The first week of this tenth month of 2022 has passed, and it seems that things seem to be improving in terms of health and economy in the area, however, there is still much to do and improve in both areas. For now, these are the local news from October 1 to 7 that you should know to stay up to date.

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The San Mateo Police Department (SMPD) and the San Mateo Police Officers Association (SMPOA) partnered with RadNet and Breastlink to offer free mammograms through Maddy, a mobile unit that provides the service. 

The Pink Patch Party, held at the Barnes & Noble lot at the Hillsdale Mall at 11 W. Hillsdale Blvd., San Mateo, on Sunday, October 2 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., featured a variety of health resource booths, music, food, and a police dunk tank, in addition to mammograms.

Beginning in August, the department began selling T-shirts, sweatshirts and hats through the website bonfire.com/store/smpd-pinkpatchproject, with the slogan, “Detect it. Treat it. Defeat it.” 

All items will be available for sale at the department's booth at the College of San Mateo Farmers Market on Saturdays, October 8, 15, 22, and 29 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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An attack on a bicyclist Thursday afternoon in Palo Alto is being investigated as a hate crime after a victim riding a bicycle reported that a suspect in a vehicle called him racial slurs, spit on him, and then intentionally crashed into him. 

The victim suffered minor physical injuries, while the unknown suspect is at large, the Palo Alto Police Department said.

The incident occurred on September 29 at around 5:32 p.m. Authorities received a call reporting a hit-and-run that had just occurred on University Avenue at Webster Street to which officers responded immediately, as did personnel from the Palo Alto Fire Department.

The victim said the suspect was a white man in his thirties with blond hair and was wearing a construction vest, while his vehicle was a silver Toyota pickup truck.

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With the aim of bringing health services closer to the migrant population of Mexican and Hispanic origin living in the United States, during the month of October, the Ministries of Health and Foreign Affairs, through the Institute for Mexicans Abroad (IME) and the Consular Network of Mexico, are holding the XXII Binational Health Week.

Thus, this Monday, October 3, the activities of the XXII Binational Health Week began at the Consulate General of Mexico in San Francisco. 

With the message “Binational Hope, Health without Borders,” actions are carried out during this day to detect diseases through the measurement of glucose levels, blood pressure, body mass index, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) tests, eye exams and dental checkups, among others.

Likewise, healthy eating and physical activity are promoted; guidance and information are provided on joining social security, vaccinations and, if necessary, referral to health institutions in the locality where the compatriots are located.

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Police in East Palo Alto have arrested the third of three suspects allegedly involved in a shooting in September, the department announced Tuesday.

On September 10, the officers of East Palo Alto They responded at 11:16 p.m. to the activation of the Shotspotter gunshot detection system at 1959 Manhattan Ave. The technology had detected at least 14 shots fired in the area, police said.

Officers learned that a black vehicle had stopped in the alley and two occupants, identified as Gabriel Garcia Delgadillo and Alexander Rodriguez, allegedly fired multiple rounds with handguns into a crowd of people gathered in a stairwell. No one was injured by the gunfire.

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San Mateo County API Council Chair Wayne Lee called for a full investigation into the incident between Daly City Councilmembers Pamela DiGiovanni and Juslyn Manalo after the latter accused her colleague of attacking her and forcing her to go to the hospital before a council meeting.

Thus, on behalf of the San Mateo County API Caucus Board of Directors and the League of California Cities API Caucus, Lee expressed in a letter to Daly City Mayor Rod Daus-Magbual that these organizations are deeply concerned about media reports regarding the incident between Councilmembers Manalo and DiGiovanni at City Hall on Monday, September 26.

According to a video of the Daily City Council meeting on Monday, September 26, Councilwoman Manalo said she was attacked by her counterpart DiGiovanni, who hit her in the back with a door when she tried to leave a building.

Lee stressed that API community organizations expect a thorough investigation to be conducted and substantial action to be taken based on the outcome of the inquiry.

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San Mateo County Health Officer Louise Rogers reported that 6 percent of the eligible population in the area has received the updated COVID-19 booster shot, which means only 43,429 people. 

He said this in a message issued on Tuesday, where he urged the entire eligible community to stay up to date with vaccination in order to remain protected against the Omicron variants currently circulating.

Rogers said that while many county residents are getting vaccinated, gaps in vaccine uptake remain for reasons beyond access, particularly in minority communities.

The number of patients hospitalized in San Mateo County with COVID-19 was 19 as of Oct. 3 and has fluctuated between 12 and 25 over the past few weeks; this is also improving from peak levels, although higher than the lows between April 4 and April 8.  

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You may be interested in: East Palo Alto City Council to vote on housing measure

The Municipal Council of East Palo Alto has placed Measure L on the November 8, 2022 ballot for voter consideration, which is intended to help fund general government uses and community priorities such as housing.

Measure L provides for programs that help pay rent for needy tenants; affordable and accessible housing programs; protect local tenants and landlords from displacement and homelessness.

Residential rents in the East Palo Alto area have increased substantially, transferring income from tenants to landlords, most of whom live outside of East Palo Alto.

Measure L would update the business tax approved by voters in 2016, increasing the business tax rate on certain residential rentals and expanding its applicability.

This tax does not apply to accessory or second-home units, rented rooms in dwellings, or low-income housing. In addition, the law provides an exemption for hardship of payment.

This tax cannot be charged to tenants.

The ballot that voters will receive for the midterm elections on November 8 will include a text in English and Spanish with the following information, to which voters can only answer with a yes or no:

«To fund general uses of government, such as affordable housing programs, providing rental assistance to tenants, and protecting local residents from eviction and homelessness, shall the City of East Palo Alto’s current business tax of 1.5% of gross receipts on property owners with five or more rental residential units, which cannot be passed through to tenants, be set at 2.5% of gross receipts for all rental residential units until repealed by the voters or reduced by the Council, raising approximately $1,480,000 annually?»

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By Tran Nguyen. San Jose Spotlight. Bay City News.

Santa Clara County's health care system could face a mass exodus of doctors due to poor working conditions and lack of respect from management.

More than 200 of the county’s 288 employed physicians do not plan to stay at Santa Clara Valley Medical Care — VMC — nearly 69 percent of whom plan to leave the system in the next three years, according to a survey by Valley Physician Group. The group is a union representing more than 450 county-employed physicians.

Among those planning to leave, three in five physicians cited disrespect from county administration as the reason. More than 70 percent of physicians said they feel worse about their jobs compared to last year.

Doctors have been working without a contract for more than a year and the union has been in negotiations with the county for more than two years.

Dr. Steve Harris, president of Valley Physician Group, said the problems are a direct result of county leaders failing to listen to and address physicians' concerns. 

The county has already lost 65 primary care physicians in the past five years and has been unable to retain people from its residency program during the same period, he said.

“These numbers are shocking and should be a wake-up call for the county,” Harris told San Jose Spotlight. “This used to be a place where people came to spend their careers, and that’s not the case anymore.”

County officials, including Executive Jeff Smith, have repeatedly said the health care system is not in trouble, downplaying doctors' concerns as a tactic to win a favorable contract.

"We are in negotiations with the doctors' union at the moment and we have no comment on the union's attempts to draw attention to the negotiations in the press," Smith said, referring to the survey.

Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez said she cannot comment on the ongoing negotiations. The other supervisors did not respond in time for publication.

The survey came after the union raised the alarm about years-long problems at VMC, where doctors said they are being asked to prioritise quantity over quality of care. Doctors said they are reaching a breaking point, with some of the region’s most vulnerable patients having to wait months for appointments, crucial tests and diagnoses.

Harris said the issue is not just about pay increases, and the union is considering a strike if Santa Clara County does not agree to a contract soon.

“It’s about working conditions and how they are so closely tied to patient care, but the county has no sense of urgency in addressing these issues,” Harris said.

County-employed physicians in several departments said they were driven to the brink of madness after years of seeing comments and concerns ignored and downplayed.

The problems at VMC, such as the ongoing worker shortage, are not unique, but doctors said they are frustrated with tone-deaf leadership. Health care workers said COVID-19 worsened the years-long problem, resulting in an average wait of between eight and 14 hours for emergency services, a backlog of hundreds of patients and months of waiting for basic, noninvasive screenings. 

Many health workers, including doctors, are doing the work of two or three people, they said.

More than 76 percent of physicians surveyed said VMC does not provide adequate care to patients and 90 percent said the county does not provide enough resources and workers to support them.

A doctor with about five years of experience at VMC said they are considering leaving, along with four other doctors in the same department. They said they have to spend their days off catching up on administrative tasks because of the heavy workload. San Jose Spotlight is not naming the doctors for fear of retaliation.

“I thought I had found my forever job – at VMC – but the more I think about it, I feel hopeless,” the doctor explained. “What’s crazy to me is the fact that we are one of the wealthiest counties in the United States, and this is how we choose to treat our patients.”

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The city of East Palo Alto approved the 2022 Water System Master Plan (WSMP) and allocated nearly $8.4 million to design and build several key city water infrastructure projects over the next two years. 

The WSMP aims to provide the city with a comprehensive plan for improving drinking water infrastructure over the next twenty years to maintain the reliability of the water system and support planned development in the city.

“Over the past five years, the City Council, the City staff and the community have been working to elevate and advance needed improvements to the City’s water infrastructure,” said East Palo Alto Mayor Ruben Abrica.

"The City Council's actions will ensure that significant improvements are made to the city's system in the near future, making other important projects, such as the development of 100 percent affordable housing at 965 Weeks Street, a reality," he added.

For her part, Vice Mayor Lisa Gauthier stressed that improving East Palo Alto's water infrastructure is a high priority for the City Council.

“Tonight we took decisive action to address several significant projects identified in the Water System Master Plan. While there is still much work to be done, we are making tremendous progress,” he said.

Final designs for the water infrastructure projects are underway. Construction will begin in the summer of 2023 and be completed by the end of that year, while the affordable housing project at 965 Weeks Street is scheduled to begin construction in early 2023.

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A partir de hoy viernes 7 de octubre, 9.5 mil millones de dólares en pagos de reembolso de impuestos en California para la clase media comenzarán a enviarse, con reembolsos de hasta mil 050 dólares que beneficiarán a millones de residentes elegibles bajo el programa más grande de este tipo en la historia del estado.

Este programa de reembolso para devolver el dinero a los bolsillos de los californianos se basa en el Estímulo Golden State del año pasado, que distribuyó 9 mil millones de dólares a las familias de California, y los miles de millones que se destinaron a ayudar a las personas a pagar el alquiler, cubrir las facturas de servicios atrasadas y apoyar a las pequeñas empresas.

«Sabemos que es caro en este momento, y California está poniendo dinero en sus bolsillos para ayudar. Estamos enviando reembolsos por valor de más de mil dólares para ayudar a las familias a pagar todo, desde comestibles hasta gasolina», dijo Newsom.

To estimate your payment, interested parties can visit the following web site www.taxrefund.ca.gov.

Los pagos oscilarán entre 400 y mil 50 dólares para parejas que presenten una declaración conjunta y entre 200 y 700 dólares para todas las demás personas, según sus ingresos y si reclamaron un dependiente. 

Los reembolsos están disponibles para quienes presentan ITIN, además de quienes presentan declaraciones de impuestos con un SSN.

Así, se distribuirán un total de 18 millones de pagos, beneficiando hasta 23 millones de californianos. Aproximadamente 8 millones de depósitos directos comenzarán a llegar a las cuentas bancarias del 7 de octubre al 14 de noviembre, y aproximadamente 10 millones de tarjetas de débito se entregarán del 25 de octubre al 15 de enero.

«Los costos inflados para las necesidades diarias han obligado a muchos a tomar atajos o tomar decisiones imposibles, y el dolor en la bomba se ha visto agravado por el regreso del viaje diario para muchos californianos», dijo Betty T. Yee, contralora estatal y presidenta de la Junta de Impuestos de Franquicias. 

«A medida que se acercan las fiestas, los miembros de mi equipo están encantados de poder hacer llegar estos pagos a aquellos que han estado luchando, para que puedan disfrutar de un poco de alivio», agregó.

¿Cuánto puede recibir?

Los montos de los pagos se basarán en el CA AGI en su declaración de impuestos sobre la renta del estado de California de 2020, así como en su estado civil y si reclamó un dependiente. Para obtener más información, incluido un desglose completo de los montos de pago y una herramienta para estimar su pago, puede visitar el sitio web de reembolso de impuestos de clase media ‒MCTR‒ de Franchise Tax Board ‒FTB‒ en www.taxrefund.ca.gov.

¿Cómo recibirá su pago?

Los californianos recibirán su pago MCTR mediante depósito directo o tarjeta de débito. Los pagos de depósito directo se realizarán a los contribuyentes elegibles que presentaron electrónicamente su declaración de impuestos de CA de 2020 y recibieron su reembolso de impuestos de CA mediante depósito directo. 

En general, otros pagos de MCTR se emitirán en tarjetas de débito. Las tarjetas de débito se enviarán por correo a los contribuyentes elegibles en un sobre que muestre de manera prominente la siguiente redacción: «No es una factura ni un anuncio. Información importante sobre su Reembolso de Impuestos de Clase Media». 

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San Mateo County API Council Chair Wayne Lee called for a full investigation into the incident between Daly City Councilmembers Pamela DiGiovanni and Juslyn Manalo after the latter accused her colleague of attacking her and forcing her to go to the hospital before a council meeting.

Thus, on behalf of the San Mateo County API Caucus Board of Directors and the League of California Cities API Caucus, Lee expressed in a letter to Daly City Mayor Rod Daus-Magbual that these organizations are deeply concerned about media reports regarding the incident between Councilmembers Manalo and DiGiovanni at City Hall on Monday, September 26.

Ante ello, precisó que el Caucus API se toma «muy en serio todos los casos de discurso de odio, acoso, intimidación y violencia física», por lo que pidió se tomen medidas para la protección de los servidores públicos.

«Nos tomamos este incidente muy en serio y pedimos que se tomen medidas rápidamente para proteger a todos los dirigentes electos, al personal de la ciudad, a los miembros de las juntas y comisiones designadas y al público de Daly City de cualquier otro impacto o daño físico asociado a este incidente», detalló.

La carta, a la cual tuvo acceso Península 360 Press, sugiere acciones inmediatas como pedir que se lleve a cabo una investigación exhaustiva y completa de este incidente y que se contrate a un asesor jurídico externo calificado si es necesario.

Además, pide se mantenga informada a la comunidad sobre el estado de estas investigaciones dentro de las limitaciones de los implicados y su derecho a la privacidad; así como que se tomen medidas significativas y apropiadas si se encuentra una falta.

A su vez, solicita que la ciudad de Daly City se someta a un análisis de las medidas que pueden aplicarse en el futuro para evitar este tipo de violencia siempre que sea posible. 

Lee precisó que la comunidad API en el Condado de San Mateo ha soportado décadas de abuso, que van desde ataques verbales a violencia física, siendo todas ellas formas de abuso inaceptables, «y el aumento en los últimos años de incidentes es aborrecible».

«Como líderes elegidos, tenemos que trabajar juntos para asegurar que nuestras comunidades son seguras, son la aceptación de los diferentes puntos de vista, y que demos ejemplo de cómo trabajar con los demás con civismo. No debe tolerarse el daño físico», puntualizó.

Finalmente, Lee subrayó que las organizaciones de la comunidad API esperan que se lleve a cabo una investigación exhaustiva y que se tomen medidas sustanciales basadas en el resultado de la indagación.

Y es que, de acuerdo con un video de la junta de concejales de Daily City el pasado lunes 26 de septiembre, la concejal Manalo señaló haber sido atacada por su homóloga DiGiovanni.

«Estoy angustiada porque la concejal DiGiovanni me agredió en el Ayuntamiento», dijo Juslyn Manalo.

Quien luego puntualizó que todo inició cuando ambas estaban por entrar a una sala de conferencias al mismo tiempo. «Ella me cerró la puerta mientras yo estaba saliendo», subrayó Manalo, quien luego mostró una fotografía de su espalda, presuntamente lastimada por DiGiovanni.

La concejal DiGiovanni, que se postula para la reelección, se pronunció inmediatamente después en la misma junta, donde negó las acusaciones, al tiempo que señaló que ella misma ha sido intimidada, aunque no aclaró por quién.

«Niego con vehemencia que haya hecho algo para agredir, y que todo esto tenga motivaciones políticas. Porque nunca le haría algo así a nadie», refirió DiGiovanni.

Si bien Manalo y su abogado dicen que no han presentado una demanda contra DiGiovanni, la concejal Juslyn pidió a su homóloga «tener la decencia de dar un paso adelante y decir la verdad».

With information from ABC7 News.

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