Police investigate Islamic Center shooting as hate-crime as community mourns
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Good Morning, I’m Lawrence K. Jackson….it’s TUESDAY, MAY 19TH>>>> [ SAN DIEGO POLICE ARE STILL SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS IN MONDAY’S SHOOTING AT A LOCAL MOSQUE…Here’s what we know now: #######
THREE PEOPLE WERE KILLED AT THE ISLAMIC CENTER OF SAN DIEGO IN CLAIRMONT... AND POLICE SAY THE TWO SHOOTERS WERE FOUND DEAD OF SELF-INFLICTED GUNSHOT WOUNDS AT ANOTHER LOCATION.
NONE OF THE DEAD HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED YET BUT POLICE SAY ONE WAS A STUDENT WHO ATTENDED SCHOOL ONLINE .
S-D-P-D ALSO SAYS HIS MOTHER HAD REPORTED HIM AS A RUNAWAY BEFORE THE SHOOTING.
POLICE CHIEF SCOTT WAHL SAYS THE MOTHER THOUGHT HER SON WAS SUICIDAL. THE CHIEF CONFIRMED THE SHOOTING IS BEING INVESTIGATED AS A HATE CRIME.
WAHL_SDIC Shooting Presser
There was generalized hate rhetoric and hate speech, the mom believed her son was suicidal but the additonal bits of information led us to believe that there was a bigger threat pictured here that we need to consider
WAHL SAID THEIR INVESTIGATION HAS FOUND HATE RHETORIC, BUT NO SPECIFIC THREATS AGAINST THE ISLAMIC CENTER OR ANY OTHER LOCATIONS.
SAN DIEGO MAYOR TODD GLORIA CALLED THE SHOOTING A QUOTE ACT OF HATE
GLORIA : Today our city was shaken by a violent act of hate here at the Islamic Center of San Diego & my heart is with every person that is impacted by this horrific tragedy. No one in our city should live in fear because of their identity, faith or place of learning
LATER IN THE PODCAST … WE’LL TELL YOU ABOUT THE SHOOTING’S IMPACT ON SOME OF OUR LOCAL SCHOOLS
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HERE’S MORE OF WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY:
THE CALIFORNIAN REPUBLICAN PARTY IS REPRIMANDING ONE OF ITS OWN ASSEMBLY MEMBERS AND 2026 CANDIDATES
CARL DEMAIO DISTRIBUTED HIS OWN VERSION OF AN ENDORSEMENT LIST HE CALLED THE, QUOTE, “OFFICIAL REPUBLICAN VOTER GUIDE.”
WHILE THE LOCAL REPUBLICAN PARTY DID NOT INTERVENE, THE STATE REPUBLICAN PARTY DID
IN A LETTER SENT FRIDAY, GENERAL COUNSEL FOR THE STATE G-O-P SENT DEMAIO A CEASE AND DESIST FROM DISTRIBUTING HIS GUIDE
IN IT HE WRITES, QUOTE: “‘YOUR CONDUCT IS NOT A MISTAKE. IT IS A CALCULATED DECEPTION OF CALIFORNIA’S REPUBLICAN VOTERS, AND IT WILL NOT BE TOLERATED,’ END QUOTE.
A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE GROUP BEHIND DEMAIO'S VOTER GUIDE DID NOT RESPOND TO AN INTERVIEW REQUEST … BUT ACCUSED/IS ACCUSING THE STATE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF UNFAIRLY ATTACKING DEMAIO.
THIS STORY WAS REPORTED AS PART OF OUR PUBLIC MATTERS PARTNERSHIP WITH VOICE OF SAN DIEGO. TO LEARN MORE GO TO KPBS.ORG-SLASH-PUBLIC-MATTERS.
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CAL FIRE IS TAKING PART IN SOME INTERNATIONAL TRAINING EXERCISES ALL THIS WEEK
THE DRILLS WILL FOCUS ON FIREFIGHTER SAFETY, WILDLAND OPERATIONS AND CROSS-AGENCY COORDINATION ALONG THE BORDER
TRAININGS WILL TAKE PLACE MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY IN ENSENADA, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
A FIRE CAPTAIN FOR CALFIRE SAYS ROUGHLY 230 STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO TAKE PART IN THE TRAINING ALONGSIDE 15 CAL-FIRE INSTRUCTORS
STUDENTS WILL WORK HAND-IN-HAND WITH MEXICAN FIREFIGHTING PARTNERS
AN OVERALL GOAL OF THE TRAINING IS THE STRENGTHENING OF CROSS-BORDER RELATIONSHIPS AND TO SHARE FIRE-SAFETY KNOWLEDGE AND TECHNIQUES
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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COMMUNITY LEADERS ARE EXPRESSING GRATITUDE AFTER NO CHILDREN WERE HARMED DURING THE SHOOTING AT THE ISLAMIC CENTER OF SAN DIEGO.
BRIGHT HORIZON ACADEMY IS A KINDERGARTEN THROUGH THIRD GRADE SCHOOL LOCATED AT THE CENTER.
IMAM TAHA HASSANE (HA-SAHN) IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE ISLAMIC CENTER. HE SHARED A MESSAGE ON INSTAGRAM.
LOCKDOWN2A [8s]
Alhamdullilah we are safe, the entire school is safe, all the kids, all the staff, all the teachers are safe.
POLICE CHIEF SCOTT WAHL UPDATED REPORTERS THROUGHOUT THE DAY MONDAY
LOCKDOWN 2B: 11
“And I tell you what got me….watching the kids come running out …. Just thankful to be alive.”
SEVERAL OTHER NEARBY SCHOOLS WERE ALSO PUT ON LOCKDOWN BECAUSE OF THE SHOOTING.
THERE ARE FOUR ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS WITHIN ABOUT A MILE OF THE ISLAMIC CENTER AND SEVERAL OTHERS JUST OVER A MILE AWAY.
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A HEAVY DOSE OF POLITICAL ADVERTISING IS A HALLMARK OF ELECTION SEASON.
FOR THIS WEEK’S EDITION OF ‘WHY IT MATTERS,’ VOICE OF SAN DIEGO’S SCOTT LEWIS EXPLAINS HOW TRADITIONAL AD FORMATS – LIKE MAILERS – CAN BE USED IN DUBIOUS WAYS.
MAILERS (vosd) TRT 1:13 SOQ “why it matters”
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Candidates, consultants, interest groups and others do so much research and polling. And they concentrate everything they learn into the simplest, sometimes outrageous messages and images. Sometimes they even try to mess with you. They may send a voter who they think hates guns a mailer touting a candidates’ support for firearms.
That’s a way to send a negative mailer that actually looks like it’s positive.
We’ll use this race in San Diego’s District 2 to help you follow a little bit of what’s going on.
Candidate Josh Coy says he’s frustrated with the way the city implemented the new fee for trash service. But he hasn’t said he’s against it and doesn’t explicitly support its repeal.
But one of the many mailers sent to voters says he is unequivocally opposed to quote “trash fees for San Diegans already facing hardships and concerns due to our City’s rising cost of living.”
That was not his mailer, though. That’s a mailer funded largely by the Laborers International Union of North America, or LiUNA, Local 89.
There’s one surefire way to stop the mailers from coming to your house: Send your ballots in. Once campaigns see you have voted, they largely stop sending mailers.
For Voice of San Diego, I’m Scott Lewis and that’s why it matters.
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FOR ALMOST A DECADE, AN ICE DETENTION CENTER IN IMPERIAL COUNTY HAS BEEN GETTING A SPECIAL TAX BREAK MEANT TO SUPPORT PUBLIC CHARITIES. THAT’S ALLOWED IT TO AVOID PAYING MILLIONS IN PROPERTY TAXES.
IN PART TWO OF OUR INVESTIGATION, IMPERIAL VALLEY REPORTER KORI SUZUKI FOUND THAT WHO COUNTS AS A CHARITY CAN VARY WIDELY ACROSS CALIFORNIA.
DETENTIONCHARITY PT 2 (4:31) SOQ
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MARIACHI MUSIC
It’s a warm, breezy morning in Imperial County, a couple months back. We’re just to the east of Calexico, a few miles from the U.S.-Mexico border.
A small group of activists have gathered along a quiet road. Across the street is a dusty yellow building. Wide and flat, surrounded by barbed wire.
The building is called the Imperial Regional Detention Facility. It’s one of eight ICE detention centers in California.
In the year since President Donald Trump returned to power and launched a massive immigration crackdown, two immigrants have died after having medical emergencies at the Imperial County facility.
20260221_ksuzuki_icvigil_6287 / 31:45
before we start, I think we need to honor the two people that we you know we lost
Today, the activists are here to remember them. As the wind picks up, Marina Arteaga reads their names aloud.
20260221_ksuzuki_icvigil_6287 / 31:50
Juan Bin presente. Presente. Presente. Peltran Luis Peltran Yanez. Presente.
Kristian Salgado was in the crowd that day. Salgado is Arteaga’s daughter-in-law. She says it’s like the county is in a state of denial about the existence of the federal immigrant jail.
20260413_ksuzuki_z63_2490 / 50:21
They kind of pretend that it doesn't exist or they think like oh the federal government and or ice or the company that manages it like they just take care of it.
This week though, a KPBS investigation found that the detention center is owned by a local nonprofit called the Brawley Community Foundation. And it’s been getting a special state tax break called a Welfare Exemption. That’s typically reserved for public charities - along with hospitals, and religious and scientific organizations.
It’s allowed the detention center’s owner to avoid paying millions in property taxes over the last decade.
Tim kelley brawley theater 1_part 1 / 55:09
If it costs more to build and operate any facility then you'd consider not doing it and you'd build it some place else.
Tim Kelley is a founding board member of the Brawley Community Foundation.
Kelley says the tax breaks have allowed them to lower costs and be more competitive for federal contracts.
Tim kelley brawley theater 1_part 1 / 55:16
I think where we're seeing the benefit is the jobs that are generated and the amount of people that are paying taxes that work at the facility.
To get the Welfare Exemption, the Foundation needed to get the signoff of two agencies: the Imperial County Assessor’s office and the state Board of Equalization. Records obtained by KPBS show both agencies approved the tax breaks.
20260323_ivgateway_geoff green / 39:56
There's a I see there's some real questions here.
Geoff Green leads the California Association of Nonprofits. He says he’s not sure the foundation should qualify for those tax breaks.
20260323_ivgateway_geoff green / 33:03
I can imagine ways that an entity would couch that as a public service or benefit, but but hard to get to the point of public charity.
Records obtained by KPBS show the Foundation was open about its plans to build and run a detention center — and that it was in talks with ICE.
The nonprofit’s lawyers argued that they should qualify for the charity category. They said the project would reduce the burdens of government. Tim Kelley, the foundation board member, again.
Tim kelley brawley theater 1_part 2 / 16:11
There's many examples that we have of lessening burden of government. Hospitals would be an example of that. Many hospitals are owned by the private sector to benefit the community. In this case, it's a detention center.
Salgado, the immigrants’ rights advocate, was shocked to learn about the tax breaks.
20260413_ksuzuki_z63_2490 / 01:28:42
The prison industrial complex kind of moving into the nonprofit world of where now someone could set up a a charity and get all of these tax breaks. I think that's that's really upsetting.
20260323_ivgateway_geoff green / 5:00
This is the only kind of exemption list that we're aware of that is sort of is co-managed.
Green, the nonprofits association leader, says this is partly a result of how the system is set up. He says who qualifies for these tax breaks can look very different from county-to-county.
20260323_ivgateway_geoff green / 22:51
You're talking about an office with a locally elected official, executing on something that is described and empowered by those California state legislature and managed by the board of equalization, which also has its own elected board. And so, it gets very complicated.
Back on that quiet road in Calexico, back in March, Marina Arteaga says she feels many people still don’t know the detention center exists.
20260221_ksuzuki_icvigil_6287 / 33:36
It has been an invisible facility for many many years.
Now, we all know, she said. And what we do is up to us.
In Calexico, Kori Suzuki, KPBS News.
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DO YOU KNOW HOW TO GET RID OF HAZARDOUS MATERIAL SO IT DOESN’T END UP IN THE LANDFILL? THIS WEEK, KPBS IS BRINGING YOU STORIES ABOUT SAN DIEGANS WHO SAY THE CLIMATE CRISIS MOTIVATED THEM INTO ACTION.
ENVIRONMENT REPORTER TAMMY MURGA SAYS A LOCAL HOTLINE IS HELPING PEOPLE DISPOSE OF THEIR UNWANTED WASTE PROPERLY.
HOTLINE 1 trt: 1:14 SOQ
00:05
“Thank you for calling I Love A Clean San Diego.”
Priscilla Dioquino is the voice on the other end of the busy Waste Free SD hotline. It’s managed by the nonprofit I Love A Clean San Diego.
She searches a public database on the nonprofit’s website and lets callers know where and how to dispose of their unwanted waste.
HOTLINE 1B 00:07
“I’ve had questions about human hair. If that could go into the organics bin, and I was surprised to find out it can.”
The hotline has been taking calls from people since the 1970s. The first calls were about Christmas tree recycling.
Today, most calls are about things like needles, paint and …
HOTLINE 1C 00:07
“Automotive parts, we have a place called Ramona Auto Dismantling listed that would recycle those.”
Steve Morris is the nonprofit’s executive director. He says waste disposal has become more challenging as California’s recycling laws have expanded.
HOTLINE 1D 00:10
“If you call the hotline today, you're going to get a different answer in a couple of weeks, because maybe a new resource became available. Maybe there's a new law out there and they really kind of counsel everybody on what's up to date.”
If you have waste disposal questions, visit wastefreesd -dot-o-r-g Tammy Murga/ KPBS News
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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 subscribing; by doing so you are supporting public media and I really want to thank you for that. Have a great day!
