Coronado aligns with state housing laws after 3-year delay

Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Thursday, May 30>>>>

A series of zoning updates could finally put Coronado in compliance with state affordable housing laws.More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….

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A symbol of pride for l-g-b-t-q-plus students now flies over San Diego Unified headquarters.

For the past several years, the pride flag has been raised in a special ceremony just before the start of pride month.

The event is a celebration of diversity across the district … with several students sharing their personal stories of coming out.

11-year-old Riyaz Parikh is a 6th-grade student at challenger middle school.

“I am and have always been queer, non-binary, and most important…me”

The pride progress flag flying now includes the traditional rainbow colors, as well as black and brown in honor of the community’s people of color…and blue and pink for transgender people.

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The city of San Diego is increasing street sweeping in Mission Beach ahead of the summer.

The change is intended to reduce pollution in Mission Bay during the tourist season.

Alleys will be swept every Wednesday until the end of September.

The city is asking residents and visitors to follow posted parking signs, take in trash cans immediately on collection days and report illegal dumping and other problems on the city's Get It Done app.

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The National Weather Service says it’ll be warmer today, especially inland, with temps hovering in the high 70s.

Along the coast, temperatures will be in the high 60s and triple digits in the deserts.

In the mountains you can expect temperatures in the 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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Coronado has been out of compliance with state affordable housing laws for three years.

Now, its city council has signed off on a series of zoning updates that could finally fix that.

South Bay reporter Kori Suzuki says the city made it, just before the state’s deadline.

A church. A grocery store. A police station. These are a few of the buildings that the Coronado City Council has agreed to rezone. Allowing more homes to be built on these sites in the future. Last month, the council voted unanimously for  a number of code and zoning updates. That could open the door for developers to add more than 900 new homes to the city by the end of the decade. Coronado has been staring down a deadline to get these changes done. Almost three years ago, city leaders openly defied the state’s requirements to plan for more affordable housing. Last October, California’s attorney general took the city to court. The judge gave Coronado a deadline – April 16 – to pass a new housing plan. And update its zoning to match. Last month, city officials voted to pass that updated plan. Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey. “This is a situation none of us want to be in, but I fully support this motion because it does minimize the impact on our community to the greatest to the extent possible.” A week later they passed the zoning changes. With less than a day to spare. State housing officials say these latest changes probably will be enough to meet their requirements. If they approve Coronado’s updates, that would bring the city back in line with California housing law for the first time in three years. The state has until June 11 to make a final decision. Kori Suzuki, KPBS News.

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San Diego County fire and safety officials can now give residents more precise evacuation alerts. Reporter Katie Anastas says it’s possible because of software called genasys.

The software allows fire and safety officials to map evacuation zones within the county based on things like population density and nearby roads. County emergency services director Jeff Toney says that will help plan evacuations more strategically.The new zones will limit unnecessary evacuations and make repopulation more efficient to get people back into their homes sooner. San Diego County residents can sign up for emergency alerts to their cell phones or email at alert san diego DOT org. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is suspending outdoor residential burn permits starting Saturday [June 1] as peak fire season begins. Cal Fire recommends clearing all dead or dying vegetation at least 100 feet around homes and other structures. Katie Anastas, KPBS News.

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A sailor convicted of selling military secrets to a foreign intelligence agent was sentenced to 18 years in prison yesterday (wednesday). Military reporter Andrew Dyer was in the military courtroom and has more.

Chief firecontrolman Bryce Pedicini was convicted on six counts of espionage and attempted espionage at his court-martial in April. Prosecutors say from 2022 to 2023 Pedicini sold navy secrets to a foreign intelligence agent. While stationed in Virginia he wrote eight white papers and was paid $1,000 for each. Last year when he was reassigned to a guided-missile destroyer in Japan, Pedicini had access to more classified information on the Aegis missile system. He tried to send photos from a classified work space to the agent and was arrested. In addition to his 18-year sentence, the judge reduced Pedicini’s rank to E-1 and gave him a dishonorable discharge. Andrew Dyer, KPBS news

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Coming up, we kick off our volunteer series with a profile of a man who teaches underprivileged kids how to surf.

We’ll have that story and more, just after the break.

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KPBS is embarking on a new series about volunteers across our community. We’re telling stories of people who devote their time in unexpected ways. In the first installment, investigative student assistant Katerina Portela brings us the story of a man who’s teaching surfing and the importance of community and the environment to local youth.

Our graduation ceremony isn't in a classroom, isn't in a dance hall or anything like that. It's here on the beach because this is our classroom. This is where we first met the students here on this beach two years ago. So it only felt appropriate and a full circle to come back to the same beach where they attempted to surf their first wave. My name is Mario Ordoñez-Calderón, and I'm the executive director of Un Mar de Colores.It's essentially a two-year scholarship program that's open to the public, and we enroll about 30 students and work with them monthly over the period of two years. But once they're in our program, everything's free, from the wetsuits to the surf boards to the environmental education to the surf lessons. Mar de Colores started back in 2020. It was in reflection of essentially everything that surfing brought me from community to connection to self, to connection to the ocean, and even job opportunities, and recognizing that there was kids in my neighborhood here in Encinitas that looked like me, but that yet I'd never see at the beach. So I essentially wanted to create some celebratory day that would connect the students to the ocean. But it developed to be so much more because now we're essentially a two-year scholarship program that's focusing on surf modules, environmental education, and mentorship. I think there's a lot of healing that happens on the coastlines. And unfortunately, there's a lot of populations who have had severed relationships with it, whether it be geographical displacement or just not feeling comfortable with it nowadays. Asking group to gather around, “Get the kiddos out of the water, which is always the hardest thing to do.” Okay, right now, we are at San Elijo Beach at a surf break called Barnies, and we are getting ready to celebrate the culmination of two years in our program. For 15 students, they're graduating today. Right now, there's a little bit of overcast going on, which is nice, but the waves are pretty big, which is great. We have a bit of a routine that we always just center around, we like to create culture with our organization. So today, we usually start off with a grounding circle where we gather back up, talk about the intention for the day, lay out the intention for the day, and then we'll move into some breathing and yoga. And then beyond that, then we'll get into the water. We'll play in the water for about two hours. We'll surf. And then after that, that's when we're going to do the graduation ceremony. I think that's what really stands us apart is that we're not just a surf camp. We're really focusing on the experience that the families are getting from the kid to the parents, all the way to the cousins that come drop in sometimes. We're really welcoming them all. I heard about it through a friend who is a friend of Mario’s. We joined because, at least for me personally, I've always had a bit of a fear about being in the ocean and surfing, even though I grew up by the water. So I thought it would be a great opportunity for my kids to get a chance to learn how to surf, to connect with other kids of similar backgrounds, for example, the kids in the San Diego area, and just to get to be in community. I think that to me, being a person of color and always, sometimes feeling not like I don't belong in a lot of, you know, situations, to see my kids feel, feel so comfortable with this group and how welcoming the group is, that has been probably the best thing to observe as part of the program. For me, the first time surfing was actually kind of hard since I didn't know how to surf, I didn't know how to swim, but I don't know how to surf. So it was kind of hard to reach the goal of standing it, but then I got to it and I reached it. On the board in the water, It's very chaotic. But definitely when you get the hang of it, it's kind of calm. You just relax there until your wave comes and you feel confident enough to get on the board and, you know, ride a wave. But it's a fun experience. How I feel about graduating? It's, like, excited, sad, but excited because now I know how to surf by myself, and, like, whenever I want to, I just come to the beach and surf. For me, graduating these kids, it's like seeing my younger brother or sister graduate or something like that. It's just like we're really connected, and we really do grow familial bonds with the students and with their parents because we get to know them for two years. So, yeah, it's a really emotional day, a celebratory day. But I was really proud of seeing all the kids step onto the plate and get their graduation certificate. And I think that's exactly what we set off to do is, essentially. the courage that you find when you surf, having that transfer over into your everyday life through building community.

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A musical created for and by San Diego's South Bay is ready to bring the swap meet to the stage.

Reporter Jacob Aere says ‘’Pasale Pasale” is a hyperlocal production that focuses on the resilience of the Latinx community.

"Pásale Pásale" is more than just a theater performance. It's a reflection of experiences that many in San Diego and Tijuana can relate to – hustling to make ends meet. Director Maria Patrice Amon says that's why her musical takes place at a swap meet. “Everybody had that similar impulse to find a good deal, but also create businesses for themselves. It's a place where micro business and micro-entrepreneurs can really thrive and begin to build out a business for themselves.” The storyline follows a group of vendors who are dealing with new fees … and difficult economic circumstances. It stars local actors, like Analia (ANA-lee-uh) Romero. She plays Doña Lulu, a piñata vendor. “In a sense my character is my grandmother in a way. and it's also other family members that came before me that took me to the swap meet. So its deeper meaning for me is that it's familial, it's something I remember.” Audiences are active participants in the show, so they’ll taste some treats and be encouraged to sing along with the swap meet vendors. Performances are underway and run through June 30 at Bayfront Charter High School in Chula Vista. Jacob Aere, KPBS News.

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The San Diego County fair is two weeks away.

This year’s theme is “let’s go retro”

North county reporter Alexander Nguyen gives us a sneak peek of what you can expect.

San Diego County Fair is drumming up excitement for this year’s edition. “... and to show our community a great time.” Of course … there are the fair staples … animals … rides and food. Chief Operating Officer Katie Mueller says says there will be food that the fair’s never had before. “We've got an oyster stand where you can get grilled oysters and lots of different flavors … and of course … Mr. Chicken Charlie’s himself: Charlie Beghosian. “I love people's faces when we come up with something new. Every year, we got to beat the year before.” And this year … it’s the … funnel cake dog. A hot dog inside a funnel cake batter, topped with maple syrup and powdered sugar. The fair opens June 12th and runs through July 7th. Alexander Nguyen, KPBS News

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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 day.