AMLO sends China’s Xi Jinping letter seeking help in fight against fentanyl

April 7, 2023

photo: In his letter to the Chinese premier, AMLO said China could provide “invaluable” help by giving Mexico Information about when and where fentanyl is being shipped into the country. (lopezobrador.org)

by Mexico News Daily

President López Obrador revealed Tuesday that he wrote to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to seek his support in the fight against fentanyl.

Speaking at his regular morning news conference, López Obrador said he sent the letter after a group of United States lawmakers requested that he ask China not to send fentanyl to Mexico, the United States or Canada.

“I told the lawmakers I’m going to intervene because we have a very good relationship with all the governments of the world, especially with the government of … China,” the president said before reading out his March 22 missive.

In the letter, López Obrador requested Xi’s “support and cooperation” in the fight against fentanyl trafficking, asserting that,“according to the information available,” the synthetic opioid is produced in Asia and “sold freely for export to Canada, the United States and our country.”

“… We turn to you, President Xi Jinping, to ask you for humanitarian reasons to help us control the shipments of fentanyl that may be sent from China to our country,” he wrote.

Information about who fentanyl is being sent to, the quantities being shipped, the vessels used to transport the drug and when and where shipments will arrive in Mexico from China would be “invaluable” as it would allow Mexican authorities to have “greater control” over the entry of the opioid, López Obrador told the Chinese president.

“… Friend, president, we await your response with great interest. I’m sure we will have your assistance, as has always occurred.”

The president also wrote that fentanyl is “considered 50 times stronger than heroin” and acknowledged the high number of overdose deaths in the United States as well as the “high economic profitability” associated with the trafficking of the drug.

López Obrador highlighted Mexico’s efforts to seize fentanyl and asserted that only 30% of the illicit fentanyl consumed in the United States is smuggled across the Mexico-U.S. border.

“Nevertheless, in a deceitful and irresponsible way, some United States lawmakers have recently blamed Mexico for the misfortune they suffer in their country due to the use of fentanyl,” the letter said.

“They have even gone so far as to say that if we don’t arrest the drug trafficking groups that operate in Mexico and bring this drug [into the United States], they could present an initiative in their Congress … [in favor of] the armed forces of the United States invading our territory,” López Obrador wrote before describing such a proposition as an “unacceptable threat.”

The president told reporters on Tuesday that he also sent the letter to the head of the delegation of Republican and Democrat lawmakers who visited Mexico last month and requested that he seek the assistance of Chinese authorities in the fight against fentanyl.

He did not mention whether Xi or the Chinese government had responded.

López Obrador and other federal officials have recently emphasized the government’s commitment to combating the trafficking of fentanyl as they seek to refute claims from some Republican Party lawmakers in the U.S. that Mexico is doing little to stop the drug flowing across the northern border.

Foreign Affairs Minister Marcelo Ebrard asserted Tuesday that Mexico “is the country that does the most against fentanyl.”

The government has also highlighted its anti-narcotics collaboration with United States authorities, and last week hosted U.S. officials who traveled to Mexico City for the U.S.-Mexico Synthetic Drug Conference.

photo: García Luna was convicted by U.S. prosecutors of international cocaine distribution, among other charges. His attorneys have been granted more time to pursue potentially favorable new evidence they say has come to light since the conviction in February. (File photo by Tercero Diaz/Cuartoscuro)

Genaro García Luna’s sentencing in US delayed until September

A federal judge in the United States has agreed to postpone the sentencing of former security minister Genaro García Luna, who was convicted on drug trafficking charges in February.

Judge Brian M. Cogan of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York granted defense lawyers’ request for a three-month adjournment for posttrial motions and the sentencing of their client, who was Mexico’s security minister in the 2006–2012 government led by former president Felipe Calderón and head of the now-defunct Federal Investigation Agency before that.

García Luna, who was found guilty of colluding with the notorious Sinaloa Cartel and lying to U.S. authorities, will now be sentenced on Sept. 27. He faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Defense lawyers, including the ex-official’s lead attorney César de Castro, wrote to Cogan on Monday to request the postponement so as “to permit the defense to continue developing evidence in support of a potential Rule 33 motion.”

Rule 33 in the U.S. Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure allows a court to grant a new trial “if the interest of justice so requires.”

De Castro and his colleagues wrote that since the guilty verdict was reached on Feb. 21, “several individuals, including former law enforcement officials, have contacted us with potential new evidence favorable to the defense that could result in the filing of a Rule 33 motion in the short term.”

“Following these numerous substantial leads, potentially filing a Rule 29 [acquittal] motion, and preparing for significant sentencing advocacy is too difficult,” they wrote.

“Rather than proceed with Mr. García Luna’s sentencing and initiation of an appeal, which would divest the Court of jurisdiction to hear the motion until the Second Circuit granted a motion to remand the case to Your Honor … the appropriate use of resources would be to simply adjourn the dates as we request,” the letter continued.

“After all, the government is not prejudiced in any way — Mr. García Luna is not at liberty and will remain detained.”

Under the new posttrial timeline, any application for a new trial must be submitted by July 7.

García Luna’s conviction in February came more than three years after he was arrested in Dallas, Texas, on charges that he allowed the Sinaloa Cartel to operate in exchange for multimillion-dollar bribes.

A jury in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York found the former security minister guilty of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, international cocaine distribution conspiracy; cocaine distribution and possession conspiracy; cocaine importation conspiracy; and making a false statement on an application for U.S. citizenship.

The unanimous decision came after an almost month-long trial that included damning testimony from cartel figures such as Jesús “El Rey” Zambada, brother of current Sinaloa Cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.

President López Obrador has used the conviction to support his claim that Mexico was a “narco-state” during the presidency of Calderón.

The former president has denied having any knowledge of García Luna’s criminal activities, and defended his integrity and crime-fighting record in a statement issued in response to the conviction of his security minister.

De Castro asserted in his closing statement at the trial that the government’s lack of evidence against his client was “shocking.”

“They’re asking you to condemn a man solely on the words of some of the most notorious and ruthless criminals this world has ever seen,” he told the 12-person jury.

With reports from Sin Embargo

These tax tips can make filing (1040) EZ

April 7, 2023

Sponsored content from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

With tax-day approaching, there’s no time like the present to get started on your 2022 returns and submit them well before the April 18 deadline.

This year, you have a few extra days to complete your taxes. With the typical deadline of April 15 falling on a weekend, followed by Emancipation Day on Monday, this year’s filing date is on Tuesday, April 18.

“Though there are a few extra days to file, make sure to still give yourself ample time to gather and organize your tax information to take advantage of any and all tax deductions, or other tax breaks that may apply to you and your family,” says Kelly Pérez, Wealth Advisor for J.P. Morgan Private Bank. “Many key deductions that may reduce your tax bill or provide a refund are often left on the table due to lack of preparation. Whether you file on your own or work with a paid tax professional, the initial groundwork is the key to maximizing your benefits.”

Ready to submit or get started? Here are some tips to help simplify the process, maximize your potential refund or minimize your tax burden before you finalize your return.

– Get organized. Make sure you have important documents like last year’s return, current W-2s, 1099s and mortgage interest statements on hand. You’ll also want to gather receipts for tax-deductible purchases, travel, charitable contributions and other potential write-offs. You can look online to find checklists of documents you might need to help you file.

– Be aware of tax law changes. While taxes are inevitable, what you may owe or get refunded might not be. As you finalize or start your 2022 tax return, be aware of changes to federal, state and local tax laws that could affect your refund or how much you owe. For example, if you benefitted from the child tax credit, earned income tax credit or child and dependent care credit on your 2021 return, don’t be surprised if you get a smaller refund this year. Credits expanded as part of federal Covid relief packages have now returned to pre-pandemic levels.

– Are you working from home permanently? If you have a home-based business, you might qualify for a home office tax deduction. You can potentially write off expenses for a part of your home you only use for business purposes.

– To itemize or not to itemize. Determine whether you’ll itemize your expenses or take the standard deduction. If you think your qualified expenses will be more than the 2022 standard deduction ($12,950 for most singles and $25,900 for most married couples filing jointly), it might be worth it to itemize. Taking the standard deduction can make the filing process easier, but it could mean you pay more in taxes or receive a smaller refund.

– Contribute to retirement accounts. You can fund a traditional or Roth IRA through the April 18, 2023, tax filing deadline and have it count for 2022. Traditional IRA contributions lower your tax bill right now, while your Roth IRA withdrawals are tax-free in retirement. You can contribute up to $6,000 to an IRA each year, or—if you were 50 years or older in 2022—up to $7,000 of your earned income.

– Seek help when you need it. If you have a more comprehensive tax return, it can be a good idea to work with a certified public accountant (CPA). If you need assistance in general, check if you qualify for free in-person or remote programs offered by the IRS or local organizations depending on your income, age and disability status.

– Go faster by going digital. Filing electronically will get your return to you more quickly than filing by mail. Selecting direct deposit to a bank account or prepaid card will make the process even faster.

– Need more time? If you can’t file by April 18, you can fill out a Form 4868 that will extend your filing deadline to October 16. An extension to file isn’t an extension to pay, so if you think you’ll owe, plan to submit an estimated payment amount when you file your extension.

The bottom line – Filing your taxes doesn’t have to be difficult. Getting organized now will help make tax season easier this year and put you in better shape for years to come. For more tips to help you make the most of you and your family’s finances, visit J.P. Morgan’s U.S. Tax Center at privatebank.jpmorgan.com/gl/en/insights/planning/us-tax-center.

‘Serial Filers’ — SF businesses still vulnerable to fraudulent ADA lawsuits

March 25, 2023

photo: Blue Danube Cafe was one of hundreds of businesses affected by fraudulent ADA claims last year.

by Selen Ozturk

Ethnic Media Services

Business owners in San Francisco say they remain vulnerable to fraudulent ADA lawsuits which have targeted more than 35,000 businesses statewide

March 14, 2023 – Last April, the San Francisco and Los Angeles District Attorneys sued San Diego law firm Potter Handy, LLC for filing allegedly fraudulent disability lawsuits with over 300 businessowners in SF and over 36,397 businessowners statewide since 2010.

Since SF Superior Court Judge Curtis Karnow dismissed the DA suit last August, however, nothing has changed to protect these businessowners from being fraudulently sued for millions more.

At least 20 businesses in the Inner Richmond neighborhood and over 100 in Chinatown were sued by Potter Handy around mid-2021 to mid-2022. Many of these businesses were not even certified as ADA compliant, or were sued over violations they could not possibly have committed.

For example, Amanda Yan — owner of Hon’s Wun-Tun House on Kearny Street in Chinatown — was sued in April 2021 for serving food at outdoor tables too low for wheelchairs, at a time when she only served takeout.

Targeting immigrant and minority owned businesses

To gain quick settlements of $10,000-$20,000, the law firm particularly pressured businesses owned by immigrants and minorities unable to afford legal defense. Under the joint DA lawsuit, the firm would have had to pay over $30 million to refund settlements made in the Northern District of California alone, by conservative estimates.

Filed by former SF District Attorney Chesa Boudin and George Gascón of LA, the 58-page document stated that over 800 federal cases statewide were filed by Potter Handy plaintiff Orlando Garcia; over 1,700 by Brian Whitaker; and thousands more by other “Serial Filers” — chiefly Scott Johnson, who filed over 4,000 since 2010.

Given that this averages to a case daily for 11 years, the DAs alleged that “it is literally impossible for the Serial Filers to have personally encountered each listed barrier, let alone to intend to return to hundreds of businesses located hundreds of miles away from their homes.”

A Potter Handy attorney accused the DAs of exploiting the situation while they both faced recall threats. In his dismissal, Judge Karnow said that California’s “litigation privilege” covered the firm, “irrespective of the maliciousness or untruthfulness.”

Morgan Mapes — president of the Clement Street Merchants Association; secretary of the citywide Council of District Merchants Associations; and owner of Clement Street vintage shop Golden Hour — had her shop sued by Garcia for $40,000 in November 2021.

Mapes said Garcia “was quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. All pictures and information were scrubbed from the internet. About seven months later we settled for $20,000, maybe $25,000 with lawyer’s fees … We were holding on by a thread already, coming out of the pandemic.”

ADA compliance

The Potter Handy suits were filed under the Americans with Disabilities Act, which protects disabled people from discrimination, including prevention of access to publicly open facilities. Passed under George H.W. Bush in 1990, no agency (and no new tax) was created for the act; per Congress, ADA enforcement remained with individuals “acting as private attorneys general” and imposed no financial penalty for violations, only injunctive relief.

However, Potter Handy often paired its federal claims with state claims under California’s 1959 Unruh Civil Rights Act, which prohibits disability-based discrimination and allows plaintiffs to sue for a minimum of $4,000 per violation.

“You can’t have a city with infrastructure built before these civil laws were put into place and expect tenants to bear the weight,” said Mapes. “I think it should be common practice for landlords to take more infrastructural responsibility. If I put in a table that’s too tall or my fitting rooms aren’t up to code, that’s on me, but stairs or an entry ramp on the landlord.”

“The city needs to subsidize some accessibility costs,” she said. “As a queer black woman, it’s a prickly situation rallying against a civil rights issue, but this seems extortive. The vast majority of these businesses are minority-owned.”

‘They’ll keep suing’

Jimmy Hsu, who owns four businesses on Clement Street by Fourth Avenue — The Wishing Well Workshop (with his partner Jake Savas); So Fresh So Clean Laundry; Kinship Salon & Barber (with his wife); and Blue Danube Coffee House — had his salon and cafe sued.

Hsu said “Brian Whitaker complained that the salon’s doorknob was ADA noncompliant. I don’t even have a doorknob, it’s a push door! I split that $10,000 settlement with my landlord since they sued him too. I paid $10,000 myself with the cafe; they said our moveable A-frame sign was blocking the door. I posted handicap inspection signs on my businesses because they tried to sue all four and settle for $4,000 each.”

Another store on his block, Home Hardware True Value, nearly closed when they were sued in 2022 for closely-packed aisles that were impossible to properly widen.

“I had to tell to hire a lawyer,” said Hsu. “It’s the only deterrent you have, otherwise they’ll keep suing. I’m an Asian immigrant too — most of the mom ‘n’ pops here are run by those without the time or resources to defend themselves, so they settle.”

Nor did this pattern begin, for Hsu, with Potter Handy. In 2005, Patrick Connally — a disabled man who was president of San Rafael-based nonprofit DREES (Disability Rights, Enforcement, Education, Services) and, later, a KUSF radio host — threatened to sue Blue Danube for bathroom violations.

“That building was built in 1934,” said Hsu. “I did all I could with my money and space — door adjustments, handlebars — and paid an attorney to use his letterhead for a reply thanking .”

Hsu said “I think the city, state, or federal government should have some oversight body to disbar these firms from making so many fraudulent accusations. If you settle with 100 stores in Chinatown for a low $10,000, you make a clean million. What’s the downside?”

While this wave of fraudulent lawsuits remains unresolved, SF small businessowners already face another.

Between last November and February 23, 179 businesses received Department of Building Inspection complaints — particularly minority-owned shops in Chinatown, the Tenderloin, and the Inner Richmond, including Mapes’ Golden Hour — regarding unpermitted awnings or storefront gates. Over that period the previous year, five complaints were filed.

Mayor Breed has been working with the Board of Supervisors to write a law which would deprioritize non-urgent enforcement and create an amnesty program for awning owners who don’t have a permit, which can cost up to $3,000.

Nevertheless, Hsu remains skeptical: “The fault’s with a judicial system that allows this greed, but it’s just part of running a business in San Francisco now, isn’t it?”

Above: The Blue Danube Cafe in San Francisco was one of hundreds of businesses hit by fraudulent ADA lawsuits last year.

Journalist opens USB letter bomb in newsroom

March 24, 2023

Journalists across Ecuador have been targeted by explosive devices sent through the post

Shared from/by Antoinette Radford

BBC News

One presenter, Lenin Artieda, was injured when he opened the envelope in the middle of the newsroom.

He said the explosive device looked like a USB drive. He plugged it into his computer and it detonated.

The Ecuadorean attorney-general’s department confirmed it had opened a terrorism investigation into the letters on Monday.

It did not name the specific news outlets targeted. However, at least five different organizations across Ecuador were sent the letters.

The government has condemned the attacks, describing freedom of expression as “a right that must be respected”.

“Any attempt to intimidate journalism and freedom of expression is a loathsome action that should be punished with all the rigour of justice,” it said in a statement.

The interior minister, Juan Zapata, said the devices were all sent from the same town. Three were sent to media outlets in Guayaquil and two to the capital, Quito.

While Artieda was injured by the device, others sent through the post failed to explode or were never opened.

Police carried out a controlled detonation of one of the devices sent to TC Television, prosecutors confirmed.

Ecuador’s head of forensic science said they contained “military-type” explosives.

Ecuador has experienced an increase in violence, which its President, Guillermo Lasso, said is a result of competition between drug trafficking gangs for territory and control.

The Andean country, which is used as a cocaine-smuggling route from neighboring Peru and Colombia, has seen a sharp rise in murders and gang-related crime in recent months.

Guayaquil, Ecuador’s second-largest city, where three of the explosives were sent, has experienced dramatic levels of violence including decapitated bodies hanging from pedestrian bridges and deadly prison riots between rival gangs.

Gulf Clan: Colombia suspends ceasefire with drug cartel

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has suspended a ceasefire with the country’s main drug trafficking cartel, the Gulf Clan

by Vanessa Buschschlüter

BBC News

He accused it of “sowing anxiety and terror” and ordered the security forces to reactivate their military operations against the criminal gang.

The ceasefire had been agreed in December as part of the president’s plan for “total peace” in Colombia.

Its suspension is a major blow to Mr Petro’s attempt to end armed conflict.

His policy is radically different from that from his predecessor in office, Iván Duque, who tried to secure peace by stepping up military operations against Colombia’s illegal armed groups.

Mr Petro is instead trying to negotiate an end of hostilities with dozens of criminal organisations.

On 31 December 2022, the government had announced that it had reached a bilateral ceasefire with the Gulf Clan as well as rebels of the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissidents from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) among others.

But this past week, President Petro has accused the Gulf Clan of breaking the ceasefire, blaming it for an attack on an aqueduct and saying it had incited protests from informal gold miners.

In a tweet, he also accused Gulf Clan members of shooting at police officers.

“From this moment, there is no ceasefire with the Gulf Clan. The security forces need to act immediately against the structures of this mafia organisation,” he wrote.

The head of Colombia’s police force, Henry Sanabria, said that more officers would be mobilised and sent to the areas where the Gulf Clan is most active.

The cartel has a presence in many of Colombia’s provinces and has established international connections with other criminal organisations, with whom it collaborates to smuggle drugs from Colombia to the US and as far away as Russia.

It is also engaged in people-smuggling and illegal goldmining.

The capture of its leader, Dairo Antonio Úsuga, also known as Otoniel, in 2021 weakened the structure of Gulf Clan, but cells of the group of have continued to operate.

President Petro has said that there is “obviously no possibility of negotiation” while the Gulf Clan continues to engage in illegal activities and attacks.

Amid border security tensions, AMLO hosts US lawmakers

March 24, 2023

photo: A U.S. congressional delegation led by Senator John Cornyn returned to the U.S. on Monday after meeting with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Mexican officials in Mexico City to discuss security and development cooperation, among other topics. (Twitter / @lopezobrador)

by Mexico News Daily

President López Obrador said Monday that migration, development cooperation and security were among the topics discussed at his meeting with 12 United States lawmakers in Mexico City on Sunday.

“The meeting was very good, very respectful, and we reached agreements to continue working together with respect for our sovereignties,” he told reporters at his regular morning news conference.

The U.S. delegation was led by Republican Senator John Cornyn and included Democratic Senator Chris Coons, Democratic Representative Veronica Escobar and Republican Representative María Elvira Salazar, among other legislators. U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar and other embassy officials were also in attendance.

López Obrador was accompanied by several of his cabinet ministers and other officials, including Pemex CEO Octavio Romero and National Water Commission chief Germán Martínez Santoyo.

According to a statement issued by the president’s office, López Obrador and the Republican and Democratic lawmakers held “an open and constructive dialogue to deal with common challenges that both countries face.”

The meeting came after some Republican lawmakers proposed the deployment of the United States military in Mexico to combat Mexican cartels and the flow of drugs, especially fentanyl, into the U.S. López Obrador has addressed these statements himself, calling them an offense to the Mexican people.

However, López Obrador said Monday that that proposal was not considered at Sunday’s meeting in the National Palace.

“It was an initiative of some legislators who think they can get votes in the United States with this, by blaming Mexico for what’s unfortunately happening in the United States,” he said.

“A lot of young people are dying due to the consumption of drugs, especially fentanyl. That’s something we regret, but it’s been explained to them that fentanyl isn’t produced in Mexico, this is a chemical that is brought in from Asia, that arrives in Mexico to be transported to the United States, but which also arrives directly to the United States,” López Obrador said, despite evidence that the synthetic opioid is indeed manufactured in Mexico.

At the meeting with the U.S. lawmakers, Mexican Security Minister Rosa Icela Rodríguez reported that 2,263 kilograms of fentanyl were seized in Mexico last year.

The statement by the president’s office also noted that Rodríguez highlighted that 6,115 kilograms of the drug have been confiscated since the current government took office. The figure has been mentioned frequently by federal officials in recent times as they seek to demonstrate that Mexico is serious about stopping the flow of the powerful narcotic to its northern neighbor.

Among the high-ranking Mexican officials at Sunday’s meeting was Navy Minister José Rafael Ojeda Durán, who “offered details on the strategy to strengthen customs and the maritime and ports protection that is being carried out in the country,” according to the president’s office.

The current government put Mexico’s ports and customs stations under the control of the military as part of efforts to stamp out corruption.

The statement added that López Obrador acknowledged U.S. President Joe Biden’s work on migration issues at Sunday’s meeting.

López Obrador praised his counterpart for opening up new legal pathways for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans to enter the United States and “reaffirmed that Mexico will continue promoting development in Central America and the Caribbean with programs like Sembrando Vida [Sowing Life] and Jóvenes Construyendo el Futuro [Youths Building the Future].”

The former is a reforestation and employment program, while the latter is an apprenticeship program. Mexico has expanded both initiatives to northern countries in Central America.

López Obrador also highlighted the government’s investment in Mexico’s south and southeast through projects such as the Maya Train railroad, the new Pemex refinery on the Tabasco coast, and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec trade corridor.

He also spoke about “various projects of United States companies in the region, including energy ones,” according to the statement, which made no mention of the ongoing dispute between Mexico and the U.S. over the Mexican government’s energy policies, which the U.S. alleges violate the USMCA trade agreement by favoring state-owned energy companies.

According to a statement posted to Senator Cornyn’s website, the U.S. delegation “received briefings from U.S. intelligence officials, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar on the United States’ security posture with regards to Mexico, recent killings of Americans in the country, efforts to stop drug trafficking, and illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border.”

“The delegation shared their concerns with Mexico’s handling of these issues with President López Obrador and members of his administration,” the statement added.

Given that the United States and Mexico share a border, Cornyn said, the two countries “should have a shared interest in working together to address the security challenges that put American and Mexican lives at risk, including drugs, murderous cartels, and unchecked migration.”

“Our delegation made clear to President López Obrador that his administration must do more to address these issues so that we can maintain our historically strong economic and cultural partnership, and I am hopeful that our candid conversations will lead to collaborative solutions that make both countries safer and more prosperous,” the senator said.

López Obrador said Monday that “there is a framework of understanding in which there is cooperation on the issue of security” with the United States.

He stressed, however, that the bilateral security arrangement is “regulated so that agents of United States government agencies” — such as the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation — cannot enter Mexico “without the knowledge of the Mexican government, … as previously happened.”

“It is completely undemocratic”: López Obrador rejects the possible arrest of Trump

March 24, 2023

RT – Latin America

The former US president assured that he will be arrested this Tuesday and called on his followers to protest

The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, spoke on Tuesday about the possible arrest of former US president Donald Trump, something he described as “undemocratic.”

“Former President Trump is declaring that they are going to arrest him, I think today, for a supposed love affair,” López Obrador said during his morning press conference.

For the Mexican president, if the arrest takes place, the reason for this process would be the Republican’s political ban: “We are not sucking our fingers, which is so that it does not appear on the ballot,” he said.

“If I say this it is because I suffered from the fabrication of a crime, because they did not want me to be a candidate and that is completely undemocratic, because the people are not allowed to be the ones to decide,” he commented.

What Trump assures

The Mexican president spoke about it, after Trump assured that he will be arrested this Tuesday and called on his followers to protest.

“The main Republican candidate and former president of the United States will be arrested on Tuesday of next week. Protest, take back our nation!” Trump said through his Truth Social social network last Saturday, after denouncing that “American patriots They are being arrested and held captive.”

Trump could be charged with alleged felony falsifying business records and violating campaign finance laws by arranging a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels through her then-attorney, Michael Cohen, to change from his silence about alleged sexual encounters with the tycoon in 2006, which the former president denies.

Should he be indicted, it would be the first time a former US president has been charged and could turn his race upside down for the 2024 presidential election.

If he is charged, the way law enforcement prosecutes the former president could be unlike any other defendant in the country’s history. Although you may be fingerprinted and have a photo taken for police records, you will not be taken in handcuffs before TV cameras or placed in a cell. He will likely remain in the custody of Secret Service agents assigned to protect him, Bloomberg reported, citing a source familiar with the matter.

San Francisco Public Library presents the play “Dancing at Home”

March 24, 2023

by Magdy Zara

The San Francisco Public Library offers a series of fun and educational activities for this spring break, among which is the staging of the play Dancing at Home.

Dancing at Home is about two cousins: Margie and Lupe, both 5th grade students learning about family, dance, and themselves. Margie is proud to have been born in the United States. Her family is from Mexico and her cousin, Lupe, comes to California to live with them. Meanwhile, Lupe struggles with a new country and language.

This work will be exhibited next Tuesday, March 28, at the SF Main Library Children’s Center, at 2 p.m.; Wednesday, March 29, at 4 p.m., at the Bernal Heights branch; and on April 1 at the Portola branch, at 2 p.m.

To make reservations for school groups, call (415) 557-4554 in advance to reserve space.

Santos: Skin with Skin will be presented soon in California

Santos Piel con Piel, is a film production that seeks to recognize the life and work of John Santos, who is an excellent percussionist, a native of San Francisco, California, folklorist, community activist, and seven-time Grammy nominee.

This documentary will premiere at Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley, next Wednesday, March 29, at 7 p.m. After the projection of this masterful work there will be a live musical show with Santos and Friends.

Tickets will cost $15, for people over 65 $13 and for young students under 21 $7.50.

MNC commemorates César Chávez’s birthday

This March 31 is the birthday of César Chávez, so the MNC invites the community in general to a breakfast and the screening of two films to commemorate this important date.

The films Si Se Puede and Fighting for Our Lives will be screened. Both powerful documentaries that captured the real story of the farm worker movement in the United States.

The activity will take place at 362 Capp Street, San Francisco, California, on Thursday, March 30, at 8:30 and 11:30 a.m.

Carmen & Frida: Folkloric Ballet

Within the framework of the 55th anniversary of the Peninsula Ballet Theatre, the Ensemble Ballet Folklorico de San Francisco of the artistic director, Zenón Barrón, presents two magnificent dance works, Carmen & Frida.

This is the story of two women, one fictional and one real, but both immortalized, told through dance and music that will awaken your passion, touch your heart and inspire your courage.

The act will be presented on April 1 and 2, at 7 and 3 p.m. respectively, at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center, located at 600 N Delaware St.San Mateo, CA. Tickets will start at $25 and are now available for purchase online at peninsulaballet.org.

Few undocumented CA college students receive state aid

March 24, 2023

Happy, education and man with a laptop in class, learning scholarship and studying at university. Knowledge, smile and student with a computer at college for research, connection and project.

by Suzanne Potter

California News Service

Just 14 percent of California’s 94,000 undocumented college students receive some form of state financial aid, according to a new report.

Researchers from the California Student Aid Commission found that only half of the people who are eligible for state aid for higher education even apply.

Marlene García, the commission’s executive director, said a lot of community college undocumented students apply to get their fees waived for coursework, but don’t realize they could get a Cal Grant to help with living expenses.

Paperwork appears to be one of the issues.

“They may be applying for the College Promise, and they think that they’ve completed the financial aid application,” said García. “But then, they find out they have to complete the California Dream Act application. And sometimes, you’ll lose students in that process.”

Starting this year, state law requires all high school seniors to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or the California Dream Act application, so school counselors are going to have their hands full.

García said many steps could be taken at the federal level to help undocumented students, including making the Pell Grant available, or reviving the DACA program and extending its provisions to allow students to have the right to work.

“If you’re an undocumented student and you don’t have work authorization to get a job after you graduate from college,” said García, “that’s going to raise the question about where the value proposition is for a college degree for you.”

Another barrier is the requirement that undocumented students sign an affidavit that they attended at least three years of high school in California. A new bill now in the California Legislature would integrate that affidavit into the California Dream Act application.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

Advocates Launch Campaign to Prevent Harmful Health-Care Mergers

Billboards have gone up across California warning about the negative effects of unchecked mergers in the health-care system. The Protect California Patients campaign is a coalition of more than 30 organizations that support Assembly Bill 1091, which would give the attorney general more oversight on mergers worth more than $15-million.

Rachel Linn Gish is director of communications for Health Access California, which is helping lead the campaign.

“For 30 years, the Attorney General has successfully overseen many health-care mergers. That makes sure that patients are protected, that vital services are continued, and that prices don’t spike. And we want to extend that oversight to other entities in the market, like for-profit hospitals” she said.

The billboards are visible on roadways in Northern California, the Central Valley and in Los Angeles. Find out more about the campaign on the website at ProtectCAPatients.

In a statement, the California Hospital Association said the bill is unnecessary because the state already has an Office of Healthcare Affordability. The CHA also asserted AB 1091 would prohibit many arrangements between health-care providers and payers, making it more expensive and unpredictable to partner.

Gish said after a merger, however, companies often eliminate services they see as duplicative – which can force patients to travel farther to find a quality hospital.

“Health care is a business,” she said. “So, the bottom line is often to make money, and in order to do so, a lot of times that means increasing costs for patients or cutting vital access to services for patients, if they’re deemed not profitable. This could be things like labor and delivery rooms, emergency-room departments, and things like that.”

The new oversight would also cover future mergers of religiously affiliated health systems, which currently provide one in six hospital beds in California but often restrict reproductive services, including contraception, abortion, miscarriage management, tubal ligation and gender-affirming care.

24th Street BART Plaza is a place to buy many stolen goods at a bargain price

March 24, 2023

The Mission District in San Francisco has been one of the most desired districts to live for many, including out-of-state and wealthy people, as it has one of the best climates in the city, grocery stores everywhere, food restaurants of many different cultures, and most of all, at very low prices compared to the rest of the city. SF is one of the most expensive cities to live in the United States. Its residential buildings are mostly Victorian-era architecture.

I remember what a real estate agent once told me several decades ago, when the district, or Latino barrio as it is known, was a very dangerous place to live due to violent gang activity. There were shootings in broad daylight. The taxi drivers did not want to go to pick up clients there, many corners were taken as territories of different gangs. Drug sales were rampant.

“I have a client from New York with a lot of money who needs me to find even a room for his daughter in the Mission District, and mostly on 24th Street,” the agent said. “I didn’t understand why this man wanted something so dangerous for his daughter.”

“But that’s where my daughter wants to live,” the prospective client told the agent.

However, thanks to the federal government, most of the gang members were gradually captured and sent -silently- to their respective countries in Central America. What now represents a serious headache for the governments that received them.

For many years this Latino district has become a jewel for non-Hispanic investors, as it also enjoys the best urban transportation in the city.

However, recently, things have not been going very well after the pandemic.

One block from the El Reportero office on Mission Street and 23er, there is a Walgreens store, very convenient for buying basic emergency items, including a pharmacy that opens until 12 at midnight.

One block away is the BART (subway) station.

Almost all day, all week, thieves enter the store with large bags and backpacks and fill them up. They leave without paying, walking in front of the employees and the private security hired by the store, since they calculate that what they steal does not exceed $1,000.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law mandating that violators – or thieves – not be arrested if what they steal is less than $1,000.

They rush to the BART station to sell their merchandize to the sidewalk vendors, and, of course, this has turned the BART plaza into a hub for thieves and buyers of stolen goods. The police have their hands tied with this law, and young people are licensed by the state to steal whatever they want.

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elreporteroTV camera capture this young man putting merchandise in his bag and exiting the store without paying:

‘Serial Filers’ — SF businesses still vulnerable to fraudulent ADA lawsuits

March 24, 2023

photo: Arriba: El Blue Danube Cafe de San Francisco fue uno de los cientos de negocios afectados por demandas fraudulentas bajo la ADA el año pasado.