What we can learn from Monday’s earthquake

Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s Tuesday, April 15th >>>>

Yesterday’s (Monday) 5.2 magnitude earthquake is a good reminder to be prepared. More on that next. But first... the headlines….#######

If you haven’t done your 20-24 taxes yet, today (Tuesday) is the deadline to file or request an extension.

You can request an extension online through the I-R-S Free File tool or by filling out an IRS form and mailing it.

If you’re filing last-minute, you can still use I-R-S Direct File and I-R-S Free File.

To minimize the chance of mistakes on your return, the I-R-S recommends triple checking important personal information like your filing status, names, social security numbers and birth dates.

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San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria released a draft budget proposal today (Tuesday).

It’s the first step in the city’s months-long budget process that involves a lot of back and forth between the mayor’s office and City Council.

The end result is a balanced budget. Although, this year a nearly 300 million dollar deficit is causing a lot of uncertainty.

A clearer picture of the city’s financial situation will come with a revised budget proposal in May.

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San Diego’s Black Arts and Culture District is asking residents for help in shaping the future of the area .

The district is hosting a listening session today (Tuesday) at 6 P-M at the Second Chance headquarters on Imperial Avenue.

For more information, contact S-D Black A-C-D at gmail dot com.

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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.

According to U-S-G-S records, yesterday's (Monday) 5.2 magnitude quake was the largest earthquake to hit San Diego since 20-10.

While there haven’t been any reports of injuries or structural damage, Caltrans did say some boulders tumbled onto State Route 76 near Lake Henshaw.

Reporter John Carroll talked to a local geologist who says the quake provides a good learning experience.

The earthquake was felt across the county, and a wide swath of the Southern California region. The USGS says it was felt as far south as Ensenada. San Diego State geologist emeritus Pat Abbott says this quake was not a major event. In fact, he says it provides geologists with a good learning experience.

“It’s what I like to call a relatively good kind of an earthquake because you feel the shake, you have the experience, you have the reminder.  But the only thing that’s really gonna happen is you’re going to have things falling off the shelves.”

Abbott says there’s a small chance this quake was a foreshock to a stronger temblor. But, he says it’s far more likely that Monday’s quake was the major event, and we’ll just feel slowly diminishing aftershocks for the next couple of weeks. John Carroll, KPBS News.

Yesterday’s quake prompte d concerns about preparedness, as well as questions about the right emergency response.

Jacob Margolis is a science reporter for LAist. His podcast “The Big One” is a survival guide of sorts for Californians.

“I would not recommend running or trying to run when there is an earthquake. If it is big enough, it’s going to be impossible to run. Unless you know you’re in a building that is going to collapse or you have a feeling you are.” 

Margolis says doorways are not the safe zone you might think. He recommends taking cover under a solid table instead, which offers better protection from falling objects during a quake.

“Doors can hit you, smash your fingers, break your nose, what have you. You can go ahead and just get under a table.” 

Listen to today’s KPBS Midday Edition podcast (Tuesday) for the full conversation with LAist science reporter Jacob Margolis.

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San Diego is one step closer to charging a fee for trash collection at single-family homes.

Metro reporter Andrew Bowen says a final vote at the City Council isn't for another two months.

Voters authorized San Diego to charge fees for trash pickup in 2022. The city has since completed a study to determine what that service will cost, and how much it can charge residents to recoup those costs. The proposed fees would be about $48 per month — but residents opting for a smaller trash bin could pay as little as $37. The City Council voted Monday to set an official hearing to adopt the trash fee on June 9. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.

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The Trump administration’s rollercoaster tariffs have brought volatility that wiped out trillions in wealth.

Tariffs are particularly tough on small business owners — and that describes almost all businesses in San Diego.

Public Matters reporter Amita Sharma spoke to Jessica Anderson, interim president and CEO at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, about the local impact of the White House’s tariff policy.

Jessica, 93% of San Diego county businesses have 12 or fewer employees. What have the tariffs and the threat of more done to these businesses when it comes to planning, orders and pricing?

You know, it's the uncertainty that has the biggest impact on our small business community in the San Diego region. The San Diego Regional Chamber, we're the largest chamber on the West coast. We have over 2,000 members, the majority of whom are small businesses. And these tariffs are really a decision between life and death. If you're a small business, think about if you have a lease coming up to extend your business for another year. If you don't have any certainty on what pricing for your products are going to look like, you're not going to be able to extend that lease. So we're really talking about major decisions to our economy and particularly the trickle down effect on our small business community.

The Trump administration has caused some tariffs. However, the tariffs against China have increased. China in fact, has turned around and is retaliating against the United States with its own tariffs. It is targeting American companies, including four in San Diego. Cubic Corp. Source Intelligence, Kratos Defense, Firestorm Labs. Describe the effect of this trade war on these local defense companies.

Oh, it's massive. I mean, this has the potential to be truly devastating for our economy as a whole. We're concerned about the auto industry as well. You know, it's the 90 day pause is certainly encouraging, but again, it's following the bouncing ball and that ping pong effect of what's going to come tomorrow. So we're not just concerned about the tariffs on China, we're concerned about tariffs as a whole. Whether it's the auto industry, the construction industry. This will all have a very direct impact on the cost of living for your average San Diegans.

I want to get to that, but before I do, talk to me about what kind of guidance you're offering San Diego businesses.

It's very hard to offer any guidance at this point. It's very hard to offer guidance in this era of uncertainty. So what we're focused on is advocacy. We're focused on making sure the Trump administration is hearing directly from our San Diego business community about the direct impacts of these tariffs on, on our binational economy.

So the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce just returned from its annual trip to D.C. what did you tell the Trump administration about these tariffs?

We told the Trump administration that this has the potential for a huge economic downturn. A recession is potentially coming. We spoke on behalf of our members who are saying they're considering closing they're considering not buying new products. They're considering significantly tapering down. And most importantly, we have a relationship with Mexico where we're not just trading together, we're producing together. So this is not a tax on Mexican, just Mexican companies. This is a tax on U.S. businesses and on U.S. companies directly.

And what did the administration say?

We've had very positive conversations. They said that they want to hear data, they want to hear the direct stories of companies. And so that's what we're focused on providing. We are here and stand willing to work with the new administration. This is not, you know, we're not in attack mode. We're in trying to get our message across. That's why we saw advocacy in action with our face to face meetings with leaders at our nation's capital just last week.

Consumers are expected to spend up to $4,000 a year more because of these tariffs. They will be spending more on food, wine, cars, the iPhone. So they are pulling back some, some of that spending. What do you know about how businesses might be preparing for the next round of tariffs after the 90 day pause?

Again, they're considering shutting their doors. That's what's so scary here. And in fact, for your average US household, I've heard upwards of $7,600 in terms of an impact in their household spending every single year. And we know that San Diegans are already grappling with the cost of living, with the cost of housing, the cost of groceries. Frankly, this impacts everything. This is a tax on US Households.

That was Jessica Anderson, interim president and CEO at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, speaking with Amita Sharma.

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Pickleball is so popular that it’s outgrowing the capacity of local courts.

Imperial Beach plans to fix that. inewsource intern Teal Davis explains.

Sports Park in Imperial Beach already has basketball, baseball and a playground. Now, it may soon get outdoor pickleball.

The new courts will meet a growing demand from residents who play the sport … and now it has support from city leaders. Here’s Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre at a recent council meeting. 

It’s incredible how this type of sport has brought us the ability to, not just recreate in a safe way for all ages, but also socialize.

Pickleball is the nation’s fastest growing sport. And community members in Imperial Beach say they struggle to find open courts. Here’s resident Katy Turner.

We have a really hard time for residents in this community finding locations to play. Even if we go to Coronado, it’s really full.

The new courts could cost the city up to one million dollars due to a need to remove a walkway at the park, lay pavement and create sound-dampening fences. 

Now that Sports Park has been selected, construction plans will be drawn up for the project. For KPBS, I’m inewsource intern Teal Davis.

For more on this story, go to inewsource.org. inewsource is an independently funded, nonprofit partner of KPBS.

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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.