How the ongoing Kaiser nurse’s strike will impact patients

Good Morning, I’m Andrew Dyer, in for Lawrence K. Jackson., it’s FRIDAY, [February 6th.]

There’s still no progress as the Kaiser nurse strike nears the end of its second week.

More on how that will impact patients next. But first... the headlines….

THE HEAD OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY WAS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY THURSDAY… FOR A ROUNDTABLE ON THE TIJUANA RIVER SEWAGE CRISIS.

E-P-A ADMINISTRATOR LEE ZELDIN MET WITH SOME OF THE REGION’S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION AND OTHER ELECTED OFFICIALS.

HE SAYS GOOD PROGRESS IS BEING MADE TOWARD A LONG-TERM SOLUTION… AND HE’S KEEPING CLOSE TABS ON PROGRESS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BORDER.

“We are monitoring it every week, throughout the week.  We are confirming, verifying that this work is progressing.  There are projects slated for 2027.  There is one project that is slated for 2028.  It is our assessment that all of this needs to be completed in order to implement and have a 100% solution.”

ZELDIN WAS JOINED BY THE HEAD OF THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION.

KELLY LOEFFLER MET WITH LOCAL BUSINESS OWNERS. SHE SAYS THE ISSUE IS NON-PARTISAN… REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS TOLD HER THEIR BUSINESSES DEPEND ON SOLVING THE SEWAGE PROBLEM ONCE AND FOR ALL.

Backlash to Balboa Park’s paid parking program might be impacting other city budget decisions.

San Diego City Council this week appeared to waver on a plan to charge cars to enter Mission Bay Park and the city’s public beaches.

According to the Union-Tribune support for using parking fees to help fill the city’s budget deficit fell from four council members to just one since the fall.

City officials are trying to close a projected $119 million dollar deficit next fiscal year.

Leaders are considering more internal audits and job cuts instead.

The winter olympics kick off today with an opening ceremony in Milan.

Rather than being confined to one city, olympic venues this time around span all of northern Italy, an area about the size of Massachusetts.

For the first time since 2002 these games feature a new sport – Ski mountaineering, or skimo. It involves skiing, climbing and hiking up a mountain then skiing down.

Even though the games officially start today some events, such as curling, began Wednesday.

The games run through February 22nd. You can follow the games at kpbs dot org. Search “Olympics.”

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

KAISER PERMANENTE HEALTH CARE WORKERS ARE NEARING THE END OF THEIR SECOND WEEK ON STRIKE… WITH NO AGREEMENT REACHED. HEALTH REPORTER HEIDI DE MARCO SAYS PATIENTS ARE NOW BEING WARNED THERE MAY SOON BE  NEW DISRUPTIONS AFFECTING PHARMACIES AND LABS.

As negotiations continue, Kaiser Permanente health care workers returned to the picket line Thursday, pressing for changes they say are needed to protect staff and patient care.

It’s a high stress situation, but it’s also an unsafe situation. 

Elisabeth Cochran has been a labor and delivery nurse at Kaiser for three years.  

I need to have enough people present that are able to catch a baby, get them situated, stabilized. 

The hospital system says that its hospitals exceed state staffing requirements. 

Kaiser is also preparing for a possible second open-ended strike starting Monday, involving pharmacy workers and clinical lab scientists. The hospital has already alerted patients about possible disruptions next week.  

Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.

LEMON GROVE CITY COUNCIL VOTED TUESDAY TO TEMPORARILY EXPAND LOCAL TENANT PROTECTIONS.

REPORTER ELAINE ALFARO SAYS THE NEW REQUIREMENTS FOLLOW PUBLIC OUTCRY OVER A RECENT RISE IN NO-FAULT EVICTIONS.

The Council’s action on Tuesday made Lemon Grove the latest city in San Diego County to create broader protections for renters facing eviction. 

It mainly focuses on so-called no-fault evictions … when tenants are evicted even though they’ve paid their rent and not violated terms of the lease.  Here’s Mayor Alysson Snow.

“I know how urgent this issue is. Everyday we sit on our hands and pretend like there’s nothing that we can do is one more day that one more person joins our homeless population.”

The ordinance will be in effect for 180 days. Landlords will face additional requirements when they initiate a no fault eviction. They include: 120 days notice, relocation assistance and an extra month's rent. 

Sheila Spencer was among more than a dozen community members who spoke in support of expanded protections. Neighbors and family in her apartment building have been served eviction notices. 

“A lot of us, we’re like a family there. You know what I mean? This whole situation is shocking to all of us.” 

A permanent ordinance may come later. Until then, city officials said they will gather community feedback.

Elaine Alfaro, KPBS News.

NEWS BROKE THIS WEEK THAT A COUNTY SUPERVISOR IS CONSIDERING MAJOR REVISIONS TO HOW THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO IS GOVERNED. IT COULD INCLUDE CONVERTING THE LEADER OF COUNTY OPERATIONS INTO AN ELECTED MAYOR.

FOR THIS WEEK’S WHY IT MATTERS SEGMENT, VOICE OF SAN DIEGO’S SCOTT LEWIS EXPLAINS.

Supervisor Terra Lawson Remer has been working with unions and the Center on Policy Initiatives to overhaul the county: They are considering a ballot measure that would put an elected official in charge of county operations – a mayor of the county. 

They want to extend term limits for supervisors and perhaps install other offices and programs. They say the goal is more government transparency. The measure could put term limits on the sheriff. It could change the roles of other countywide elected offices like the treasurer or county assessor – especially if there's a new elected county mayor. 

Lawson-Remer and her allies were not quite ready to talk about the full plan because it’s not finished. But when we found out about the discussions they acknowledged them.

A measure could go on the ballot countywide as soon as June. It could help Supervisor Lawson-Remer herself extend her time in office. She said it’s much bigger than that and gave us a statement saying reforming the charter would quote “better serve” residents .

The charter is like the constitution of the county and only voters can change it. But this would be the biggest change to county operations in a century. 

For Voice of San Diego, I’m Scott Lewis and that’s why it matters. 

A SAN DIEGO MTS EMPLOYEE IS CONTRIBUTING TO THE COMMUNITY IN A NEW WAY. THE AGENCY CHOSE LOCAL ARTIST AND STAFF MEMBER IBN (IB-in) EDWARDS TO DESIGN THE PRONTO CARD FOR THIS YEAR’S BLACK HISTORY MONTH. ARTS REPORTER AUDY MCAFEE SPOKE WITH THE ARTIST ABOUT WHAT THE OPPORTUNITY MEANS TO HIM AND THE COMMUNITY.

Ibn Edwards started with the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, or MTS, 20 years ago. He began as a service worker, maintaining stations and vehicles. Today, he’s a service manager — and now, an artist for the agency. 

He says being chosen to design a PRONTO card during the 50th year of  Black History Month is especially meaningful after working behind the scenes for so long.

The moment is even more powerful because of the place and history behind it.

And here we are in front of my dad's art at 62nd in the same neighborhood that I grew up. It's like a full circle moment for me.

Ibn’s father  is Eddie Edwards, a prominent artist and a cultural pioneer in Encanto. Eddie came to San Diego from Louisiana in the 1950s to expand his art career. Nearly 20 years later, he opened Encanto’s first Black Cultural Center.

Ibn says his father’s art and mission centered on uplifting the community.

It was all about portraying a a reflection of yourself, a reflection of greatness he was always talking about if you're going to be something, be inspiring, be the best at what you're going to be, be the best fireman, be the best police officer, just strive for greatness. 

His father’s art became part of San Diego’s art revitalization efforts that began in the 1980s. Eddie designed 24 panels depicting scenes from Encanto's history and culture. They appear on light posts along 62nd to 69th streets, each incorporating a rainbow. Ibn says that sense of connection was very important to his father. 

He was all about inclusion, not exclusion, bringing everyone together. And that's what helps this community grow and thrive the way it is now. The rainbow sig signifies that very uh togetherness of community.

Ibn wanted that same feeling to shine through in his PRONTO card design. A PRONTO card is a reloadable fare pass used on MTS buses and trolleys. On the small 2 by 3-inch canvas, colorful portraits of historical figures like Rosa Parks, Jimi Hendrix, and Martin Luther King Jr., along with Ibn’s dad, represent the duality of Black history. 

When you look at this card, I wanted to incite the imagination like who are these people? What what is this all about? These are like um the heroes of the past. Like my my daughter said it best, she's like this looks like the Avengers right here. So these are like the Black Avengers and this is just a fraction of the Black Avengers that's that's contributed to the community. 

MTS selected Ibn as part of their Commemorative Card Program which began in 2023. Previous artists include Mr. B Baby and Koy Sun, who were chosen for other heritage months. 

In a press release, MTS Board Chair Monica Montgomery Steppe said the program honors the stories of diverse communities that make up the wider San Diego region through a physical memento they can carry with them.

MTS has incorporated public art projects into the transit system since the 1980s. 

When , Ibn joined the agency, he hoped to become an artist, not just a facilitator.  

“I was like man let's I hope they give me the opportunity to do this because prepping these murals and seeing these wonderful artists do their thing it was like I had to sit back and just and just watch. And I'm so glad that  management   gave me the opportunity and then especially to represent my father on such a platform.”

As an MTS employee Ibn says he sees how public transportation connects communities. 

You have access to hospitals, you have access to education. We hit all of the major universities in San Diego. Um that is that is that is the importance of public transportation not just for the black community but for all communities together. And so that's that's uh something that uh leadership has has done is uh bring art back into the community and and having a reflection of greatness within within within our community. 

 Ibn says that without the foundation planted by Encanto, he wouldn’t be where he is today. 

This co mmunity is thriving with nutrients and wealth and good people and the land is full of possibilities.

 The limited edition PRONTO is available , while supplies last, at select transit stops. A list of locations is at  sdmts.com

Audy McAfee, KPBS News.

That’s it for the podcast today. San Diego News Now was edited this week by Brooke Ruth and Elma González Lima Brandão. It’s hosted and produced by Lawrence K. Jackson and today by me, Andrew Dyer. Lawrence will be back Monday. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. Thanks for listening and have a great weekend.