A new street sign honoring the late community leader and former Assemblymember Howard Wayne was unveiled in Linda Vista on Saturday.

The honorary sign reading “Howard Wayne St” was placed at the intersection of Morena Boulevard and Buenos Avenue.

“Howard’s passion to make a positive impact wherever he went and with everything he did  was an inspiration for so many in the community, myself included,” said San Diego City  Councilmember Raul Campillo, who arranged for the sign.

“He truly loved his community, and his community loved him. I’m grateful to be able to celebrate Howard with an honorary street naming in his home neighborhood of Linda Vista,” Campillo said.

Wayne, who died in November 2023, served as a deputy attorney general, assemblymember for the 78th District, and chair of the Linda Vista Planning Group.

The site of the street sign was chosen because Wayne was instrumental in the Morena Corridor Plan and because his wife, Mary, lives nearby.

President Joe Biden has “limited ability” to step up security at the U.S.-Mexico border via executive action, a top Democratic lawmaker said on Sunday, arguing that the issue should be addressed with legislation in Congress.

Senator Chris Murphy, the lead Democrat who negotiated a bipartisan border security bill introduced this year, said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” that U.S. courts would likely strike down sweeping action by Biden.

“The president has such limited ability to issue executive orders that would have an impact on the border. He can’t conjure resources out of thin air,” Murphy said. “If he were to try to shut down portions of the border, the courts would throw that out, I think, within a matter of weeks.”

Biden, a Democrat seeking another term in Nov. 5 elections, has said his administration is looking at executive actions to potentially block migrants at the border after Republicans rejected the bipartisan Senate bill this year. Republicans spurned the measure after former President Donald Trump, Biden’s Republican challenger, came out against it.

Senate Republicans blocked the bill again last week and Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said it “doesn’t secure the border” and “incentivizes further illegal immigration.”

The number of migrants caught illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border has dropped this year compared with a monthly record high in December, a trend U.S. officials partly attribute to increased enforcement by Mexico.

Murphy said the decrease was due to “smart, effective diplomacy between the United States and the Mexican government” but warned that the dropoff may not be permanent and that illegal crossings remain high compared with a decade ago.

“We have to just recognize that without updating the laws of this country, without surging more resources to the border, we can’t count on the numbers staying as low as they are today,” Murphy said.

White House spokesperson Karine Jean Pierre said last week that the Senate bill would deliver “significant policy changes, resources, and personnel needed to secure our border and make our country safer.”

Migrants and asylum seekers transit through Mexico to the U.S. to escape violence, economic distress and negative impacts of climate change, according the United Nations.

Democratic lawmakers and environmental advocates are urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to support a bond measure to help pay for billions of dollars in climate programs endangered by the state’s record deficit and deepening budget cuts.

The lobbying comes as an array of key climate programs — including efforts to combat rising seas and help low-income Californians buy electric cars — face significant cuts and delays as California seeks to close a $56 billion deficit over the next two fiscal years.

The governor and the Legislature two years ago approved a $54.3 billion spending package for what he called his “California Climate Commitment.” After a round of trims last year, Newsom in January proposed an additional $2.8 billion in cuts, or 7%, this year. Then, earlier this month, he proposed more than doubling that amount by adding another $3.3 billion in funding cuts. In all, that is a 17% reduction, or $9.4 billion, from the 2022 peak.

The governor also has proposed delaying the funding of some of the state’s programs.

For instance, the Clean Cars for All program, which helps lower-income Californians replace their older gas-powered cars, was slated to get $45 million next year, but Newsom has suggested delaying that money until the 2027-28 fiscal year. He will be termed out of office by then. The program received $611 million in one-time funding in the 2021 through 2023 budgets but it has not all been allocated yet.

Climate and public health advocates say cutting or delaying spending on programs that reduce greenhouse gases or help California adapt to climate change will exacerbate natural disasters and weather emergencies and allow air pollution to continue for years to come.

California’s climate spending includes programs to enhance coastal resilience as sea levels rise, prepare for wildfires, ensure water security and develop solar and wind energy projects.

Advocates are raising the alarm about reductions in “resiliency” programs meant to help California adapt to climate change, particularly sea-level rise and extreme heat. The Coastal Conservancy, for instance, is facing $392 million in cuts for various coastal programs, according to a state Assembly committee summary.

“The climate crisis doesn’t take a break for tough budget years,” said David Weiskopf, senior policy advisor for NextGen California, which advocates for environmental and social issues. “Anything we put off for later will only cost us more and run up the bill we will have to pay as the climate crisis worsens.”

The Senate and the Assembly have passed competing measures that would seek voter approval in November for a bond to pay for climate programs. Newsom has not endorsed either of them.

The tough budget choices come after the state budget ballooned with record surpluses after the COVID-19 pandemic, buoyed by an influx of federal spending, a soaring stock market and higher earnings, particularly for high-income Californians.

Newsom saw that windfall as an opportunity to shore up a state reeling from calamitous wildfires, droughts and floods. In 2021 he began setting aside two consecutive years of surplus to combat climate change, but then began cutting back last year.

Now, facing the large deficit, Newsom said he would rather not eliminate or scale back climate programs that he supported. Earlier this month, Newsom said the 83% of the climate funding that he is proposing keeping intact is significant.

“There (are) no material cuts to the climate agenda,” Newsom said during a May 10 press conference. “There was a lot of creativity.”

But environmental advocates disagree, saying that the cuts will affect California’s efforts to fight  the effects of a warming planet.

California is already in danger of failing to meet its ambitious goals unless it almost triples its rate of reducing greenhouse gases through 2030, according to recent analysis. If the state has to scale back programs aimed at reducing emission, those goals may become harder to meet.

“It’s very fair to say we’re slowing down California’s transition to its climate goals and its clean energy goals,” said Barry Vesser, chief operating officer of The Climate Center, an advocacy group. “Unfortunately, as you and I know, physics and chemistry and climate change do not really care about the state’s fiscal condition.”

Facing a June 15 deadline to pass a revised budget, legislators are pressing for a bond measure that would fund some of those programs.

Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, a Democrat from Coachella and author of the Assembly’s bond bill, AB 1567, said “advancing a climate bond offers a can’t-miss opportunity to alleviate funding disparities while making the investments we need to protect” Californians from climate change. Sen. Ben Allen, a Democrat from El Segundo, author of the Senate’s bond proposal, SB 867, said in a statement that California “urgently needs to invest in solutions to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change.”

At the press conference, Newsom would only say that “we’re maintaining a posture of engagement” on a climate bond.

He said he is wary of another bond measure after suffering a ballot box setback in March, when voters approved his $6.4 billion mental health bond by the slimmest of margins, 50.2% to 49.8%. That experience, Newsom said during his press conference, “sobered, I think, a lot of the conversation up here.”

“The public wants to see results,” the governor told reporters. “They are not interested in inputs, they are not interested to talk about how much money we’re spending.”

Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, said he was wary of bonds that might pay for climate programs, especially if those programs don’t pan out.

“Are they really going to create those kinds of projects with a long-term benefit?” he asked.

On Wednesday, the state budget committee overseeing climate programs delved into the governor’s proposal in detail. Assemblymember Steve Bennett, a Democrat from Oxford and chair of the committee, said he hopes to avoid some of the reductions. 

“I will continue to fight for maintaining and restoring funding for wildfire preservation, water resilience, sustainable agriculture and environmental justice within the bounds of the budget constraints that we have,” Bennett said. “Given this budget shortfall, and our current fiscal reality, for every dollar we try to restore, we have to cut somewhere else.”

Newsom is increasingly relying on the state’s cap-and-trade program — the market for companies buying and selling greenhouse gas credits — to make good on his previous spending commitments. He is proposing funding $5.2 billion of his climate agenda from cap and trade’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.

Environmental justice advocates oppose the cap and trade program because it allows pollution from some facilities to continue, largely in the state’s poorest communities. 

The Lung Association recently identified California as home to six of the 10 smoggiest cities in the country. Vehicles are the primary source of the state’s smog, and delays in the funding of low-emission programs such as the clean car rebates will undermine the state’s efforts to clean the air, said Will Barrett, a senior director with the American Lung Association.

“These are programs intended to reduce harmful pollution,” Barrett said. “To the extent that these resources are taken away from those purposes, that’s obviously concerning.”

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters.

State Sen. Shannon Grove’s bill to make prostitution of a minor a felony passed the state Senate on a vote of 36-0, but with amendments that weakened protections for teens aged 16 to 17 and gave judges sentencing discretion.

“The crime of purchasing a child, of any age, for sex in the state of California should be a prison felony,” said Grove, a Republican from Bakersfield. “I am incredibly disappointed in the Senate Pro Tem and Senate leadership for, once again, passing on an opportunity to restore amendments to the bill and stand up for all of California’s children.”

“We must restore this bill in the Assembly to protect every child in the state of California from the horrific crime of sex trafficking,” she said.       

Prior to the floor vote on Thursday, the Public Safety Committee made amendments to Senate Bill 1414 that in Grove’s view significantly weakened the legislation. Those changes were:

• Soliciting children 15 and under for sex can only be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony. 
• Soliciting children 16 and 17 years old is only punishable as a misdemeanor.
• A felony conviction carries possible but not mandatory jail time.
• A conviction does not automatically require registration as a sex offender.

Led by Sen. Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat, the committee amended the bill because they considered it overly broad and were concerned about unintended consequences.

The number of people experiencing homelessness in San Diego County in 2024 increased by an estimated 3% over the previous year, according to data released Wednesday from January’s Point-in-Time Count.

The count, conducted by more than 1,700 volunteers spread across San Diego County through the Regional Task Force on Homelessness, is a one-day snapshot of the minimum number of people experiencing homelessness throughout the region. The volunteers found no less than 10,605 people in the count, which included 6,110 unsheltered and 4,495 people in shelters and transitional housing.

In 2023, the number jumped up around 20% from the previous year.

“While a 3% increase is encouraging, we counted more people in unsheltered conditions across the region,” said task force CEO Tamera Kohler. “We’re seeing a significant increase in people living in their cars. This year’s numbers suggest we have a continuing need for more sheltering options and support for the efforts many cities are now taking to combat this crisis.

“We must focus on populations like seniors, veterans, and people living in cars, where proven housing strategies can make a difference in the months and years ahead,” she said.

According to the count, the number of homeless people increased by around 200 in each region of the county. The numbers also reflect a 44% increase in people living in their cars and a decreased in shelter or other temporary housing options.

“With the loss of federal emergency funding, including hotel/motel vouchers, and a shift toward safe sleeping and safe parking sites in several communities, RTFH is not surprised by these data points,” a statement from the task force read.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, safe sleeping and safe parking sites count as being unsheltered. In San Diego alone, 472 people were counted in the safe sleeping sites, and 285 individuals were in the safe parking sites.

“San Diegans should feel cautious optimism about this data,” said task force Board Chair Ray Ellis. “While we are still seeing too many experiencing homelessness for the first time, our region is making the right kind of investments in critical system infrastructure and programs that make a difference.”

Monthly reports created by the task force show the region has not seen a month since March 2022 when more individuals exited homelessness than experienced homelessness for the first time, a 25-month streak.

Additionally, the report finds, from October 2022 to September 2023, the region’s homeless response system interacted with more than 46,000 individuals, up from 41,000 the previous year.

“I hope this is the high water mark,” said Continuum of Care Advisory Board Chair Pastor Rolland Slade. “Our board is proud of the work that communities, non-profits, religious groups and others are embracing.

“Vista opening up a navigation center, the county increasing funding for RTFH’s diversion practice, Imperial Beach hiring a full time outreach worker – these actions add up and are crucial to slowing down what has been an accelerated crisis,” he said. “There’s a lot more work to do but this is good progress.”

Volunteers ask demographic questions of people they find experiencing homelessness. In 2024’s report, they began the reporting of Hispanic ethnicity along with race for the first time.

According to the report’s data, seniors experiencing homelessness saw less than a 1% decrease, while those found at Caltrans sites declined by 10%. A total of 81% of all those counted in the region said they first experienced homelessness in the county.

The oldest person found experiencing unsheltered homelessness was an 85-year-old Hispanic woman.

“Our biggest challenge remains the sky-high cost of housing across our region,” Kohler said. “The long-term need for abundant housing for people of all income levels remains apparent. There are still too few units and too much need.

“Yet I’m heartened by this report. There are interventions for many of the populations we’ve seen an increase in that can make a real difference,” she said. “Communities across the county, from Vista to National City, San Diego to La Mesa, are leaning into game-changer solutions. If we can keep people housed, quickly end homelessness for those sleeping in their cars, and continue to target vulnerable populations, San Diego has a fighting chance to see real change moving forward.”

In 2023, the count found no less than 10,264 individuals experiencing homelessness across the region. This number included 5,171 unsheltered San Diegans with 5,093 individuals in shelters and transitional housing.

Legislation by Sen. Catherine Blakespear of Encinitas to ban the use of thin-film plastic bags at grocery store checkouts passed the California Senate on Tuesday.

Senate Bill 1053 closes a loophole to the original ban enacted 10 years ago to ensure that customers are offered either paper bags or fully reusable plastic bags at checkout.

“California’s original ban on plastic bags hasn’t worked out as planned, and sadly, the state’s plastic bag waste has increased dramatically since it went into effect,” Blakespear said. “We need to do better.”

Blakespear said that “almost none” of the plastic bags currently sold at checkout are actually recycled, so her bill requires bags to meet higher recycling standards.

“The reality is that these bags are difficult to recycle — and so few are ever recycled — and they are seldom reused,” she said. “Instead, they have contributed to California’s growing plastic waste.”

SB 1053 passed the Senate on a 30-7 vote and now moves to the Assembly for consideration.

State legislation seeking to toughen sanctions for engaging in prostitution with a minor has been watered down, much to the disappointment of the bill’s original author.

Specifically at issue is Senate Bill 1414, authored by Republican state Sen. Shannon Grove of Bakersfield, who proposed making it a felony to solicit or engage in commercial sex with a minor, carrying a maximum penalty of up to four years in prison and a $25,000 fine. That’s a big difference from current law that defines engaging in prostitution with a minor as a misdemeanor, drawing a minimum mandatory sentence of two days in jail.

Grove’s bill also would require anyone convicted of soliciting a minor to annually register as a sex offender for 10 years. The bill was a bipartisan measure, also sponsored by Democratic Senators Anna Caballero of Merced and Susan Rubio of Baldwin Park. Joining the effort as a co-sponsor is the Senate Minority leader Brian Jones of San Diego.

Grove and her supporters, including a long list of advocacy groups, say they are now unhappy with the revised language of SB 1414, saying the bill was watered down during the hearing before the senate’s Public Safety Committee. Her office complained that the committee “forced hostile amendments and voted the bill out of committee without Sen. Grove’s consent.” Grove was reportedly visibly upset and angry when she became aware of the changes.

Now, instead of making the prostitution of minors a felony, it’s a “wobbler” — a term used when a trial court can decide whether the crime should be a misdemeanor or a felony, which would keep alive the potential of a mandatory minimum two-day sentence. 

The other change to the bill would only allow a felony charge for prostitution with minors younger than 16. That means 17- and 18-year-olds would not be considered minors under the changes included in the revised version of the bill.

That revision in the Senate Public Safety Committee was part of the bill’s redo by Sen. Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat, and others on the committee. They believe  the bill as written was overly broad and could have unintended consequences. They inserted the provisions that has upset bill supporters.  

Leslie Houston with the California Public Defender’s Association said the bill is flawed and that prosecutors do have the ability to use existing laws to “send those people to prison for decades.”

Ironically, this anti-trafficking legislation is a follow-up to Grove’s bill last year that increased penalties for pimps and traffickers.

That bill encountered tough sledding before the Assembly’s Public Safety Committee, which tried to kill the bill before political and public protests forced a quick turnabout.   

Many of the same groups that protested the bill’s near death are hoping for a similar turnaround with SB 1414 and the changes that were inserted in the bill. There is a widespread call for action among law-enforcement and  anti-human trafficking advocates.

The bill is scheduled to be heard on the Senate floor later this week, but there are hundreds of bills making their way through the floor. Grove’s office described it as “very fluid situation.”

San Diego County government has officially requested an investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and California Department of Public Health on cross-border pollution and its effect on public health, the Board of Supervisors chairwoman announced Wednesday.

Nora Vargas said the request “seeks to leverage the CDPH’s expertise to explore the potential link between cross-border sewage pollution and gastrointestinal issues, aiming to address and mitigate health risks for the community.”

As board chairwoman, and a member of the California Air Resource Board and Air Pollution Control District, Vargas added that she is “deeply committed to addressing the biggest environmental and social justice crisis of our lifetime.”

“From declaring the cross-border pollution in the Tijuana River Valley as a public health crisis to declaring a state of emergency, I have always and will continue to fight so that families in South County have the clean water and air they deserve,” she said in a statement.

Cross-border pollution has become a bigger issue for county and coastal municipal leaders, with the Board of Supervisors in June 2023 declaring a state of emergency.

Some county beaches have been closed for over 800 consecutive days due to sewage contamination.

According to Vargas’ office, she sent a letter to the U.S. Congress this week in support of an additional $200 million for the International Boundary and Water Commission construction account for fiscal year 2025, which a House of Representatives committee was to review Wednesday.

In March, San Diego-based business advocacy groups sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking for more help with the U.S.-Mexico border pollution problem.

Also that month, state Sen. Steve Padilla — whose district includes southern San Diego County — said that he would introduce environmental justice legislation to tackle border pollution.

Last October, the federal government announced $310 million to expand wastewater treatment in the South Bay as part of an ongoing effort to tackle cross-border pollution in the Tijuana River Valley.

In 2021, the county received $10 million from the state Coastal Conservancy to reduce trash and sediment movement into the Tijuana River Valley.

More recent efforts include air monitors in South County to track pollutants. According to her office, Vargas is planning to issue a board letter calling for access to air filters and purifiers in homes, as a way to help families.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors Wednesday identified a leading candidate in the national search for a new chief administrative officer, and will announce that person’s name once negotiations are concluded.

According to Chairwoman Nora Vargas’ office, the board voted after a closed session meeting Wednesday.

If approved at a future public meeting, the candidate will replace Helen Robbins-Meyer, who retired earlier this year. Sarah Aghassi, a longtime county official, has served as the interim CAO since Robbins-Meyer’s departure.

Vargas’ office said the board expects to make an announcement on the CAO position on June 4.

“I am excited that, as a board, we have unanimously reached this stage in the selection process, and I am confident that our chosen candidate will bring exceptional leadership and vision to San Diego County,” Vargas said in a statement. “I am looking forward to finalizing the agreement and introducing the new CAO to our community. We have a lot more work to do together to build healthier, stronger communities.”

Earlier this month, supervisors held a special closed session to find a permanent CAO, who acts essentially as the county mayor. The CAO’s office compiles the budget and keeps the county running day-to-day.

Robbins-Meyer retired in January after serving in the position since 2012. She first announced her retirement in October 2022, with a planned departure in late March 2023.

However, she stayed in her position following a political earthquake involving former District 4 Supervisor Nathan Fletcher. He resigned in May 2023 in the wake of sexual assault and harassment allegations involving a former Metropolitan Transit System employee, which he has denied.

Supervisors voted 4-0 in April 2023 in favor of keeping Robbins-Meyer as interim CAO for a limited time. Last September, the board restarted the CAO search.

On Jan. 9, supervisors selected Aghassi — previously deputy CAO with 18 years total experience in San Diego County government — for the head job while the recruitment process took place.

Information about the CAO recruitment process is at https://www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/hr/cao-recruitment-process.html.

City News Service contributed to this article.

The California Big City Mayors coalition, chaired by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, Wednesday called on Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders to include state budget funding for the Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention program.

“Our message is simple: Without HHAP, homeless shelters will be shuttered, safe parking lots will close, outreach workers will be gone, and unsafe and unsanitary tent encampments will proliferate on our sidewalks and in our parks,” Gloria said. “The programs we’ve created with this state funding have helped tens of thousands of people get off the street and connected to care and housing. We are making progress on this crisis, and now is not the time to take our foot off the gas.”

Newsom’s initial Fiscal Year 2025 budget did not include HHAP funding, but legislators can still add it to the spending plan through negotiating with the governor before a final vote in June.

The call to Sacramento comes the same day San Diego’s Regional Task Force on Homelessness released its 2024 Point-in-Time count, finding at least a 3% increase in the number of San Diegans experiencing homelessness countywide and an 18% increase of those without stable shelter.

“Homelessness remains California’s number one issue,” said Bakersfield Mayor Karen Goh. “Mayors have underscored its gravity, our residents trumpet this crisis daily, and the streets of California cry out with the pain of thousands. HHAP funding has changed the futures of our cities’ most vulnerable.”

Since 2018, California has provided funding for homelessness programs in municipalities and county governments beginning with one year of funding for the Homeless Emergency Aid Program and continuing with five rounds of funding for HHAP.

In April, the Big City Mayors released a report detailing the number of new shelter beds and interim homes that cities have added with these funds statewide, including:

• 15,722 new emergency shelter beds and interim homes created
• 149,851 people served
• 42,215 people placed into a housing intervention

Meanwhile, the city of San Diego is undergoing its own budget process, reflecting a $172 million deficit. However, Gloria says the city’s homelessness prevention programs will be protected from any cuts this year.

City News Service contributed to this article.