DACA recipients now eligible for Covered California benefits
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Thursday, November 7th.>>>>
DACA RECIPIENTS CAN NOW APPLY FOR INSURANCE THROUGH COVERED CALIFORNIA.More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….######
THERE’S A RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FOR THE COUNTY’S VALLEY AND MOUNTAIN AREAS UNTIL TOMORROW MORNING (FRIDAY).
YESTERDAY METEOROLOGIST ALEX TARDY SAID THE SANTA ANA WINDS ARE MODERATE TO STRONG, AND THE HUMIDITY IS LOW.
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“So that's wind coming from the east, coming from the desert blowing to the water. We are now seeing wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph in those at risk areas. That would be the San Diego Mountains And then close to the foothills as well.”
TEMPERATURES TODAY (THURSDAY), IN THE INLAND AREAS WILL BE IN THE MID 70S, IN THE MOUNTAINS, TEMPS WILL BE IN THE MID 50S, AND IN THE DESERTS AND COASTAL AREAS, IT’LL BE IN THE HIGH 60S.
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SAN DIEGO VOTERS APPEAR ALMOST EVENLY DIVIDED OVER MEASURE E, A ONE-CENT SALES TAX INCREASE THAT WOULD SUPPORT THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO'S GENERAL FUND.
EARLY RESULTS SHOW THE MEASURE FAILING WITH JUST UNDER 51-PERCENT OF VOTERS SAYING "NO."
BUT THAT MAJORITY SHRUNK YESTERDAY (WEDNESDAY) MORNING AS MORE BALLOTS WERE COUNTED.
CITY COUNCILMEMBER STEPHEN WHITBURN, WHO WON HIS RE-ELECTION, SAID HE HOPES MEASURE E PASSES.
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"If we get $400 million a year into the city coffers, we'll be able to do so much that the people who are struggling now need us to do. Build more housing that's more affordable, get the streets paved, help people who are living outdoors get into safer and healthier places."
THE COUNTY REGISTRAR OF VOTERS ESTIMATES ANOTHER 590-THOUSAND BALLOTS HAVE YET TO BE COUNTED.
THE NEXT UPDATE ON THE VOTE COUNT IS EXPECTED THIS EVENING (THURSDAY).
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THERE ARE STILL SOME FEDERAL RACES TO BE DECIDED, BUT THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IS IN THE BOOKS.
DONALD TRUMP SCORED A DECISIVE VICTORY OVER VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS.
MESA COLLEGE POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR EMERITUS CARL LUNA SAYS TUESDAY’S ELECTION WAS MONUMENTAL… AND REPRESENTS A MAJOR SHIFT IN WHAT AMERICA IS, BOTH DOMESTICALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY.
AND HE SAYS WHEN IT COMES TO RELATIONS WITH CALIFORNIA, WE COULD ONCE AGAIN SEE WRANGLING BETWEEN SACRAMENTO AND WASHINGTON.
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“You see the power of the purse being used as a cudgel in California. If California doesn't comply with federal mandates, California loses a variety of different funding streams for education, transportation.
FOR ANYONE UPSET ABOUT THE ELECTION, LUNA SAYS JUST REMEMBER THERE IS ANOTHER ONE IN TWO YEARS AND ANOTHER PRESIDENTIAL ONE TWO YEARS AFTER THAT.
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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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OPEN ENROLLMENT FOR COVERED CALIFORNIA IS NOW UNDERWAY.
HEALTH REPORTER HEIDI DE MARCO SAYS FOR THE FIRST TIME IT INCLUDES DACA RECIPIENTS.
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Ali Torabi was five when his mother brought him to the United States from Iran. Now 35, he’s a recent medical school graduate and a DACA recipient. It’s been an unusual struggle. DACA RECIPIENT: When I tell people, they don’t believe it, you know. They’re like, 'Oh, you're a doctor that’s uninsured?' And that’s the reality in this country when you don’t have something like health care for all…people can fall through the cracks. DACA is a program started during the Obama administration that protects some undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. when they were children. An estimated 8,500 DACA recipients call San Diego County home. And starting this month, they can apply for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Something Torabi is urging other DACA recipients to take advantage of. ALI TORABI: Applying for coverage, for my DACA sisters and brothers. This will not impact your immigration eligibility for you or your family, so do not be afraid. Torabi hopes to stay here in San Diego. ALI TORABI: I want to give back to this community. Like I said earlier, this country didn't give birth to me, but this city raised me. The open enrollment period runs until January 15th. Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.
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THREE YEARS AGO, AMAZON OPENED A FULFILLMENT CENTER IN ONE OF TIJUANA’S POOREST NEIGHBORHOODS.
RESIDENTS HOPED THE COMPANY WOULD MAKE BIG INVESTMENTS IN THE COMMUNITY.
BORDER REPORTER GUSTAVO SOLIS SAYS THOSE EXPECTATIONS REMAIN LARGELY UNFULFILLED.
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The photos were jarring … a shiny new Amazon warehouse right in the middle of a Tijuana shanty town. The images went viral and sparked debate on global inequality. The local business community praised the new addition in September 2021 … calling it a welcome boost to the economy. And Amazon issued a statement saying the company feels “great responsibility toward communities where we operate.” The company wasn’t specific about what it meant by great responsibility … Yet, residents of the neighborhood known as Nueva Esperanza hoped Amazon would make investments to improve their quality of life. But three years later, they say little has changed. “No hay luz regular, no hay agua, no hay derenages.” Marly Trinidad Mejia is a Nueva Esperanza resident. She says the community still lacks paved roads, drinkable water, or a functional storm drain system. Mejia is among many who came to the community in recent decades looking for a new start … most are squatters who built their homes on whatever vacant land they could find. “Para los que venimos del sur o otras partes es una nueva oportunidad de vida. Un nuevo comenco.” Mejia earns $2,000 pesos a week as a janitor for a factory in the same business park as the Amazon fulfillment center. That comes out to $100 U.S. dollars a week – almost twice as much as what she used to earn in Chiapas, Mexico’s southernmost state. She knows her corporate neighbors earn billions a year. And thinks they should reinvest more of that money into the neighborhood. “Las empresas ganan mucho dinero y la verdad no apoyan a la colonia.” The juxtaposition of one of the richest companies in the world setting up shop amid such poverty was also striking to Teddy Cruz. He’s the director of Urban Research at UC San Diego’s Center on Global Justice. “That photo, of the Amazon big warehouse next to this very precarious informal settlement was very dramatic.” Amazon is hardly the first corporate superpower to establish operations in Mexico. Tijuana is home to hundreds of light industrial facilities called maquiladoras that have opened since 1994 when Congress ratified the North American Free Trade Agreement known as NAFTA. But Cruz says the viral photo kick-started an important conversation about corporate responsibility. “By that I mean, as these epicenters of wealth that generate so much revenue and so much profit – can there be some level of co-responsibility to invest in the communities ultimately from which they are getting their own labor.” Back in Nueva Esperanza, the neighborhood’s only school serves as a community hub. Maria Patricia Chavez is the director. “Esta es nuestra escuela primaria. Escurla nueva Esperanza.” It opened five years ago with just 10 students. The first classrooms were built from plywood, two-by-fours and other scraps donated by neighborhood parents ... In one building, a garage door serves as a dividing wall between classrooms. “Poco a poco varios padres pues ellos se fueron uniendo la colonia hacer donaciones.” Today, the school has more than 200 students. And thanks to funding from a nonprofit and the Baja California state government, they’ve been able to add a new classroom building and a bathroom. Chavez says this is the only indoor plumbing some of the students have regular access to. Chavez says they’ve also received some corporate support. “Ellos vienen y trabajan pero directamente con los ninos. Ellos hicieron donacion de ciertos libros para armar una biblioteca.” Amazon, for example, donated books for the school library. And sends staff to run reading workshops for the students. In a statement, Amazon Mexico said quote “We understand the importance of supporting the communities in which our employees live and work. It’s why we’ve partnered with numerous local organizations in Tijuana to support important causes like literacy, health and food insecurity for residents in Nueva Esperanza.” The company says it has invested more than $50 million in Baja California. Jabil – a medical device manufacturer – donated dozens of school desks, backpacks, and pays for small parties during the holidays, Chavez says. “No te puedo mentir, tanbien con ellos hemos metido nosotros oficios de apoyo.” While locals believe that their corporate neighbors could do more to help the neighborhood, they say the bulk of the responsibility falls on Tijuana’s government. “Hace mucha falta el apoyo del gobierno aqui.”Blanca Vanesa Sosa has lived in the community for years. She says the lack of government investment is particularly noticeable when it rains. The unpaved roads and lack of drainage create a river of mud throughout the entire neighborhood. “Se hace un desatre con las lluvias, para la escuela hay veces que veine los ninos y veces que no porque no se puede salir por el lodo.” She says the entire neighborhood shuts down during storms. Tijuana’s former mayor – Monserrat Caballero – declined to comment. The city’s new mayor Ismael Burgueno did not respond to an interview request. Gustavo Solis, KPBS News
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CALIFORNIA LAW REQUIRES THE STATE’S ELECTRICITY GRID TO GET 100 PERCENT OF ITS ENERGY FROM RENEWABLE RESOURCES BY 20-45.
SCI-TECH REPORTER THOMAS FUDGE SAYS NEW RESEARCH SHOWS A PATH TO THAT GOAL IS PAVED WITH A LOT OF STORED ENERGY.
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It’s like putting money in the bank so you can spend it later. Battery storage is already a major player in the state’s energy system. It will become bigger as California aims to create an emission-free energy supply. A study published in the journal Nature argues a decarbonized grid with more storage capacity would decrease variability of energy supply and reduce energy prices… up to 70 percent. The crucial factors are increased supply and flexibility. Patricia Hidalgo Gonzalez is with the Center for Energy Research at UC San Diego and a co-author on the paper. She explains the importance of storing solar power. “From noon to 2, 3 pm we have an excess of solar power production and we just waste it, in practice. But if we would have more storage we could take advantage of that free electricity, and store it for the hours of the evening when we have the high demands and the highest prices of electricity.” She says stored supply will ease the way to decommission coal plants and natural gas plants. She argues government energy storage mandates are an important step in the process to putting storage technology to work. Soq.
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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 Thursday.
