New efforts to help downtown areas in California
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Thursday, November 14th.>>>>
A new effort is underway to help downtown’s across the state, including San Diego’s.
More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
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DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE MIKE LEVIN YESTERDAY SECURED A FOURTH TERM IN THE 49TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OVER REPUBLICAN CHALLENGER MATT GUNDERSON.
LEVIN CITED HIS INVOLVEMENT IN PASSING 30 BI-PARTISAN LAWS AND SECURING FUNDING FOR LOCAL PROJECTS AS KEYS TO HIS VICTORY, WHILE ACKNOWLEDGING MORE BI-PARTISAN WORK IS NEEDED.
GUNDERSON CONCEDED YESTERDAY (WEDNESDAY).
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A MAN BITTEN BY A POLICE DOG DURING AN ARREST LAST MONTH PLANS TO SUE THE SAN DIEGO POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THE DEPARTMENT SAYS OFFICERS WERE RESPONDING TO A 9-1-1 CALL ABOUT A MAN WHO THREATENED A WOMAN WITH A GUN.
POLICE SAY OFFICERS REPEATEDLY ORDERED THE MAN TO SURRENDER.
THEY USED THREE BEAN BAG ROUNDS AND A CANINE TO TAKE HIM INTO CUSTODY.
ATTORNEY DANTE PRIDE IS CALLING IT AN EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE AGAINST HIS CLIENT, MARCUS EVANS.
BYSTANDER VIDEO OF THE ARREST SHOWS POLICE FIRING A BEAN BAG ROUND AT EVANS WHILE HIS HANDS ARE RAISED.
BITESUIT2A [5s]
And then not only do they shoot him two more times, but they deploy the K-9 officers twice.
POLICE SAY NO WEAPON WAS FOUND AND EVANS WAS NOT BOOKED INTO JAIL.
THE DEPARTMENT IS INVESTIGATING THE INCIDENT.
IN A STATEMENT POLICE CHIEF SCOTT WAHL SAID HE IS QUOTE “COMMITTED TO EXPLORING HOW THE SITUATION COULD HAVE BEEN HANDLED DIFFERENTLY.”
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Fall weather is near!
There’s a chance of rain starting tonight, that could continue tomorrow (Friday), and into the weekend.
Today (Thursday) in the inland areas, temperatures will be in the low 70s, in the mountains, temps will be in the high 50s, by the coast, it’ll be in the high 60s, and in the deserts, it’s expected to be in the 80s.
Temps are expected to drop around 10 degrees tomorrow (Friday).
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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 COVID PANDEMIC TOOK ITS TOLL IN MANY WAYS, AND THAT INCLUDES DAMAGE TO DOWNTOWN AREAS ACROSS CALIFORNIA, BOTH TO BUSINESSES AND CIVIC LIFE.
NOW, REPORTER JOHN CARROLL SAYS A NEW EFFORT IS UNDERWAY TO HELP DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO, AND OTHER CIVIC CENTERS ACROSS THE STATE.
DOWNTOWN 1 :53 SOQ
Assemblymember Matt Haney represents state district 17… in the heart of San Francisco. But as chair of the select committee on downtown recovery, he was in San Diego’s civic center on Wednesday morning to take a tour… a walk through a one square block area to learn… what’s going right in our downtown, and what’s not. He saw our challenge with getting the unsheltered off the streets… dealing with mental health issues in that population. “We’ve got to give people a reason to come downtown. We’ve got to make sure they feel safe, that they know that they have a place that they can park. And what we’re hearing here is that San Diego has a lot of examples where that’s working right now.” Haney has a couple of other downtowns to visit, before heading back to Sacramento where he says he’ll put what he’s learned into action… to help downtown San Diego and other city centers across the state to reach their full potential. JC, KPBS News.
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FALLS ARE THE LEADING CAUSE OF INJURY AMONG OLDER ADULTS.
COUNTY DATA SHOW, ONE IN FOUR ADULTS OVER 65 EXPERIENCES A FALL EACH YEAR.
THEY ARE A MAJOR REASON FOR NURSING HOME ADMISSIONS.
HEALTH REPORTER HEIDI DE MARCO SAYS A LOCAL NONPROFIT IS TEACHING SENIORS HOW TO FALL SAFELY OR NOT AT ALL.
SENIORFALL (hd) trt:4:40 SOQ
SOT: Usually what happens is you get a hard clunk and then the head flys back, right. To avoid that, as you’re falling back you want to drop your bottom low, tuck and roll, and hold your head in. For older adults, the fear of falling goes beyond the immediate pain of a stumble. It’s about the potential for serious injury, long recovery, and sometimes, the loss of independence. At the Challenge Center’s AGE-ility class, seniors are learning how to fall safely. SOT: This class is what we call total fall management. Jaime Casey is a physical therapist and fall prevention specialist. She leads the 5-week class. JAIME CASEY: So it's not simply fall prevention…But we also teach seniors how to get up from the floor. Because there is a real fear for a lot of people of having a fall in not being able to get up again. And we also teach techniques for how to fall safely to avoid a serious injury should a fall occur. Centers for disease control and prevention data show more than 38,000 seniors died from falls in 2021. And nearly 3 million ended up in the emergency room for fall-related injuries. Kate Tohm has a history of falls. KATE TOHM: My most recent fall was in August…I tripped over an antique shoe shine kit that I had next to my bed and I fell forward and then passed out. So it took about two months to completely heal. I was completely bruised from my face all the way down on my arm and into my neck. Tohm is 74 and lives alone. She says this last fall sent her to the emergency room. It crushed her confidence. KATE TOHM: I don't get out as much as I used to, simply because I just don't want to put myself in a position where I can injure myself. SOT: Ok, when you feel ready, go ahead drop and tuck..Tohm says the class is a lifeline. She’s learning how to fall in ways that lessen the impact and protects vulnerable areas. These are crucial skills for older adults whose bones may be more fragile. Casey says the classes also address the emotional toll of falling. JAIME CASEY: They are developing a real serious fear of falling and then end up isolating, staying at home, not going out with friends. And unfortunately, what happens is the less you do, the more physical decline you actually experience. Research shows that once a senior falls, their chances of falling again doubles. UC San Diego Health geriatrician Ian Neel explains how aging can diminish our sense of balance. We start to lose something called proprioception, the position sense in our feet, and that can affect our balance. It reduces somewhat our sense of where our feet are in reality, and so that can make it that we've become off balance a little bit more easily. Even everyday factors like footwear choice can increase fall risk. IAN NEEL: Really thick, foamy shoes. They're good for helping kind of keep our feet comfortable, but at the same time it also reduces our sensation of kind of where our feet are in space. Medications can also play a role. IAN NEEL: If we are on certain blood pressure medications, certain psychiatric medications, those are associated with higher fall risk. If we are on sleep medications, those linger in our body the next day, and so that can make us a little bit more fatigued, a little bit more off as we're walking. In a recent class the group is working on strengthening their balance, improving their agility and learning techniques to roll safely in the event of a fall. Tohm says the class has been a vital step in regaining her confidence. KATE TOHM: I just hope to maintain my balance, not fall any more, but have the knowledge that if I do, I know what to do, and I can help myself and not depend on somebody else to come and help me. Tohm says she is also learning from others in the class. KATE TOHM: So I might not have thought to do something one way and see somebody else do it a different way and try that and make sure that it works for me. And I've made wonderful friends. They're so nice. SOT: Get low. Tuck your bottom. Tuck and roll. Remember your chin…hey, beautiful! You got it. Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.
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ROUGHLY 8 MILLION YOUNG PEOPLE BECAME ELIGIBLE TO VOTE FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR.
GLORIA PENNER FELLOW ELAINE ALFARO (AL-FAR-OH) SPOKE TO LOCAL YOUNG VOTERS ABOUT THEIR DECISIONS.
YOUTH VOTE 1 (ea) 0:51 SOQ
Young voters cast 14% of all ballots in the 2024 election, according to exit polls. Two young voters in San Diego shared how and why they voted this year. Both had qualms about the candidates, but Grace Chaves voted for former president Donald Trump. “It's like, when faced with two evils, choose neither. But I didn't really feel like I could do that. I feel like I had to go with somebody.” Shiloh Catterton voted for vice president Kamala Harris. Now she has concerns about what is ahead. She says herself and many peers need to pause and process the outcome. “I think that there needs to be a moment for people to first feel these emotions, because even if a statement doesn't apply to you, it might to someone else. And those were very cruel things that have been said during this political campaign. Elaine Alfaro, 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 Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great Thursday.
