SD County has a shortage of homes for low-income renters
Good Morning, I’m Emilyn Mohebbi, in for Debbie Cruz….it’s Friday, May 10th.
>>>>
A new report says the county has a shortage of more than 134-thousand homes for low-income renters.
More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
######
The California Public Utilities Commission yesterday (Thursday) approved a new monthly flat fee, in exchange for reduced electricity prices.
Under the new “fixed charges” policy, low-income households who already qualify for discounted electric rates will pay a flat rate of up to 12-dollars per month, and everyone else will pay 24-dollars per month.
The fee is in addition to the electricity usage cost, which utilities will be required to reduce by anywhere from 8-percent to 18-percent.
The new concept was introduced to help make up for lost utility revenue.
SD-G-and-E customers will start to see the fee on their bills starting late next year (2025).
########
The Oceanside Pier is re-opening to the public today (Friday), a little more than two weeks after a fire closed it down.
Firefighters managed to stop the fire from spreading and the majority of the pier was saved.
Oceanside Mayor Esther Sanchez says engineers have determined the Pier is safe enough for a partial re-opening.
“You're gonna be able to walk on 75% of the Pier and we're very very excited about it. It's very safe where they've put a gate… Its beyond the bait shop, the bathrooms, and the lifeguard station.”
A full investigation of the fire will take a couple more weeks.
Foul play has been ruled out, and Sanchez says the city expects insurance will cover the majority of the rebuilding.
########
It’s going to be a sunshine-y weekend ahead.
Today’s weather will feel slightly warmer than what we’ve been experiencing all week, and tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday’s weather will heat up a couple degrees more.
Today’s temperatures in the inland areas will be in the mid 70s, by the coast and in the mountains it will be in the mid 60s, and in the deserts, it’ll be the hottest, with temps in the mid 90s.
#########
From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
##########
There are more than 134-thousand low-income renter households in San Diego County who do not have access to an affordable home.
That's according to a new report from the California Housing Partnership.
Reporter Melissa Mae explains why these findings are important as both local and state budgets are being determined.
MM: The California Housing Partnership’s annual Affordable Housing Needs Report says renters need to earn nearly three times the city of san diego’s minimum wage or $47.67 an hour to afford the average rent… MM: San Diego Housing Federation President and CEO Stephen Russell says Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposed budget cuts to the city’s housing commission could make the problem worse. SR “It could mean that services would be denied to folks who are currently relying on rental subsidies. So, I would say you’d see a direct increase in homelessness as a result of some of these cuts and you would see a lowering production, almost immediately, new projects would not move forward.” MM: The San Diego city council could see a revised budget as soon as next week. Melissa Mae KPBS News.
##########
An estimated 85-hundred DACA recipients live in the county.
Starting November first, they can apply for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
Health reporter Heidi De Marco tells us that some advocates question how many will actually enroll.
Nedy Velazquez was brought to the United States from Mexico by her parents when she was 7 years old. A childhood spleen surgery weakened her immune system. That fueled her fear of being uninsured most of her life - especially during the pandemic. NEDY VELAZQUEZ It was a really scary time, cause I yeah, I didn't have access to health care. And I thought, if I get Covid, I can't pay for emergency visits to the ER….like I can’t. Velazquez is a DACA recipient. She says a new rule announced by the White House on Friday expanding the Affordable Care Act to include DACA recipients is long overdue. NEDY VELAZQUEZ I know that a lot of people are gonna feel so much relief. A recent survey by the National Immigration Law Center says 27% report being uninsured. Although an estimated 100,000 uninsured DACA recipients are expected to enroll, Velazquez is among advocates who think they may hesitate to apply out of fear. NEDY VELAZQUEZ We're worried that that would impact the potential for us to be able to apply for citizenship when that time comes is like you try not to to get any sort of help, because that might reflect negatively on your application. Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.
##########
Starting July first, the San Diego County Office of Education will be led by its first woman superintendent.
Education reporter M.G. Perez tells us who she is, and more about the historic hiring.
Dr. Gloria Ciriza started as a substitute teacher in National City, later became a credentialed teacher, and advanced to vice principal in the Poway District. Since March 20-21, she’s served as the County’s Assistant Superintendent of Student Services and Programs…supporting services from special education to juvenile court, and health and wellness programs. This week the County Board of Education unanimously approved her promotion to Superintendent. Ciriza will focus on growing the community school model…using state money to bring more outside companies and nonprofits on campus.“there is a school building in every single neighborhood and so how can we rally around those school buildings to make sure students and families in those neighborhoods have access to all of the resources available to them.” She has a three-year contract with a base salary of just over 370-thousand dollars a year as Superintendent. MGP KPBS News.
##########
Sunday is Mother’s Day, so it’s a sure thing a lot of moms will be receiving flowers.
But you don’t really need a special occasion to give flowers.
Sometimes, they’re just what someone needs to brighten their day.
Reporter John Carroll introduces us to a group of women in Point Loma that bring a lot of brightness into a lot of lives every week with flowers.
They call themselves the “Petal Pushers.”
Cut flowers… nature’s palette of colors… a graceful, lovely way to bring the beauty of the outdoors - inside.“We make them for the schools, for the teachers, we make them for senior citizens homes and we make them for Meals on Wheels.” That’s Kay Phillips… the “we” she’s talking about are a group that calls itself the Petal Pushers… Phillips calls herself the group’s coordinator. Kay Phillips Petal Pushers Coordinator “I think we have about 15 to 7 peddlers as I call them and we meet each Tuesday.” Before the bouquet building can begin, a couple of the peddlers gather the building blocks… the flowers. That happens in a loading dock behind the Trader Joe’s store at Liberty Station. “They come every Tuesday and we have those items ready for them to pick up in the morning.” Jeff Beucler is the general manager of the store… in Trader Joe’s speak, he’s called the captain. His team sorts out the flowers that are past their “sell by” date - but that still have plenty of life left in them. Jeff Beucler Liberty Station Trader Joe’s Captain “We try to keep them so that they’re not damaged, you know, we keep them outside and we keep them fresh and they pick them up and then I guess they take them and do their thing and make bouquets for a bunch of other people.” That process happens a short drive from Liberty Station… Inside the parish hall of All Souls’ Episcopal Church in Point Loma. “You can use your own creativity because we don’t have any rules, so you can use your own creativity and people sometimes come in a little hesitant, ‘oh, I don’t know how to arrange flowers’ and I say, you don’t need to know how to arrange flowers, you know, you’ll pick it up.” The flowers are spread out across tables… the peddlers looking over the palette - selecting just the right combination of blooms to be re-birthed into a new bouquet… a floral re-freshening. “I have a couple of people here today that were really hesitant and they’re just, they’re pros… ‘they blossomed?’ They did, very good John, they blossomed. They were planted and they blossomed…” The floral fashioning takes a couple of hours. Then all this work moves into the final phase, the payoff for the peddlers. On this day, it’s the Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center in downtown San Diego. Their motto is ‘serving seniors’ and on this day you could add - melting hearts. All the smiling faces… the unbounded joy here? Turns out that’s a 2-way street. Once again, Kay Phillips. “I’d just like people to know that we’re very grateful to have this opportunity to serve the community, extremely grateful and I think all of us get more than we give.” From donated flowers, to the volunteer spirit of people that care about their community… to the spreading of hand-delivered happiness… the weekly circle of joy - complete. JC, KPBS News.
##########
Mexican Mother’s Day is today (Friday), and Mother’s Day in the U-S is on Sunday.
We’ve put together some well wishes from the KPBS newsroom to share with you in celebration of all the mom’s and caregivers out there.
Here’s KPBS Penner Fellow, Lainie Alfaro.
“My favorite thing about my mom is her thoughtfulness and intentionality and her great love for my family and ice cream. Two things we have in common.”
“Hi, my name is Alyssa Overheim and I am a newsroom student assistant here at KPBS. In honor of Mother's Day, I want to thank my mom for everything she has done and given up for me and my family. Not only is my mom the most selfless, compassionate and generous person I know, but she is also my best friend, my biggest cheerleader and the role model of my life.”
“Hi, my name is Alina Ajaz and I’m a student assistant at KPBS. My favorite thing about my mom is her commitment to her kids and how hardworking she is. She never fails to inspire me everyday and she always lights up any room she walks into.”
“I’m KPBS reporter/anchor John Carroll. I’m the oldest of three boys, so you know right there my mom has been through a lot. A couple of years ago we lost my beloved father, he was her first and only love. They’d been together for 64 years. Even with that loss, she has continued to be the rock of our family. She has always been there for all of us and we know she always will be. That’s something this son never takes for granted. Happy Mother’s Day, mom. We love you.”
“I’m M.G. Perez, KPBS Education reporter. And I want to honor my mom, Emma Perez, and even though mom is 1,300 miles away back home in Houston, she is always in my heart and we are always on the phone talking and laughing. What I appreciate most about her is that she gave me her compassion and also her creativity. I’m very creative thanks to mom, but she is the queen. So when you honor me, you honor her. Happy Mother’s Day. Mom, I love you.”
EMILYN: Hearing those messages makes me want to also wish my mom a Happy Mother’s Day, and to thank her for being the rock of our family and our comfort zone. She is resilient, kind-hearted and always puts us first. I’m grateful for everything she has taught me, and look forward to a very special year ahead. I’m getting married next spring, and I can’t wait to do all the wedding things with her.
Now, let’s hear from some of the mothers in our newsroom about what being a mother means to them.
“I’m Julia Dixon Evans. I’m the KPBS arts calender editor and producer. And my favorite thing about being a mother is also the hardest thing to be mindful of and that’s all the work that I’m doing to raise my kids well. The pay off is that they take off into the world on their own and spread their wings. And as my kids are getting older, they’re both teenagers now, I genuinely love spending time with them as peers, and soon they’ll be moving on. It’s this fulfilling and heartbreaking thing both at the same time.”
“My name is Natalie and I feel like I didn't truly appreciate or understand everything that my mom went through for me growing up until I had kids myself. So this Mother’s Day I am thinking about her and extremely appreciative of everything she’s taught me. How to be a good partner, a good parent and a friend and I love watching my kids grow up and she gets to be in their life everyday as well and it really just warms my heart to see that special bond that I have between my mom and she now has with my kids.”
“My name is Tania Thorne, and I cover North County for KPBS. And what I love about Mother's Day is that we get to celebrate twice kind of. We have Mexican Mother’s on May 10th, which is super special and then we have Mother’s Day in America, which I believe is the second Sunday in May. But for us in the Hispanic, Latino culture, we celebrate May 10th. It’s just one of those really really special days. And I feel very very lucky that I still get to celebrate my mom. She actually takes care of my kids, and is my primary child care provider and I love her for that. I love to see the bond that my kids have with her and the love they have for her and it means so much to me to be able to have that and experience it.”
EMILYN: I love that, Tania.
Lastly, our very own San Diego News Now podcast host Debbie Cruz has a message too. Debbie has been feeling under the weather the past few days. But sick or not, she still wants to show her gratitude for her mom.
“I've always done my best to make mom's Mother's Day as special as possible. But she now has late stage dementia. She needs constant care and remembers very little. So celebrating her these days is more about special moments not special days. She lives in Southeast Arizona and when I was there a couple weeks ago, I tried to make every moment count. I showed her family pictures, pictures of her when she was young. She seemed to recognize some. I also reassured her that, after decades of taking care of everybody, all of us, it was our turn to take care of her. I asked her ‘it’s only fair right’ she nodded and cried and then I cried. She seemed relieved when I told her that. I gave her a manicure and painted her nails with a more obvious color than usual so when she would look at her hands, hopefully the color would grab her attention, and maybe on some level it would remind her of our time together. Happy Mother’s Day, mom. I love you.”
TAG: Your message made me tear up, Debbie. I want to wish you a happy Mother’s day, as well as all the mothers and caregivers out there.
##########
That’s it for the podcast today. I produced this podcast with the help of my editors Brooke Ruth and Nic McVicker. We’d also like to thank KPBS editor Joe Guerin for helping the podcast team this week. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. Join us again on Monday to start the new week together with the day’s top stories. I’m Emilyn Mohebbi. Thanks for listening and have a great weekend.
