San Diego Week: Friday, Sept. 23, 2011

HELLO, I'M JOANNE FARYON. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. TONIGHT MARKS THE FINAL EPISODE OF "SAN
DIEGO WEEK." ON MONDAY NIGHT AT 6:30, KPBS WILL PREMIERE A NEW NIGHTLY NEWS PROGRAM,
"EVENING EDITION." FIRST, WE TAKE A LOOK BACK AT SOME OF THE STORIES WE'VE COVERED OVER
THE PAST YEAR. IN THE NEXT HALF HOUR WE'LL INTRODUCE YOU TO SAN DIEGANS DOING FASCINATING
RESEARCH. EDUCATORS AT LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL GOING BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY TO MAKE SURE
KIDS GET TO SCHOOL. AND A PEST ENDANGERING SAN DIEGO'S OAK TREES.
WE BEGIN WITH ONE OF OUR MOST POPULAR STORIES FROM THE YEAR. A STORY ABOUT BRAINS. WOULD
YOU BELIEVE THERE IS SOMETHING CALLED A BRAIN OBSERVATORY? IT'S LOCATED AT THE UCSD MEDICAL
SCHOOL AND IT IS HOPING TO CONVINCE 1,000 MORE SAN DIEGIANS TO DONATE THEIR BRAINS TO
RESEARCH. KPBS HELPED REPORTER KENNY -- HEALTH REPORTER KENNY GOLDBERG SAYS THE GOAL OF THE
PROJECT IS TO DIGITIZE THE BRAINS AND SHARE THE RESEARCH WITH THOSE ALL OVER THE WORLD.
Reporter: SOME PEOPLE COLLECT STAMPS, OLD COINS OR WORKS OF ART. HE COLLECTS BRAINS.
SO HERE WE HAVE A REFRIGERATOR AND THIS --IT CONTAINS THE BRAINS OF OUR PARTICIPANTS. AND
IT'S --NOW THESE ARE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE WILLS WHO WHEN THEY WERE IN LIFE, THEY WILLED
THEIR BRAINS TO RESEARCH.
Reporter: HE IS THE DIRECTOR OF U CSD'S BRAIN OBSERVATORY WHERE INSIDE HIS LABORATORY, PEOPLE'S
BRAINS ARE TRANSPORTED INTO BRAINS OF INFORMATION.
WE COLLECT THE BRAIN AND WE STORE IT HERE. AND THEN THE BRAIN UNDERGOES A VERY LONG PROCESSING
THAT RESULTS IN THE FINAL IMAGES BECAUSE WHAT WE DO HERE IS ACTUALLY WE VIRTUALIZE THE ACTUAL
HUMAN BRAIN AND IT BECOMES A COLLECTION OF IMAGES AT DIFFERENT LEVELS OF RESOLUTION AND
CREATED WITH DIFFERENT MOEALTIES.
Reporter: THE FIRST STEP IS TO GET A BRAIN RIGHT AFTER A PERSON DIES. IT'S PLACED IN
A CHEMICAL SOLUTION AND PUT IN THE COOLER FOR ABOUT EIGHT WEEKS.
THIS IS ACTUALLY WHERE WE PHYSICALLY SLICE THE BRAIN.
Reporter: THEN IT HAS TO BE SLICED UP BY A MACHINE CALLED THE MICROTHOM.
EVERYTHING IS KEPT FROZEN BY THE INDUSTRIAL CHILLERS. WE GENERALLY KEEP THEM AT INTERVALS.
IT'S HAIR THIN. SO YOU HAVE TYPICALLY BETWEEN 2500 AND 3,000 SLICES FOR ONE BRAIN. SO THIS
IS ONE OF THE SLICES FROM THE BRAIN.
Reporter: THE SLICES ARE PLACED ON A GLASS SLIDE. STAINED, AND DIGITALLY PHOTOGRAPHED.
THE IMAGES ARE SO DATA RICH IT WOULD TAKE 148,000 DVDs TO STORE ALL OF THEM FOR JUST
ONE BRAIN.
SO THIS IS THE BLOOD VESSEL HERE.
Reporter: WHAT RESEARCHERS CAN DO WITH THE INFORMATION IS TRULY AMAZING.
THANKS TO THE DIGITALIZATION. WE CAN ACTUALLY EXPLORE THIS PARTICULAR SECTION OF THE BRAIN
DOWN TO THE LEVEL OF THE SINGLE CELL. SO JUST LIKE GOOGLE EARTH, WHEN FROM THE MAIN IMAGE
OF A REGION YOU CAN ZOOM IN AND LOOK AT A SINGLE HOUSE, WE'RE ABLE TO LOOK AT INDIVIDUAL
BRAIN CELLS.
Reporter: BY HAVING THE ENTIRE BRAIN DIGITIZED AT THIS RESOLUTION, RESEARCHERS MAY BE ABLE
TO DETECT SEVERAL DIFFERENCES IN HOW THE BRAIN IS AFFECTED BY DIFFERENT DISEASES. THAT APPEALS
TO CLINTON SPANLGER, HE'S 83 YEARS ODE AND PLANNING TO DONATE HIS BRAIN TO THE OBSERVATORY.
HE SUFFERS FROM A NERVE DISORDER CALLED ESSENTIAL TREMOR. HE HOPES SCIENTISTS CAN FIND SOMETHING
IN HIS BRAIN THAT CAN HELP OTHER PEOPLE WHO SHARE HIS AFFLICTION.
I THINK IT'S MUCH BETTER IF IT'S --PUT TO SOME USE FOR HUMANITY RATHER THAN JUST BEING
PUT IN THE GROUND.
Reporter: HER MOTHER PASSED AWAY LAST OCTOBER. PEGGY'S BRAIN IS NOW BEING DIGITIZED. LOCK
SAYS HER MOM HAD SOME SPECIAL QUALITIES.
THAT YOU ALWAYS HAVE WITH YOU. HER SOUL IF YOU WILL IS NOW DEPARTED. HER PHYSICAL SELF
IS A COMPLETELY SEPARATE ENTITY AND THE FACT THAT THAT CAN BE USED FOR SOME GOOD I THINK
IS WONDERFUL.
Reporter: THE OBSERVATORY DOESN'T JUST DIGITIZE THE BRAINS. THEY ALSO WORK TO RECORD THE LIFE
HISTORIES OF THE OWNERS. THAT MAY BE USEFUL SOMEDAY.
WHO WILL BE LOOKING AT YOUR BRAIN IN 20 YEARS? IT COULD BE A DOCTOR, IT COULD BE A NEUROLOGIST,
IT COULD BE A STUDENT, IT COULD BE AN ARTIST WHO WANTS TO LEARN HOW TO DRAW BRAIN CELLS
OR COULD BE THE NEXT MICHAEL CRICHTON WHO WANTS TO WRITE A THRILLER ABOUT THE BRAIN.
Reporter: SHE'S GLAD HER OLDER SISTER'S BRAIN, DIANE IS AT THE OBSERVATORY. FAR LEE SAYS IN A SENSE DIANE IS STILL AROUND.
OH ABSOLUTELY. ABSOLUTELY. I MEAN THAT'S WHAT MADE IT YOU KNOW SUCH A THRILL FOR US IS THAT
SHE DOES LIVE ON. HER STORY IS BEING TOLD AND HOPEFULLY PEOPLE WILL FROM HER AND SHE'S
STILL WATCHING US.
Reporter: KENNY GOLDBERG, KPBS NEWS.
THE INVISIBLE WOUNDS SUSTAINED IN THE WARS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN CAN BE MORE DIFFICULT
TO DEAL WITH THAN THE VISIBLE INJURIES. ALLISON ST. JOHN TELLS US ABOUT NEW RESEARCH AT UC
SAN DIEGO AND THE V. A. MEDICAL CENTER. IT'S FINDING WAYS TO MEASURE THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
OF A SIGNATURE INJURY OF THE WAR. TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURIES.
HERE YOU GO. READY?
Reporter: COLONEL G. I. WILSON AND HIS DAUGHTER KENDRA LOVE TO PLAY WITH THEIR DOGS IN THE
BACKYARD. WILSON WHO IS 64 AND NOW RETIRED FROM THE MARINE CORPS DEPLOYED NUMEROUS TIMES
BUT KENDRA NOTICES HE WAS CHANGED AFTER THE LAST DEPARTURE IN 2005.
THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I EVER ACTUALLY NOTICED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN HIS PERSONALITY.
THE WAY HE WAS ACTING. JUST EVEN DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY I WAS LIKE OKAY. PLUS THERE WAS
A MEDICAL ASPECT OF THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I HAD EVER BEEN TOLD HE HAD ACTUALLY BEEN
HIT BY AN IED AND THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE.
I THOUGHT EVERYBODY WAS REACTING DIFFERENTLY YOU KNOW, THE DOG REACTED DIFFERENTLY. AND
MY DAUGHTER REACTED DIFFERENTLY. AND MY WIFE REACTED DIFFERENTLY. AND I THOUGHT IT WAS
THEM. AND OF COURSE IT WAS ME. NOT THEM.
WE WOULD HAVE A DISCUSSION AND 10 MINUTES LATER HE WOULD ASK ME A QUESTION ABOUT WHAT
WE HAD JUST DISCUSSED. I'M LIKE DAD WE JUST TALKED ABOUT THAT.
Reporter: WILSON THOUGHT HE WAS HAVING TROUBLE PROCESSING INFORMATION. REMEMBERING THINGS
AND FINDING WORDS. HIS NORMALLY OUTGOING PERSONALITY CHANGED. HE WAS WITHDRAWN AND DEPRESSED WHEN
HIS DOG DIED IN 2009, THAT'S THREE YEARS AFTER HE CAME BACK FROM IRAQ, IT TRIGGERED A MAJOR
BREAKDOWN.
I KNEW FROM HIS --YOU KNOW, FROM HIS RANK AND HIS PAST EXPERIENCE THAT HE --YOU KNOW,
HE'D DONE VERY HIGH LEVEL WORK. HE'D WRITTEN LONG TREATISES OR PAPERS AND HE WAS TELLING
ME HE WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY DOING THAT KIND OF WORK EXACTLY THE SAME KIND OF WORK AFTER
THE BLAST INJURY.
Reporter: MOST PEOPLE DIAGNOSED WITH MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY OR TBI RECOVER IN A
MATHER OF MONTHS. BAKER SAYS THERE WAS NO BRAIN SCANS.
SO YOU WERE JUST LEFT A LITTLE IN THE DARK AS WAS THE PATIENT. SO I NEEDED SOME HELP
TO FIND SOME KIND OF YOU KNOW, HAVE AN OBJECTIVE MEASURE OF WHETHER THEY HAD TBI.
AND THEN WE OPENED UP WITH THE WAR.
Reporter: ENTER THE DOCTOR, USING IS M. E. G. BRAIN SCANNER ONE OF ONLY 20 IN THE COUNTRY,
HE ZEROS IN ON SLOW WAVES I COMMITTED BY CELLS IN THE BRAIN.
KEEP YOUR EYES CLOSED FOR FIVE MINUTES AND OPEN UP ANOTHER FIVE MINUTES. IT'S FRUSTRATING
AND WHEN THE IMAGING --DO NOT PROVIDE AND THE LOCATION OF THE INJURY AND THE NETWORK
ASSOCIATED WITH THE INJURIES. SO THAT ACTUALLY MOTIVATED US AND ME IN PARTICULAR THE AMOUNT
OF NEW TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE THE I INVISIBLE INJURY VISIBLE.
Reporter: NORMAL MRI BRAIN SCANS ONLY PICK UP THE SYMPTOMS OF MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY
ABOUT 10% OF THIS TIME WHEREAS THE SCANNER THE M. E. G. BRAIN SCANNER PICKS UP THE SYMPTOMS
90% OF THE TIME.
SOMETHING OVER HERE.
Reporter: FOR THE FIRST TIME WILSON HAD PHYSICAL EVIDENCE THAT WHAT HE WAS EXPERIENCING HAD
A PHYSIOLOGICAL CAUSE. DR. BAKER SAYS THE BRAIN SCANS MAY EVENTUALLY BE ABLE TO HELP
HER DIAGNOSE WHETHER PATIENTS ARE SUFFERING FROM SYMPTOM PTSD OR TBI.
IT CAN TRACK PEOPLE WHO ARE GETTING DIFFERENT KIND OF TREATMENTS AND LOOK AT THE RESOLUTION
THROUGH OBJECTIVE SCAN EVIDENCE. SO YOU CAN BEGIN TO MORE CAREFULLY COMPARE THE OUTCOME
OF TREATMENTS THAT MIGHT BE BROUGHT IN THAT ARE NEW TREATMENTS TO HELP WITH MILD TBI.
Reporter: AND FOR WILSON AND HIS FAMILY IT WAS A HUGE RELIEF TO GET CONFIRMATION OF THE
PHYSICAL INJURY.
EVEN THOUGH WE KNEW IT IN OUR MIND AND HEARTS IT'S NOT US. HE'S NOT REACTING LIKE THIS BECAUSE
HE'S MAD AT US. OR HIS FEELINGS HAVE CHANGED IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM. THERE'S AN ACTUAL
PHYSICAL CAUSE THAT'S MAKING THIS HAPPEN. AND THAT MAKES IT A LITTLE EASIER TO DEAL
WITH.
I'M VERY, VERY FORTUNATE BECAUSE I CAN SEE IT. THEY'RE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE WHAT HAPPENED
TO ME EVEN THOUGH IT BASICALLY IS AN INVISIBLE INJURY. YOU KNOW WHAT ABOUT ALL THOSE PEOPLE
OUT THERE TODAY THAT YOU KNOW, THE SOLDIERS, SAILORS, MARINE AND AIRMEN WHO HAVE THIS INJURY
AND DON'T KNOW IT? NO ONE'S SEEN IT. YOU KNOW, RESEARCH AT THE UNIVERSITY'S DONE WITH THE
V. A. IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT AT GETTING TO THAT PROBLEM. YOU KNOW THE INVISIBLE INJURY
IS NOT SO INVISIBLE.
Reporter: FOR COLONEL WILSON, THEY HAVE MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE TO HIS ABILITY TO RECOVER
AND SLOWLY LEARN HOW TO GET BACK TO THE LIFE HE WANTS TO LEAD.
EARLIER THIS YEAR WE TOLD YOU THE STORY OF A SCHOOL IN SOUTHEAST SAN DIEGO THAT WAS REBUILT
FOUR YEARS AGO. IT'S ONE OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE CAMPUSES IN THE COUNTY BUILT IN ONE OF THE
POOREST NEIGHBORHOODS. THE COMMUNITY HAD HIGH HOPES FOR THE NEW SCHOOL AND WHAT IT WOULD
DO FOR THEIR CHILDREN. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A BEACON OF HOPE FOR THE COMMUNITY AND
A ROUTE TO COLLEGE FOR STUDENTS.
THE EXPECTATIONS WERE GREAT. FROM THE COMMUNITY. BECAUSE THE PREVIOUS SUPERINTENDENT HAD CONVINCED
EVERYONE THAT LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL NEEDED TO RISE LIKE A PHOENIX.
MINUTES FROM A SCHOOL BOARD MEETING BACK IN 2001, SHOW A LOT WAS EXPECTED FROM LINCOLN.
A RIGOROUS ACADEMIC PROGRAM SO THAT ALL STUDENTS WITHER PREPARED FOR --WERE PREPARED FOR A
FOUR YEAR COLLEGE.
SEE BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY.
COME ON MAN.
Reporter: MEL COLLINS IS THE HEAD PRINCIPAL OF THE SCHOOL. WHEN HE WAS HIRED FIVE YEARS
AGO HE WAS TOLD BY THE SUPERINTENDENT THAT BY 2011, 85% OF GRADUATING STUDENTS WERE EXPECTED
TO COMPLETE A FOUR YEAR COLLEGE ENTRY CURRICULUM.
THEY WANTED SAFETY AND THEY WANTED A CURRICULUM AND THEY WANT HIGHLY TRAINED AND SKILLED TEACHERS
AND THEY WANTED AND THEY WANTED AND THEY WANTED. AND THEY SAID ALL OF THE THINGS WOULD COME
TOGETHER AND PROMISES WERE MADE OF COURSE. YOU KNOW, HOW CAN YOU SAY NO TO A COMMUNITY
THAT HAD BEEN DENIED YOU KNOW, FOR SO MANY YEARS?
THREE MONTHS BEFORE THAT FOUR YEAR DEADLINE, LINCOLN IS FAR FROM ACHIEVING THAT GOAL. LAST
YEAR, JUST 16% OF THE GRADUATING CLASS HAD THE REQUIRED COURSES TO APPLY FOR COLLEGE.
COMPARE THAT TO ANOTHER NEW HIGH SCHOOL LESS THAN 20 MILES NORTH IN AN UPPER MIDDLE CLASS
SUBURB. AT WEST VIEW HIGH A SCHOOL CENTERED BETWEEN CARAMEL VALLEY. 78% OF GRADUATES WERE
COLLEGE READY LAST YEAR. WHAT A DIFFERENCE 20 MILES CAN MAKE. AT WEST VIEW, 8% OF THE
STUDENTS LIVE AT OR AROUND THE POVERTY LINE. AT LINCOLN, IT'S MORE THAN 80%. [ SPEAKING
FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
SHE AND HER TWO DAUGHTERS LIVE OUT OF ONE BEDROOM IN A SHARED APARTMENT ABOUT MILE FROM
LINCOLN. WHEN HER 10th GRADE DAUGHTER, JASMINE WASN'T SHOWING UP AT SCHOOL AND FAILING NEARLY
EVERY SUBJECT, THE SCHOOL SENT ADMINISTRATOR MARTHA TO FIND OUT WHY. SHE TRANSLATES.
BECAUSE SOMETIMES THERE'S NOTHING TO LOSE. SOMETIMES THERE'S PROBLEMS. BECAUSE THERE'S
A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE, TEN PEOPLE LIVE HERE. AND IT'S TWO BEDROOMS.
THE WEEKEND BEFORE CORRAL'S' HOME VISIT, THE FAMILY HAD NO FOOD. CORRALLEST AND THE PRINCIPAL
BOUGHT GROCERIES FOR THE FAMILY AND HELPING THEM ACCESS COMMUNITY RESOURCES. SINCE THE
HOME VISIT, JASMINE IS ATTENDING SCHOOL AND GETTING Bs INSTEAD OF Fs. BUT WITH MORE THAN
2,000 STUDENTS ENROLLED AND ONE OF THE LOWEST ATTENDANCE RATES IN THE DISTRICT, THE TASK
OF GETTING STUDENTS TO SCHOOL ONE KID AT A TIME CAN BE DAUNTING.
GETTING THEM HERE AND THEN KEEPING THEM GOING YOU KNOW? IF IT'S LIKE TEENAGERS MOVE SO SLOW.
ALL THE TIME.
BEFORE BEING HIRED AS AN ADMINISTRATOR AT LINCOLN HIGH. MARTHA WORKED FOR THE SAN DIEGO
UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT. HER BOUNDER OF THE MINE FROM -- BINDER OF THE MINUTES FROM OLD
SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS AND A REMINDER OF THE PROMISES MADE TO THE COMMUNITY ABOUT WHAT
A NEW SCHOOL WOULD DO FOR THEM AND THEIR CHILDREN. PROMISES SHE MADE TOO.
I THINK ABOUT THIS ALL THE TIME. I FEEL VERY SAD. I SAID I KNOW I'M SAD BECAUSE I DID ALL
OF THE OUTREACH. THIS HERE I PREACHED AT MANY COMMUNITY MEETINGS. THIS THAT HAS BEEN HERE
I SHARED WITH MANY PARENTS. AND WHEN MANY PARENTS CAME TO ME WITH CONCERNS BUT ABOUT
IS GOING TO BE QUALITY EDUCATION? I SAID YES IT WILL AND YES IT WILL. AND IT'S NOT THAT
WE DON'T HAVE THE QUALITY EDUCATION. IT'S THAT OUR STUDENTS, MANY OF OUR STUDENTS ARE
NOT PREPARED FOR THAT QUALITY EDUCATION.
THERE'S AN ENVIRONMENTAL KILLER IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY. ITS PREY? OAK TREES. KPBS ENVIRONMENT
REPORTER ED JOYCE TAKES US TO THE STATE PARK WHERE THE GOLD SPOTTED OAK BORE HAS ALREADY
WIPED OUT HUNDREDS OF TREES.
Reporter: I'M SITTING ON A 200-YEAR-OLD COAST LIVE OAK NOW DEAD KILLED BY A PERNICIOUS BEETLE
CALLED THE GOLD SPOTTED OAK BORE. IT'S NOT THE ONLY DEAD TREE NEARBY. BY ALL JUST REFER
TO THE COLLECTION OF DEAD OAKS AS THE BONE YARD. THESE AREN'T THE LAST TREES TO FALL
VICTIM TO THE BEETLE. AT RISK? HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF ICONIC COAST LIVE OAK TREES FROM
SAN DIEGO COUNTY TO OREGON.
THIS IS TYPICAL OF A LOT OF THE INJURIES THAT YOU'LL SEE IN THE AREA. THE VERY LARGE DIAMETER
COAST LIVE OAK WHICH IS ITS FAVORITE OAK.
Reporter: ENTOMOLOGIST COLEMAN SAYS THEY HAVE A VORACIOUS APPETITE FOR THE LARGEST AND TALLEST
OAK.
THAT IS WHAT IT'S GOING TO ATTACK FIRST AND SLOWLY MOVE FROM THE LARGER SIZE CLASS TO
THE SMALLER SIZE CLASS.
Reporter: THEY CHOKE THE TREE KEEPING THE NUTRIENTS FROM GETTING TO THE ROOTS.
IT'S THE ALREADY VALUE FEEDING AND YOU CAN SEE THIS ON THE KIND OF WOOD SURFACE HERE,
ALL THIS KIND OF SCRIBBLELY LINES AND IT'S MEANDERING -- ITS MEANDERING FEEDING PATTERN.
WITH AN AX OR HATCHET AND JUST TAKE ALL THE BARK OFF.
Reporter: HE SAYS THE MATURE GOLD SPOTTED OAK BORE TREES LIE DORMANT IN THE WINTER WAITING
FOR WARM WEATHER. IN SPRING THE ADULTS LAY THEIR EGGS THAT OTHER TIME KILL THE TREES.
COALMAN SAYS IT'S THE TINY OFFSPRING WHICH CAUSE THE BIG PROBLEMS.
THE LARVAE ARE REALLY THE DAMAGING AGENT THAT ARE KILLING THE TREES. IT'S NOT THE ADULTS.
IT'S THE DAMAGE FROM THE LARVAL NEEDLE THAT GIRDLE THE TREE -- FEEDING THAT GIRDLE THE
TREE.
Reporter: DAMAGE IS WHAT TIPS COLEMAN AND OTHERS TO THE BEETLES' PRESENCE.
SO MUCH THAT THE BARK WILL JUST KIND OF FLUFF OFF LIKE THIS.
Reporter: THE CROWN OR TOP OS OF THE TREE --TOPS OF THE TREES IS ANOTHER SIGN. DOZENS
OF TREES HAVE BEEN KILLED HERE AT THE GREEN VALLEY CAMPGROUND ALONE. PARK WIDE THE NUMBERS
ARE IN THE HUNDREDS.
ALL LARGE TREES IN THE PICK AREA AREA HAVE DIED. MOST OF THEM IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
MOST OF THEM BEFORE WE EVEN KNEW THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM, THE TREES ALREADY HAD THE BATTLE
AND BEGUN THE --BEETLE AND BEGUN THE PROGRESSION TOWARDS DEATH.
THE TREES BEHIND ME WILL MEET THE SAME FATE?
Reporter: THOMAS SCOTT WITH UC RIVERSIDE SAID IT'S NOT NATIVE TO SAN DIEGO COUNTY. HOW IT
GOT HERE ISN'T CLEAR. THE BEST GUESS IS THE OAK BORE HITCHED A RIDE IN A LOAD OF FIREWOOD
BROUGHT TO THE COUNTY FROM ARIZONA. THEY HAVE BEEN MEETING WITH COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT SAN
DIEGO AND OTHER NEARBY COUNTIES WARNING ABOUT THE POTENTIAL DANGERS LURKING IN FIREWOOD.
IF YOU BUY FIREWOOD THAT'S GREEN OR YOU TRANSPORT FIREWOOD THAT'S GREEN AND YOU HAVE OAK TREES?
CHANCES ARE IN A YEAR OR TWO YOUR OAK TREES WILL THIN AND SEE THE KIND OF DECLINE WE HAVE
IN THE SCENE BEHIND ME RIGHT NOW.
Reporter: IT'S A HARDY TREE BUT SCOTT SAYS IT DOESN'T HAVE A NATURAL DEFENSE FOR THE
GOLD SPOTTED OAK BORE.
IT'S A STRIKING THING TO SEE A TREE THAT CAN GO THROUGH CATASTROPHIC FIRES, DROUGHTS AND
HAVE SURVIVED FOR 200 YEARS IN THIS UNPREDICTABLE CLIMATE TO BE WAYLAID BY A BEETLE THAT'S LESS
THAN A CENTIMETER LONG.
Reporter: SCOTT SAYS RESEARCHERS ARE STUDYING WAYS TO CONTROL THE BEETLE BUT FOR NOW THERE'S
NO WAY TO ERADICATE THE PEST AND THE POTENTIAL FOR WIDESPREAD DEVASTATION IS REAL.
THE LINE IN THE SAND RIGHT NOW IS URBAN LOS ANGELES. IF WE DON'T STOP THIS BEETLE AND
IT MAKES THAT JUMP ACROSS LOS ANGELES, IT WON'T STOP UNTIL IT GETS TO OREGON.
SAN DIEGO IS A PROVING GROUND FOR NEW CONSUMER MODELS OF ELECTRIC CARS. UTILITY OFFICIALS
EXPECT THERE TO BE 2,000 ELECTRIC ONLY VEHICLES ON SAN DIEGO ROADWAYS BY DECEMBER OF THIS
YEAR. KPBS REPORTER ERIC ANDERSON SAYS THE ARRIVAL AFTER THE GAS- FREE CARS COULDN'T
HAVE COME AT A BETTER TIME --AT LEAST FOR SOME.
Reporter: WHEN HE PULLS HIS $33,000 ALL ELECTRIC NISSAN LEAF INTO THE GARAGE, HE'S BASICALLY
PULLING INTO A FILLING STATIONMENT ON THE WALL IS A NEW ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING UNIT.
A DISTANT COUSIN OF THE GAS PUMP. THE $1,200 UNIT DELIVERS A 220- VOLT CHARGE TO THE CAR'S
BATTERIES.
OKAY. SO THIS IS A 100% ELECTRIC ENGINE. VERY, VERY DIFFERENT FROM A TRADITIONAL INTERNAL
COMBUSTION ENGINE. ALL ELECTRIC, THERE'S NO TRANSMISSION. THERE'S BASICALLY I THINK AN
80- KILO WATT A. C. SYNCHRONOUS MOTOR DOWN THERE.
Reporter: HE HASN'T STOPPED AT A GASOLINE FILLING STATION SINCE SEVERAL WEEKS AGO. IN
FACT HE GRINS WHEN HE DRIVES BY AND SEES THE HIGH PRICES.
I WAS SPENDING $74 A WEEK TO FILL MY SUV UP. EVERY SINGLE WEEK. THAT'S $290 A MONTH. FOR
JUST GAS. JUST FUEL.
Reporter: DECAMP FIGURES HE'S PAYING A BIT MORE THAN $17 FOR THE ELECTRICITY TO DO THE
SAME AMOUNT OF DRIVING. HE KNOWS THAT BECAUSE HIS COMPUTER CONNECTS WIRELESSLY TO THE CAR.
YOU CAN TRACK VERY DETAILED YOUR USAGE. THIS IS PULLED UP FOR ONE DAY. 29th OF APRIL. I
TRAVELED 39 MILES. THAT'S A TYPICAL DAILY COMMUTE FOR ME. 4.3 MILES PER KILO WATT HOUR.
ELECTROCONSUMPTION 9.2-KILO WATTS.
Reporter: THE CAR HAS A TROVE OF NEW TECHNOLOGY INCLUDING A SMART PHONE APP TO CONTROL AIR-CONDITIONING,
CHARGING AND OTHER FUNCTIONS REMOTELY. THE LEAF LOOKS AND DRIVES LIKE A GAS POWERED CAR.
BUT IT CAN'T GO AS FAR. DECAMP'S CAR HAS A RANGE OF ABOUT 80 MILES. THAT'S ENOUGH FOR HIS COMMUTE BUT THAT'S NOT
ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE. JOSEPH WORKS AT AN ESCONDIDO COMPANY THAT MAKES BATTERIES, HE ACKNOWLEDGES
THAT RANGE ANXIETY IS A MAJOR OBSTACLE FOR SOME.
A LOT OF PEOPLE BELIEVE IN THIS COUNTRY YOU CAN DRIVE ANYWHERE YOU WANT AT ANY TIME. I
CAN DRIVE FROM HERE TO FLORIDA. THEY'VE GOT THE FREEDOM. SO THEY FEEL WHEN YOU HAVE SOMETHING
THAT'S GOING TO LIMIT YOUR RANGE, IT'S TAKING AWAY SOME FREEDOM OF YOURS.
Reporter: CHANGING EXPECTATIONS AND BETTER BATTERIES ARE THE SOLUTION. HE SAYS LITHIUM
BATTERIES TUCKED UNDER THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT ALLOW THE LEAF TO LOOK JUST LIKE A REGULAR
CAR.
SO RUNNING UP UNDERNEATH TO THE BACKSIDE OF THE CAR IS WHERE THE LITHIUM BATTERIES RESIDE
IN THIS VEHICLE.
Reporter: AND UNLIKE THE NISSAN LEAF, THE BATTERIES IN THIS OLDER VEHICLE ARE SITTING
ON TOP OF THE ELECTRIC MOTOR. THEY'RE GOLF CART BATTERIES AND AS YOU CAN SEE THERE ARE
SEVERAL OF THEM THERE. AND ALSO MORE RIGHT HERE. 24 IN FACT AND THEY WEIGH 2400 POUNDS.
THE NISSAN LEAF WOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT LITHIUM BATTERY TECHNOLOGY.
Reporter: BETTER BATTERIES MAY CONVINCE EVEN MORE CONSUMERS TO BUY ELECTRIC. IT BOTH EXCITES
AND WORRIES SAN DIEGO GAS AND ELECTRIC'S JIM AVERY.
VIRTUALLY EVERY LARGE AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURING IS ANNOUNCING THEY'RE COMING OUT WITH A NEW
ELECTRIC VEHICLE.
Reporter: AVERY EXPECTS TEN TIMES AS MANY TO BE ON THE ROAD BY THE END OF THE YEAR.
THAT QUICK GROWTH BRINGS CHALLENGES.
IN REALITY, EVERY SINGLE CAR THAT COMES IN IS ABOUT THE EQUIVALENT OF THREE QUARTERS
OF A NEW HOME. SO WE HAVE TO PLAN FOR THE CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE JUST LIKE WE PLAN
FOR THE ADDITION OF A NEW HOME IN OUR SYSTEM. IT HAS TO BE THERE AND WE HAVE TO PROVIDE
THE ENERGY TO LET YOU CHARGE YOUR CAR.
Reporter: THEY ARE EXPERIMENTING WITH VERY LOW POWER RATES IF DRIVERS CHARGE THEIR CARS
BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 5:00 A.M. THAT WOULD PUT VIRTUALLY NO IMPACT ON THE LOCAL POWER
GRID. BUT THE STAKES ARE HIGH. THE SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS OF ELECTRIC CAR OWNERS TAP INTO THE
ELECTRIC GRID DURING PEAK HOURS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY? THAT COULD FORCE THEM TO PAY FOR
POTENTIALLY BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES.
AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, THIS IS THE FINAL BROADCAST OF "SAN DIEGO WEEK." KPBS IS EXPANDING
ITS NEWS COVERAGE IN SAN DIEGO. BEGINNING MONDAY, A NEW SHOW CALLED "KPBS EVENING EDITION"
WILL AIR WEEKNIGHTS AT 6:30. THE SHOW WILL BRING YOU THE TOP STORIES OF DAY BUT THE EMPHASIS
WILL BE ON DIGGING DEEPER INTO ISSUES. WE'LL TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED BUT WE'LL ALSO EXPLORE
WHY IT HAPPENED. AND WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU AND YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE. YOU'LL SEE MANY OF
THE REPORTERS YOU OFTEN HEAR ON KPBS RADIO AND ALSO MEET SAN DIEGO'S NEWS MAKERS. THE
PEOPLE YOU ELECTED INTO OFFICE. BUSINESS LEADERS AND RESEARCHERS. THOSE WHO MAKE DECISIONS
EVERY DAY THAT AFFECT OUR COMMUNITY. I'LL BE ASKING THEM QUESTIONS, BUT YOU'LL GET A
CHANCE TOO. EVERY NIGHT AT THE END OF THE SHOW. WE'LL HOST A PUBLIC SQUARE THROUGH E-MAIL,
FACEBOOK, TWITTER, EVEN OLD-FASHIONED LETTERS, YOU'LL HAVE A CHANCE TO TELL US WHAT YOU THINK.
AND ALSO, THE QUESTIONS YOU WANT ASKED. SO I'M INVITING YOU NOW TO JOIN ME AND MY CO-HOST
DWAYNE BROWN EVERY NIGHT AT 6:30 FOR "KPBS EVENING EDITION." WE CAN'T GET TO GET STARTED.
ON BEHALF OF ALL OF US HERE AT KPBS. THANKS FOR WATCHING. GOOD NIGHT. [ CAPTIONS BY: CAPTION
COLORADO, LLC 800-775-7838 EMAIL: COMMENTS@CAPTIONCOLORADO.COM ]