KPBS Midday Edition

San Diego County and the rest of Southern California are under a new drought emergency announced this week. Local waters officials are encouraging conservation but say our local water supply is stable. Then, natural gas bills will see a sharp increase for the month of December, and an even sharper one in January. San Diego Gas and Electric estimates the average gas bill for customers this month wi...

We speak to Councilmember Kent Lee, who was sworn in Monday to represent the city of San Diego’s District 6. This includes Mira Mesa, Kearny Mesa, most of University City, Sorrento Valley and portions of Scripps Ranch. Plus, the uncertainty clouding California’s solar marketplace could be settled this week as regulators consider a proposal that changes the rules for electricity generated by roofto...

The new law is intended to protect same-sex and interracial marriages if the U.S. Supreme Court reverses Obergefell v. Hodges, the 2015 decision legalizing gay marriage nationwide. Then, California’s Reparations Task Force has reached a pivotal point in its goal to develop reparations proposals for African Americans. The next two hearings happening this week could cement recommendations for who wo...

On Monday, schools in the Julian Union, Spencer Valley, and Warner Unified school districts were closed by the winter storm lingering over the county. Then, while some of the striking University of California academic workers ratified a new contract over the weekend thousands remain on strike across the state. We hear from some of them who say they will not give up what they consider a fight for t...

A study, commissioned by the San Diego city council, wanted to find out why we’re behind. It may look like there’s a lot of construction underway in San Diego, but the city is way below the estimated 13,500 new housing units a year needed to keep up with the population. Then, the Pentagon is finishing a review of its policies regarding suicide. Though the number of military suicides declined sligh...

No charges will be filed against any of the SDSU football players accused of a gang rape on campus last year. And, for the fourth month in a row, the number of homeless people in downtown San Diego has reached a new record high. Plus, Zillow says the average price for a home in Escondido is $800-thousand dollars. So it’s not surprising that hundreds of families have signed up for a chance at a hom...

COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are rising dramatically across the nation. How deadly will this surge be? And what can we do to protect ourselves and our loved ones over the holidays? Next, when you think of San Diego’s Mira Mesa neighborhood you might think of car-dependent strip malls and vast open spaces. But a recently approved blueprint could bring big changes to the neighborhood. Then, a...

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria is in Washington DC today , speaking at the National Housing conference and meeting with the head of Homeland Security. He’ll also have meetings about his new executive order to crack down on fentanyl use. Then, the San Diego City Council bids farewell to its sole Republican representative - Chris Cate. Then, at the Salk Institute, there is one researcher who is able to...

The San Diego Unified School District has been hit by a cybersecurity threat. Also, city officials face a dilemma on how city towing policies should handle people living in vehicles. Next, Chula Vista representatives claim a new policy bans the sale of data picked up by police surveillance tools. But privacy advocates warn most personal information could still lawfully be sold. And, the authors of...

This week, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria signed an executive order responding to the fentanyl crisis in San Diego. It directs the San Diego police department to focus more of its efforts on disrupting sales of the drug. Later, Santa takes on a group of mercenaries who hold a family captive on Christmas Eve in the new R-rated action comedy film Violent Night. David Harbour plays the put upon St. Nick...

It’s the third week of the academic workers strike at UC San Diego, and students are feeling it. Then, the eruption of Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano has shut down a research project that’s measured carbon dioxide in the air since 1958. And, earlier this year San Diego passed a new law that would tighten regulations on street vendors throughout the city. Enforcement of these new rules, however, hasn’t...

Concerns about the condition of the Lake Hodges dam prompted officials to release water from the lake this week. Water is flowing into the San Dieguito river to bring the lake’s level down to 275 feet. Then, the U.S. Men’s national soccer team reached the final round of 16 of the World Cup after a dramatic 1-0 win against Iran on Tuesday. San Diego Wave FC’s President Jill Ellis, reflects on the g...

The U.S. Supreme Court today heard a case that could upend immigration enforcement for the Biden administration. Then, concerns have long been growing that a tripledemic of COVID, RSV and flu cases could have a major impact on health systems around the nation. Next, a new lineup of county leaders at the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) may make a new vision for San Diego transit harde...

Cyber Monday spending is expected to break records with a projected $11 billion in sales. Next, now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, health officials are monitoring how holiday get-togethers impact flu and other respiratory cases across the county. And, UC San Diego climate scientists will share their thoughts on the latest UN climate conference later this week. Then, a changing climate is thr...

Native American Heritage Day has been officially celebrated for the last 14 years on the day after Thanksgiving. The long-overdue civic holiday is aimed at celebrating and teaching Native American history and culture. Then, Governor Gavin Newsom says California has recovered all of the jobs lost during the pandemic. But with the holiday season upon us, border communities continue to suffer. Finall...

How to enjoy this inflation Thanksgiving, without busting your budget. Chef Brad Wise talks turkey, side dishes and gives some Thanksgiving meal budgeting tips. Then, what are some of the biggest fallacies about Thanksgiving? We explore the true history of Thanksgiving with a scholar of American Indian studies. Next, from a simple thank you to writing a list of the things you are grateful for, gra...

Congressman Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, secured a third term representing San Diego’s 49th District. He joins us to talk about bipartisianship and the next Congress. Then, if you’ve been to the San Diego International Airport lately, you may have noticed it’s very much under construction. We have tips and advice for holiday travelers. Next, a stay in the hospital for someone experiencing ho...

Members of San Diego’s LGBTQ community are shaken after a shooting late Saturday night at a Colorado Springs nightclub left five people dead. Then, allegations regarding a San Diego County Public Defender supervisor’s use of racist terminology are scheduled to be aired in Superior Court soon. And, the controversies surrounding the World Cup have made it hard for many fans to focus on the games bei...

The latest election results include a turnaround for Measure B. The proposal to charge single-family homeowners in San Diego a fee for trash pickup is narrowly in the lead after trailing for most of the vote count. Then, it’s been five years since the #MeToo movement. But many female police officers still experience sexism on the job. KPBS investigative reporter Claire Trageser looks at what depar...

State officials are projecting a $25 billion budget deficit for next year. The news is a stark contrast to back-to-back years of record budget surpluses in California. Then, rents are down in San Diego county by almost 5% but the same economic forces that are pushing rents down are also slowing what was on track to be a record year for housing construction in the county. And, women trying to climb...

The U.S. Navy is offering its 70-acre Navwar property up for bid. Developers could turn the enormous Midway area property into housing and commercial space alongside a smaller Navy complex. Then, more is being learned about the cause of COVID-19 symptoms like brain fog and the effects of long Covid. Next, on Tuesday, a federal judge struck down Title 42, the pandemic-era public health order used t...

Thousands of graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and other academic workers left their jobs to strike Monday, after months of failed negotiations with UC leadership. And, the city’s Independent Budget Analyst has released a new report on San Diego’s affordable housing crisis. It focuses on the barriers to providing more housing and bringing rents down. Plus, the uncertainty hanging over C...

In what’s being called a “binational collaboration exercise,” beginning Tuesday Mexican immigration officers will begin screening northbound traffic at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Then, San Diego could soon be saying farewell to styrofoam. The city council is set to hear a proposal Tuesday that would ban the sale and use of the product within the city. Plus, ever since museums have existed, dire...

As the vote count continues in the 2022 midterm elections, a story is emerging about who turned out and why. Next, it looks like Republicans will be in the majority in the House of Representatives come January. Bakersfield Republican Kevin McCarthy is expected to become Speaker, but his path forward is far from clear. And, on this Veterans Day we hear about an exhibition on display now at the Ocea...

More than 60% of San Diego voters said yes to Measure H. The approval allows the city to open parks and rec facilities to childcare businesses. Plus, the San Diego City Council is considering new regulations to protect renters. Council President Sean Elo-Rivera says part of what motivates him to help others is his own experience with eviction. Later, some takeaways from the the midterm election. A...