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Good morning, San Diego ☀️
Here’s what we have for you today:
- Councilmember Raul Campillo’s office informed San Carlos residents that they should abandon their hopes for a new library.
- And shoutout to reader Danny Godinho, who correctly guessed yesterday’s “Step back in time…” question. Scroll to the bottom to see if you got it correct too.
Tessa Balc
Audience engagement producer
Top story
He depended on a prescription to keep diabetes in check. Records from ICE detention show how his health fell apart
Our immigration reporter, Lillian Perlmutter, dove into hundreds of medical records provided by a migrant held at Otay Mesa Detention Center for 17 months. The man from Mexico, in his 50’s, has type 2 diabetes.
He says he made repeated claims of poor medical care to the facility, and the lapses in care he experienced put his life at risk. He also described injuries that have left him permanently disabled, and for a time walking with a cane.
His claims are far from the first allegations that medical care in Otay Mesa is deficient. Last year the state’s Department of Justice visited the facility and released a report alleging a variety of lapses in care for inmates, including people with seizures or tuberculosis who weren’t properly handled, and poor record-keeping that led to detainees not receiving medicines they needed for days or weeks.
The detainee who spoke with Perlmutter provided her with hundreds of pages of medical records of complaints he filed with staff over not receiving insulin and other medicine, and follow-up for injuries he’s still living with. CoreCivic, the private prison contractor that runs the center, said they would not discuss individual detainees’ health, but that they are committed to providing high-quality medical care.
Allegations of poor medical care at Otay Mesa Detention Center predate the Trump administration’s current crackdown, and lawsuits and investigations have made similar claims about poor diabetes care at immigration facilities nationwide.
Elected officials are pushing for more oversight of the facility, and even had a recent win in court, leading to a county health inspection. In the meantime these conditions are a daily reality for those in CoreCivic’s Otay Mesa. But at Otay Mesa, hospitalizations and 911 calls continue as the population surges.
Read our entire report on diabetes care — and the documents that paint a picture of health in deterioration — at the massive holding complex just 30 minutes from downtown San Diego.
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Stories you should know about
⚡️ SDG&E kickstarts process to set future rates — and City Council votes to back state bills to rein in utility costs: The public utility company is proposing an overall 8.6% increase in costs for a typical residential customer.
🌶️ ‘Enjoy OB’ at the 46th annual Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off: One of the best Ocean Beach traditions is back this weekend. Here’d what to know ahead of the all-day event.
🎸 Night Ranger’s long-awaited return to Del Mar delivers nostalgia – but frustration too: Critic Donovan Roche recounts the triumphs and disappointments of first show in San Diego since the 80’s from the band behind “Sister Christian.”
💰 Opinion: Protect Social Security benefits from ‘means testing’ proposals
What else we’re reading
📓 A new report shows that California schools are more divided between rich and poor than 40 other states. Nationally, the wealth gap between schools and districts is worse than it was three decades ago. (KPBS)
🧑⚖️ The man who was having an affair Maya Millete testified in court yesterday, saying he didn’t come forward after her disappearance for fear of the implications on his own marriage. (NBC 7)
Times of San Diego thanks our corporate sponsors. Find out more about sponsorships and advertising opportunities here.
Step back in time…
This was taken in Mission Valley. Did you guess correct? Want to read more, check out this article.
