Documentary exposes dangers of Teflon chemicals in water P.8
Rocket Fever launches day of education and fun P. 12
DOWNEY LATINO Gratis/ AL SERVICIO DE LA COMUNIDAD
Septiembre del 2019
Edición Bilingüe Bilingual Edition
Free
Trump’s monstrosity policy change imperils ailing immigrants Comisión de Planeación aprueba plan para remodelar la propiedad histórica...
Mansión Rives se convertirá en oficinas P. 3 Con tres votos a favor y dos en contra, los comisionados de planeación dieron el visto bueno para transformar la mansión en oficinas.
Police department to buy BearCat armored patrol P. 4
Warren High School music band holds back to school fundraiser P.11
DOWNEY LATINO
COMMUNITY Night Out aims to connect police with community 2
Septiembre del 2019
Safety and crime prevention programs are highlights in the wake of three mass shootings in California, Ohio and Texas. Alfredo Santana/Downey Latino Rosa Segura and her partner Anna Salazar descended on Downey Aug. 6 to encourage visitors at the National Night Out to use the anonymous emergency services shared by the nonprofit WeTip in case of an emergency. Behind the table stuffed with leaflets, flyers and documents explaining WeTip’s national reach with hotlines and internet lines available 24 hours a day, the 365 days of the year, Segura said tipsters foster safer communities anytime they report an incident so corresponding police agencies can investigate. “When people call law en-
forcement, or first time respondents, automatically your information is traced,” Segura explained. “We don’t get your information or ID,” Based in Rancho Cucamonga, WeTip was one of 35 public agencies, businesses and representatives from elected officials that attended the latest edition of National Night Out, held on a stretch of 3rd St. a few steps from the Downey Police Department, with the goal to reach out to the community, and make residents aware of police programs such as drug prevention, seizures, and anti-crime efforts. Held every first Tuesday of August, National Night Out showcased a series of dog-trained exercises conducted by local police officers, witnessed by 400 to 600 people who attended from 6 to 9 p.m. The 2019 edition took place three days after two mass shootings, one at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, and another in Dayton, Ohio, left 32 people dead, and dozens more inju-
Photo: Alfredo Santana Anna Salazar, left, and Rosa Segura traveled from Rancho Cucamonga to participate in the National Night Out held in Downey Aug. 6, representing WeTip. red. Another bloody incident occurred six days before, in the Northern California town of Gilroy, when a young white assailant, brandishing an AK47 legally purchased in Nevada, killed two children and one adult visitors to the Garlic Food Festival. It took about a minute for police to respond and shoot the individual, who allegedly killed himself with a bullet from the machine gun. Segura said her organization receives anywhere from eight to 100 calls a day reporting drugs incidents, violence, welfare fraud, bullying and even nuisances related to playing loud music. Despite only a handful of attendants approached her table to inquire about WeTip services, Segura encouraged people to call them about individuals, or groups with odd behavior to avert any kind of shootings. Police dogs Downey police officer Ed Hano introduced a black and tan dog who sniffed drug packages, and displayed its accurate smelling trades by scanningthree cardboard boxes scattered across the lawn leading to the parking lot, two empty and one with what resembled a bone with narcotics. The dog strolled around the boxes, discarded the empty ones, but sat still before the package with the decoy, pointing his trainer with his nose to
get it. Wagging his tail, the dog chewed up a treat and walked away after finishing the job, with his master pulling the leach. The visitors roared in approval, and clapped repeatedly. “This is what we do in real settings,” Hano said. “The dogs are a crucial part in our police’s efforts to control crime and drugs.” A few minutes later, another dog showed its canine prowess when it detected an alleged criminal inside a white Ford Pick-up. As the suspect opened the door, the dog launched an attack, biting his left arm without letting it go until two police officers arrived and handcuffed the suspect. In addition, this year’s night out served the police department as a platform to make people aware of breast cancer and efforts to find cures. Standing behind a table with pink police patches, gums, shirts and stickers, Downey police dispatchers Margaret Wells and Irene Ankeney said they support efforts to raise funds for the Pink Patch Project. Pink Patch Project is an organization that raises awareness about breast cancer, and helps organizations that conduct research and advance technology to treat and cure the lethal condition. “This is the third year in a row we are here,” said Ankeley. They sold police uniform
Read Night Out, P. 13
COMUNIDAD
DOWNEY LATINO Septiembre del 2019
3
La Mansión Rives se convertirá en oficinas Comisión de Planeación aprueba 3-2 el cambio de residencia a estructura para uso comercial. Renovación costará $3.5 millones. Alfredo Santana/Downey Latino En una maratónica sesión que se extendió hasta después de la medianoche, la Comisión de Planeación aprobó por 3-2 un plan de renovación de la Mansión Rives que permitirá adaptar sus interiores a nueve oficinas para profesionistas, e incluirá la construcción de un café en sus afueras. Nolveris Frometa, Miguel Duarte y Jimmy Spathopoulos votaron a favor del plan que le otorga el permiso de conversión a Erika de la Teja y Arturo Concha, dueños de la compañía Bradenton Investment Group LLC, de zona residencial a oficinas con 4,845 pies cuadrados para su uso. Otros 2,400 pies cuadrados se agregarán en la restauración de la existente casa trasera, o carriage house, así como 274 más como parte de la torre de agua, la que tendrá su propio baño. Valerie Rosenkrantz, gerente de la firma Trinity Consultants, indicó que los dueños invertirán unos $3.5 millones en restaurar y modificar los interiores y exteriores de la mansión para acoplarlos a oficinas. Sin embargo, el desenlace fue arduamente escrutinado por Steven Domínguez, presidente de la comisión, así como por Patrick Owens, quienes votaron en contra del plan de renovación preparado por Trinity Consultants. Domínguez fustigó a De la Teja y Concha por haber adquirido la propiedad, a sabiendas que la mansión es parte del Registro Nacional de Sitios Históricos, una subdivisión del Departamento del Interior de los Estados Unidos, y no haber estudiado las consequencias de modificarla. Domínguez criticó la presencia del café frente a ella, encarando el bulevar Paramount, ya que la estructura fue eregida y se mira sin obstaculos desde el edificio del ayuntamiento por la calle ter-
Foto: Alfredo Santana
La Mansión Rives fue adquirida por Arturo Concha y su esposa Erika de la Teja. Su futuro estará ligado a oficinas profesionales. cera, y por el aumento de tráfico automotriz y peatonal que se dará. “¿Porqué quieren montar un café? Es una propiedad histórica. Ustedes van a destruir el valor histórico de la propiedad”, amonestó Domínguez a De la Teja y Concha. “Si ustedes son sinceros, deben de preguntarse porqué quieren esa lacra que destruya la belleza del edificio”. Concha respondió que a través de los últimos 15 años se ha demostrado que la Mansión Rives no sirve como residencia. Contestó que el café es otra opción viable para incrementar los ingresos para pagar la hipoteca, impuestos y gastos de remodelación y mantenimiento, y solo se venderán sandwiches, jugos y comestibles ligeros, a diferencia de un restaurant. “No creo que una residencia trabaje allí”, Concha indicó. “Trabajamos su aspecto mercantil. Es importantísimo. Tratamos de mantener su aspecto residencial, pero no funcionó”. Concha dijo que originalmente adquirieron la propiedad con otros fines, pero hoy buscan invertir, vivir y quedarse en la comunidad para bien. Mencionó que ha gastado entre $150,000 a $200,000 en el municipio para apegarse a las normas que le permitan cambiar el registro de residen-
cia a su uso comercial. “Hemos experimentado muchos límites sobre la propiedad. Antes de que la compraramos, la propiedad fue la monstruosidad más grande en la ciudad”, insistió Concha. El propietario indicó que el préstamo de remodelación otogado por la Administración de Pequeños Negocios, o SBA, le exige que estén rentadas el 51% de las oficinas. El urbanista Guillermo Arreola mencionó que la mansión será reacondicionada para dar cabida a una rampa de ingreso para personas con discapacidades, en cumplimiento con leyes federales, pero no habrá elevadores para ninguna de las tres construcciones en pie. Agregó que el café no pudo ser diseñado en la esquina noreste de la mansión de cara al bulevar Paramount por existir problemas estructurales, como una tapa de registro, alumbrado público y un cruce vial. Por su parte, Spathopoulos dijo estar convencido de que el futuro de la Mansión Rives está ligado a su conversión a oficinas, pero indicó que le preocupa como su restauración y remodelación será recibida por la comunidad. “La cuestión más importante para mí, ya que he estado aquí toda mi vida, es como vamos a incorporar su uso público. El tipo que compre un
café, y yo queremos entrar y reconocerla. Vivimos en la comunidad, y queremos lo mejor para la comunidad”, indicó Spathopoulos. Los trabajos deberán de seguir estipulaciones ecológicas bajo las normas de la Ley de Calidad Ecológica de California, o CEQA, Durante la reunión se acordó que los jardines tengan pasto natural, a diferencia de grama sintética, y que las horas de operación del café vayan a la par a las de horarios de oficina, las que estarán disponibles de 6 a.m. a 9 p.m., de lunes a viernes. Se enmendó otorgar por 90 días un permiso operativo del café, para controlar que el negocio no inicie actividades antes de que todas las restauraciones hayan terminado. No se mencionó si el permiso se podrá renovar. Otros detalles de la restructuración incluyen: • Que la propiedad tenga vigilancia privada las 24 horas de día, siete días a la semana, y se aprobó la construcción de 28 espacios de estacionamiento y una vía de ingreso y egreso para autos. • Se edificará una cerca limítrofe en todo su exterior, y otra de ingreso de emergencia de seis pies, con una caja de seguridad del departamento de bomberos, • Se construirá un espacio enrejado para depositar la basura. Además, a petición de Ownes y Spathopoulos se acordó crear un programa de visitas al público coordinado por la Sociedad Histórica de Downey, el organismo de Preservación de Downey, o estructurado por el Departamento del Interior de los Estados Unidos, ya que creen el edificio debe cumplir una misión educativa. La Mansión Rives fue construida entre 1899 y 1903 por James C. Rives, un abogado y fiscal del condado quien comenzó su carrera como publicador del periódico Downey Weekly Review. La mansión cuenta con un estilo arcquitectónico Georgia Revival, ya que Rives nació en Atlanta, Ga. La audiencia del 4 de sep-
Lea Mansión, P. 11
DOWNEY LATINO 4
Septiembre del 2019
Police purchases BearCat armored vehicle Manufactured by Lenco Industries, the bullet-proof unit can be used in barricades, and to protect civilians. Alfredo Santana / Downey Latino The City Council authorized Downey police chief Dean Milligan to buy a fully equipped armored vehicle called BearCat, to strengthen the department’s response against shooters with high-caliber weapons, and to protect civilians and officers in emergency situations. Documents filed with the city manager place the cost of the armored unit, manufactured by Lenco Industries in Pittsfield, MA at $319,843.60. In a redacted report, Milligan said the aftermath of an attempted robbery on May that resulted in the murder of Gurpreet Singh, a Downey liquor store owner, by an assailant who stormed it loo-
king for cash, resulted in a wild street chase the next day involving two patrols whose officers dodged bullets from the suspect as he opened fire from the front passenger seat of his vehicle. “Due to the nature of the incident, we requested assistance from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Team. It took over 30 minutes for them to respond to the scene of the incident with their armored vehicle,” Milligan wrote. Both pedestrians and drivers along the highway were at risk during the high-speed pursuit, which came to a stop after a female driver of a gray Toyota Prius fled the car, leaving the gunman barricaded inside on a street in Vernon. The report concluded that if an armored unit would have been rushed to the scene, residents and responding officers would have not been exposed to great risk, “due to the violent and unpredictable nature of the suspect.” The BearCat is a utility vehi-
Photo: Lenco Industries A BearCat unit, like the one shown in the picture, will be purchased by the Downey Police Department for $319,843.60, it was announced last month. cle often used by sheriff’s departments across the nation, but the spike of mass shootings in Gilroy, CA., El Paso, Texas and Dayton Ohio in July and August led Milligan to make the request before the council. The shootings at El Paso and Dayton left 32 people death and scores of injured. The Gilroy massacre occurred at the end of the Garlic Food Festival, as the assailant brandishing an AK-47 evaded security by hiking a mountainous slope, and smuggled into the area, killing two children and one adult. “It’s a piece of equipment that we have been missing. If a shooting takes place, we’d have to wait for one from another department,” Milligan said. “And we need it.” Mayor Rick Rodriguez supported the acquisition, and warned the audience about crime cells that can cause havoc in apparently peaceful areas. “We live in a neighborhood where people walk their dogs, and it’s a reality that people can be attacked,” Rodriguez said. “That’s why I’m for this” vehicle. Rodriguez said Downey’s residents “are victims of our own success,” and blamed state representatives for failing to allocate funds to upgrade its tactical patrols. “At state meetings, we didn’t get anything. And that’s why other cities get what they get. The city of Vernon got what they got because their lack of equipment,” Rodriguez punted. Councilwoman Blanca Pacheco seconded the purchase, and voiced support for a better prepared police department to respond
to armed criminals, snipers or mass shooters. “I think our police needs this item, especially living in the times we have,” Pacheco said. A letter written by Lenco Industries sales manager James Massery underscores the technological prowess and safety properties of the BearCat, made with ½ inch steel armor and one piece walls, extended from the front bumper to the rear bumper “as one solid contiguous unit.” It also highlights the utility vehicle’s zero gravity system, allowing occupants to “rapidly close” its roof hatch in a gun battle, compared to other units that use gas rods for holding the hatch open. Furthermore, the BearCat can turn into a rescue vehicle, with a radius of 17 feet, permitting the unit to turn around without making a three point move, “critical in a tactical response, especially against a potential terror threat that may be actively terrorizing a community,” as in the case of the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, CA. on Dec. 2, 2015 that left 14 people death and 22 injured. Funds from the Measure S will cover the BearCat cost. Measure S was approved by voters in 2017, authorizing a raise on local sales taxes of 0.5 percent to fund public infrastructural improvements and purchases of modern police and fire department equipment. “We are hoping to have it, and not having to use it,” Milligan said. “But in case we need it, we can intervene as in the case of mass shootings we’ve seen lately in the nation.”
DOWNEY LATINO Septiembre del 2019
The Mayor’s Corner
La esquina del alcalde
By Rick Rodriguez
By Rick Rodríguez
Septiembre del 2019
September 2019 Homelessness is an issue that affects not only our city but the entire nation. Many of you would like to know what the city is doing about this. We have contracted with the Coast to Coast Foundation to provide homeless outreach services. They assist in encampment cleanup efforts, and help to organize supplemental assistance for outreach efforts including coordinating community volunteers and donations to help homeless individuals. Additionally they accompany the Downey Police Department and the Downey Public Works Department on a twice-a-month outreach to homeless individuals to provide case management, connections to resources and real time support. If you encounter a homeless person near your home or business please contact (562) 904-7284. This year’s Downey One Day of Service was such a success, that we have decided to add another date! Join us on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 9 a.m. for the second Downey One Day of Service. There are various opportunities for you, your business or organization to volunteer. For more information on how you can participate please email jmontenegro@downeyca.org or call the City Manager’s office at (562) 904-7284. Our Clergy Council continues to grow. We recently moved to a larger location to accommodate the ever growing crowd. Meetings are held the second Monday of the month at 6 p.m. at the Barbara J. Riley Community and Senior Center. We are dark this month, but I hope you can join us at the next meeting on Oct. 14. The City of Downey and Southeast Area Animal Control Authority (SEAACA) have joined forces to help our animals find forever homes. Through the Mayor’s Choice program a featured pet of the month will be available for free adoption. Animals will be altered, micro-chipped and receive initial vaccinations. Please contact SEAACA for further information or visit my Facebook page to view the pet of the month at facebook.com/MayorRickRo-
Mayor Rick Rodriguez. driguez. Don’t forget to join us at the International Food & Music Festival. It will take place in the heart of beautiful downtown Downey on Saturday, Sept. 21 from 4 to 10 p.m. Bring your appetite and enjoy delicious food from our local restaurants. There will also be live entertainment, food trucks, a beer & wine garden, festival attractions and family friendly activities for everyone to enjoy. In honor of September “Emergency Preparedness Month”, the city will be hosting an Emergency Preparedness Fair at Calvary Chapel Downey. Join us on Saturday, Sept. 7 from 10 a.m. to noon for free lunch and giveaways and to learn how you can better prepare yourself and your family for emergencies. Also on Sept. 28 from 9 a.m. to noon, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard will be hosting the annual U.S. Service Academy Workshop inside the Downey Council Chambers. Attendees will learn about our nation’s five service academies and how to obtain a congressional nomination. It is a great opportunity to meet you congress member and learn more about our U.S. Armed Forces. Please join us as we pay tribute and honor our fallen heroes at the 9/11 Ceremony. The event will take place at 10 a.m. at the Downey cementery. Lastly, the Columbia Space Memorial Center will close from Sept.3 to Sept. 9 for staff training. In the event you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me or call the council office.
Read Mayor, P. 13
La falta de vivienda es un problema que afecta no solo a nuestra ciudad sino a toda la nación. Muchos de ustedes nos han preguntado qué está haciendo la ciudad al respecto. Hemos contratado a la Fundación Coast to Coast para proporcionar servicios de extensión para personas sin hogar. La fundación ayuda en los esfuerzos de limpieza de los campamentos, a organizar asistencia complementaria para los esfuerzos de divulgación, y asisten en la coordinación de voluntarios comunitarios y donaciones para ayudar a las personas sin hogar. Además, acompañan al Departamento de Policía de Downey y al Departamento de Obras Públicas de Downey al acercase dos veces al mes a personas sin hogar para proporcionar administración de casos y conexiones a recursos. Si se encuentra con una persona sin hogar cerca de su hogar o negocio, comuníquese al (562) 904-7284. El evento Downey One Day of Service fue tan exitoso que decidimos agregar otra fecha. Únase a nosotros el sábado 26 de octubre a las 9 a.m. para el segundo Día de Servicio en Downey. Hay varias oportunidades para que usted, su empresa o su organización se ofrezcan como voluntarios. Para obtener más información sobre cómo puede participar, envíe un correo electrónico a jmontenegro@downeyca.org o llame a la oficina del administrador de la ciudad al (562) 904-7284. El Consejo del Clero continúa creciendo en popularidad. Recientemente nos mudamos a un sitio más grande para dar cabida a la multitud cada vez más grande. Las reuniones se llevan a cabo el segundo lunes del mes a las 6 p.m. en el Centro Comunitario y de Personas Mayores Barbara J. Riley. Este mes no habrá junta, pero espero que puedan unirse a nosotros en la próxima reunión el 14 de octubre. La Ciudad de Downey y Southeast Area Animal Control
5
Authority (SEAACA) han unido sus fuerzas para ayudar a nuestros animales a encontrar hogares. A través del programa Elección del Alcalde, un mascota destacada del mes estará disponible para adopción gratuita. Los animales serán alterados, micro-astillados y recibirán las vacunas iniciales. Comuníquese con SEAACA para obtener más información, o visite mi página de Facebook para ver la mascota del mes en Facebook. com/MayorRickRodriguez. El Festival Internacional de Comida y Música en el centro de Downey será el sábado 21 de septiembre de 4 a 10 p.m. Traiga su apetito y disfrute de la deliciosa comida de nuestros restaurantes locales. También habrá entretenimiento en vivo, camiones de comida, un jardín de cerveza y vino, atracciones del festival y actividades familiares para que todos disfruten. En honor al “Mes de Preparación para Emergencias” en septiembre, la ciudad organizará una Feria de Preparación para Emergencias en Calvary Chapel Downey. Únase a nosotros el sábado 7 de septiembre de las 10 a.m. al mediodía para disfrutar de almuerzos gratis y aprender cómo pueden prepararse usted y su familia para emergencias. También el 28 de septiembre a las 9 a.m., la congresista Lucille Roybal-Allard organizará el taller anual de la Academia de Servicio de los Estados Unidos dentro de la Sala de Audiencias de Downey. Los asistentes aprenderán sobre las cinco academias de servicio de nuestra nación y cómo obtener una nominación al Congreso. Es una gran oportunidad para conocer a su congresista y aprender más sobre nuestras fuerzas armadas de los Estados Unidos. Únase a nosotros mientras rendimos homenaje y honramos a nuestros héroes caídos en la Ceremonia del 11 de Septiembre. El evento empieza a las 10 a.m. en el cementerio de Downey. Por último, el Centro Espacial Memorial de Columbia cerrará del 3 a 9 de septiembtre por sesiones de entrenamiento a empleados.
DOWNEY LATINO 6
Septiembre del 2019
Civic theatre to receive a big facelift The council approves $4.1 million to build an elevator, a fountain plaza with a sculpture and areas for people with disabilities. Alfredo Santana / Downey Latino Efforts to renovate the Downey Civic Theatre received a big boost as the City Council approved $4.1 million to build an exterior elevator, a garden and fountain plaza with a sculpture, a curbside drop off area and a ramp for people with disabilities. Also, the renovation project includes an interactive information and ticket kiosk. Theatre improvements will be conducted by Hoffman Management & Construction Co., which also landed a pending modernization project at the aging police station, plus the construction of a library café shade at the city hall complex. Upgrades and construction work started Aug. 7, and should be completed by Dec. 13. A report prepared by Assistant City Manager John Oskoui indicates that the council authorized a transfer of $1 million from the American with Disabilities improvement account to the Civic Theatre Improvement Project, and
$500,000 from other facilities to support the police station. In addition, Oskoui has leverage to adjust up to 10 percent the total cost of the contracts. However, a disagreement letter was filed July 11 by Monet Construction, the second lowest bidder, to protest the final award. The city determined that the complaint was without merit, and ratified Hoffman as the “lowest responsive and responsible bidder” because it holds a specified contractor license that is current and in good standing. Furthermore, the contract calls for the placement of a sculpture to honor Downey’s firefighters at a memorial in the Civic Center, near the police department memorial. Earlier this year, the city agreed to pay about $45,000 for the design and cost of the statue. A second piece of art to be installed on the theater plaza, baptized The Tree of Life with a cost of $350,000, features an adult tree stem with eight humans in place of its branches holding three metal circles woven into each other. With a 5-0 vote April 23, the council decided to approve the latter, and hired JK Designs Inc., from Loveland, Colo. to design and install the piece. Renovation talks of the aging theater started in October
Photo: Alfredo Santana The Downey Civic Theatre will receive an infusion of $4.1 million to build an elevator for people with disabilities, and a new plaza with an sculpture. 2018, when Councilman Rick Rodriguez, two months before he became mayor, questioned the council why the facility failed to advertise its events, blamed its current private administrator for it, and worried that it could turn into a lackluster center. He pitched the idea to elevate its name, called for building improvements, and requested to hire world class events that could be paired with famous venues in the region, such as the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. Representatives from Venuetech Management Group, which administers the Downey Theatre, were summoned to two council meetings to explain why the building held mostly private gatherings. The council requested the company to boost the theatre’s image with marketing and media campaigns so visitors from Los Angeles and surrounding cities could consider attending its shows. During a public audience last October, City Manager Gilbert Livas said that the
venue is “a truly community theatre,” and underscored that the debate centered on its fate following the council’s vision. Rodriguez said he wanted to build an arts center with legacy for the community that lasts years after all the elected council members are gone from city government. “We are here now, but five, 10 years down the road we will not be here. I’d like to see a theatre we all can be proud of,” Rodriguez stated. The third leg of the financed project involves modernization of certain police station areas. It calls for the renovation of the men and women’s locker rooms, showers and public restrooms. Oskoui’s report established that the total cost of the project would be $5.3 million, to be paid with Measure S funds. The police station’s renovation expenses are tagged at about $632,000. Oskoui requested the $500,000 money transfer from the city’s general fund to help pay for these renovations.
DOWNEY LATINO Septiembre del 2019
Breves de Downey... Kaiser, gran fuente de opioides
Kaiser Permanente de Downey emitió una declaración que pretende explicar porqué durante los años del 2006 al 2012 el hospital fue el segundo centro en California, y el primero en el condado de L.A. en distribuir opioides. El 21 de julio el diario The Washington Post publicó datos obtenidos de la Administración de Seguridad de Medicinas (DEA), el que indica que Kaiser de Downey prescribió 175.5 millones de pildoras anti dolor durante esas fechas. Esa cantidad fue por mucho la mayor prescrita en el mismo periodo en el condado, seguida de Modern Health Pharmacy de Monrovia, la que recetó 7.2 millones de grageas. Kaiser declaró que “el edificio en Downey es un centro de distribución farmacéutico, no un hospital o manufacturador de medicinas, o
una farmacia. Este distribuye medicinas a cientos de farmacias de Kaiser Permanente en el sur de California, y sirve a 4.6 millones de miembros”. “El gran número en Downey se debe al hecho que éste es el centro de surtido y envío por correo para todo el sur de California, por ende, este centro debió haber recibido todas las peticiones de substancias controladas que debían ser surtidas, o por ley se permitió que se entregaran por correo”. “Después de noviembre del 2015, Kaiser Permamente asignó la distribución de todas las substancias controladas a un distribuidor externo. Este distribuidor actualmente disemina las substancias controladas directamente a nuestras farmacias”. La declaración dice que Kaiser Permanente, un hospital sin fines de lucro, “es líder en el esfuerzo nacional de reducir la prescripción de
opioides. Del 2011 al 2017, Kaiser Permanente redujo la receta de opioides en casi 40 por ciento”. La gran cantidad de estos medicamentos prescritos para controlar dolores corporales han causado una epidemia de addicciones en el condado, y en muchas regiones del país, y son culpados por la muerte de 42,000 personas en el 2016, según indicó el Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Estados Unidos. El hospital que más opioides surtió durante el mismo periodo en California fue otro de Kaiser Permanente, ubicado en Livermore, en el condado de Alameda. Oxycodone e hydrocodone contabilizan las tres cuartas partes del total de opioides entragados a farmacias, estableció el Post, diario que revisó 380 millones de transacciones entre el 2006 y el 2012, contabilizadas por el DEA.
Carrie Uva, presidente de cámara de comercio
La abogada Carrie Uva, quien en las elecciones de noviembre del 2018 perdió
Para Compradores por Primera Vez La compra de su primera propiedad puede traer múltiples preguntas y dudas. Desde nuestros inicios en el sur de California a más de 130 ubicaciones hoy en día, hemos ayudado a familias inmigrantes a alcanzar sus metas y sueños. Nuestros especialistas en préstamos le proporcionarán las opciones de financiamiento de acuerdo a sus necesidades. • • • •
Enganches tan bajos como 3% Programas de ayuda para el enganche y costos de cierre Pautas de calificación flexibles Tasas competitivas
David Sanchez Mortgage Business Development Officer NMLSR # 485527 626.371.8910 | david.sanchez@eastwestbank.com
Todas las tasas, cargos, productos y pautas del programa están sujetos a cambios o terminación sin previo aviso. Pueden aplicarse otras limitaciones y restricciones. Todos los préstamos están sujetos a la evaluación de la solicitud, tasación, y aprobación de crédito por parte de East West Bank. El programa está disponible en condados selectos de California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Nevada, Nueva York, Texas y Washington. Equal Housing Lender
Member FDIC
NMLSR ID 469761
7
ante Claudia Frometa en la contienda por el Distrito 4 municipal, juramentó como nueva presidenta de la cámara de comercio local en junio. Durante una celebración efectuada en el hotel Embassy Suites, Uva tomó posesión del cargo al sustituir a John Casillas, gerente del banco Farmers & Merchants en Downey. “Gracias por permitirme la oportunidad de servir como la presidenta del la cámara de comercio en el 2019-2020”, dijo Uva. El nuevo consejo directivo lo integran Jesse Galardo de J&E Associates, Ronald Long de Sun Run, Greg Welch de la mortuaria Risher, y Michael Chirco de Chirco Heating and Air. Chirco ya había estado a cargo de un puesto similar en anteriores administraciones. Uva se autodescribió como “orgullosa residente de Downey de por vida, e igualmente una mujer empresarial”.
Muere Larry Latimer
El historiador de Downey Lea Breves, P.13
DOWNEY LATINO 8
Septiembre del 2019
BUSINESS
Film addresses dangers of Teflon chemicals Cristina Garcia, author of AB 756, tackles on PFAS found in tap water at a screening of documentary “The Devil We Know.” Alfredo Santana/Downey Latino Particles of pollutants found in food packaging, firefighters foams and cookware with nonstick Teflon are being detected by state officials in water supply streams across California, and neither Cristina Garcia’s Assembly District 58 residents nor Downey customers are shielded from their ill effects. Known as PFAS, or polyfluoroakyl substances, the chemicals are so resistant to breaking down that environmental experts coined them “forever chemicals,” and are present in drinking water sources nationwide, said the California Environmental Protection Agency. The Environmental Protection Agency associates the presence of PFAS with aerospace facilities,
oil refineries and airfields. Aware of the hazardous compounds, subdivided into perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, and perfluorooctane sulfonic aciod, or PFOS, Garcia and her staff decided to inform residents about the health risks they pose, including cancer and miscarried pregnancies, by screening the documentary “The Devil We Know” Aug. 29 at Bell Gardens High School. Also, she credited AB 756, the bill she wrote and was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom July 31, for requiring water suppliers to notify customers for the presence of toxic “forever chemicals” in tap water. “This pollution has a large aerospace industry legacy. It never breaks down, and it’s a big problem for pregnant women and children,” Garcia said outside the high school she graduated from. The Association of California Water Agencies wanted Newsom to veto the bill, arguing the technology to test hundreds of chemicals has not been developed, and customers’ confidence on
Photo: Alfredo Santana Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, Cristina Garcia and film director Stephanie Soechtig discuss the findings of “The Devil We Know.” their local water agencies could crash if they did not trust in their water supply boards. The Devil We Know Garcia invited film director Stephanie Soechtig to address the 930 film watchers, mostly composed of teenage students gathered at the school’s auditori-
um about her motivations to assemble the documentary, which focuses on DuPont’s Teflon products developed in the 1950s at a plant in West Virginia, and the toxic legacy the synthetic chemical brought to employees and to its community. “The Devil We Know” focuses on pregnant employee Sue Bai-
DOWNEY LATINO Septiembre del 2019
ley’s exposure to C8, and the deformities his son Bucky developed in her womb when she transferred to work in a DuPont’s Teflon unit without ventilation in the industrial complex of Parkersburg, W. Va. Bailey blamed breathing fumes from the chemical for her son’s facial deformities at birth, despite claims she never had physical contact with the substance. The Delawere News Journal online reported Bucky Bailey had more than 30 reconstructive surgeries at age 35. In 2016, more than 3,500 lawsuits were filed against DuPont over C8, the key synthetic compound used in Teflon. 3M, the giant manufacturer of car products and glues, detailed in a study eye deformities in lab animals “whose mothers were fed C8 during pregnancy.” The EPA fined DuPont $16.5 million for failure to disclose C8’s harms to humans and pregnant women. Legal analysts quoted in the 2018 documentary said the penalty was minuscule compared to $25 billion the corporation made in gross sales in 2002. Soechtig said she moved along with the documentary after she learned the unique dynamics of the plaintiffs.
“When I heard that a West Virginia farmer and a lawyer wanted to take on a big corporation, I just loved the story. I was hooked,” Soechtig said. Ken Cook, president and co-founder of the Environmental Working Group, indicated that these companies are resisting “with everything” any responsibility related to the PFAS, including toxic dumping on rivers and water streams, changing water coloration, killing fishes, and leaving layers of poisonous foam on the surface. DuPont’s plant in Parkersburg also released Teflon chemicals to the Ohio River, causing irreversible health damage to many residents living miles away south stream after they drank the water and used it to cook. One resident sued DuPont following infections in his colon and intestines that doctors had to remove. A group of students asked the three panelists what they can do to improve the situation. “At the emotional level, you have to ask the question how would this have happened,” Cook addressed the audience about the documentary. “Show it
Read Film, P. 13
9
DOWNEY LATINO 10 Septiembre del 2019
LATINOAMÉRICA
Piden mejorar servicios para repatriados en MX Organismos de migrantes se reúnen con congresistas para agilizar la emisión de documentos de identidad. Adriana Carlos/Downey Latino Organizaciones estatales de migrantes mexicanos pidieron a sus legisladores atender el fenómeno migratorio en Estados Unidos con una política oficial, con presupuesto suficiente, y crear una ley de atención a migrantes deportados que carecen de todos los servicios. Los temas se propusieron ante la Comisión de Asuntos Migratorios de la Cámara de Diputados. Durante una reunión entre legisladores con organizaciones migrantes y dependencias públicas se pidió definir acuerdos para ocuparse de los paisanos en retorno, que se les reconozca el derecho de identidad, y se les brinde seguridad a los migrantes centroamericanos quienes están en el país
Foto: Segob MX Organizaciones de migrantes se reunieron con congresistas mexicanos para buscar acelerar el proceso de documentación a personas deportadas de E.U. y caen en manos de la delincuencia organizada, trata de personas y explotación, sobre todo porque ha aumentado el tránsito de menores no acompañados y de mujeres. Datos oficiales de la Unidad de Política Migratoria de la Secretaría de Gobernación indican que de enero a junio 2019 los mexicanos repatriados de Estados Unidos en el primer semestre de 2019 fueron 6,035, un 57% más que en
ese mismo lapso del 2018. De ese total, 5,294 son hombres y 741 mujeres. En la reunión efectuada en Palacio Legislativo con la Coordinación Nacional de Oficinas Estatales de Atención al Migrante (Conofam) la diputada Julieta Kristal Vences Valencia, presidenta de la Comisión de Asuntos Migratorios, urgió a la Secretaría de Gobernación y a la comisión especial en la materia, atender este asunto
y discutir un presupuesto suficiente para considerarlo de forma integral. El presidente de Conofam, José Martín Carmona Flores, propuso definir acuerdos para ocuparse de los paisanos en retorno, y se les reconozca su derecho de identidad. “Es claro que tenemos una gran deuda con los mexicanos en el exterior que no se olvidan de sus raíces. Sus remesas son motor del desarrollo de las comunidades”, dijo Flores. Enfatizó que deben ofrecer seguridad a los inmigrantes que están en el país y que son víctimas de la delincuencia organizada, sobre todo porque ha aumentado el tránsito de menores no acompañados y de mujeres. Dijo que a pesar de las adversidades, los diputados tienen el compromiso de coadyuvar en la armonización del marco normativo, y en la elaboración de la estrategia migratoria y del presupuesto 2020. Hay preocupación de los connacionales en el exterior, porque las organizaciones la-
Lea Repatriados, P. 13
DOWNEY LATINO
ARTS
Septiembre del 2019
11
Music band greets back to school with fundraiser Warren High School band and color guard students hold annual decal drive, and pickup $14,000. Alfredo Santana/Downey Latino Warren High School senior Val Cisneros likes the music band in Downey so much that she volunteered along with three classmates for the threeday decal drive that expected to raise $14,000 for the program. Under the guidance of band and color guard director David Niemeyer, Cisneros canvassed the neighborhoods clustered in west Downey, knocked on homes’ doors, and invited residents to donate to the band’s cause. A parent supervisor kept close tabs on students, who donned the band’s uniforms to acquaintance better with the residents. “My sister insisted to make of Downey our home, because we knew Warren High School had a really good music band,” said Cisneros, who plays the marching baritone, and recently moved to the city. “This program is so organized that I can tell teachers and students work harder than in other high schools.” All the 160 band and color guard students participated in the drive from Aug. 12 to Aug. 14 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Forty groups combed the streets near Warren High School while they collected cash, checks and e-deposits from sympathizers and supporters. Cisneros’ team collected $145 the first day, while a total of $5,000 were snugged that Monday. All groups in the band’s back to school drive gave a peel and stick decal to supporters with the bear mascot of Warren High School. “Our first day was successful. The second day was right on target,” Niemeyer pointed. “It really depends on the community, and how many people open their doors.” He said proceeds will be invested in the purchase of new music instruments, uniforms, pay for transportation to out of town gatherings, and to hire instructors.
Photos: Alfredo Santana Val Cisneros, left, a student volunteer, said that the decal drive led by music director David Niemeyer, above, helps the band’s program.
The teacher said the program receives funds from the Downey Unified School District, but it only covers one full-time teaching post, staff wages and additional items. The school’s website indicates that there are 12 instructors within the program, names Mercy White as the program manager, but underscores Niemeyer teaches and directs all aspects of the instrumental music program. Along the academic year, instruments, music sheet and uniforms need to be replaced as activities pick up pace. The decal drive paves the way for the purchase of these goods, Niemeyer added. Fundraising efforts for the music band started 20 years ago, with the creation of the Warren Music and Parents Association, which started activities assembling teams of four students with one adult in charge of the safety and conduct. These fundraising patterns remain the same as new generations of students line up the marching band. Following instructions from Niemeyer, students are advised to stay in the west side of Downey, and avert frolicking over neighborhoods that belong to the other two high schools in the district, Columbus and Downey.
Niemeyer said morning and evening practices sharpen the students’ musical skills as they learn marching pieces on the field. “The program continues in excellent ways with drills on the field and color guard silks with instruments,” Niemeyer explained. Nine fundraisers For the 2019-2020 academic year, the high school guard and color band scheduled nine fundraisers, which started July 1 with the sales of fireworks commemorating the 4th of July from a booth placed in the Walmart parking lot at the Downey Promenade mall. tThese fireworks were legal, and according to Niemeyer, did not expose humans to ravaging explosives that could harm them, cause property damage or jeopardize the health of pets. Hence, students sold $10 coupons to be exchanged with fireworks, and the program collected little less than $20,000. The 4th of July celebrations
Mansión: Viene de P. 3
tiembre fue agendada a las 6:30 p.m., pero una falla en el sistema de computadoras del ayuntamiento procovó una demora de casi dos horas, ya que los empleados de planeación muestran imágenes digitales a los comisionados de los planos de restauración y modificaciones en la propiedad submiti-
“draw us business,” Niemeyer said, adding that between 17 and 19 fireworks stands sold firecrackers and dynamites this season. The third band fundraiser, a competition called the 9th Annual Field Tournament, will take place at Warren High School, and resembles an invitational of 20 marching bands from regional high schools. And a Christmas fundraiser called Holiday Caroling will be held on Dec. 6 at 5 p.m., featuring band carolers wearing seasonal outfits singing traditional songs along their paths. Three more Christmas gigs are calendared on Dec. 7, 13 and 14. The last three events of the year feature a $15 a ticket fundraiser at a spaghetti and jazz restaurant titled Spingo!, a Paint Night on March 20, with tickets sold for $25, and the 5th Annual Flap Jacks and Jazz on April 25 at Warren High School. On August, the band scheduled a party at Sarah’s House Maternity Home with the goal for parents and students to get together and socialize. Another performance outing is booked for Nov. 10 at SeaWorld in San Diego, where the band will be part of Veterans Day celebrations. Niemeyer said the program aims to raise about $112,000 this year, a goal that is attainable as long as parents and students are engaged. ‘I’m pretty confident. We know what they are capable of working”, Niemeyer said of his students. The band’s annual performance preview is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Warren High School stadium. dos por los dueños. En su mayoría, los nueve residentes quienes comentaron sobre el plan apoyaron la conversión, pero algunos cuestionaron la desaparición de un par de estructuras sin haber dejado rastro oficial. Unas 70 personas asistieron a la audiencia. La Mansión Rives se encuentra en el 10921 del bulevar Paramount, en la esquina con la calle tercera.
DOWNEY LATINO 12 Septiembre del 2019
Rocket Fever launches day of fun, education Another engine rocket in the house is the RS-18, a 3,500 lb. modified version of the Rocketdyne Lunar Module Ascent Engine, which burnt liquid oxygen and liquid methane for NASA in a 1967 lunar excursion model. Nonetheless, Aerojet-Rocketdyne’s honors went to the RS-25, with staff handing leaflets and data of the machine labeled the main engine of the space shuttle program. The document indicates RS-25 is so powerful and reliable, that NASA will continue its use as part of the program Space Launch System.
Event attracts thousands to build amateur, water and air propelled rockets, and learn about engines commissioned by NASA. Alfredo Santana/Downey Latino Jax Gutiérrez got an orange wristband at the Columbia Memorial Space Center on Rocket Fever day, headed to table two to pickup a free rocket courtesy of Financial Partners Credit Union, and bought a $3.50 engine to launch it to the sky. But before it was propelled, Gutiérrez and his dad learned how to assemble the rocket fins, passed inspection at table four, and stood in line before 50 attendees eager to watch their units soar above the baseball field nested near the museum. His father, Downey resident Carlos Gutiérrez, said his family made an initial stop at a workshop to learn how to assemble a water and air rocket, and why blending the two bodies results in propulsion at the launching pad. “This is our first time at Rocket Fever. And it’s been fun”, said Jax’s father, with his wife alongside. Rocket Fever launched Aug. 18 at the CMSC, ran from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., received the attendance of 2,500 parents and children who engaged in different activities, and served as platform for learning about the engines that powered rockets in the Apollo missions, to crafting paper, balloon, water and straw rockets and blast them to the sky. The fun-filled day included a giant space shuttle jumper, food and ice creams trucks, and the presence of aerospace engineers and mechanics from Aerojet-Rocketdyne, staff from Boeing, vendors from Estes Rockets and a propulsion engineer from Virgin Orbit. At 10:30 a.m., District 58 California Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia issued to CMSC director Ben Dickow a $5.8 million check to build a second building that would house the Apollo capsule stationed outdoors, and to open a section with 3D printers to produce copies of aerospace parts for engines and prototypes.
Photos: Alfredo Santana
Dave Talbot, center left, and a sales partner with Estes Industries, displays rockets to festival goers. At right, a child shows his rocket near the Rocket Fever launching pad. FPCU also donated a check of $15,000 to the space museum. Carmen Washington, a cashier with the space center, said FPCU donated about 700 plastic rockets valued from $5 to $15 each for festival goers, with the condition that customers had to purchase the launching engines on cartridges of different sizes if they wanted them to fly. “We also had paper built rockets, which were mounted on air launching pads,” said Washington of the hand-made stump rockets. “They flight at 20 feet high at the most.” Spectacular engine-powered rockets soared more than 100 feet above the ground, deployed a parachute when they reached their peak, and landed safely on and around the launching grounds. People awed at their sight, and cheered anytime a more powerful rocket blasted off, releasing smoke and reaching high altitudes, as if they aimed to blend into the cloudless sky. Rockets manufactured with paper and water bottles rose an average of five to six feet, but a few reached elevations of up to 20 feet, due to their nose tilt, fins alignment, weight and other components, said Mayuan Muttulingam, a launching assistant at a tent sponsored by Boeing.
Real rocket engines Inside the museum, Aerojet-Rocketdyne machine operator Mark Aldama explained that his company built about 200 J-2 engines for all the missions of the Apollo project. He said the Saturn V rocket assembled for Apollo 11 was equipped with six machines, in contrast to a decommissioned M-1 engine. Decades before Aerojet and Rocketdyne merged in 2013, the former built the M-1, a prototype engine found at CMSC, whose manufacturing stopped at an early stage due to the success of the J-2. “The J-2 won the NASA contract, and the other one was not produced,” Aldama said. Five J-2s were used during Saturn V second stage, with one fired on the upper stage on both the Saturn IB and Saturn V. This rocket carried astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins to the moon the summer of 1969. “By the time [M-1] was developed, the missions were assigned, so the engine did not come to [life],” said Aerojet Rocketdyne program manager Bill Munch.
A propulsion engineer Hannah McCallum, a propulsion engineer with Virgin Orbit, said that rockets carrying satellites of any size must rise beyond the earth’s atmosphere the equivalent of 1,381 miles, or about 1,200 nautical miles, to deploy them. A nautical mile is a unit of measurement used both in air and marine navigation, equivalent to 1,852 meters. “My specialty is propulsion engines, but I understand that any satellite must be deployed on the earth’s orbit to work,” McCallum said. Cindy Serafin, FPCU director of express services, informed that 10 new members signed onsite to become customers, and 100 more filled in cards to participate in a raffle to win a drone. The credit union offers mortgage, investments and other financial services to Downey workers, residents and churches worshippers at competitive interest rates that often beat those of bigger banks such as Wells Fargo and Bank of America. “We are offering the community another option to save money. Our membership is free,” Serafin mentioned. She added that as measure of appreciation, all new members entered a cabin-blowing air that whirled dollars bills around them for 30 seconds. Each customer pocketed the bills caught while the money swirled. One woman nailed $140, while a man nabbed $144. T-shirts with the manuscript Rocket Fever emblazoned, and a joyous rocket with eyes and limbs sold for $10 and $5.
DOWNEY LATINO
PASES
Septiembre del 2019
Film:
Breves:
Viene de P. 9
Viene de P. 7
to your friends, talk to folks and relatives. I think that is a good first step to get involved.” Cook’s Environmental Working Group is a non-profit organization that seeks protections for human health and the environment. Cook advised to stop using Teflon coated products. “It’s been reformulated in the last several years, and their effects we don’t know what they are,” he underscored. Garcia encouraged students to be critical, and join forces to have an impact against giant polluters. ‘The film is an example of communities coming together and getting companies to pay,” Garcia told the crowd. “In addition, it’s important to us to keep communities informed, particularly pregnant women and children.” She indicated the state water board is conducting tests to identify polluters across the state, and to find out the levels of PFAS in all supply agencies before her district and the state assembly devise a plan to allocate money for cleanups. The question is “how to figure the cleanup. Downey wants to keep its constituents safe, but without impacting the residents too much. Our research tells us aerospace companies are responsible for the pollutants. I think they are really responsible for cleaning it up,” the assemblywoman said. It’s not about passing the blame around, it’s about how to clean it and stay protected.”
Larry Latimer falleció repentinamente el 23 de julio. Según reportó el semanal The Downey Patriot, Latimer fue una persona devota de ayudar a las personas mayores, y contribuyó con la Sociedad Histórica de Downey de varias formas, entre ellas al escribir un libro titulado “Downey”, de la serie de imágenes de América. Un servicio memorial se llevará a cabo en octubre, coordinado por la sociedad histórica y la Fundación de Legacía Aeroespacial.
$4.7 millones para renovar biblioteca
El cabildo acordó un contrato con la constructora TELACU por $4.7 millones para renovar y modernizar el interior de la biblioteca municipal, la que deberá volver a operar en junio del 2020. Los fondos fueron autorizados la última semana de junio durante una reunión pública de los cinco concejales de Downey. Actualmente TELACU realiza obras de descombro y ampliación de
Repatriados: Viene de P. 10
boran sin recursos desde diciembre del 2018. Se refirió al distanciamiento de la Conofam con las dependencias federales del sector,
Night Out: Community From P. 2
patches for $10, shirts for $20 and bracelets for $10. Lieutenant Scott Loughner said all the proceeds will be donated to City of Hope during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, and projected the Downey Police Department would raise about $11,000 this year. Loughner revealed that in 2017 the department collected $6,000, and the following year $10,000. “They will be invested to come up with the latest technology,” Loughner said. “All
police associations in Los Angeles have raised more than $3 million since its inception three years ago.” Representatives from Congresswoman Lucille Roybal Allard, YMCA, New York Life Insurance, Columbia Memorial Space Center, the fire department, Downey’s Pedestrian Plan, and Downey Federal Credit Union also attended the three-hour event. The band Best Times, composed of nine musicians performed along the event from a mobile stage.
interiores en la estructura. Los trabajos de renovación se habían pospuesto, ya que Golden Phoenix Contruction Company, empresa que submitió el tercer mejor presupuesto, y Saifco Construction Company, la que ofreció el cuarto mejor presupuesto, enviaron cartas de protesta al gobierno municipal alegando que TELACU no cumplía con los requisitos para obtener el contrato. John Oskoui, gerente asistente de Downey, indicó en un reporte que empleados de la ciudad confirmaron que TELACU “tiene la licencia especifica de contratista, está actualizada y en buen estado”. Entre los nuevos servicios, la biblioteca ofrecerá siete espacios para personas con discapacidades, tendrá cuatro cuartos de estudio en silencio, proveerá tres estaciones electrónicas para rentar material, ampliará los baños de hombres y mujeres, y proveerá un nuevo sistema de alarmas contra incendios.
Programa de seguridad en negocios
El último taller educati-
como el Instituto Nacional de Migración, la Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores y la Comisión Especial Migratoria, cuando todas las instancias deben trabajar conjuntamente por el bienestar de los inmigrantes, como objetivo fundamental. Arturo Morales Gracia, asesor jurídico de la Conofam, destacó que muchos mexicanos migrantes no están registrados en ningún censo, lo
Mayor: From P. 5
Rick Rodriguez Mayor 562-904-7274 #AlwaysForward rrodriguez@downeyca.org facebook.com/MayorRickRodriguez instagram.com/mayorrickrodriguez twitter.com/MayorRRodriguez
13
vo sobre como incrementar las medidas de seguridad para los dueños, empleados y clientes de negocios, así como la reducción de los riesgos de ser víctimas de crimenes se impartirá el 10 de octubre de este año. Titulado “Downey Business Watch,” el seminario también ayudará a los empresarios a familiarizarse con los recursos disponibles a través del Departamento de Policía de Downey. “Los empleados que reciben entrenamiento son la línea frontal [de defensa] de los negocios y son un gran elemento para evitar los crimenes”, establece un comunicado difundido en el sitio de la red de la alcaldía. El taller se impartirá el 10 de octubre a las 9 a.m. en la sala de audiencias del ayuntamiento, ubicado en el 11111 de la avenida Brookshire. Es sin costo para los asistentes, y estará organizado por el Departamento de Policía en coordinación con la Cámara de Comercio de Downey. Información adicional se encuentra disponible al marcar el (562) 904-7284. que se debe evitarse al realizarse el del próximo año. El secretario del Migrante y enlace internacional, Juan Hernández, urgió a revertir el recorte presupuestal para apoyar a más de 900 personas deportadas y más de 1,000 que han regresado al país, quienes solicitan recursos para crear microempresas, sin tener apoyo. “Necesitan que su México los reciba, nos sentimos muy solos en este proceso y sin presupuesto”, replicó. Gerardo de Hoyos Vargas, director general de Vinculación y Atención a Connacionales en el Exterior en Coahuila, demandó restablecer el FAM porque faltan recursos e infraestructura para atender a los repatriados mexicanos, sobre todo para menores no acompañados y unirlos a sus familias. Alertó de los riesgos de que sean reclutados por el crimen organizado al carecer de ayuda institucional para integrarse y contribuir positivamente a la sociedad. Valencia dijo que le darán seguimiento a las propuestas.
DOWNEY LATINO 14 Septiembre del 2019
Trump’s monstrosity policy change imperils ailing immigrants
Photo: KEQD María Isabel Bueso. President Trump’s lack of compassion compounded with a repulsive knack for making lives of the most vulnerable immigrants miserable hit a sickening level when the U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services eliminated a deferred action program last month to deport ailing patients or their relatives with rare diseases. The change in policy comes in the heels of record raids of undocumented migrants working at chicken processing plants in Mississippi, a plan to keep asylum seekers off our shores under the legally questionable “Remain in Mexico” program, and a new policy that hinders the chances of legal residents to become citizens if they have ever used federally funded programs, such as welfare or Medicaid. The official monstrosity against first generation immigrants obeys a discriminatory agenda that blames the country’s ills on poor people who arrive to the United States to do jobs U.S. citizen do not want, use minuscule public assistance compared to Americans, and must work twice as hard to cover housing, education and transportation.
DIRECTORIO Gerente General Carmen Amarillas amarillascarmen2@hotmail.com Editor Alfredo Santana jalfredosantana265@gmail.com
However, the latter shift is extraordinarily repugnant, because it imperils the lives of patients with terminal diseases by ordering to leave within 33 days, or face deportation. The case of Maria Isabel Bueso, a migrant from Guatemala with a rare disfiguring condition reported by the New York Times made national headlines for the clinical trail she has been part of that saved her life. There are no treatments available in Guatemala for Bueso, and her doctors said the government’s order is “a death sentence” for her. Conducted at the University of California in San Francisco, the clinical trial started when she was 7 years old, and eventually led the Food and Drug Administration to approve a drug for the condition that rose “survival by more than a decade.” Bueso had been told that she would have died as adolescent, but has reached the age of 24 years. Her parents have purchased private insurance to pay for her medications to keep her alive, while she studied at California State University East Bay, and enrolled in several more clinical studies. The paper quoted USCIS, which indicated that 1,000 applicants receive deferred action related to medical conditions each year. Ayanna Pressley, a Democrat Representative from Massachusetts, told the paper that she would call for congressional oversight hearings on the matter following the denial for renewals of 20 patients.
Diseño Gráfico Agustín Hernández L. (GraphArte Design Studio) grapharteds@gmail.com Oficinas: 9900 Lakewood Blvd., # 208 Downey, CA. 90241.
562.577.2228
Downey Latino no se hace responsable del contenido de la publicidad. Downey Latino is NOT responsible of the content from advertisers.
EDITORIAL Monstruosa política de Trump arriesga la vida de inmigrantes enfermos La falta de compasión del presidente Donald Trump, compaginada por su gusto de hacerle la vida lo más miserable a los inmigrantes pobres, llegó a un nivel de lo peor, ya que el Departamento de Ciudadanía y Servicios de Inmigración eliminó un programa de acción diferida para deportar a pacientes y a sus familiares con enfermedades raras. El cambio en esa política viene tras grandes redadas de migrantes indocumentados quienes trabajaban en plantas procesadoras de pollos en Mississippi, un plan para mantener a los solicitantes de asilo fuera de este país bajo el cuestionable programa “Remain in México”, y una nueva medida que pone en riesgo las posibilidades de inmigrantes legales de volver se ciudadanos, e inclusive les costaría perder su residencia legal, si usan servicios sociales legitimamente como el Medicaid o el welfare. Las monstruosidades oficiales en contra de los inmigrantes de primer generación son parte de una plataforma de discriminación que culpa los males de este país en gente pobre, quienes llegan a hacer trabajos ningún ciudadano quiere, usan muy poca asistencia pública comparados con los ciudadanos, pero deben de trabajar el doble para cubrir el costo de alquileres, la educación de sus hijos y gastos de transporte. Sin embargo, este último cambio es extraordinariamente repugnante, ya que pone en peligro la vida de pacientes con enfermedades terminales al ordenarles irse dentro de 33 días, o encarar depor tación. El caso de María Isabel Bueno, una inmigrante de Guatemala con una enfermedad que le ha desfigurado su cuerpo reportado por el diario The New York T imes, tuvo impacto nacional por el exitoso tratamiento médico que le salvó la vida.
No existe un tratamiento similar en Guatemala para Bueso, y sus doctores han dicho que la or den del gobierno es una “sentencia de muerte” para ella. Conducido por la Universidad de California en San Francisco, el tratamiento clínico comenzó cuando ella tenía 7 años, el que guío al Departamento de Medicinas y Alimentos a aprobar la venta de la medicina para la enfermedad que elevó “la sobrevivencia en más de 10 años”. A Bueso le dijeron que iba a morir de adolescente, pero ya cumplió 24 años. Sus padres le compraron seguro médico privado para cubrir los costos de las medicinas y mantenerla viva, mientras ella estudiaba en la Universidad Estatal de Californa East Bay, y era parte de otros estudios clínicos. El diario citó a USCIS, agencia que indicó unas 1,000 solicitudes de acción diferida médica son procesadas cada año. Ayanna Pressley, una representante federal de Massachusetts, le dijo al T imes que buscará audiencias congresionales sobre el caso, después de que 20 solicitudes de pacientes fueron rechazadas. Después de recibir una avalancha de críticas, USCIS anunció el 2 de septiembre que reabrirá los casos de inmigrantes con serias enfermedades para obtener visas humanitarias y quedarse en el país. No se sabe cual será el futuro del programa de acción diferida médica. Les pedimos a los líderes del Partido Republicano, en Washington D.C. y a nivel local, que muestren su desacuerdo con esta cruel política, y le digan al presidente que cambie su curso en lo que ya se convirtió en una campaña neo facista.
DOWNEY LATINO Septiembre del 2019
15
DOWNEY LATINO Septiembre del 2019