SANDAG CEO talks about plans to resign

Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Tuesday, August first.

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SANDAG’s C-E-O talks about plans to resign. More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….

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There’s a slight chance of rain and thunderstorms in the county today.

The National Weather Service says the weather is expected to be humid today, but cooler than recent temps we’ve been feeling.

Temperatures will be in the low 80s today, and are expected to cool down a little over the next couple of days.

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San Diego’s Fire-Rescue department will soon have more control over the city’s emergency medical services.

The city council voted unanimously yesterday, to allow the fire department to take over billing and dispatch responsibilities from ambulance contractor Falck.

Fire officials also plan to contract some ambulance hours to American Medical Response, to ensure response times are being met.

The fire department believes this new system will bring in around 6-million-dollars in extra revenue to reinvest back into the 9-1-1 system.

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Former N-F-L and S-D-S-U star punter Matt Araiza has filed a defamation suit against the young woman who accused him of rape.

The woman says it happened at a house party near the S-D-S-U campus in October 20-21… when she was 17 years old.

The D-A’s office declined to press criminal charges in December … citing a lack of evidence.

Araiza’s accuser sued him .. and four others in civil court last August for gang rape.

In his countersuit filed Friday … Araiza claims the woman initiated the sex and boasted about having sex with him to her friend.

In a statement … the woman’s attorney Dan Gilleon called the suit -QUOTE - one of the most egregious cases of victim bashing I’ve seen in a long time.

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The outgoing C-E-O of SANDAG spoke to KPBS yesterday.

“There is no secret that there is animosity between some board members and myself. And I felt maybe the next CEO, he or she will have a better time dealing with this board.”

More from that interview, coming up, just after the break.

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San Diego County's top transportation official is stepping down at the end of the year.

Hasan Ikhrata was hired as C-E-O of SANDAG, the county's transportation planning agency, in 20-18.

He is the most progressive leader the agency has ever seen, pushing for more spending on public transit and less on freeways.

Metro reporter Andrew Bowen spoke with Ikhrata about his decision to leave.

HASAN (ab)                3:55             last words: "I didn't think both worlds is good for San Diego."

TAG: That was SANDAG C-E-O Hasan Ikhrata, speaking with KPBS metro reporter Andrew Bowen.

After Ikhrata officially resigns on December 29th, he plans to move back to L-A and teach university classes in engineering and urban policy.

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Enforcement of San Diego's recently passed Unsafe Camping Ordinance is now in effect.

Reporter Jacob Aere says it prohibits tent encampments in many places throughout the city.

Spread across the city there are some new signs that let people know … there's no more unsafe camping allowed in certain areas – like parks, canyons and near schools, transit stations and homeless shelters. Homeless advocate Michael McConnell says people living on the streets are going to be negatively impacted by the unsafe camping ordinance, due to a lack of shelter beds. “It's going to do the same thing as the other existing laws do – it's just going to move people from one place to another.” The ordinance bans tent camping in all public spaces throughout the city if shelter beds are available. Enforcement will be conducted by San Diego police officers and includes a progressive approach – from warnings to citations and if needed, arrests. Jacob Aere, KPBS News.

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A San Diego researcher finds lowering food prices as a product nears the expiration date could significantly reduce organic food waste.

Environment reporter Erik Anderson has details.

California’s push to turn organic food waste into compost is squarely aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions coming from landfills. And a new U-C San Diego study by Robert Sanders suggests grocery stores and restaurants can do more to reduce waste. Robert Sanders Assistant professor of marketing at UCSD “If you walk into any grocery retailer in the U-S, most of the perishables are going to have the exact same price, the moment they got there to the moment they expire and and end up in landfills and that’s a problem.” Sanders says drop the price as the expiration date nears and stores boost chances of making a sale.  Retailers could also boost profits by selling more items instead of throwing them away.  California’s organic waste law requires retailers to segregate organic waste to compost it and steer edible food to food banks. Erik Anderson KPBS News.

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Coming up.... The Fleet Science Center has a new program to reach families in underserved communities. We’ll have that story and more, just after the break.

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The Fleet Science Center is starting a new program to reach families in underserved neighborhoods called “Community Mornings.”

Education reporter M.G. Perez explains how.

Children from San Ysidro were the first to experience a new community morning, Saturday at the Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park. For the rest of the year, the Fleet Center will pick specific Saturday mornings to invite families from specific neighborhoods that are traditionally underserved. There is free round trip transportation …early admission before the center opens to the public…and access to all the exhibits and resources. iIsabella Pacheco is a junior at San Ysidro High School. She has big career plans in science.“I can help animals feel better being a veterinarian…but I also like to think about how I can help the environment.” The next Saturday Community morning event is for children from National City August 26th. MGP KPBS News. 

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Russian literature can be intimidating.

Its dense volumes are filled with lots of suffering.

But this summer, The Old Globe Theatre commissioned “Crime and Punishment: A Comedy.”

To find out how this classic tale of murder and morality became a 90-minute romp, arts reporter Beth Accomando spoke with playwrights Gordon Greenberg and Steve Rosen.

TAG: That was playwrights Steve Rosen and Gordon Greenberg, speaking with arts reporter Beth Accomando.

“Crime and Punishment: A Comedy” runs through August 20th at The Old Globe’s Theater in the round.

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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. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great Tuesday.