Volume XXVIII Number 8 February 27, 2004

FrontPage Stories

City Taxes Chicano Park Day Organizers

By Raymond R. Beltrán

Tierra y Libertad is the theme of this year’s 34th Annual Chicano Park Day Festival. With the CPSC’s (Chicano Park Steering Committee) victories in the pass two years, the theme may not be far fetched. Firstly, the park was founded on land rightfully seized by a group of community members in 1970, while the hum of tractors were approaching the empty lot underneath the Coronado Bridge in order to construct a community-opposed police department. Soon after, the residents created a park. Within the past thirty-four years, murals have been erected onto the bridge’s pillars in order to create a hieroglyphic type of monument, which holds the history of the Chicano people. The CPSC has also earned a T Grant recently in order to erect a statue of Mexican revolutionary leader Emiliano Zapata, to create a new marquis with a map that will direct visitors through the park’s various murals and to paint the CPSC logo in the park, which will read “Aztlán” over the Southwestern States.

These have been projects that usually receive opposition from CalTrans, which lead the CPSC to battle over the question of who really takes care of the park, city officials or the surrounding community. The next battle may be one that will require a little more attention, especially because of San Diego’s $1.1 billion deficit.

The Chicano Park Steering Committee met with Sergeant David Contreras and Officer Jerry Gonzalez, Wednesday, to discuss the city’s $5,930 security fee for Chicano Park Day Celebration organizers. Photo by Raymond R. Beltrán.

Community coalition representatives met with Sergeant David Contreras and Community Relations Officer Jerry Gonzalez, at Central Division’s Police Department in Sherman Heights, this Wednesday, February 25 to discuss a recent letter from Deputy City Manager Bruce Herring. The letter read that “the City of San Diego faced a $30 million budget gap in the development of the Fiscal Year 2004 budget,” and that the city would not waive a $5,930 security fee for the 34th Annual Chicano Park Day Celebration. The fee will cover 17 officers and a total of 210 working hours.

Police in charge of security make $55 per hour. Those in charge of traffic control earn $22 per hour. San Diego Director of Special Events Carolyn Wormser noted these estimates were discounted rates, adding that if there’s an event, there will have to be security provided by the city in order to issue an event’s permit.

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Frank del Olmo Leaves Behind a Legacy of Latino Journalists
By Raymond R. Beltrán
This passed Tuesday, February 24, 2004, family and fellow Latino journalists held funeral services in honor and remembrance of Frank del Olmo at All Saints Church in Pasadena. During the previous week, on Thursday, February 19, he collapsed at his Los Angeles Times news office, where he’d been working since 1970, and was reported deceased at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles having suffered a heart attack. He was born on May 18, 1948 and died at age 55.


Mexico Moves to Tax Billions in Remittances as Migrants Protest
Daniel Rodríguez
According to the amendment made to paragraph ‘a’ in the first clause of Article 9 of the Código Fiscal de la Federación in México, the money transfers that Mexicans send to their country would be subject to federal taxation


Democrats Need Dean’s Message to Win
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson
ANALYSIS
Howard Dean may be out of the presidential race, but if the Democrats have any real hope of beating Bush, they’ll need his message — especially, but not limited to, his tough talk on issues important to blacks and Latinos.

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Stories

LULAC Celebrates 75 Anniversary
Nation’s Oldest and Largest Hispanic Organization Honors Legacy of Success
Corpus Christi, TX — 75 years ago, three pioneering Latino civil rights organization met at Obreros Hall in Corpus Christi, Texas and agreed to merge together to form the league of United Latin American Citizens. Now the oldest, largest and most successful Hispanic organization in the country, the League of United Latin American Citizens is celebrating its many accomplishments this year and launching new initiatives to advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health and civil rights of the Hispanic population of the United States.


GOP’S Best Hope Against Boxer Faces Uphill Primary Battle
By Pilar Marrero
Rosario Marín is betting that the California Republican Party is ready to nominate a pro-choice, anti-illegal immigration and anti-tax hike Mexican immigrant to go against Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer in November. After all, Californians just elected a pro-choice immigrant Republican governor.

Hispanic Director William A. Virchis Receives Prestigious Awards
William Alejandro Virchis Director of the Visual and Performing Arts, former Professor of the theater at Southwestern College and Producing Artistic Director of Teatro Máscara Mágica has been selected as an inductee into the Sweetwater Union High School District’s Alumni Hall of Fame and selected as an Honoree for “Excellence in Art” from the UCSD Hispanic Scholarship Council. Mr. Virchis will join screen actor Matthew Modine on March 5th at the Sweetwater Union High School District’s (SUHSD) Hall of Fame Dinner and will be inducted for his contribution in the Visual and Performing Acts.


San Diego High School and SWC Student Journalists Turn “Pro for a Day”
Chula Vista—San Diego high school and Southwestern College (SWC) reporters had the opportunity to work alongside professional journalists and turned “Pro for a Day” at a student journalism workshop, presented by the San Diego Association of Black Journalists (SDABJ) in conjunction with Southwestern College (SWC).


College Scholarship Opportunities:
Final Hands-On Workshop in the County Will Emphasize That College Is Affordable
The final San Diego County workshop in the state’s “Cash for College” financial aid assistance project will be held in North County. The workshop will help dispel the popular myth among many low-income students and parents that college is “just for rich kids” and unaffordable as a result of family income.

Consumers Warned to Avoid Exorbitant Loans Disguised as ‘Instant’ Tax Refunds
‘Refund Anticipation Loans’ Drain Billions of Dollars From Low-Income Families
Attorney General Bill Lockyer today warned California taxpayers not to fall pry to high-priced “refund anticipation loans (RAL),” which tax preparers pitch as “instant” or “rapid” refunds, but which drain billions of dollars from consumers who can least afford to pay the exorbitant costs.


Free Tax CD-Rom, Tax Assistance Available at Libraries
This tax season don’t deal with the frustration of misplaced forms and tax publications or struggle to answer tax questions. To help residents with their taxes, the Chula Vista Public Library has a free CD-ROM with forms and instructions available, tax assistance offered by volunteers, and paper copies of many tax forms and instruction booklets.


Community Notes:
Announcing the New Neighborhood Arts Program
Guidelines and Application for Funding Now Available
The City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture’s new Neighborhood Arts Program guidelines and applications are now available upon request. The new guidelines represent a year-long evaluation and redesign effort to make the funding programmore responsive to community needs and to enable more San Diego communities to participate in arts and culture.

Editorials

Editorial:
Aguirre’s the Right Choice for San Diego City Attorney
The vision for the City Attorney’s office reads that “this Office is to be a proactive, early intervention-oriented, community outreach-focused public law office that does outstanding legal work for the City of San Diego and the People of the State of California.”

This is the opening statement on the webpage of Casey Gwinn, the present City Attorney, who is being termed out of office, and in this statement lies what is wrong with the office. It has not lived up to the vision.


BALLOT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MARCH 2 PRIMARIES
In this the March Primaries, we are only endorsing in selected races. In races such as the Presidential race, we will defer until the General Elections and make our endorsement at that time. In other races, such as the Judge’s Office, we will not endorse in these races or in any races where the candidates are running unopposed, until the General Election. In the races below, we present our Ballot Recommendations for the March 2003 Primaries:


Comentario
Candidatos del Tercer Partido
By Andrés Lozano
La historia electoral americana es rica en ejemplos de terceros candidatos intentan ganar elecciones nacionales, no lo logran y ladean sufragios a favor del aspirante improbable. Ocurrió cuatro veces en menos de cien años, con más frecuencia antes.

Commentary
Third Party Candidates
By Andrés Lozano
American electoral outcomes show several instances when third party candidates, attempting to win elections, fail to accomplish this, yet tilt the result in behalf of the unlikely suitor. In less than a century, it has happened four times, even more often recently.


Comentario
La Enmienda: discriminación institucional en perspectiva
Por Humberto Caspa, Ph.D
La reciente propuesta del Presidente George W. Bush, que pretende enmendar la Constitución para definir la unión matrimonial en nuestro país entre un hombre y una mujer, es un proyecto anacrónico, sin sentido y con mucho tiraje político. Haciendo a un lado la polémica de siempre, si estar o no de acuerdo con la relación conyugal del mismo sexo, el cual es un tema polarizante de nunca acabar –más aún si incluímos la variable religión en medio de la discusión—, dicha propuesta atenta contra los derechos civiles de un segmento de ciudadanos norteamericanos y pretende improcedentemente crear una barrera discriminatoria a niveles institucionales. ¡No puede ser! Algo anda mal.

The Public Forum ... El Foro Publico
Why we also support Pilar Arballo
As long time educators and education advocates in San Diego we understand the importance of the upcoming election for the San Diego School Board; particularly District D. However, as you mention in your editorial it is a shame that “the two best-qualified candidates for this district seat are the two candidates whose names won’t appear on the ballot:” Lupe Corona and Pilar Arballo. It is both our professional and personal opinions that these two candidates are without a doubt the most qualified among the four to fill this seat for they clearly appear committed to bringing back dialogue and collaboration to an area that has been neglected for too long. Yet, while we hold both of these ladies in very high regard, we feel that at this juncture in time we must lend our support and our endorsement to Pilar Arballo. Below are our reasons why:

Etc. Etc. Etc.
Entertainment, Reviews, Sporting news, and other tid bits

Impulsan la Traducción Literaria de Autores no Hispanos
Por: Paco Zavala
La traducción ha sido una actividad que ha caminado paralelamente a los acontecimientos históricos de la humanidad. Considerando que existen y han existido una innumerable cantidad de civilizaciones y de culturas a través de los tiempos, los traductores han desempeñado un papel de importancia vital, para que todo lo vinculado con estas existencias trascienda y a nuestros días llegue.


La Novela Necesita de Pasión, Aventura, Drama y Comedia
Por: Paco Zavala
Indudablemente que la actividad de la lectura se convierte en uno de los mejores hábitos que puede adquirir el género humano.


VAMOS AL CINE
Más de lo mismo
Diego Luna, Salsa y Danzón en el cuadro de baile de salón
Por Jose Daniel Bort
Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights no trae absolutamente nada nuevo al género de películas de baile. Sin embargo, su justificación funciona como premisa para una película decente y el “sabor” latino se encuentra presente, por la mayor parte.


VAMOS AL CINE
La alucinación más perversa
La Pasión de Cristo No es Apta Para Menores de Edad
Por Jose Daniel Bort
No existe ninguna excusa, ni siquiera la religión, para justificar la violencia de las escenas de La Pasión de Cristo. Cualquier persona con una sensibilidad a “flor de piel” encontrará esta depicción de las últimas horas de Cristo como la película más cruel y violenta que se haya hecho hasta la fecha.

Mosaico de Actividades Culturales en Tijuana
Por: Paco Zavala
Ha transcurrido una semana densa, pesada y por demás muy lluviosa, la ciudad de Tijuana, ha sufrido los embates de las tormentas que han dejado una estela de destrucción, de pérdidas y de zozobra en los habitantes de algunos sectores. Ignoro por qué Tijuana ha sido pasto de movimientos políticos que no han beneficiado en mucho la infraestructura de la ciudad, sobre todo en lo que se refiere al servicio de Ingeniería en Drenaje Pluvial (Alcantarillado), para que las aguas provenientes de las colinas tijuanenses en tiempos de lluvia, no tengan problemas de escurrimiento y no se sufran consecuencias como las actuales. Pero en fin, es una problemática que ojalá que las futuras administraciones la tomen en cuenta y encuentren la solución adecuada.


Calendar of Events .....
By Berenice Cisneros
MCASD Presents Artist Anne Mudge
**On Thursday, March 4 at 7PM, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego will host an ongoing program of events taking place downtown on the first Thursday of each month. March’s TNT celebrates the opening of Cerca Series: Anne Mudge with a performance inside the galleries by the Joe Guevara Jazz Trio, and live music on the outdoor plaza by San Diego bands Scarlet Symphony and Operatic.


2004 Pacific Life Open to Feature South American Tennis Stars
By J. Fred Sidhu
The top tennis professionals in the world, including many of the best South American stars, will make their way to Indian Wells to play in the Pacific Life Open, which gets underway on Monday, March 8 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.


Flores Wins CIF Wrestling Title
By John Philip Wyllie
Having captured top honors as the CIF Division I Wrestling Champion in the 103 pound weight class last weekend at Fallbrook High, Bonita Vista High School’s George Flores is hungry for more. This afternoon and tomorrow he will battle against 18 of the county’s top grapplers in the San Diego Masters Tournament held at Otay Ranch High. The top three will gain berths in next weekend’s state tournament.


Diego Corrales and Joe Goossen: A Match Made In Boxing Heaven
By Fiona Manning
Now the truth is out. Despite all talk of former WBA 130 pound champion and current WBO No. 1 contender Joel Casamayor abruptly leaving longtime trainer Joe Goossen to train in “a beautiful mountain camp in Paso Robles, CA, the truth is Casamayor never left the LA area.