SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — In this edition of the 10News Wake Up Call, our newsroom takes a look at the next step for the San Diego County Board of Supervisors as Chairwoman Nora Vargas steps down.
Additionally, Pope Francis made a big announcement that will impact the San Diego Catholic community. Meteorologist Vanessa Paz returns with your microclimate forecasts, with Santa Ana winds on tap this week.
Time to get you locked and loaded for another work week.
TODAY'S TOP STORY
Monday marks the last day of Nora Vargas' tenure as the chairwoman for the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. After winning her bid for reelection, she abruptly announced her resignation, citing personal safety and security concerns, on Dec. 20.
The District One seat she's leaving empty represents more than 600,000 people in the South Bay dealing with a binational sewage crisis.
The board has several options on how to move forward, including directly appointing a successor or holding a special election.
San Diego-based political analyst John Dadian says an appointment is unlikely since it would tip the scales of power one way or the other for the remaining Democrats or Republicans on the board.
On the flip side, a special election would come with a hefty price tag.
“So I assume it's going to be what we call a standalone election that it'll be the only item on the ballot, and that's when it gets expensive because you're only going to that district," says Dadian. "You have to go to every registered voter in that supervisorial district. Again, a lot of people don't realize a supervisorial district is bigger than a congressional district."
Councilwoman Vivian Moreno, Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre and Chula Vista Councilmember Carolina Chavez are among the local politicians vying for the now-vacant seat. Chula Vista Mayor John McCann is also considering running for the position.
MICROCLIMATE FORECASTS:
Coasts
Inland
Mountains
Deserts
BREAKING OVERNIGHT
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis on Monday named Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego as the archbishop of Washington, tapping one of his most progressively like-minded allies to head the Catholic Church in the U.S. capital at the start of the second Trump Administration.
McElroy, 70, replaces Cardinal Wilton Gregory, who at 77 is two years beyond the normal retirement age for bishops.
The Vatican announced the appointment in a statement Monday.
Francis has long had his eye on McElroy, making him bishop of San Diego in 2015 and then elevating him as a cardinal in 2022.
McElroy has been one of a minority of U.S. bishops harshly criticizing the campaign to exclude Catholic politicians who support abortion rights from Communion, a campaign Francis has publicly criticized by insisting that bishops must be pastors, not politicians.
Additionally, McElroy has been known for his pastoral approach to migrants and for his inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community.
He starts the new position in March.
Until they find McElroy's replacement, an administrator will oversee the San Diego Diocese.
CONSUMER:
A recently announced state regulation will soon require insurance companies to once again provide home coverage to hundreds of thousands of Californians living in fire-prone areas if they want to keep doing business in the Golden State.
However, Consumer Watchdog, a nonprofit that authored Prop 103 and has been holding the insurance industry accountable since the 1980s, called the regulation a 'bad deal' because it would eventually make wildfire coverage too expensive for homeowners to afford.
Under the proposed rule, insurance companies will have to start increasing their coverage in wildfire-prone areas by 5% every two years until they've reached 85% of their statewide market share.
See the full story from ABC 10News reporter Dani Miskell below:
WE FOLLOW THROUGH:
A brain injury patient has been left in limbo in the wake of Scripps becoming out of network for Anthem health insurance policyholders.
Scripps and Anthem butted heads for months over price increases and red tape, but the two ultimately failed to reach a new contract before the new year began.
Scripps gave Angel Coronel a notice letting him know his brain injury rehab program is no longer a covered service. It will cost him $1,146.60 in out-of-pocket fees for a single day of care, the document says.
“It just felt like they took my quality of life away,” Coronel said, adding he can’t afford the nearly $70,000 it will cost him over the next two months to finish the rehab.
Health insurance providers are legally required to continue giving patients with serious chronic conditions in-network rates for a limited time. But patients must apply for the continuation of care and there’s no guarantee it will be approved immediately.
Anthem said the company is working directly with Coronel to ensure he can keep getting his care at Scripps. But as of Friday afternoon, the Oceanside resident said the insurance company still hadn’t given him approval to attend the rehab program.
See the full report from Team 10 investigator Austin Grabish below.
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