Housing proposal in limbo

Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Thursday, August 10th. We’d like to apologize for being offline the last two days. Sickness struck our podcast team. But we are back now, so let’s get right to it.

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The San Diego City Council seems uninterested in reviving a housing proposal. More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….

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A federal prosecutor has told a judge that the mother of a U-S Navy sailor charged with providing sensitive military information to China, encouraged him to cooperate with a Chinese intelligence officer.

Assistant U-S Attorney Fred Sheppard this week told a federal court in San Diego that the mother said it might help him get a job with the Chinese government someday.

Sheppard also urged the judge to not release Jinchao Wei.

The 22-year-old sailor who was based in San Diego was one of two sailors arrested last week, and accused of providing military information to China.

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Kaiser Permanente’s third hospital in the county is now open, but some nurses and their union are raising concerns over staffing at Kaiser's other two hospitals.

Leadership with the local United Nurses Associations of California say some staff have been transferring from Kaiser's Zion and San Diego Medical Centers to San Marcos.

Kevin Soriano is a registered nurse at Kaiser's San Diego Medical Center.

“At the end of the day it’s about providing the adequate personnel to take care of the patients.”

In a statement, Kaiser says all its medical centers in San Diego are fully staffed and meet or exceed California’s mandated nurse staffing ratios– adding that patient and staff safety is a top priority.

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Today is expected to be hot and humid for most of the county.

The National Weather Service says there’s also a slight chance of rain and thunderstorms.

Temps will almost reach the 80s in inland areas, will be in the low 70s by the coast and will hit 100 in the county’s desert areas.

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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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The San Diego City Council appears uninterested in reviving a proposal to allow more townhomes and small apartment buildings in single-family neighborhoods.

Metro reporter Andrew Bowen has more.

AB: Mayor Todd Gloria tried to make use of SB 10, a state law that lets cities streamline approval of up to 10 homes on a single lot if it's near public transit. Supporters say it would help integrate San Diego's most exclusive neighborhoods with more lower-cost housing options. The proposal is on hold after the city's Planning Commission voted it down last week amid fierce opposition from homeowner groups. The City Council has the power to revive it. But when contacted by KPBS, all nine councilmembers either declined to comment or said they support the mayor's decision to hold the proposal back. The city plans to hold workshops to try and craft a compromise, but hasn't said how many or when they'll take place. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.

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If Tijuana was in the U-S, it would be the fifth most populous city in the country.

But the border city’s infrastructure can’t handle its large population.

Border reporter Gustavo Solis examines the sometimes deadly consequences.

Tijuana is falling apart. The city has failed to keep up with decades of growth. Now, its infrastructure is buckling under the weight of 2.2 million residents. You're listening to a 3-story apartment building collapse. It happened in April after a rainstorm. City officials are currently monitoring 12 other buildings at immediate risk of collapse. This is the result of heavy rain, shoddy and sometimes illegal construction and lack of investment in public infrastructure. Carmen romo, tijuana calidad de vida “There is no prevention and there is not a way to modernize.” So says Carmen Romo.  She’s an activist with Tijuana Calidad de Vida. The group monitors Tijuana’s failing infrastructure. Romo believes the city could and should do more to prevent these catastrophes. “I mean, what happens, the city comes out with a more reactive action for whatever is already broken … but they don’t actually have programs to rehab, modernize and maintain. So when it collapses that’s when they come.” Making matters worse is Tijuana’s geography. The city is full of steep hills and deep canyons that are particularly vulnerable to deadly flash floods. The currents are strong enough to drag children into sewer drains and sweep cars off the road. Corpses regularly wash down to the bottom of canyons.“Tan Fuertes que se llegan a llevar carros y obviamente las personas que van dentro. Entonces tuvimos dos adolescentes que fallecieron un poco más al sur.” Just south of here, we found two teenagers who drowned. Illegally built homes on hillsides add to the crisis. Experts say roughly 40 percent of homes are built without permits. Many don’t have a foundation or retaining walls. The hills don’t have vegetation to prevent erosion. Juan Enrique Bautista Corona is director of Tijuana’s urban development department. Juan enrique bautista corona, Tijuana Urban Development “Pero todo se basa en que en estas zonas no respetan las leyes y reglamentos que deben de respetarse por el rápido crecimiento de la ciudad.” All of this is based on the fact that they don’t respect the rules and regulations. This is all happening while Tijuana is experiencing a housing boom that’s partly fueled by Americans looking for more affordable housing options. Rents in Tijuana are among the highest in Mexico and supply is limited. Bautista Corona says the city is doing what it can. Staff monitor homes at risk of collapse and ask residents to relocate.“Alguna de las gentes si es complicado invitarles a salir. Desafortunadamente no Podemos sacarlas a la fuerza.” Some people don’t want to leave. Unfortunately, we can’t remove them by force. That dynamic shows why this problem is so difficult to solve. Says Juan Manuel Rodriguez Esteves. He’s a professor who has been studying this issue for decades. Juan manuel rodriguez esteves, colef “Es un problema que dices desde la vista desde afuera se dice pues se puede solucionar. Pero cuando te metes a platicar con las personas es muy difícil.” It’s a problem that looks simple from the outside. But gets complicated once you start looking at the details. Rodriguez Esteves says people are generally aware of the risks of living there. But they have more pressing concerns. “Su prioridad es ir a trabajar, llevar los hijos a la escuela, pagar la casa.” They’re worried about getting to work on time, taking their kids to school, paying the rent. But the city can’t blame it all on illegal construction. It’s also a matter of enforcing existing rules and regulations. That building that collapsed in April, it was approved by the city. “Aplicar lo que ya existe. Hay mucha reglamentación en Mexico. El problema es que no se aplica.” There are a lot of regulations in Mexico. The problem is no one enforces them. Activists aren’t optimistic about Tijuana’s ability to turn things around any time soon. Again, Carmen Romo. “El cambio climático es inminente. Estas lluvias, yo estoy seguro que no son lo mínimo que vamos a tener en fenómenos naturales. Creo que tenemos que estar preparados.” Climate change is imminent. I’m sure that these rains are going to be the least of our worries. We need to be prepared. Meanwhile, the crumbling contines. 

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In part two, border reporter Gustavo Solis talks about cross-border sewage, and how it’s a well-known crisis in the San Diego Tijuana border region.

He also says the problem is more complex than many realize. 

Tijuana’s Parque Baja California should be the ideal community park. Big leafy trees provide shade and benches give visitors a comfortable place to sit and feel the ocean breeze. Then there’s the storm drain. “Huele a excremento… It smells like excrement Martin Acosta is an architect and environmental activist. He says the water flowing through the storm drain stinks. Martin Acosta, architect and activist Un muchachito que aquí se les cayó la pelota y dice huele a caca. Pues si es verdad. Huele porque es eso.” A little boy dropped his ball in the water. Said it smelled like poop when he recovered it. And he’s right, because that’s what it is. Parque Baja California is a microcosm of an environmental and public health crisis plaguing both sides of the border region. In theory, the sewage and storm drain systems should be completely separate. But in practice …Carmen Romo, Tijuana Calidad de Vida  “Our storm drain, for some reason, people connect to the storm drain and we end up having wastewater running through those storm drain pipes.” Carmen Romo is an activist with Tijuana Calidad de Vida. She says residential and commercial properties throughout Tijuana illegally connect their sewer lines into storm drains. As a result, countless gallons of untreated sewage flow out of storm drains, into the ocean and then north toward Imperial Beach and Coronado.“We are looking at some of the pipes that are for storm drain and you’ll see liquid that is coming out of them and it’s not raining. We can also tell by the smell.” Playas de Tijuana is a beach neighborhood just south of the border . There, the coastline is filled with storm drain pipes emptying out into the Pacific Ocean. These pipes should be dry when it isn’t raining. But they flow year-round.“This is something that happens on a regular basis. And through the coast, if you walk along, you’ll see several storm drains just pouring up sewage.” And this is happening all over Tijuana. A little bit more inland, there is a canyon that diverts storm water directly into the Tijuana River, which flows to the United States. Rosario Zagarai is an environmental activist with Wild Coast. Rosario Zagarai, Wild Coast Sin embargo, a pesar del tiempo que no ha llovido sigue cayendo agua. Esa agua obviamente no es de pluvial.” Even though it hasn’t rained, water is still flowing. Obviously this isn’t rain water. Why does this happen? Many of the homes along the canyon are illegal builds with no permits. Baja California officials only connect homes to the sewage system if the property owner has a deed. But many of these homes aren’t on the books. “No tienen papeles de su Vivienda entonces la autoridad no le puede prestar ese servicio. Y hay otros que teniendo papeles prefieren conectarse al canal pluvial porque le queda más cerquita.” They don’t have deeds to their home. So the authority can’t connect their sewer line. Other folks do have feeds but they prefer to connect to the storm drain because they can’t afford the connection fee. Without alternatives, people who live in these houses simply connect their sewage pipes to the storm drains. Those with the highest exposure to the raw sewage are residents of poor neighborhoods at the bottom of canyons. Zaragai says people in these neighborhoods risk a host of health problems like …“Le infection en la piel, alergias, enfermedad respiratoria, gastrointestinales” Skin infections, alegries, respiratory illnesses, gastrointestinal issues. Romo says residents have been complaining about these issues for decades. But officials ignore them. Part of the problem is the different state and local jurisdictions. She says they point fingers at each other and nothing gets done. “The state manages the water and the sewer and the city of Tijuana manages the storm drain. So it gets kind of complicated.” Juan Enrique Bautista Corona is director of Tijuana’s urban development department. He says the city reports illegal sewage lines to the state. Juan Enrique Bautista Corona, Tijuana urban development department “Nosotros procedemos a reportar a la instancia correspondiente que es la CESPT, es del gobierno del estado y ellos hacen la inspección.” We report issues to the state agency. But they handle inspections. He says it’s the state’s responsibility to address the problem. The state agency in charge of wastewater did not respond to questions from KPBS. Bautista says Tijuana clears garbage that clogs up the system. The city has collected 6,000 tons of trash in the last three years, he says. Juan Manuel Rodriguez Esteves is a professor who studies Tijuana’s infrastructure. He says conflict between state and local governments is a constant obstacle. Juan Manuel Rodriguez Esteves, COLEF “Es al estado o al municipio, las dos partes dicen yo no hago nada.” When you go to the city or state, they both tell you that it’s not their problem. But he also says Tijuana residents and businesses need to take responsibility and obey the law. Regardless of who is at fault, Rodriguez Esteves says the crisis won’t be solved without a massive effort from all parties.“No tengo una solución así como una varita mágica. Hay que hablar con el municipio, hay que hablar con el estado. Es una cuestión de organizarnos entre los dos.” I don’t have a magic solution for you. There has to be coordination between the city and state. It’s a matter of all of us being organized. Until then, the untreated wastewater will continue to flow. Gustavo Solis KPBS News.

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Coming up.... We have details on a new plan to help community college students from marginalized communities. We’ll have that story and more, just after the break.

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City governments across the country are putting up the “help wanted” sign – looking for workers in a range of fields, from public safety to sanitation.

Reporter Melissa Mae says there are close to a million public service job openings across the country – including here in San Diego.

MM: The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, also known as AFSCME  – brought its national “Staff the Front Lines” tour to San Diego today. Calling on people to apply for public service jobs. MM: Lee Saunders is the president of AFSCME-- representing 1.4 million members across the country. LS “For the everyday heroes currently in public service, whose jobs are more difficult because they don’t have enough coworkers to help handle the load. We need to staff the front lines. More than 970,000 vacant jobs exist in the public service across the country and this program is designed to deal with that.” MM: The “Staff the Front Lines” bus will stop and hold recruitment events in more than 20 cities across the country this summer. The city of San Diego lists its available jobs online at  sandiego dot gov slash jobs. Melissa Mae KPBS News.

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California’s chancellor of community colleges has unveiled a plan to improve access and support for students from marginalized communities.

Education reporter M.G. Perez has more on the story.

VISION 2030 is a master plan to increase the access, support, and success for 1.8 million community college students across California. State Chancellor Dr. Sonya Christian presented the plan at an education gathering hosted by Southwestern College. It includes in-state tuition rates for any student living up to 45 miles south of the Mexican border….And dual enrollment in at least one college class starting with every ninth grade high school student. Joseph Awad is a student who benefited from dual enrollment. “a counselor suggested to me taking credit classes aside from GED classes and that really helped smooth my transition into the college life.” The vision plan would also begin collection of financial aid information from ninth graders…instead of waiting until their senior year. MGP KPBS News.

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As more students get ready to head back to school, the county’s Child Support Services department is giving away hundreds of backpacks filled with school supplies this Saturday.

The Super Saturday community event is from 9 a-m to 1 p-m, at the Department of Child Support Services central office, off of Kearny Villa Road.

Services will also be available to families who attend.

Those services include seeing if families are eligible for aid, employment, housing and legal assistance.

And even help adopting a pet.

The backpacks will be available until they run out.

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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 Thursday.