Tips for fire preparedness
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Monday, October 10th.
We will give you some expert advice on how to be prepared for the fire season. More on that next. But first... let’s do the headlines….
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Voting for the November election has begun in San Diego County.
Ballots started going out Friday.
San Diego Registrar of Voters Cynthis Paes says since the county began mail-in voting in November of 2020, more than 80-percent of voters here now cast their ballot by mail.
When you receive your ballot, you’ll receive instructions on how to fill it out, and a mapping tool to help you find the nearest vote center or drop box.
For more information on voting, visit S-D-VOTE-dot-com, or you can go to our website, KPBS-dot-org.
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Amid record migrant arrivals at the southern border, two shelters in San Diego have reached capacity.
Migrants who have been processed and released from federal immigration custody can normally stay in one of San Diego’s two major migrant shelters temporarily.
But the recent rise in migrants arriving to the U-S includes some who don’t have sponsors… who can house them while they await the outcome of their immigration cases.
And that’s putting a strain on resources.
Most migrants stay in a San Diego shelter less than 72 hours before reuniting with sponsors.
Some migrants without a sponsor have already moved into local homeless shelters or are living on the streets.
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San Diego County public health officials are encouraging residents to schedule vaccination appointments for covid-19 and the flu as the holidays and indoor gatherings approach.
The County Health and Human Services Agency reminds San Diegans that it's safe to get both vaccines during the same visit.
The C-D-C recommends everyone six months and older get vaccinated against both viruses.
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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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OCTOBER IS FIRE PREVENTION MONTH… A CRITICAL TIME FOR FIRE DANGER AND PREPAREDNESS.
KPBS REPORTER KITTY ALVARADO TALKED WITH CAL FIRE ABOUT WHAT THEY’RE FACING IN FIRE-PRONE AREAS OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY… AND WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW TO STAY SAFE.
October is the start of the toughest season for fighting fires…. With drought conditions, peak Santa Ana winds… And the curve ball of climate change, it takes a tough job goes to a whole new level. The need for response when these fires are getting so explosive so quickly we’re ordering everything we can right off the bat and throwing the world at these fires to try to keep them small That’s Capt Thomas Shoots, the public information officer for the Cal Fire San Diego County Fire Department. we know that the potential for them to explode and and become these mega fires, these fires these fires that are 100 thousand plus acres, …that’s what we don’t want He says stopping a fire from getting that big is not just critical to saving lives and property. The size of fire determines how quickly a community recovers They’re burning so hot that they’re really destroying the environment, a lot of times they’re essentially moonscaping these areas and taking all the nutrients out of the soil they’re not good for the long term of the survivability of these areas …Cuyamaca is perfect example of that the fire moved through that area in 2003 and really that area hasn’t come back since it’s gonna be a probably another hundred years before we see the forest look like it did pre tree 2003 So what they do year round is work with homeowners… to mitigate fire danger… and keep fires as small as possible. And that is not easy. They have to maintain about half of the county or about 1.5 million acres… and a large portion of the east county is rural backcountry, prone to fire danger. We’re out here in the community of crest this is one of the project areas that we had …. It had big potentially in this community to have a fire potentially start in the community and make its way out or to have a fire coming through and really impacting this community and so our focus became to create this buffer going along the edge of this community to really try and stop any kind of fire working its way in In order to keep fires under control,firefighters must know where their resources are at all times and stage them accordingly. and they have plenty but Shoots says historically when there is critical fire weather, multiple fires break out in many areas of the state and resources are stretched thin … our neighbors to the north which usually send resources send down to us aren’t going to be able to do so and that’s when it becomes really critical for folks to get out of harm's way as quickly as possible and to help us prepare for events like that so that they’ve done their part so that we can go in there with the resources that we do have Evacuations are daunting in some areas during normal conditions… we’ve seen from the studies that it would take 11 hours to evacuate 80 percent of ramona 11 hours is something that we’re not going to have when the fire is blowing through but right now when the moisture level is at critical lows, it’s vital to heed warnings early… The brush and the grass are ready to burn. That's why this time of year is so critical and why it’s so important for folks throughout San Diego County but especially our folks living out in the backcountry that they’re prepared and ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice. Shoots warns now is no longer the time to use mechanized equipment late in the day… because one spark will start a fire. And he says its important during this month of preparedness to take the time to get your family and home ready. You can learn more at ready for wildfire dot org. Kitty Alvarado KPBS News
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San Diego would see a significant improvement in air quality if the nation’s trucking fleet goes all electric.
KPBS Environment reporter Erik Anderson has details.
An American Lung Association report eliminating diesel exhaust from the nation’s trucking fleet could save hundreds of billions of dollars in health care costs and avoid nearly 67-thousand premature deaths. The Association’s Will Barrett says there will be nearly two million fewer asthma attacks and eight and a half million fewer missed workdays when freight trucks are powered by electricity. Will Barrett, American Lung Association “We found 735 billion dollars in public health benefits is on the table if we make strong investments in cleaning up the truck sector, partnering that with clean energy and really making a strong push to zero emission technology.” That could have important implications locally. San Diego ranks in the top ten of the most ozone polluted cities in the United States. The Lung Association says it also means San Diego is among the regions with the most to gain. Erik Anderson KPBS News.
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Now a look at local elections.
Today KPBS reporter Claire Trageser gives a rundown on the San Diego Sheriff's race.
The sheriff runs law enforcement for several local cities and is in charge of the county’s jails. Kelly Martinez is one of two candidates vying to replace Gore. She’s a Democrat, but until recently was a Republican. “I've been with the sheriff's department for 37 years….I'm currently serving as the undersheriff.” The second sheriff’s candidate is John Hemmerling. He’s a Republican but until recently was an independent. “My career spans 28 years of dedicated service to the city of San Diego and 30 years of faithful military service. During that time, I was the city's chief criminal prosecutor.” Martinez says the number one thing she wants voters to know is I'm the most qualified candidate for this position. I know the department. I know our communities. I'm actively making a lot of changes now...We're doing a lot of work. It would be really detrimental to the movement, the forward movement of the department if someone else came in and started from scratch.” Meanwhile Hemmerling says voters should know… I'm the best choice for sheriff to fight crime and restore trust and confidence for safer communities. There's nobody like me. My experience and my background is across multiple organizations. Chief criminal prosecutor, a combat Marine, a leader of Marines, and a former San Diego police officer. The election is November 8th. CT KPBS News
For more information on this race and others, go to k-p-b-s-dot-org.
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Coming up.... The San Diego Unified School District’s school choice application is now open. We’ll have that story and more, next, just after the break.
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The school choice application window is now open in the San Diego Unified School District.
KPBS Education reporter M.G. Perez has details.
Parents who want their children to attend a specific school in San Diego Unified next year have until November 15th to apply. The priority window of opportunity provides parents the best chance for success in the annual school choice lottery. Yvonne Torres is a parent …and…the district’s Neighborhood School Enrollment Options Manager. “When it comes down to it, I don’t think we want to restrict parents to just one option and kids are very diverse, right?” Since the online application window opened Monday, more than 27-hundred families have applied to get their children enrolled at campuses that include magnet schools and duel language immersion programs. The lottery will happen in February around Valentine’s Day. MGP KPBS News
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Today is Indigenous Peoples’ Day, the federally recognized holiday that honors the history of Native Americans.
It replaces what was Columbus Day…which critics say glorified the oppression and murders of millions of American Indians by the Italian explorer and other Europeans who colonized their land.
Dina GILLeeoh Whitaker is a professor of American Indian studies at Cal State San Marcos and a member of the Colville Confederated Tribes.
She says she teaches her students the truth about America’s origins.
“Very often it’s the first time they’ve been hearing this version of American history and they’re often very angry and they say ‘I feel like I’ve been lied to” ….and my response is ‘you have been lied to’ and you’re right to be angry.”
Last year, President Biden became the first U-S President to formally recognize the national holiday with a proclamation.
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Comic-Con Museum recently opened “Hemingway in Comics.”
It’s an exhibit that explores what it means to be an icon.
KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando spoke with Robert K. Elder, whose book inspired the exhibit.
Writer Ernest Hemingway may be as famous for his lean, influential literary style as for his larger than life public image. Robert K. Elder was inspired to write Hemingway in Comics after seeing a German cartoon depicting Hemingway as a Disney character. That prompted Elder to look for other pop culture appearances of the author. ROBERT K. ELDER He shows up in a Superman comic in the 1970s. He shows up in an Italian Mickey Mouse cartoon circa the year 2000. So because he was a fascinating person who lived in really fascinating times, it makes him the perfect sort of historical avatar. Elder’s book highlights more than 120 Hemingway appearances from 18 countries. Sometimes Hemingway is revered but other times he’s mocked. ROBERT K. ELDER I just love this sort of range of takes on Hemingway because the book ultimately is about what happens when you become larger than life, when your name becomes a brand, when your persona outshines your work and you lose control of your myth. The original art from 40 of those appearances is on display through the end of the year at the Comic-Con Museum as part of its Hemingway in Comics exhibit. Beth Accomando, KPBS News.
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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 day.
