Mayors call for permanent homeless funding from California
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Wednesday, April 24th.
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Some mayors in California are asking Governor Newsom for more funding for homelessness. More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
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It’s going to be a windy and colder day today, with a chance of more rain headed our way tonight.
Temperatures in the inland and coastal areas will be in the low to mid 60s.
There’s a Wind Advisory in effect in the mountain and desert areas from 5 this evening until 11 P-M Friday.
Gusts could reach up to 60 miles per hour.
Temps in the mountains will be in the low 50s, and in the deserts, it’ll be in the mid 80s.
The National Weather Service says tomorrow (Thursday) is expected to be the coldest day of the week, when temps will be up to 15 degrees below average for this time of year.
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If you’re starting to plan your summer travels, the San Diego International Airport just added an extra nonstop international flight each day.
British Airways is increasing its flights from San Diego to London, to two flights daily through October 25th.
According to the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, the demand for the British Airways flight has grown 50-percent over the last four years.
Although London is a popular place to visit, it’s also one of the more popular connecting airports that travelers stop at before heading to another destination.
The two flight options include an evening and night departure time.
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SeaWorld and Sesame Place San Diego are now offering free and discounted passes for active-duty military and veterans, in honor of Military Appreciation Month in May.
U-S Military Veterans can register for free one-day passes to SeaWorld parks for themselves and three guests.
They can do that through May 12th, at w-w-w-dot-waves-of-honor-dot-com.
And for Sesame Place San Diego, veterans can get 50-percent off up to six tickets.
Veterans can register for those tickets online at Gov-X-dot-com
The tickets for both parks must be used by May 27th.
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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 mayors of California's largest cities are asking Governor Gavin Newsom for more consistent funding for homelessness.
Metro reporter Andrew Bowen has the story.
AB: For the past six years, California has offered grants to local governments to help homeless people get off the streets and into housing. The funds pay for things like shelters and outreach workers. But the funding isn't permanent — each year it's subject to state budget negotiations. Mayor Todd Gloria says that makes it hard for cities to develop consistent spending plans. TG: We can make meaningful progress on homelessness, but we need the resources to scale our programs and projects for lasting impact. And that's why we need this funding to be ongoing. AB: A recent state audit found San Diego could improve how it tracks and reports spending on homelessness. Gloria says he welcomes more accountability from the state. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.
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Thousands of victims of the January flooding have been approved for federal assistance through FEMA.
Reporter Melissa Mae gives us the breakdown of the agency’s aid to San Diego residents.
MM: Three months after the January flooding and two months since the Presidential Major Disaster Declaration, FEMA has released a snapshot of the help it’s provided over 60 days. MM: Currently, close to 29-hundred households have been approved for FEMA grants and over $22 million dollars in federal assistance approved. MM: Gerard Hammink (HAM-ink) is with FEMA. “95 to 99% of all the approved money has been sent out to people, generally direct deposit.” MM: Homeowners and renters can also apply for Small Business Administration loans. To help streamline the application process, both FEMA disaster recovery centers in Mountain View and Spring Valley have been converted to SBA Disaster Loan Outreach Centers. Melissa Mae KPBS News.
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Earlier this month, a city commission recommended moving a stretch of Carlsbad Boulevard to higher ground because of climate change.
North County reporter Alexander Nguyen says the Carlsbad city council reviewed those recommendations yesterday evening (Tuesday).
Scenic Carlsbad Boulevard abuts the coast. It’s a beautiful drive where you see pelicans flying by … and gliding past surfers.“I mean, is it beautiful or is it beautiful?” But the road … also known as Highway 101 … is being threatened by climate change and erosion. According to a city report … the stretch of Carlsbad Boulevard from Palomar Airport road to Island Way is susceptible to damage from sea-level rise. Mitch Silverstein with the Surfrider Foundation agrees with the commission. He thinks the council should act sooner rather than later. “So it's not really a question of if, it's a question of when we move this infrastructure back to protect the road and protect this critical corridor, and then how we do that.” The other option would be a phased approach where changes would take place incrementally over a 96-year period. A city spokesperson says the city still needs to find funding for the recommendations AN/KPBS.
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The city of Vista is backing up its climate action goals with its first environmental commission.
It's made up of local residents, and North County reporter Tania Thorne says it includes one of the city's first Spanish speaking commissioners.
For the past 5 years, Jovita Serafin has spent her Wednesdays picking up trash in neighborhoods in Vista. Her group, is Guerreras en Acción por un vista limpio, which means "Warriors in Action for a Clean Vista." The group is mainly made up of other moms and grandmas wanting to see their neighborhoods free of trash. Serafin will now be representing her District on Vista’s first environmental commission. I feel a little out of place because everyone speaks English, and I understand it and speak very little, but I do feel nervous just sitting there with my headphones listening to the translation. She says she feels happy but nervous at the same time because she speaks very little English. But she hopes that her involvement in city government will encourage other Spanish speaking residents to get involved as well. The commission will hold their first meeting on Wednesday. TT KPBS News.
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Medieval poetry will be transformed into a dramatic composition for orchestra, chorus and ballet dancers.
Reporter Jacob Aere says City Ballet of San Diego is getting ready to perform Carmina Burana, and tell a tragic tale from the beginning of the Great Depression.
Grace, beauty … and power. Ballet is filled with emotions … and sometimes, stories. Ariana Gonzalez Dancer “Ballet has really been like one of the most important relationships of my life – it's always been like a partner I've always had with me.” So say City Ballet of San Diego dancers Ariana Gonzales and Brian Heil. They’re looking forward to their upcoming high-drama performance of Carmina Burana … Brian Heil Dancer “Carmina Burana is much more on the story side of the scale from abstract to not. So that one will require a great deal of acting along with the dancing.” It will be a grand and intense ballet … accompanied by a live orchestra and choir voices, says Ariana’s husband and choreographer Geoff Gonzalez. Geoff Gonzalez Choreographer “I have this story that you follow from this man who goes through this whole period of gaining and gaining and then losing everything all at once. And then you also have the story of the music and how it kind of was created, and at the time it was created, especially around the jazz age.” The program is twofold … first is Mozart’s Concerto for Flute, Harp, and Orchestra. It’s a technical, elegant and romantic ballet … says artistic director Steven Wistrich. Steven Wistrich Artistic Director “So it's a very, very soothing kind of score. It just kind of puts you at ease. And the dancing is I would say neoclassical – which is kind of based on classical dancing but it has a bit more modern edge to it. And they wear very, very beautiful tutus.” Then comes the iconic music of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana … and the accompanying contemporary ballet performance focused on the great stock market crash in 1929. Ariana Gonzalez Dancer “Getting lost in somebody else’s life story – this to me is why I love dancing so much. So I am just thrilled to take on such a dramatic, darker role in this” Brian Heil Dancer “It starts off with the ending of the ballet – it starts off with the climax so you can't come into it half way, you already have to be at like 110 percent.” These performances close out City Ballet’s 31st season … with a striking balance of opposites. Steven Wistrich Artistic Director “They couldn't be more different from each other in the way they look – the music is completely different, the costumes are completely different. And so we like to put programs together that will actually be surprising.” Mozart Concerto was last performed by City Ballet of San Diego in May 2018 … and Carmina Burana in November 2019. This time, it's in a new and expanded setting – the Concert Hall California Center for the Arts in Escondido. Geoff Gonzalez Choreographer “I'm able to just kind of step outside of that box a little more now and incorporate more people, more looks and some more set pieces and just kind of grow on the idea.” Heil and Ariana have danced in this ballet before … and say to take part is one of the pinnacles of their careers. Ariana Gonzalez Dancer “It's not everyday you get to have a full length story ballet created on you. And the fact that it's my husband doing the creating is really special.” Brian Heil Dancer “It was always sort of my dream to be on stage performing by myself with the orchestra, with the choir and that is the reality of what's going to be happening – so it's a dream come true for me in a lot of ways. ” City Ballet of San Diego’s Carmina Burana takes place at the Concert Hall California Center for the Arts in Escondido this May 4 and May 5; Tickets can be purchased online. Jacob Aere, 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. In tomorrow’s podcast, one of our KPBS web producers is joining me to talk about Children’s Day events happening in the county this weekend and next week. Join us for that, plus the day’s top stories. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great Wednesday.
