Family separations continue at the border
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Monday, July 29th>>>>
Family separations continue at the border.More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….######
San Diego residents will be asked to weigh in on their trash collection and recycling needs through a series of community forums that start next week (Aug. 5).
The city is working to determine how much it will charge in fees for waste services at single-family homes.
A recent voter-approved amendment to the ``People's Ordinance'' paved the way for the city to adopt a monthly fee for trash pickup for single-family homes and multi-family complexes with up to four residences on a single lot.
For a list of the dates, times and locations of the forums, visit clean-green-sd dot org.
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Three San Diego City Councilmembers say the city should proclaim next month "Transgender History Month".
The proposed declaration says Transgender History Month marks the anniversary of the first large-scale act of resistance by transgender and queer individuals.
The month-long observance aims to educate the public, promote inclusivity and acknowledge the ongoing challenges faced by the transgender community.
The vote on the declaration is scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday).
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South Korean authorities are investigating three Chinese students accused of using a drone to illegally photograph a San Diego-based Navy aircraft carrier.
According to media reports, the students are suspected of recording the USS Theodore Roosevelt while it was docked in the South Korean city of Busan, on two occasions in late June.
The students are described as being in their 30s and 40s.
They are suspected of violating laws forbidding photographing or recording video of military bases without permission.
The Theodore Roosevelt pulled into Busan in June prior to taking part in a series of training exercises with South Korea and Japan.
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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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Among all of former President Donald Trump’s border policies, forced separations of migrant families was the most controversial. President Joe Biden vowed to end the separations when he took office. But border reporter Gustavo Solis says they’re still happening.
FAMILYSEPERATION 1 1:14 SOQ
Under Trump’s Zero Tolerance Policy, children were deliberately separated from parents who crossed the border illegally. “Cruelty was the point of that policy and of those practices.” That is Monkia Langarica. One of the authors of a new UCLA report that examines family separations from several angles. “It’s simply meant to debunk the myth that all family separation as a part of border processing began under the Trump administration and then ended when President Biden took office. The report reveals that while Biden rescinded Trump’s policy, family separations happened before Trump took office and still happen today. Instead, what this report seeks to do is illustrate how family separation is a feature of many long-standing CBP practices and policies that frankly should change.” Under Biden, families have been separated after being detained in open air sites like the ones in Jacumba. In other cases, family members are sent to detention centers in different border cities, or some family members are allowed to enter the country while others are turned away. Part of the problem is the federal government’s narrow definition of a family – which is limited to legal guardians and minor children. “That result in frequent, routine separations among spouses, parents and their young adult children, siblings, grandparents and their grandchildren.” The report says CBP can avoid family separations with some straightforward changes. Like expanding the definition of family units or making sure that all family members are either released or detained together. KPBS Gustavo Solis
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San Diego could require all-gender restrooms on new or significantly renovated city property. Reporter Katie Hyson says the proposal goes against a wave of gender-restrictive bathroom bills in recent years.
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District 2 Councilmember Jennifer Campbell proposed the ordinance Thursday at the Community and Neighborhood Services committee meeting. Manuel Reyes is her policy advisor. SOT :05 Any public facility should have access because it's a basic human necessity that all of us experience. Reyes says it’s a matter of safety for trans people. And public health. Lack of restroom access can cause urinary tract infections and dehydration. The proposal goes against the national tide of bathroom bills passed in a dozen states. President Biden banned those policies in April, but state attorneys are suing. The debate is trans-focused. But all-gender restrooms are also more accessible for caregivers of people needing restroom assistance – like small children, elderly people or people with disabilities. And, they help fight a universal enemy: long bathroom lines. The committee voted unanimously to draft the ordinance. Reyes says some of the first affected properties would be the Ocean Beach Pier and the Ocean Beach and San Carlos libraries. Katie Hyson, KPBS News
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Lizards are part of San Diego’s ecosystem. Sci-tech reporter Thomas Fudge spoke to a scientist trying to learn whether those lizards have evolved to adapt to city life.
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Kinsey Brock is hunting lizards in a desert garden at San Diego State where she’s an evolutionary biology professor. She eventually finds one called a fence lizard. They’re very common in San Diego and Brock has seen differences between them and the ones found in our non-urban. Differences in color and body temperature. Species selection may be related to environmental differences like heat, moisture and the presence of animals that prey on them. “Bird diversity is greater outside urban habitats than it is inside urban habitats. Birds like to prey on lizards. So do other small mammals. Snakes especially. We have fewer snakes in urban habitats.” Brock wants to eventually take enough tissue samples to determine how genetically different urban lizards are from their country cousins. She says urban ecosystems are home to lots of wildlife and their impact should be better known. “I think a lot of peoples’ perception is that cities are places that are devoid of nature. And that couldn’t be more untrue. Humans and our cities are a part of nature. We are one of the world’s most influential ecosystem engineers.” And she adds those ecosystems are only going to expand. 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. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
