Sheriff, Board of Supervisors at odds over cooperation with ICE
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Wednesday, December 18th.
The Sheriff and County board of supervisors are at odds over immigration enforcement. More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
If you see a parking ticket on your windshield, make sure to take a close look.
The San Diego Police Department says someone is planting fake parking tickets.
They look like regular parking violations but ask for a donation to various organizations, instead of a fine.
Some of the organizations listed are the San Diego Police Foundation and the California Transportation Foundation.
The police recommend contacting their department if you receive a fake ticket.
It’ll be a busy holiday season at San Diego International Airport.
Airport officials expect up to 1.3 million people arriving between tomorrow (Thursday) and January 5th.
The busiest days will likely be Friday through Monday before Christmas and then Thursday through Sunday after the holiday.
It’s estimated that this year there will be four to five percent more travelers than the same time last year.
Santa Ana winds will be at their strongest this morning (Wednesday) in the county’s valleys and mountains.
The National Weather Service warns that gusts could reach more than 40 miles per hour through and below passes and canyons. The winds will start to weaken tomorrow (Thursday).
From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
SAN DIEGO COUNTY SHERIFF KELLY MARTINEZ SAYS SHE WILL NOT BE FOLLOWING A NEW POLICY FROM THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS THAT LIMITS HER COOPERATION WITH IMMIGRATION AUTHORITIES.
REPORTER KATIE HYSON LOOKED INTO WHAT’S NEXT.
State law allows the sheriff’s department to help U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in certain ways. Even without a judicial warrant. Sheriff Kelly Martinez declined an interview but sent a written statement. She says she has authority over the jails. Not the board. And they’ll keep doing what they’ve been doing. A local immigration attorney says that violates state law. The sheriff has the discretion to cooperate with local law enforcement if, only if, it doesn't violate any state policy or local policy. Ian Seruelo chairs the Immigrant Rights Consortium. He says they’ve notified the state Attorney General of the sheriff’s refusal. Martinez says they coordinate with ICE for public safety. They let ICE interview consenting people in their custody with certain convictions. And notify ICE of upcoming release dates. If they are able to show a warrant signed by a judge, that's not the problem. Seruelo says they’re ready to support a lawsuit if necessary. Board Chair Nora Vargas declined an interview. Katie Hyson, KPBS News
Can our immune systems defeat cancer? Maybe so, if they have the right diet. Sci-tech reporter Thomas Fudge tells us that T cells that consume acetate can kill more cancer cells.
Imagine your immune system could fight off cancer just like it fights off a cold or a flu. Some scientists are working hard to find ways to shift the immune system into a higher gear to stop cancer, using those little pathogen killers called T-cells.
Sue Kaech is a biology professor at the Salk Institute. She says you can make T-cells stronger so they aren’t suppressed in the harsh environment of a cancer tumor. And you can do this by getting the cells to consume acetate instead of other nutrients. “So the key finding of this research is we actually found that the way our genes are turned on or off is dependent on which nutrient the cells are consuming.” Researchers found you can get T-cells to prefer acetate as a nutrient by making sure they had plenty of an enzyme called ACSS2. This was proven in experiments with mice, whose Tcells got much better at killing cancer cells. Thomas Fudge, KPBS News.
SAN DIEGO IS FORECASTING A BUDGET DEFICIT NEXT YEAR OF MORE THAN A QUARTER BILLION DOLLARS.
METRO REPORTER ANDREW BOWEN SAYS WITH SERVICE CUTS LOOMING, CITY OFFICIALS ARE LOOKING AT PARKING METERS TO HELP SOFTEN THE BLOW.
After voters narrowly rejected Measure E, a sales tax hike to fund the city government, San Diego is being forced to confront reality. The services the city provides cost more than the revenue it takes in. In an effort to show he's tightening the belt, Mayor Todd Gloria announced a hiring freeze this month. But only for so-called "nonessential" city staff. "Are you freezing the hiring of parking enforcement officers? Those positions generate $250,000. Thirty percent of them are vacant today — something we've been complaining about for years." That's Michael Zucchet, head of the city's largest employee union, speaking to the city council budget committee last week. He pointed out the hourly rate on city parking meters — $1.25 an hour — is a tiny fraction of what private lots charge their customers. Mayor Gloria says he's open to adjusting those rates. "If we can take those revenues and invest them into our transportation department in those neighborhoods that do have meters so we're doing more road repair, more light repairs, etc. that would be one way to offset or mitigate potential reductions to necessary neighborhood service levels. And that would be something I would be extremely interested in." Parking meters are not a panacea for the city's budget woes. Even with the most aggressive pricing scheme, the city will still have to cut services to balance its budget. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.
FEW CONVERSATIONS HAVE MORE LANDMINES THAN POLITICAL DISCUSSIONS WITH LOVED ONES WHO HOLD OPPOSING VIEWS. I SPOKE WITH PUBLIC MATTERS REPORTER AMITA SHARMA ABOUT HOW SOME SAN DIEGANS ARE NAVIGATING THESE POLARIZING TALKS, AS THE HOLIDAYS APPROACH.
Amita, you’ve covered fractured relationships over President-elect Donald Trump as his first term in office ended four years ago. Now that he’s about to start his second term, how are people’s bonds with loved ones faring? You know Debbie, in the last eight years, rifts so deep over politics have formed that marriages and friendships have ended, siblings have stopped talking to each other and parents and children have become estranged. People have questioned whether they still have a shared sense of humanity and fairness with their loved ones. And they believe that disagreements over issues like abortion, climate change, guns, immigration and healthcare…CROSS moral lines. And so when they differ with the people closest to them, they feel betrayed. But at the same time Debbie, this time around I feel like at least the handful of people I’ve spoken with are managing better. Take Noli Zosa. He says he’s sometimes felt caught in the middle between his mother and cousin who don’t support Trump and a sister who does. He says he has learned to read when to discuss politics and when to hold back, especially with Democratic friends. “It's about navigating and, and knowing people's personalities and if people can, discuss these things rationally or, or whether it's a trigger and it just will just ruin a meeting or a nice dinner. I’m sure that happens in a lot of families.” You’ve been following a local voter who had very much wanted a different outcome in last month’s election. How is he navigating his friendships? That’s right. Allan Hoving canvassed for Harris in the weeks leading up to the election. He says he didn’t want to dwell in anger as some of his friends have. So he actually congratulated a friend from high school who supported Trump and that friend was touched by the words, maybe was even disarmed and then expressed his worry about whether the country could now unify. And now Hoving says he’s on a mission to find common ground with people who hold opposing views, to build consensus. Allan Hoving/Local Voter: “ So now I'm trying to find what what are those places and spaces where people are actively coming together to try to solve the common problems.” Q. There are still a lot of residual feelings from the presidential election. So should people simply avoid talking about politics over the holidays? Conventional wisdom has long said yes. But I spoke with Daniel Post Senning. He is an author and etiquette expert with The Emily Post Institute. . He believes people should talk about politics…BUT be extremely aware and accountable about HOW they do it. Daniel Post Senning/The Emily Post Institute: You can acknowledge that it's a difficult topic of conversation. 8:18: You can test the waters a little bit, you can put out some feelers, maybe share some opinions or open the door to the conversation, but don't just barge through with, with all your lights flashing right off the bat.” Q. Amita, people living in social silos and media silos, makes these conversations even more challenging, right? Yes, this reality has likely contributed to how fraught these discussions are. But I think the biggest source of dissension is that people are operating from different values. I spoke with UC San Diego sociologist Kevin Lewis. Here’s what he said. Kevin Lewis/UC San Diego Sociologist: This is another reason these, these conversations are even more challenging than in the past. Both sides just have a hard time really even conceiving of an alternative viable perspective. The key point that emerged is…how crucial it is to understand where everyone is coming from and to hold a space for people to discuss their views. If we all don’t do this, it will be extraordinarily difficult to move forward and rebuild some of the unity that’s been lost in this country. Amita, thank you. Thank you.
A LONGSTANDING NONPROFIT ART SPACE IN OCEANSIDE FACES EVICTION AND CLOSURE. ARTS REPORTER JULIA DIXON EVANS TAKES A LOOK AT THE GALLERY'S FINAL EXHIBIT.
The day after the Oceanside pier fire, artist Marisa DeLuca collected fistfuls of charred wood from the beach — a charcoal she could mix with paint. "My work has always been kind of a love letter to Oceanside and to the ancestors of Oceanside. And when that fire happened, it really kind of put kind of an exclamation point on the rapid change in the region." DeLuca's painting — made with the pier’s remnants — is now on view at The Hill Street Country Club, a nonprofit art and community space in Oceanside, founded in 2012. The building’s landlord put it on the market several months ago. Once the sale enters escrow, the gallery will close. It's a situation emblematic of broader changes in Oceanside, says co-founder Dinah Poellnitz. "Everything's just very uncertain, you know. It's the coast, it's by the beach. We're one of the last coastal cities in California to actually pull off gentrification finally." Despite Oceanside's designation as a California Cultural District, there’s little infrastructure to support cultural organizations facing displacement. John Arroyo, a UC San Diego professor of urban studies, says cities must do more to preserve spaces like Hill Street. "Could there be an emergency fund to help make a down payment on another property? Could the state, the city, the county evaluate other county-owned properties that are not being used?" Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS news
As 2024 comes to a close , KPBS is looking back on things that made our year.
We put together a curated guide of the best movies, TV shows, performances, songs and more.
My personal favorite song of 2024 was “Apple” by Charli X-C-X. It’s so fun to dance to.
Go to KPBS dot org to find all of our staff picks and share yours.
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 day.
