Gun violence restraining orders
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Thursday, January 26th.
A new Barrio Logan restaurant is ran by culinary students learning the industry.
More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
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The Regional Task Force on Homelessness is holding its annual Point in Time Count today.
It provides a one-day snapshot of how many county residents are living in emergency shelters, transitional housing, safe havens and on the streets.
During the count, volunteers will spread out across 36 sites in the county.
They will also be collecting data on the needs of people experiencing homelessness. The results from the count will be available in about three months.
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The judge in the case against Larry Millete decided there’s enough evidence for the case to go to trial.
Larry Millete is charged with the murder of his wife and mother of their three children.
May “Maya”' Millete has been missing for more than two years.
Prosecutors say Larry Millete killed his wife, Maya, because she wanted a divorce.
The trial is tentatively scheduled to start in September.
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Federal and state funding could be on the way to help San Diegans affected by the recent stormy weather.
San Diego County supervisors approved an emergency declaration yesterday.
It allows the county to try to get federal and state money to deal with the damage caused by the winter storms in December and earlier this month.
According to a county staff report, the county suffered more than three-million-dollars in damage to buildings and roads from flooding, mudslides and erosion.
The county received around 50 damage claims from residents.
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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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In the wake of the recent mass shootings in the state, there's more focus on gun violence restraining orders or red flag laws.
These allow authorities to temporarily take away firearms and ammunition from people who have been reported by a family member or co-worker.
San Diego has been particularly aggressive in pursuing such gun seizures as a way to prevent shootings.
The California Report host Saul Gonzalez talked about this approach with San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott. Here's their conversation.
That was San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott, speaking with the California Report host Saul Gonzalez.
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Family members of people who died in San Diego County Jails say they want a group meeting with the sheriff.
KPBS reporter Kitty Alvarado says the sheriff is making a different offer.
Justice reform activists and family members of people who died in custody held a news conference in front of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department Wednesday to express their frustration. Yusef Miller, the founder of the North County Equity and Justice Coalition, says Sheriff Kelly Martinez did offer to meet with individual families, but that's not what they want. This feels like a divide and conquer tactic. These families rely on one another to support them through the grief. Just before the gathering, the sheriff’s department sent out a news release saying it was making positive strides in caring for inmates. And in a separate statement to KPBS, Sheriff Martinez said she has always been willing to speak with the families, but out of respect for their loss she would like to meet with them individually. KA KPBS NEWS
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Local and state covid emergency orders will be lifted at the end of next month, and one doctor says that’s a good sign of where we are with the pandemic.
State health officials say the state of emergency helped save tens of thousands of lives while also protecting the economy.
Cases have continued dropping in the region, and covid hospitalizations have been relatively low.
Dr. Eric Topol says people have a lot of protection from the virus… both from previous infections and vaccinations.
“It does appear now that we’re in a good state -- it’s not over by any means -- we’re going to be facing this virus for years to come but at least right now making this a non emergency is appropriate.”
Topol says he’s also glad to see city of San Diego officials are moving to end the vaccine mandate for city workers.
Countywide, just over 80-percent of San Diegans have been fully vaccinated.
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A new report finds pesticide use is expected to increase and become more hazardous as the climate warms.
KPBS Environment reporter Erik Anderson has details.
Climate change is widely expected to put additional pressure on agriculture. California farmers used nearly 18 percent of all the pesticides applied in the country and use is four and a half times higher than the national average. The Pesticide Action Network’s Ashe (AH-shuh) Sharma says the trend line is moving in the wrong direction. “As climate change impacts decrease the efficacy of pesticides climate change impacts are also predicted to worsen pest pressures and problems and at the same time climate change is supposed to negatively impact crop health.” It doesn’t help that the majority of synthetic pesticides are made from fossil fuel derivatives and some pesticides like food fumigant sulfuryl fluoride are greenhouse gasses themselves. Researchers suggest that the nation’s food system needs to move toward more natural farming systems Erik Anderson KPBS News
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Coming up.... We have details on a new restaurant in Barrio Logan, that’s run completely by culinary students and for a good cause. We’ll have that story and more, after the break.
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A report from UC-SD shows that female faculty and researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography have a lot less lab space than men.
KPBS Sci-tech reporter Thomas Fudge has more.
The study commissioned in May of last year shows that female scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography have half the lab space that men have. Men have larger academic offices and none of the 16 largest space holders are women. The leader of the task force that wrote the report said the gender disparity in lab space dates to a time when Scripps faculty were predominantly men. They were able to lay first claim to lab space and, in some cases, pass it on to male scientists they worked with. UCSD Chancellor Pradeep Khosla has appointed a committee to reform the system. Too little lab space means less room for research staff, and less ability to be a productive researcher. SOQ.
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The Salvation Army opened its doors yesterday to celebrate individuals in substance abuse recovery.
KPBS reporter Claire Strong was there.
“There’s too many times that I should have been dead, and I’m not” Shauna Stalnaker is a proud alumni of the Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Center, or A-R-C, which is a free, six-month, residential drug and alcohol program. It’s hoped a new nationwide Salvation Army promotional campaign - aptly named Second Chances - which launched in San Diego Wednesday, will encourage more people with addiction problems to join the A-R-C and turn their lives around like Shauna. “Being allowed to be here and being offered this second chance, allows me to do the same for other women”. Almost 180 men and women have graduated from the A-R-C since the facility opened in Otay Mesa in June 2021. Claire Strong, KPBS News.
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It’s the newest restaurant ‘hot spot’ in Barrio Logan…and it’s run completely by culinary students working on their careers, while helping the community.
KPBS Education reporter M.G. Perez is in the kitchen where learning is happening, and an outdoor bistro is now serving.
You see how it’s almost turning into peanut butter?” It isn’t peanut butter…just the creamy consistency of mixed flour and fat sizzling in a skillet to make a french sauce known as ROO… “this is a basic roux…so what we’re going to do is set this aside as a thickening agent for our clam chowder.” Brian Brennan is one of the student chefs at the California Culinary Arts Institute in Barrio Logan. He’s completed four months of rigorous commercial cooking education here. Before the pandemic he had a job serving and hosting at a restaurant. “my experience with food was mainly front of the house…until COVID stole my job and I decided to find a purpose …and I found out I’m really good at this.” Brennan is one of a half dozen advanced students who will spend the next four months of their externship cooking and running a new outdoor bistro. The bistro is on the patio of the Culinary Arts Institute on National Avenue. The group of students must manage, purchase, cook, and serve customers. “and its a balance, whether you make too much and you’re wasting money or you make just enough and you get it perfect….and just because the school is so new…we don’t know the traffic. “when you serve someone…you serve them with love.” The students are being mentored by Executive Chef and instructor SO-rob zar-COO-he…an Iranian immigrant with a life-time of experience in kitchens around the world. He started the school as a business …but the bistro will benefit the community. All proceeds from food sales are donated to help the homeless and the San Diego Humane Society. zar-COO-he is educating his students in hopes they will pay it forward. “in running a restaurant as a manager…as a chef manager..they would be able to handle the front of the house and the back of the house…so in the future if they want to own their own restaurant they will have that experience.” “my passion is through food..and I feel it is a way for me to say that I care through food.” Vannarath needed to find life again after losing her Mom and three other family members to COVID early in the pandemic. She is accomplished in Asian cuisine and committed to using her talent to develop French and Italian dishes for the bistro. She cooks in honor of those who she lost. “I want them to be proud of me…it want them to still know I’m doing it…even though life is tough without them.” I’m going to have the eggplant parmesan sandwich and I’m going to have the arincini.” As paying customers KPBS videographer Charlotte Ra-DUL-oh-vich and I had lunch at the bistro… “cream of broccoli soup…yummm..delicious…chowder clams…woww and their very generous in their quantities.” Angelina Aguayo was our student waitress…with a simple plan for her future. “just finding a good stable restaurant to set myself at…and maybe when I retire have a food truck and just travel the world. I feel like that’s such a basic thing to say…but I love food and I love traveling.” “Alright …mango lemonade …cheers….(smack lips)...the flavors!...it’s really good.” For now, The bistro at California Culinary Arts Institute is open Monday through Friday for lunch from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. But with careers to cultivate and the community to help…the chefs in training want to make this bistro the taste of the town. “My compliments to the chef…let the kitchen know we are very happy.” M.G. Perez…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. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
