Millions of dollars sit unused after January floods

Good Morning, I’m John Carroll, in for Debbie Cruz….it’s Monday, August 19th.

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Some flood victims haven’t applied for help, leaving millions of dollars unused.

More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….

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Nurses at Rady Children's Hospital voted to ratify a new contract late last week (Thursday).

The agreement comes after months of contentious negotiations and a two day strike last month.

The three-year contract includes wage increases, bonuses and lower healthcare premiums for some members.

The union says Rady nurses will now have a pay and benefits package that competes with, and even surpasses other San Diego hospitals.

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The county's unemployment rate increased last month, compared to June.

The rate jumped nearly half a percentage point to 4-point-9-percent.

But the county is still performing better than the state, which is seeing 5-point-8-percent unemployment.

This time last year, the county’s rate was nearly a percentage point lower, at 4-percent.

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We’re still going to feel the summer heat this week.

Today (Monday), in the inland areas, temperatures are expected to be in the high 80s, in the mountains temps will be in the low 80s, by the coast it’ll be in the high 70s, and in the deserts, temps could reach 110 degrees.

Don’t forget, there are plenty of Cool Zones open throughout the county.

You can find a list of locations on the county’s website, or by calling 2-1-1.

We have a little over a month left of summer, before the start of fall on September 22nd.

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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 San Diego Housing Commission has distributed more than a million dollars to people displaced by the January floods.

Reporter Katie Hyson looked into why millions more dollars still sit unused.

The floods hit some of San Diego’s lowest-income neighborhoods the hardest. Displacing mostly Black and Latino residents. Many lived with roommates. And had been in their homes for a long time. Their rents hadn’t kept pace with San Diego’s skyrocketing market. Suddenly, they’re facing rents higher than their monthly income. Azucena Valladolid is the housing commission’s vice president of rental assistance. Lots of people were probably one paycheck away from falling into being at risk of homeless or becoming homelessness. And I think that this flood disaster really highlighted that. She says even with rental help, many program participants couldn’t find affordable housing. So the commission added a cash option of about 15,000 dollars. Still, 90 families who were notified that they’re eligible haven’t applied. Valladolid says they likely include people without a legal immigration status. They fear engaging with a government entity, even though we do not ask for any immigration status, social security numbers. None of that is the condition of the program. The deadline is the end of the month. Katie Hyson, KPBS News.

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One of the hottest housing bills in the California legislature this year is now dead.

A-B 25-60 would have streamlined developments in the coastal zone that use a state affordable housing incentive program.

Currently, the California Coastal Commission has veto power over such projects.

Assemblymember David Alvarez said he withdrew the bill due to hostile amendments in the senate, but vowed to bring it back next year.

"We should be building more housing, and certainly the coast needs to be part of the solution. So we've built a bigger coalition. And that, I think, just makes me feel good going into next year and starting this conversation once again."

Coastal Commission staff lobbied against the bill this year.

The California Coastal Commission was established in 19-72 to protect natural resources and public access to the coast.

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Immigration has been a key issue that has been highlighted by both political parties.

Border reporter Gustavo Solis spoke to Midday Edition host Jade Hindmon about what the Presidential election could bring for the county's border region.

While President Biden has dropped out of the race for the White House in 2024, what can you tell us about some current border policies that have been implemented or upheld during his time in office? Yeah, I think, well, there's been a lot in the last couple of years, uh, right? I think the newest one is this restriction on asylum at the southern border that has really contributed to a reduction in apprehensions. We're seeing lower numbers than we've seen even before the pandemic now, which a lot of people are talking about. But I would, I would say that. Throughout his administration, Biden has really embraced the carrot and stick approach to immigration policies, right? And, and that's, you balance enforcement with increased access and pathways to, to enter the country and even citizenship, you know, the carrot and the stick. Uh, one of the big criticisms of that approach is that in the last couple of years, there's been a lot more stick and not enough carrot. And we've kind of seen this shift, uh, more towards the center when it comes to immigration enforcement policies from the Democratic Party. Hmm. And how did that differ compared to when former President Donald Trump held office in the prior term? Oh gosh, it was night and day, right? I mean, for, for folks who remember it, I mean, anything from, uh, the, just the rhetoric, um, to the policies themselves. I mean, Trump's policies were,  In many cases designed to be cruel, right? I'm thinking of the zero tolerance policy that, um, deliberately separated children from their parents as a deterrent method to prevent other migrants from trying to cross the country illegally. Um, to this day, the U. S. government has not returned all of those children to their parents. It's been more than four years. Um, Remain in Mexico, a lot of people, these were, uh, asylum seekers that were trying to make their way through the court and, and really figure out if they qualify for asylum protection. They were forced to stay in Mexico.  Even now on the campaign trail, uh, the, uh, Trump fans ticket are bragging about this policy and bringing it back. The problem is that while people were in Mexico, uh, these asylum seekers, a lot of them were beaten, robbed, uh, sexually assaulted. They were put in really great danger and in vulnerable places.  So, yeah, those policies really, really didn't get a lot of support from folks who support, you know, humanitarian efforts and that type of migration. Yeah. Well, like you mentioned, um, with Harris now locked in at the top of the Democratic ticket, it's looking to be a close battle between Harris and Trump in the presidential election this November. Based on both of their political histories, what could we expect from each candidate along our border if they were to take office? Well, I think the, so for Trump it's a little bit easier to project and, and kind of figure out what's coming ahead of us because we've already seen it, right? We saw it four years ago.  We could potentially see it, you know, cranked up to 11, right? I think anyone who's seen rallies and even the RNC noticed the mass deportation signs. For the community here in San Diego, that would be a, a problem. Fear uncertainty, right? Remember at the beginning of the Trump administration, just folks were getting picked up at schools, at churches, um, at courthouses. I remember in Los Angeles, there was a decline in 9 1 1 calls from neighborhoods where a lot of immigrants live, and that didn't mean there was less crime, that just mean people did not feel comfortable enough to call the police to report those crimes. So, unfortunately, that could be a big, uh, uh, risk. We could kind of go back to that kind of cycle under Trump. Uh, with, uh, Vice President Harris, it's a little bit different. more difficult to kind of figure out what that would look like.  Obviously, it would be a lot of continuation of what Biden is already doing. And it's unclear how much she's willing to separate from the administration that she is currently a part of right now. So I think that will be kind of interesting to see as the campaign progresses, just where she differentiates herself from Biden on some of these issues. And what do you expect to hear after the convention? I think we'll hear more than we have been hearing in the last couple of years. You know, early on in the Biden administration, there was a reluctance to talk about immigration like they just didn't really want to engage. It almost seemed like the Republican Party was the one driving the narrative, and the Democrats were just kind of reacting to that. Um, there's been some reporting out this week and last week that the Harris campaign recognizes that and they want to be more active when it comes to this conversation. Now, what that looks like, I don't really know, and I'm kind of very excited to, to see how that plays out in the convention. Specifically, I'm, I'm curious to see how the progressive side of the, of the party responds. Um, because that has been one of, the most dissolution groups with Biden's policies, right? A lot of, uh, humanitarian activists, immigrant rights activists, the folks who helped Biden get elected, uh, when he ran on a platform to do away with Trump's inhumane migration policies, they feel that Biden hasn't done enough, and they point to, you know, things like the latest executive order that restricted access to asylum, as a way to say like, hey, you promised one thing and you're delivering another thing. So I am very curious to see how Harris, uh, manages those types of relationships when it comes to immigration. Hmm. Gustavo Solis is the border reporter for KPBS News. Gustavo, thanks for your reporting. Thanks for joining us. I appreciate it. Thank you. 

TAG: That was border reporter Gustavo Solis speaking to Midday Edition host Jade Hindmon.

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Improper hygiene and allergic reactions were once seen as the main causes of tattoo infections.

But health reporter Heidi De Marco says new research suggests that contaminated ink may also be a factor.

People have used tattoos to tell stories for centuries. About one third of U.S. adults have at least one. While tattoo aftercare can be a major infection concern, new research from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found that 35% of tattoo and permanent makeup inks they tested were  contaminated with harmful bacteria. 75 inks in total were tested. Dr. Arisa Ortiz directs the laser and cosmetic dermatology department at UC San Diego Health. ARISA ORTIZ At the university we see all kinds of complications to tattoo inks, not just infections, but autoimmune reactions, allergic reactions...this paper really brings up an issue that needs to be looked at more closely. Despite the risks, many tattoo enthusiasts are willing to accept them for the sake of their artistic expression. It doesn't matter to me, honestly. Michael Angelo Alvarado is a trainer at South Park Fitness. He’s adorned with a series of colorful tattoos that cascade from his head down to his feet, including a full sleeve of intricate artwork. MICHAEL ANGELO ALVARADO I feel like I've really committed to, like, the lifestyle of getting tattooed, and I intend on getting most of my body covered. Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.

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Today (Monday), the San Diego Central Library kicks off its Swiftie book club to discover the literary inspirations behind Taylor Swift's songs.

Arts reporter Beth Accomando explains what to expect from the book club.

Craig Wimberly has two passions: working at the library and Taylor Swift.  And now they get to combine those passions for the Swiftie Book Club. CRAIG WIMBERLY Taylor Swift likes to weave in literary references into her work so each month, we are going to pick a book that she has referenced in one or more of her songs, and we're going to read that book through the lens of Taylor Swift. So I'm going at The Great Gatsby and thinking about what about it inspired Taylor Swift. That’s Why We Can’t Have Nice Things Since there are a lot of potential books options – from "Romeo and Juliet" to "Peter Pan" -- Wimberly says participants will get to vote on what future books will be discussed. The club will be both in person and virtual, and of course there will be friendship bracelets to exchange. This is just one of the fun and innovative programs the library has designed to engage the community in no-cost events. Beth Accomando, 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 John Carroll. Thanks for listening and have a great Monday.