Evictions Continue Despite Moratorium

Good Morning, I’m Annica Colbert….it’s Wednesday September 8th. >>>> How evictions are going forward in San Diego More on that next, but first... let’s do the headlines…. ###### Scripps health is reporting that since last Thursday they’ve had 23 coronavirus related deaths. Nearly all were unvaccinated, had underlying medical conditions, and ages ranged from 50 to 99 years old. Scripps chief medical officer Dr. Ghazala sharieff says they’re running low on ICU beds and life saving heart lung bypass machines. She also says they’re short staffed. some people don't want to be in healthcare anymore they had enough we did this pandemic once why do it again and people are getting tired, they don't want to pick up extra shifts like they did the first time around (:13) She says it’s even difficult to find travel nurses who are willing to work right now. ######## San Diego mayor Todd Gloria announced the launch of a new workforce development for young adults ages 16-24. The million dollar program funded by the city of san diego, will gear up young san diegans with training and job opportunities. With unemployment rates remaining high among young adults, Gloria says a program like this is needed. “for everyone that is claiming that there is not enough workers out there, we know that there is an untapped resource here in our young people.” Applications are available on the workforce partnership website. ######## Cal Fire San Diego says the brushfire southeast of Rainbow is holding at 54 acres and is 90% containment this morning. The Aruba fire sparked up on Sunday afternoon, causing evacuation orders near Rainbow Crest road. They have since been lifted. ######### From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need. San Diego county’s tough eviction protection ended a few weeks ago on august 14th and tenants are already feeling the effects. KPBS race and equity reporter Cristina Kim says tenants are being legally pushed out as investors look to capitalize on the region’s rising rents. Frances Houston and her daughter Vanessa are packing up everything they own. “It’s all packed up to leave and I still have clothes in the closet so we have to get more boxes to putour things in. but that’s about it. That’s all we’ve been doing since they told us we had to move” Last month, their new landlords said they had to leave their El Cajon apartment. It wasn’t just them...their apartment complex was sold to a new owner this summer… Shortly after, they... along with their neighbors … most of whom are immigrants or senior citizens on fixed incomes… were told their leases were being terminated to remodel the apartments. Vanesa houston thinks it’s for another reason…. They can’t say evict because of CoVID or something like because people can sue. So they are saying let’s remodel, let’s remodel and get these people out and raise that rent.” Up until mid-August, San Diego County had an eviction ban that prohibited landlords from pushing people out for reasons like remodeling. But that expired, and the statewide eviction ban’s protections don’t go as far. She currently pays 1100 dollars a month and can’t afford to pay the 1550 the apartment will cost after renovations. Raising rents after fixing up a place is common practice and perfectly legal, says Terry Moore, a landlord and the co-owner of ACI , a San Diego income property brokerage firm. So for the last 40 years, the textbook solution was by the building with the right things wrong with it. What are the right things? Well, if it's got ugly paint, it's lousy management, has poor tenants, has poor landscaping. That's the right thing. Wrong with it. You fix that and you can rent it for more. But right now, he says, things are different. After 30 years in the business, he’s never seen such a high demand for apartment complexes. He says rents will continue to rise and believes building more apartment complexes will lower high costs, but not anytime soon and not in time for everyone. Things are expensive in California. Not everybody can afford to live in paradise. Across the county in Chula Vista, more residents are being pushed out. Charles Canizalez, a student, and his mother Gloria, have lived in their apartment for 12 years. It’s where he grew up. I was born in this hospital right next to our house. Like the Houstons in El Cajon, their apartment complex was sold to new owners and they were asked to leave. Canizalez says the new landlord took down their door numbers, took away their doorbells and routinely turns off their water without proper warning. We reached out to the company, Robert Stack and Associates, but they refused to comment. Canizalez is worried about the toll it's taking on his parents. My mom actually just got, she got sick she got sick because of the stress and that’s what worries me most. The Canizalez don’t want to go away quietly. Instead… they joined ACCE, a local tenants group, and are demanding stronger protections. Gloria Canizalez wants people to join together. “Dicerlos a la communidad que se pongan, que buscan ayuda que si hay. Y que nos unamos porque si no nos unimos tambien que esta dificil.” She says the help is out here and it’s vital that community members rely on each other during these hard times, because united they are strong. Meanwhile, in El Cajon, the Houstons are still packing up to leave. Vanessa is her mother’s primary caretaker and her federal unemployment check ended last week. We are paying our bills on time. We are doing everything required. And we got to leave and now I don’t know where to go. She’s worried her credit score is too low to get another apartment, and fears she and her mother could end up with no place to live. And with the last of the statewide eviction protections set to expire at the end of the month, the Houstons could be the first of many displacements on the horizon. Cristina Kim. KPBS News. ########## A first of its kind investigation about older adults who are homeless on the streets of San Diego was released on tuesday. KPBS Reporter Melissa Mae describes its findings. Sylvia Martinez // Formerly Homeless “All my resources were gone and I ended up homeless, sleeping in my car.” *Just get a beat of her tearing up* Sylvia Martinez used to hold a corporate job. She became homeless in 2010 after being misdiagnosed with a brain tumor. Sylvia Martinez // Formerly Homeless “There’s a lot of people over 55, there’s no resources unless you have a job. There’s no resources and if you don’t have a job you end up homeless and that’s what happened to me.” Paul Downey // Serving Seniors “The facts of this study are sobering, but the solutions are achievable.” Paul Downey is the president and CEO of Serving Seniors, a nonprofit focused on assisting low-income and homeless older adults. Today they released a report on the needs of older adults who are homeless... or at risk of losing their homes. Paul Downey // Serving Seniors “Over a quarter, about 2,000 of the folks on the streets in San Diego are over the age of 55, 88% of them became homeless here in San Diego and 43% of them are homeless for the first time.” Their study found many homeless seniors are on the streets because they can no longer afford a roof over their heads. Paul Downey // Serving Seniors “Most of the seniors that are out there on the streets are economically homeless. Things like illness, rising housing prices, loss of a job or caregiving expenses for a spouse contribute to a financial collapse.” Downey says the line between housing and homelessness is a very thin one. Paul Downey // Serving Seniors “More than half of those interviewed report an additional 300 dollars a month or less was the difference between being housed and unhoused.” The report includes a list of potential solutions, including providing more resources for seniors at homeless shelters… and even finding a way to provide that extra 300-dollars a month. County officials say the report gives them particular insight into the community… and can help guide and focus their efforts to help older people who are homeless… like Martinez, who has a roof over her head now. Sylvia Martinez // Formerly Homeless “We don’t all have mental health. We don’t all have substance abuse. We don’t all lack skills to get a job. It’s the homelessness.” MM KPBS News. ########## Community activists gathered at Valhalla High school on tuesday… demanding answers about a viral video allegedly showing a white campus officer using a “knee to the neck” to restrain a black student involved in a fight. KPBS Education Reporter M.G. Perez brings us the followup. The video has splattered across social media since it was first captured August 31st in the outdoor lunch court at Valhalla High School. You can clearly see two students in a fight. What’s not clear is why one of the white campus supervisors allegedly ended up on the ground restraining one of the young black girls with his knee. CG: Shane Harris / The People’s Association of Justice Advocates “Putting her stomach to the ground and putting his knee to the back or near the back of her neck. Where does he get the logic that that kind of action between a school supervisor and a child is OK.” Shane Harris and other community activists are demanding answers and information from the Grossmont Union High School District. Superintendent Theresa Kemper released a video response last week, acknowledging the incident on the Valhalla campus, but will not say any more until an investigation is completed. CG: M.G. Perez / Education Reporter “We know the female student involved in this incident is in foster care. We also know she has not returned to school. But because of confidentiality any other information about her is being kept private.” CG: Mark Powell / Parents For Quality Education “Her parents are the Board of Supervisors, that's who’s entrusted with this young lady’s safety...that’s who should be talking right now.” San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chairman Nathan Fletcher knows where the “buck stops” when it comes to the safety of foster children. The County has almost 21-hundred children in its care right now. CG: Nathan Fletcher / Chairman SD County Board of Supervisors “If folks that are involved in any security or law enforcement have not learned by now, you ought never put your knee on someone’s head or neck...that’s a problem and the County will look into this issue rigorously and do everything we can to ensure it doesn’t happen again.” These community activists will meet with the District Superintendent by the end of the week...while the campus supervisor involved remains on paid leave. ########## California state lawmakers wrap up their legislative session at the end of this week. Here’s CapRadio’s Nicole Nixon with what’s left on their agenda. One of the most closely-watched bills of the year would create a process to strip police officers of their badges if they’re found guilty of certain crimes or serious misconduct. It’s just one procedural vote away from heading to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk. Lawmakers are also considering proposals to crack down on protests outside vaccination sites, and a bill to create a new workforce to handle wildfire prevention. That’s currently managed by Cal Fire, which is overwhelmed with fighting wildfires during longer and more intense fire seasons. Lawmakers have already approved more than 200 bills. The legislative session ends at midnight on Friday. ########## Coming up.... the governor's recall election is less than a week away. will young voters turn out? will california's fully diverse electorate turn out, and will this be a representative as well as a large electorate when all those ballots are eventually cast." political scientist thad kousser gives us his take on how things will turn out. That’s next, just after the break. Less than a week remains before California voters decide whether Governor Newsom will finish his term or be recalled. With a crowded field of candidates from a variety of backgrounds, KPBS takes a look at the likelihood of a recall at this point and the issues involved. UC San Diego political scientist Thad Kousser (COW-zer) spoke with Midday Edition host Jade Hindmon. Thad Kousser is professor of political science at UC San Diego. He spoke with KPBS Midday Edition Host Jade Hindmon. That’s it for the podcast today. Be sure to catch KPBS Midday Edition At Noon on KPBS radio, or check out the Midday podcast. You can also watch KPBS Evening Edition at 5 O’clock on KPBS Television, and as always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Annica Colbert. Thanks for listening and have a great day.