San Diego to Orange County rail project gets major money boost
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Friday, October 25th.
The state is funding a fix on the rail line between San Diego and Orange county
More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
Unions representing 7-thousand CVS workers in Southern California reached a tentative contract with the corporation.
That includes more than 900 CVS workers in San Diego County.
The bargaining committee said it’s been fighting for a fair contract for five months. The unions say the tentative agreement includes better wages, ways to prevent understaffing and affordable health care plans.
In a statement, CVS said it’s pleased with the agreement and hopes it’s finalized soon.
There’s a new website to help San Diego renters navigate a tough housing market.
The website by Housing Justice Collaborative has resources like information on renters’ rights, where to find free legal help and a tool that drafts legal notices to landlords.
Go to housing justice collaborative dot org to access the resources.
The Housing Justice Collaborative is a program by the Legal Aid Society of San Diego. Its goal is to give tenants information online and through in-person workshops.
The Sheriff’s office is adding 60 automated license plate readers in unincorporated parts of the county, including Alpine, Borrego Springs, Campo and Fallbrook.
The new cameras could be operational by the end of the year.
Automated license plate readers take images of car license plates and compare them with police databases. Law enforcement officials say they help them solve crimes.
This kind of surveillance has previously drawn scrutiny from advocates over privacy concerns.
From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
SHIFTING SOIL HAS PLAGUED THE COASTAL RAIL LINE BETWEEN SAN DIEGO AND ORANGE COUNTY FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS, CAUSING SHUTDOWNS THAT HAVE LASTED FOR MONTHS AT A TIME.
NORTH COUNTY REPORTER TANIA THORNE SAYS THE STATE AWARDED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS YESTERDAY TO HELP FIX THE PROBLEMS.
California’s state transportation agency awarded 125-million dollars in state funding to the Orange County Transportation Agency. The money will secure a 7 mile section of the rail line near San Clemente for the next 20 years. The project that was funded shores up the track that's in place. So what it does is it continues to support where the track is right now. And we need that for the short term as we figure out what's going to happen for the long term. State Senator Catherine Blakespear says San Clemente is similar to Del Mar… where the rail line will at some point need to be relocated. But it will be much less expensive for us to make those long term improvements and get going on that than it will to to continue to fight nature, The state is also awarding $38 million dollars to North County Transit District…. To double-track the century old San Luis Rey River bridge in Oceanside and continue the bluff stabilization in Del Mar. Tania Thorne KPBS News
EL CAJON IS HOME TO ONE OF THE LARGEST COMMUNITIES OF IRAQI REFUGEES IN THE UNITED STATES.
REPORTER KATIE HYSON SAYS A NEW DOCUMENTARY LOOKS AT THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE GOVERNMENT UNDERCOUNTING THEM.
The U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003 promising democracy. Those who fled to El Cajon are questioning whether they can find democracy here. So here we have freedom of expression, but my voice will not go out of the door. That’s Dilkhwaz Ahmed. The documentary “Baghdad, California” follows her efforts to get her fellow Iraqis counted by the U.S. census. A lot’s at stake, she tells one mosque. If we don’t prove our real percentage in El Cajon, she says, they will not provide us any services. Or political representation. The documentary says El Cajon’s city council has never included a woman of color. Ahmed was trying to change that. But COVID interrupted the 2020 census. Reports say minorities were even more undercounted than they were in 2010. The city council said El Cajon’s demographics didn’t change enough. It kept its old political map. Co-director Diego Lynch says the documentary is just as relevant this November. It's about the system of American democracy and the challenges we all face to, you know, have our voices matter. The New Americans Museum will screen Baghdad, California this Saturday at 11 a.m. Katie Hyson, KPBS News
LAST WEEK THE PENTAGON ANNOUNCED IT WAS UPGRADING DISCHARGE CODES FOR PEOPLE FORCED OUT OF THE MILITARY UNDER DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL.
MILITARY AND VETERANS REPORTER ANDREW DYER SPOKE TO ONE VETERAN WHO SAYS THE PENTAGON STILL HASN’T DONE ENOUGH.
“DOESN’T EVEN BEGIN TO ADDRESS PEOPLE LIKE ME WHO WERE DISCHARGED PRIOR TO THE INITIATION OF DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL.” MELLISSA JOHNSON IS AN EMPLOYMENT LAWYER IN SAN DIEGO. BUT BACK IN THE EARLY 1980S, SHE WAS ENLISTED IN THE AIR FORCE AND FORCED OUT DUE TO HER SEXUALITY. SHE’S AMONG TENS OF THOUSANDS OF VETERANS LEFT OUT OF THE PENTAGON’S RECENT MOVE TO UPGRADE DISCHARGE CODES. SHE SAYS LGBTQ VETERANS DISCRIMINATED AGAINST BY THE MILITARY BEFORE DON’T ASK DON’T TELL BECAME POLICY IN 1993 ARE THE ONES WHO NEED RELIEF MOST. IF YOU'VE GOT A DISHONORABLE DISCHARGE ON YOUR RECORD, YOU WILL NEVER BE HIRED FOR FEDERAL SERVICE. YOU'D NEVER BE ABLE TO BE A FEDERAL EMPLOYEE. YOU WEREN'T ELIGIBLE TO REENTER THE SERVICE. YOU WEREN'T ELIGIBLE FOR VETERANS BENEFITS. YOU WEREN'T ELIGIBLE FOR HOME LOANS OR EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS. NOTHING. YOU GOT NONE OF THAT. A FEDERAL LAWSUIT WAS FILED AGAINST THE PENTAGON LAST YEAR BY A GROUP OF AFFECTED VETERANS. THEY WANT THE MILITARY TO FIX THE DISCHARGES OF EVERYONE WHO SUFFERED FROM ITS DISCRIMINATORY BAN. ANDREW DYER, KPBS NEWS
IT’S BEEN NEARLY FIFTY YEARS SINCE THE CITY AND COUNTY BOUGHT COWLES [“kohls”] MOUNTAIN. IT’S BECOME PART OF MANY SAN DIEGANS’ EXERCISE ROUTINES.
REPORTER KATIE ANASTAS SAYS A HIKE-A-THON IS UNDERWAY TO RAISE MONEY FOR MISSION TRAILS PARK MAINTENANCE.
I have a fun saying that says a good way to change your attitude is to change the altitude. It’s the second time in a week that Shanara Lennox has come to Cowles [kohls] Mountain to hike. She calls it an easy-hard hike: short but steep. You know, there's plenty of spots along the walk to stop. And so it really makes it low pressure if you want to take your time. Or you can put on a Camel backpack and some weights, and you can run up to the top and run down two times and it's a great workout. Lots of San Diegans agree with her. More than 800,000 people hike it each year. The mountain is named after George Cowles, a rancher who moved to San Diego in 1877. Fast forward 100 years, and private development was creeping closer. Jennifer Morrissey is the executive director of the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation. On December 31st, 1974, the county purchased Cowles mountain for $2.2 million to prevent it from development. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of that purchase, the Foundation is putting on a hike-a-thon until January 15. The goal is to raise $100,000 for trail maintenance, habitat restoration and youth programs throughout the park. Katie Anastas, KPBS News.
A NEW ART INSTALLATION AT UC SAN DIEGO INVITES VISITORS TO PICK UP A PAINTBRUSH — AND BREATHE. THE PROJECT, CALLED "BREATHE WITH ME," USES ART TO PROMOTE MENTAL HEALTH AND CONNECT COMMUNITIES.
DANISH ARTIST JEPPE HEIN DEVELOPED THIS MINDFULNESS PAINTING PRACTICE AFTER A PANIC ATTACK.
It's definitely an art project that started because I couldn't breathe myself, and I practiced a lot of breathing exercises, inventing these small lines. And then, to see, to give it to someone else and have people participating — for me, I think art is about opening up people's hearts and creating a moment of being aware.
PARTICIPANTS CAN ADD THEIR OWN BREATH LINES TO THE ARTWORK AT UCSD'S EPSTEIN FAMILY AMPHITHEATER FROM THURSDAY TO SATURDAY.
San Diego car wash chain Soapy Joe’s has a unique campaign to help pets this Halloween season.
Pet owners have submitted photos of their pets in costume to Soapy Joe’s and the company has posted them on their website.
Now, here’s where you get involved -
Vote on your favorite costumed pet and the company will donate a dollar for every vote to the Helen Woodward Animal Center.
The nonprofit provides care and adoption for pets without a home.
At the very least, check out the photos - there’s a guinea pig dressed as a baked potato and a pig dressed as Superman!
That’s it for the podcast today. This podcast is produced by Emilyn Mohebbi and edited by Brooke Ruth. We had help from producer Lara McCaffrey 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.
