Managing Covid-19 Relief Funds
Good Morning, I’m Annica Colbert….it’s Monday, October 25th.
Managing those managing covid-19 relief funds. More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines…
Public transit in San Diego County will soon be free to youth 18 and under. Supporters say the cost of transit passes for youth is a heavy burden on low-income families, and making them free will help create a new generation of transit riders who can move around more sustainably.
County supervisor Nora Vargas says equally important is a plan to increase bus frequency on nights and weekends for routes that serve low-income communities.
"not only are we investing in our youth, but we're going to be investing in transit services that are desperately needed in our communities and i want to thank all of the community members, organizations, again transportation justice advocates that have worked tirelessly to bring this action forward."
The free youth transit pilot program launches in the spring and will last one year.
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The pandemic caused Amtrak ridership, to and from San Diego, to drop to virtually zero. Now the rail service is restructuring their San Diego train service. Miro Copic is a business analyst for KPBS. He says this restructuring will inspire passengers to use the train system more often. Amtrak is looking to link its service with other transportation options to make it easier for passengers. They are also expanding the number of roundtrips to Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.
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The unemployment rate in San Diego is now at 5.5%, that’s revised from a 6.6 percent in August. It’s well below the rate this time last year when it was at 9.6%. That’s according to figures released on friday by the state employment development department.
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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.
A new audit of the state board tasked with managing some of the federal COVID-19 relief funds allocated to California, finds the agency's work has been marred by delays and not enough monitoring. Cap Radio's Steve Milne reports.
This new report from State Auditor Elaine Howle is a rebuke of the work being done by California's Board of State and Community Corrections.
The agency is responsible for overseeing California's use of its $59 million in federal Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding, or CESF. The money is supposed to help counties and other local agencies mitigate the effects of the pandemic by paying for overtime, personal protective equipment and training.
Howle's report finds the board unnecessarily delayed providing these funds to counties. It was aware in May 2020 it would get the $59 million, but didn't start developing its grant solicitation until September 2020.
And Howle says the board may have unfairly allocated $22 million - or 40 percent of the CESF - to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation by not first verifying the amount the department actually needed.
Howle says unless the board comes up with a plan to better oversee the money, counties may miss federal spending deadlines and California could have to return up to $43 million in unspent funds to the federal government. SOC
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Another new state audit finds California’s Board of State and Community Corrections mismanaged nearly $60 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds. KQED’s Katie Orr reports.
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Last week, community colleges across the state conducted an undocumented student week of action. That included discussion forums and films in support of daca students and others, who get financial aid from the california dreamer act.
KPBS education reporter M.G. Perez introduces us to one of them.
More than 4-hundred-50 undocumented students attend San Diego’s Mesa College. Giovanni Sanchez Aguilar is one of them. He has renewable status in the federal program Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals...better known as DACA. But he’s left waiting on the U.S. Congress to determine his fate.
“A lot of people are afraid. I am not. I’m honestly tired of being scared. Tired of being hidden. Tired of hiding who I am and what I am”
Giovanni was brought by his parents from Mexico to the U-S as a toddler. His two younger brothers were born here and are citizens. While his parents work on their own legal status, he is sharing his story in hopes other undocumented students will speak out, too. MGP KPBS News.
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The Bay Conservation and Development Commission adopted a San Francisco Bay Area-wide plan for adapting to sea level rise last week. KQED reporter Ezra David Romero explains.
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Coming up.... In Riverside, the descendant of one of California's earliest settlers remembers visiting her grandmother's home.
And it seemed so huge to me. And I used to sit in that window. In the windowsill, and read my books."
More on that next, just after the break.
The descendants of some of Southern California’s earliest pioneers are trying to save their ancestors’ crumbling home. KVCR’s Megan Jamerson has this report from east of Los Angeles in the Inland Empire, where a farming town was built when California was still part of Mexico.
That’s it for the podcast today. Be sure to catch KPBS Midday Edition At Noon on KPBS radio, or check out the Midday podcast. You can also watch KPBS Evening Edition at 5 O’clock on KPBS Television, and as always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Annica Colbert. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
