Oceanside Pier demolition is underway

Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Thursday, October 24th.>>>>

Demolition of the fire damage at the Oceanside Pier is underway.More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….######

The county Board of Supervisors earlier this week voted to audit their contract with Equus Workforce Solutions.

The company was hired to manage an emergency hotel voucher program for those displaced by the January floods.

Flood victims have complained about the program’s effectiveness, the quality of its service and the security of their personal information.

The audit will be presented to the board within 120 days.

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THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, THE CITY OF ENCINITAS AND A LOCAL CONDO GROUP HAVE AGREED TO PAY MORE THAN 30 MILLION DOLLARS TO A FAMILY WHO LOST THREE LOVED ONES IN A 20-19 BLUFF COLLAPSE.

PATRICK DAVIS LOST HIS WIFE, DAUGHTER AND SISTER-IN-LAW IN THE COLLAPSE AT GRANDVIEW BEACH.

BLUFFSETTLE 2A (:07)

“We wanted some accountability mainly so that this wouldn't happen to someone else's family.”

THE FAMILY SUED, ALLEGING NEGLIGENCE.

THE LAWSUIT FOUND A STATE GEOLOGIST HAD PREVIOUSLY WARNED ABOUT THE RISK OF BLUFF FAILURES AT THAT LOCATION.

THE FAMILY ALSO CLAIMED CITY LIFEGUARDS FAILED TO ADEQUATELY PROTECT BEACHGOERS.

IN ADDITION TO THE FINANCIAL SETTLEMENT, THE CITY OF ENCINITAS HAS ALSO AGREED TO MAKE POLICY CHANGES TO PROMOTE SAFETY AROUND BLUFFS.

THE CHANGES INCLUDE INCREASED TRAINING FOR LIFEGUARDS AND PUTTING UP ADDITIONAL SIGNS WARNING ABOUT THE RISK OF BLUFF FAILURES.

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Local hospitals are reporting that injuries from border wall falls are up nearly 60-percent from last year.

That's according to data from UC-SD Health and Scripps Mercy.

They are the only two hospitals in the area who treat the type of injuries people have if they fall from the border wall.

So far this year, the two hospitals have seen nearly a thousand patients who fell from the border wall.

That’s compared to nearly 630 for all of 20-23.

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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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WORK IS NOW UNDERWAY AT THE OCEANSIDE PIER… TO REMOVE DEBRIS FROM A FIRE EARLIER THIS YEAR.

BUT NORTH COUNTY REPORTER TANIA THORNE TELLS US THE PIER WILL STILL BE OPEN TO VISITORS.

PIERDEMO 1 (0:59) SOQ

6 months after a fire started at the Oceanside Pier, demolition of the fire damage begins. So we're in the very early stages of demolition. We're taking down the heavy steel portion of the building. We're still installing the debris containment underneath. Brian Thomas the city engineer for Oceanside says once the steel beams of the old Ruby's diner are removed, debris haul away will begin. In the coming weeks, trucks will begin to haul the debris from the Pier. But  it won't cause any closures, just added precautions. So they'll have a spotter in front of the equipment, a spotter behind the equipment. So if you see vehicles moving, please step to one side, allow the vehicles to pass and then continue with your day.Crews are expected to finish the demo by the end of this year. Once that’s done, staff will begin to prepare plans and apply for permits to rebuild. It could be 3 to 4 years before the Oceanside Pier is fully rebuilt and open to the public. TT KPBS News.

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BY THE END OF THIS YEAR, SAN DIEGO IS EXPECTED TO LOSE MORE THAN 600 SHELTER BEDS FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS.

SAN DIEGO MAYOR TODD GLORIA WANTS TO ADDRESS THAT BY EXPANDING THE CITY’S SAFE SLEEPING SITE PROGRAM.

THE PROGRAM INCLUDES LOTS WITH TENTS AND SOME WITH TRAILERS.

HE SAYS HE IS CONSTANTLY LOOKING FOR OPTIONS TO OFFER MORE SHELTERS.

SOT SAFESLEEPING 2A (0:14) 

“We acknowledge some of them are precariously perched. That's why we're working aggressively on things like Kettner and Vine, H Barracks to build more. But when things like Golden Hall are closing, well, we've expanded our safe sleeping sites. Right? When some of these others are going down, we're finding new opportunities.” 

H BARRACKS IS A PROPOSED SAFE SLEEPING SITE.

YESTERDAY (WEDNESDAY), THE CITY ISSUED A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR AN OPERATOR TO RUN IT.

GLORIA HAS ALSO PROPOSED A ONE THOUSAND-BED SHELTER AT KETTNER AND VINE.

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We are just 12 days away from the presidential election.

Democratic Congresswoman Sara Jacobs joins Public Matters investigative reporter Amita Sharma to talk about that race and whether a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel is in the cards.

She begins with what she’s hearing from constituents about the presidential election.

TAG: Congresswoman Jacobs’ grandfather is Irwin Jacobs, who is a supporter of KPBS and Public Matters.

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IN OUR NEXT WHY IT MATTERS SEGMENT, WE LOOK AT SOMETHING YOU’LL DEFINITELY SEE ON YOUR BALLOT.

OUR PUBLIC MATTERS PARTNER SCOTT LEWIS EXPLAINS.

VOSDBONDS 1 (public matters) 0:44

The word bond is all over the ballots of San Diegans this year.  In San Diego, voters will have to decide on seven different school district bonds. If they approve them, districts will borrow billions of dollars and then raise property taxes to pay them off. Let me show you how it works. Take a typical ballot from Chula Vista. Measure RR would levy $30 per 100,000 of assessed valuation Now what the heck does that even mean? It means that your property taxes will go up by a certain amount…depending on how much the county values your property. If you own a home that the county values at $100,000 then you would pay $30 more per year if Measure RR passes. Unlike other special tax increases, these bonds only need approval from 55 percent of voters. This is different from the state Proposition 2 and Proposition 4. Those are not tax increases. Those mean the state can borrow $10 billion each and pay it back. School Districts spend most of their money on teachers and administrators. But school bonds cannot be used to pay teachers more. They can only be used to build and repair things. And that’s why builders and labor unions for workers that build things like them so much. I’m Scott Lewis, and that’s why it matters.

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YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF KIDS FREE SAN DIEGO 20-24.

THROUGHOUT THIS MONTH, KIDS 12 AND UNDER RECEIVE FREE ADMISSION WITH A PAID ADULT TO MORE THAN 50 OF THE COUNTY’S MUSEUMS, HISTORIC SITES, AQUARIUMS, GARDENS AND MORE.

MANY ARE EVEN FREE FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!

FOR MORE ON KIDS FREE SAN DIEGO, GO TO SAN DIEGO MUSEUM COUNCIL DOT ORG.

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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 day.