Bay Area communities come together for music, culture, family activities and civic events throughout the season. Las comunidades del Área de la Bahía se reúnen para disfrutar de música, cultura, actividades familiares y eventos cívicos durante toda la temporada.
by the El Reportero staff
Late summer brings a varied lineup of music, culture and civic activities to the Bay Area and Northern California. This week’s calendar ranges from a community candidate forum in the East Bay to salsa on the Sausalito waterfront, Guatemalan music in Santa Rosa and upcoming celebrations of Salvadoran and Spanish culture.
Dublin and Pleasanton Candidate Forum
East Bay voters invited to meet local candidates
CAIR-SFBA, CAIR Action and MCC East Bay will host a community candidate forum featuring candidates running for local offices in Dublin and Pleasanton in the November General Election. The program includes a moderated discussion, community-submitted questions and an opportunity for attendees to meet candidates individually. Candidates for Dublin mayor, city council and school board, as well as Pleasanton City Council, are scheduled to participate.
Sunday, Aug. 23, 2–4 p.m., MCC East Bay, 5724 W. Las Positas Blvd., Suite 300, Pleasanton.
El Poder de Occidente
Guatemalan music comes to Santa Rosa
The 2026 El Poder de Occidente tour arrives in the North Bay with Los Francos and Brisma López for an evening celebrating Guatemalan music and entertainment. The Santa Rosa appearance gives Bay Area Guatemalan families and music fans an opportunity to enjoy the touring performers close to home.
Saturday, Aug. 29, Hacienda del Toro Nightclub, 3660 Stony Point Road, Santa Rosa. Advance tickets are $60.
An Evening with Eric Rangel y América
Salsa musicians gather on the Sausalito waterfront
Percussionist Eric Rangel and Orquesta América headline a Sunday evening of salsa at Sausalito Seahorse. The program features vocalists Carlos Del Sol and Luis Rivera, along with Cheo Concepción and other Bay Area musicians. The gathering combines live salsa, waterfront dining and an opportunity for local music lovers to spend an evening together.
Caravana de la Bahía, presented by Edgar Ortiz, brings the Gran Festival Salvadoreño to San José for a family celebration of Salvadoran music, food and traditions. Orquesta San Vicente headlines the musical program, joined by Roberto Salamanca and entertainer Cocolito. Salvadoran food, a children’s area and a mechanical bull are also planned.
Sunday, Sept. 13, 1–8 p.m., MetaSpace, 2323 McKee Road, San José. Children under 12 are admitted free.
El Flamenco de Jerez
Andalusian artists bring flamenco tradition to Northern California
A visiting ensemble celebrates the cultural heritage of Jerez and Andalusia through dance, vocals, guitar and percussion. Featured performers include Macarena de Jerez, Carmen Herrera, José Mijita, Ismael Heredia and Manuel Vinaza.
Friday, Sept. 25, 7 p.m., Sierra 2 Center for the Arts, Sacramento; Saturday, Sept. 26, 7 p.m., Center for the Performing Arts, Mountain View.
An experience with sixth-grade students demonstrates how scientific observation can foster respect for biodiversity and help us reflect on our own prejudices
Prof. Sebastian Alberto Chiapella
by Sebastián Alberto Chiapella
Natural Sciences teacher at the Schönthal Institute in Buenos Aires, Argentina
What do many children do when they find a spider, an ant or another small creature in their home? The response is often immediate: kill it. This is not necessarily an act of cruelty. Rather, unfamiliar creatures can provoke fear and be perceived as a threat.
This reaction became the starting point for “Knowing Leads to Respect,” a Natural Sciences workshop conducted with sixth-grade students at the Schönthal Institute in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The experience was designed to teach biology through the direct observation of small arthropods, while also conveying a broader lesson: before rejecting or judging something unfamiliar, we should try to understand it.
Fear before knowledge
Before entering the laboratory, I asked the students what they normally did when they found a “bug” in their homes. Many answered that they killed it because it frightened them or because they assumed it might sting or bite them.
That led to the question that would guide the entire activity: Do we really know these animals? Do we understand how they live, what they eat or whether they truly pose a danger?
The students’ silence revealed that much of their fear did not come from direct experience, but from ideas they had previously acquired. Arthropods therefore offered a familiar example of how people can form opinions before possessing sufficient knowledge.
During the following days, the students searched for small arthropods in gardens and green spaces. Before beginning, they received instructions on how to avoid harming the creatures and how to prepare ventilated containers with appropriate material inside. The activity was supervised and did not include handling potentially dangerous species. Students who were uncomfortable touching the specimens could participate by preparing the containers or assisting their classmates.
The purpose was not to force them to overcome their fears, but to allow each student to participate according to his or her comfort level.
Observing to discover
On the day of the workshop, the students arrived at the laboratory carrying the organisms they had collected. The specimens were carefully placed together in a terrarium so the observation could begin.
Using magnifying glasses and small brushes, the students gently moved the soil aside. Questions soon emerged: Why does this animal have antennae? Why does that one have eight legs? Do they all belong to the same group?
Without realizing it, the students had stopped asking whether the creatures should be killed. Now they wanted to know what they were and how they lived. Fear was beginning to give way to curiosity.
The activity continued with the laboratory’s entomological display boxes. There, students compared the organisms they had collected with preserved and identified specimens. What had initially been described simply as a “bug” began to acquire a name and a place within biological classification.
The students counted legs, looked for antennae and learned to distinguish among insects, arachnids and crustaceans. They compared a spider with a scorpion and discovered that the pill bug belongs to the crustacean group, despite living on land.
Biology was no longer merely a list of concepts. It had become a living experience. The students were no longer observing simply because their teacher instructed them to do so; they were observing because they wanted to discover more.
A world revealed through the microscope
The next step was to examine the arthropods with a digital microscope connected to a laboratory television. The enlarged images allowed students to observe legs, eyes, antennae and mouthparts in remarkable detail, further increasing their interest.
By recognizing the differences among the organisms, the students learned that finding an arthropod inside a home does not necessarily mean encountering a danger. Some species require caution, but many others perform important ecological functions and pose no threat to people.
The questions continued: Where do they live? Why do some emerge at night? Why do they hide when exposed to light?
Each answer produced another observation and reinforced the workshop’s central idea: understanding is more valuable than reacting solely out of fear.
The experience also allowed us to examine a common perception. We often think these animals are invading our spaces. However, cities, houses and gardens were built on environments where many species already lived. In numerous cases, arthropods are simply trying to survive and adapt to changes caused by human activity.
From arthropods to people
Estudiantes observando con lupas y colocando los artrópodos dentro del terrario. — Students observing with magnifying glasses and placing the arthropods inside the terrarium.
At the end of the activity, the specimens were carefully returned to the laboratory terrarium, where they could continue living in an appropriate environment. After observing and learning about them, treating them respectfully came naturally to the students.
We then returned to the opening question. The true purpose had not been limited to learning about arthropods. It was also to understand how knowledge can change the way we relate to other forms of life.
From that conclusion, we expanded the discussion to human relationships. We can also reject, criticize or exclude a person without first giving that individual an opportunity to show who he or she is. Some judgments are based on what we truly know, while others originate in our own ideas, fears or prejudices.
This comparison is not intended to equate people with animals. Rather, it highlights a shared principle: approaching, observing, listening and learning can help us overcome reactions rooted in unfamiliarity.
The students returned to their classrooms with new knowledge of the natural sciences, but also with a lesson that extended beyond the laboratory. They began that morning by observing small arthropods and finished by reflecting on respect, empathy and the importance of understanding before judging.
Science education does more than communicate information. When built upon observation, questions and direct experience, it can also help form more curious, thoughtful and respectful people.
References
Allport, G. W. (1954). The Nature of Prejudice. Addison-Wesley.
Musengimana, J., Kampire, E., and Ntawiha, P. (2022). “Effect of Inquiry-Based Learning on Students’ Attitude Toward Biology.” Journal of Baltic Science Education, 21(5), 848–861.
Shahriari-Namadi, M., Sharzad, K., Rezaee, R., and Vazirianzadeh, B. (2018). “Entomophobia and Arachnophobia Among School-Age Children: A Psychological Approach.” Shiraz E-Medical Journal, 19(7).
Soga, M., Gaston, K. J., Yamaura, Y., Kurisu, K., and Hanaki, K. (2016). “Both Direct and Vicarious Experiences of Nature Affect Children’s Willingness to Conserve Biodiversity.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 13(6).
Sala de examen en el Centro de Salud y Acceso Avalon de St. John’s Community Health en Los Ángeles. 7 de febrero de 2026. An exam room at the St. John’s Community Health Avalon Health and Access Center in Los Angeles. February 7, 2026. Photograph by Jules Hotz for CalMatters.
by Kristen Hwang and Ana B. Ibarra
It’s a tumultuous time for healthcare. Federal and state budget cuts are changing the rules for public benefits. Most people with Medi-Cal won’t be affected, but it may be confusing to figure out whether your benefits will change.
Are you on Medi-Cal, or is someone in your family worried about the cuts?
The two most important things to do: Update your contact information with your county benefits office, and keep an eye out for any letters mailed from the county or state.
You can update your information by calling your local county office or online with a BenefitsCal account.
Here are the key changes, what they mean, and where to get help.
Changes for immigrants
Non-citizens — undocumented immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and people with pending immigration cases — are the group most affected, even those with a green card. The state has an immigration status chart to help you check whether these changes apply to you. If they do, you’ll get a letter.
Undocumented immigrants
As of Jan. 1, immigrants over age 19 without legal status can no longer apply for Medi-Cal (children remain eligible). Those already enrolled keep benefits if they renew on time. If they miss the renewal deadline and coverage ends, they have three months to reapply. After that window, they cannot sign up again.
Anyone who loses Medi-Cal may apply for emergency services. Those are limited to pregnancy, emergency visits and nursing home care.
Starting Jan. 1, 2027, this group moves to “fee-for-service” Medi-Cal that limits some coverage. Doctors visits, prescriptions, and mental health treatment won’t be affected. Confirm your doctor accepts this Medi-Cal type, or find a new doctor by calling 1-800-541-5555.
Adults ages 19-64 must also prove they are working or volunteering at least 80 hours a month. Students, people with disabilities and parents with young children are exempt from the work requirement. Starting July 1, 2027, adults lose dental coverage. Those 19-59 will also pay a $30 monthly fee. Children and pregnant individuals will remain eligible for Medi-Cal.
Refugees, asylum seekers, some green card holders
Starting Jan. 1, 2027, refugees, asylum seekers, humanitarian parolees, and survivors of domestic violence or trafficking move to “fee-for-service” Medi-Cal. They will still be able to see the doctor, pick up prescriptions and see the dentist, but they will no longer have a health insurance plan. Call 1-800-541-5555 to find a new doctor if your current one does not accept it. Six months later, this group will lose full-scope Medi-Cal and dental benefits, keeping only pregnancy and emergency care.
Promotoras, community health workers and legal aid groups can help answer questions about this.
Adults without children
About 5 million Californians gained Medi-Cal coverage when the Obama administration expanded eligibility to childless adults and those earning slightly above the federal poverty level. Now this group faces stricter requirements in order to keep their health coverage.
Work requirements
Beginning Jan. 1, adults 19-64 and many immigrants must prove at least 80 hours each month of working or volunteering, or half-time schooling. Who’s exempt: children, seniors, pregnant people, those who are disabled or have serious health conditions or addictions, people on Medicare, those recently released from prison, American Indians and Alaska Natives populations and some former foster youth. The state will mail a letter if this applies to you. Most renewal packets come in a bright yellow envelope, but notices may look different. Respond quickly.
More frequent renewals
Beginning next March, the state will check Medi-Cal eligibility every six months for adults ages 19-64 and many immigrants, verifying income, work status, and other requirements. Renewal may happen automatically; if it doesn’t you will receive a letter asking for more information.
Seniors (65+) and people with disabilities
Starting July 1, 2027, seniors (65+) and people with disabilities cannot own more than $21,000 in assets, including savings accounts, cash and property other than a home and a car. For couples it’s $31,000 total. This limit also applies to non-citizens. Your county benefits office or a local legal aid group can clarify what counts; the state also has an FAQ about the new limits.
If you’re afraid of losing coverage, do these things right now
Not everyone will be affected, and some people won’t need to do anything. If you’re required to report work hours or other information, you’ll receive a notice in the mail or through the BenefitsCal online portal if you have an online account: Check both regularly.
The state doesn’t yet have a timeline for initial notices, but advocates say the best move now is simply keeping your information current. This is especially important because the rules keep changing.
“It’s so vital they watch the mail, look out for communications from the county, and are responsive to requests for information,” said Jack Dailey, director of health policy at the Legal Aid Society of San Diego.
If you get a notice: You should have plenty of warning before benefits are terminated – respond promptly to any notice of action.
If you get a notice that your benefits will be cancelled and you disagree with that decision: you can appeal and request a state hearing, which “allows you to temporarily freeze an adverse action and keep your benefits while your appeal is being reviewed,” says Alicia Emanuel, a staff attorney with the National Health Law Program.
If you’ve already lost coverage: You have 90 days to restore benefits without filing a new application. Submit the requested information in that window and, if you still qualify, you shouldn’t see a coverage gap. After 90 days, you’ll need to reapply from scratch.
Where to get free help
Promotoras — community health workers trained through groups like Vision y Compromiso — can meet you in your neighborhood, explain benefits in plain language, and help with Medi-Cal applications. Rosa Lopez, a promotora in Long Beach, said many immigrants worry about losing coverage: “I tell them you don’t have status, don’t worry. The first thing is your health.”
Community clinics often have benefits counselors on staff, and legal aid groups offer free advice for confusing letters — call the Health Consumer Alliance at 1-888-804-3536, email at ContactHCA@lassd.org, or check its website. The state also runs a helpline at 1-800-541-5555 and keeps its website up-to-date.
One more thing worth knowing: Medi-Cal eligibility isn’t just one door — there are several ways to qualify, based on conditions such as income, age, disability, or pregnancy. Before the state can terminate your benefits under one category, it must check whether you still qualify through any of the others. “It’s a really critical protection because sometimes an individual is in fact eligible through a different pathway,” Emanuel said. And by law, Medi-Cal must provide free language assistance for people with limited English proficiency. CalMatters.
Una cámara de lectura automática de matrículas de Flock Safety está instalada en un poste a lo largo de Olive Avenue, en Fresno, el 19 de febrero de 2026. A Flock Safety automated license plate reader camera is installed on a pole along Olive Avenue in Fresno on February 19, 2026. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters.
by Ryan Sabalow
CalMatters
They’re all over our roads and really good at helping police solve crimes, but do California’s automated license plate readers need limits?
In the past year alone, they’ve helped catch suspected murderers, bank robbers and hit-and-run drivers. They’ve located dozens of stolen cars and helped send a wildland arsonist to prison.
They’re also distrusted and despised by privacy rights activists on the left and on the right. Just last month, police accused a suspect in Monterey County of yanking down three of them with his pickup.z
They’re called automated license plate readers. Every day, untold numbers of Californians drive past the thousands of cameras that at least 230 police and sheriffs’ departments have posted along roadways or installed on their patrol cars. The cameras in real time capture and read plate numbers, then cross-reference them with law enforcement databases of vehicles police want to locate, such as stolen cars, getaway vehicles or those that may be carrying a missing or wanted person.
Since 2019, California Democratic lawmakers have unsuccessfully sought to further restrict how police use the technology. They’re trying again this year with a bill that would add limits on how long police may retain license plate data, how they access it and with whom they share it.
Police agencies and officers’ unions across the state oppose the latest measure, which is similar to a bill Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed last year.
“This bill is about one simple principle: Protecting the privacy and safety of Californians while ensuring law enforcement tools are used responsibly before it’s too late,” the author of this year’s legislation, Riverside Democratic Sen. Sabrina Cervantes, told the Assembly privacy committee last month. She did not respond to a request for an interview from CalMatters.
Critics of the technology cite high-profile examples of California police using license plate data inappropriately, including to stalk or harass innocent people. As CalMatters reported last year, California officers have repeatedly violated an 11-year-old state law that prohibits sharing the data with federal authorities and others outside the state.
404 Media also reported last year that a Texas cop searched a national license plate database to try to locate a woman who had an abortion, leading to fears that conservative states that criminalize abortion are accessing California’s plate data to hunt down patients or providers.
Cervantes’ bill would generally limit to 30 days the amount of time agencies could keep license plate data, unless it pertains to an active investigation or is part of a search for missing people. It also sets limits around who can access the data and adds training and search-tracking requirements.
Police and sheriffs’ departments would be prohibited from entering into contracts with camera companies that provide default access to plate databases that federal and out-of-state police can search.
That provision is in response to Flock Safety, a prominent license plate reader company that allowed federal authorities to search local license plate data as part of a pilot program, said Tracy Rosenberg of Oakland Privacy, one of the bill’s supporters.
“(Police departments) learned after the fact, like our advocates did,” Rosenberg said. “And we all said, ‘What the …’ You know, pick your four-letter word.”
Flock Safety did not respond to CalMatters’ request for an interview, but the company says on its website that it doesn’t work with immigration agencies and it stopped its federal pilot programs. Local agencies have total control over the data Flock readers collect, the company said.
“By default, sharing with federal agencies is disabled,” the company wrote. “ICE does not have direct access to Flock cameras, systems or data.”
Cámaras automatizadas escanean matrículas mientras California considera nuevas protecciones de privacidad. Automated cameras scan license plates as California evaluates new privacy protections.
Why police are opposed
At least 39 police agencies and officers’ unions oppose Senate Bill 1013. Combined, they have spent at least $5.6 million on legislative campaigns since 2000, according to the CalMatters Digital Democracy database.
Police say the technology has proven invaluable at helping them solve crimes.
Tustin Police Chief Sean Thuilliez, president of the California Police Chiefs Association, said the technology helped clear an innocent man. It also identified a suspected killer when a woman was shot and killed on a street in the Orange County city in May.
The woman had just testified against her ex-husband in a restraining order case, making him a prime suspect, Thuilliez said.
But Thuilliez said that thanks to the city’s 102 license plate readers, eight of which are from Flock, detectives quickly ruled out her ex-husband and were able to apprehend her former boyfriend at the Mexico border. He’s now charged with first-degree murder.
“It’s technology mixed with good investigative work,” he said in an interview. “But within one weekend, we were able to arrest the suspect for this person’s murder.”
The Berkeley Police Department noted similar successes after 52 Flock cameras were installed last year. In a report to the Berkeley City Council, the department noted license plate readers had been used in 121 cases, contributed to 58 arrests and led to the recovery of 37 stolen vehicles.
The department noted its rate for solving robbery cases climbed from 34% in 2024 to 49% the following year, thanks in part to the license plate data.
“The technology has fundamentally improved how officers patrol and how detectives investigate crimes spanning a range of serious offenses including robbery, kidnapping, carjacking, burglary, weapons violations, organized retail theft, stolen property and DUI,” the report said.
Why Newsom vetoed last year’s bill
Such investigative success stories may have helped persuade Newsom to veto last year’s bill, which would have required police to dump their license plate data within 60 days.
In his veto message, he said the restrictions on sharing data and forcing departments to purge it could hinder officers’ ability to solve cold cases and find missing people.
Newsom also said there was no money in the budget to pay for the mandatory California Department of Justice audits last year’s bill would have required.
To address Newsom’s concerns, this year’s proposal allows police to retain data to locate missing people and it makes a state audit program contingent on future funding.
Newsom’s press office declined to say whether he has a position on the latest bill, which has advanced through the Legislature with only Republicans voting against it. The measure is now pending before the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Meanwhile, at least one Republican lawmaker is taking the issue to Congress. U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky recently shared a meme of a “Don’t Tread on Me” snake wrapped around a camera. The riff on the yellow Gadsden flag says, “Don’t Flock me.”
“I’ll soon be sponsoring a bill to withhold federal money from municipalities and police departments that deploy Flock (and other style) cameras to surveil law-abiding citizens,” Massie wrote on Facebook.
Rosenberg of Oakland Privacy said she understands the cameras’ usefulness to California police, but she thinks they’ve become ubiquitous. Police, she said, also shouldn’t have a permanent pass to keep “mountains” of data for as long as they want.
“There is kind of a balancing act. We as human beings also need some camera-free space,” she said. “We don’t want to be on camera every minute of every single day.”
Mexico’s currency gained 0.12 percent vs the U.S. dollar in Thursday trading, extending its rally to 10 straight days after the central bank left interest rates unchanged at its Aug. 6 monetary policy meeting.
The peso closed Thursday at 17.21 to the US dollar and dipped below 17.14 in early trading on Friday, an additional 0.58 percent gain and its strongest level against the U.S. dollar since Feb. 23.
After closing at 17.21 to the dollar on Thursday, the peso strengthened even further Friday morning, hitting 17.14, its strongest level since Feb. 23, and looked to be continuing that trend into the early afternoon. (Shutterstock).
Forbes México attributed Friday’s early action to a negative U.S. jobs report and said the peso is on pace to appreciate by 1.3 percent by the end of the week.
Mexico’s currency was also boosted by the central bank’s unanimous decision on Thursday to hold its benchmark rate at 6.50 percent for a second consecutive meeting, while hinting that rates would remain at the current level for the foreseeable future.
In a statement, Banxico’s board of governors said, “Headline and core inflation are expected to decline throughout the forecast horizon, albeit more gradually than previously anticipated.”
Headline inflation slowed in July for a fourth consecutive month though the central bank does not expect it to converge to its 3 percent target until late next year.
In a social media post, Gabriela Siller, director of analysis at Grupo Financiero BASE, said the peso is also appreciating “due to the carry-trade,” a strategy whereby an investor borrows money in a currency with a low interest rate and invests those funds into higher-yielding assets or currencies.
Siller said large global investors are borrowing in the U.S. and Japan, then investing in Mexico, indicating that the peso continues to benefit from a wide interest rate differential (Mexico’s 6.50 percent policy rate compares favorably to the U.S. Federal Reserve’s 3.50 percent-3.75 percent target range).
The newspaper El Economista said the U.S. jobs report (which noted that U.S. nonfarm payrolls fell by 23,000 jobs last month, following a downwardly revised increase of 20,000 jobs the previous month) prompted the market to reduce bets that U.S. interest rates will rise.
Monex Grupo Financiero concurred, saying in a statement that the peso’s advance against the dollar is “driven by the weakness of the dollar and a readjustment of expectations on the direction of the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy” at its next meeting in September.
With reports from El Economista and Forbes México.
A 20-year Japanese study involving 90,944 adults found that moderate fish consumption was associated with an 8 percent lower risk of death from all causes among women.
Women who consumed omega-3-rich fish showed lower risks of all-cause and cerebrovascular mortality.
Men with a higher intake of unsalted fish experienced a 16 percent to 23 percent lower risk of death from cerebrovascular disease.
Benefits leveled off at moderate consumption, suggesting that excessive intake provides no additional advantage.
Small fish, including sardines and anchovies, provide valuable nutrients with less exposure to environmental toxins.
New research connects fish and longevity
A comprehensive analysis of more than 90,000 Japanese adults found that moderate fish consumption may improve longevity, with benefits varying according to fish type, preparation method and gender. The Japan Public Health Center-based prospective study, published in August 2026, followed participants for an average of 20.8 years.
Researchers analyzed dietary questionnaires completed between 1995 and 1998 by 42,150 men and 48,794 women, then tracked mortality outcomes over three decades. The findings may be especially relevant to Western populations, where average fish consumption remains substantially lower than in Japan.
Benefits differ between men and women
The study found notable differences in how fish consumption affected men and women. Women who ate moderate amounts of fish and shellfish had an 8 percent lower risk of death from any cause compared with those who consumed very little.
Women who regularly ate fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids also showed significantly lower risks of all-cause mortality and death from cerebrovascular diseases, including strokes and other conditions affecting blood flow to the brain.
Men experienced different but significant benefits. A higher intake of unsalted fish and shellfish was associated with a 16 percent to 23 percent lower risk of death from cerebrovascular disease across several consumption groups.
The difference between salted and unsalted fish was particularly important. Researchers noted that the high sodium content in traditionally preserved fish may offset some of its health benefits.
Finding the optimal consumption level
Maximum fish consumption did not produce maximum benefits. Instead, the reduction in mortality risk leveled off at moderate intake levels, suggesting people do not need to eat fish at every meal to obtain health advantages.
Approximately two to three servings of low-mercury seafood per week, or about 8 to 12 ounces total, may represent an appropriate consumption target. This is consistent with dietary recommendations from major health organizations.
Small fish provide major benefits
Related research has highlighted the benefits of smaller fish varieties often overlooked in Western diets. Sardines, anchovies, mackerel, herring and smelt, which are sometimes eaten whole, provide omega-3 fatty acids, absorbable calcium, complete protein, selenium and iodine.
A separate nine-year study involving more than 80,000 Japanese adults found that women who ate small fish one to three times per month had a 32 percent lower risk of premature death and a 28 percent reduction in cancer mortality.
Smaller species also accumulate fewer environmental toxins, such as mercury and PCBs, than larger predatory fish, making them safer choices for regular consumption.
Practical implications for long-term health
Fish provides high-quality protein, vitamin D and selenium. Fatty varieties also contain the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which the body cannot produce adequately on its own.
Preparation methods matter. Grilling, baking, broiling or lightly sautéing fish preserves its nutritional value, while heavily salted or processed options may contain enough sodium to reduce the benefits.
For people seeking to improve long-term health, including minimally processed, omega-3-rich fish in weekly meals represents an accessible, evidence-based strategy with potential cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and cognitive benefits.
La gobernadora Maura Healey firma la ley que elimina restricciones específicas al aborto después de las 24 semanas.Gov. Maura Healey signs legislation removing Massachusetts’ specified restrictions on abortions after 24 weeks.
Marvin Ramírez, editor
What have we become?
by Marvin Ramírez
On Aug. 10, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed a law removing the state’s specific restrictions on abortions performed at or after 24 weeks of pregnancy. Under the former law, such abortions were permitted only when necessary to protect the woman’s life or physical or mental health, or when the unborn child had a lethal or grave diagnosis. The new law replaces those defined conditions with the “professional judgment” of a physician.
Supporters describe this as compassion and health care. But compassion for whom? Where is the compassion for the unborn child, particularly one who has reached the point of viability and may be capable of surviving outside the womb?
At 24 weeks, we are not talking about an invisible cluster of cells. The child has a recognizable human face, arms, legs, fingers and toes. The heart has been beating for months. The child moves, responds to sound and continues developing rapidly. By approximately 28 weeks—about three months before full-term birth—the eyes can open and close.
Modern medicine works heroically to save premature babies born at these stages. Doctors and nurses place them in incubators, help them breathe and spend weeks fighting for their survival. Families pray beside them and celebrate every ounce gained. Yet under another set of circumstances, a child at a similar stage of development can be denied the most fundamental protection: the right to continue living.
How can our society hold these two positions simultaneously?
Defenders of the Massachusetts law emphasize that abortions late in pregnancy are uncommon and frequently involve tragic medical complications. Those realities must be acknowledged. Some parents receive devastating diagnoses, and some pregnancies place women in serious danger. They deserve truthful information, excellent medical treatment, emotional support and human compassion.
But difficult cases cannot justify removing clear protections for every viable unborn child. If lawmakers believe abortions after 24 weeks should be allowed only in extraordinary medical emergencies, they should write those exceptions plainly into the law. Instead, Massachusetts eliminated the specified conditions and placed the decision almost entirely within the physician’s discretion.
A civilized society does not make the protection of human life dependent upon how wanted, healthy or convenient that life may be. Nor should a viable child’s future depend on the private judgment of a single professional without meaningful statutory safeguards.
The smiling and applause surrounding the bill signing were especially disturbing. Whatever one’s political position, expanding the legal power to end developing human life should never be treated as a joyful occasion. There is nothing celebratory about abortion. It represents, at minimum, the loss of a developing human being and often leaves grief that political slogans cannot erase.
For many people of faith, the idea of ending the life of a child shortly before birth is not merely misguided; it feels horrifying and even satanic—an inversion in which destruction is presented as mercy and death is called care.
We must also question the cultural conditioning that brought us here. For decades, the public has been told that abortion concerns only a woman’s body, as though the unborn child’s separate heartbeat, DNA and developing organs do not exist. Language has been carefully sanitized. The child becomes “pregnancy tissue,” abortion becomes “care,” and opposition becomes an attack on women.
Repeating those words does not change biological reality.
A woman facing an unexpected or medically complicated pregnancy must never be abandoned. She needs financial assistance, prenatal care, housing, counseling and support after birth. When a diagnosis is fatal, families deserve compassionate perinatal hospice and the opportunity to accompany their child with love. Protecting unborn life must include protecting the mother—not condemning her or leaving her alone.
But compassion cannot require us to pretend there is only one human life involved.
Who speaks for the child who cannot vote, protest, hire an attorney or plead for mercy? Who protects the smallest and most defenseless member of the human family when government withdraws its protection?
The answer should be all of us.
Massachusetts has crossed a frightening moral boundary. Other states should not follow. Americans must demand laws that protect women in medical emergencies while establishing firm and unmistakable safeguards for viable unborn children.
If we cannot defend a child who may be only weeks away from birth, the question is no longer merely what abortion has become. The question is what we have become.
Una imagen generada con IA muestra a un robot humanoide de Realbotix interactuando con estudiantes. An AI-generated image shows a Realbotix humanoid robot interacting with students in a classroom. Courtesy of Realbotix.
por el equipo editorial de El Reportero
What happened in Salamanca, a small city in western New York, should awaken parents, teachers and taxpayers across the country. The local school board approved spending $57,590 on “Sally,” an artificial intelligence-powered humanoid robot intended for high school technology classes. After strong opposition from residents, educators and state officials, the district paused the project on July 24.
Accuracy matters: district leaders said Sally would assist students studying robotics and technology, not immediately replace a teacher. But substitution often begins with a pilot described as limited, innovative and harmless. First, a machine arrives to “help.” Later, administrators may argue that it can serve more students, work without wages, vacations or health insurance, and reduce operating costs. By the time a community recognizes the danger, contracts may already be signed and the precedent established.
Public education belongs to the people who finance it through their taxes. No school board should experiment on children or commit public money to technology capable of transforming jobs and processing student information without open debate, independent evaluation and informed parental consent. Taxpayers deserve to know the complete cost, who controls the data, what conversations the system retains, whether information reaches outside companies, and who is legally responsible when the machine gives a harmful or false answer.
New York Education Commissioner Betty Rosa expressed concern about the effect a humanlike robot could have inside a classroom. New York State United Teachers emphasized that students need interaction with real people. This is not an argument against computers, educational software or responsible artificial intelligence tools. It is about establishing a firm boundary: technology must remain subordinate to the teacher, never elevated as a substitute for human judgment, authority and presence.
UNESCO warns that artificial intelligence is developing faster than the policies needed to govern it. Its international guidance says AI should not enter education without public engagement, safeguards and government regulation. UNESCO also emphasizes a human-centered approach to learning. A teacher notices fear, isolation, hunger, abuse, enthusiasm or confusion. A teacher changes an explanation, inspires confidence, mediates conflict and accepts moral responsibility. A robot may imitate an affectionate response, but it feels no compassion and cannot answer to a family.
The employment concern is not fantasy. The International Labour Organization estimates that one in four jobs worldwide is potentially exposed to generative AI. The ILO also says transformation, rather than complete elimination, is currently the more likely outcome. That distinction should not make us complacent. It means the final result will depend on the rules society establishes, who owns the technology, and whether AI is used to strengthen workers or merely to cut payrolls.
The same logic can reach hospitals and nursing homes. Robotics can assist surgeons, carry supplies, monitor patients and detect certain risks; such applications may save time and lives. But doctors and nurses are not simply information processors. They listen, interpret subtle signs, comfort frightened people and assume professional responsibility for decisions affecting bodies and families. If saving money becomes the controlling standard, efficiency will eventually displace dignity.
We cannot honestly claim that Sally eliminated teaching positions, because that did not happen. Nor is there evidence of a secret conspiracy in Salamanca. There is, however, a structural conflict: technology companies want to sell systems; administrators want quick solutions; and teachers, students and taxpayers bear the consequences when an experiment fails.
Los Angeles provides a warning. Its school district launched an ambitious AI student assistant named Ed in 2024, then shut it down after the contractor, AllHere Education, collapsed. The failure left serious questions about public spending and the handling of student data. Technological promises do not eliminate the need for accountability; they make accountability more urgent.
The answer is not to destroy innovation, but to place it under democratic control. Before any district introduces humanoid AI, it should require public hearings, privacy review, security testing, full publication of contracts and a binding guarantee that no teaching position will be eliminated because of the system. Teachers, parents, students, independent experts and labor representatives must all have a voice.
The Salamanca parents and educators proved that public resistance works. They stopped the project before novelty became normality. That vigilance must extend to every school, hospital and public office.
A society that entrusts its children’s formation to the cheapest provider will eventually treat teachers, doctors, nurses and caregivers as disposable. Machines can serve humanity; they must never define humanity’s value. Our future cannot be decided in a boardroom while the public sleeps, or while corporate salesmen write the rules themselves.
Sources: Associated Press, New York Focus, UNESCO, International Labour Organization, EdSurge
Vendedores exhiben mercancía en una acera de la Misión, captados desde un vehículo. Sidewalk vendors display merchandise in the Mission, captured from a passing news vehicle.
by the El Reportero staff
San Francisco police and Public Works crews have intensified enforcement against illegal sidewalk vending in the Mission District, producing noticeably cleaner and more accessible streets near the offices of El Reportero.
During recent weeks, El Reportero staff members have observed police officers and city workers clearing unauthorized vending areas, removing garbage and opening pedestrian pathways along Mission Street. The operations follow years of complaints from residents, merchants and licensed vendors about blocked sidewalks and the open-air sale of merchandise suspected of being stolen.
Police and Public Works personnel conduct a sidewalk-vending enforcement operation in the Mission District.
The renewed effort is supported by the SAFE Streets Act, or Senate Bill 276, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October 2025. The legislation, sponsored by Mayor Daniel Lurie and authored by state Sen. Scott Wiener, gives San Francisco greater authority to regulate the sale of merchandise frequently associated with retail theft.
Under the law, people selling designated products—including toiletries, packaged food, household supplies and tools—can be required to show a vending permit or proof that the merchandise was legally obtained. Prepared-food vendors are not covered by these particular restrictions.
Police reported issuing 396 warnings and 56 citations during the first two months of active enforcement. No misdemeanor arrests had been made as of early August, indicating that authorities were initially emphasizing education and voluntary compliance.
Repeat violations, however, can bring progressively stronger consequences. After an initial written warning, continued violations may result in citations and fines. A third offense within 18 months may be prosecuted as an infraction or misdemeanor, carrying a possible county jail sentence of up to six months.
The Mission Street Vendors Association says 33 permitted vendors are now operating in designated spaces. Its president, Rodrigo Lopez, told ABC7 that the city has gained significantly more control over the problem, although he acknowledged conditions are not completely resolved.
The distinction between legitimate vendors and people selling goods without permits or receipts remains important. Licensed vendors provide income for local families and contribute to the neighborhood’s culture. Illegal sales of suspected stolen merchandise, by contrast, can obstruct sidewalks, generate trash, hurt established businesses and create an atmosphere of disorder.
For residents and merchants near Mission Street, the visible cleanup represents a positive change. Maintaining that progress will require consistent enforcement—not only temporary sweeps—while ensuring that lawful vendors are treated fairly and pedestrians can safely use public sidewalks. (ABC7 News, Mayor’s Office).
Cheech Marin y Tommy Chong recibirán una estrella conjunta en Hollywood próximamente. Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong will soon receive a joint star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
by the El Reportero staff
Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, the pioneering comedy duo whose humor helped bring Chicano identity and 1970s counterculture into mainstream entertainment, have been selected to receive a joint star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce named Cheech & Chong to its Class of 2027 in the motion pictures category. The selection was announced July 23 after the Walk of Fame Selection Committee chose 32 honorees from hundreds of nominations and the Chamber’s board ratified the choices.
No ceremony date or star location has been announced. Honorees generally have two years from their selection to schedule the dedication, and the Chamber usually releases ceremony details shortly before each event.
The distinction recognizes a partnership that began more than five decades ago. Richard “Cheech” Marin, a Los Angeles-born Mexican American, met Canadian musician and comedian Tommy Chong in Vancouver during the late 1960s. Their contrasting personas developed into comedy routines that mixed social satire, cannabis humor and sharply observed portrayals of American life.
After building a following through live performances and successful comedy albums, the pair reached movie audiences with Up in Smoke in 1978. The film became a counterculture landmark and led to several more collaborations, including Cheech and Chong’s Next Movie, Nice Dreams and Still Smokin.
Their influence has endured through changing attitudes toward cannabis and Latino representation. Their story received renewed attention in Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie, a documentary combining archival footage, animation and a present-day road trip. After premiering at South by Southwest in 2024 and entering theaters in 2025, it began streaming on Paramount+ in 2026.
Marin also established a major independent career as an actor, director and voice performer. His credits include Born in East L.A., Nash Bridges, Tin Cup, The Lion King, Cars and Coco. Away from film, he has become one of the country’s most prominent advocates and collectors of Chicano art.
In 2022, the Riverside Art Museum opened the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, known as “The Cheech.” The center houses a collection of nearly 500 works donated by Marin and promotes exhibitions, research and public dialogue about Chicano art.
The Walk of Fame honor therefore celebrates more than the duo’s familiar characters. It recognizes two artists whose comedy challenged cultural boundaries, created space for Mexican American voices and remained influential across generations in American film and popular culture today.
– Sources: Hollywood Walk of Fame; Riverside Art Museum; Paramount+
