The California women managed to overcome conference rival Arizona and all the adversity that came with a pandemic season.
BY MIGUEL ENRÍQUEZ
In sports, the stories of the small teams that come from behind are always attractive. On this occasion it was the turn of Stanford University, who managed to lift the title of women's basketball champions in the NCAA after beating Arizona by 54-53 in the Final Four final last Sunday.
The champions were able to put an end to the malaria that had plagued the institution, as they had not won the valuable title for 29 years and after playing this season for 10 weeks away from home due to the blow that represented the Covid-19 pandemic in California.
The big star of the night was Haley Jones, player who scored 17 points in the game against Arizona at the Alamodome, the home stadium of the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA where all the finals of the category were played. The end of the game had dramatic overtones when Stanford was nine points ahead and were caught on the scoreboard by star point guard Aari McDonald, who made a basket from the three-point line and put the game within one point.
Sunday's game had the peculiarity of bringing together for the first time in the history of a Final Four final the Pac-12 conference rivals, in addition to consecrate for the third time the coach Tara VenDerveer, who had already won in 1990 and 1992.but this is the first one with the Cardinal.
- Stanford Women's Basketball (@StanfordWBB) April 5, 2021
The 67-year-old coach, who will go down in history as one of the best in her field, matched Baylor's Kim Mulkey as the three-time winner of the crown, but a major distinction for the Stanford native is that no one had won a championship with the institution in 29 years and with a record of 31 wins and only two losses.
Finally, it is curious that several California teams lifted this year the maximum title of their sport and broke droughts as now the Cardinal; in the NBA Los Angeles Lakers the Association's Larry O'Brien trophy after 11 years without a trophy, while in the MLB, Los Angeles Dodgers also cut short a 32-year wait without a World Series win when they beat the Tampa Bay Rays in October.
After more than eight months of data collection and analysis, the Redwood City Police Department has made three data dashboards available to residents to share information to improve transparency and provide greater access to Redwood City Police Department data.
Such dashboards include the number of budgeted versus filled positions, and comparison of those numbers to statewide and Bay Area staffing levels of other police departments.
Also, demographic data - race, sex, rank and age of the officer - and the total number of promotions that took place in the department.
"We want to be honest that while we may not be able to answer all of your questions now, we are working toward the common goal of sharing more about who our Redwood City Police Department is, how they represent the community and how they spend their time. Serving you," the authority emphasized.
The department noted that providing information online about how it works and the policies that govern them, "is just one of the ways we are improving transparency."
They also noted that the ability to easily access public information fosters inclusion, allows them to be better informed about the operations of the Police Department, and helps them work together with the public to keep the community safe.
For new information and data, please visit redwoodcity.org/AboutRCPD, and to submit ideas, suggestions or comments, please email communitypolicing@redwoodcity.org.
Notably, recent actions by the Redwood City Police Department include revisions to policies related to de-escalation, use of force and other practices through a comprehensive update of the organization's policy manual.
In addition, body-worn cameras were purchased, the associated policy was updated, and a community meeting was held to share current information and answer questions related to the body-worn camera program.
In addition, the City Council approved a two-year agreement for a pilot program with San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services and three other cities to form a mental health crisis partnership program.
In that regard, physician recruitment and community involvement in data collection and development of program measures are underway, and the program is expected to launch this month.
Oakland International Airport's Terminal 1 was evacuated Tuesday morning after a man pulled a knife and threatened to harm himself, prompting the Alameda County Sheriff's Office to intervene.
So far, negotiators are in the area to try to resolve the situation, which, so far, has not caused damage to any user of the air terminal.
According to the sheriff's office, a man armed with a knife was threatening to harm himself, so officers evacuated the terminal while they worked to get help for the man.
Through his Twitter account, the sheriff's office detailed that the incident occurred in the baggage claim area of the terminal, before the checkpoint.
"Our Crisis Intervention officers are on scene trying to negotiate with the individual in crisis. He is obviously suffering from a serious mental health crisis. We are working with him," they said.
The incident continues and it is not known until when it can be solved and the terminal returns to normal. Authorities will hold a press conference in a few moments to give more details.
"We are still negotiating with the individual. He has not threatened to harm anyone but himself," the sheriff's office said.
For its part, the airport advises travelers with flights on Alaska, Delta, Frontier and Hawaiian to contact the airline to find out how their departures could be affected.
Sexual harassment, assault, and abuse can happen to anyone, regardless of age, sex, race, and gender, and can occur in a variety of settings, including at home, school, recreational settings, and even online.
In the U.S., starting April 6 and for a whole month, they seek to raise awareness about a problem that seems to never end and that grows annually, so it is necessary to reflect and support victims and survivors of sexual violence.
According to figures from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center -NSVRCApproximately 1 in 5 women - 21.3 percent - in the U.S. reported having been raped or experienced an attempted rape at some point in their lifetime, including forced full penetration, attempted forced penetration, or full penetration facilitated by alcohol or drugs.
The organization notes that, for men, approximately 2.6 percent of men experienced a completed or attempted rape victimization in their lifetime, while 1 in 14 men - 7.1 percent - in the U.S. were forced to penetrate another person - attempted or completed - at some point in their lives.
According to the most recent statistics, approximately 1 in 6 women and 1 in 10 men have experienced sexual coercion, that is, unwanted sexual penetration after being pressured in a non-physical manner.
Moreover, the majority of female victims of completed or attempted rape first experienced such victimization at a young age, with 81.3 percent reporting that it first occurred before the age of 25.
Thus, among female victims of attempted rape, 43.2 percent reported that their first attack occurred before the age of 18; 30.5 percent between the ages of 11 and 17; and 12.7 percent at age 10 or younger.
For men, the majority of victims-70.8 percent-of completed or attempted rape reported that their first experience occurred before the age of 25.
According to an analysis of data from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), during 2005-2014, 15.8 percent of rape or sexual assault victims experienced two or more rape or sexual assault victimizations.
While the CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) indicated that, nationally, 7.4 percent of youth had been physically forced to have sex in their lifetime.
The prevalence rate for women was 11.3 percent and 3.5 percent for men. While having been forced to have sex was higher among gay, lesbian and bisexual students -21.9 percent- than among heterosexual students -5.4 percent-.
She also explained that as of 2018, nearly one in 10 students - 9.7 percent - had been forced to do "sexual things" - for example, kissing, touching, or being physically forced to have sex - that they didn't want to do, one or more times.
The CDC also details that childhood sexual abuse is the strongest predictor of adult sexual victimization. "Experiencing sexual abuse as a minor correlates with children and adolescents being more likely to experience sexual assault in adulthood."
NISVS found that 35 percent of women who were raped before age 18 were also raped as adults, compared to 10 percent of women who were raped as adults but did not experience child sexual abuse.
Meanwhile, an analysis of nearly 200 independent studies involving more than 230,000 adult participants found that having been sexually assaulted is associated with a significantly increased risk of anxiety, depression, suicidal tendencies, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and bipolar disorder.
The 2011 NISVS data revealed that the majority of victims of all types of sexual violence knew the perpetrator. Nearly half-46.7 percent-of female rape victims had at least one perpetrator who was an acquaintance, and 45.4 percent of female rape victims had at least one perpetrator who was an intimate partner.
For male victims, 44.9 percent were raped by an acquaintance and 29 percent were raped by an intimate partner.
The CDC details that child sexual abuse is often committed by someone the victim knows and trusts. Girls under 18 who are raped identified their perpetrators as: Acquaintance: 43.6 percent; current or former intimate partner: 28.8 percent; family member: 27.7 percent; person in a position of authority: 4.5 percent; and by a stranger: 10.1 percent.
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection at its San Mateo and Santa Cruz units -Cal Fire CZU-, warned that this 2021 "is shaping up to be a year of potentially significant forest fires," so it calls to remain attentive to the conditions surrounding the areas and report any suspicious smoke.
A year after record wildfires were recorded throughout the state of California, the projections do not paint a favorable picture.
Through a statement issued Monday, CAL FIRE CZU noted that it has responded to and suppressed 5 wildfires since March 31, 2021. "This is very unusual for this time of year."
He detailed that, due to drier and warmer conditions, along with a second year of drought, fuels tend to burn, while rainfall totals are only 50 percent of normal for this time of year in the region.
In that sense, he said he has had to resort to aerial resources to help suppress several of these fires, which has also become very unusual, because such resources are not usually needed until early June.
The authority stressed that several of the fires recorded, were the result of piles of garbage that were burned on purpose, so they asked to be careful when performing such burns, or else a ban may be established.
"One of these fires was six acres within the CZU Lightning Complex burn area." That area was also affected last year and resulted in the largest fire in Santa Cruz County history, burning more than 86,500 acres.
CAL FIRE CZU said it continues to use the Alert Wildfire camera network to provide early and critical wildfire information, which will continue to be installed throughout the region.
A 32-year-old Redwood City man was arrested on charges of possession and distribution of child pornography.
On February 2, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Department Detective Bureau received a CyberTip from the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force about child pornography associated with the suspect's address in the 200 block of Sylvan Way.
An investigation ensued and on Thursday, San Mateo County Sheriff's detectives served a search warrant at the suspect's residence in Redwood City.
Alex Jessup was located away from his residence and subsequently arrested.
Detectives recovered several pornographic images of children from his computer and phone.
Jessup was actively seeking employment as a teacher, coach and babysitter.
This is an ongoing investigation and anyone with information about the suspect should contact Detective Wang at (650) 363-4055 or email jwang1@smcgov.org.
More than a million undocumented farm workers in the country, nearly half a million of whom work and live in California, could gain legal status in the U.S. and eventually become citizens if a bipartisan bill heading to the Senate passes.
Last week, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act passed the House of Representatives, where 30 Republicans joined the Democratic caucus to greenlight the bill that could stabilize the farm workforce.
This bill would allow agricultural workers who have lived in the U.S. undocumented to qualify for a green card, thereby legalizing their immigration and residency status.
The legislation would also reform the agricultural guest worker visa program and eventually require all agricultural employers to use E-Verify, an electronic system to verify authorization to work in this country at the time of hiring.
The Republican Party has shown significant support for this bill, unlike the American Dream and Promise Act, which would create a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children, where only nine Republicans gave their approval.
California Farm Bureau Federation President Jamie Johansson told KQED that the bill is the first comprehensive agricultural immigration reform bill to come out of the House in more than 30 years.
"We have to make sure it's something that works for our farmers," he told the Bay Area media outlet.
Several Democrats who support the bill have highlighted the importance of farmworkers, even those without legal status, as essential workers in the last year.
As the bill was introduced in the House of Representatives last week, California Democratic Representative Zoe Lofgren recalled that during the pandemic, Americans could still find food at the grocery store, thanks to farm workers, who often don't have the conditions and benefits necessary for their day-to-day lives.
"And for that, we should thank the farmers of this country, but we should also thank the farmworkers of this country, most of whom are undocumented, most of whom have been here more than 10 years," Lofgren said.
It's not all plain sailing, as there are obstacles to the bill becoming a reality, with some Republicans arguing that this reform would only encourage more immigrants to come to the U.S.
"Now we have a law that says just come work on a farm and we'll give you amnesty," said Republican U.S. Rep. Jody Hice of Georgia.
"1.5 million people will become citizens by working a minimum amount of time on farms," he added.
Notably, only people already working in agriculture would qualify for legal status under this bill, whereas, to be eligible for citizenship, they would have to remain in agriculture for several years.
"Making sure people really understand what is part of the bill is the most important part of getting support," said Republican Congressman David Valadao, who represents California's 21st District.
The official told KQED that under the bill, farm workers who have worked on U.S. farms for at least six months during the past two years could apply for "Certified Agricultural Worker" status, a 5.5-year work permit that could be extended.
In addition, spouses and children of workers could also obtain legal status, and workers could leave the country to travel home.
Farmworkers who have lived, without authorization in the country for at least 10 years would be eligible for a green card if they continue to work on farms for another four years. While those with less than 10 years of work history would have to devote eight more years to farming to obtain legal status.
For its part, the American Farm Bureau Federation has pointed out that the bill would not allow enough guest workers for year-round jobs, and of the 20,000 H-2A employment visas that could be issued during the first three years, half would be reserved for dairy farms.
Some employer advocates also fear that the wage requirement for guest workers is too high for farmers to remain competitive.
Meanwhile, some labor groups say the bill doesn't go far enough to protect workers.
The drawing of electoral districts, which takes place every 10 years, will be key to the adequate representation of minority voters in the future, a situation that could be affected by the 2020 census, which was heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, experts said.
Because the ten-year state redistricting survey data is delayed due to pandemic-related disruptions and closures, and minorities will feel the results.
But what is the risk?
"The risk is that you end up not having communities of color adequately represented in Congress, in state legislatures, and that then leads to different agendas being pursued within those policymaking bodies," said Thomas A. Saenz, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund-MALDEF.
During a briefing held by Ethnic Media ServicesAs the country becomes more partisan and polarized, the expert said, there will be close elections in the House and Senate.
"If we fail to create majority-minority districts where justified by the Voting Rights Act, there will not be adequate representation," he said.
He recalled that in majority-minority districts, racial or ethnic communities constitute a large enough portion of the electorate to ensure that the community can elect the candidate of their choice regardless of race.
Redistricting
Redistricting specifies who lives in each district, and of those, who runs for public office in order to respond to the needs of the community on issues such as safety or housing and immigration policies, but this requires a census.
Thus, the census has two explicit purposes, he said. One is to count every inhabitant of the country to reallocate the 435 seats in the House of Representatives among the states, according to their population, and the other is to redistrict not only for Congress, but also for state legislatures and local bodies such as city councils, county boards, boards of education, community college boards, among other bodies.
In that sense, the results of the census make it possible to determine the reallocation of 1.5 billion dollars a year in federal funds to the states for services such as hospitals, schools and others.
In 2020, the situation was turbulent, on the one hand, the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and on the other, the Donald Trump administration's attempts to include a citizenship question and create a database that would exclude undocumented people.
That action was unsuccessful, but it set a pattern where Republicans have tried to equalize the redistricting database based on voting age population rather than overall total.
"That would have a devastating effect on communities of color for two reasons. First, because particularly Latino and Asian-American communities have higher proportions of non-citizens ... (Second), because it would exclude all people under the age of 18 ... and all communities of color have higher proportions under 18 than white populations," Saenz said.
The expert said that according to projections, Texas and Florida could gain more than one seat when the official census count is delivered, while California could lose a seat in the House of Representatives, which could mark a milestone for that state.
To know the outlines and where redistricting is going, he said, we'll have to wait until the end of April.
He also recalled that, in the last 10 years, Texas gained four seats in the House of Representatives thanks to population growth, where 80 percent belonged to communities of color. However, none of the seats went to minority communities.
For LMU Loyola law professor Justin Levitt, in some local jurisdictions there is not a partisan fight, but a titular fight against the minority communities that are emerging in that local jurisdiction, when it is in their interest to preserve their own power.
He explained that, in 2013, the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which required some states and localities to obtain federal preclearance before they could implement redistricting plans.
Without such oversight, redistricting could diminish the ability of African American, Latino, Asian American, Native American and other minority voters to participate.
The Voting Rights Act also has a provision to attack convertible redistricting plans.
Marco Antonio Cruz with Ángeles Torrejón in one of the workspaces of the Imagenlatina agency. Mexico City, September 28, 1987 Photo: Isidro Jiménez/Luna Córnea
Mexico City, Mexico. Marco Antonio Cruz López, friend, colleague, mentor of Mexican photojournalism and coordinator of photography for Proceso magazine and documentary filmmaker with more than 40 years of experience, died on Friday afternoon, April 2, south of Mexico City.
Originally from Puebla, Puebla (1957), Marco Antonio Cruz was a photojournalist and founder of the newspaper La Jornada (1984), editor of the agency Imagenlatina (1986) which directed for more than a decade from 1987 to 2003..
Imagenlatina was founded by Marco Antonio Cruz alongside Pedro Valtierra, Andrés Garay, Rubén Pax, Herón Alemán and Arturo Fuentes. His career began with the great Mexican photojournalist Héctor García, from whom Marco Antonio continued his work as a mentor and precursor of the new Mexican photojournalism, which combines informative elements with a personal style, revolutionizing the photojournalistic and photodocumentary work of the country.
On April 15, 2021, he will accompany his colleagues and friends John Mraz, Rebeca Monroy and Héctor Zarauz in the presentation of the book "The book of the world".Marco Antonio Cruz:the construction of a gaze (1976-1986)"written by Alberto del Castillo. Broadcast by Facebook/Institutomora
With his lens, Marco Antonio Cruz was a generous witness of great political, social and cultural changes in Mexico. He was also a sharp caricaturist, always critical of political and economic power. The world not only loses a great photographer, but also a great human being and friend who will be missed.
The California Public Banking Options Act, or Measure AB1177, sponsored by Santiago, Carrillo, Chiu, Garcia, Kalra, Lee, Ting, Wicks, Gipson, seeks the creation of BankCal which, they say, "closes the financial services gap, strengthens the economy, and ensures equitable economic recovery by providing a stable and accessible platform for underserved communities especially affected by the pandemic".
And, they say, one in two households in communities of African descent and Latinos do not have banking services such as checking or savings accounts. They state that these needs "are fundamental to financial stability.
Figures provided by BankCal on its website explain the need to pass AB1177, noting that one in four California households have no or insufficient access to personal banking services. Forty-seven percent of California households earn less than $15 an hour and are therefore unbanked.
Such is the case of 46 percent of African-American households in California that are underbanked, they say. This is in addition to 44 percent of households of people with disabilities and 41 percent of households owned by people in the Latino community.
The measure, they announce, "addresses inequities in financial services that acutely affect the communities that have been hardest hit by the pandemic and the recession: discrimination, predatory lending, evictions, and vicious spirals of debt.
BankCal provides accounts and debit cards with no fees or penalties for account management or minimum balance. A bank account where employers can directly deposit their salary, as well as obtaining financial incentives from the state, the possibility of direct debit of utility bills and donations.
With such a bank account, it is expected that the user will begin to generate income and, subsequently, be eligible to receive credit or begin to build their credit history. In addition, as a last point, he points out the importance of advising people on financial education.
