Thread: Translated article on deported MEChA president

I live in Escondido, nor far from Palomar college.

I almost choked when I heard this!

By the way, the sentiment in Escondido is turning pretty sharply against the invasion. For instance, read the comments on this article from nctimes.com:

Escondido mayor focuses on hurdles during annual address

By: DAVID GARRICK - Staff Writer
Recession will mean cutbacks in city services

ESCONDIDO -- The challenges facing Escondido, including an economic recession and community friction based on class, were the focus of Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler's annual State of the City address Wednesday night.

During her 20-minute speech to dozens of community leaders and ordinary citizens at City Hall, Pfeiler said residents should expect cuts to city services because of sharply declining sales tax revenue.

"When the economy slows down and people quit buying cars, we feel it pretty darn quick in Escondido," said Pfeiler, explaining that the city's auto park makes Escondido particularly susceptible to a recession. "There is no doubt the slowing economy will significantly affect our ability to meet the demand for services in the next couple years."


Pfeiler also urged residents to put aside their differences in background and socioeconomic status, so that the entire Escondido community can have a sense of belonging and a sense of pride.

"We must work to create an identity that includes all the groups and classes of residents who call Escondido home," Pfeiler said.

The way the community pulled together during and after the October wildfires is proof that such harmony can exist in the city, she said.

Pfeiler, in her ninth consecutive State of the City speech, did not use the words "immigration," "Latino" or "race," but it was clear the type of community divisions she had in mind.

Near the end of her speech, the mayor quoted a former professor from North Carolina who said, "It takes both the white and black keys of the piano to play 'The Star-Spangled Banner.' "

The issue of illegal immigration brought national media attention to Escondido in 2006, when the City Council approved an ordinance prohibiting landlords from renting to illegal immigrants, and the issue has remained prominent since.

The council majority, which does not include Pfeiler, wants to restrict overnight parking to reduce overcrowding they blame on poor Latino families congregating in single-family homes. Pfeiler did not discuss the proposal Wednesday night, nor the divisions among the council.

While the mayor spent much time on the city's challenges, her speech was far from gloomy.

She said Escondido is the best city in San Diego County and proceeded to list the many amenities citizens should be proud of. They include several museums, a performing arts center, a defined downtown, a "first-rate" hospital, two lakes, a winery, a brewery and several shopping centers.

She also said that the city has weathered many previous recessions and that despite the current economic downturn, the city is actually embarking on a building boom. New buildings under construction in 2008 include four fire stations, a combined headquarters for the Fire and Police departments, an 11-story public hospital, two Marriott hotels and an elaborate Lexus dealership.

Pfeiler also said the new projects, combined with a planned expansion of the Westfield North County mall, will help the city fight off recessions in the future.

The speech also included a description of unique city jobs to stress all the things the city does for residents that they might not know about. Jobs the mayor highlighted include maintaining the city's water aqueduct, street sweeping, analyzing crime scenes and removing graffiti.

After the speech, Councilwoman Marie Waldron said that she was pleased the mayor mentioned the offbeat jobs and that she was impressed by the speech overall.

"She talked about a lot of the aspects of city government that people don't know much about," said Waldron.

Escondido's State of the City address is traditionally delivered during the third week of February. Pfeiler said she moved the date up this year because she received more requests than usual to deliver the speech to specific community groups, and she wanted to make sure the first reading of the speech was at City Hall.

The speech was preceded by the presentation of awards to 14 local residents for volunteer efforts and contributions to the city.

-- Contact staff writer David Garrick at (760) 740-5468 or dgarrick@nctimes.com.

Previous Story: Report: Cattle, clearing saved huge historical spread
Next Story: Business group declines to ask PPH to drop new-hospital plan



.
Comments On This Story

Note: Comments reflect the views of readers and not necessarily those of the North County Times or its staff.
So then...... wrote on Jan 17, 2008 4:14 AM:The mayor is proud of the fact that Escondido has "....several museums, a performing arts center, a defined downtown, a ‘first-rate’ (***IS THAT AN OFFICAL TITLE???***) hospital, two lakes, a winery, a brewery and several shopping centers." Um, isn't a city the size of Escondido SUPPOSED to have such amenities? Isn't that to be expected? So why boast? Might as well boast that Escondido has running water and indoor toilets--- overused as they may be.

Insofar as the "The Star-Spangled Banner" is concerned, yes, it does take both black and white keys to play that song. But lets never forget that it is a NATIONAL anthem, celebrating ONE nation. It was composed by an AMERICAN. It is sung by AMERICANS. It celebrates AMERICA. It is the national anthem of ONE country, the United States of America. Many non-Americans may appreciate its beauty, and agree with its theme. Many may even be envious of it, or perhaps even hate it. But it is written by an AMERICAN, for AMERICANS alone. It is a song meant to invoke patriotism for ONE nation alone! ONE people alone! It is not celebrating any other country but America. The mayor can misrepresent this song with her little out-of-context story all she wants to, it doesn't change the fact that the song is for Americans--- of every race, color and creed.

If the national anthem isn't your national anthem, then you have absolutely no participation in it, be it positive or negative. The black and white key analogy is faulty and superficial when applied to NON-CITIZENS, no matter what their race, color or creed. IF the national anthem is applied to illegal aliens, then it has lost its meaning. It has lost its power. It has lost its essence. If you strip it of its exclusiveness, you strip it of it uniqueness, and the very thing which sets it apart from the national anthems of other nations.

I can understand its attraction on the part of illegal aliens, but I cannot help but think that that attraction is simply economic in nature only, and not from the heart. Would the illegal aliens who want to celebrate the greatness of Mexico wish to subjugate the same rights of another nation to do the same with its own? I can arrive at no other conclusion when one views the sheer number of illegal aliens, and their conduct towards the United States of America.

The mayor would seek to include people who are here illegally in the celebration of America, in the benefits American citizenship offers. If there is no more distinction, then there is no more uniqueness. Without that, we have lost the very thing which defines our country. You can debate all you want, but at the end of the day, you are either an American citizen, or you are not. If you are not an American citizen, then you are not an American. (I am sorry to point out the obvious.)

The mayor is a traitor, because she has sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America. By allowing non-citizens to diminish the validity of the laws of the United States by non-enforcement of these same laws she has committed treason. If our so-called leaders---both national and local--- do not take drastic and immediate steps to seal and enforce the border, along with across-the-board deportation and a retroactive repeal of the 14th Amendment birthright attained by children of illegal aliens, then you can say goodbye to what made America great--- to what made America unique. If our present status quo is maintained, then it is only a matter of time until the very greatness and uniqueness that the “Star Spangled Bannerâ€

Feck-Welcome to Alipac.us! Thanks for posting the comments.

Rawhide!

restrict overnight parking to reduce overcrowding they blame on poor Latino families congregating in single-family homes

Hah!!!!!! Even up here in Oregon we are seeing this. The local fire departments are trying to deal with this in their spre time, but their spare time, versus budgets, is little and leaves them with little time to do a lot of outside stuff with limited staffings.

In my complex, we regularly get parked into our little driveway/parking space in front of our duplex, and there is NO other way out. Our landlord, although attempting to improve things since he took over, has done little to deal with this problem, but not for much longer (a little letter, or a visit in our lot from the fire department is in order again, maybe some tickets)!

Welcome to Alipac, Feck! Thanks for posting that article. I read it and all the comments too. Escondido used to be nice -- about 20 years ago. Now it is becoming like the rest of the heavily Latino cities. I hope you can escape while you can. I escaped Orange County in 2006, but I still keep up with what is happening in OC. Terrible! So glad I escaped. Most of CA's middle class are voting with their feet and leaving the state. You will meet some of them here.

And now, Ca has that $14.5 Billion deficit. Ay caramba! As long as Ca's legislature is Democrat (read: SOCIALIST), more illegals will keep going there. Good luck to you!

Ex_OC

Thank you for posting the comments Feck. It gets you past the rhetoric and the story the media and the mayor would have us hear and takes us to the people, those living the nightmare in Escondido and everywhere, USA.

Ephesians 4:32

President of MEChA club at Palomar College deported


By Linda Lou
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

5:48 p.m. January 16, 2008

NORTH COUNTY– The president of the MEChA club at Palomar College has been deported to Mexico, immigration officials said Wednesday.

Paola Oropeza, 22, was arrested Jan. 8 by a fugitive operations team with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said Lauren Mack, a spokeswoman for the department in San Diego.

Oropeza had been ordered to leave the country by an immigration judge, but failed to comply with that order, Mack said. At the time of her arrest, Oropeza was in the country illegally and was taken to Tijuana, Mack said.

Oropeza did not have a criminal record, Mack said, but could not provide details about her immigration background. Oropeza was arrested along with three other people who are believed to be her family members, Mack said. One is still in deportation proceedings.

When reached on a cell phone Wednesday, Oropeza declined to comment. She said her attorney has advised her not to talk to the media.

MEChA, or Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, is a Latino student group with chapters in high schools and colleges. It focuses on empowerment through education as well as political, cultural and social awareness.

A staff assistant in Palomar College's student affairs office who works with student clubs said Oropeza was president in 2007 and remained in that role this year. She said MEChA is fairly active on campus, especially in the fall. The group holds a cultural event on campus each winter called a “Night of Cultureâ€

and collects toys for the needy through the event

I can bet that they don't give those toys to just any needy kid, don't you all?.....

"The family, as many others, who went to see a respectable immigration lawyer in order to normalize their status in this country."

The ten year bar is most likely the result of the initial entry into this country being illegal.

Had the initial entry into the country been legal i.e., work visa, travel, or student visa, she would not be facing a ten year ban.

Once again we have illegal invader refusing to accept responsibility for their actions. It's always the fault of someone else and they are always the poor victims. This is the same rhetoric the corrupt government of Mexico spouts off on a daily basis.