How has immigration increased tension in El Cajon?
Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson….it’s THURSDAY, AUGUST 14TH
HOW IMMIGRATION HAS INCREASED TENSION IN EL CAJON. More on that next. But first... the headlines….
THE COUNTY’S INFLATION RATE WAS FOUR PERCENT FOR THE MONTH OF JULY - MOSTLY BEING CREDITED TO RISING PRICES FOR FOOD, MEDICAL CARE AND CARS
ACCORDING TO THE SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE, THAT MAKES IT THE HIGHEST IN THE NATION
IT’S THE HIGHEST RATE WE’VE SEEN IN THE COUNTY SINCE 2023, ACCORDING TO DATA RELEASED THIS WEEK FROM THE U-S BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
THE HIGH INFLATION IS BELIEVED IN PART TO BE BECAUSE OF LABOR COSTS LIKE THE 20 DOLLAR AN HOUR CALIFORNIA MINIMUM WAGE FOR FAST FOOD WORKERS
AS WELL AS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S CRACKDOWN ON UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS
SPEAKING OF PRICE SPIKES, ONE IS BEING PROPOSED NOW AND COULD IN TIME AFFECT YOUR WATER BILL
THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO HAS PROPOSED INCREASING RATES TO COVER RISING COSTS AND INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS
ACCORDING TO A FLYER SENT TO RESIDENTS FROM THE CITY, THE INITIAL INCREASE WOULD BE AROUND 18 DOLLARS PER MONTH FOR SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCES, STARTING NEXT YEAR.
THE CITY PURCHASES 80 TO 90 PERCENT OF ITS WATER FROM THE SAN DIEGO WATER AUTHORITY WHO INCREASED THEIR ANNUAL PRICES
AND ACCORDING TO A RECENT STUDY, THE CITY WON’T BE ABLE TO COVER ITS BILLS WITHOUT THIS PROPOSED RATE INCREASE
COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS CONFIRMED ON FRIDAY THE FIRST CONFIRMED CASE OF MEASLES IN THE REGION THIS YEAR
A TEENAGER WHO RECENTLY LEFT THE COUNTRY AND WAS NOT VACCINATED MAY HAVE EXPOSED OTHERS AT SCRIPPS CLINIC TORREY PINES URGENT CARE OR RADY CHILDREN’S E-R
THE COUNTY’S EPIDEMIOLOGICAL TEAM IS WORKING WITH SCRIPPS AND RADY’S TO IDENTIFY PATIENTS AND STAFF WHO MIGHT HAVE BEEN EXPOSED
ANYONE WITH SYMPTOMS SUCH AS FEVER, COUGH, RUNNY NOSE, RED EYES OR A DISTINCTIVE RED RASH ARE BEING ASKED TO INITIALLY CALL THEIR DOCTOR’S OFFICE AHEAD OF COMING IN FOR AN OFFICE VISIT
STAY SAFE SAN DIEGO
From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now.Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
EL CAJON IS ONE OF JUST TWO CITIES IN CALIFORNIA FIGHTING STATE IMMIGRANT SANCTUARY LAWS. THIS YEAR THE CITY COUNCIL HAS PASSED RESOLUTIONS SUPPORTING PRESIDENT TRUMP’S DEPORTATION CAMPAIGN. BUT REPORTER GUSTAVO SOLIS SAYS SOME RESIDENTS ARE FIGHTING BACK.
ELCAJONICE 4:22 SOQ
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PANA CAJON 00:12:47:22“When I talk to people about what’s happening in El Cajon, the words fractured, fearful come up. And I think also just this feeling that there’s some sense of hopelessness.”
That’s Viveka Ray-Mazumder. An immigration advocate with PANA.
El Cajon is a city where nearly a third of all residents are foreign born. And a Republican mayor eager to support President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign.
In January, Mayor Bill Wells introduced a resolution declaring the city’s intent to help the federal government enforce immigration law.
The resolution was political theater. The El Cajon police department must still obey state sanctuary laws … which prohibit police officers from asking people about their immigration status or helping federal immigration agents.
But Mayor Well’s message was clear. El Cajon is either with Trump or against him.
https://elcajonca.new.swagit.com/videos/326965 4:32:04“Now, let me tell you what I think is really going on here. I don’t think this is about immigration, I don’t think this is about racism… This is about Trump versus non-Trump. This is progressivism versus conservatism. This is the cultural war that we are involved in right now.”
That was Wells at a January City Council meeting. At another meeting, Councilman Phil Ortiz argued that Trump was only going after violent criminals.
https://elcajonca.new.swagit.com/videos/325763 1:46:15“I want to be clear, the people only people who should be living in fear are the people who are exploiting and terrorizing our communities that are criminals. Whether they are citizens or not.”
That rhetoric comes straight from the Trump administration – saying that ICE agents are prioritizing the worst of the worst.
But it is becoming increasingly clear that undocumented immigrants without criminal records are getting caught in the mass deportation machine.
Only 23 percent of the people ICE arrested in El Cajon so far this year have criminal convictions – according to the Deportation Data Project. And the most recent records from the Otay Mesa Detention Center show more than 80% of the immigrants held there have no criminal record.
Mairene Branham - co-founder of a local advocacy group called Latinos En Accion. - says the controversial resolution created the impression that local police officers support Trump’s immigration policies - that they’re enforcing immigration law. Even though they are not.
MDAMRON_1041 00:08:35:05 / 01:48:00:27“So I just think it’s really unfair to have put the police chief in this situation and to put the police officers in this light that they technically didn’t deserve.”
And El Cajon Police Chief Jeremiah Larson acknowledges that community trust for the department has taken a hit.
ELCAJONCHIEF 00:20:53:05“We try to do a lot of different things to build the trust back – the trust that has been eroded for certain members of our community.”
Larson says part of the problem is people tend to lump all law enforcement agencies together.
ELCAJONCHIEF 00:15:09:17“It’s hard for some members of the community to see a delineation between federal law enforcement and local law enforcement or state and local. Even within the county it’s hard for people to understand there’s a difference between San Diego PD and Chula Vista PD and El Cajon PD. Not everyone understand that and that’s ok. It’s our job to make sure we communicate that with the public.” (watch the trail)
Chief Larson says the department recently brought back a community advisory board. And will meet with members of the public on a regular basis.
Meanwhile, the City Council has continued to pass pro-Trump resolutions. Including one in March supporting federal legislation introduced by Republicans in Texas trying to weaken state sanctuary laws throughout the country.
ICE continues to increase enforcement in El Cajon - already doubling the number of arrests compared to last year. Including a high profile workplace raid at an industrial paint shop.
But Branham and other advocates have their own plans for the City Council. Latinos en Accion launched a recall campaign against Councilman Ortiz.
MDAMRON_1041 00:06:51:16 / 01:46:17:08“We want to push for a new election. We want people to know who Phil Ortiz is, who he stands with. If his district is mostly Blue but is ignored when they come to these City Council meetings, that’s the reason why we are pushing for that recall.”
The group is currently collecting signatures to force a recall election. They need 3,000 from registered voters in District 4 - which is the southern part of El Cajon.
Gustavo Solis, KPBS News
DIRE WARNINGS YESTERDAY (WEDNESDAY) FROM MEMBERS OF THE REGION’S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION AND LOCAL BUSINESS LEADERS OVER PRESIDENT TRUMP’S TARIFFS.
AT A NEWS CONFERENCE AT THE CESAR CHAVEZ PORT PARK… REPRESENTATIVES SCOTT PETERS AND SARA JACOBS BOTH SAID THE TARIFFS HAVE ALREADY LED TO THE LOSS OF JOBS IN THE COUNTY.
DAN CLARK FOUNDED HIS COMPANY - DAN CLARK AUDIO - 12-YEARS AGO HERE IN SAN DIEGO. HE SAYS THE TARIFFS WILL DAMAGE HIS BUSINESS.
TARIFFS 2A :20
“Domestically, our prices will rise and demand will fall which then means we have to produce fewer products and it means jobs are at risk. Internationally, the situation’s even worse… We’re currently paying 50% more for our parts and products than any of our competitors in the world would have to pay for the exact same thing.”
WE REACHED OUT FOR COMMENT TO THE ONLY REPUBLICAN IN THE COUNTY’S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION, REPRESENTATIVE DARRELL ISSA (ICE-SUH)… BUT WE DIDN’T HEAR BACK BY OUR DEADLINE.
R-V’S HAVE SET UP CAMP AROUND MISSION BAY SINCE THE PANDEMIC. IN OUR NEXT WHY IT MATTERS SEGMENT, VOICE OF SAN DIEGO REPORTER MARIANA MARTINEZ BARBA SAYS THAT’S COMING TO AN END.
VOSDRVS 1 (public matters) TRT 1:13 last words “why it matters” SOQ
The city is doing more to stop RVs from parking overnight in Mission Bay. That’s because a new place for people to park safely overnight opened nearby. It’s part of the Safe Parking Program. Now that people can stay at this lot near the airport, people are starting to ticket some people in RVs for being parked where they aren’t supposed to be.
The enforcement crackdown comes after years of concerns from residents. Since the pandemic, residents have complained about a growing number of vehicles staying for months on end along East Mission Bay Drive and surrounding parking lots.
Some of these RVs include people experiencing homelessness, while others are just taking advantage of the free parking.
The challenge is getting more people to go to safe parking. San Diego Police say they’ve made 66 referrals since the program's opening, but Mission Bay still has a lot of RVs.
Some people say driving to the lot daily makes gas too pricey.
Others say the lot’s hours don’t work with their schedules. They are expected to move their car in and out of the lot each morning.
So it’s not clear if RVs will really leave Mission Bay as many campers would rather stay put.
I’m Mariana Martinez Barba for Voice of San Diego and that’s why it matters.
IT LOOKS LIKE A PERK FOR E-V DRIVERS WILL SOON BE GOING AWAY. CLEAN AIR VEHICLE STICKERS IN CALIFORNIA COULD EXPIRE THIS OCTOBER IF FEDERAL LEADERS DON’T ACT. REPORTER JACOB AERE SAYS THERE’S A CHANCE IT STICKS AROUND … a Califonia Congressman introduced legislation yesterday (Wednesday) that would extend the program until 20-31.
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EVSTICKER1 (ja) :53
California’s “Clean Air Vehicle” Decal Program could be ending soon, along with similar incentive programs in 13 other US states … unless Congress votes to extend the program.
E-V and hybrid vehicle drivers have been able to purchase the stickers from the d-m-v since 2001. It allows E-V drivers to drive solo in the H-O-V lane
Lindsay Buckley is with the California Air Resources Board. She says the decal program incentivized people to buy E-Vs.
“A lot of Californians have come to know that if you drive a zero emissions vehicle you get this special access in the carpool lane. And so we believe it's helped nudge folks along toward considering a zero emission vehicle which is really important for our overall air quality and climate change goals here in California."
The DMV says more than 400-thousand vehicles have these stickers in California.
If congress doesn’t pass the new HOV Lane Exemption Reauthorization Act bill by the end of September, the decals will expire on October 1. JA KPBS News.
IT’S ABOUT TO GET EASIER TO ACCESS THE COAST AND INLAND TRAILS AT BORDER FIELD STATE PARK IN IMPERIAL BEACH.
STATE PARK OFFICIALS SAY VEHICLE ACCESS WILL RESUME ON WEEKENDS, STARTING THIS SATURDAY. FLOODING HAS PREVENTED VISITORS FROM DRIVING INTO THE PARK FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS.
JOHN FANESTIL (FAN-UHSTILL) IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NONPROFIT FRIENDS OF INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP PARK. FRIENDSHIP PARK IS LOCATED WITHIN BORDER FIELD STATE PARK.
PARKOPEN 1A :09
“The reopening of the vehicle road makes it possible for the public in San Diego who wanna see this sight. it’s a remarkable view of undeveloped coastline.”
ON SATURDAY, THE NONPROFIT WILL HOST AN EVENT AT BORDER FIELD STATE PARK UNITING THE BORDER COMMUNITY THROUGH ART, IMMIGRANT RIGHTS, ADVOCACY AND FAITH.
THE RISE OF GENERATIVE A-I HAS LED TO A RISE IN LAWSUITS OVER COPYRIGHT VIOLATION. ARTISTS AND ILLUSTRATORS SAY THEIR IMAGES ARE BEING APPROPRIATED AS A-I CRAWLERS ROAM THE INTERNET FOR CONTENT. SCI-TECH REPORTER THOMAS FUDGE HAS MORE ON WHAT’S GOING ON AND HOW ARTISTS ARE RESPONDING
CRAWLERS (tf) 1:52 …SOQ.
San Diego artist Jose Iturriaga taps his imagination to create moody images of dark skies and landscapes of magical horror. His style has allowed him to work as an illustrator and movie set designer. But something is trying to copy his distinct artwork. The copycat is artificial intelligence.
Jose 5:17 “What the AI training models do is scrape all of the Internet and basically steal all this art and then put it into a blender and something else comes out.”
What comes out the AI blender can be the very same images or something else that copies the artist’s style. The software that combs the internet for data are called AI crawlers, and there are ways to block them. A program by Cloudflare, rearranges the data so AI doesn’t recognize an image. But Elisa Luo, a cyber security researcher at UC San Diego, says technology isn’t a long-term solution.
ELISA 13:17 “It will, of course, always be a cat and mouse game. Like if Cloudflare comes out with this new feature that is even more comprehensive and sophisticated then the more malicious AI crawlers will try to adapt to this and try to circumvent it,”
Lawsuits have been filed. The Concept Art Association has lobbied for a bill in California that would require that artists be told if their work has been put into an AI data set. Deana Igelsrud, the association’s lobbyist, speaks of an artist she knows who was victimized by AI, saying the situation is intolerable.
540 “His livelihood (was) basically stolen by an al gorithm that facilitates forgery and theft,” she said.
Artists say ethical AI companies can have a role in the industry, for instance filling in animations that require a lot of repetitive work. A UC San Diego study shows artists are aware of the problem, but lack the technical knowledge or the ability to protect their websites. SOQ.
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That’s it for the podcast today. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Lawrence K. Jackson. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
