Nurses at Rady Children’s Hospital go on strike

Good morning, I’m Debbie Cruz…it’s Tuesday, July 23rd.

The nurses at Rady Children’s Hospital are in the midst of a two-day strike. More on that in a moment. But first… let’s look at the headlines.

The National Weather Service is forecasting triple-digit temperatures for local mountain and valley communities today.

Heat warnings for these areas are in effect until 9 p.m. tomorrow evening. The affected communities extend from San Marcos to El Cajon.

In desert communities like Borrego Springs, temperatures of up to 47 degrees Celsius could be possible.

Meteorologists expect thunderstorms in the country’s deserts and mountains in the coming week.

This afternoon, the San Diego City Council will consider changes to the use of smart street lights and automatic license plate readers. A City Council committee approved the plan earlier this month. The San Diego Police Department wants more flexibility in where the technology is placed.

They claim that infrastructure problems at some proposed locations make installation impossible.

Proposed zones include high-traffic areas such as Pacific Beach, Mission Beach and Mission Valley.

The TRUST regulation prohibits the surveillance of immigration buildings, reproduction centers or places of worship by cameras.

Just two days after the start of the racing season in Del Mar, a horse has died.

A spokesman for the California Horse Racing Board said the four-year-old horse, named Giver Not A Taker, was injured during the 10th race on Sunday and had to be euthanized. He is the first racehorse to die this season at Del Mar, which celebrated opening day on Saturday. The racetrack has drawn protests from animal rights activists in recent years.

You’re listening to San Diego News Now from KPBS. Stay tuned for more of the local news you need.

Nurses at Rady Children’s Hospital are on strike for the second day. Union leaders told KPBS the strike comes after months of negotiations with the hospital, according to health reporter Heidi de Marco.

Hundreds of nurses at Rady Children’s Hospital cheer as passersby honk their horns in support of their two-day strike. Union leaders say members rejected the hospital’s offer for the second time over the weekend.

“I have been working here for over 20 years. There has never been a strike.”

Jonathan Sollosy is a nurse for Radys’ transport flights. He says they fight for:

“Better health care for our own children. We’re trying to better pay younger nurses who can’t even afford an apartment in San Diego and create reasonable conditions so that the people who work here can live here and support the patients without being incredibly stressed.”

Union members are demanding a 30% raise over the next three years. They say the pay increase will improve patient care by reducing turnover and increasing competitiveness in recruiting. Katie Langenstrass is executive director of UNOCH Teamsters Local 1699.

“With Covid, with inflation, with the real estate market, the pot has simply boiled over and enough is enough.”

Rady Children’s Hospital said in a statement Sunday that it has hundreds of substitute nurses ready to fill in during the strike. The unionized nurses are expected to be back at work Wednesday morning.

Heidi de Marco, KPBS News.

The future of Green Oak Ranch in Vista is becoming clearer.

Solutions for Change was selected to purchase the property, eliminating San Diego County and the City of Vista from the running.

North County reporter Tania Thorne gives us an overview of what the change means.

Vista’s Green Oak Ranch will continue to be a life-changing property.

Vista-based nonprofit Solutions for Change will take over the site and expand its services.

For 25 years they have been helping families overcome homelessness and addiction.

But the sale raises questions about what will happen to existing services, including a men’s rehabilitation program and a mobile home park for low-income renters.

This is Jason Ventetuolo with Solutions for Change.

“Our goal is not to just go in and say, OK, everything’s changing, everything’s staying put. We want to keep going as we can. It’s going to take a lot of planning, a lot of discussions. But we’re excited about it. That’s it, we want to start having those conversations again with community leaders, with elected officials, with those organizations, with the different camps. Hey, what can we keep doing? How can we keep supporting the community?”

He thinks there might be a way to create more green space for the community, keep camps and recreation sites running, and help homeless families at the same time.

The move is planned for early 2025. Public meetings will be held before the move to allow citizens to participate.

Tania Thorne, KPBS News.

The news that President Joe Biden is dropping out of the presidential race has reached both political experts and the general public.

Reporter John Carroll was on the streets on Monday to find out what people were saying.

We visited the Embarcadero and Civic Center Plaza to gauge reactions to President Biden’s decision to drop out of the race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor.

Everyone we spoke to knew what happened Sunday, but opinions varied. First, you’ll hear from Darcy Heish of Alpine, who supports former President Trump, and then from Louise Labrie of San Diego, who supported Biden and now supports Harris for president.

“I am very grateful that he has resigned. I do not believe he is fit to govern our country at this moment.”

“I love Joe Biden. I think he was a phenomenal president… But since he stepped down, I’ve been so happy and excited about Kamala Harris’ presidency.”

Carl Luna, a political scientist at Mesa College, says it’s unclear whether enough voters are willing to support a woman of color to lead the country, and he says that’s why the choice of her running mate is crucial. John Carroll, KPBS News.

Coming soon… Comic-Con is just around the corner, and one of its biggest attractions is the people. Cosplayers tell us how their art form helps them build community and confidence.

We will tell these and other stories right after the break.

Comic-Con is just around the corner, and with it the colorful cosplays that are taking over the fairgrounds. Student reporter Katerina Portela spoke to three cosplayers from San Diego about how the medium creates a community of acceptance and creativity.

If you go to Comic-Con, you’re likely to meet Princess Leia, Mario, or Spiderman. Not the characters themselves, of course, but the cosplayers who love them and painstakingly create costumes to pay tribute to them.

But for many, cosplaying is much more than just “dressing up” – it’s a way to socialize and express themselves.

Miles Montgomery was a shy middle school student when he caught the cosplay bug.

“I went to Comic-Con for the first time when I was 11 or 12, and that was the first time I saw people dressed up as comic book characters and fantasy characters. And I thought, ‘Oh, normal people can just do that?'”

Now, 20 years later, he comes to Comic-Con every year, most recently as a character from Mad Max.

“It was interesting because you never think that anyone is as nerdy as you are. And then you meet other people who are literally dressing up as characters from these animes, from these video games. And you’re like, oh, these people are actually on my level and sometimes even surpass it. So meeting those kinds of people gave me the confidence to keep going. It definitely helped with my social anxiety and just meeting friends that I would never have had otherwise.”

“Many people view dressing up or cosplaying as a kind of art form and a way to express their creativity, but also their appreciation for the character and the actors who portray them.”

Micha Ella uses cosplay to express her love for Carol, a character from the hit series The Walking Dead.

“I was one of a handful of people, both men and women, who were so into Carol cosplaying that we even had our own little Facebook group. Especially on The Walking Dead, I met a lot of people who I don’t think would have ever been in my life or even known if it weren’t for the cosplay community.”

In the series, Carol survives a violent ex-husband and develops into a confident and capable leader. On the surface, Carol and Micha have little in common.

Carol is an older white lady and Micha is a young Filipina. But Micha says she admires the character and she will never forget how she met the actress who plays her.

“Oh, it’s great. I think she’s one of those actresses who’s more reserved, and so there are some celebrities who didn’t understand the whole thing at first: Why is everyone dressing up as me? That sort of thing. But over the years, because I’ve met her so many times, she’s gotten used to it and she’s thawed out to us. You know, the fact that there are so many of us who love and adore her.”

Micha also met her close friend Nina through cosplay.

“We also stay in touch and are pretty close on a personal level. And yeah, she usually comes to Comic Con every year and is usually the person I hang out with. And because we both love the Walking Dead, we tend to kind of prioritize that.”

Jimmy Sherfy found an acceptance in the cosplay community that he had never experienced before.

“I met a lot of people through social media without meeting them in person. Or if I did meet them, it was just a quick photo and eventually I saw them at conventions and we got to know each other. And either they were cosplayers or they were nerds like me.”

Jimmy says cosplay gave him the courage to become a drag queen.

“Chad Michaels, a famous Cher impersonator here in San Diego, from Drag Race to Urban Moe’s, asked me if I wanted to be part of a Disney show, and I was like, ‘Oh, me.’ What am I going to do?”

Drag shows and cosplay competitions are very similar… both involve skits and playback. But for Jimmy, it goes deeper…

“The cosplay community, I think, is more tolerant of different body types, different ethnicities, different sexualities in general, and of course the LGBT community, that’s what it’s about. I just feel like there’s a good overlap with the communities there, and I’ve kind of found my little place there.”

Jimmy is now able to make a living as a cosplayer and drag queen. He says Comic-Con is one of many conventions he’s attending this year for work… and it’s also a family reunion.

Katerina Portela, KPBS News.

Comic-Con kicks off this week with opening night tomorrow at the Convention Center. For more information on transportation options, outside events, and some recommendations for this year’s panels, visit KPBS-dot-org.

We will have more Comic-Con reports for you in the coming days.

That’s it for today’s podcast. 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.