County supervisors to select new chair
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz. It’s Monday, January 6th.
County supervisors will soon select a new chair of the board, following the resignation of Nora Vargas
More on that next. But first, let’s do the headlines….
The Carlsbad man, who allegedly communicated with the Wisconsin school shooter, attended a hearing last week.
The hearing was for a gun violence restraining order filed against Alexander Paffendorf.
Authorities alleged he expressed his own plans to carry out an attack against a government building.
The investigation has not resulted in criminal charges against Paffendorf. That’s according to an attorney representing the Carlsbad Police Department.
But, the criminal investigation is ongoing.
No details about the investigation were disclosed at the hearing.
A former M-T-S employee has dismissed her most serious allegations against ex-county supervisor Nathan Fletcher.
Grecia Figueroa recently decided to back off claims of sexual assault and battery, and gender violence.
That’s according to reporting from Voice of San Diego. Her lawyer also moved to permanently drop discrimination and retaliation claims against Fletcher.
Figueroa’s legal team is still proceeding with other claims in its civil lawsuit.
Those include sexual harassment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and interference with prospective economic relations.
The national weather service is predicting moderate to strong Santa Ana winds this week, starting tomorrow (Tuesday).
Alex Tardy from the weather service says these strong winds could impact San Diego.
“Strong means there could be some wind damage. Strong means, you know, power lines, trees, vehicles on I-8, I-10 could be impacted next Tuesday through Thursday with these winds. Then, strong also means there will be increasing fire weather threat because we're so dry.”
Tardy says there are a few ways to prepare for the Santa Ana winds. Tie down loose objects. And, make sure brush and trees are trimmed.
From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
The San Diego county board of supervisors is choosing a new chair this week. Metro reporter Andrew Bowen says the board is still reeling from the sudden resignation of its former chair.
Former San Diego County Supervisor Nora Vargas announced her surprise resignation on December 20, just weeks after her landslide re-election was certified. She cited personal safety and security concerns. Vargas was the first Latina to chair the board of supervisors, and the first to represent District 1, which covers the South Bay. The remaining four supervisors are once again evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. They'll be selecting a new chair on Tuesday. Later, they'll have to decide whether to fill the District 1 vacancy by appointment, a special election, or both. Several candidates have already lined up for the seat, including Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre and San Diego City Councilmember Vivian Moreno. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.
Women are the fastest-growing segment of the incarcerated population, with over 190 thousand behind bars. That’s according to the Prison Policy Initiative. Health reporter Heidi de Marco says a new study shows the challenges women face at the Las Colinas jail when trying to access reproductive health care
The Urban Institute, a nonpartisan research organization, interviewed 34 women at Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility in Santee. David Pitts was senior advisor on the project.“It's hard for them to get the care. They're waiting a long time for that care. They're worried about whether the care that they're receiving is sufficient, and that tends to balloon into a level of anxiety for them and potential health consequences, too.” A third of participants said they faced bias and pressure in various reproductive health services, like newborn placement, abortion and pregnancy testing. “The biggest recommendation, honestly, is for the facility to try its best to communicate better what the options are, and to communicate with the women what it is that they offer.” Other recommendations included, streamlining coordination with community medical providers to reduce wait times for care, training staff on reproduction discussions, allowing women to choose their provider’s gender and improving postpartum support. The Sheriff’s Office says they are reviewing their practices to ensure consistent reproductive care delivery. Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.
A judge has ruled that part of the San Diego Humane Society’s community cats program is unlawful. Reporter Katie Anastas says the program’s goal is to keep outdoor cats healthy and manage the population.
The Community Cats program spays or neuters outdoor cats, vaccinates them, and then releases them back to where they were found. The program includes both feral and friendly cats. Last month, a judge ruled that releasing domesticated cats without a known caretaker is unlawful. Attorney Bryan Pease represents the plaintiffs. “We're looking for San Diego Humane Society to do what they already acknowledge the law requires them to do anyway, which is when a stray or abandoned cat is brought to them, they are, in fact, supposed to bring that cat into the shelter.” In a statement, the Humane Society wrote that they’re working with their legal team on next steps, and that they expect a future court to rule differently. Katie Anastas, KPBS News.
The new year brought a series of changes to California law. From cannabis cafes to more protections for your credit score if you face medical debt. These are among the roughly thousand new laws going into effect in the state this month.
To learn more about the new legislative changes, check out our coverage on KPBS dot org.
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 Monday.
