Photo by Mario A. Cortez
Community leaders held a press conference this past Tuesday, May 31, condemning the excessive use of force by law enforcement agencies against peaceful protesters demonstrating against Donald Trump’s visit to San Diego on Friday, May 27.
The press conference, held curbside on the Mercado del Barrio development on Cesar Chavez Parkway, served as an opportunity to openly call out Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman on their choice to deploy a large contingent of officers in riot and paramilitary gear, as well as the use of small tanks and pepper balls.
The overzealous deployment of police force has lead to an erosion of the trust that the community has had in law enforcement and is also seen as a violation of the First Amendment right of the community to express their stance and peacefully congregate, the group said.
On Tuesday, April 17, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors announced a vote of 3-1 to support the Trump’s Administration’s lawsuit against three California laws, sparking different reactions from organizations for and against the decision.
Supervisors Kristin Gaspar, Bill Horn and Dianne Jacobs voted to support the lawsuit, Supervisor Greg Cox voted against and Supervisor Ron Roberts did not attend the meeting.
As a result of the decision, the County of San Diego will file an amicus brief if the case moves on appeal to a higher court as a result of missing the deadline to file such a brief.
SAN DIEGO
The new San Diego County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Jan. 12, unanimously approved a series of proposals Chairman Nathan Fletcher referred to as “Frameworks for the Future,” changing the board’s approach to public health, government transparency, and policies while also identifying new priorities.
Fletcher said the new approach reflects the new, more-progressive board’s values.
Democrats Terra Lawson-Remer and Nora Vargas were sworn in to the board on Monday, Jan. 11, joining fellow Democrat Fletcher to make a new majority. Board members Jim Desmond and newly elected Supervisor Joel Anderson are Republicans.
While Fletcher said the new agenda was a break from past boards’ conservative approach, Anderson and Desmond agreed to the changes after making a few recommended changes.
SAN DIEGO
The county Board of Supervisors will examine whether its policies, programs and practices perpetuate racism under a proposal by Chair Nathan Fletcher and Vice Chair Nora Vargas.
The proposal going before the board next Tuesday identifies racism as a health crisis because it is linked to diseases and other physical ailments, the two supervisors said in a remote press conference Tuesday attended by representatives of several health and community groups.
“By declaring racism a public health crisis, we are acknowledging the reality that racism underpins the health inequities that we see throughout our society,” Fletcher said.
Vargas said the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed inequities in health care, but such inequities exist in many other areas.