by the El Reportero’s news services

Matt García, the slain City of Fairfield Council member. He was the youngest elected official in California. (photo courtesy of Web Shots)

Two people were arrested in the killing of Fairfield City Councilman Matt García, according to a news report.

Gene Allen Combs 45, of Suisun City, and Nicole Stewart of Fairfield 33, were arrested early Saturday. Police are still searching for a third suspect, Henry Don Williams, a 32-year-old convicted felon.

The two suspects were booked at Solano County Jail on suspicion of murder, conspiracy and use of a firearm. However, police declined to discuss a motive for the slaying or say whether García knew the suspects.

The 22-year-old councilman was fatally shot on Sept. 1 as he stepped out of his car outside a friend’s home in Cordelia. García, a city Councilman considered the youngest elected official in the state, was cut short last week when he was shot, in a tragedy still shrouded in mystery.

According to information given to the police, García had gone to visit a friend, 18-year-old Jennifer Tarbell, and it was while chatting with her, standing near a black Cadillac, that he was shot several times. The bullets struck him in the head. The suspect, described to the police as a Hispanic man with brown skin around 20 years old, escaped in a medium-sized, older-model sedan.

Matt García

For four days, García’s was kept alive with the help of a respirator at the John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, but his family asked to disconnect him on Friday, Sept. 5. Ron Marlette, spokesperson for the family, said that García’s organs would be donated, as that had been his wishes.

“He wanted to give life even in death,” Marlette said.

Kathyrn Scarrot, Fairfield Police offi cer, said that more than 90 officers from diverse agencies, including the Oakland Police, were collaborating in the investigation.

Governor Schwarzenegger announced a reward of $50,000 for anyone with information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the murder.

García had been elected to the City Council in November 2007, and was hoping to become mayor of Fairfield, where he was born and raised. For this reason, during a vigil which brought hundreds of friends to Fairfield in honor of García’s memory, he was named honorary mayor by the current mayor, Harry Price. In addition, a youth center that opened its doors this year was named after García in recognition of the support that he gave to children.

Matt García doing political campaign in Fairfield, Calif.

During his campaign for councilman, according to his electoral platform, García wanted to make Fairfield a safer place to live, work, shop and eat. “The main problem that Fairfield confronts is crime, and this is mainly related to our youth,” he stated.

The Hispanic councilman gave great support to his community. He was member of the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Northern California, administrator of the adult Softball League, and many other community activities.

Leaders of a Latino legislative group, the Assemblymen Joe Coto (D- San Jose) and Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles) have denounced the assassination of García.

Friends and family plan to create a charity in García’s name. Donations to the Matt García Memorial Fund will be accepted at First Bank at 2407 Waterman Blvd. in Fairfield.

by William Fonceca-Moya

Peter Gómez

Mr. Pedro Gómez, affectionately known in the San Francisco’s Mission District as don Peter Gómez, and as a Nicaraguan-born merchant died in the city of Diriamba, on Sept. 14 at the age of 74, after suffering a cardiac arrest in Managua, Nicaragua. He was born in 1934.

Mr. Gómez initiated his Imperial Travel business 32 years ago on the San Francisco’s Mission Street,” considered by many as one of the most successful in the city, since it services a large clientele, especially Nicaraguans. At present it is managed by his children, since Mr. Gómez was in retirement.

Mr. Gómez came to the United States, approximately half a century ago. He was born in Diriamba on April 29, 1934. In California he got engaged to Mrs. Mirna Gómez, daughter of the deceased and legendary journalist Andrés Castro, proprietor of Radio Xolotlán in Managua. With her he procreated Mark, Peter Jr., Irving, Ivette, Lucía, Carolina, and Rose, with whom he maintained an enviable relationship up to his death.

During the last 12 years he had to take charge of the family by himself, since Mrs. Gómez died of cancer. The Nicaraguans will remember him for his love to sport, his cordial attention and his walks by the Mission quarter.

­His funerals will take place at Valente Marini Perata funeral house, at 4840 Mission Street, San Francisco, California, on Tuesday, Sept. 22. For more information to attend, call (415) 333-0161.

At press time of this edition, his remains had been already transported to San Francisco from Nicaragua, where they will be buried at the Cemetery Holy Angels, in the city of Colma, Calif. The personnel of El Reportero, especially its editor Marvin J. Ramírez, sends his most sincere condolences to the morning family.

by the El Reportero’s news services

Evo Morales

Fifteen leaders from the Union of South American nations (Unasur) met in Santiago, Chile on Sept. 15 to discuss the current crisis in Bolivia.

The meeting would almost certain to result in more support for Bolivia’s President Evo Morales. The meeting was called by Unasur’s president, Chile’s Michelle Bachelet, and follows the violence in Bolivia last week which left at least 30 people dead in Pando.

The killings on Sept. 10 occurred, the government said, after a group of indigenous peasant supporters of Morales were ambushed by armed supporters of the regional opposition prefect, Leopoldo Fernández.

Nicaragua’s Ortega says he won’t meet with Bush in solidarity with Bolivia

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega says he will reject an invitation to meet with President Bush out of “solidarity” with Bolivia in its diplomatic spat with Washington.

Bolivian President Evo Morales expelled the U.S. ambassador this week after accusing him of conspiring against his government.

Washington rejected the accusations and expelled Bolivia’s ambassador to the U.S. the following day.

During his announcement Saturday, Ortega also accused Washington of trying to foment a coup against Morales.

Ortega, whose first administration fought U.S.-backed Contra rebels in the 1980s, has often been strident in criticizing Washington. He did not say why he had been invited to the White House.

Colom administration shaken by “Guategate” spying scandal

The discovery of spying devices in the offices and home of Guatemala’s President Alvaro Colom, and the alleged complicity of his top security officials, shook the government to its core last week, once again illustrating the way in which the mafia and organised crime have infi ltrated the highest echelons of the state. Adding to the resultant climate of fear and uncertainty was Colom’s decision to call in the military to take charge of the presidential palace. The move, which was curious and hugely symbolic given the country’s history of civil war, cast a whole new light on Colom’s recent announcement of plans to expand the army [WR-08-35].

Recall vote ratifies Morales – and his foes – in power

Hopes that the Aug. 10 recall vote would spell an immediate end to the political crisis afflicting Bolivia rapidly evaporated after President Evo Morales and the Media Luna opposition prefects were overwhelmingly ratified in power. Nevertheless with more than two-thirds of the vote, two key opponents ejected and a surge in support in eight of the country’s nine regions, Morales undoubtedly emerged the stronger, providing him with renewed impetus to push on with his plan for constitutional reform.

Petroleras de Venezuela, Chile y Ecuador crearán empresas conjuntas

Las entidades estatales Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) y la Empresa Nacional de Petróleo (ENAP) de Chile firmarán hoy acuerdos con Petróleos de Ecuador (PETROECUADOR) para explorar gas en el golfo de Guayaquil.

PDVSA y la ENAP crearán con la estatal ecuatoriana de crudo empresas de economía mixta con miras a investigar y hacer análisis en los bloques cuatro y 40, ubicados en el Golfo de Guayaquil. (Latin News, AP and Prensa Latina contributed to this report).

by Michael Seifert

I have lived in the Rio Grande Valley’s colonias for the past 15 years and have come to love the resilience and the energy that these communities contain and nurture.

The homes in the colonia neighborhoods are nearly all works in progress, visible testimonials to the Valley residents’ tenacious hold on hope. Outsiders see poverty and misery. Those of us who live here see the fruits of people working far harder than most others to build something for their children and their children’s children.

Works in progress, however, are often risky ventures. A working family doesn’t always have the material resources to build the strongest homes and can’t always locate their homestead in the best geographic space. Many of our neighborhoods are in flood plains, exposed to the whimsical wrath of storms.

House blessings are particularly touching. Some of my neighbors’ homes are indeed dependent upon some divine protection. Hurricanes are particular threats. All of us are all too aware that another storm like Gilbert would leave us but memories of what our neighborhoods once were.

We look over our shoulders now and then, hoping fate isn’t creeping up on us unseen.

As Hurricane Ike made its way east and north, I spoke with my neighbors. They all vividly remember that day in May when Rio Grande Guardian reporter Joey Gómez discovered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) checking for citizenship documents during a practice evacuation. The word spread quickly—during a hurricane evacuation, the Border Patrol will separate people according to their documentation.

I asked my neighbors, in light of Border Patrol’s recent claims they wouldn’t “necessarily” be checking for documents, that if an evacuation was ordered, would they leave?

Those families composed of legal permanent residents or U.S. citizens ail told me, “Yes indeed! We aren’t crazy people.”

Those families composed of people with mixed immigration status—a grandfather whose application for residency is in “process,” or a niece who had submitted a request for a visa under the Violence Against Women Act, or a family with children who are U.S. citizens, but whose parents are Mexican nationals – they all told me, every last one of them, “No way are we leaving.”

When I asked those neighbors why wouldn’t they leave, they said, again, every last one of them, “We don’t trust the Border Patrol.

We would rather take our chances with Ike. While I admire the bravado, it is clear that the bluster borders on foolishness.

Families with small children are the ones whose eyes opened wide as they considered their options—the tragedy of a catastrophic storm or the icy efficiency of our government’s security ­apparatus.

This sort of worry would have seemed inconceivable 15 years ago. We lived in a different time, a time when someone’s identity had to do with their character more than with thei r documentation. It seems to me we have given in to a terror so deep that we are willing to take actions which would place our poorest, most vulnerable families at risk.

The memorial of September 11th offered another opportunity to reflect on what sort of national community we have created… Have we become shrill in our fear? This hurricane might well lift up the veil that covers some of the shameful realities of our national character—we have become a fearful people.

The hurricane is indeed a tragedy… Purses will open, helping communities rebuild. I pray that we are blessed with courage and wisdom and much less fear. I put my own hope in that tenaciously.

(Father Michael Seifert is pastor at San Felipe de Jesus Church in Cameron Park, nearBrownsville, the largest U.S. colonia.)

by Edgar Martínez and Marvin Ramírez

Tribute immortalizes Orlando Cepeda The San Francisco Giants star, Orlando Cepeda observes the just unveiled statue in his honor. (photos by Marvin J. Ramirez)

Amid tears and high emotions the legendary Orlando Cepeda was immortalized by the San Francisco Giants, when his own statue was unveiled before the eyes of the greatest of the greatest in baseball history, friends and family.

The unveiling of the 9 by 5 foot bronze statue took place before hundreds of fans who participated in a mini Giants’ festival with Latin American food, salsa bands playing, Mexican folkloric dance, and the special presentation of Cepeda’s personal friend, Grammy winner, José Feliciano. Before coming to the public on the skirts of the AT&T Park, Cepeda hosted a smaller private gathering, which included family, friends, and Giants executives and players.

Among those invited were Ms. Vera Clemente, wife of the late Roberto Clemente, who spoke to this reporter at length about her husband’s work to help Nicaragua after the 1972 earthquake, until he lost his life in a plane crash. Ms. Clemente said that she will be visiting Nicaragua soon, a country which she and her children have fallen in love with.

Others present were Juan Marichal, Felipe Alou, Peter Magowan, Patrick “Pat” Gallaghe, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Barry Bonds, Vida Blue and many others.

Passing by the statues of great Giants stars such as Willie Mays, Willie McCovey or Dominican Juan Marichal, teammates for years, Orlando said it never passed his mind that he would one day have a statue in San Francisco’s ballpark.

Orlando Cepeda and his wife Miriam couldn’t hold the tears of emotion when the veil that covered his statue was removed.

“Today is a surprise, an immense honor and for the luck of being born with abilities to play ball, and have my statue in this beautiful park in this city that I love.

For his young fans, Cepeda sent, “A greeting of my part for those who fight to be better and that everything be positive.

Cepeda known as “The Baby Bull,” has been from 1999, a life tenant of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, and a complete legend in the baseball Big League.

From his beginning at 20 years of age in 1958, with the Giants of San Francisco, in the same period he was a named Rookie of the Year and more Valuable Player, he was here for the fi rst performance of this team after it moved from New York to San Francisco. His debut was unbeatable on having connected a quadrangular to famous Don Drydale, of today detested by Bay Areas fans, the Dodgers of Los Angeles.

Cepeda scored important achievements between 1958-1966 with the Giants, his ­golden epoch was he when scored .300, although to his retirement, after transferring to the San Luis, Atlanta Athletics of Oakland, Red Socks of Boston, and ending with the Royals of Kansas City (1974), his global and final average was .297, with .379 for full runs, 1,365 runs produced in 2,124 challenges.

He was chosen for 11 Star Games but he only took part in nine. Of the World Series in which Cepeda took part, the most painful could have been the one in which San Francisco lost in seven games against the New York Yankees in 1962.

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