Volume XXX Number 01 January 06, 2006

FrontPage Stories

2005: A Year in Review

One that most would like to forget

By Daniel Muñoz

2005 was a tough year for all concerned. It is not going to be a year we will remember fondly. Natural disasters dominated the news, as did political corruption. The war in Iraq with the milestone of the 2000 soldier being killed, and still counting. The price of gas drove many of us to mass transit. Yes, it was a tough year but there were also some good memories that we will take with us into the New Year.

In 2005 there was much that the Centro Cultural de la Raza and the Save Our Centro Coalition would work out their differences. In June Michael Klam wrote of this hope in his entitled “Centro Cultural de la Raza: A New Beginning.” Pictured is Victor Ochoa.

In this our first edition of the New Year, and the beginning of our 30th year of publishing, we will review the year and touch upon some of the stories that were covered in the pages of La Prensa San Diego.

January 2005 started the year as most years start, with the Governor of California and the mayor of San Diego making their state of the state and state of the city addresses, outlining their agendas for the coming year.

For Mayor Dick Murphy, the reluctant mayor, little did we know that this would be the first and last state of the city in this his second term which would throw a city already in turmoil further into the abyss.

Nationally, a debate rages on over the nomination of Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General of the United States. Gonzales, a Texan and a loyal Bush supporter, is chastised by many in the Hispanic community for his role in the torture of war prisoners writing an opinion that the U.S. doesn’t have to abide by the Geneva Conventions, citing them as obsolete when he served as Legal Counsel in the Justice Department.

January set the political climate that would carry us throughout the year.

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2005: A difficult year on the border
Photos and text by Luis Alonso Pérez
As a new year begins, we must look back to 2005, an intense chapter in the history of the Mexico United States border region, and reflect on the hardships that the people in this complex region have gone through.


2005: Un año difícil en la frontera
Fotos y texto por Luis Alonso Pérez
Al comenzar un nuevo año es necesario volcar nuestra mirada hacia el 2005, un episodio intenso en la historia de la región fronteriza de México y Estados Unidos, y reflexionar sobre los momentos difíciles que hemos sobrellevado los habitantes de esta compleja región.



Stories

Jeans con justicia esta navidad
Por Luis Alonso Pérez
En esta navidad millones de personas alrededor del mundo regalaron o recibieron un pantalón de mezclilla, sin saber las condiciones bajo las cuales fueron elaborados.


Guillermo’s dream ended with a bullet from Border Patrol
By Pablo Jaime Sainz
One of Guillermo Martínez Rodríguez’s resolutions for the New Year was to make it across the border into the United Stated.


El sueño de Guillermo truncado por bala de la ‘migra’
Por Pablo Jaime Sainz
Uno de los propositos de Año Nuevo de Guillermo Martínez Rodríguez era cruzar a Estados Unidos.


Sentri Lanes Expanding
By Katia Lopez-Hodoyan
It made life easier for thousands of commuters and now a new Sentri line has re-opened and another petition deadline has closed.


LA COLUMNA VERTEBRAL
Por Ricardo Galarza
Los titulares del 2005 comentados
En estos tiempos de ritmo vertiginoso, trote largo, supercarreteras de la información, Internet, “laptops”, GPSs y celulares, todos parecemos que vamos en una gran autopista de alta velocidad, apuradísimos para llegar a la misma hora a los mismos lugares, o a ninguna parte. Eso sí, todos conectados; el que no está conectado, simplemente no está. Y nadie tiene tiempo para andarlo buscando. “No tiene celular”, solemos decir como justificación; o “no tiene e-mail”, que en este siglo XXI —que no espera a nadie— es como decir: se murió, o algo peor.


Vivir para contarla
Por Humberto Caspa
Haciendo una mirada hacia atrás y rememorando los hechos sucedidos el año pasado, el balance de la situación política de nuestro país es un verdadero caldo de problemas sin resolver. La mayoría de esos problemas empiezan en la Casa Blanca y terminan en ese mismo lugar.


Radio Bilingüe Lanza al Aire Nueva Serie Para Ayudar al Inmigrante a Salir de las Sombras y Participar en el Debate Nacional de Inmigración
El programa de pláticas Línea Abierta, el único en su tipo en la radio pública nacional, inicia una nueva serie especial para informar y motivar a sus radioescuchas inmigrantes a defenderse por sí mismos. La serie es parte de la actual edición quincenal sobre inmigración. El reciente énfasis en restringir a los inmigrantes y militarizar la frontera en aras de la seguridad nacional y la presencia de vigilantes caza-migrantes en la frontera y propuestas a favor de retirar la ciudadanía a niños nacidos en suelo estadounidense, ha empujado a muchos inmigrantes al fondo de las sombras de la clandestinidad, la separación familiar y el peligro de muerte en la frontera.


Editorials

Editorial:
Lorena Gonzalez for San Diego City Council: District 2
“Lorena Gonzalez and District 2 are a good fit. City Council District 2 encompasses the communities of Little Italy, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach, Old Town, Pacific Beach, Point Loma, the Park West area of Hill-crest, and La Jolla. District 2 is a highly diverse area with an eclectic mix of residents originating from different ethnic backgrounds. Diverse issues such as the environment, pollution, clean beaches, community bonding, the arts, and the development of sound business ethics are of up-most importance.”


Editorial:
Candidates for San Diego City Council District 8 Race Found Lacking!
The January 10, 2006 special election to replace City Councilman Ralph Inzunza, Jr., District 8, after his conviction, of conspiracy, extortion and wire fraud while serving as a Council member for the City, will draw to a conclusion an extraordinary run-off between Luis Acle (Republican) and Benjamin Hueso (Democrat).


Commentary:
December 16 — A Day of Shame in Chula Vista
By Peter J. Watry, Jr.
Some 224 years ago, in July of 1776, some brash American colonists had the nerve to declare their independence from being a British colony and instead they were going to govern themselves by ELECTING their leaders. No king, no emperor, no czar in America — henceforth, Americans would elect their representatives.


Commentary:
Commentary on the Firing of Ted Martinez
By Beth Smith
There will be great speculation for many years as to why Dr. Ted Martinez, Jr., was fired as president of Grossmont College. Some will say that he was a scapegoat for the actions taken by the Grossmont Faculty against the district chancellor, Omero Suarez. Others will claim that Martinez was too outspoken. Others will say he was not outspoken enough. But one thing is for sure, Martinez is a strong advocate for Grossmont College – always has been and probably always will be. He continued to choose championing for the students, programs and community that is Grossmont College, and unfortunately, this stance led to a conflict between him and Suarez. He did exactly what every college president is expected to do – bring to the attention of the district administration and board the problems and inequities facing Grossmont College with the intent to resolve the issues as soon as possible. However, it appears that Suarez did not want him to do the job he was hired to do. The college community is eternally grateful to Martinez for doing his job and making the tough, but right choice, over and over again on our behalf.


Commentary:
Another Execution Nears – Where Are the Protesters?
 By Jasmyne A. Cannick
In the wee hours of the morning on Jan. 17, another man will be put to death by lethal injection in the State of California. This comes exactly 36 days after the execution of Stanley Tookie Williams. But where are the protesters?


The Public Forum . . . El Foro Publico
Ghost of the past
In our house we had Grandparents telling wonderful stories about our ancestors and our American Indian culture. One of the stories that have come to mind recently is one about the first immigrants. In fact one can argue that the first immigrants our native people saw were considered illegal immigrants.


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

Reseña del Convulsionado Año 2005
Por:Paco Zavala
El año que acaba de terminar, dejó una estela de dolor, destrucción y de muerte. El año 2005, fue un año devastador para el género humano, se sufrieron inundaciones, guerras, terremotos, asesinatos, muerte de importantes personajes, violencia intrafamiliar y callejera y la cauda es interminable, tal parece que empiezan a cum-plirse las profecías bíblicas, nostradámicas, mayas, incas y otras.


MACUILXOCHITL'S KIVA
Bimbo a larger than life influence on reggaeton
By Francisco H. Ciriza
While Latin hip-hop and rap has been the causeway to a considerable flow of both industry and consumer dollars over the past five years, it’s reggaeton that has provided a fresh face on the contemporary Latin music scene.


Eighth Annual San Diego Multicultural Festival Celebrates Cultural Diversity
San Diego’s cultural diversity will again be celebrated at the Eighth Annual San Diego Multicultural Festival on Saturday, January 14, 2006. The free event will feature a variety of food, entertainment and fun for the entire family. The festival takes place from 11:00 a.m. — 5:00 p.m. coinciding with the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade, and will be held on the Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade on the north side of Harbor Drive between Market Street and Fourth Avenue, across from the San Diego Convention Center.

Happy New Year Champ!
“RBF” President & Founder Alex Ramos, a former potential Olympic hero and USBA title holder, is one of boxing’s few true champions!
By Mike Indri
By the time Alex “The Bronx Bomber” Ramos had reached the tender age of eleven, he was making quite a name for himself at New York’s TelStar gym on West 28th Street. At an age where most young boys were playing little league baseball or finally learning to ride their bikes - without the training wheels, Ramos was knocking out grown men; at the obsessive behest of his success driven father and under the watchful eye of gym owner Gil Clancy. “The gym was filled with nothing but pros, Emile Griffith trained there”, Ramos stated proudly, “I was the only amateur in the gym, and I was only a kid”.


Bullfight World
By Lyn Sherwood
MEXICO’S GREATEST BULLFIGHT EMPRESARIO, DR. GAONA, DIES
Plaza Mexico Empresa Herrerías Tries to Bribe, Threatens to Kill. Mexican Matadors’ Representative
It is with deep, personal regret and sense of loss that Bullfight World announces the death of Dr. Alfonso Gaona, who passed away Jan. 2, following a long illness. On Jan. 22nd, he would have been 94 years old.