Going unnoticed by Benito Taibo, this collection of poems brings together poems that the author has written in different years, starting from 198, until the first decade of the 2000s.
Mexican writer Benito Taibo is one of Camilasbooks' favorites, however, not always for his novels, which are very popular, but also for his facet as a poet, and it is precisely a collection of poetry that the reviewer recommends for this Saturday.
Camilasbooks met Taibo through her book “Persona Normal”, a novel written in 2011, which she also recommends reading, as it made her feel embraced and supported at a time when she needed it. But it is “Pasar inadvertido”, the poetry collection by this writer that captivated her, which was released in 2022.
“Benito Taibo is a Mexican author whom I value very much and whose work I have always loved a lot, and finding him in this collection of poems called 'Pasar inadvertido' has been a great surprise, not only because he writes in an incredible way, but also because we explore, in some way, a totally different facet of this author.”
For Camilasbooks, Benito Taibo has “something in his pen that makes him so special, because he has a very exquisite writing style. I love reading him, it is like a shelter, at the same time he gives a lot through his words and that fascinates me a lot.”
This collection of poems brings together poems that the author has written in different years, starting from 198, until the first decade of the 2000s.
Camilasbooks mentioned that, although she is used to reading poetry about love and heartbreak, among other existentialist themes, she was surprised by Taibo's poetry, as she found a more everyday poetry that tells of what can happen to us daily and that Benito makes sure that those things are not lost in oblivion.
“In reality, the things that Benito writes have always been a refuge for me, they have always been a way of looking at things from another perspective, also with a lot of enthusiasm, with a lot of faith and hope placed in life and that is very noticeable in his words, it is something that is always reflected in his work and it is very beautiful. He is an author who makes you want to live, gives you energy, gives you something that can bring you well-being and I am very grateful for that,” said Camilasbooks.
If you want to know more about this author and others, don't miss the Camilasbooks reviews on Península 360 Press.
Seniors and people with disabilities in California who have Medi-Cal have seen their benefits increased through expanded services such as medically adapted meals, transportation to and from appointments, home care, home accessibility modifications, and long-term care transition assistance.
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) continues to transform Medi-Cal so that the most vulnerable people can have access to efficient, equitable, and quality medical services.
Thus, seniors and people with disabilities who are eligible for both Medi-Cal and Medicare can have dual plans in 12 counties that integrate these services.
In addition, the recent expansion of Medi-Cal and the elimination of asset limits, such as bank accounts, property or owning a second car, no longer count toward obtaining medical care, helping more people qualify for Medi-Cal coverage, experts said during a briefing held by Ethnic Media Services.
They explained that Medi-Cal programs are helping older and disabled Californians live healthier lives at home through prevention and consistency; this goes beyond the doctor's or hospital visit and seeks to meet all the physical and mental health needs of the community.
Dana Durham, chief of the Department of Health Services' Managed Care Quality and Oversight Division, explained that she is working to make Medi-Cal a comprehensive service, not from the point of view of illness in the hospital or from the emergency room, but from prevention.
In this regard, he commented that one of the most notable changes in the expansion of the Medi-Cal service is the community service, where the aim is to deal with complex issues in a personalized manner through a manager who serves as a guide to learn and understand everything that the medical service offers, in this way it will be adapted to the needs of each person from the understanding of their limitations.
"Managers help manage the system since not everyone has the ability to understand it, and it becomes more complex in older adults, but language is also the main limitation.”, Durham stressed.
Anastasia Dodson, deputy director of the Department of Health Care Services' Office of Medicare Innovation and Integration, explained that people with Medicare can also sign up for Medi-Cal for more comprehensive coverage.
"Medical works together with Medicare to cover payments and also the costs of prescription drugs, it serves to have a broader service because some Medicare benefits are not available in Medi-Cal.", said.
He also highlighted the elimination of assets to be a Medi-Cal beneficiary, meaning that any amount of assets or bank accounts does not impact eligibility, only the salary and the number of people in the home, a change that was carried out since January 2024 to give the community more opportunities to acquire the benefit of the services.
"Our goal is to make healthcare more affordable and more efficient from the moment you purchase your subscription.”, Dodson said..
Jenna LaPlante, senior director of Care Management Programs at the Institute on Aging, said she has been welcoming seniors who have Medi-Cal to help connect people to the services they need.
LaPlante works with 9 counties in the state, provides special care, and coordinates management and community support with other services in San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Alameda, among others.
She also explained that they are working on care plans to reach more places; the goal is to work with those adults who have not had any benefits, in addition to hiring people who are bilingual, who have a different culture to connect with the most vulnerable communities, added Jenna LaPlante.
"The goal is to have providers available who can help people in any language and right now care coordination is being offered for older adults and people with disabilities.", he pointed out.
Carrie Madden, director of the Aging and Disability Program at Resource Connection of Central and South LA, said they provide support and help through phone calls, listening and connecting people to the help they need.
For Medi-Cal or Medicare beneficiaries, the services available are greater and the opportunities to obtain needed help increase, so purchasing Medi-Cal services is encouraged.
Keith Miller, executive director of Communities Living Actively Independent and Free (CALI), explained that with the changes, more support can be provided to people, working in a coordinated manner with the rehabilitation department and other areas that provide emotional support, housing, legal case management and others.
The focus is on older and disabled people to provide them with ongoing preventive services, but Medi-Cal also provides the opportunity to provide more precise care in the event of an illness or serious medical issue.
Miller said that 51 percent of his employees are people with disabilities, so providing help to this sector of the community is a commitment that begins with each one of us.
Faith in Action Bay Area organization is not going to give up on the “No” vote on the rent control proposal in Redwood City. Screenshot from live video of the Bay Area Faith in Action Facebook.
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The organization Faith in Action Bay Area does not intend to give in to the “No” vote from the San Mateo County Elections Office, which reported on Monday that the proposed rent control resolution in Redwood City was rejected from appearing on the ballot because it did not have the required number of signatures.
In that regard, leaders of the organization who are also residents of Redwood City said they will exhaust all resources to ensure that city residents can vote for a rent control resolution.
“We were shocked and disappointed to receive the notice from the city last night. We are consulting with our attorneys and will be requesting more information from the city and county so that we can explore all available options at our disposal to address the county’s findings,” said Linda Goldman Leeb, a Redwood City resident and member of Faith in Action Bay Area.
“At this point, I can tell you that this fight is not over because we are committed to continuing our work to protect the dignity of Redwood City tenants and keep families in their homes,” she said.
Goldman said grassroots leaders worked hard to collect thousands of valid signatures over the past few months, and by knocking on doors it became clear that thousands of voters want reasonable rent control in Redwood City.
“In my own experience knocking on doors, the vast majority of people I met were very supportive of the measure. And when collecting signatures, we asked each person if they were registered to vote in Redwood City,” she said.
He also noted that the findings of the San Mateo County Elections Office “were a complete surprise,” given that they submitted nearly 150 percent of the signatures needed to appear on the ballot.
“We will request more information from the Elections Office regarding the signatures that were deemed invalid,” he said.
In that regard, she said she knows that reasonable rent control and tenant protections are needed in Redwood City and that there is important work to be done to ensure that everyone in the community can remain in their homes and have their voices heard in the upcoming electoral process.
The civil coalitions presented 6,395 voter signatures to the Redwood City clerk with the idea of seeking to keep the city affordable, diverse and vibrant for those who live, work or study in it.
Leaders of the Bay Area Faith in Action organization and community allies said the proposal would seek to cap rent increases at a reasonable amount so residents could focus on making ends meet without fear of their rent going up each year, while ensuring a fair return for mom-and-pop landlords.
A new report suggests corporate multifamily owners in Redwood City are driving unsustainable prices.
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*87 percent of multifamily housing is owned by corporations and trusts
After news broke that the San Mateo County Elections Office backed off a rent control proposal from the November ballot, and rent prices have skyrocketed, a new report suggests that corporate multifamily owners are driving such unsustainable prices in Redwood City.
A report released Thursday by the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project reveals that 87 percent of multi-family housing in Redwood City is now owned by corporations and real estate investment trusts.
The analysis details that these corporate landlords, especially those with larger property portfolios, are charging higher rents and increasing them more quickly compared to the small number of small landlords.
The most affected by this type of practice are the elderly, families and essential workers.
“Out-of-town corporate landlords care most about their profits,” said Amelia Garibay, a leader of the Bay Area Faith in Action organization, which has led the effort to put rent control on the November ballot.
“We care about keeping Redwood City affordable and making sure everyone has a decent place to live,” he added.
The report shows that out of a total of 12,030 multifamily units in Redwood City, only 187 are owned by local “mom and pop” owners, while the 20 largest owners own more than 5,116 multifamily rental units in Redwood City, more than 40 percent of the city’s total.
“Out-of-town, larger-scale or corporate landlords may be more likely to view their rentals as business investments and be motivated to maximize profits regardless of community impact,” the report said.
Real estate funds with large portfolios based outside of Redwood City have been particularly quick to raise rents, an average of 17.4 percent over three years, he said.
“The report shows that large-scale corporate landlords dominate the rental market and charge the highest rents, which is driving up rents overall,” said Dan Sakaguchi, one of the report’s authors.
He added that corporate landlords not only own the majority of Redwood City’s apartments, but “are actually driving the city’s affordability crisis.”
It is worth noting that some neighborhoods in Redwood City are more affected than others.
Communities like Friendly Acres and East Woodside Road are highly vulnerable, with more than 1,000 corporate-owned units now in the area and rents in those two areas having increased by more than 9 percent in the past three years.
“Small, family-owned landlords are important because they keep rents reasonable and keep families stable,” said Martha Beetley, a Redwood City homeowner and a Bay Area leader for Faith in Action.
“I was shocked to see that they now own less than 2.0 percent of our rental units. Corporate landlords who own properties across the country don’t have much interest in our community.”
According to Zillow Rental Data, the average apartment rent now exceeds $3,250 per month.
In addition, many tenants are also being forced out due to mistreatment by landlords, including harassment and uninhabitable living conditions.
More than half of Redwood City residents are renters. According to the Bay Area Equity Atlas, since 2000, rents have grown twice as fast as renters’ incomes, leading to renters being more likely to live in rent-burdened or overcrowded homes than the average San Mateo County renter.
The report highlights that in the Latino community, 60 percent of households are rent-burdened, including 31 percent who pay more than half of their income on housing, putting them at serious risk of displacement.
She also notes that older adults who have lived in Redwood City for decades are also disproportionately affected, as 75 percent of the city's 6,600 senior households are low-income.
With more than seven million adults living with a disability, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared this July as “Disability Pride Month 2024,” recognizing their contribution to the diversity and strength of the state.
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With more than seven million adults with a disability, California Governor, Gavin Newsom, declared this July as “Disability Pride Month 2024,” recognizing its contribution to the diversity and strength of the state.
Thus, California joins communities across the country in recognizing the many ways in which people living with disabilities, whether visible or invisible, mobility or cognitive, visual or hearing, learning or sensory, developmental or acquired.
Disability Pride Month, celebrated in July, marks the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a major civil rights milestone that became law on July 26, 1990.
Sponsored by California Congressman Tony Coelho, the ADA prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in all areas of public life, removing barriers to employment, transportation, public services, and other critical areas.
California is home to more than 7 million adults with disabilities and serves one in seven children with disabilities in schools.
“Our state has been instrumental for decades in advancing the inclusion and integration of people with disabilities in all aspects of life. My administration is working to expand educational opportunities, employment options, access to health and home care, civil rights, and community living for people of all ages with disabilities,” Newsom said in his executive order.
The California governor said the state also continues to prioritize accessibility of all state services and is deepening its commitment to employment opportunities for people with disabilities within state service.
“Diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility are integral parts of our ongoing work to build a California for all,” Newsom said, calling for reflection on the essential contributions of people with disabilities to communities, the state and the nation, as well as reaffirming the commitment to their rights and independence.
Alvaro Urrea Olivares, a farm worker in Smith River. Photo: Manuel Ortiz
In the midst of incredible scenery, close to the Oregon border, lies Smith River, California, a small rural town of less than a thousand inhabitants. The “Easter Lily Capital of the World” is home to farm workers and their families, who know little or nothing about the medical services they can access.
In an exclusive interview for Península 360 Press, Manuel Ortiz spoke with some of these workers to learn more about their lives and the situations they go through when they get sick or need medical services.
The agricultural workers who live in this small town are mostly Mexican, mainly from Veracruz, Jalisco and Guanajuato. Learn more about this incredible interview that Manuel conducted, which was broadcast on “Por la Libre”, the mobile community radio station of Península 360 Press.
“We have spoken on other occasions about the public health service Medi-Cal, which offers free or low-cost health coverage to eligible people who live in California. As of January 1, 2024, Medi-Cal had a historic expansion of its services, which now include, among many others, dental, vision, and mental health care. In addition, as of this year, undocumented people can also be eligible for Medi-Cal and the program is not considered a public charge, so it does not affect the process of fixing their immigration status. However, despite the benefits offered by this expansion of Medi-Cal, many people still do not know that it exists,” says Manuel Ortiz.
Kelly Harris was born and raised in Tule Lake, a town in northern Siskiyou County, a small community of farm workers, most of them Latino, where they are seen as just that, employees, not as people.
“The Hispanic population has never been respected in this community; they are considered workers, not people,” he told journalists Manuel Ortiz and Peter Schurmann, for a joint project between Peninsula 360 Press and Ethnic Media Services.
The farms that fill the spaces of Tule Lake are owned by whites, who pass on their land to their children, and they in turn pass it on to theirs, perpetuating a space where there is no room for Latinos, at least not as anything other than workers.
“The people who own the farms haven’t changed, they’ve been passed down through generations. And these white farmers have taken their children out of the school districts here and put them in schools in Oregon, which are predominantly white. I think it’s a very racist place,” she said.
The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution to ratify and continue a local emergency proclamation due to the migration of beet leafhoppers into tomato crops.
With San Joaquin County growing about 21,000 acres of tomatoes each year, insects like the beet leafhopper suck the juice from the plants and transmit diseases like beet curly top virus.
Once plants such as tomatoes are infected with the virus, they die and cannot produce any more.
Last month, several pest control consultants walking through the county's tomato fields spotted virus-infected tomatoes on Roberts Island, Union Island and Fabian Tract.
Meeting documents indicated that California grows fresh market and processing tomatoes annually on approximately 235,000 acres, including 21,673 acres in 2023 in San Joaquin County, at an annual production cost of $5,248 per acre, representing approximately $114 million in annual revenue or crop value.
County Agricultural Commissioner Sealer of Weights & Measures Kamal Bagri said the virus and insect have been in the county for decades and have typically affected tomato crops.
However, this year it was necessary to declare a local emergency because new regulations passed in the state have restricted and limited certain uses of neonicotinoids to control the problem.
Neonicotinoids are active substances used in plant protection products to help control harmful insects.
“Growers simply do not have the tools to combat the virus now because of recent new regulations,” Bagri said.
Notably, similar local proclamations have been passed since April to combat the same virus and insect problem in other surrounding counties.
Ahogamientos en el condado de San Mateo preocupan a funcionarios y lanzan una campaña de seguridad pública para recordarles a los visitantes que deben “ser inteligentes, jugar de manera segura y mantenerse alerta”.
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Conmovidos por los recientes ahogamientos de niños y sus familias en la costa del condado de San Mateo, los funcionarios están lanzando una campaña de seguridad pública para recordarles a los visitantes que deben “ser inteligentes, jugar de manera segura y mantenerse alerta”.
El lanzamiento, anunciado en Surfer’s Beach en Half Moon Bay, se programó para coincidir con el concurrido feriado del 4 de julio, que generalmente atrae a miles de visitantes a las 54 millas de costa del condado, sin embargo, continuará vigente por todos los meses del verano.
“Nos corresponde compartir que, si bien el océano puede ser hermoso y maravilloso para refrescarse, hay olas pequeñas que pueden llevar a una persona al agua muy rápidamente y sin previo aviso”, dijo el supervisor Ray Mueller, cuyo Distrito Tres incluye la costa.
“Desafortunadamente, hemos perdido vidas en estas aguas, así que, si viene a la costa, mantenga a sus hijos a una distancia corta de usted, recuerde que el agua está muy fría y sin traje de neopreno se agota la energía rápidamente, no le dé la espalda al océano y, si queda atrapado en una ola pequeña, nade paralelo a la orilla”, agregó.
Los visitantes verán señales de carretera intermitentes a lo largo de las principales arterias costeras de la autopista 1, que se extiende desde Pacifica hasta pasar Pescadero, y la autopista 92, la principal ruta de acceso costero para los visitantes de la península media, East Bay, South Bay y más allá.
Hay carteles con mensajes como “Sea inteligente. Juegue seguro. Manténgase alerta” y “No dé marcha atrás en el océano”.
“Al priorizar la seguridad pública a través de la concientización y la educación, podemos trabajar juntos para prevenir estas tragedias. Junto con el supervisor Mueller, la ciudad de Half Moon Bay, CAL FIRE y otros socios, estamos tomando una posición para informar de manera proactiva a los visitantes y residentes que tengan cuidado”, señaló la Sheriff Christina Corpus.
“Este importante mensaje de seguridad, ‘Sea inteligente. Juegue seguro. Manténgase alerta’ y ‘No le dé la espalda al océano’ es simple y claro. Nuestro compromiso es unificado. Sea seguro y tenga cuidado cuando visite la costa”, subrayó.
El alcalde de Half Moon Bay, Joaquín Jiménez, llamó a todos a experimentar la belleza que ofrece la costa, sin embargo, destacó que “la seguridad de los miembros de nuestra comunidad y de nuestros visitantes es nuestra máxima prioridad. Queremos que todos disfruten de su tiempo, mientras se mantienen seguros”.
Según los Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, por sus siglas en inglés), las muertes por ahogamiento están aumentando en Estados Unidos, luego de décadas de disminución.
Más de 4 mil 500 personas murieron por ahogamiento cada año entre 2020 y 2022, 500 más por año en comparación con 2019.
El ahogamiento es la principal causa de muerte en niños de 1 a 4 años en los Estados Unidos y el condado de San Mateo no es inmune.
“Tenemos múltiples peligros en toda el Área de la Bahía, específicamente aquí en el condado de San Mateo. Esto significa que no solo estamos implorando a las personas que se mantengan a salvo de los incendios en la comunidad esta semana, sino que también les pedimos a todos los que buscan ayuda en el océano que piensen en la seguridad en la playa y estén atentos a todos los peligros asociados con la playa, incluidas las corrientes de resaca, las olas y los acantilados”, refirió el subdirector de CALFIRE, Jonathan Cox.
La campaña de seguridad pública incluye a la Oficina del Sheriff, así como al Distrito Portuario del Condado de San Mateo, la Ciudad de Half Moon Bay, la Ciudad de Pacifica, CALFIRE, el Distrito de Protección contra Incendios de Coastside y otras agencias.
El ayuntamiento de Redwood City informó que la petición para control de alquileres ha sido rechazada por no contar con el número de firmas requeridas. Foto: Affordable Redwood City
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El ayuntamiento de Redwood City informó que la solicitud de varias coaliciones civiles para que en la boleta electoral de noviembre se pueda decidir sobre una propuesta de resolución de control de alquileres ha sido rechazada por no contar con el número de firmas requeridas.
Así, este lunes 8 de julio, la Oficina Electoral del Condado de San Mateo informó que completó la verificación de más de 6 mil firmas de una petición comunitaria para imponer un control adicional de los alquileres y límites de desahucio por causa justa en Redwood City.
“La petición no alcanzó el número de firmas requerido para que la iniciativa reuniera los requisitos para su inclusión en la papeleta electoral de noviembre de 2024”, precisó en un breve comunicado.
En el texto se lee que los proponentes presentaron la petición ante el secretario municipal el 21 de mayo de 2024, y tras realizar un recuento preliminar de las firmas de la petición, el secretario municipal determinó que la petición reunía los requisitos para ser sometida a una revisión de verificación de firmas por parte de la Oficina Electoral del Condado de San Mateo.
Tras una revisión exhaustiva de cada firma, precisó, la Oficina Electoral del Condado determinó que muchos de los firmantes de la petición no eran votantes registrados dentro de la jurisdicción de Redwood City.
Al respecto, el secretario municipal emitió un aviso de insuficiencia a los proponentes de la petición este mismo 8 de julio. Sin embargo, destacó el ayuntamiento, no está prevista ninguna otra acción por parte de la ciudad.
The civil coalitions presented 6,395 voter signatures to the Redwood City clerk with the idea of seeking to keep the city affordable, diverse and vibrant for those who live, work or study in it.
Leaders of the Bay Area Faith in Action organization and community allies said the proposal would seek to cap rent increases at a reasonable amount so residents could focus on making ends meet without fear of their rent going up each year, while ensuring a fair return for mom-and-pop landlords.
