San Diego: It's Friday!
In this morning's newsletter, we're taking a look at the project now underway at the Cal Fire's Ramona Air Attack Base and how the agency plans to operate effectively as San Diego County enters the peak of summer heat.
If you're looking for something fun to do, Perla Shaheen goes over some of the free concerts around the county that you can attend this summer.
Plus, we have your microclimate forecasts to help you get ready for a great San Diego weekend and other news you can use in the August 1 edition of the morning newsletter.
TOP STORY:
Cal Fire’s Ramona Air Attack Base is getting numerous upgrades as part of a construction project, but some community members are concerned about fire response due to the project's estimated completion timeline of 8 to 12 months, especially as summer temperatures continue to rise.
Cal Fire officials said that while the Ramona base is closed for the project, the agency will be using the Hemet Ryan Air Attack Base in Riverside County – about 47 miles in a straight line from the Ramona Air Attack Base.
In a typical response, Cal Fire would deploy two of their air tankers from the Ramona base to a fire.
During the project, the agency plans to deploy four to help make up for the longer distance.
For certain incidents, Cal Fire is planning to open a temporary reload base at Brown Field in Otay Mesa.
A Ramona resident who has lived through the Cedar and Witch fires said he would prefer to have the Otay Mesa reload base set up for full-time use rather than special cases.
“… then they would tear it down and then they would set it back up again, so that would just potentially add further delay, and it won't be there the whole time. To me … given everything, all considerations, that would be optimal,” the resident said.
Cal Fire said they do not have the budget to keep the temporary base open on a full-time basis, and they noted the upgrades to the Ramona base are crucial to operations.
The project includes a reconstruction of the base’s tarmac and retardant reloading bays to help fit a new class of air tanker on the base.
MICROCLIMATE FORECASTS:
Coasts
Inland
Mountains
Deserts
BREAKING OVERNIGHT:
President Trump late Thursday unveiled a new wave of tariffs that are set to take effect next week.
The announcement comes less than 24 hours after Trump doubled down on his Aug. 1 deadline.
The new tariffs range from 10% to 41%, with many countries sitting at around 15%.
On Friday, the tariff rate for Canada is rising from 25% to 35%, although it will affect just a small percentage of Canadian products.
Earlier in the day on Thursday, Trump gave Mexico another 90 days to reach a trade agreement with the U.S.
Meanwhile, the Trump’s tariffs were challenged in court on Thursday, with a judge questioning whether the president has the authority to issue tariffs without Congress’ approval.
CONSUMER:
San Diego County residents looking for affordable summer entertainment can enjoy dozens of free outdoor concerts happening almost every day of the week throughout the region.
WATCH — Reporter Perla Shaheen has the details on how you can vibe out to some great music without spending a penny:
WE FOLLOW THROUGH:
A new federal government audit found some migrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border into San Diego last summer were not properly screened for ties to terrorism.
WATCH — Team 10 investigator Austin Grabish follows through with the request the FBI had for San Diego’s Border Patrol that the agency was not able to fulfill:
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