SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – The San Diego region is home to at least 10,000 unsheltered people. The wait to get into low-income housing is only getting longer.
“Section 8 vouchers were not created to make you wait for ten to fifteen years to get help,” said Francine Maxwell.
Francine Maxwell is the chair for Black Men and Women United San Diego. The group filed a lawsuit against the San Diego Housing Commission, alleging that it is approving rent hikes that exceed the state’s annual cap of 10%.
“You’ve had the same rent for maybe six years, and then all of a sudden, someone says in the next two months, I’m going to give you an almost 15% increase nobody can afford that in this economy,” said Maxwell.
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“During a homelessness and housing crisis, how it is unacceptable for the region’s largest public housing agency to be not only rubber stamping illegal rent increases but to be diverting limited taxpayer funds to pay for those illegal rent increases, ” said Parisa Ijadi-Maghsoodi of Pease Law.
A tenant with a federal housing choice voucher pays 30% of their income to rent. The rest is paid to the landlord out of federal money. The lawsuit states more than 40,000 low-income men, women, and children rely on the program to avoid homelessness.
“It undermines the purpose of the Section 8 voucher program which is to ensure that low-income residents of San Diego County. Many are unhoused, are able to obtain and maintain stable housing,” said Ijadi-Maghsoodi.
A spokesman with San Diego’s Housing Commission released a statement that says, “Whether or not AB 1482’s rent increase provisions apply to Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher households is a still-unresolved legal question. Differing legal opinions have been issued on that subject, including the attached opinion from the California Legislative Counsel Bureau in February 2020, shortly after AB 1482 was enacted, that said Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers are exempt from those provisions. The California Attorney General’s letter in the summer of this year provided the opposite opinion. All six public housing authorities in San Diego County and many throughout the state, including the California Association of Housing Authorities, have operated with the understanding that AB 1482’s rent increase provisions did not apply to the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which oversees the federal Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, has not provided any guidance on this issue. That is why SDHC is continuing to move forward with its own local rent cap policy, subject to HUD approval. SDHC began discussions about a possible local policy months ago. The proposed local policy would limit rent increases to the lesser of 5% plus the Consumer Price Index or 10% per year for all Housing Choice Voucher programs subject to SDHC’s jurisdiction and authority. The exemptions provided in California Civil Code 1947.12(d), as enacted through AB 1482, would not be part of SDHC’s local policy. SDHC looks forward to continuing to work with the Council President and the City Council regarding the implementation of SDHC’s local policy, depending on HUD’s approval of the policy.”
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Tyler McGhie had 27 points in UC San Diego’s 72-67 win against La Salle on Thursday.
McGhie also added seven rebounds for the Tritons (3-2). Nordin Kapic scored 18 points and added 10 rebounds. Hayden Gray had 14 points and shot 4 for 8 (3 for 6 from 3-point range) and 3 of 6 from the free-throw line.
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The Explorers (4-1) were led by Corey McKeithan, who recorded 21 points. Jahlil White added 13 points and seven rebounds.
The second half featured five lead changes and was tied five times before UC San Diego secured the victory. Kapic scored 13 second-half points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
“We’re not trying to be,” said the group’s sax player and driving force, Scott Page. “We want to do an exploration of Pink Floyd. We try to mash things up, create some entertaining ways of presenting the music.”
The title of the band’s show, which comes to San Diego for the first time on Sunday at the Music Box in Little Italy, is “An Exploration of the Music of Pink Floyd with Original Electronica Transitions.”
Speaking about Think X’s approach to the familiar canon of Pink Floyd, Page said “We play it heavier and we let our people solo and blow over it.”
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guitarist Kenny Olson of the band Think X, which plays Sunday in San Diego. (Think X)
Besides Page, who has backed up the David Gilmour-led Pink Floyd in concert, the group includes guitarist Kenny Olson, best known for working with Kid Rock (“He’s got this Hendrix-y, crazy vibe” touts Page); bassist Norwood Fisher (co-founder of Fishbone); drummer Stephen Perkins, whose resume includes Jane’s Addiction and Porno for Pyros; young guitarist Derek Day (“One of our secret weapons”); keyboardist Will Champlin; and vocalist Roberta Freeman, who Page says knocks the Floyd’s “The Great Gig in the Sky” out of the park.
Page says he learned much about music and his craft from working with Floyd guitarist David Gilmour.
“He is the master of melody,” said Page. “He can kill you with one note. He changed my way of thinking. Sax players play all this crazy stuff, and he made me realize melody, how I can sing with my instrument.”
If you want to hear what Page is talking about, revisit for example Gilmour’s bluesy guitar solos on Pink Floyd’s “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” from the “Wish You Were Here” album. Timeless. For tickets, visit musicboxsd.com.
Comedian Kathleen Madigan performs Friday at the Magnolia Theater in El Cajon. (5W PR)
Comedy
Like me, comedian Kathleen Madigan went to college and earned a B.A. in journalism. Unlike me, she must have decided that standup comedy was more rewarding.
It’s certainly been rewarding for Madigan. She’s been doing it since the ‘90s and has starred in comedy specials on both Netflix (“Kathleen Madigan: Bothering Jesus”) and Amazon Prime Video (“Kathleen Madigan: Hunting Bigfoot”). Both are still streamable.
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But you can catch her act in person Friday when she comes to the Magnolia Theater in El Cajon. Her show’s titled “The Potluck Party.” Does that mean somebody’s supposed to bring the potato salad?
The creative team for New Village Arts’ “Miracle on 34th Street: A Live Radio Play.” (New Village Arts)
Theater
Here come the holiday shows. Previews are under way at New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad of its production of “Miracle on 34th Street: A Live Musical Radio Play.” Adapted by Lance Arthur Smith and with original songs and arrangements by Jon Lorenz, this festive show was previously produced at San Diego Musical Theatre in its former Gaslamp Quarter location.
I remember enjoying it there and finding the nod to the days of Lux Radio Theater much preferable to a straight retelling of the “Miracle on 34th Street” story that’s been filmed a couple of times.
Opening night, incidentally, is Nov. 30, so here’s something to do over the Thanksgiving weekend.
British singer Amy Winehouse performing in concert in Baltimore in 2005. BALTIMORE SUN
More music
For many years, music fans have mused about a “club” of artists that nobody wants to belong to.
It’s the 27 Club, named for the famous musicians who died at the peak of their fame at age 27, for reasons that include drug and alcohol overdoses, suicide or other causes. They include 1930s blues artist Robert Johnson; ‘60s rockers Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison; ‘90s grunge-rocker Kurt Cobain; and British singer Amy Winehouse, who died in 2011.
San Diego’s own Six String Society is paying tribute to all six of those gone-too-soon artists next week in Escondido with the return of their thematic concert “27 Club.” The concert imagines all six of these artists gathered together in a mythic Greenwich Village apartment circa 1969, and each takes their turn performing. The performers will include Whitney Shay (as Winehouse), Lauren Leigh Martin (as Joplin), Trevor James (as Hendrix), Tony Suraci (as Morrison), Austin David (as Cobain) and Robin Henkel (as the spirit of Johnson).
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Since Six String debuted “27 Club” at the Belly Up concert hall in Solana Beach in 2016, it has sold out virtually everywhere it goes. At this point, the 7 p.m. show on Nov. 29 at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, is sold out, but there are still tickets available for the 2 p.m. show that afternoon. Visit artcenter.org/event/six-string-society-presents-27-club.
Vocalist Jane Monheit joins the San Diego Symphony on Saturday. (Jane Monheit)
Jazz concert
If there was a Mount Rushmore of jazz singers, three of the four spaces should be taken by Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan. Each unique. Each unforgettable.
On Saturday, the San Diego Symphony presents at the new Jacobs Music Center “A Tribute to Ella, Billie and Sarah.” The concert features vocal performances by one of jazz’s best contemporary vocalists, Jane Monheit, along with Sherry Williams and keyboardist/vocalist Champian Fulton. The band behind then includes the great Rickey Woodard on tenor sax.
Local jazz icon Gilbert Castellanos’ Young Lions Jazz Conservatory All Stars open Saturday’s show. For tickets, visit purchasing.sandiegosymphony.org
Vocalist and guitarist Rome Ramirez of Sublime with Rome. (SCNG)
Rock music
A couple of veteran San Diego bands, Switchfoot and P.O.D., are on the bill Saturday at Petco Park’s Gallagher Square when Long Beach’s ska kings Sublime with Rome (formerly just Sublime) headlines what they’re billing as their “last California show ever.”
The farewell has to do with singer/guitarist Rome Ramirez, who will embark on a solo career once this tour is over.
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This concert is scheduled to begin at 7:35 p.m., which sounds like one of those odd Padres start times at Petco. For tickets, visit petcoparkevents.com.
U-T arts and dining stories you may have missed
The dining room of Jacquèe Renna’s new rooftop restaurant Communion in Mission Hills. (Pacifica Restaurants)
UCTV
University of California Television invites you to enjoy this special selection of programs from throughout the University of California. Descriptions courtesy of and text written by UCTV staff:
“A Conversation with Artist Jeff Koons”
Renowned artist Jeff Koons joins Kathryn Kanjo, director and CEO of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, for a conversation about his provocative and influential work. Known for his glossy, oversized sculptures of everyday objects like balloon animals and household items, Koons blends pop culture, consumerism, and art history to challenge traditional notions of art. In this discussion, he reflects on his artistic evolution — from early inflatable rabbits to iconic large-scale metal sculptures — and explores how his creations raise questions about cultural value, mass production and the line between high and low art. This program offers a unique glimpse into the mind of one of the most celebrated and controversial artists of our time.
“Greatest Anime Pioneer in Japan: The Osamu Tezuka Story”
Discover the legacy of Osamu Tezuka, often called the “God of Manga and “Father of Anime,” whose groundbreaking work set the stage for modern manga and anime. Tezuka was a visionary Japanese manga artist, animator, and founder of Mushi Production, one of Japan’s first anime studios. In 1963, he produced “Astro Boy,” the first Japanese TV anime series, which introduced limited animation techniques still widely used today. Rachel Costello, an anime enthusiast from UC San Diego’s Innovating for National Security Academic Program, presents a retrospective on Tezuka’s life and influence. Her dedication to anime and storytelling also inspired her role as executive producer of the U.S. Navy’s “Sea Strike 2041” comic project, merging her passions for art and national security.
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“Movement and Strength Training to Improve Metabolic Health”
Learn how to build a strong foundation for lifelong health with Dr. Natalie Marshall, as she explores the crucial link between muscle mass, metabolic fitness, and chronic disease prevention. Aging often brings metabolic changes and muscle loss, raising the risk for many chronic conditions. Marshall emphasizes the importance of movement, strength training, and balanced body composition in maintaining metabolic health. With practical tips on how to get started, she shares strategies to help you ‘build muscle for life’ and boost overall well-being. This program offers valuable insights for anyone looking to take proactive steps toward healthier aging.
And finally, top weekend events
A scene from Lamb’s Players Theatre’s 2023 production of “R-E-S-P-E-C-T-F-U-L-L-Y Christmas.” It returns for the second year on Nov. 26. (Ken Jacques)
The best things to do this weekend in San Diego: Nov. 22-24
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