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>>> from the kpbs studios, thisis san diego week. >>> good evening i'm anitacharmer. thanks for joining us.cal state made the san diego state president the highest pait and at the same time raisedtuitions. there is an obesity epidemic in a san diego town that surpasses the nation>>> and we'll preview what the show me con will preview next week.first, the headlines. >>> students attending california's publicuniversity will be paying more this year.katy joins us. how much will tuition increase? >> it's a significant increase, anita.the trustees for both the california university
system have voted to increase tuitions forthe second time this year. tuitions will increase for 10%.csu students will see their tuition rise 12%. both systems are dealing with a 112 million-dollarcut. >>> the operation of miramarlandfill could be put out tobid. a committee has voted to movethe issue to the full council.private companies could compete with city employees to competethe most efficient management plan a win are will likely notbe selected until next spring.
>>> and san diegovoters may get todecide whether recently passed regulations on marijuanadispen sis are too harsh. critics have collected enoughsignatures to put the issue on the ballot.the council will take it up before the end of the month.>>> and san diego will be home to the nation's first allelectric car sharing servicethis fall. daimler car owned picked sandiego because the city will
have more than 100 publiccharging stations by the end of the year.of the service will allow drivers to use a smart foan appto drive a car, drive it and leave it.the system works great forshort, spontaneous one-way trips.>>> at a time when san diego state university has seen itsfunding slashed and students have been forced to pay everhigher tuitions, cal state trustees this week approved a$400,000 pay package for the
college'snew president elliott hisshman.it's a move that did not sit well with governor jerry brownand many in the public. earlier, i satwith president hireshman.san diego state unfortunateholds kpbs' broadcast license. >>> more than $650 million wascut from the cal state systemthis year. instructors have been laid off.classes have been canceled.
and just this week, cal statetrustees voted to increase feesby 12%. against this back drop, why doyou think you should be paid $4,400,000 a year?>> sure. i want to talk a little bitabout the background of some of the compensation issues and iappreciate you giving me the opportunity to itgo --to gointo that the way that the compensation is set for auniversity system is that the
chancellor prior to the conductof the search conduct a national study to try tounderstand the nature of appropriate compensation forthe presidential position they're going to recruitment sothat's the process that chancellor reed and the boardwent through. and then they proceeded withthat through the search. i was very honored to beoffered the position and, right now, my focus is on doingeverything possible to support the students, faculty and staffof san diego state university.
i want to elaborate on thequestion in a number of ways.first, i do want to commend mr.carter, the chair of the board, for his thoughtsabout revisiting this subject.this was a fairly complicated situation that the offer thatwas made to me preceded the cuts that came down and some ofthe effects that you were discussing.what he's going to do is convene a committee of theboard to
examine the processfor services and president compensation.i think that's an appropriate thanking to do and i'm verysupportive of that approach. a point that i think isrelevant to the issues you raise about resources concernsmy focus on bringing resources into the university.and that's something that i will be spending a very largeportion of my time so we can be sure to be able to support ourfaculty, ensure access for students to continue ourprograms in the community
moving forward.>> as you know, governor brown wrote a letter to cam statetrustees in which he expressed concerns.he said, quote, he is worried that they are setting a patternfor public service that we cannot afford.what do you think of this comment?>> i appreciate what the governor is saying.i understand the motivation andi think that mr. carter in moving towardthis committee is
attempting to begin to addressthat process i also want to emphasize that the governorthrough colleagues and representatives has conveyed tome --of course, this is not personal.this is nothing about san diego state but rather hisperspective on this issue. and i respect that.the point that i conveyed back to the governor is both that irespect his position in moving forward as well as many othersand what i'm eager to do is work with him in supportingour
students, in supporting ourfaculty, moving forward community engagement.i believe there ace strong reciprocal goal there.>> getting back to student feesings tuition has gone up,almost 92% in the last fouryears making college very difficult to attain incalifornia which is a part of the dream here.how worried are you thatcollege will increasingly, that money will increasingly becomea barrier to higher public
education?>> that's an excellent question.one of the defining characteristics of san diegostate and california state university system is a focus onaccess and excellence. and so as we have gone throughthis period --and i wouldagree wholeheartedly that thetuition raise though incredible is necessary.one of our steps in our sister institutions in the csu sharedthis step is that we will be
reserving approximately $8million in the tuition revenue to support financial aid.this will be for students whosefamilies are below $70,000 in income.and we're going to assure that for those families, they donot pay a single penny moreassociated with this increase. we want to get that word out.we don't want students to become discouraged.we don't want students to think i can't be part of this dreamthat you think is so important.
we have students whose familyincome is between 70 and 90,000, those students are --do have a federal tax credit available that will give adollar for dollar offset. we want people to be aware ofthat. we also are targeting ourfundraising efforts on student scholarship.this past year, we raised 31million-dollar to support student scholarship and that'sgoing to be a continued focus this coming year.i already had extensive
discussions with donors aboutthis issue. people are very, verysupportive. people want to keep that accessopen. that's a priority.>> very quickly now, graduation rates at the university in 2010were at66%.that's a huge increase from 38% back in the two.what do you plan to do to boost them even further.>> so, first, i want to acknowledge president weber andhis team and their focus on
what they've done.they have focused on that combination of access andexcellence so that an open door does not become a revolvingdoor. the progress has beenextraordinary. progress across all groups andi think there is a lot that the university has to beproud of. in this area, there are manypeople in the university who are working.what they are doing is really breaking the process down sothat they are looking at
eachaspect of admissions, financial aid,student ma trick triculation, lookinginto areas so that academic graduationscan increase even further. >> no doubt you have seen themon the streets. they have mental illnesses.they are grappling with addictions.they have not been able to get back on their feet.they are homeless veterans. today marks the start of anannual program called stand
down that helps veteransrestart their lives. joining me to talkto about stand down is bath.what is stand down and how did it get started.>> was startd in 1988 byveteran village of san diego. it is an opportunity forveterans to take advantage of services that we take advantageof every day in our homes, ahot shower, clean clothes, opportunity to visit a dentist.they probably have not seen a
dentist in along time. that runs the gamut that peoplewould not be able to have access to.>> how many homeless veterans are there here in san diego?>> we believe there are between 3000 to 4000 homeless veteransin san diego right now. >> what kind of crowd do youexpect this weekend? >> they are expected upward ofabout 1000. it seems to increase every yearthat they've done. this considering the economythis year, there are more folks
actually out on the street.they anticipate probably about1000 homeless veterans. how successful has this programbeen in helping veterans restart their lives?>> what's interesting is that we sent a reporter out to thestand down which begins today and she was able to speak witha few of those homeless veterans and they can tell youthemselves. >> i've been coming here since1988, and actually toget someglasses.
>> i'm here at the stand-downto help me out with some my court cases for tickets andstuff, past history, clothing. i need help with my clothingand housing issues.>> medical reasons, i lost myleg and my husband through other medical reasons losthis left legs.we have other medical problems. basically, both of us arehomeless. hopefully that now that i'm outof the hospital and almost
healed, we can find a place tolive so we can both be together >>> this is an opportunity forpeople who are looking for help.they say it's not a handout.people who have not had a home like the woman we saw there,she may be able to, with assistance from housingauthorities and legal authorities, social securityassistance, can maybe make that dream come true.so it's a really important event.and san diego was the first
place that it started and ithas spread through a variety of communities throughout theunited states. >> switching gears slightly,for the first time of, active duty troops are going to bemarching in san diego's gay pride pa ray.how did this come about? >> it's a really big dealbecause of what's going on sort of legally with gays inthe military.don't ask don't tell has beenrepealed.
president obama signed that lawand the military has been slowly working towards trainingthe troops to prepare them for when the law is fully enactedor the repeal is fully enacted. the 9th circuit court ofappeals had a ruling saying that the ban needs to start nowand so there are legal wranglings going on.this is an opportunity, while this is happening, for folkswho have been hiding for years, hiding their identities, tocome out and to join together.there's been 350 active
troops,both gay and straight, and they are not allowed to wear theiruniforms but they will be wearing army t-shirt, navery t-shirts and marching together basically for the first time,being able to show who theyare. and they are pretty excitedabout it. >> very quickly, howsignificant is this step? >> it's a significant step,because it's showing sort of where we are turning thatyou
can see who you are withoutworrying about getting kicked out of the military, aboutlosing your benefits and all of that kind of things.it's a big step in that it'ssort of a bellwhether of what we're going to see in thefuture that people that we didn't know were gay in themilitary being able to come out and say, yes, this is who i amand i don't have to be afraid to lose my position in themilitary again. thank you for speaking to us.thank you.
>>>when a chula vistaelementary school teacher decided to weigh her students,she didn't realize she wouldfind an epidemic that surpassthe nation's. >> thekids at chula vista kellogg elementary school arejust getting ready for the fitness fair.there are a lot of activity that can help you like thebasketball shoes, the
footballthrow. hula hoops.>> this is a funner alternative than watching movies in classas the year wind down. >> it's good that we get ourexercises instead of being in the classroom.>> they have all these game vendors.we saw them on tv. now, they are actually here.so it's awesome. >> thisis a great opportunity for them to be enjoying theweather that's here.
>> having fun is one goal ofthe afternoon but the fair is part of a year-long evidentto make students healthier.>> children at the elementary school district did a districtwide height and weight surveillance in the fall.what we saw is that there was a need to improve the physicalfitness of our children and that is tied to greaterachievement and learning and feeling good about being atschool. this is importantto us.
>> nationally, the centers fordisease control estimates that there are about 70% of kidsbetween the ages of 2 and 19 are obese.the chula vista height and weight survey found the numbersare even worse in their schools.nearly half of first grade girls and more thana third of first grade boys wereovereight. more than half of the studentswere overweight and a quarter were considered obese.across california, students'
weight and height are onlyrecorded in the fifth grade. after a survey, chula vista isnow the only district in the state to have this detailed apicture from nearly all students from preschool tosixth grade. >> we have been operating withassumptions and very limitedinformation. so having this wealth of datareally allows us to do a better job of knowing what weneed to do.>> the school with the highest
rate of obesity are located inwhat have come to be known asfood deserts. there are fast food restaurantsnearby but fewer greaserystores. and there are parks but theneighborhoods tend to have more violent crimes.the district superintendent is intent on workingwith students'families. >> we need to be very focusedon our approach to ensure thatwe are actually changing life
styles.and the focus has to be in those specific critical areaswhere we have higher incidenceof obesity. >> the districtis also making plans, bringing local producesand giving more options. they are looking to hiremore physical education teachers andbring farmer's markets. these efforts are critical.>> this is going to be interesting because when youhave systemic change, it takes
five to ten years and we aretrying to accelerate that change because we are talkingabout the lives of kids. you are talking about kids who,when they are 30, they willhave some diabetes or heartattacks. we cannot wait.we have to do something now.>> if chula vista can accelerate these changes, theyhope that their efforts like the fitness fair can serve asmodels
for schools across theone industry. sharing the findings alreadytrickled to the students at kellogg.they know it's part fun and serious.>> i know it's fit. most kids are like obese anddon't go out and be active. this is a chance for all of usto be active and play.>> students will be doing the height and weight survey againin the fall of 2012. carla talbottwill be following
their progress again.>>> and ground zero for pop culture fans.movies, television and comic books will be celebrated atcomic con international. it's the world's biggest popculture convention and it'sheld here. joining us are two people whogo to the comic con. beth, let's start with you.comic con international is known for drawing huge crowds.will this year going to be any different?>> yes.
it's going to be huge.the con has put a cap on thenumber of people who can come because there is no room toexpand. it's been about 125,000 thepast few years and that's what it looks like to be this yearand it will be crowded. >> and hollywoodmovies have always been a big part of thisevent. that may not be the case thisyear and if that's true, why? >> i don't think that's thecase.
two or three studios don'tbring forth a couple of big movies that people want to see.disney is not going to bring the avenger and there is goingto be no presence of the new bat mapp movie.at least officially but there are other big profile moviesthat will bring. fox which didn't bring anythinglast year, will bring some movies.there will be planet of the apes and others.there will be plenty of options.>> beth, any huge celebrities
that make an appearance thisyear? >> celebrities might bedifferent than other people. for meeks the big celebritiesare the directors. francis ford coppola will beback. he was here when he did donovanmcnabb cla in the early nineties, late eighties.>> and it looks like stephen spielberg will be making hisfirst appearance for the film tin-tin.that's going to be his first time out here.they had harrison ford out.
he is doing tin tin which is anadaptation of a french copic book, hugely popular comic bookin europe. i don't know if it's going tohave the same appeal over here in the unitedstates. it has edgar wright and shaunapeg two people involved in dawn of the dead.very, very popular in comic con.that will be an interestingpanel. >> is it easy forcomic con
attendees to interact withcelebrities? >> usually, you will not beinteracting with people on the panel.but a lot of people will be doing autograph signing.there are going to be people in the booth.if you are interested in meeting some of the comic bookwriters at d.c. or marvel or dark horse, those kinds ofpeople, you will have a chancetoint ability with. but the big hollywood peoplewill whisk in
and back out.>> panels, are they going to be--is television going to play a big presence?>> television almost eclipsed how big movies are.this year won't be different. almost every network isbringing all of it big shows.hbo has game of throne and true blood.dexter will be there. elijah wood who is a filmactor, will bring his tv show. there is no tv show that's notrepresented with a celebrity
guest as well.>> so, what advice do you have for people who got tickets thisyear in terms of where to park and where to eat?>> where to park, if you don't already have your parkingpermits and stuff, don't even bother coming down.try to take the trolley or walk or be dropped off.you look at the grid, the program grid that they haveavailable online and in the programs and kind of plan outyour attack. decide what you want to see,what things you really want to
wait in line for that you arewilling to put in the hours for.pack a lot of food in. pack water in.make sure you have all the necessity, like the zombieapock lips. be ready for anything.>> you should know where you are and where you should be allthe time. if you are not, you are sort oflike a deer in the headline,frozen. >> what are you both mostexcited about this
year?>> for me, promethius is a big one, the big ridley scott,attached to aliens. i'm eager to see tin tin thatbeth was talk being. that's something that that igrew up reading. those twor on my list.>> what about you? >> i always love to see brucecampbell. he is going to be there for thesam action movie. and attack the block is themovie that sam wright is producing.it's a british comedy about
teens fighting off an alieninvasion. the best kept secret of comiccon is the film festival. every year, i have seenoutstanding movies, especially their documentary.it's at the marriott, great films running all day, all fourdays and it's worth checking out.>> and is the san diego film society air a film?>> yes, the san diego criticfilm society. it's based on a wonderful comicbook.
that's a film that's sort ofopposite of most of the comic book movies that we see.there are no super heroes, just a great story.when it came out ten years ago, the film critic society gave ita number of awards and it looks like we're going to have anumber of talented show that will put an appearance.saturday night, 9:00 people at the gasland cinemas andno badge required.>> bass, andrew, thank you so much for speaking to us today.>> here is katy orr with an
update on what kpbsis working on.comic con is not just for guysanymore. the number of women attendingnearly equals the number of men.>> on mid day edition, tune in to hear a special series on thehealth of the ocean. >> thanks, katy>>> all of the stories you saw tonight can be viewed onour website at kpbs.org/sdweek.now here is a look at the
weekend forecast.thanks for watching and good night.san diego week is made possiblyin part by a grand from the parker foundation.
