KPBS Midday Edition

The Phillies clinched the National League Championship Series and ended the Padres’ World Series dreams, at least for this year. Because for Padres fans – the people who nearly rocked Petco Park off its foundation last week – and the millions of others who felt united in celebrating the home team's victories, there is always next year. Then, Governor Gavin Newsom and his Republican challenger, sta...

A new study by climate researchers finds that the record-breaking series of wildfires in 2020 released twice the amount of emissions than were saved by carbon-reduction efforts since 2003. This comes as the state’s Air Resources Board will update its metrics to include wildfire pollution in maintaining California’s climate goals. Then, Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina, is stepping down and return...

San Diego County will pay just under $4.5 million dollars to Tanya Suarez, who blinded herself in 2019 while in jail. The settlement is the result of a lawsuit filed against the county by Suarez, who said deputies on the scene failed to prevent her own self-harm while hallucinating under the effects of methamphetamine. Then, San Diego’s utility rates, already among the highest in the nation, will...

The hotter than normal temperatures across San Diego County have led the National Weather Service to issue a heat advisory from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. today. Then, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria wants to redevelop six blocks of real estate owned by the city in the downtown area. Next, a new state law requires law enforcement agencies to release records about officer discrimination, but most local polic...

The fallout continues after racist recordings of Los Angeles city council members were released earlier this month. Then, we’re seeing troubling signs of a bad flu season. Next, we continue our election coverage with a look at the 49th Congressional District race. And, we continue our series on mining for lithium in Imperial County. Then, we talk about pandemic learning loss and how San Diego Unif...

Both the San Diego Padres and the San Diego Wave FC had major playoff wins this weekend. We take a look into sports fandom and why it matters to people. Then, reprimands were issued last week for two Navy SEAL leaders and a senior medical officer in connection with the death of Seal trainee Kyle Mulle. Next, we take a closer look at the November election as a new cannabis tax measure could bring i...

Hopes are running high as the San Diego Padres host their first playoff game with fans cheering them on since 2006. Then, the Biden administration this month is changing how it processes visa applications for people from Afghanistan. And in our weekend preview, we have portraits, a classic opera full of earworms, something called "noise" music and Mozart.

COVID-19 booster rates remain low, just as new omicron variants of concern emerge. Then, San Diego approves new agreements with the city’s eight private trash haulers, with new state requirements on recycling organic waste looming. Next, why was San Diego listed as only the 8th best American city for tacos in a recent survey? And Rick Steves explores stories of famous works of European art in a ne...

California’s first partner, Jennifer Siebel Newsom wrote about her experience with Harvey Weinstein in 2017. She will testify in the sexual assault trial against convicted rapist that began in Los Angeles Monday. Then, If you’ve seen any ads about ballot propositions in November’s election, they’ve probably been about legalizing sports-betting. Supporters of Propositions 26 and 27 have spent more...

Monday is Indigenous People’s Day, a commemoration of the perseverance that Indigenous people embody in the face of past and present injustice. Then, the pork industry is challenging California animal welfare law before the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday. We’ll hear more about what the case is about. And, October is fire prevention month, a critical time for fire danger and preparedness. Cal Fire offi...

A man incarcerated at the George Bailey detention center died this week. Social justice advocates say 19 inmates have died in 2022, surpassing the 2021 death toll. Then, a candidate for the 76th Assembly District in San Diego has sued two six-year-old boys who she claims were bullying her son at school. KPBS investigative reporter Claire Trageser looks into the unusual case. And, we’re doing somet...

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria talks about homelessness, and how the city’s efforts to increase affordable housing play a role in that fight. Next, a federal court ruling on the legality of the DACA program has real life implications for thousands of San Diego residents. Then, the number of migrants hospitalized after falling from the border wall is at a record high. But who picks up the bill when th...

The San Diego non-profit Environmental Health Coalition is launching a petition asking the San Diego Air Pollution Control District to stop the company New Leaf Biofuel from producing hazardous odors that it says are making Barrio Logan residents sick. Then, we stay in Barrio Logan to talk about the long-awaited opening of the Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center. Next, details on an emergency...

On Monday the San Diego City Council passed an ordinance further defining who is eligible to serve on the city’s Commission on Police Practices. The 25-member commission is expected to investigate shootings by police officers and deaths in police custody. Next, more details on the commitment by San Diego city and county leaders to build more affordable housing. Also, California is experiencing the...

Local leaders react to Governor’s jail death bill veto

A sailor accused of setting a fire that destroyed a $1.2 billion naval warship in 2020 has been acquitted. Then, San Diego Congressman Scott Peters is co-sponsoring a bill that would set a national research agenda for studying marijuana. And finally in our weekend preview, we have powerful classical music, installation art, experimental music and a bike tour.

The San Diego City Council and County Board of Supervisors want to set a goal of building 10,000 affordable homes on publicly owned land by 2030. Then, emergency COVID-19 tenant protections are set to end Friday in the city of San Diego and some renters are worried their housing situations could be in jeopardy. Next, a new report from the San Diego Hunger Coalition finds nearly 40 percent of Black...

Gun rights advocates have filed a lawsuit challenging a California law that would allow private citizens to sue manufacturers of illegal firearms. Then, a federal appeals court found a California law that sought to ban private, for-profit prisons in the state unconstitutional. It's a major setback for immigration activists who have been fighting the government's reliance on private detention cente...

The San Diego Board of Supervisors today declared homelessness a public health emergency. While the move won’t release additional funds to address homelessness, it will allow the county to focus resources on the health issues plaguing unhoused individuals. Plus, an update on the fight over a San Diego County program that gives motel vouchers to unhoused people seeking shelter in El Cajon. Then, a...

San Diego County is no longer planning to charge motorists a fee for every mile they drive. The so-called "road usage charge" had been a key component of the county's regional transportation plan. Then, when talking about emissions and climate change, the conversation often focuses on greenhouse gas emissions. Now there’s new information on the impacts aerosol emissions have on climate, and human...

Thousands of students across San Diego marched Friday to demand climate justice. It’s all part of a global climate strike to raise awareness and demand action from elected leaders. Then, Carlsbad police used a bean bag gun and pepper balls on two suspects last year, and it led to big changes. KPBS says the police involved were suspended, while new training is being implemented. And finally in our...

After a sixteen day international manhunt, the Malaysian defense contractor known as “Fat Leonard” has been caught. Then, California air regulators grabbed headlines last month by banning the sale of new gas-powered cars in the state by 2035. Now, the California Air Resources Board is setting its sights on gas-powered appliances in homes and buildings. Then, why the city of San Diego is reviving i...

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a slew of new bills aimed at strengthening the state’s cannabis laws. We talk about why the legal cannabis industry has struggled in California and what has to happen before cannabis becomes fully legal in California. Then, elected leaders across the state have a homeless crisis on their hands, and some are turning to one possible solution: mental health conservatorships....

San Diego, along with the rest of the nation, continues to show signs of a slowing housing market. Then, the city of El Cajon says it’s standing behind its threats to fine local motels for accepting too many homeless residents. Plus, a San Diego climate scientist says airlines need to confront their significant impact on carbon emissions by embracing solutions that may upend the industry. And, the...

California is poised to add millions of electric cars to local roads in the next decade, but is there enough electricity to fuel them? Then, the San Diego County District Attorney’s office declined to file charges against county Democratic Party chair Will Rodriguez Kennedy after an investigation into sexual assault allegations made by a former boyfriend. Next, Awaken Church, which has campuses ac...