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>> >>JOANNE: Tonight on KPBS Evening Edition, mayoral candidate and district attorney Bonnie
Dumanis wants to end guaranteed city pensions but says she deserves hers.
>> >>DWANE: Congress congressman bob Filner says the pension reform ballot on the measure,
pension fund to build a ball park and host a political convention.
>> >>JOANNE: We're talking with the candidates tonight, KPBS Evening Edition starts now.
>> >>JOANNE: Hello, thanks for joining us, I'm Joanne Faryon.
>> >>DWANE: I'm Dwane Brown. A new report says a plan to restart the san
Onofre nuclear power plant is unsafe and now California senator Barbara boxer wants answers
about the plant's troubles. Alison St. John is in the news story with
the story t.boxer sent a news letter to the chairman of the NRC.
What is she asking for? >> >>ALISON: She wants to see all the documents
relating to the review that the NRC did of the new steam generator.
She wants to see all those documents from Edison about that new design and wants to
see what NRC is doing to review whether or in fact they should require a licensed amendment
for this new generator. >> >>DWANE: What difference would a licensed
amendment have made? >> >>ALISON: Basically f they had explained
the design was not just the equivalent of the old steam generator t might have triggered
a licensed amendment review which would have been a goo g deal more it thorough.
>> >>DWANE: What evidence they're showing are cause bid the new design.
>> >>JOANNE: Some people at Edison mentioned it could be the design.
They haven't finished their review yet. Also critics, people for example a study sponsored
by the friends of the earth by fair winds associates suggests that reason that the design
is having problems is because more tubes have been inserted into this steam generator in
order to generate more power and be more profitable for the company and they are vibrating because
the design is significantly different. It is not equivalent to the old design.
Edison is saying they have been completely transparent with NRC all along.
The NRC is saying they may have to review their procedures as a result of what happened.
In the mean time Barbara boxer wants all these documents by next week.
>> >>JOANNE: Members of an imperial valley Indian tribe have gone to court to stop a
huge wind farm project near Ocotillo. The project is planned on secret land where
they found human remains. The Obama administration has ignored their archaeological sites in
the area. Fast track for approval last year.
Backers of a flan to remove vehicles from a section of Balboa park say their opponents
are trying to scare them into dropping the plan.
Last week the national park service warned the proposed Plaza de Panama project could
put the park's national historic designation at risk.
All the historic buildings and gardens in the park.
>> >>DWANE: The rope is down that children's pool in La Jolla tonight the rope stays up
during seal pupping season p.animal rights activists say the seals use the beach all
year long so the ropes should be left up. Advocates for beach access disagree the state
coastal commission will hear the dispute in July.
San Diego gas and electric is warning customers about a scam to get people's social security
numbers. It claims president Obama is supplying credits
and asks for a person's social security number. Some times the scammers visit the customers,
sometimes they use social media posing as SDG&E workers.
The utility says they don't ask for information and always carry proper I.D. t.tonight we
continue our one on one interviews with the candidates of San Diego Mayor.
Last week Joanne sat down with district attorney Bonnie Dumanis.
>> >>JOANNE: She was once called the most powerful politician in San Diego.
The poles show district attorney Bonnie Dumanis trailing behind the other three top candidates.
With just weeks before the Juneハ5 primary, can Bonnie due Dumanis garner enough support
to make it through that primary. Here is candidate Dumanis on the campaign
trail. >> >>BONNIE DUMANIS: Simply put, comprehensive
pension reform is a critical component of my vision to restore the city's financial
health. >> >>JOANNE: Joining me now is San Diego county
district attorney Bonnie Dumanis. Thanks for being here.
>> >>BONNIE DUMANIS: Good to see you. >> >>JOANNE: I'm going to ask you about the
poles in just a moment. Let's talk about pensions because we've come
owft this. Now you support the proposition that would
basically all new hires to the city would no longer get guaranteed pensions, and a 5
year freeze on pensionable earnings. There have been media reports that say you
stand to gain a fairly sizable government pension yourself.
What is your pension when you retire? >> >>BONNIE DUMANIS: It's just under 200,000
and everybody knows that that's the case that I'm going to get a generous pension.
Under the circumstances that I worked for 38 years from a Jr. clerk typist to prosecutor
too, superior court judge and district attorney breaking many glass ceilings along the way
never was I in a position to make a decision about pensions or on my salary and as Mayor,
I will be in that position, and we simply can't afford the pension benefits that now
exist and we have to do what the private industry has done and change them.
>> >>JOANNE: You mentioned all that you did do to earn this pension.
Do you feel you earned that pension? >> >>BONNIE DUMANIS: Yes.
I think I have done worked from a couple of dollars a day to up to you know district attorney.
I've been running a large rg organization with a thousand employees, 140ハmillion dollar
budget and three labor organizations y.have that executive experience as well as judicial
experience, and I am a lawyer y.think that experience is going toハ it sets me apart
and is going to make me the best Mayor the San Diego has ever had.
>> >>JOANNE: Do you think though that the employees who work for the city whether they
pick up the garbage, or work in the library, whether they stand to gain a 20,000 dollar
pension or a 40,000 dollar pension feel the same way, and they want that guaranteed pension?
>> >>BONNIE DUMANIS: They will have that. The courts have held the that vested pension
rights will not be changed. What it means is that those people that now
joined the city, and they will be aware when they agree to be employed and the market has
changed, we can't afford the benefits and, we've got to look that salaries in the private
industry as well. >> >>JOANNE: Let's talk about the poles now.
Your in fourth place.I think a lot f political watchers early on thought you were maybe a
shoe in. You got off to fairly a good start, what happened?
>> >>BONNIE DUMANIS: Let's first say I'm not in fourth place.
Campaigns are always in flux, poles are for the moment and the same pole showed me 20%
behind a week before I won district attorney in 2002.
We weren't on television at the time with our commercials, we are now.
We have been very aggressive. As I go out and talk to people, I'm humbled
by the support I get about my plans, my experience. The difference between what I bring to the
table which is 38 years in San Diego working in San Diego, and giving back to the community.
>> >>JOANNE: I understand what you're saying. Your commercial's on the air.
Do you think when you saw some of those poling numbers, I think one of the them most recently
had you at eight percent, were you a little surprised by that?
>> >>BONNIE DUMANIS: I don't really look at poles. The only pole that counts is Juneハ5.
Certainly, it's just something that the insiders really look at.
People haven't started focusing yet and now they're beginning to because the ballots have
gone out. I think it's something we're using, invigorated,
I'm, you know, in it to win it, and I plan on being the next Mayor of San Diego.
>> >>JOANNE: I want to talk a little bit about where you stand on the issues because recently
there were three Republicans running now an independent.
We're going to put something on the screen from voice of San Diego.org.
It's a score card on these major issues. People can find it at voice of San Diego dot
org. Major positions like the convention center
tax which you support, the Jacobs Plaza Panama plan which you support, same position as the
other candidates with the exception of Filner who's a democrat.
How are you different than Carl DeMaio or Nathan Fletcher.
>> >>BONNIE DUMANIS: I think most of us want the best interest of San Diego.
I think we are similar on a lot of issues. The difference is the three other legislatures,
the type of experience you get as a Washington insider or Sacramento politician or city councilman
doesn't prepare you for the job of Mayor which is a strong form of government.
A CEO of a multibillion dollar organization with close to 10,000 employees.
I think I bring something different to the table.
My way of bringing people together, collaborating, and being innovative, that's my history, my
track record, and I think people can trust me.
>> >>JOANNE: I want to ask you very quickly, some social issue questions.
Of course a lot f of news with the president coming out supporting same sex marriage.
I know you're in a same sex marriage. Would you follow Mayor Jerry sander's suit
and actually advocate or lobby for equal marriage for everyone?
>> >>BONNIE DUMANIS: Jerry sanders and I have stood at a press conference to urge peep tool
vote against prop 8. I have been married, it's been three years,
we've been together for 15 years, Denise and I.
We change people's hearts and minds one at a time.
It make as difference. >> >>JOANNE: One more quetion question.
It has not a lot to do with Mayor, but another social ietion u in terms of abortion rights
y.know planned parenthood has a question there. Do you support
>> >>BONNIE DUMANIS: I am fully pro choice ever since I went to Europe and saw a botched
abortion. I am a woman, so I am very sensitive to healths
and reproductive rights. Before we go off, I do want to say I am donating
my salary, a hundred thousand dollars because I feel passionate about education, as Mayor,
400,000 dollars to education programs. >> >>JOANNE: What about a pension as Mayor,
you would stand to earnハ >> >>BONNIE DUMANIS: I wouldn't enter the
pension system at all. >> >>JOANNE: Thanks for being here Bonnie
do Dumanis. >> >>DWANE: We'll rap up our interviews with
the mayoral candidates in a moment with a talk with congressman bob Filner.
We'll get a peek inside the new downtown library. This is KPBS Evening Edition.
Captions provided by ecaptions. >> >>DWANE: Welcome back to KPBS Evening Edition.
We've been hearing from all the major candidates for San Diego Mayor this week.
Joanne has the final interview in our series with congressman bob Filner.
>> >>JOANNE: He's been a congressman for the past 20 years.
Now he wants to be Mayor of San Diego. He is the only one of the four leading candidates
who does not support the pension reform ballot measure.
He has his own plan. Finally releasing it just weeks ago.
Here's a clip from the KPBS mayoral debate last month.
>> >>: Congressman Filner, you have yet to release any major policy initiatives in this
race, while your opponents have released several. Your campaign pitch so far has been I'm the
only democrat vote for me. Can you provide more specifics about what
a Filner administration would be like? >> >>BOB FILNER: I just out lined my pension
plan which says put a cap on no more six figure pensions.
I'm glad Nathan picked that one up from me. >> >>JOANNE: Joining me now is congressman
bob Filner. I want to get to your own pension plan reform
measure, but first let's talk about this criticism in terms of what this debate question highlighted
a.new pole says that Carl DeMaio is out 10 points ahead of you.
Do you think you could have done something different or you should be doing something
different in terms of your campaign? >> >>BOB FILNER: Obviously the outcome will
tell that. But each person run as campaign based on,
you know, their strengths and the dynamics between the candidates and their experience
as I've had. I won 25 elections in San Diego, been through
this many times y.think I know how to do it, and I think it will come out victorious.
>> >>JOANNE: You took some heat on this show for not having accurate or up to date information
about the port. I know the port is a major part of your platform.
Do you think it has to do with being in Washington twenty years.
Are you up to speed with all things San Diego? >> >>BOB FILNER: I was not wrong with the
port stuff. I said a few years ago, I probably meant 10
years ago. I have a wider framework than most people
do here, because I've been dealing with these issues a long time. The fact of the matter
has not changed. Our port is the single biggest potential for
increasing middle class jobs in a city that has not been exploited.
Let's say we have 4ハbillion, we could double it easily. The port agrees with me on that.
So we can in fact increase the capacity and expand.
We can produce thousands of jobs by becoming a true maritime center here in San Diego.
>> >>JOANNE: I want to talk about pension reform because that has been something that's
dominated this this campaign. When you look at the four leading candidates,
you are the only one who does not support this ballot measure.
You have your own plan instead and you want to keep guaranteed pensions for city employees.
Does it put the city at risk down the road? >> >>BOB FILNER: We were stuck with a mess
caused by a stock market decline and previous Mayors who stole from the system.
How do you do something that's fair to tax payers and employees? Weave lr made major
steps in that. The current Mayor has done major reforms in
that he has brought up the city workers in contributions, brought down the city contributions,
got eliminated some of the bells and whistles. We have to decrease the debt in our annual
payment. Our annual payment is approaching a third
of our budget. I'm looking at that and saying the plan that's
on the ballot is very fair, because it says to employees, you have a 401k, but no social
security. It costs a hundred million dollars almost
to set up. It doesn't save a nickel, not a nickel for tax payers is there a better plan
than that? >> >>JOANNE: Unless the city negotiates a
5 year salary freeze with employees it won't save?
>> >>BONNIE DUMANIS: It pre suppose as zero percent salary increase for 5 years, which
the employees already had a 5 or six year salary freeze t.has to be done by collective
bargaining. Why aren't we at the table instead in the
courtroom? I said there has to be a better way than this.
The horror stories that Mr.ハDeMaio and others tell are these 250,000 dollar pensions.
That's a few management employees who have got tn phoney pay raises from the city.
I put a cap, no more six figure pensions which I could do as Mayor right away.
That's not a negotiated thing. That's in the purview of the Mayor and the
council. More important, since we don't haveハ we're
spending money high interest rates, we have the lowest interest raid rates in the history
of this nation. I want to take advantage of that situation,
finance part of that debt with lower interest rates with bonds that save two, two and a
half percent interest rates. We save about a billion dollar bond, you're
savingハ I could save 550ハmillion dollars over 10 years, put it into the general it
fund to fix pot holes, no new taxesハ >> >>JOANNE: I want to back you up you said
we had a couple Mayors who stole from the pension form.
What you're responding to is it was under funded?
>> >>BOB FILNER: No, Mayor Murphy wanted to build a padres stadium and said no public
funds. Mayor golding wanted to have a Republican
national convention here, said no public funds. They winked at the employees, took it out
of the pension fund which they consider public money, winked at them, and said we'll raise
your benefits, just don't say we stole the money.
They literally stole the money to finance parts of the ball park, parts of the bringing
the Republican convention here. That I call theft.
>> >>JOANNE: We haven't got a lot of time left.
Nathan Fletcher left the Republican party, surged in the poles.
Do you think that decision, where now you've got perhaps democrats who really maybe died
they didn't want to vote for you, they have an alternative, do you think that's hurt you?
>> >>BOB FILNER: I don't think anything's hurt.
We'll have the poles in the poles, in three weeks.
Real voting. I think it was a last gap maneuver by Mr.ハFletcher.
He did not get the Republican endorsement which he want wanted and tried very hard to
do. He out lined how long he had been a Republican
and what he did. He throws what we call a hail Mary pass and
says I'll be an independent. You can't change your record when you change
your name. You still have a record of voting against
education, against women's rights, against the environment, and all the objective score
cards reveal that. We'll see how the voters respond to a change
in name without having a change in real record y.like to say there's still a big elephant
in the room. >> >>JOANNE: Okay, congressman Filner, thanks
so much for being here. >> >>BOB FILNER: Thank you.
>> >>DWANE: You can find all the interviews with the mayoral candidates on our website,
KPBS.org/election p.you'll also find our online voter guide for June, tomorrow our y threks
2012 coverage will focus on candidates for county board of supervisors.
More than 35 years ago, the city of San Diego began planning for a new central library downtown.
KPBS video journalist Nic McVicker gives us a peek inside.
>> >>: You may have notice ad 9 story building rising between park boulevard in downtown
San Diego. >> >>: It's very unusual for a local architect
to be awarded a building of this significance. So that was really special and meant that
this was my library as well. >> >>: The new library will replace the current
one on E street downtown which was bild built in 1954.
The new space will double in size to nearly 300,000 square feet and house over a million
items and over 400 computers. Balboa park was was a major influence for
the library's design. >> >>: We were asked to do a building I think
the exact words were that looks to the future but respects our past.
And so when we ask San Diegans what do you mean by past, they said they like the buildings
in Balboa park. >> >>NIC: Input.
>> >>: The idea of the dome came from a series of public work shops that we held in 97.
It was meant to symbolically tie back to Balboa park and the buildings that are part of the
history of San Diego and so we learn from those buildings in a lot of different ways.
One was setting the last house there, the botanical gardens building.
This dome is actually an out growth or was inspired directly by that building.
>> >>NIC: At over 50% complete, the construction crew is close to finishing the dome.
>> >>: We are pretty high up. You know, from ground floor to top of dome,
you're at 255ハfeet. >> >>NIC: Carmen vein is project executive
with turner construction company. >> >>: We are sitting right outside of the
three story reading room which is the South end of the new library.
You'll see right behind me is one of our ribs, the support structure for the dome.
>> >>NIC: The dome will have eight sails with perforated shadingハ 364 foot cube identical
to the lobby. >> >>: As great as this building looks, this
is really about the people, that it's going to serve.
>> >>: Mel cats has served as the chair of the San Diego library foundation.
In addition to public space, the library will also host a charter school.
>> >>: In n sd the library on two floors will be 500 students on a high school and they
enter right here on 11th street. Our children's section is over 10,000 square
feet, and our teen center is over 6,000 square feet.
>> >>NIC: Despite the abundance of the information in the digital age, people are still visiting
libraries. In the last year, people visited the county's
libraries over 6ハmillion times. >> >>: In this digital age where with face
book and everything else, there's instant communication, and one would think that the
libraries would become less important. It's actually been the opposite.
>> >>NIC: Quigly ads when construction was started they had planned to have every desk
in the library wired for internet activity. Now the building is just one big wi fi hot
spot. >> >>: This library is more than just a house
for books. It's really the modern library is really the
common ground for all San Diegans. It's the one place where we're all equal,
we can all go to, and you'll have resources that are just real not available anywhere
else in the community. >> >>: This library will change this community,
will change this entire San Diego reaming n, and more than anything, will change the
people that use it. >> >>DWANE: That story from KPBS video journalist
Nic McVicker. Construction should be complete in July next
year. The budget is 185ハmillion dollars. This is KPBS Evening Edition.
Captions provided by ecaptions. >> >>JOANNE: Welcome back to the public square
on KPBS Evening Edition. Tonight we concluded our series of interviews
with the four top candidates for San Diego Mayor.
Yesterday, I spoke with San Diego council member Carl DeMaio and assemblyman Nathan
Fletcher. Many of you had something to say about those
interviews. First on the DeMaio interview:
On the question I asked DeMaio about same sex marriage whether as an openly gay man
who supports same sex marriage he had a moment of pause before accepting Doug Manchester's
support and endorsement. He's the new owner of the UT San Diego and
was a major backer of prop 8, which banned same sex marriage.
Mission accomplished wrote this: And on my interview with assemblyman Nathan
Fletcher and he signed the Grover nor qus anti Norquist antitax pledgeハ
Let me know what you thought of the mayoral candidates and what they had to say.
Send me an e mail, jfaryon@kpbs.org, or drop us a line on Twitter or face book.
Let's go back to the news desk where Don has a recap of tonight's top stories.
>> >>DWANE: Senator Barbara boxer wants details about the steam generators of the san Onofre
nuclear plant. Design changes which are suspected of causing
problems with tubes carrying radioactive water. The rope separating people from harbor seals
at La Jolla children's pool is down tonight. The rope is in place during pupping season.
Animal rights activists want it up year round. Advocates for beach access want peep tool
get preference. Tonight's stories are all on our website,
kpbs.org/eveningedition. Thank you for joining us, you have a great
night.