Kamala Harris polling lower than expected in California

Good Morning, I’m Katie Hyson, in for Debbie Cruz….it’s Monday, November 4th.>>>>

A new poll shows Kamala Harris not doing as well as expected in California. More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….######

OVER THE WEEKEND, 235 MORE VOTE CENTERS AND SIX “SUPER CENTERS” OPENED ACROSS THE COUNTY.

ASSISTANT REGISTRAR OF VOTERS SHAWN BROM SAYS IF YOU HAVEN’T YET REGISTERED TO VOTE, YOU STILL HAVE TIME.

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“We ask that they visit one of the super centers where they can still register conditionally and vote a provisional ballot.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ANYTHING ELECTION RELATED, CHECK OUT OUR VOTER HUB ON OUR WEBSITE KPBS DOT ORG.

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We’re back to clear, sunny skies this week.

And the National Weather Service says temperatures are expected to rise a little each day.

Today (Monday), in the inland and desert areas, temperatures will be in the 70s, by the coast temps will be in the high 60s, and in the mountains it’ll be in the high 50s.

And, no rain is in the forecast this week.

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Fleet Week San Diego is in full swing.

The event honors and celebrates military personnel.

It’s a family friendly event, and includes military displays, Navy and Coast Guard Ship tours, live music and food.

It’s happening on the Broadway Pier on Harbor Drive and runs through Veterans Day.

For more information, visit fleet-week-san-diego-dot-org.

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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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A NEW POLL OF LIKELY CALIFORNIA VOTERS, SHOWS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE KAMALA HARRIS UNDERPERFORMING IN A STATE WHERE SHE AND PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN EASILY WON FOUR YEARS AGO.

REPORTER THOMAS FUDGE HAS THE RESULTS OF THE LATEST POLL FROM COMPETITIVE EDGE.

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A poll released the Friday before the election shows Democratic vice president  Kamala Harris is the favored candidate of only 53 percent of California respondents. Donald Trump is favored by 38 percent. John Nienstedt, president of Competitive Edge Research and Communication, recalls the  previous California race when Harris ran with now-president Biden. “In 2020, they eventually took 63 and a half percent of the vote. She’s at 53 percent right now with only 4 percent of the electorate undecided.” Half of the people polled thought California was headed in the wrong direction. Nienstedt says the sour mood of voters partly explains Harris’s lackluster performance. “Nationally, that’s a good sign for Donald Trump, right, Because if she’s underperforming in California what does that say for the rest of the country?” A competitive edge survey of the Senate race also shows the Democrat underperforming but still likely to win. Democrat Adam Schiff is favored by 52 percent. Republican Steve Garvey is at 42 percent. SOQ.

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KPBS RECENTLY HELD A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION WITH SOUTH BAY LEADERS, EXPERTS AND INFLUENCERS, COMMITTED TO UPLIFTING THE COMMUNITY.

THE AIM WAS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT DRIVES, CHALLENGES AND INFORMS THEIR DECISIONS IN THE 20-24 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

HEALTH REPORTER HEIDI DE MARCO SAYS IN THE SOUTH BAY, WHERE MANY RESIDENTS HAVE CLOSE TIES TO IMMIGRANT COMMUNITIES, VOTING ISN’T JUST ABOUT CIVIC DUTY.

IT’S A CHANCE TO MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD IN A SYSTEM THEY SAY OFTEN OVERLOOKS THEM.

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And then what are the barriers that we’re facing, that our friends and family, our communities, are struggling with… One of the biggest concerns the group expressed was fear. Fear of division and fear of picking a side. Many residents say they feel pressure to cast their vote. I feel sometimes, there are times that, ok, things are balancing themselves out. The world’s not going to end. Now it feels like it’s gonna. Misinformation has also become a major hurdle. Several participants say that without clear, culturally relevant information, they struggle to make informed decisions. Jose mondragon was part of the conversation, he’s also teaching Mi Voz Mi Voto workshops for the Chicano Federation. JOSE MONDRAGON CHICANO FEDERATION to continue to inform and educate communities about the importance of voting…your vote matters, right? That, you know, you have that power. You can exercise it if you're eligible to vote. Many of the participants say they get their news online. The Pew Research Center reports that Latinos are more likely than Black or White Americans to get their news from social media. This trend increases the chances of encountering and sharing misinformation. Marisa Abrajano has been studying the Latino electorate for almost 20 years. MARISA ABRAJANO UC SAN DIEGO POLITICAL SCIENTIST So you know those who do rely on Spanish social media, we found that there is this positive relationship with being more likely to believe in these false political narratives. And we know, especially amongst the Latino community, and for much of the Spanish-speaking community, they have been targeted with lots of these falsehoods going back to the 2020 Presidential election. Abrajano says that social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram have less robust fact checking measures for non-English content due to higher costs. She says on WhatsApp, a free encrypted messaging app popular with U.S. Latinos, fact-checking is non-existent. MARISA ABRAJANO So all of these like news links that are posted, and information that you see it's very hard to validate whether or not this information is actually true or not. And I think an added complication, especially in this day and age, where it's not just news that's produced here in the United States, but worldwide. Community members say the impact of misinformation extends to feelings of distrust toward candidates and policies. That makes it difficult for some to discern fact from fiction. They look to trusted figures to serve as guides. People who can break down complex issues in a way that feels relatable. Super vaccine vato headquarters, ehh. State your emergency homes. Political cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz created a series of cartoons and animations promoting vaccines during the height of the covid-19 pandemic. LALO ALCARAZ There was a lot of misinformation to fight there. And then, as that went along, it wasn't just you know, the migrant farm workers that needed that information. It was guys I went to college with that should have known better. He uses slang and cultural references in his cartoons to resonate with viewers. LALO ALCARAZ POLITICAL CARTOONIST it wouldn't be Mexican if they didn't have some cussing in it, right? Now he’s working with Voto Latino, a national civic engagement organization. He’s creating cartoons to encourage voting and battle election misinformation. LALO ALCARAZ There's no word in Spanish for fact checking, you know, there's, that term does not exist. His cartoons are syndicated and published across the country in print and online Back at the Community conversation, Mondragon believes that political education should start early and continue beyond the election. There's just so much at stake, right? There's this, you know, there's feelings and emotions that are involved with the process of just, you know, this upcoming election and voting. With more outreach and resources that reflect the unique needs of the South Bay, residents say they would feel more motivated to participate.  As they gear up for tomorrow’s election, this community is asking for support and information that can help them overcome these challenges. Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.

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San Diego is holding a virtual open house to collect input on how to improve street safety.

Metro reporter Andrew Bowen says the initiative was funded by a grant from the bipartisan infrastructure law.

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AB: The open house has three virtual booths where you can read about and see pictures of new techniques for traffic calming. Things like roundabouts made of plastic humps that are drilled into the asphalt. These are a lot cheaper and faster to build than using concrete. The city says it wants input from residents on where such infrastructure could help improve safety. The open house includes a survey and map where you can submit ideas for any location in the city. The project is called Safe Streets for All San Diegans. The website: ss4asd.com. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.

TAG: You can weigh in until December 2nd.

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The city of San Diego has brought in about 350 goats to remove brush around the dam at the Miramar Reservoir.

Reporter Melissa Mae joined the herd on Friday.

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MM: The group of goats, also known as a trip of goats, have been hired to do what they do best…eat! MM: Johnny Gonzales is the field operations manager for Environmental Land Management Goats and says the animals are eating some native vegetation and invasive grasses and weeds. JG “Both are required so we can maintain the security and the access to the dam. But mainly they're removing seeds of the invasive grasses. They're converting it and such that we are going to maintain the pH of the soils.” MM: Gonzales says another primary goal is getting rid of vegetation  that can turn into fuel for wildfires. MM: In total, the goats will clear about 12 acres of vegetation around the lake over a total of 15 days. This helps with soil integrity, native plant restoration and getting the land ready for the following season. Melissa Mae 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. Join us again tomorrow for the day’s top stories. I’m Katie Hyson. Thanks for listening and have a great Monday.