San Diego’s Democratic leaders speak out against ICE raid
Good Morning, I’m Debbie Cruz….it’s TUESDAY, JUNE 3RD.>>>>
SAN DIEGO’S DEMOCRATIC LEADERS ARE SPEAKING OUT AGAINST A RECENT ICE RAID.
More on that next. But first... the headlines….#######
THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY AND THE L-A BASED METROPOLITAN WATER DISTRICT OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HAVE ENDED A 15 YEAR LEGAL DISPUTE.
IT CENTERED MAINLY OVER HOW MUCH METROPOLITAN CHARGED THE WATER AUTHORITY FOR WATER… AND HOW IT WAS CALCULATED.
WATER AUTHORITY BOARD CHAIR NICK SERRANO SAYS THE AGREEMENT WILL BE GOOD FOR SAN DIEGO RATEPAYERS.
WATER 2A :13
“(The) Water Authority has an abundance of water supplies that aren’t being used by our residents but is coming at a cost to our ratepayers. This opens the door, unlocks the potential for us to be able to move that water to other jurisdictions that may need it.”
IT’S ESTIMATED THE YEARS OF LITIGATION COST BOTH AGENCIES ABOUT 40-MILLION DOLLARS.
#######
THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO IS OBSERVING NATIONAL C-P-R AND A-E-D AWARENESS WEEK, WITH AN EVENT TODAY (TUESDAY).
THEY’LL BE OFFERING FREE TRAINING FROM 11 A.M. TO 1 P.M. AT THE CIVIC CENTER CONCOURSE BREEZEWAYS.
AN A-E-D IS A SMALL MACHINE THAT CAN DELIVER A SHOCK TO THE HEART WHEN AN ABNORMAL RHYTHM IS DETECTED.
ORGANIZERS SAY, ATTENDEES CAN STOP BY AND LEARN C-P-R AND HOW TO USE AN A-E-D FROM TRAINED PROFESSIONALS IN LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES.
#######
There’s a slight chance of showers today and tomorrow (Wednesday) in the county’s valley areas.
Meanwhile in our mountain and desert regions, there is a slight chance of thunderstorms. Those could bring heavy rain, lightning and wind.
It’s also expected to get cooler through the middle of the week with highs ranging from the 60s near the coast up to the upper 90s in the desert.
The National Weather Service is also warning of elevated surf and strong rip currents at the beach through tomorrow (Wednesday).
#########
From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now.Stay with me for more of the local news you need.
<<<UNDERWRITING BREAK>>
######
<<<MUSIC BUMP INTO A BLOCK>>
##########
Democratic lawmakers are responding to a workplace raid by ICE agents in South Park last week. Reporter Gustavo Solis says the congressional leaders had harsh words about how the raid was handled.
ICEFOLO 1 (gs) 1:10 SOQ
More than 20 ICE agents conducted a workplace immigration raid in South Park Friday afternoon.
They wore body armor, carried large rifles, and even used flash bang grenades to clear a crowd of protestors.
On Monday, San Diego’s Democratic Congressional representatives called the raid – aggressive, reckless and counterproductive.
Congressman Juan Vargas says the militarized response has traumatized the community.
“Why were ICE agents armed to the teeth, as if they were entering a war zone, storming restaurants. Why were ICE agents aggressively pushing people up against the walls and handcuffing every person in sight?”
Congresswoman Sara Jacobs points out that none of the four people arrested have violent criminal records.
“This isn’t about going after criminals. They’re going after people who are trying to do the right thing and people who are contributing to our economy.”
Both Vargas and Jacobs acknowledge that – as members of the minority party in Washington D.C. – their legislative options are limited. But they still promise to push back on President Trump’s mass deportation campaign.
An ICE spokesperson did not immediately respond to a KPBS request for comment.
Gustavo Solis, KPBS News
##########
AFTER A SERIES OF FATAL ENCOUNTERS WITH POLICE, NATIONAL CITY HAS TRIED TO KEEP OFFICERS FROM BEING THE FIRST TO RESPOND DURING MENTAL HEALTH CRISES (krai·seez). SOUTH BAY REPORTER KORI SUZUKI LOOKED INTO THE CHANGES THE CITY HAS MADE.
NCPOLICE PT2 4:58 SOQ
In 2018, National City police officers arrested a Black man named Earl McNeil. They used a full body restraint device and a mesh face-covering to bind his arms and legs. McNeil had a heart attack in custody.
A year later, in 2019, officers held a white man named Tony Wilson against the ground and tased him repeatedly. He stopped breathing.
In 2021, officers confronted a Latino man named Brian Umana. He was walking barefoot in the rain, holding a machete. The officers tased and shot him eight times.
In all three cases, the families of these men said they were experiencing mental health crises. Independently, each of the families sued the city, accusing officers of using excessive force. In all three cases, National City leaders decided to pay to settle the lawsuits instead of allowing them to go to trial. This past February, they approved the final settlement – 1 million dollars for Umana’s family.
I want there to be some transparency and accountability.
Sophia Bhandari [ban-DAR-ree] is the daughter of Wilson, the man who was held down and tased. She says it felt like the police used her father’s mental illness – and the fact that he had used drugs and had been in-and-out of jail – to try and paint his life as less important.
They literally talked about my dad like he was a piece of garbage. And it's like he was a human being, you know?
Joanna Schwartz is a professor of law at UCLA, and a national expert on police misconduct litigation. She says lawsuits like these are opportunities for cities to examine what might have gone wrong–and what changes they could make to prevent future fatal encounters.
“There may have been wrongdoing by police. There may not have been wrongdoing by police, but you're never going to know the answer to that question unless you actually look at the information in that lawsuit and try to understand what went wrong.”
But often, Schwartz says that doesn’t happen.
“What I have found is that, often law enforcement agencies don't even do that first step of trying to learn from the lawsuits that have been brought against them.”
In the seven years since the first in-custody death, elected officials in National City have made some changes. Under pressure from the public, the City Council pushed to keep police officers from being the first to respond to people in mental health crises.
Marcus Bush is the vice mayor of National City.
The police were considering it before, but it wasn't as big a priority. So, these incidences, unfortunately, push it to a priority. Push it at the forefront.
The city already had a program called the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team, or PERT. County mental health workers who respond alongside officers. But the county has struggled to fully staff the program. And their teams are not always available.
In June 2021, the City Council voted to partner with the county to deploy a new program. The Mobile Crisis Response Teams, or MCRTs. The Police Chief at the time, Jose Tellez, said it was an important step.
“police responders that not having to answer these calls or being the first ones to respond is very it's a good thing.
MCRT teams are also made up of licensed clinicians. But they do not include any armed officers. They’re also dispatched primarily through the 988 crisis number, instead of 911, and are available 24/7. National City was one of the first cities in the county to sign up.
Bre Lane is a program administrator with Telecare, the company that runs the MCRT program for most of San Diego County. She says, four years in, they’re seeing positive signs.
What's really exciting is when I look at year over year, we're doubling our call volume every year.
People are feeling more comfortable to access MCRT. It means law enforcement's accessing us more for people they're coming in contact with
In 2023, the city also launched a small team of caseworkers to respond to homelessness-related calls. They do coordinate closely with police, but their team also does not include armed officers.
But when it comes to these civil rights lawsuits, it’s unclear what the city has learned from them. The Police Department declined multiple requests for interviews and refused to say what lessons they’re taking from these cases. Or whether they have made any changes to their policies.
“What could we do better? No, we have not had that conversation. I think we should. ”
Bush, the Vice Mayor, says the police department has made strides when it comes to building trust. But he acknowledges that the City Council needs to more openly discuss these cases.
“I think we're leaving it as, ah, this incident, this was really bad. This is um let's make sure this doesn't happen again and let's move on. But we don't take enough proactive steps to okay what are we making sure um that this to help to make sure this doesn't happen again.”
Bush says he hopes to change that pattern. By having more discussions on the council. And expanding the role of the city’s citizen oversight board.
Bhandari, Wilson’s daughter, is hopeful about some of those changes.
Admitting you have a problem is part is part of is part of a resolution, you know, and I think that that's that's huge. It really really is, you know.
Above all though, Bhandari wants to remind city officials that people in crisis are just as human. And deserve to be treated with just as much dignity.
In National City, Kori Suzuki, KPBS News.
##########
THE SAN DIEGO FAMILY OF A SOLDIER KILLED IN WORLD WAR TWO WAS PRESENTED WITH THE CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL YESTERDAY. MILITARY REPORTER ANDREW DYER HAS MORE ON THIS STORY, 82-YEARS IN THE MAKING.
VETID 1 (:52) SOQ
THEY FOUGHT FOR FIVE MONTHS AND GAVE EVERYTHING UP AND LEFT NOTHING FOR THEIR OWN SURVIVAL.
THAT’S STEVE UNWIN. HE’S WITH HIS FAMILY AT THE HOUSE OF THE PHILIPPINES IN BALBOA PARK TO ACCEPT A CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL ON BEHALF OF HIS GRANDFATHER, ARMY MAJOR JAMES O’DONOVAN.
O’DONOVAN WAS AMONG THE FIRST AMERICANS IN COMBAT DURING WORLD WAR TWO FIGHTING IN THE PHILIPPINES DURING JAPAN’S INVASION.
HE SURVIVED THE BATAAN DEATH MARCH AFTER THE BATTLE, BUT DIED SIX MONTHS LATER AS A PRISONER OF WAR.
HIS REMAINS WEREN’T IDENTIFIED UNTIL THIS YEAR THROUGH DNA AND IN APRIL HE WAS LAID TO REST AT MIRAMAR NATIONAL CEMETERY.
THAT WAS A HUGE TECTONIC EVENT IN THE FAMILY. WE'RE ALSO THRILLED THAT HE'S WITH US NOW HERE IN SAN DIEGO.
IN 2017 CONGRESS AWARDED THE CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL TO ALL FILIPINO AND AMERICAN SOLDIERS WHO FOUGHT IN THE PHILIPPINES DURING THE WAR.
ANDREW DYER, KPBS NEWS
##########
VOTING BEGINS IN THE SOUTH BAY THIS WEEK, IN THE RUNOFF ELECTION FOR THE COUNTY’S DISTRICT 1 SUPERVISOR – A RACE THAT WILL DECIDE WHETHER DEMOCRATS OR REPUBLICANS HAVE MORE INFLUENCE OVER THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT.
SOUTH BAY REPORTER KORI SUZUKI IS ALSO EXPLORING HOW THE TOP TWO CANDIDATES WOULD VOTE ON URGENT ISSUES FACING THE COUNTY. TODAY HE LOOKS AT THE CROSSBORDER SEWAGE CRISIS.
D1SEWAGE 1:00 SOQ
When it comes to the sewage flows polluting the Tijuana River Valley, the two candidates for the District 1 seat agree that the county needs to be doing more to help neighborhoods cope with the crisis.
The difference largely comes down to experience. Paloma Aguirre is a Democrat and the mayor of Imperial Beach. She’s also a former environmental advocate and has worked on the crisis for years. Aguirre says the county needs to do more to monitor the public health impacts.
“The most concerning thing is the public health impact. Nobody's at the wheel. Nobody is studying the long term chronic health effects of exposure to air and water pollution.”
Running against Aguirre is Republican John McCann, the mayor of Chula Vista. He has less experience working on the sewage crisis but has become more vocal about it recently. McCann says he wants to increase pressure on officials in Mexico.
“We can continue to build and try to be able to to stop and treat it on the US side. But really, what needs to happen is the politicians on the Mexican side have to be able to treat their own sewage.”
We’ll have more tomorrow on the candidates and immigration policy. The last day to cast your ballot is July 1st.
Kori Suzuki, KPBS News.
##########
##########
<<<SHOW CLOSE>>>
That’s it for the podcast today. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Debbie Cruz. Thanks for listening and have a great day.
