A deeper look into who owns the Imperial Valley immigration detention facility

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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson….it’s MONDAY, MAY 18TH>>>> [ WE TOOK A LOOK INTO WHO THE OWNER OF A LOCAL ICE DETENTION CENTER IS ]More on that next. But first... the headlines….#######

CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM LATE LAST WEEK PROPOSED A REVISED BUDGET FOR THE STATE THAT SHOWS NO DEFICIT

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTS THAT NEWSOM LAYED OUT A 350 BILLION DOLLAR SPENDING PLAN OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS THAT INCLUDES A MINIMAL AMOUNT OF NEW SPENDING AND AVOIDS MAJOR CUTS

THE STATE'S PROJECTED DEFICIT IN JANUARY WAS NEARLY 3 BILLION DOLLARS

THE A-P SAYS THAT REVENUES MOSTLY COMING FROM THE BOOMING STOCK MARKET AND A-I INDUSTRIES CAME IN 16 AND A HALF BILLION DOLLARS HIGHER THAN INITIALLY PROJECTED, HELPING TO CLOSE THE PROJECTED DEFICIT

THE FINAL BUDGET NEEDS TO BE APPROVED BY THE END OF JUNE.

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STARVING BIRDS ARE DYING ALONG OUR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COASTS

TIMES OF SAN DIEGO  REPORTS  THAT AS OCEAN TEMPERATURES RISE... 

FISH ARE BEING PUSHED FURTHER OUT INTO THE OCEAN WHERE THERE ARE COOLER; DEEPER WATERS THAT ARE OUT OF REACH FOR SEABIRDS

SCIENTISTS TOLD TIMES OF SAN DIEGO THAT AS LONG AS OCEAN WATER TEMPERATURES REMAIN WARMER THAN USUAL, SEEING DEAD BIRDS ON OUR BEACHES COULD BECOME MORE COMMON

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COUNTY SUPERVISORS, CITY COUNCILMEMBERS, SANDAG AND YOUTH ADVOCATES ALL GATHERED ON FRIDAY TO CELEBRATE THE EXTENSION OF M-T-S'S YOUTH OPPORTUNITY PASS

THE EVENT TOOK PLACE AT CHULA VISTA'S PALOMAR TRANSIT CENTER TROLLEY STATION

THE YOUTH OPPORTUNITY PASS GUARANTEES CONTINUED FREE TRANSIT RIDES FOR SAN DIEGO COUNTY YOUTH OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS 

THE PASS IS INTENDED TO HELP OFFSET TRAVEL COSTS FOR WORKING FAMILIES AND WAS APPROVED AT A SANDAG BUDGET MEETING EARLIER THIS MONTH

From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now.Stay with me for more of the local news you need.

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THE IMPERIAL REGIONAL DETENTION FACILITY IN CALEXICO IS ONE OF EIGHT ICE DETENTION CENTERS IN CALIFORNIA. IT’S WIDELY CONSIDERED A FOR-PROFIT OPERATION. THAT’S BECAUSE ICE RELIES ON A PRIVATE PRISON COMPANY TO RUN THE FACILITY.

BUT IMPERIAL VALLEY REPORTER KORI SUZUKI FOUND THAT WHO ACTUALLY OWNS THE FACILITY IS MORE COMPLICATED.

DETENTIONCHARITY PT 1 (4:12) SOQ

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I’m at a small theater building in Brawley, in northern Imperial County. It feels like it’s been empty for years.

The walls are bare and peeling. The floor is covered in dust and pigeon droppings. At the back of the building, part of the ceiling is missing, revealing a band of blue sky.

Tim kelley brawley theater 1_part 1 / 22:13

The next phase of this project is to build the stage and then build the put in the roof above it,

That’s Tim Kelley. By the end of the year, he says, this historic theater will be renovated and open for business.

Kelley is a founder and board member of a local nonprofit called the Brawley Community Foundation, which owns the theater. He says the foundation was created to improve downtown Brawley by acquiring old buildings, renovating them and using the money to buy other properties.

Tim kelley brawley theater 1_part 2 / 11:24

If our mission is to improve the economy of the region and create jobs and generate taxes, we'll look at different strategies.

But downtown buildings aren’t the only properties that the Brawley Community Foundation has invested in.

Records obtained by KPBS show the foundation is also the owner of the Imperial Regional Detention Facility, a federal immigrant detention center, which sits about 20 miles to the south.

The facility is run by Management and Training Corporation a private company based in Utah. The company has been accused in court records and other complaints of abuses … like providing undercooked food, and holding people in solitary confinement — allegations that ICE denies.

Federal inspectors also found it violated ICE’s own standards for medical care. Since President Trump’s return to power, two people have died after experiencing health crises there.

According to the records we obtained, the Foundation has been closely involved with the detention center since the beginning.

Tim kelley brawley theater 1_part 2 / 41:20

I think we're we look at opportunities they're going to create jobs and generate taxes that are going to benefit our community and that's what this did.

Kelley says his charity’s ownership of the detention center is a community benefit because of the jobs it brings to Imperial County, a majority Latino region with one of the highest unemployment rates in the state.

But that’s not what Kristian Salgado thinks. She’s with the Imperial Liberation Collaborative, an immigrant rights group.

20260413_ksuzuki_z63_2490 / 1:29:09

I don’t see the detention center as a community benefit at all … [1:32:10] I don't think the jobs that come out of it really outweigh the harm that it creates.

Experts on nonprofits say the foundation’s ownership of the detention center is unusual. Geoff Green leads the California Association of Nonprofits.

20260323_ivgateway_geoff green / 26:20

I can give you a personal opinion and say that that does not sound to me like a charitable purpose.

The foundation’s nonprofit status means that it has gotten better interest rates on loans.

This is because of something called the municipal bond market. That’s a special marketplace where state and local governments go to get loans for big projects like roads and bridges.

20260323_ivgateway_todd ely / 3:00

that market over time has kind of developed to also serve some private entities. And one of the key groups that can borrow through this municipal bond market are nonprofit organizations

Todd Ely is a professor at the University of Colorado Denver. He says nonprofits have special access to tax-exempt bonds in particular. Which have lower interest rates.

20260323_ivgateway_todd ely / 27:47

it really is a cost savings benefit that that accrues, right, to the borrower

The bonds aren’t the only benefit.

Records obtained by KPBS show the foundation has also used its nonprofit status to apply for a special tax break called the Welfare Exemption. That’s typically reserved for charities — along with hospitals, scientific research and houses of worship.

State and county officials have awarded those tax breaks since 2016. Excusing the foundation from paying at least six million dollars in property taxes on the detention center property.

Salgado says this arrangement is confusing and unsettling.

20260413_ksuzuki_z63_2490 / 1:29:23

It is upsetting to know that, you know, uh these like not I would refer to them as loopholes where kind of being been exploited.

Green, the association of nonprofits leader, also questions whether the foundation should get these tax breaks.

20260323_ivgateway_geoff green / 34:20

It sounds to me like they made the argument to the county assessor that detaining people on ICE facility is a is a public benefit of some kind. And for better or for worse that goes into local politics.

Tomorrow, we’ll take a closer look at who decides who counts as a charity in California.

In Brawley, Kori Suzuki, KPBS News.

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REFUGEES FROM COUNTRIES LIKE IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN HAVE FOR YEARS SETTLED IN EL CAJON. AND SINCE THE TURN OF THE CENTURY, THE MULTI-GENERATIONAL COMMUNITY HAS BECOME PART OF THE CITY’S FABRIC.

IN PART TWO OF A TWO-PART SERIES, EAST COUNTY REPORTER ELAINE ALFARO SHOWS HOW ONE ORGANIZATION HAS SUPPORTED REFUGEES.

ECREFUGEE PT2 (4:21) SOC

The walls at License to Freedom are painted vivid colors: tangerine, lime green and pomegranate.

This is not by accident. It’s so the offices of this organization serving El Cajon’s refugee community feel like a home. Specifically, a home in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan or a number of other Middle Eastern and North African countries.

Qamar Almwali is one of the therapists at License to Freedom.

ALMWALI SOT

“You'll see the names of the rooms or the way they were designed such as like the living room or the kitchen to kind of mimic that feeling.”

She says spaces, like the kitchen, set the table for the, sometimes, challenging conversations that she has with her clients about their homeland and their new life in a country thousands of miles away.

Which is why a safe space is needed.

ALMWALI SOT

“We work with a lot of families and kids who come in into here and also just like a lot of people whose homes maybe represent some of what it looks like here. So that's what we are trying to do is replicate the feeling of just being at home and feeling comfortable.”

El Cajon has one of the largest refugee communities in San Diego County. It began in the 1970s and 80s when Chaldeans – mainly Christians from Iraq – settled in the city. And over the decades… through several wars… it’s become a hub for asylum seekers and immigrants from the Middle East and North Africa.

**NATS OF CONVERSATIONS

Business signs in both English and Arabic line El Cajon’s Main Street. Conversations in Arabic, Dari and other languages and dialects drift in and out of shops and restaurants.

All of this is a testament to the energy and resilience of the immigrant communities. But behind the vibrant streets and storefronts there is the trauma, loss and insecurity that comes with the refugee experience.

The need to address these issues is why Dilkhwaz Ahmed created License to Freedom in 2002.

AHMED SOT

“I just realize something got to be done for my community. We need to create a space for them.”

License to Freedom offers a range of support services including housing navigation, therapy, case management, language classes and more.

There’s an emphasis on supporting women, who often bear family trauma. This draws from the experiences Ahmed, the founder, had as a new refugee.

She started with a simple goal … helping women learn to drive and get their driver’s license. A big step toward independence.

AHMED SOT

“When I came, there were zero services to meet the needs of refugee and immigrant communities, especially when it comes to issues of domestic violence. Zero.”

On Monday mornings, a small group of around 10 women meet with case manager Nahid Siddiq and therapist Dr. Niyati Kadakia to talk about raising their children and adjusting to life in the U.S.

**NATS OF GROUP MEETING

One morning, Kadakia led the women through a practice where they were encouraged to connect to their younger selves. She also had them write love letters to themselves.

Here’s Kadakia.

KADAKIA SOT

“There is this beautiful almost pull and push of navigating this new identity, this new feminine strong identity while also grappling with cultural definitions of what it means to be a good woman.”

In addition to group meetings, Ahmed created a class to help women start their own businesses. Marwa Hassan took the class.

HASSAN SOT

“I just attended the classes and it was very helpful to me. Everyone was nice and they supported me a lot.”

She’s now a community specialist for License to Freedom and runs a small business from her home. She makes and sells personalized art pieces that connect to her culture.

HASSAN SOT

“Here, we miss many stuff that represent(s) our culture.”

Hassan found that running her business and engaging with clients has helped her retain her cultural connections.

HASSAN SOT

“You feel that you have a power and you can do more and more for your family first and for the community around you.”

Ahmed says that mentality proves these folks are here to make El Cajon their home.

Elaine Alfaro, KPBS News.

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THE CALIFORNIA HOUSING PARTNERSHIP HAS RELEASED ITS ANNUAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING NEEDS REPORT. 

REPORTER KATIE HYSON SAYS THE NUMBERS MAY BE GLIMMERS OF HOPE IN AN ONGOING CRISIS.

SAFETYNET 1/TV PKG trt 1:12 SOQ (kh/cc/jg)

State and federal funding for housing in San Diego County fell this last fiscal year, by almost ten percent.

Still, thousands of new rent-restricted units were constructed or acquired – a 90 percent increase from the year before.

It’s needed. Almost 80 percent of the county’s extremely low income households pay more than half their income on housing. And nearly 130-thousand low-income renter households don’t have access to an affordable home.

But those numbers are down slightly from the year before.

Stephen Russell is the president of the San Diego Housing Federation.

CARLOS_1306.MXF 14;16;07;29 - 14;16;10;49 Maybe we've hit the bottom of the depth of the crisis, but we're still underwater.

Russell says San Diego hasn’t built enough housing to meet demand since 2004. He estimates about 150-thousand more homes are needed.

He thinks San Diego’s largest employers should get involved in the effort.

And there’s a measure on the ballot he thinks could help. A tax on vacant homes.

CG: STEPHEN RUSSELL / SAN DIEGO HOUSING FEDERATION

CARLOS_1306.MXF 14;22;48;47 - 14;22;53;19 There is no one silver bullet. We need to do all of these things if we're going to see the other side of this crisis.

Katie Hyson, KPBS News

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THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS IS SET TO VOTE ON PROPOSED REFORMS TO THE COUNTY’S CHARTER TUESDAY.

REPORTER ALEXANDER NGUYEN SAYS THEY'LL ALSO HEAR PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THOSE REFORMS.

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CHARTERAMEND TRT: 0:56 SOQ

“Changing the charter is not a simple vote that can be reversed.”

Supervisor Joel Anderson says the reforms set forth by board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer were rushed and riddled with errors.

Anderson was one of two votes against the proposed reform last month. He says major reforms such as this need careful consideration.

This is the first time the county will be updating the charter in nearly 50 years.

Among Anderson’s amendments is to keep term limits as-is. Currently, the supervisors are limited to two 4-year terms. The proposed reform would extend that to three terms.

He says that’s self-serving.

“My proposal makes sure that the currently elected supervisors cannot extend their own term limits.”

In a statement, Lawson-Remer says these amendments would hollow out the reforms the county residents are asking for.

The charter reforms are set to be discussed Tuesday. If passed, they’ll head to a public vote in November. AN/KPBS

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IN A BUSY ELECTION YEAR THERE’S ONE STATE OFFICE THAT’S SOMETIMES OVERLOOKED … THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR. 

MILITARY AND VETERANS REPORTER ANDREW DYER WENT TO A VETERANS ROUNDTABLE WITH DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE JOSH FRYDAY.

VETRTBL 1 (ad) :48 SOQ

Josh Fryday met with nine local veterans.

The Navy veteran says as lieutenant governor he can make an impact on two of the issues people care about most – education and housing.

High Tech High School teacher Elyce Jenkins was a Marine Corps Reservist. She says she appreciates the opportunity to talk with someone who could soon be in a position to help teachers.

EJ: I think that our budget should reflect what we say we care about. I don't know of a single teacher in California where on their income alone, they could afford to live on their own.

Fryday’s earned key endorsements but is in a crowded Democratic field that includes state treasurer Fiona Ma and former Stockton mayor Michael Tubbs.

Even the leading Republican was recently a Democrat – Gloria Romero spent more than a decade in the state legislature before switching to the Republican party in 2024.

Andrew Dyer, KPBS News

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COUNCIL HEARINGS ON SAN DIEGO MAYOR TODD GLORIA’S REVISED BUDGET PROPOSAL BEGIN TODAY (MONDAY). AS CITY LEADERS DECIDE HOW TO BALANCE THE BUDGET, SO CAN YOU. 

WEB PRODUCER BRENDEN TUCCINARDI TELLS MORE ABOUT OUR NEW INTERACTIVE BUDGET GAME.

BUDGETCHALLENGE TRT :54 SOQ

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The KPBS Budget Challenge lets San Diegans pick and choose new expenses, raise revenues and cut costs to close the city’s 118 million dollar deficit.

This is the second year in a row the city is facing a shortfall.

To close the gap, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria is proposing a series of cuts to arts and culture grants, libraries, rec centers, among other things.

Gloria has said the cuts are what’s required for the city to live within its means.

The budget challenge gives players a taste of what it takes for the city to do that.

We’ve pulled line items directly from the proposed budget and included suggestions from the audience.

For example, players can choose to cut the police budget by five percent, repeal the trash fee, or reduce funding for arts and culture grants.

Brenden Tuccinardi, KPBS News

TAG: DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BALANCE THE CITY’S BUDGET? PLAY NOW AT KPBS DOT ORG SLASH BUDGET CHALLENGE

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That’s it for the podcast today. I’m Lawrence K. Jackson. Thanks for listening and subscribing; by doing so you are supporting public media and I really want to thank you for that. Have a great day!