and expanding the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, but she also says, it isn’t nearly enough.

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“It is a far cry from the over $1 billion in investment needed to completely solve this problem, and the federal government needs to take more action urgently.”

700-million dollars has already been committed to repair and expand the treatment plant.

The repairs and expansion are expected to take years to complete.

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SD-G-AND-E customers can expect a more than 78-dollar credit on their energy bill this month.

The credit is from the California Climate Credit program.

It’s a state Cap-and-Trade Program that requires polluters to pay for climate pollution.

Credits are distributed in April and October each year.

In April, SD-G-AND-E customers saw a nearly 59-dollar credit for natural gas.

Billing cycles are different for everyone, so not everyone will see the bill credit at the same time this month.

San Diegans will automatically be credited– you don’t need to do anything to receive it.

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Multiple Excessive Heat Warnings and a Heat Advisory are still in effect today (Wednesday).

And temperatures are expected to rise a couple degrees, compared to yesterday (Tuesday).

In the inland, mountain and desert areas, temps are expected to reach the low 100s.

Coastal areas will have the most comfortable temps., in the high 70s.

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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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Recent legal complaints claim staff at a county-owned emergency shelter sexually abused more than 100 children over decades.

Reporter Katie Hyson says the complaints blame county policy.

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The A.B. and Jessie Polinsky Children’s Center is a 24-hour facility. It provides temporary, emergency shelter for children. It’s often a first stop before foster care. The county says those children must be taken from their families for their safety. But dozens of recent complaints from a national law firm claim the county did not keep those children safe. That between 1993 and 2023, center staff sexually abused children as young as 2 years old. And threatened the children to keep them from reporting. The attorneys blame the county for failing to adequately screen and supervise center staff. And allegedly ignoring reported abuse. At the time of this reporting, a county spokesperson has not responded to a request for comment. Katie Hyson, KPBS News.

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A San Diego-based carrier strike group is being kept in the Middle East in the middle of the escalating conflict.

Military reporter Andrew Dyer has more on what that means.

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On Sunday the pentagon announced the uss abraham lincoln and its strike group will remain in the middle east due to an “evolving” security situation. it’s part of an overall increase in the u.s. military presence as israeli expanded operations into lebanon. iran launched about 200 missiles into israel in response. another san diego-based carrier, the theodore roosevelt, left the region last month after having its deployment extended in response to the conflict. it’s currently in the western pacific and heading home. the east-coast based carrier harry s. truman is en route to the mediterranean and could arrive next week, freeing the lincoln to rotate back to the western pacific and resume its deployment. the lincoln left san diego in july. andrew dyer, kpbs news.

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Governor Newsom's recent ban on hemp products that contain T-H-C is raising concerns among medicinal users.

Health reporter Heidi de Marco says some hemp advocates warn it will especially affect vulnerable individuals, including children.

Stephanie Bohn has spent countless nights in the hospital with her ten-year-old daughter Sadie.  She has a brain disorder called Rett syndrome. She struggles with seizures, insomnia and anxiety.  A couple of years ago, Sadie’s doctor recommended giving her a Cannabidiol or CBD tincture.  CBD is derived from hemp plants. The tincture also contains trace amounts of THC – that’s the compound from cannabis plants that gives pot its high. And just a few weeks ago we celebrated her one year seizure free-aversary and it was a remarkable milestone for her and for us. But Bohn worries her daughter’s health may now be at risk. In September the state banned all hemp products containing any THC. It can no longer be sold legally in California outside of medical cannabis dispensaries. STEPHANIE BOHN These are very specific types and brands and doses, and you cannot vary, especially when you're talking about pediatric population. Governor Gavin Newsom initiated the ban because he says loopholes in the law have made it too easy for kids to access intoxicating products. But for Bohn and her family, CBD has been life changing. STEPHANIE BOHN Our life has almost restarted, and we can be, you know, go on family adventures and not feel this kind of sense of panic. And that's because of CBD. The ban will last until March 2025. Heidi de Marco, KPBS News. 

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San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and challenger San Diego Police Officer Larry Turner will square off tomorrow (Thursday) at KPBS for the second and final mayoral debate.

Reporter Amita Sharma will moderate the debate.

Voice of San Diego C-E-O and editor-in-Chief Scott Lewis will be a panelist.

They spoke about some of the issues the candidates will spar over.

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And just a reminder, you can ride public transit for free today (Wednesday).

All day, M-T-S and the N-C-T-D are offering free transit for Clean Air Day.

The agencies want to encourage San Diegans to reduce carbon emissions to improve air quality.

Mark Olson is director of marketing and communications for M-T-S.

He says catching your free ride today is easy. 

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“What’s great about Free Ride Day, is that people don’t need to do anything to get on board, they just get on board and go. There’s no I.D. that’s required, there’s no PRONTO card that’s needed, they don’t need to tap on a validator before they get on board. It’s just get on board and enjoy the ride. That’s really what we’re after with the Free Ride Day. We try to break down those barriers that maybe some people are a little hesitant to ride with.”

This year will be the fifth Free Ride Day held by the agencies.

M-T-S says each year, the transit agencies have seen an up to 30-percent increase in ridership.

For more information about Free Ride Day, visit sd-m-t-s-dot-com-slash-free-ride-day or Go-NC-TD-dot-com.

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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. In tomorrow’s (Thursday’s) podcast, we’ll bring you details on an upcoming Oktoberfest. Join us again for that, plus the day’s top stories. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great Wednesday.