More immigration raids could be coming to San Diego

Good Morning, I’m Andrew Dyer, in for Debbie Cruz….it’s Wednesday, June 18th.

More immigration raids could be coming to San Diego communities

More on that, next. But first... the headlines….

SAN DIEGO MAYOR TODD GLORIA HAS VETOED PORTIONS OF THE BUDGET PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL LAST WEEK.

GLORIA ANNOUNCED YESTERDAY (TUESDAY) HE WOULD ACCEPT THE CITY COUNCIL'S BUDGET FOR LIBRARIES AND REC CENTERS — WHICH WILL STILL BE CUT, BUT NOT AS MUCH AS THE MAYOR HAD INITIALLY SOUGHT.

GLORIA USED A LINE-ITEM VETO TO BLOCK ROUGHLY $5 MILLION IN SPENDING BY THE COUNCIL, INCLUDING FUNDS FOR COMMUNITY EVENTS AND A HANDFUL OF POSITIONS IN CITY MANAGEMENT.

It is true that the council has the authority to override my veto. But I urge them to accept this compromise — a budget that restores essential services without overcommitting the city's finances.

THE CITY COUNCIL HAS UNTIL JUNE 26TH TO OVERRIDE THE MAYOR'S VETOES.

State lawmakers have proposed a bill that if passed would ban law enforcement officers from covering their faces while carrying out their duties.

San Francisco state senator Scott Wiener says masks make it difficult to tell if someone is a law enforcement officer or a member of a vigilante militia.

State law already requires officers from departments in California to display identifying information.

Videos of masked federal officers in unmarked vehicles executing immigration raids have circulated widely on social media.

If passed, officers in violation could face a misdemeanor charge. However, federal officers are subject to federal regulations – not state.

A heat advisory is in effect today (Wednesday) for inland San Diego County.

The National Weather Service says inland valleys and mountains can expect highs in the 90s – about 10 to 15 degrees above normal.

Coastal areas should see highs in the 70s.

But, it won’t last long. Forecasters say things will start to cool Thursday and by this weekend highs will be below-average for this time of the year..

From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now.

Stay with me for more of the local news you need.

SAN DIEGO IS FEELING THE BRUNT OF THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S HISTORIC INCREASE IN IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT. REPORTER GUSTAVO SOLIS SAYS THE SITUATION IS BECOMING VOLATILE.

From arresting immigrant workers near El Cajon. To detaining people in San Diego’s immigration court.And raiding a popular South Park restaurant.Local immigration lawyers say this is what mass deportations look like – federal agents pressured to meet arrest quotas … targeting anyone suspected of being in the country illegally.Ginger Jacobs has more than 20 years of experience as an immigration lawyer.“When Trump took office, he put into place a number of executive orders and different memoranda that vastly expanding the scope of enforcement activities and now we are starting to see the fruits of those memorandum.”Over the last couple of months, we’ve heard stories of a grandmother, a soccer coach and a disabled asylum seeker being caught in President Donald Trump’s deportation machine.We’ve seen an increase in workplace raids.But other tactics are brand new - like arresting people at their immigration court hearings … or during scheduled check-ins with ICE.Another new enforcement tactic: revoking student visas. Stacy Tolchin represents more than 20 students.“These are people that are finishing graduate programs, doctoral programs. This is a lot of time invested, and a lot of commitment invested. To lose this is pretty monumental who has devoted their lives to do it.”A coalition of nonprofits, humanitarian workers and lawyers have spent most of the year responding to this new wave of ICE enforcement.Advocates are patrolling immigrant neighborhoods and warning people of potential ICE activity. Lawyers are rushing down to the federal courthouse … and providing pro bono legal aid to people being arrested.  Others are fundraising for families of the people detained …  including their U.S. citizen partners and children.Ginger Jacobs says they’re making a difference.“Court fiasco – they were there. South Park they were there … we’ve got some organizations here in San Diego that do rapid response incredibly well.”And after  last month’s raid of a South Park restaurant  … San Diego’s political and labor leaders are becoming more vocal.Here’s San Diego Democratic Congresswoman Sara Jacobs.“Over the past week, the immigration enforcement tactics we’ve seen in San Diego have crossed a new line.”Union leaders like SEIU’s Christian Ramirez says it’s hypocritical of our society to profit from the work of unauthorized immigrants and then punish them for working.“Until we come to terms with that and deal with our own hypocrisy that this economy has been built on the backs of hard working immigrants and now we unleash soldiers to attack them – it is hypocrisy to the cruelest of stages.” And while politicians, labor leaders and activists agree that this level of enforcement is problematic - they disagree on how to combat it. Democrats are quick to criticize White House officials and specific enforcement actions. But they still generally support ICE.Congressman Juan Vargas says local ICE agents are mostly good people following bad orders.“I’ve been in office now for some time. I’ve met a lot of ICE agents. I can assure you that almost every ICE agent there didn’t want to be there doing that. They did not want to be in there running into a restaurant like that with machine guns to arrest the cook. They’re getting those orders from Washington.”On the other hand, immigrant rights advocates say the entire agency needs to be rebuilt. They point to a history of civil rights abuses … and argue that the problem is systemic … not just a few bad apples or a particularly harsh administration. Pedro Rios is with the American Friends Service Committee.“We can’t continue in this way because the infrastructure is a juggernaut. It is huge, it is large, ... And unless we are calling for a true end to ICE raids, then we have to be truthful about our vision for a just society. While labor leaders want Democrats to do more than press conferences, local party leaders say their power is limited.Local Democrats say their power is limited. … They are the minority party. But they did send  Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem a letter asking for an investigation into the San Diego raid. Meanwhile, the Trump administration sent National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles, where people are protesting increased ICE enforcement .At a press conference, Noem was clear about their plans .“We are not going away. We are staying here to liberate this city .”At that same press conference, Noem’s security detail pushed California Senator Alex Padilla to the ground and handcuffed him after he tried to ask her questions. On Sunday Trump ordered ICE to increase enforcement in what he called Democrat-run cities … like San Diego. Gustavo Solis, KPBS News

AS PHOTOS OF PROTEST SIGNS FROM SATURDAY’S MARCH SPREAD ACROSS SOCIAL MEDIA, ARTS REPORTER JULIA DIXON EVANS EXPLORES HOW ART CONNECTS TODAY’S MOVEMENTS TO A LONG HISTORY OF RESISTANCE.

Art as protest takes many forms, from handwritten signs to public art installations, underground zines to parody — created to make sense of the world and share a message. Arzu Ozkal is professor of graphic design at San Diego State University. She says protest signs are public, visual manifestations of real-time dissent. "So those are all like journal pages of the United States right now. They're so personal. They're quick. They're witty, also serious …The issues may have changed, but the urgency to respond through art is nothing new. The origins of art as a profession — and as subversion — are deeply connected to power structures like monarchies and the church, and their propaganda.In history — and today — people create art to serve and challenge power."whenever we are not allowed to say what we want to say, humanity finds ways, subversive ways to communicate because we have the urge to communicate"Julia Dixon Evans, KPBS news.

YOU CAN FIND PHOTOS OF PROTEST ART ON OUR WEBSITE AT KPBS-DOT-ORG

SAN DIEGO IS SCALING BACK INCENTIVES FOR HOMEOWNERS TO BUILD A-D-U’S. METRO REPORTER ANDREW BOWEN SAYS THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED A PACKAGE OF REFORMS THIS WEEK.

AB: Under the city's ADU bonus program, property owners can build a dozen or more units in the backyard of a single-family home if it meets certain conditions. If it's on a large lot, the home is near public transit and a portion of the homes are set aside as affordable housing. The package of reforms would limit most properties to 4 ADUs. It would also impose new fees and parking requirements. Council President Joe LaCava voted for the restrictions.JL: As others have said, ADUs is part of our housing solution. It is not the only part of our solutions. But it doesn't mean that it shouldn't be right-sized.AB: A letter from state housing officials last week threatened to block the proposed reforms, which also have to be signed by Mayor Todd Gloria. Andrew Bowen, KPBS news.

IN NEIGHBORING IMPERIAL COUNTY, THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS THERE APPOINTED A NEW CEO LAST WEEK. REPORTER KORI SUZUKI SAYS NOT EVERYONE AGREED ON THE CHOICE.

In April, the Board of Supervisors dismissed the county’s former top administrator, Miguel Figueroa. They said he’d been under investigation, but wouldn’t say why.Now, the Board has appointed a new CEO: Kathleen Lang. Lang is an administrator at a national private healthcare company that provides Medi-Cal services in the valley.The decision wasn’t unanimous. Two supervisors voted against Lang’s appointment, largely because Lang will receive a significantly higher salary than Figueroa. Supervisor Martha Cardenas-Singh said she sees a trend in the board’s decisions to approve large raises.“That is the reason. It is not about Dr. Lang, it is about how we decided a 33% increase to a CEO.”The decision also comes ahead of the county’s public budget hearings, which are set to take place in August. Supervisor Peggy Price supported Lang’s appointment but warned that the county will face challenging decisions in the coming months.I welcome you. Um, I also I'm going to lean on you very hard because there's a lot of work to be done here.Lang will officially start at the end of June.Kori Suzuki, KPBS News.

That’s it for the podcast today. As always, you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Andrew Dyer. Thanks for listening and have a great day.