
KPBS News This Week - January 6, 2022
Special | 27m 28sVideo has Closed Captions
Southwest customers go to court. The new lawsuit filed in San Diego over the travel mess.
Southwest customers go to court. The new lawsuit filed in San Diego over the travel mess that left people stranded during the Christmas holiday. Two newly elected mayors go to work. Meet a new and a familiar face bringing new leadership to their respective cities. And, the curtain may be closed for good. The change in ownership for one of San Diego's oldest movie houses.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
KPBS Evening Edition is a local public television program presented by KPBS

KPBS News This Week - January 6, 2022
Special | 27m 28sVideo has Closed Captions
Southwest customers go to court. The new lawsuit filed in San Diego over the travel mess that left people stranded during the Christmas holiday. Two newly elected mayors go to work. Meet a new and a familiar face bringing new leadership to their respective cities. And, the curtain may be closed for good. The change in ownership for one of San Diego's oldest movie houses.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
How to Watch KPBS Evening Edition
KPBS Evening Edition is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship>> NOT IN ANY SERIOUSNESS.
>> HIS EYES WERE SET ON CITY COUNCIL, NOT BECOMING MAYOR.
>> WHEN IT WAS CLEAR THERE WAS NO REPUBLICAN STEPPING 400 FOR MAYOR, WE PUT OUT FEELERS AND WE DECIDED IT WAS WINNABLE IF WE WERE WILLING TO PUT FORTH THE WORK.
>> THE WORK PAID OFF, GIVING THE VICTORY TO WHITE.
BUT NOW, HE SAYS IT'S TIME TO GET TO WORK IN THE CITY HE GREW UP IN.
'S PRIORITIES FOR THE NEXT FOUR YEARS, PUBLIC SAFETY, PUBLIC WORK, AND ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS, SOMETHING HAS EXPERIENCED FIRSTHAND.
>> ENDED UP BECOMING ADDICTED TO DRUGS, DRINKING A TON OF ALCOHOL AND BECOMING HOMELESS RIGHT HERE IN ESCONDIDO.
THERE ARE SOME FOLKS WHO HAVE A HARD TIME ACCEPTING THE FACT THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE ON THE STREET WHO DON'T WANT HELP AND WILL ALWAYS BE ON THE STREET BECAUSE THAT IS THE LIFE THEY WILL PREFER AND WE WILL NEVER FIND A SOLUTION FOR THAT.
>> SOMEONE HELP BUT DON'T KNOW WHERE TO TURN.
>> THAT IS PART OF THE ISSUE, WE HAVE TO DIRECT PEOPLE ON WHERE TO GET HELP BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO PROVIDE MORE HELP.
>> Reporter: CONDUCTING ALONG WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT ON THE FRONT LINES TO SEE WHAT THEY ARE FACING AND WHAT RESOURCES ARE NEEDED.
WELL HOMELESSNESS IS ONLY ONE OF THE PROBLEMS CITIES FACE, WHITE INTENT IS TO LEAVE ESCONDIDO BETTER THAN HOW HE FOUND IT.
>> ESCONDIDO IS RIPE WITH COMMUNITY AND I HOPE WE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT AND MAKE THIS A BETTER PLACE FOR ALL OF US.
>> KPBS NEWS.
>>> THE SOUTH BAY CITY IS 55,000 IS BASICALLY 10 SQUARE MILES ALMOST COMPLETELY COVERED BY HIGHWAYS BUT AS THE OLD SAYING GOES, IT'S ALL ABOUT LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.
>> ALL THE FREEWAYS COME TOGETHER AT THE SPOT, SOUTH OF DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO.
YOU HAVE THE WHOLE GAILLARD PROJECT GOING AND IMMEDIATELY TO THE SOUTH OF US.
WE ARE POSITIONED IN THE RIGHT SPOT, WE JUST NEED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT.
>> THIS IS HIS THIRD TERM AS MAYOR, HIS PREVIOUS WILL TERM WAS 2006 TO 2018.
HE BELIEVES THE KEY TO THE CITY'S ECONOMIC FUTURE IS TURNING FREEWAYS INTO ASSETS THAT BRING BUSINESSES IN THE CITIES AND HE'S BEEN TRYING TO DO IT FOR DECADES.
>> THAT WAS ONE THING WE WORKED ON, CLEANING UP OUR VISIBILITY FROM THE FREEWAY.
THEY HAD THE BUSINESSES AND ALL THE JUNK WENT BEHIND THE BUILDINGS ARE NOT ALL YOU SAW FROM THE FREEWAY.
THAT IS WHAT THEY SAW, THAT WAS THE IMAGE OF NATIONAL CITY.
>> ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR BUSINESSES IS A FAST FOOD RESTAURANT THAT LOWERS CUSTOMERS WITH A GIANT GOLDEN ARROW.
>> YOU PUT IN IN AND OUT THERE AND PEOPLE, DO NATIONAL CITY AND SEE IT'S DIFFERENT THAN WHAT THEY HEARD.
>> Reporter: IT IS ESTIMATED TO GENERATE $200,000 IN SALES TAX REVENUE EVERY YEAR.
SAN DIEGO COUNTIES FIRST AND ONLY CANNABIS CONSUMPTION LOUNGE IS A BIG BUSINESS TO OPEN NEXT YEAR.
IT WILL BE CALLED SESSIONS AND LOCATED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ORIGINAL IN AND OUT.
CARMAX WILL TAKE OVER AN EMPTY BUILDING NEAR THE MALL.
THAT COULD BRING IN AS MUCH AS 1 MILLION IN SALES TAX REVENUES.
BEYOND BOOSTING TAX BASE, MORRISON SAID HE WANTS RESIDENTS ACCESS TO WATERFRONT, SOMETHING THAT IS BEEN MISSING FOR DECADES.
>> WE ARE THE ONLY CITY ON THE WEST COAST THAT IS ON THE BAY OR THE OCEAN THAT DOES NOT HAVE ONE INCH OF PUBLIC ACCESS.
>> Reporter: THE KEY TO THAT PLAN IS PEPPER PARK, ALONG THE SWEETWATER RIVER CHANNEL IN THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE CITY.
MORRISON IS WORKING WITH THE PORT TO EXPAND THE PARKING GIVE MORE PUBLIC AMENITIES.
GUSTAVO FELICE, KPBS NEWS.
>> THERE'S ALSO A NEW SHERIFF COUNTY, THE MIDDAY PODCAST HAS AN INTERVIEW WITH KELLY MARTINEZ ABOUT HER FIRST DAYS ON THE JOB.
>>> OVER THE PAST YEAR, WE BROUGHT YOU STORIES OF UKRAINIANS WHO ESCAPED WARREN MADE IT TO SAN DIEGO.
KATIE TELLS US ABOUT AN EFFORT TO BRING THEM SOME HOLIDAY CHEER.
>> Reporter: THE SEASON OF GIVING IS MEANINGFUL IN UKRAINE, PLAGUED BY CONSTANT SHELLING, POWER OUTAGES, MISSING LOVED ONES.
SOME HAVE FLATTENED, OTHERS FIGHTING AND SOME KILLED, ALL A RESULT OF RUSSIA'S WAR.
>> IT'S SO IMPORTANT FOR UKRAINIANS RIGHT NOW CELEBRATING THESE HOLIDAYS WITHOUT ELECTRICITY, MANY WITHOUT HEAT, MANY EMBALM SHELTERS, KNOWING PEOPLE ACROSS THE OCEAN CARE ABOUT THEM.
>> THAT CARE IS BEING SHOWN BY A SAN FRANCISCO NONPROFIT CALLED GROUPS OF PEERS.
THE MISSION IS TO REMOVE LANDMINES AND RESTORE AGRICULTURAL LAND BUT AFTER SEEING CHILDREN RECOVERING IN SAN DIEGO AFTER LOSING THEIR LIMBS, THEY REACHED OUT TO THE HOUSE OF UKRAINE AND BALBOA PARK.
>> WE LAUNCHED A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE CAMPAIGN AND THAT HAS BEEN INSPIRED BY CIVILIAN CHILDREN WHO LOST THEIR LEGS AND LESS WAR.
THIS IS WHY STOCKINGS IS A SYMBOL A REPRESENTATION OF HELPING UKRAINE.
>> Reporter: 11-YEAR-OLD LOST HER LEGS IN A MISSILE ATTACK AND HER MOTHER ALSO LOST A LEG AND HER GRANDMOTHER WAS KILLED.
16-YEAR-OLD YVONNE LOST HIS LEG WHEN A TANK ATTACKED HIS FAMILY.
THE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE CAMPAIGN AND THEIR HONOR IS COLLECTING SMALL BUT PRICELESS STOCKING STUFFERS LIKE TRINKETS, HAND AND FEET WARMERS AND FLASHLIGHTS, THE TYPES OF THINGS NEEDED DURING POWER OUTAGES TO KEEP WARM AND CHARGE UP PHONES.
>> THE CAMPAIGN IS ABOUT SENDING A FEW ITEMS THAT ARE SMALL BUT VERY VALUABLE AND SOME CAN ACTUALLY SAVE LIVES.
>> Reporter: YANA AND YVONNE ARE THRIVING IN SAN DIEGO.
SHE SAYS SHE IS IMPRESSED DAILY BY YVONNE'S CAN-DO SPIRIT.
>> THE PROGRESS SHE HAS MADE IS INCREDIBLE.
GOING THROUGH THE SURGERY, HE IS AN INCREDIBLE KID.
>> Reporter: WHEN SHE CALLS LOVED ONES BACK HOME, THE AND UP COMFORTING HER AND SHE IS ALWAYS MOVED BY THE UKRAINIAN SPIRIT.
>> OUR PEOPLE ARE VERY OPTIMISTIC.
WHEN I CALL MY FAMILY, AND MY FRIENDS, YOU KNOW, WE ARE SO HAPPY.
WE DON'T HAVE ELECTRICITY ALL THE TIME BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF GENERATION NOW, YOU KNOW?
ARE PEOPLE DO NOT CRY.
SOMETIMES, I AM CRYING AND THEY ARE SAYING, WHY ARE YOU CRYING?
WE ARE GOOD.
>> Reporter: IT'S GIVING HOPE THAT WE AMERICANS AND THE REST OF THE WORLD STAND WITH YOU CAN AND ARE SUPPORTING THEM.
>> I BELIEVE, I BELIEVE IN OUR COUNTRY.
I BELIEVE IN OUR PEOPLE.
>> MIRACLES DO NOT HAPPEN BY THEMSELVES.
>> Reporter: KATIE ALVARADO, KPBS NEWS.
>>> MANY OF THE STORIES WE SAW EARLIER THE MOST READ AT PBS .
CUSTOMERS WANT TO KNOW WHY THEY ARE SEEING A BIG BOOST IN THEIR BILLS WHEN IT COMES TO NATURAL GAS.
THERE'S ALSO INTEREST IN THE BIRTH OF A WHALE CAUGHT ON CAMERA OFF THE COAST OF DANA POINT.
>>> A CHANGE IN OWNERSHIP FOR THE BUILDING THAT HOUSED THE CINEMA.
HERE IS THAT STORY FROM BETH.
>> Reporter: THE CINEMA SPADE HAS BEEN IN LIMBO SINCE THEY VACATED THE BUILDING IN MARCH OF 2020.
THEN, JUST BEFORE CHRISTMAS, I RECEIVED NEWS THAT WAS A LUMP OF COAL IN MY STOCKING.
THE CAN, WHICH FIRST OPENED IN 1946 HAD BEEN SOLD AND WOULD NO LONGER BE A THEATER.
HERE IS WHAT RANDY, MEMBER OF THE FAMILY THAT SOLD THE TENT SET IN A MESSAGE.
THIS IS A DECISION AMONG THE FAMILY.
THE NEW OWNER IS WORKING TO MAINTAIN THE VISUAL APPEAL TO BLEND IN WITH THE INTEGRITY AND CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
WE WILL ALL MISS THE CAN AND WHAT MY GRANDFATHER CREATED.
HER GRANDFATHER WAS ROBERT BRACKEN, HE BOASTED THAT THE CAN WAS THE ONLY EXCLUSIVE FOREIGN ART CINEMA.
HE WAS AHEAD OF HIS TIME AND GIFTED SAN DIEGO WITH A PLACE TO WATCH FILMS AS A COMMUNITY.
THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THERE TO WORD LAST AUGUST TO MAKE A BED ON THE BUILDING.
>> I WAS SURPRISED, THE SEATS WERE STILL THERE.
THE SCREEN IS STILL THERE.
I GOT EXCITED AND I SAID, WE COULD TURN THIS AROUND REALLY QUICKLY.
>> Reporter: THE COST WAS TOO HIGH IN A SINGLE SCREEN MOVIE THEATER DID NOT SEEM VIABLE EVEN WITH PANDEMIC RESTRICTIONS LIFTING.
HE RECALLED WHAT IT MEANT TO HIM WHEN HE CAME TO SAN DIEGO 30 YEARS AGO.
>> YOU COULD CHECK OUT ALL THE INDEPENDENT AND FOREIGN FILMS.
LOSING THAT OPPORTUNITY TO SEE CINEMA AND A PUBLIC, COMMUNITY SPACE WHERE YOU COULD WATCH THE MOVIE AND AFTERWARDS TALK ABOUT THE MOVIE, VERY SAD DAY FOR SAN DIEGO TO LOSE SUCH AN ICONIC CINEMA.
>> Reporter: CAN WAS MANAGER ON.
>> YOU WHAT IT KNOW WHAT IT WAS BUT YOU COULD TRUST THE GRACE OF THE PEOPLE WHO WERE PROGRAMMING AND YOU COULD HAVE WONDERFUL SURPRISES.
THERE WAS SOMETHING MYSTERIOUS THAT YOU KNEW SOMETHING SPECIAL COULD BE HAPPEN THERE, SO THAT IS A LOSS.
>> Reporter: IN THE 80s BEFORE THE INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA, THE CAN COULD BRING COMMUNITIES TOGETHER BY SHOWING A FILM.
>> MAYBE IT WAS AN ETHIOPIAN FILM, JEWISH, THE PEACE COMMUNITY, MAYBE FRENCH FILMS.
WHEN WE WOULD PLAY, WE WOULD REACH OUT TO PEOPLE SUFFER THAT NIGHT, THAT WAS THEIR VILLAGE.
THE POWER OF BEING IN A ROOM WITH 100, 200, 300 PEOPLE WHO WERE OF A MIND, HEART COMMUNITY, THAT IS LOST.
THAT IS WHAT IS HEARTBREAKING.
>> Reporter: THE LOSS OF SUCH A CINEMATIC TREASURE DURING THE STREAMING AGE IS ALSO A SAD SIGN OF CHANGING TIMES.
KPBS NEWS.
>>> SAN DIEGO HAS STRONG TIES TO THE EARLY YEARS OF NASA AND THOSE WHO ACCOMPLISH THINGS FEW THOUGHT WERE ACTUALLY POSSIBLE.
AS JOHN CARROLL SHOWS US, THAT INCLUDES A SPACE PIONEER WHO PASSED AWAY THIS WEEK.
>> WE HAVE IGNITION.
COMMENCE LIFT OFF.
WE HAVE LEFT OFF.
>> IT WAS THE LONGEST, THE MOST AMBITIOUS AND MOST SUCCESSFUL FIRST TEST FLIGHT OF ANY NEW FLYING MACHINE NEVER.
>> Reporter: THIS NASA VIDEO, A TRIBUTE TO WALT CUNNINGHAM, TELLS THE STORY OF THE ASTRONAUTS CAREER.
THE HIGHLIGHT WAS THE APOLLO 7 MISSION IN OCTOBER 1968.
THE FIRST MISSION TO FLY INTO SPACE WITH THE CREW WHERE THEY CONDUCTED THE FIRST TEST OF THE COMMAND AND SERVICE MODULE.
AT SAN DIEGO'S AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM, YOU CAN SEE PLENTY OF EXAMPLES OF IMPORTANT MOMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF AIR AND SPACE TRAVEL AND YOU CAN SEE HUNDREDS OF PORTRAITS OF THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO MADE THE MOMENT HAPPEN.
ON THIS WALL OF LUMINARIES INCLUDING NAMES LIKE SAN DIEGO'S RALLY SHARAD, THERE IS IN THE MIDDLE AN EMPTY SPACE.
THIS IS USUALLY WHERE YOU FIND THE PORTRAIT OF WALT CUNNINGHAM.
HIS PORTRAIT IS BEING DISPLAYED CLOSE TO THE ENTRANCE OF THE MUSEUM SO PEOPLE SEE THIS REMARKABLE ASTRONAUT AS SOON AS YOU WALK IN.
>> WALT, WAS ONE OF THOSE PILOTS YOU WOULD TRUST WITH YOUR LIFE ANYWHERE.
>> Reporter: THE MUSEUM PRESIDENT AND CEO WAS A CLOSE FRIEND OF WALT CUNNINGHAM.
WE INTERVIEWED HIM IN FRONT OF THE APOLLO 9 CAPSULE.
YOU SHUT US MEMORABILIA WITH A CONNECTION TO CUNNINGHAM.
THIS FOLDING SEAT FROM APOLLO 7 SIGNED BY CUNNINGHAM AND THIS ELABORATE CUSTOM-MADE GUITAR, A TRIBUTE TO ALL THE MISSIONS, SIGNED BY A LOT OF PEOPLE ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE MISSIONS, INCLUDING WHILE CUNNINGHAM.
>> THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY WE CARRY IN OUR POCKETS EVERY DAY AND THAT IS HUGE.
THERE IS AN EXPECTATION THAT WE WILL DO IT BIGGER, BETTER, FASTER.
WHILE CUNNINGHAM WAS ONE OF THOSE WHO SET THE TONE FOR THE FUTURE.
>> Reporter: THE NEAR FUTURE AS THE ARTEMIS PROGRAM THAT WILL BRING HUMANS BACK TO THE MEN.
ARTEMIS ONE CONCEDED IT'S MISSION LAST MONTH.
AND EXPECTED TO PUT PEOPLE ON THE LUNAR SURFACE IN 2025, THE FIRST SINCE THE LANDING IN 1772.
THE ENTIRE PROGRAM GAINED IN THE APOLLO MISSIONS LONG AGO.
WHILE CUNNINGHAM WAS INDUCTED INTO THE INTERNATIONAL AIR AND SPACE HALL OF FAME IN 2011 BUT FOR PEOPLE WHO WEREN'T AROUND FOR THE APOLLO MISSIONS, I ASKED WHAT ELSE FOLKS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HIM.
>> HE WAS ALWAYS IN GOOD HUMOR, A GREAT HUMAN BEING BUT WHEN THE MISSION REQUIRED IT, HE WAS GOING TO DO IT.
>> Reporter: WALT CUNNINGHAM HAVE THE RIGHT STUFF.
JOHN CARROLL, KPBS NEWS.
>>> ONE MUCH OF THE ATTENTION AROUND THE ENVIRONMENT FOCUSES ON THE MISSIONS AND THINGS WE CAN ALWAYS SEE BUT POLLUTION, ALSO IN THE FORM OF PLASTIC WASTE REMAINS A DIFFICULT PROBLEM TO SOLVE.
THOMAS FUDGE TELLS US HOW TWO LOCAL COMPANIES ARE TAKING ON THE CHALLENGE.
>> Reporter: STATE BEACH, SURFERS CATCHING WAVES, IT'S A NICE BEACH BUT PLASTIC WASTE IS NOT FAR AWAY.
LARGE PARTS OF THE OCEAN ARE COVERED IN FLOATING PLASTIC WASTE AND IF YOU GO TO A BEACH WHERE THEY DON'T CLEAN IT UP RIGHT AWAY, YOU WILL SEE IT WASHED ONSHORE IN LARGE QUANTITIES.
IN EL SALVADOR, WAS A LOT OF ROCK BEACH WITH A LOT OF TITLE FLOW AND WE COULD TELL THERE WAS SOMEONE COMING TO PICK UP PLASTIC BOTTLES AND FLIP-FLOPS AND THEY WERE TRYING TO CLEAN IT BUT IT WAS A CONSTANT FLOW OF PLASTIC.
THIS STUFF WAS PILED UP MADE SHANNON IN EL SALVADOR.
>> Reporter: COOK IS NOT JUST A SURFER, HE IS PRESIDENT OF BLUE VIEW FOOTWEAR THAT MAKES BIODEGRADABLE SNEAKERS.
THE SCIENCE COMES FROM THEIR CEO, STEPHEN MAYFIELD, ALSO A PROFESSOR OF BIOLOGY AT UC SAN DIEGO.
RECENTLY, HE SHOWED ME HIS LAB WHERE PIECES OF THE MATERIAL THAT GO INTO HIS SNEAKERS SWIRL IN OF LYLE OF LIQUID.
THE WATER ARE INVITED TO EAT THE STUFF.
>> AS WE ARE DEGRADING FOAM, WE ARE STARTING TO ISOLATE ORGANISMS THAT BIODEGRADE THEM.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN SEE IT IN THERE BUT WE HAVE THROWN IN A PIECE OF OUR FOAM, AND THESE ARE ORGANISMS PULLED OUT OF THE PEER.
>> Reporter: BIODEGRADABLE PLASTICS ARE MADE FROM ALGAE OIL.
MAYFIELD SAYS IT'S IRONIC THAT ANCIENT DEPOSITS OF ALGAE OIL HAVE BECOME THE PETROLEUM THAT WE MINE AND TURN INTO PLASTIC.
>> PLASTICS COME FROM PETROLEUM, PETROLEUM COMES FROM ALGAE, LET'S MAKE PLASTIC FROM ALGAE.
>> Reporter: MAYFIELD SAID THEY COULD HAVE CREATED DEGRADABLE PLASTICS BUT IN AN EFFORT TO MAKE SOMETHING DURABLE, THEY DID NOT SEE THE PROBLEM THAT IS NOW SO OBVIOUS.
>> WHEN WE SET ABOUT TO REDEVELOP THESE THINGS, LET'S MAKE PLASTIC FROM ALGAE BUT PLASTIC THAT BIODEGRADE AT THE END OF THE LIFE WHERE THE MATERIAL HAS A HALF-LIFE PROPORTIONAL TO THE PROJECT.
>> Reporter: THE SHOES WILL FULLY DEGRADE IN SOIL AND COMPOST IN ABOUT NINE MONTHS.
IN THE OCEAN, ABOUT TWO YEARS.
IS NEW PLASTIC SHOULD HAVE A WARM WELCOME.
MANY STUDIES INDICATE LESS THAN 10% OF PLASTIC WASTE IS RECYCLED.
MOST RECENTLY, GREENPEACE REPORT ESTIMATED ONLY 5% OF HOUSEHOLD PLASTICS ARE RECYCLED IN THE UNITED STATES.
BIOENGINEERING PLANT-BASED PLASTICS FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS.
THE COMPANY CEO WHO GOT HIS PHD AT UC SAN DIEGO SAID PLASTIC RECYCLING COULD WORK BUT IT REQUIRES A CLEAN STREAM OF THE SAME KIND OF PLASTIC AND THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU FIND IN YOUR TYPICAL BEEN.
>> MOST PLASTIC CANNOT BE RECYCLED SO RELYING ON PLASTIC IS THE SOLUTION, IT CAN BE PART OF THE SOLUTION BUT WE NEED TO COME UP WITH OTHER APPROACHES.
>> Reporter: THE MATERIAL IS GOING INTO MAKING NYLON FOR APPAREL AND TO FORMULATE COSMETICS, A PRIMARY BUILDING BLOCK OF THEIR PRODUCTS IS SUGAR.
CORN KERNELS ARE PACKED WITH SUGAR.
>> OUR TECHNOLOGY IS BEING USED TODAY AT THE CORE OF A $300 MILLION CAPITAL PROJECT TO BUILD A FACILITY IN IOWA THAT WILL TAKE CORN DEDUCED FROM AMERICAN FARMERS AND CONVERT THAT TO A, NO CHEMICAL THAT MAKES MATERIALS WE FIND IN A RANGE OF PRODUCTS.
>> Reporter: GENOME TECHNOLOGY IS BEING USED TO MAKE BIODEGRADABLE PLASTIC BAGS IN ITALY BUT MANY OF THE BAGS MADE FROM PLANS DO NOT DEGRADE.
HE SAYS IT'S UNREALISTIC TO SAY WE CAN PHASE OUT NON-DEGRADABLE PLASTICS ALTOGETHER.
MAYFIELD SAID HE WOULD NEVER PUT DEGRADABLE PLASTIC AND ABOUT THAT IS CONSTANTLY EXPOSED TO WATER.
>> BUT IT'S SILLY TO MAKE PLASTICS THAT WILL LAST 1000 YEARS AND PUT THEM INTO A CARD THAT WILL LAST 20.
>> Reporter: CONSUMERS AND GOVERNMENTS HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE.
A NEW CALIFORNIA LAW SAID GROCERIES MUST PROVIDE COMPOSTABLE BAGS BY 2025.
THOMAS FUDGE, KPBS NEWS.
>>> A REMINDER, OUR REPORTER FEATURES AND CONTENT CAN BE FOUND THAT THE KPBS UT PAGE AND THAT'S ALSO WHERE WE STREAM WEEKNIGHTS AT 5:00.
WE HOPE YOU ENJOY KPBS NEWS THIS WEEK.
I AM MAIA.
THANKS FOR JOINING US.
Support for PBS provided by:
KPBS Evening Edition is a local public television program presented by KPBS