Newsom visits the San Diego border, warns about president-elect Donald Trump's proposed plans

Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz. It’s Friday, December 6th.

Gov. Gavin Newsom paid a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border to address transnational commerce and border security.

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

Christmas trees aren’t the only thing that needs trimming this year.

The City of San Diego is reminding all San Diegans to maintain their landscaping and trees to protect communities from wildfires.

They launched a new web-page, where you can learn the basics of brush management to reduce the risk of fires.

The web-page also provides key steps for people who live near environmentally sensitive areas. To learn more about fire management, go to san diego dot gov.

California prisons are no longer withholding money from people at the time of their release.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced policy change in a memo obtained by CalMatters. It would ensure that thousands of people leaving California prisons will receive the 200 dollars that they’re entitled to.

The decision follows the filing of a class-action lawsuit and a recent legislative order mandating the department to stop withholding cash.

The suit alleges that the agency illegally docked fees from over a million people since 1994.

San Diego is heading into some cooler weather this weekend.

The National Weather Service says today (Friday) will be the warmest, hitting a high of 74 degrees.

Temperatures in the desert are expected to reach 81 degrees today.

In the mountain areas, temps will be in the 60s, and by the coast, it’ll be in the mid 70s.

A gradual cooling trend will bring temperatures to the high 60s over the weekend.

You can expect areas of low clouds and fog near the coast, especially in the early morning and late evening.

From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need.

Governor Gavin Newsom visited the San Diego border yesterday. Reporter Gustavo Solis says Newsom came with dire warnings about the damage president-elect Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs and mass deportation policies could do to California’s economy.

The governor toured the border and spoke to local business leaders. He says a 25 percent tariff on Mexico would cripple the state’s economy. Rising the price of everything from gasoline to groceries. “Small business that will lose customers, jobs that will be lost, the inflationary impacts on every single one of you, the cost of food that will go up, cost of tomatoes at the supermarket, the vegetables over half that come in from Mexico.” Newsom went on to say that the agricultural industries of San Diego and Imperial Counties would be hit particularly hard by the proposed tax. “Those farmers, ranchers will be impacted disproportionately if these tariffs go into effect and I didn’t even bring up mass deportation components of it.” He pointed out that roughly half of all California farmworkers are unauthorized immigrants. Newsom’s visit to San Diego is part of a much larger state tour that includes stops in Fresno and Bakersfield. Gustavo Solis, KPBS News.

San Diego County held a grand opening for its newest immigration and refugee welcome center on Thursday.

North county reporter Alexander Nguyen says it’s a hub to connect new immigrants and refugees to vital resources and services.

This is the county’s second Immigrant and Refugee Welcome Center. The first one was opened in National City in 2023. Since then, the county Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs held various listening sessions in the community to determine where the next one should be. Barbara Jiménez is the community operations officer for the county health and human services agency. “We heard that North County really wanted the opportunity to have a welcome center here. So this is really created to be a welcoming environment for our families in the community.” Nearly 64 percent of the county's foreign-born residents live in North County. The Welcome Center is inside the county’s North Inland Live Well Center, putting all services in one location. Alexander Nguyen, KPBS News.

City leaders in Imperial Beach established a special committee to explore stronger tenant protections. South Bay reporter Kori Suzuki says the decision comes at the urging of dozens of renters who are currently facing eviction.

City Council members made the decision during their regular meeting late Wednesday night. The special committee will work through the holidays to explore options for new tenant protections. Paloma Aguirre is the mayor of Imperial Beach. “It’s a real concern that we may have people out on the streets. So I would love to find that perfect balance that’s a good fit for us here in IB.” The decision comes after the owners of a large apartment building in Imperial Beach called Hawaiian Gardens issued a mass eviction notice. Ordering everyone there to move out by the end of January. Dozens of residents there have urged the City Council to intervene by passing new protections and temporarily freezing all evictions. It’s still not clear if an eviction freeze will happen. Council members discussed the option on Wednesday but didn’t take any action. Joshua Lopez lives at Hawaiian Gardens. He appreciates the City Council’s decision. But he wishes they had more certainty. “I can't really hang my hat on that because, you know, it's not just me, it's, you know, I have my mother in my care so I, I can't really cling to that.” The City Council plans to discuss the committee’s work in January. In Imperial Beach, Kori Suzuki, KPBS News.

San Diego’s commission on police practices is reviewing K-9 policy after complaints of excessive force.

Police dogs disproportionately bite Black San Diegans.

Experts say the harm is not just physical.

“When you use an animal to attack a person, you are to some extent, you know, treating that person like prey.”

We’ll have that story and more, just after the break.

San Diego Police department's K-9 policy is under review this week after complaints of excessive force. Reporter Katie Hyson says police data show large racial disparities in bites. This story contains graphic violence.

Officers surrounded a Valencia Park home six weeks ago. Responding to a claim that Marcus Evans threatened a woman with a gun. He came out, hands in the air, in basketball shorts. No shirt. No shoes.  “I have no nothing!” I have no nothing, he said. Turned around to show them. Sat down, hands still up. “You’re gonna be shot.” “Why are you going to shoot me?” An officer fired a bean bag at his stomach. Evans collapsed. “Why did you shoot me?” “If you try and run you will be bit by a police dog.” He sat up, hands up. They shot another bean bag, injuring his shin. Then released a K9. “Hey stop! Stop!” The dog didn’t bite. They shot another bean bag. It hit near his groin. And released another K-9. “Ow! Ow please stop!” The dog latched onto his arm, wrenching it back and forth. Evans fell on his back. The dog continued for half a minute before officers got it to release. They never found a gun. Or booked Evans into jail. According to his lawyer Dante Pride, he had just joined a construction union. Weeks after the arrest, he still couldn’t work. Or walk. Had trouble opening and closing his left hand. A bruised rib made it hard to breathe. Pride says Evans plans to sue. “We're going to ask that the court order SDPD not to allow their dogs to be released on someone on the ground.” San Diego’s K-9 unit is big. A few dozen dogs. Triple that of a similar-sized city. The unit started in the 80s after a string of suspect and officer deaths. K-9s are less lethal than guns. They’re meant to find missing people and evidence and de-escalate dangerous situations. This year, SDPD K-9s have bitten more than 30 people. SDPD data show Black people are nine times likelier to be bit by K-9s than white people. Chief Scott Wahl says they’re reviewing Evans’ arrest. He says K-9s bite less than 2 percent of times they’re brought out. And the racial disparities? “Our bites are not based off of somebody's color of their skin. Our bites are based off of a person's actions.” A recent change in state law required the department to release 2021 body cam footage of an SDPD sergeant saying a K-9 quote, “only likes dark meat.” He’s still on the force. So is Alan Dyemartin. Sources say his K9 bit Evans. He has yet to confirm. In 2018, he was disciplined for excessive force on someone who spoke Spanish after he told them to “speak English.” He was transferred to another division. Promoted. Hired to the K-9 unit. And sent back to the majority Black and Latino neighborhood of Valencia Park. “Except this time with a dog.” Officer John Cochran has been with SDPD for three decades. He filed a complaint about Evans’ arrest. “Just because you have a call involving a gun, don't mean you get to use any force that you want to do.” He points to something called the use of force matrix. How SDPD officers should respond to different situations. Including passive resistance. “Refusal to comply with verbal commands and does not convey a threat of physical resistance to a officer or another person. Which that's what I believe Marcus Evans was his plan.” For passive resistance, officers should use things like batons and pressure points. Not beanbag guns. Not K-9s. He says K-9s are also used on people suspected of non-violent offenses. Christy Lopez says that’s a national pattern. She investigated K-9 units across the country for the U.S. Department of Justice. And found they consistently, disproportionately, bite Black people. “These are dogs that are bred because of how strong and destructive their bite is. It has been compared to a shark bite . . . People have had their scalps ripped off, they have been killed . . .” The American Civil Liberties Union found K-9s have severely injured or killed hundreds of Californians. Nearly half showed signs of mental health disability. “When you use an animal to attack a person, you are to some extent, you know, treating that person like prey.” SDPD K-9s have bit an unarmed naked man. Stayed latched onto someone already handcuffed. Allegedly jumped a fence and attacked a mother with her 5-year-old. “You're never going to be able to ensure that that dog isn't going to attack the wrong person or not let go when they're supposed to . . .” Recent California bills tried to limit the use of K-9s. Police campaigned against them. None of the bills succeeded. In 2020, Salt Lake City suspended the use of K-9s for apprehension. Researchers found no negative effect on officer or suspect safety. Wahl says the review of Evans’ arrest will likely take months. Katie Hyson, KPBS News

More than 300 San Diego Kaiser mental health workers are seven weeks into a strike. They are demanding more time for patient tasks and better pay. Health reporter Heidi de Marco spoke with a patient who says the strike is leaving her feeling abandoned.

Savana Pheifer says before the strike it took about 3 weeks to get an appointment with her psychiatrist but now..”Like, you know, four months for a psychology, psychiatry appointment is not okay and the psychiatrists aren't even on strike.” Kaiser disputes the four month wait. They say they’ve been meeting the state guidelines to provide a non-urgent mental health appointment within 10 days. As the strike continues, Pheifer says she’s looking at other options, including paying for therapy out of pocket. In the interest of disclosure, Kaiser Permanente is a KPBS underwriter. Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.

Kyle Mooney attended Scripps Ranch High where improv classes eventually led him to Saturday Night Live. KPBS Cinema Junkie Beth Accomando talks to Mooney about his directorial debut, ‘Y2K,’ which hits theaters today (Friday).

As a teenager in 1999, Kyle Mooney was disappointed that the Y2K bug was a bust. “It was just a full let down.” But then he thought what if…”Y2k is real… and then truly within a week, we had all of the building blocks of what ended up on screen.” The result is “Y2K,” an end of the world teen comedy in which computers turn on humanity. “Bye-bye human race. We're talking global computer apocalypse.” “We were really psyched on the idea of using as many practical effects as possible. We worked with Weta.” The New Zealand effects house helped create an epic rise of the machines that serves up plenty of fun in this promising directorial debut from the Scripps Ranch High School alum. Beth Accomando, KPBS News.

That’s it for the podcast today. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great weekend.