PARTYING OVER THE 4TH OF JULY? FREE AND LOW-COST RIDES OFFERED
Sheriff to add DUI patrols and checkpoints June 30, 2014 (San Diego)–The Fourth of July is a time for fun and celebration for the entire family. This holiday weekend, there are several options for getting safe rides home if you plan to party hearty. Tipsy Tow offers free rides home (up to seven miles away). Another service, be my Designated Driver, offers low-cost driver and pickup services. Or consider taking a bus or trolley to your destination. Also be aware that the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department will be holding increased driving-under-the-influence (DUI) patrols by deputies across the county beginning on Thursday, July 3rd through Sunday, July 6th. Deputies will also take part in a DUI checkpoint on Saturday, July 5th from 7:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. at an undisclosed location within the city of San Diego to help keep drunk drivers off the roads. The Sheriff’s Department arrested 46 people for DUI during the Fourth of July enforcement period in 2013. Deputies arrested 26 people for drunk driving during the Independence Day enforcement period in 2012. “I cannot stress this enough: don’t drink and drive this Fourth of July weekend,” said Sheriff Bill Gore. “By doing so, you put your life in danger, as well as those of other drivers on the road. Remember: Drive sober or get pulled over!” If you do drink, be sure to have a designated driver ready or call a taxi. Here are some more sober rider options for the Fourth of July: • Tipsy Tow: http://goo.gl/aLWvlr • Be My Designated Driver: http://goo.gl/9JBt9g • Metropolitan Transit System (MTS): http://goo.gl/5X13j • North County Transit District (NCTD): http://goo.gl/qU69Ug Driving Under The Influence, It’s Just Not Worth It. Watch the Sheriff’s public safety video on the high price of drinking and driving by following us on YouTube: http://goo.gl/erWWn. To watch a video on the Drive Sober Or Get Pulled Over campaign, go to: http://goo.gl/jEGJPK. This Fourth of July weekend, be aware of San Diego County’s “Social Host” ordinance. Anyone caught serving alcohol to a minor will be arrested and booked into jail. You can report underage drinking to the Sheriff’s Department by calling our non-emergency line at (858) 565-5200. You can also learn more about your responsibility as a “Social Host” by visiting: www.sdsheriff.net/social-host.
SAN DIEGO ACLU SUES IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS FOR EXPULSION OF U.S. CITIZEN
East County News Service June 29, 2014 (San Diego)–The San Diego ACLU has filed suit against top immigration officials for unconstitutionally preventing a born-and-raised U.S. citizen from returning to the United States from Mexico. Like Joseph K. in Franz Kafka’s novel The Trial, Oscar Olivas, a 45-year-old natural-born U.S. citizen, has been detained but does not know why. He is unable to access the court before which he stands accused, and has not been allowed to view any evidence used against him. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in San Diego, naming the port director of Calexico, the San Diego field director of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and Secretary of State John Kerry. The suit asks the court to allow Olivas to return to the United States, declare that he is a United States citizen, and affirm that the order exiling him violated the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment. According to the ACLU, Olivas was unlawfully exiled to Mexico in 2011 and has been trying for three years to convince Customs and Border Protection that if he would be allowed a hearing before a judge, he could prove he is a U.S. citizen and return to his home and work. Gabriela Rivera, an attorney for the ACLU in San Diego County, said that in preventing Mr. Olivas from returning to his home country, the government has unlawfully disregarded both the practical and constitutional meaning of citizenship. “The Supreme Court ruled nearly a century ago that a U.S. citizen facing removal must be allowed judicial review to determine his citizenship status,” the lawyer stated. Olivas’s nightmare began in August 2011 when he tried to return to the United States from Mexico as he had done numerous times in the past without incident. Border Patrol agents refused to allow him to cross the border. They disregarded the proof he carried with him—a birth certificate, Social Security card, and a California driver’s license. According to the ACLU’s lawsuit, the Border Patrol seems to have relied solely on a false statement that consular officials coerced from Olivas’s mother in December 2010. The officers exiled Mr. Olivas to Mexico and told him he would have to argue his citizenship claim in front of a judge, but apparently the officers never referred his case to any court, depriving him of an opportunity to return to his home country. Olivas was born in the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County in 1969, the ACLU case states. His mother was an undocumented immigrant, though she later became a U.S. citizen. Fearful of giving birth in a hospital , she delivered Olivas at home with the assistance of a midwife. Births in private residences were not uncommon at the time. At an early check-up, a doctor advised that she register Olivas’s birth with the county. Olivas’s mother registered his birth when he was five months old and received a birth certificate from the county. Mr. Olivas also has a certificate of baptism, a Social Security card, and a state-issued driver’s license, all of which corroborate that he was born in the United States. In 2009, he began the process of applying for an immigrant visa—a “Green Card”—for his wife and step-son based on his status as a U.S. citizen. This process can take months or years and required Olivas’s wife and stepson to live in Mexico while their applications were pending. The Olivas family planned to stay together in Mexicali, which would allow Mr. Olivas to cross the border for work, and his U.S. citizen daughter to attend school in the United States and receive treatment for her speech and language impairment. His wife was interviewed at the U.S. Consulate in Juarez, Mexico, as part of her visa application process. A consular official told her that they would need to interview Mr. Olivas’s mother as well. So in December 2010, Olivas’ mother traveled to the consulate. There she was confronted by three officers who told her that they believed her son’s birth certificate was fraudulent, the ACLU suit contends. One of the officers threatened that she would lose her citizenship and be prosecuted for fraudulently obtaining a birth certificate unless she admitted that Olivas was born in Mexico. She felt intimidated and feared she would be detained and so after several hours, she signed a pre-typed declaration, which she could not read and which was not read to her. Mr. Olivas and his family are now suffering extreme emotional and financial distress in Mexico. Because he is not a Mexican citizen, he cannot work in Mexico to support his family. Olivas’s young daughter, a U.S. citizen, does not receive the special education and language and speech therapy she requires and which she would receive in the United States. Both dearly miss their home country. The ACLU’s lawyer says that Mr. Olivas’s unlawful expulsion was not an innocent mistake by immigration enforcement officers. Instead, he contends, it was the consequence of a system that relies on “racial and ethnic stereotypes, empowers officers to act as judge, jury and executioner, and all but prohibits affected individuals from seeking judicial review” The ACLU attorney concludes, “A judge should determine citizenship, not an immigration enforcement officer. The Government must prioritize preserving the liberty and security of its citizens to remain within their homeland.”
IT’S WARM, IT’S DRY, IT’S THE 4TH OF JULY!
By Sam DiGiovanna June 30, 2014 (San Diego’s East County)–These words are make fire officials cringe says Fire Cief Sam DiGiovanna, East County Magazine’s in-house fire chief and columnist. It will be a long three-day 4th of July weekend. As drought conditions worsen and the fire danger escalates, fire officials recommend everyone attend public fireworks shows, and leave the lighting to the professionals. Purchase or use of fireworks by individuals is illegal across San Diego County. “The problem is many cities that ban fireworks are already seeing an influx of illegal fireworks being set off, says Chief DiGiovanna. To help reduce the risk of fire, keep barbeque grills away from anything that can burn, such as your house, car or dry vegetation. Don’t leave the grill unattended while it’s cooking. Keep children and pets away from the grill. Make sure coals are completely extinguished and cold before disposing of them. While outdoors, stay hydrated and consume lots of water. Avoid direct sun. Make sure your pets are kept indoors as loud noises such as fireworks can scare them and cause them to run away. Contact your local fire department and visit www.fourthofjulysafety.com for additional safety information. Drive safely – and have a happy 4th of July!
HOT, DRY WEATHER PREDICTED FOR JULY 4TH; THUNDERSHOWERS POSSIBLE NEXT WEEKEND
June 29, 2014 (San Diego’s East County) — The San Diego region ends the first six months of this year with just over 5 inches of rain – less than half of normal. If you’re planning some outdoor activities over the Fourth of July holiday, the weather forecast is warm and sunny, with temperatures about 5 degrees above normal through the end of this week. Expect temperatures in the 80s to low 90s in our mountain areas and in the 90s to over 100 degrees in our inland valleys. Humidity will be low, with easterly afternoon breezes of 10 to 20 miles an hour. Best to get your picnicking out of the way during the mid-week holiday, since by next weekend, hotter temperatures and monsoonal afternoon thundershowers are possible across our mountain and desert regions, the Interagency Fire Weather Center predicts.
SUPER FULL MOON JAZZ CONCERT AT KEYS CREEK LAVENDER FARM
June 29, 2014 (Valley Center) – With the scent of lavender in the air, a golden sunset and colorful fields of lavender as a backdrop, Gregory Page will perform at the Keys Creek Lavender Farm in Valley Center. The concert will be held on Saturday, July 12 from 7-9:30 p.m. Page performs melodies and lyrics reminiscent of the 1920s sweet jazz era as a “super full moon” rises to illuminate the night sky, promising to be a magical night. Guests are invited to bring a picnic and wine to enjoy an evening with the winner of the 2012 San Diego Music Awards best jazz album, “Shine, shine, shine.” Reservations are required. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. For reservations and to hear a sample of the music, visit the Mindfullness Fitness site at http://www.mindfulfitness.com/retreats/concert/ For information and directions to Keys Lavender Farm in northeast San Diego County’s Valley Center community, visit http://www.kclfarm.com/
CENTRAL AMERICAN IMMIGRANTS BOUND FOR SAN DIEGO
By Miriam Raftery June 29, 2014 (San Diego) – The Border Patrol has announced that starting this week, it will bring undocumented Central American immigrants from Texas to California. The first groups will include families, not unaccompanied minors, to ease overcrowding of facilities due to an influx of children fleeing violence in Central America. The families will be brought to San Diego and El Centro to ease what President Barack Obama has called a humanitarian crisis. ABC News this week interviewed a 17 year old girl who was among those immigrants apprehended attempting to cross into the U.S. In a tearful voice, she told them that she fled her home in Central America after her brother was murdered and a gang threatened her with harm if she would not join. On her journey here, she was gang-raped by several men before reaching the U.S. She was detained after reaching the U.S. but eventually released into custody of a relative in Florida, where she awaits an asylum hearing to determine if she can stay in the U.S. or not. San Diego has not yet said where the immigrants will be housed. Escondido refused to accept them, as did the owner of the former Sharp Hospital building in Point Loma, where the federal government sought to house the families temporarily, since all federal holding facilities are already full. The families were transferred from Texas facilities so overcrowded that children were crammed into warehouses and forced to live and eat where others were urinating and defecating, according to media reports. Lacking cots or even blankets, youngsters huddled under aluminum foil sheets on concrete cell floors, cold and frightened after already enduring often horrific situations. Some have escaped from human traffickers, physical abuse or gang threats in their homelands. Many of the immigrants are seeking asylum because they fear violence if they return to their homelands. After they arrive in San Diego and El Centro, they will be process by Border Patrol, after which Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, will decide on a case by case basis if they should be detained for deportation or security purposes, or if they may be released and asked to return two weeks later for a hearing at the ICE office closest to their final destination. President Obama has issued an executive order to require that unaccompanied minors be provided lawyers to assure that are represented in court. Locally, Casa Cornelia has been providing legal help to the children. It’s estimated that 90,000 unaccompanied minors will cross our border by year’s end. The organization’s website states, “Casa Cornelia remains committed to assisting all unaccompanied children who are at risk in San Diego. At the same time, we are working closely with other agencies to assist children placed in the Emergency Reception Center at the Ventura County Naval Base near Oxnard, California.” The group is also accepting donations to help protect these vulnerable children through its Children’s Program. Shawn Moran with the National Border Patrol Council suggested that drug cartels may be taking advantage of agents attention being diverted to process the influx of child immigrants. “They’re making sure that everybody that comes across the border surrenders to border patrol agents away from the port of entry because then it further ties up our agents,” said Moran, Fox News in San Diego reported. “Then they can further move their drugs, weapons and the people they really want to get across the border.” Some have blamed the increase on a belief that America will allow youthful immigrants to stay, a belief based in part on a misunderstanding of the Obama administration’s policy allowing existing residents who came here as young children to remain. That policy does not apply to newcomers. But that explanation appears overly simplistic, since violence in Central America has recently escalated, also accounting for a flood of refugees seeking haven not only in the U.S. but Mexico and other countries as well. Supervisor Dianne Jacob has called the crisis a federal problem, and said that a federal solution is needed. But Enrique Monrones, founder of the human rights group Border Angels, said that immigrant rights groups and social service groups along with San Diego’s governmental authorities are preparing to meet the needs of the new arrivals. He wants to see help for children who have already suffered a great deal, and whose lives and safety could be at risk if they are deported. Morones concluded, “This society is judged on how we treat our children.”