San Diego County sues social media companies

Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz, it’s Friday, February 7th.

San Diego county sues social media companies.

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

Major League Baseball owners unanimously voted in John Seidler as the Padres' new control person.

Seidler will take over for his younger brother, Peter – the late Padres owner who died in November 20-23.

The MLB owners’ decision comes after Peter’s widow took his family to court over ownership rights.

John will now be the ultimate decision-maker for the franchise.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked a Trump administration buy-out offer to two-million federal employees.

The judge’s order came hours before a deadline for federal workers to resign and be paid through September.

The offer had set the San Diego U.S. attorney’s office on edge.

Former San Diego federal prosecutor Phil Halpern is in touch with some of those prosecutors.

He told KPBS they viewed the Trump administration’s offer for them to resign with suspicion.

“There were a lot of people who believed in the office that if you didn't play along, your head was going to be put on the block to be taken off, you’d be on a list of people to be fired.”

Thursday’s court order stems from a lawsuit filed by unions representing federal workers.

It's not too late to be vaccinated against the flu.

County health officials are urging all to get vaccinated, after three unvaccinated teenagers died from the virus this season.

According to county records, nearly 80 percent of 5- to 17-year-olds have not

received this flu season's vaccine in San Diego County.

The flu vaccine is available at doctors' offices and pharmacies and is covered by insurance.

People with no insurance can get vaccinated at one of the county's six public health centers or a local community clinic.

To find the nearest location, call 2-1-1 San Diego.

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

San Diego county announced a lawsuit against Meta, Google, Snapchat, Youtube and Tiktok yesterday (Thursday). It alleges their conduct constitutes a public nuisance. Reporter Melissa Mae says the lawsuit claims the companies use behavioral and neurobiological techniques to quote “induce students to compulsively use their social media platforms.”

County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer says the companies know exactly what they’re doing. “Addiction is profitable. And it's not just Meta. Snapchat, TikTok YouTube all use the same tricks. Infinite scroll, autoplay, algorithms designed to keep our kids trapped on an endless loop. It's not an accident. It is their business model.” Lawson-Remer says they are seeking financial damages for the money the county is spending to treat the mental health crisis that she says social media addiction fuels. A google spokesperson responded to the lawsuit in a statement saying quote: “The allegations in these complaints are simply not true.” The other companies did not respond by our deadline. Melissa Mae KPBS News.

Emergency rooms are meant to be a place for medical care. But for doctors and nurses, they can also be dangerous. Violence against health care workers is on the rise. Federal data show they are five times more likely to experience workplace violence than employees in other professions. Health reporter Heidi De Marco says a new law is cracking down on E-R attacks. But some are questioning if it goes far enough.

“We deal with pretty much the highest levels of stress that, you know, people experience in the workplace.” Dr. Clay Whiting has spent more than 20 years in emergency medicine. “I've learned, you know, over time, just the importance of, you know, self-care and making sure that I come in with the right mindset.” Before every shift, he goes to the chapel and takes a moment to prepare. Because inside the ER, it’s not just about saving lives—it can be about protecting your own. He’s been assaulted more than once but an attack 5 years ago sticks with him. “All of a sudden a patient stood up on the bed and jumped on top of me, crashed into the doors, landing on the ground, before I knew it. And now I have someone physically on top of me, standing over me, literally throwing punches at my face and my head.” And he’s far from alone. A 2024 poll from the American College of Emergency Physicians found more than 90% of ER doctors were attacked in the previous year. Todd Walbridge, a former FBI agent and now head of security at Scripps, says the attacks range from verbal abuse to brutal assaults. “Using hospital medical equipment as weapons to punching, kicking, spitting, grabbing, hair pulling. But we're reducing that. This year, we were able to reduce hospital violence by 31%. It had been on the rise for three years prior to that.” A 2024 report from National Nurses United found hospital violence is leading to health care workers leaving the field and staffing shortages. Whiting says he’s cut his shifts by 25 percent because of the violence. “There definitely have been health care workers at this facility that have left the hospital because they’ve been attacked to the point where they have PTSD and they're afraid to take care of patients.” The nurses union says additional action is needed to protect health care workers. A California law that went into effect last month raises penalties for assaulting ER workers and increases jail time from six months to a year. Walbridge says hospitals including Scripps are also investing in training. “It's a combination of de-escalation training, self-defense training, and working with patients to try to identify people who are on a trajectory toward violence and begin the de-escalation process sooner rather than later.” Hospitals are also stepping up security. Some have installed metal detectors. Security officers wear body armor and carry tasers. This month Scripps will have a new visitor registration system to track everyone entering hospital buildings. “Hospitals are kind of the last area, last business in San Diego, where you can just walk in and wander through the halls.” Whiting says no charges were filed against the man who attacked him five years ago. This new law he says is a long-overdue step toward justice. “So I think that it will help health care workers feel that, you know, if, if and unfortunately, when we are attacked, that maybe some real justice can occur.” But Walbridge says the law, which charges assaults as misdemeanors, doesn't go far enough. “What we would have liked to have seen was a felony for everyone in the hospital who is assaulted. That's the equivalent to what happens to an emergency worker outside the hospital.” The law only applies penalties to violence inside the ER. Attacks in other parts of the hospital are still treated as a lesser crime. Despite the risks, Whiting says he will keep showing up. “When I begin each shift, I think it's important that the message that I try to convey and bring to the bedside is that I'm here to try to listen, help and heal. I’m not here to judge.” Still hopeful, still committed to care. Heidi de Marco, KPBS News. 

Budget cuts are coming for the City of San Diego, and council members want public input next week.

As reporter Alexander Nguyen tells us, the public is usually invited to participate in budget talks around May.

After closing a 170 million dollar budget deficit last year … the city of San Diego is facing a 258 million dollar budget shortfall this upcoming fiscal year. Council president Joe LaCava says everything is on the table in terms of cuts. “We have a variety of things that we're going to be looking at. Some of them are going to be very tough conversations, but we're ready for those conversations going forward.” LaCava says the council will focus on preserving core services … such as police, fire, and lifeguards … and build up from there. “And that's what I'm really hoping with more public input earlier in the conversation.” The public usually isn’t invited to comment on the budget until after the preliminary version is released around April… but this year, the council is taking that feedback starting next week. The Council will hold a public input session this Monday at 6 p.m. at City Council Chambers. Alexander Nguyen, KPBS News.

Catholic school students in El Cerrito will have to find a new school. Fundraising and new student enrollment efforts proved unsuccessful for St. Katharine Drexel Academy. Education reporter Katie Anastas says it will close at the end of the school year.

The school had until Feb. 1 to raise $500,000 and enroll 30 new students. They raised more than $100,000 and no new students enrolled. Steve Carter is a parent at the school. “The one happy thing that happened with this was the family community got stronger. So we have each other to support on, lean on.” The diocese told families in October that the school faced a $300,000 deficit this year and likely a bigger one next year. The diocese had covered previous years’ deficits…but said it no longer could. It filed for bankruptcy last summer after hundreds of alleged sexual abuse victims sued. A spokesperson for the diocese says the $102,000 raised through major donations will go back to the donors. Parents also raised more than $12,000 through a GoFundMe campaign. Carter says they’re figuring out how best to spend it. Katie Anastas, KPBS News.

Ira Glass, host of public radio's "This American Life," is coming to Balboa Theatre tomorrow (Saturday).

Arts reporter Julia Dixon Evans explains why the show's success points to the enduring power of storytelling.

His voice is one of the most recognizable in public media. “From WBEZ Chicago, This American Life, I'm Ira Glass. Stay with us.” 30 years ago, Ira Glass launched This American Life, an hour-long radio show that explores big themes through deeply personal stories. He's now made 853 episodes — and counting — but it still doesn't come easily. “I definitely am not a natural storyteller.” This awareness led to a calculated approach to storytelling — arguably one of the keys to the show's success. “I really had to kind of do a study of what makes a compelling story on the radio. I really had to like listen to stuff and try to build stuff and really had to like go at it like somebody who was a moron.” Glass has seen storytelling evolve — from podcasting to the rise of social media’s quick-hit formats. But he believes longform content can still captivate audiences. “I don't worry about people's attention spans at all. I think the world has that wrong. I really do.” In his live show, he pulls back the curtain on his process, sharing some great stories along the way. “What I do is I stand on stage and I have an iPad and I can play clips and music — and I can basically create the radio, the sound of the radio show around me with all the elements of that as I speak. And then I tell a series of stories.” Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS news.

Lunar New Year celebrations will continue this weekend.

The San Diego Chinese Historical Museum is hosting their 42nd Annual San Diego Chinese New Year Fair.

Jacinta Wong from the museum says there will be a variety of festivities to look forward to.

“They'll be, you know, performances, singing, Chinese calligraphy, lion dances, there's gonna be a dragon dance, right? There'll be performances all day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.”

The fair will be located at 4-0-4 Third Avenue in downtown San Diego and admission is free.

That’s it for the podcast today. The podcast this week was produced by Brenden Tuccinardi, Elaine Alfaro and Lara McCaffrey. It’s edited by Brooke Ruth. 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.