Domestic violence has been present for hundreds of years, and although much work has been done to stop normalizing these practices, data reveals that currently, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men in the United States have experienced this abuse at some point in their lives, so it is necessary to evaluate what is happening and the areas in which greater action must be taken. 

When speaking out and facing these circumstances, many victims of domestic violence have to leave their homes, so they are faced with a difficult decision: to remain homeless and without anything or to continue enduring a life of violence, said Susan Rubio. during a briefing held by Ethnic Media Services.

Rubio, a senator for the State of California, is a survivor of domestic violence, so she understands and empathizes with the victims from their perspective; that is why it is part of her political mission to work to help victims who end up on the streets due to their economic circumstances. 

“This year I have a bill to require judges to consider 15 years back in a domestic violence case, since currently only 5 years back from the date of the complaint are taken into account. However, this bill is on hold until January,” explained the official.

Extending the time to be considered in a case of domestic violence from 5 years to 15 years is important during a process since sometimes the aggressions are not constant but are present.

For her, it is important to work to change the narrative of the victims, in this way giving them hope, strength and support when they need it most, as this way more cases can be prevented and lives that are in danger can be saved. 

“I am a well-educated person, with all the necessary skills, and I have everything I need to not be a victim. However, I realized that anyone can be a victim, and it is happening more and more often to professional women who are threatened with being exposed to society,” Susan said.

Tina Swithin, founder of One Mom's Battle (A Mother's Battle) shared her experience as a victim of domestic violence: during her trial she filed a complaint and her partner at the time obtained a restraining order, so she could not approach him, however he ignored this and she was left vulnerable; in this way, Tina realized that she could not only depend on the laws to be safe, so it was a very difficult battle.  

Tina has been involved in more cases to help those women who are still in their most vulnerable stage, she has also managed to receive external support from associations and government areas, demonstrating that there is a lot to work on and do. 

“Domestic violence is about control and power, the abuser’s need for power doesn’t end when the relationship ends, but the abuse that comes after the relationship ends is much worse than within the relationship,” Swithin said.

Viji Sundaram, a reporter for The Public Press and co-founder of Narika, a nonprofit advocacy group that works with Asian women of Indian descent, shared some of her reporting during a highly sensitive case involving a woman who married a man who made porn films. 

On one occasion, the husband asked the woman named Mariam if she could participate in the film and she said no. Although she knew that the situation with her partner was bad, she decided to have a daughter to see if this would improve the relationship. The worst came later, when the man forced her to be part of a film, threatening her that if she did not do it, he would use her daughter for these purposes. That was the last thing that happened, so she ran out of her house to escape.  

Her husband filed a complaint against her because she returned to her home country to escape the situation. However, she was the victim, but before the law she was a fugitive, which kept her in constant fear. This is how the woman's family came to Viji Sundaram to ask for his help.

In the end it was proven that she was innocent and that she had no reason to be afraid any longer. Once her trial was over, she was able to start her life again. 

Sundaram explained that this woman did not suffer from physical violence as such, but lived in fear and in a dangerous situation, which is why many cases do not proceed, because there is not enough evidence to act and the victims have to endure certain risky situations because they have no way out or support. 

Experts agree that much work needs to be done in the legal field, judges do not have complete knowledge and not all of them support and act correctly.

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By Wendy Medina. Bay City News.

On Friday, a Muslim Arab student at Stanford University was attacked by a pro-Israel student in what is believed to be a hate crime. 

Shortly before 2 p.m., the Arab student was crossing the street near the student residences when he was hit by a car and the driver accelerated while shouting: “Fuck you and your people.”

Authorities reported that the student suffered non-life-threatening injuries and is currently still hospitalized. 

According to the victim’s statements after the incident, the driver made eye contact with him before speeding off. “As soon as he hit me, as my body was spinning, the driver yelled, ‘Fuck you and your people,’ and sped off toward me,” the student said. Looking him in the eye, he identified the individual as someone who had begun filming pro-Palestinian activists on campus, a recently widespread tactic used to intimidate and mislead students.

The suspect is described as a white male in his 20s with short dark blond hair, round-framed glasses and a short beard. According to Stanford administration, the vehicle is “a black SUV with a rear-mounted tire.”

University police were alerted to the hit-and-run shortly afterward but did not issue a campus-wide alert informing students of the violent crime until 10:30 p.m. According to a press release, the Stanford administration only issued the “ill-considered, careless, and ill-advised statement” after public pressure from Muslim and Arab students, despite campus policy requiring community notification within two hours of violent incidents.

A statement from Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine demands that the university take immediate action. 

“The university must deploy its resources to determine who the perpetrator was, support the survivor of this attack (and others) with specialized resources, care and all the resources they need when they ask for it, and issue a statement condemning the violent Islamophobic and hate crimes against Arabs in particular and with such language that have occurred on campus,” the students wrote. 

“Today, Stanford University is complicit in the white supremacist violence that Arab and Muslim students have faced on campus. To the university administration, we say unequivocally: Shame on you. Your silence is enabling violent Islamophobic and anti-Arab hate crimes on our campus and the genocide of the Palestinian people.”

The hate crime comes after mounting criticism of the university's refusal to address an ongoing sit-in protest by student activists demanding the school denounce Israel's invasion of Gaza and provide additional support to Palestinian students. 

Students have been camping out in Stanford’s White Plaza since October 20 and have no plans to stop. Among the demands is that the university offer counseling and academic housing for students affected by the genocide in Palestine, along with access to free legal aid for those who are harassed.

According to the Department of Public Safety, “Stanford continues to work to provide a safe campus environment in the context of heightened tensions related to events in Israel and Gaza. This includes additional security that has been deployed at key locations on campus.”

The California Highway Patrol is currently investigating the hit-and-run as a hate crime.

Anyone with information is asked to contact CHP at 650-779-2700 or Stanford Public Safety at 650-329-2413.

This publication was supported in whole or part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the CaliFornia State Library.

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Daylight saving time ends on November 5th, and California will set its clocks back one hour before going to sleep this Saturday. Starting at 2:00 a.m. this Sunday, the West Coast will wake up under standard time.

Starting at 2:00 a.m. on November 5, all smart devices will be automatically updated at 1:00 a.m., while analog devices will have to be changed manually.

Daylight saving time changes are implemented to make the most of sunlight and reduce energy consumption. 

Thus, in the summer months, when there is more sunlight, you can set the clock forward and take advantage of its benefits. However, in winter it is necessary to return to “standard time” in order to have the greatest amount of sunlight in the mornings.

Currently, the U.S. maintains a system in which clocks are changed twice a year, in March, when “daylight saving time” begins, and in November, when it returns to “standard time.”

Many people welcome the change to standard time, as it will allow them to sleep an extra hour.

The current March-November system in the United States began in 2007, although on March 15, 2022, the United States Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2023, with the goal of maintaining daylight saving time year-round.

The bill must be approved by the House of Representatives and promulgated by the president, a situation that has not yet occurred.

It is worth noting that Hawaii and most of Arizona are among the states where this change does not apply, since they have their own enactment.

Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and American Samoa, meanwhile, argued that they had also refrained from changing their time zones for commercial and geographic reasons.

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By Bay City News.

Five firearms, including an AR-15 rifle with a 60-round magazine, drugs packaged for sale and $4,000 in cash were seized in the arrest of three teenagers in East Palo Alto following a shooting, East Palo Alto police said Friday.

The teens, two 15-year-olds and one 16-year-old, were arrested Thursday when their homes were searched, police said.

Images of the three were captured on surveillance video in connection with a shooting on Oct. 13 in the 2300 block of Cooley Avenue, police said. No one was injured in the shooting.

The drugs included more than 22 ounces of cocaine, MDMA pills and marijuana, police said.

Anyone with relevant information is asked to contact the East Palo Alto Police Department via anonymous text message at epa@tipnow.org or (650) 409-6792. An anonymous voice message can be left at (650) 409-6792.

You may be interested in: San Mateo County receives $7.2 million to address emergencies and boost resilience

San Mateo County announced Friday the release of Measure K funding opportunities to serve residents with innovative ideas in three priority areas: children, families and seniors; emergency preparedness; and housing and homelessness.

The county anticipates that approximately $35 million will be available.  

“The Board of Supervisors is looking for bold, innovative ideas,” said County Executive Mike Callagy. “This is not business as usual. This is a great opportunity to make a real difference, drive equity and improve lives here in San Mateo County.”

Applicants may be non-profit organizations, private companies, or joint ventures of any size, however individual projects are not eligible to apply.

The announcement is a continuation of a process that began months ago to listen to residents about the needs of their community, with applicants expected to tailor proposals to address those needs in priority areas.

Some examples include providing additional transportation options for seniors and people with disabilities, developing linguistically and culturally diverse child care centers and home-based options, providing emergency housing assistance, and developing specific community plans to address natural hazards such as fires, earthquakes, and floods.

The funds will come from Measure K, a voter-approved, countywide half-cent sales tax that provides local funding for local needs.

Information about the process and future public meetings will be posted on the County website.

Potential applicants are directed to the county's procurement portal, where they must register to obtain more details about this funding opportunity.

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