How a San Diego school has improved in statewide testing

Good Morning, I’m Thomas Fudge, in for Debbie Cruz….it’s Friday, November 22nd.>>>>

How one school has improved its scores on statewide testingMore on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….######

The Oceanside Unified School District is suing a group of pharmaceutical companies, and pharmacy benefit managers, for allegedly inflating the price of insulin.

The lawsuit says it caused the district to overpay for its employees' health benefits.

Frantz Law Group represents Oceanside Unified.

The firm is also speaking with other school districts in the county to see if they might join the litigation.

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Flavored tobacco products, such as vapes, are banned by state law and a San Diego city ordinance.

City attorney Mara Elliott says they target children with candy-sounding names like glazed doughnuts, birthday cannoli and french toast cinnamon sugar. And she is filing suit.

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“we know that tobacco products can impede a child's ability to learn to sit still in class, to participate so it can impact a child. In many ways they're our most vulnerable users.”

The suit filed Thursday charges six people, four chains and more than a dozen retail outlets throughout southern California.

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Today (Friday) is going to be warm again, before it starts to cool down over the weekend.

Tomorrow (Saturday), temperatures in the inland and coastal areas will be in the mid 60s, in the mountains, temps will be in the mid 50s, and in the deserts, it’ll be in the high 70s.

The National Weather Service says there’s a chance of rain starting tomorrow (Saturday) night.

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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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Nearly half of students in the San Diego Unified School District are not meeting the state standard for reading and writing.

That’s according to results of statewide tests for third-through-eleventh graders.

Reporter Katie Anastas visited the elementary school that’s seen the most improvement in the district.

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Fifth grader Frances San Giorgio loves reading. She says kids who aren’t big fans now should keep on trying. You just need to find the right book, the right genre for you. Some people it's adventure, mystery, comedy. District leaders are pointing to her school, Sequoia Elementary, as a bright spot in the latest statewide scores. In third grade, just 16% of San Giorgio’s class was meeting the state standard. Now, in fifth grade, more than half are. Principal Ryan Kissel says they reward time spent reading and provide lots of options. we're really encouraging reading volume and making sure that they have the right book, and something that's high interest to them. District leaders are looking for ways to replicate their success at other schools. Across the district, nearly half of students tested did not meet the state standard. Interim superintendent Fabiola Bagula says they’re paying close attention to middle school, when scores tend to dip. Our team is actively investigating contributing factors from curriculum alignment to the differences in school configurations across the district. The school board will get another update on test scores in March. Katie Anastas, KPBS News.

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Renters in Imperial Beach are raising alarms after the owners of an apartment complex issued mass eviction notices.

South Bay reporter Kori Suzuki says tenants are urging the city council to step in.

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Even though he doesn’t feel like celebrating, Joshua Lopez is putting up his Christmas lights early this year. He’s doing it for his two-year-old nephew. Who comes over a lot to the apartment Lopez shares with his mother, Rosa, in Imperial Beach. And he’s been sad lately about the Halloween decorations being taken down. So, even though it’s only mid-November, Lopez and his mom are breaking out the lights and tinsel to try and cheer him up. At the same time though, Lopez is trying to figure out whether this is going to be their last Christmas in this apartment. Where they’ve lived for 11 years. Seeing the letter where it’s notifying us that they're basically ending our lease or tenancy here. And, you know, they made it feeling is fear. Lopez and his mom are being evicted. They got the news last month. And it’s not just them. The new owners of their building, a 64-unit apartment complex called Hawaiian Gardens, are kicking everyone out. For decades, the building was owned by the same family. But just last year, it was sold to a real estate company called F&F Properties. Now, F&F is evicting everyone so they can renovate the building. Adding new floors, cabinets, heating and air conditioning systems. Just to say, all of this is legal. And, in a statement, the company arguedsaid they had gone above and beyond to help tenants. By letting them keep their security deposit and one month of rent – and giving them three months to move out. But Lopez says, that’s not how it feels. He’s a staff member with the Chula Vista elementary school district. And he’s not sure how he and his mom will afford to move on just his salary. You’re in shock. Especially when you've lived here for so long. And you've done everything right? You know, you've followed the rules, you've paid your rent on time. And, you know, [JUMP CUT / 13:16] A sense of Injustice because you're not sure. Why exactly this is happening. And Hawaiian Gardens isn’t the only building bracing for this kind of eviction. In a different complex, right next door, Sherman Qualls is also preparing to receive a similar notice. In May, his apartment building was purchased by another private equity firm. That same month, they got a letter saying the owners were also planning to renovate the building. And that eventually, everyone would need to move out. Qualls is trying to stay positive. But the news is coming at a bad time. His wife, Marie, is dealing with several health conditions that make it hard for her to eat and get around by herself. Both of them had good jobs that left them solid retirement plans, but those medical bills are adding up. It's all over the place, you know, you don't know what to do. A lot of people have moved out. But right now, I can't afford to move out. you know, unless I take a big portion of my savings, You know. Again, these kinds of substantial remodel evictions are allowed under state law, even if the tenant hasn’t done anything wrong. But these evictions have drawn a lot of criticism in recent years. From tenants’ rights groups from San Diego and L.A. to the Bay Area. Investors come in, will evict an entire complex in order to get people out and then jack up the rents to the market rate. Jose Lopez is the San Diego director of ACCE, the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment. Every day, we're losing more and more of like the naturally affordable housing and it's just making it more difficult for people to, you know, make ends meet. State lawmakers agree with this diagnosis. Last year, they passed the Homelessness Prevention Act. Which added new limits on substantial remodel evictions, but didn’t eliminate them. Some cities have gone even further. Just last month, L.A. banned this kind of eviction entirely. Property owners there can still do renovations, of course. But they have to help their tenants find somewhere else to stay during the remodeling. And let them move back in afterwards. Dozens of renters in Imperial Beach, including Joshua Lopez and Sherman Qualls, are urging the IB City Council to consider doing the same. We are hearing our communities needs loud and clear That’s Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre. She says she’s planning to bring this forward for a discussion at the next city council meeting in two weeks. You know it doesn't benefit anybody putting people on the streets to overhaul over the holidays. And so in that regard I would say, let's look at options. Let's look at a way that is fair for everyone. That doesn't impact people and people's lives. It’s a long shot. And some people aren’t waiting. Qualls is already beginning to box up their things, starting with the dishes and picture frames. He’s trying to stay optimistic. As Marie’s health continues to improve, he hopes their medical costs will fall and they’ll be able to afford a better place. I don't let it bother me. Whatever I have to do to survive, I will. Just next door though, Joshua Lopez at Hawaiian Gardens is scared. But he’s still holding out hope that the City Council will act. Moving immediately is a quick solution. But there aren't any guarantees at anywhere that we moved to. You won't be faced with. Something similar situation. whether it's months or years down the line. Lopez hasn’t started packing just yet. In Imperial Beach, Kori Suzuki, KPBS News.

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San Diego's Maritime Museum is in for a big change.

Its longtime president and c-e-o is retiring at the end of December.

Reporter John Carroll talked to Ray Ashley about his 30 years at the helm.

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ON A BRIGHT, SUNNY DAY RAY ASHLEY STOOD ON THE REAR DECK OF THE STEAM FERRY BERKELEY AND REFLECTED. “We built the San Salvador.  We just went out and researched and built our own Spanish galleon that embodies the origin story you know, of San Diego and California.” THAT ORIGIN STORY - TIED TO THE SEA - IS THE TALE TOLD AT THE MARITIME MUSEUM.  IT’S EDUCATION - BROUGHT TO LIFE BY THE MUSEUM’S NINE SHIPS… HANDED DOWN THROUGH THE GENERATIONS. “Some of our faculty were kids that came through the museum years ago and that is an ongoing legacy that now has reached hundreds of thousands of children.” ASHLEY WILL STEP DOWN FROM HIS ROLE JUST AS THE MUSEUM MOVES CLOSER TO BUILDING A BEAUTIFUL NEW MUSEUM RIGHT ON THE EMBARCADERO…  THERE ARE STILL HURDLES TO JUMP OVER BEFORE CONSTRUCTION BEGINS.  BUT IT’S FAR ENOUGH ALONG THAT ASHLEY IS CONFIDENT IT WILL BE BUILT.  THAT GIVES HIM DEEP SATISFACTION AS HE PREPARES TO END HIS CAREER HERE.“If I just stayed forever, I’d either die in the job or get to be so doddering I’d be an embarrassment in how to replace me and I wouldn’t ever get to do anything else.  So, I’m hoping to do other things, and I wanted to leave with enough time to do some of those other things as well.” JC, KPBS NEWS.

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The centerpiece of many Thanksgiving meals is the turkey. But with inflated food prices, many San Diegans may not be able to afford it this year.

Reporter Melissa Mae takes us to a special food distribution site, putting the traditional meal more within reach.

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“Thank you! Happy Holiday! Happy Holiday!” The American Farm Bureau says that people celebrating in the western United States will pay at least 67 dollars for their Thanksgiving meal. That’s 14% more than the rest of the country. “Prices of food has gone up, so it's a little daunting when to go to the store. National City Resident Lucerito (LOO-sir-e-toe) Burgos (Burr-gos) has a head start on her family’s meal thanks to a Turkey giveaway by Sycuan Resort Casino. So just being very grateful to be able to receive this is very appreciated..”  She says with two teenagers at home she has to stretch her pocketbook. New research from the San Diego Hunger Coalition shows 1 in 4 San Diegans or 813 thousand people, do not make enough money to buy three nutritious meals a day. Melissa Mae KPBS News. 

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Finally, most people probably know Lucy Lawless as the actress who played Xena the Warrior Princess.

But now, Lawless makes her directing debut with the documentary ‘Never Look Away.’

Cinema junkie podcaster Beth Accomando has this review.

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In the 1970s Margaret Moth was the first woman camera person in New Zealand. By 1990 she was covering the Persian Gulf War for CNN. New Zealand actress Lucy Lawless remembers when she became aware of Moth. My mind just cast back to 1992 when my whole country was riveted to a news report about a CNN camera woman from New Zealand who had been hit by a sniper in the face. In that moment Lawless knew she wanted to tell Moth’s story, and now that dream has become a reality with the documentary Never Look Away. She just tore it up. She ate life, and she was part of something greater than herself in the end, from being a completely pleasure-loving, sex, drugs, and punk music person to living to tell the story of the non-combatants of war and loving the children of war. That that seems to me to be an amazing and almost biblical transformation. Lawless makes an impressive directorial debut delivering Moth’s story in a punky, wart-and-all style that Moth would have loved. It’s one powerhouse  woman paying tribute to another in a truly remarkable documentary. Beth Accomando, KPBS News.

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That’s it for the podcast today. This podcast is produced by Emilyn Mohebbi and edited by Brooke Ruth. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Thomas Fudge. Thanks for listening and have a great weekend.