San Diego County’s $8.5 billion spending plan
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Friday, May third.
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We have details on the county’s 8-point-5 billion dollar spending plan.
More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
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Oceanside city officials have declared a local emergency following the fire that damaged its pier.
A local emergency declaration helps speed up the process of making repairs.
Some county legislators also sent a letter to Governor Newsom, asking his administration to provide emergency funding to repair the pier.
The fire gutted a vacant restaurant and snack bar at the end of the pier.
It is still unclear what started the fire, but arson has been ruled out.
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The County Board of Supervisors is interviewing candidates for a new Chief Administrative Officer today (Friday).
The new Chief Administrative Officer will replace Helen Robbins-Meyer, who retired in January.
Since then, Sarah Aghassi has been serving as the Interim Chief Administrative Officer.
The role includes implementing the board’s vision and policies, and directing the county’s daily operations.
After today’s interviews, a panel of 10 community members will interview the candidates and provide feedback to the board.
Then, the board will conduct final interviews on May 22nd.
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This weekend is going to be cooler than what we’ve been experiencing this week.
The National Weather Service says there’s a slight chance of rain at times tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday.
It will be windy too, with gusts reaching up to 40 miles per hour.
But, today’s weather is going to start off cloudy, then gradually become sunny.
Today’s temperatures in the inland areas are expected to be in the low 70s, by the coast and in the mountains, temps will be in the low 60s, and in the deserts, it’ll be in the low 90s.
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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 county’s budget for the next fiscal year will be bigger than this year’s spending plan.
Reporter John Carroll says county staff released the proposal yesterday (Thursday).
The county’s spending plan for fiscal year 2024-25 is massive… nearly eight-and-a-half billion dollars… a nearly 318-million dollar increase over this year’s budget. It includes money to hire about 72 new people. Some of the big ticket items include: a little more than one-billion in total investments in behavioral health services… including multi-million dollar increases in substance use residential and outpatient services… Nearly half a billion dollars for the Public Works and Roads department. Nearly two-and-a-half billion for public safety… that is law enforcement and fire protection. County Financial and Planning Director Damien Quinn says there are no cuts in the budget… just what he calls an alignment. ‘Just to best utilize our resources that are there. But we're really focusing on the service delivery and what the community needs out there.” There will be a number of opportunities for the public to weigh in between now and when the Board of Supervisors takes their vote on June 25th. You can find that information at san diego county dot gov. JC, KPBS News.
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UC-SD students continue their encampment in support of Palestinians caught in the Israel-Hamas war.
Education reporter M.G. Perez says there is a commitment to keep the peace.
Hundreds of students with the U-C-S-Divest Coalition continue to rotate protestors through their encampment along Library Way on the UC San Diego campus. They are demanding a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war and they want the university to divest from its Israeli financial interests. This encampment includes supporters of many faiths, and cultures, and several of their faculty members. Curtis Marez is a professor of Ethnic Studies who supports his students in between teaching his classes … “free speech protests…anti-war protests…protests for ethnic studies …all of those things have been on the right side of history…and good…even though they were opposed by administrations at the time.” The UCSD administration has campus police onsite to maintain safety and the continuity of campus operations. MGP KPBS News.
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Safe streets advocates are asking the San Diego City Council to fund safety improvements to the city’s 15 deadliest intersections.
Metro reporter Andrew Bowen says it’s one of several requests to modify Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposed budget.
AB: Katie Gordon spoke to the City Council on Wednesday. Her husband, Jason, was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in 2020. She says the intersection where it happened, Market and 19th in Sherman Heights, is just as dangerous today as it was on the night he was killed. KG: At the time, I had two twin girls that were a year old. I'm here to advocate for safer streets for them and others in our community. AB: Somehow the city has to close a budget deficit of about 172 million dollars. Later Wednesday, activists packed the council chambers to protest Mayor Gloria's proposal to defund programs that support vulnerable communities on the front lines of the climate crisis. Genevieve Jones-Wright is executive director of Community Advocates for Just and Moral Governance. GJW: Our city's Black, brown and low-income communities have suffered from chronic underfunding. A financial deficit does not diminish the need for equity. It intensifies it. AB: The City Council will continue hearings on the mayor's proposed budget through May 7. The mayor will propose a revised budget later this month, followed by a final council vote in June. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.
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As peak fire season approaches, emergency service agencies are coming together to prepare.
Reporter Melissa Mae takes us to Chula Vista to show us how simulations anticipate how wildfires could impact actual neighborhoods.
MM: Over 750 firefighters from across the region, along with the San Diego Sheriff’s Department and SDG and E are participating in three days of wildland preparedness exercises. MM: Actual fire is not used in all of the exercises, but Chula Vista Fire Captain Eric Martinez says real fire is used during what he calls tabletop sessions. EM “Be able to see the potential of what the fire could do and how directly our actions could impact positively or the mistakes could negatively impact it and it’s good to learn it in a very controlled, sterile environment, so we don’t make those mistakes out there in the field.” MM: The models simulate an actual Chula Vista neighborhood that is at high risk for fire, including topography, power lines and roads. Melissa Mae KPBS News.
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PASACAT Performing Arts company in National City retains Filipino traditions through music and dance.
Gloria Penner Fellow Elaine Alfaro says the organization is hosting a workshop today (Friday) to share ancestral storytelling and weaving traditions with the community.
The laughter of 2-year-old Idiyanale (ee-gen-nali) Padrigan, the clack of Evelinda Otong’s loom and the jingle of beads from Myrna Pula’s traditional attire represent three generations of the Filipino diaspora. Pula, who goes by Nanay, or mother, Myrna, is visiting National City to share her T’boli stories with Filipino Americans. These are the people who are capable of helping us to continue practicing our culture. Otong says weaving is passed through generations. My great grandmother, it was started with her, then my grandmother, mother then me. Idiynale’s father, PASACAT assistant artistic director Matthew Padrigan, says he first met these artists on a trip to the Philippines to explore his cultural identity “When this opportunity came to me, I thought about the process it took for me to meet these artists. It’s not easy, if you don’t have an inside man to connect you to the groups; it’s almost impossible.” Elaine Alfaro, KPBS News
TAG: The “Weaving Stories and Dreams” workshop is happening tonight (Friday) at 6 p-m.
To learn more about it, visit PASACAT Dot Org
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An original play about family, food and love is making its in-person debut at the Old Globe this weekend.
Reporter Jacob Aere says “Stir” is a story that takes us back to the universal experience of the pandemic, and the challenges and beauty that came from it.
The smells … sounds … and setting of Stir make it stand out amongst other plays. Joel Perez “Henry,” Stir “I think what's exciting is the kind of four dimensional experience where we're going to be cooking and you're going to smell the onions and the garlic and the peppers. And the audience I hope will feel a little hungry by the end of the show.” Written and principally acted by Melinda Lopez and Joel Perez … the play was a product of COVID-related shutdowns – and originally premiered in 2021 on the east coast. Melinda Lopez “Mariana,” Stir “We created a fictional universe where Henry and Mariana are cooking over Zoom to honor their mother. Mariana who has the recipe and Henry who wants to learn the recipe – and we made a Zoom play and then we thought this could work in person.” Now Stir gets a proper stage … for its world premiere … in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre at the Old Globe, says director Marcela Lorca . Marcela Lorca Stir Director “The play is really about family. And it's about family, grappling about the loss of a loved one.” The play focuses on two siblings – Henry and Mariana … who are separated by distance and circumstance, but meet to share their late mother’s favorite black bean recipe … as her ashes await a final resting place. Joel Perez “Henry,” Stir “Over the course of us cooking together live, you realize why Henry actually connected this plan – to do something a little impulsive…” Lopez says the play emphasizes a type of ritual … that keeps people grounded, together and makes our lives sacred. Melinda Lopez “Mariana,” Stir “We all know what it was like to experience family at a distance over Zoom when we couldn't get in the room, and the play tries to navigate that separation and longing for connection.” The play, set during the pandemic, recreates a sense of distance in a unique stage setup – that features a real working kitchen … Marcela Lorca Stir Director “We have a kitchen that has two counters. And these counters can rotate and move, so we create this illusion that this brother and sister are in separate spaces cooking, but they can also fluidly invade each other's space, if you will.” Perez says much of the plot is drawn from their experiences with mourning during the pandemic … and his own grandmother’s passing. Joel Perez “Henry,” Stir “She was the kind of cook who never followed a recipe. She just sort of was super intuitive but it always tasted the same. So there's always this – we've lost that. And it will never come back. And there's something so sad but also so special about how food can make us feel and it brings you right back to a memory.” The mother’s bean recipe starts as a simple project … but it leads to a surprising connection … as the siblings reminisce and reveal secrets of their own. While the play deals with the loss … it's still a comedy … that's meant to be funny and moving. Marcela Lorca Stir Director “It's that closeness between the siblings and the kind of language that they use, where they can laugh at things that are poignant and things that are hard. It's a very intimate play so I think that allows for a lot of humor to live.” Stir also focuses on latino identity in America … in roles that defy stereotypes. Yet its message is universal for people of all cultures – breaking bread with loved ones after a long time apart. Joel Perez “Henry,” Stir “Sure you're not Cuban, but I'm sure there's some sort of food that you remember fondly as a child that your parent, or your grandparent or loved one used to make.” Lorca hopes its message impacts the audience beyond the set. Marcela Lorca Stir Director “To reflect on their own family and their own loved ones and what's important in life – which is to share love, be kind to one another and to communicate honestly with one another.” As for the food – it's probably just for show … but the recipe is in the program for people who want to try and cook the beans themselves. Performances for the four-week play run May 4 through 26. For those interested in family, food, and healing, more information is available at OldGlobe.org. Jacob Aere, KPBS News.
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Also this weekend, is the Chicano Music Festival.
It begins at noon on Sunday at the Soap Factory Event Center in Logan Heights.
Organizers say they hope the festival will uplift, inspire and unite all generations through music and art.
Kids 12 and under are free..
For more information, go to chicano music fest dot com.
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That’s it for the podcast today. This podcast is produced by Emilyn Mohebbi and edited by Brooke Ruth. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. Join us again on Monday to start the week together with the day’s top stories. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great weekend.
