Hillcrest getting Smart Streetlights ahead of Pride

Good Morning, I’m John Carroll in for Debbie Cruz….it’s Tuesday, July 9th.

Smart Streetlights are being installed in Hillcrest ahead of Pride. More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….

It’s going to be a hot week.

Temperatures in the county’s deserts and mountains will be in the upper nineties and higher.

Today and Wednesday will be the hottest days for the mountain regions.

Meanwhile, desert areas are under an excessive heat warning until 9 Thursday night.

It’ll be above 80 degrees in the valleys. The coast will be cooler, with temperatures in the 70s and 80s.

For a list of county sponsored areas with free A-C, visit cool zones dot org.

County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer said she wants the county to initiate or join existing litigation against social media companies for failing to protect youth mental health.

She is also calling for the county to pass a resolution in support of the Surgeon General’s proposal to require warning labels on social media platforms.

The board of supervisors will vote on the proposals next week.

San Diego’s Pure Water Project continues with pipeline installation in Clairemont. Work will happen Sunday and Thursday nights at the Clairemont Drive and Balboa Avenue intersection until July 17th.

There will be a detour during work hours … But all lanes of traffic will be open during the day.

The Pure Water Project will recycle wastewater to provide nearly half of the city’s water needs by 20-35.

From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now.Stay with me for more of the local news you need.

SAN DIEGO POLICE PLAN TO INSTALL ADDITIONAL SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS IN HILLCREST BEFORE PRIDE WEEKEND, CITING CONCERNS ABOUT HATE CRIMES. BUT AS KATIE ANASTAS REPORTS, PRIVACY ADVOCATES SAY POLICE ARE BYPASSING AN IMPORTANT PUBLIC PROCESS.

San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl says more surveillance cameras and license-plate readers are needed along University Avenue and Washington Street. That’s after a series of pellet gun drive-by shootings in Hillcrest earlier this year. We’re taking action to stand against hate. New camera locations usually require City Council approval. But Wahl says it can take several weeks to install them. If they want the new cameras up and running before the pride parade on July 20, he says, they need to start installation work right away. Privacy advocates like Blair Overstreet say the police department is bypassing a city process that allows for community input. The police department has used the safety of queer people to leverage to be able to put up these video cameras everywhere and to record what we do. The City Council’s public safety committee is set to discuss the camera locations on Wednesday. Katie Anastas, KPBS News.

SAN DIEGO IS AMONG THE 13 WORST SPOTS IN THE COUNTRY FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING … THAT'S ACCORDING TO THE F-B-I. NATIONAL CITY OFFICIALS SAY THE PROBLEM IS ESPECIALLY BAD IN THEIR COMMUNITY.

REPORTER ALEXANDER NGUYEN TELLS US WHAT THEY WANT TO DO ABOUT IT.

Advocates and survivors gathered in National City on Monday to urge the city to become the first in the state to support S-B 14-14 … A new bill that would make buying a child for sex a felony. President of the People's Association of Justice Advocates … Shane Harris says child sex trafficking increased in National City after the passage of S-B 357. It’s the law that decriminalizes loitering for sex work. He says **that** was a mistake. “When you take the loitering question away, you take the police ability away to interfere, to intercept, to intervene and stop a child from being, sold in that kind of way. And I think that was the other side of the argument that they were proved wrong on.” SB 14-14 is authored by Senator Shannon Grove. It would make soliciting sex from a minor a felony … regardless if the person knew the victim was a minor or not. The California Public Defenders Association opposes the bill … saying it unnecessarily punishes those who have no intention of having sex with a minor. AN,KPBS News

A ONCE-INJURED MOUNTAIN LION WAS RELEASED LATE LAST MONTH AFTER BEING HEALED BY VETERINARIANS WITH THE SAN DIEGO HUMANE SOCIETY.

SCI-TECH REPORTER THOMAS FUDGE SAYS THE CAT WAS HIT BY A CAR IN SIMI VALLEY IN NOVEMBER.

PROJECT WILDLIFE, A PART OF THE HUMANE SOCIETY, IS ONE OF ONLY TWO WILDLIFE REHABILITATION CENTERS IN CALIFORNIA THAT CAN HANDLE LARGE FAUNA LIKE MOUNTAIN LIONS. THE YOUNG MALE LION THEY TOOK INTO THEIR CARE IN NOVEMBER HAD A BROKEN HIND LEG. ANGELA HERNANDEZ-CUSICK, WITH PROJECT WILDLIFE, SAID VETERINARIANS REPAIRED THE ANIMAL’S LEFT TIBIA, USING A METAL PLATE AND SCREWS TO REALIGN THE BONE. LIONRELEASE 1A “THEY ESSENTIALLY PLACED A PLATE INTO THIS CAT’S LEG, TO STABILIZE IT AND HELP IT HEAL. NOT ONLY AS IT HEALED BUT AS HE CONTINUES TO GROW.”VEHICLE TRAFFIC IS SEEN AS AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO CALIFORNIA’S MOUNTAIN LION POPULATION. AN ESTIMATED 2 TO THREE HUNDRED LIONS ARE KILLED EVERY YEAR ON CALIFORNIA ROADS. SOQ.

THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY FAIR HAS OFFICIALLY WRAPPED UP ITS 20-24 SEASON. FAIR OFFICIALS SAY NEARLY 900-THOUSAND PEOPLE ATTENDED THE FAIR THIS YEAR.

NORTH COUNTY REPORTER TANIA THORNE SAYS THOSE NUMBERS HAVE A LARGER IMPACT ON THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY.

35,000 turkey legs sold. 20,000 gallons of lemonade served. And 877,000 people visited the 2024 San Diego County Fair. we worked on a lot of things to really get people a lot of bang for their buck this year, and we saw that reflected in our biggest days, which were the days that we had heavy promotions. Tristan Hallman is with the San Diego County Fair. He says the busiest days were Wednesdays and Thursdays. The regional impact of the fair is estimated at 237 million dollars. But the fairgrounds won’t be catching a break because as the fair rolls away, the horses race on in. Opening day for the Del Mar racetrack is on July 20th. TT KPBS News  

For the first time, Comic-Con fans can buy a commemorative transit pass.

The limited edition card is a collaboration between the Metropolitan Transit System, the North County Transit District and Comic-Con International.

It’s a physical pass with Comic-Con branding.

The card is available for presale this week only … You can buy it either online or over the phone.

You can get the card in-person at select M-T-S and N-C-T-D locations starting July 23rd.

A Comic-Con ticket is required for purchase.

Comic-Con runs July 25th through the 28th. There will be increased transit service during that time.

That’s it for the podcast today. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m John Carroll in for Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great day.