Bass sounds alarm as TPS ends today for Salvadorans
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued a statement today backing the County’s large Salvadorian immigrant population as Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for El Salvador officially terminates today.
TPS provided legal work authorization and deportation protection for roughly 55,000 Californians after 25 years, following a Supreme Court ruling in June that cleared the way for the Trump administration to end the designation.
El Salvador’s TPS designation, first granted in 2001, is the longest-running in U.S. history, and its termination follows the administration’s move to end protections for 13 of the 17 countries that held TPS status when President Trump took office.
“For more than a generation, Salvadoran Angelenos have been an essential part of the heart and soul of Los Angeles. From Westlake and Pico-Union to the San Fernando Valley and South Los Angeles, Salvadoran families have raised children, built businesses, paid taxes, strengthened our neighborhoods, and helped power our economy. They have not simply built lives in Los Angeles, they have helped build Los Angeles itself,” said Bass.
“There was no crisis requiring this decision. There was a choice, and the administration chose disruption over stability, fear over certainty, and politics over people. The consequences will ripple across Los Angeles and Southern California, including our hospitals, restaurants, construction sites, small businesses, and service industries. Congress must act now. People who have lived, worked, raised families, and contributed to this country for decades deserve more than temporary protection that can be used as a political bargaining chip. They deserve a permanent path to citizenship,” the Mayor added.
Pérez denies condoning violence after panel controversy
State Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez (D-Pasadena, Alhambra, Altadena, Glendale, Arcadia, Monrovia) yesterday denied she supports or endorses violence, after a widely circulated video from a Sept. 6 Oxnard panel showed her seated near a fellow panelist who made violent remarks toward a federal immigration agent.
Pérez appeared on the panel alongside Cal State LA professor and Black Lives Matter co-founder Melina Abdullah, discussing legislative work on immigration, privacy and constitutional rights at an event hosted by La Defensa del Pueblo.
Video circulating online purports to show Pérez smiling in response to Abdullah’s remarks, which reportedly included telling the crowd to target a named ICE officer. Pérez’s office said the video is “highly edited” and that her reaction was actually to a separate comment about young people’s courage.
“I unequivocally condemn violence in all its forms, regardless of who uses it or whom it targets. I do not support, endorse, or condone violence against anyone, and my silence during another panelist’s remarks must never be misrepresented as agreement. Each speaker is responsible for their own words. A highly edited video circulating online falsely suggests I was smiling in response to violent remarks directed toward an ICE agent. The full video makes clear that my reaction was to separate comments about the courage of young people. Any suggestion that I share, endorse, or condone violence is false,” said Pérez.
“I have consistently opposed the federal government’s cruel immigration enforcement practices while also unequivocally opposing violence in all forms including violence by government agents that took the life of Keith Porter Jr. and Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and violence by political extremists that took the life of Charlie Kirk. Political disagreement is not a license for racism, intimidation, or violence. I will continue to fight for civil rights through lawful, democratic action, and I will never condone violence,” the lawmaker added.
Sánchez pushes bill to protect Social Security for widows
U.S. Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-Whittier, Norwalk, Pico Rivera, Santa Fe Springs, La Mirada, Montebello, Hacienda Heights, Rowland Heights, Diamond Bar, Walnut), a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee, introduced legislation last week to prevent surviving spouses from losing large portions of their Social Security household income when a partner dies.
The Protecting Our Widows and Widowers in Retirement Act would change how the Social Security Administration calculates survivor benefits for two-income households, creating an alternative benefit equal to 75% of a couple’s combined Social Security payments.
According to the National Academy of Social Insurance, widows typically see their benefits drop 33% to 50% after a spouse’s death, even though surviving spouses generally need about 79% of the couple’s prior combined income just to maintain their standard of living.
“The grief of losing a loved one shouldn’t be compounded by the stress of financial hardship. Sadly, that’s the reality for too many surviving spouses, who can lose half their household income overnight. The POWR Act moves to fix that. After decades of hard work and paying into the system, widows and widowers deserve to keep the benefits they earned together,” said Sánchez.
The bill is also endorsed by the Alliance for Retired Americans and the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.
Artesia’s drone fireworks program nets $26,000 in fines
Artesia Mayor Rene Trevino touted the results last week of the city’s new drone enforcement program, which issued 13 citations totaling $26,000 in fines for illegal fireworks after reviewing footage collected over a roughly two-week stretch this summer.
The city contracted with Southwest Patrol to provide drone surveillance from June 26 to July 12, giving code enforcement staff aerial footage to identify fireworks violations before issuing citations. City officials said the program gives Artesia an additional tool to enforce its municipal fireworks code and protect residents’ safety and quality of life.
“Illegal fireworks pose a serious risk to our community, and the City is committed to enforcing our laws fairly and consistently. Partnering with Southwest Patrol and utilizing drone technology has given our Code Enforcement team another effective tool to identify violations and hold those responsible accountable,” said Trevino.
Residents with questions can contact Artesia City Hall at (562) 865-6262.
