September 2018 Vol. 12 No.62

Providing news that is relevant, informative and critical www.epatoday.org.

East Palo Alto artist is getting national attention... page 7 Ravenswood Family Dentistry is expanding.... page 8Facebook faces scathing criticism.... page 2

East Palo Alto seeks a new city managerEast Palo Alto and Belle Haven

Inside

Editorial

News Briefs

Opinions

Senior News

TV Listings

Youth News

By Mark Hedin

Candidate DonaldTrump rode his anti-immigrant rhetoric

straight to the White House.Since then, he’s banned peo-ple from heavily Muslim-pop-ulated countries, takenchildren from their parentsupon arrival at the Mexico bor-der, is attempting to make cit-izenship status a question onthe 2020 Census, and one hotday in late July, blocked afourth-generation American

mom from buying her kidstacos at her local swimmingpool in Roeland Park, Kan.

Jessica Salazar Collins, aBank of America customer fornearly 20 years, called BofA toask why her debit card had

been declined. Eventually, shelearned that her account hadbeen frozen, because her hus-band had not responded to abank postcard inquiring abouthis citizenship status. JoshCollins was born in Wichita.

Neither of the Collinses hasever left the United States ex-cept for a first-anniversary, be-lated honeymoon trip toMexico in 2005. They hadbeen Bank of America cus-tomers before that.

In time not as quickly aspromised, and not in time tobuy movie tickets for the fam-ily the next day the couple re-gained access to theirearnings. But by early August,they’d taken their banking to alocal credit union. “This hap-

Should banks be raising the citizenship question?

continued on page 10

Photo courtesy of the Santa Clara Valley Water DistrictAll of the city, county and state officials who took part in the groundbreaking for the first major San Francisquito Creek flood protection projectthat took place on August 5, 2016, were all smiles. The event took place exactly two years ago this August and included the mayors from PaloAlto, East Palo Alto and Menlo Park. But, for all of the attention given to the project that day, what has happened thus far to protect the threecommunities from any creek flooding that develops from future storms? To get an update on the project, read the article on flooding on page2 of this issue.

By Henrietta J. Burroughs

Carlos Martinez, EastPalo Alto’s currentcity manager is

slated to leave his positionwith the city to become the

city manager of Richmond,CA, starting on November 1,2018.

After several council inter-views and a public hearing ithad with him this past July, theRichmond City Council chose

Martinez to be Richmond'scity manager over two other fi-nalists: former Oxnard Assis-tant City Manager RuthOsuna and former AlamedaCity Manager and MoragaTown Manager Jill Keimach

Martinez was born in Man-agua, Nicaragua and is a nat-uralized American citizen. Hehas worked in the public sec-tor for the Cities of Haywardand for the East Palo Alto Re-development Agency since

2003. He was appointed asEast Palo Alto interim citymanager in October 2014 andas East Palo Alto's city man-ager in March 2015.

In an email to East Palo AltoToday, commenting on histime working in East PaloAlto, Martinez said, "Servingas East Palo Alto City Man-ager and leading the EastPalo Alto team has been oneof the most rewarding experi-ences of my professional ca-reer, and a great honor."

He continued, "Much hasbeen accomplished during mytenure, building on the hardwork of my predecessors.East Palo Alto is now betterthan ever, with a great Coun-cil and team of devoted pro-fessionals. The City’s future isbright."

Martinez will replace Rich-mond’s retiring city manager,Bill Lindsay, who has servedas Richmond’s top managersince 2010. At its Tuesday,

Photo courtesy https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship

continued on page 10

Alto and Palo Alto to holdmore. The widening was intothe Palo Alto Golf Course andincluded new floodwalls andtrails on both sides of thecreek between East BayshoreRoad and Daphne Way. Thisyear, we will construct raisedlevees and trails on bothsides of the creek betweenDaphne Way and FriendshipBridge.

In addition to its flood pro-tection benefits, the project

enhances the surrounding en-vironment and recreation op-portunities. The project hascreated or restored 22 acresof marsh habitat for endan-gered bird, fish and mousespecies. During this final con-struction season, the projectwill enhance access to recre-ational/commuter trails, in-cluding new or improvedaccess in East Palo Alto atO’Connor Street, Daphne

By Gary Kremen and Len Materman

East Palo Alto resi-dents are nowmonths away from

receiving critical protectionsfrom flooding from San Fran-cisquito Creek. San Francis-quito Creek is between SanFrancisco Bay and U.S. High-way 101, adjacent to the Pul-

gas Gardens Neighborhood. After the 1998 record flood,

which damaged approxi-mately 1,700 homes and busi-nesses and resulted in tens ofmillions of dollars in damages,the San Francisquito CreekJoint Powers Authority(SFCJPA) was formed by thecities of Palo Alto, Menlo Park,East Palo Alto, the San MateoCounty Flood Control District

and the Santa Clara ValleyWater District.

After years of planning andsecuring environmental per-mits, the SFCJPA and its part-ner agencies are excited tocomplete construction on thefirst major San FrancisquitoCreek flood protection projectby early 2019.

The improvements to thisstretch of about one and a halfmiles of San FrancisquitoCreek next to East Palo Altowill protect thousands of peo-ple and properties on the eastside of U.S. Highway 101from creek flows resultingfrom storms even greater thanthe famed 100-year floodevent, which has a 1 percentchance of occurring in anygiven year, along with consid-erations for high tides and sealevels rising by several feet.During the past two years, theSFCJPA widened the creekchannel between East Palo

East Palo Alto Today Page 2 September 2018

Photo courtesy of the Santa Clara Valley Water DistrictThe construction on the San Francisquito Creek flooding projectis very evident on East Bayshore Road off of Highway 101 in2017.

Project to protect EPA from flooding nears completion

Facebook faces scathing criticism and a federal complaintThe following is a copy of

the text of a press releaseissued on August 17, 2018that details the formal com-plaint that the U.S. Depart-ment of Housing and UrbanDevelopment filed againstFacebook.

**************HUD FILES HOUSING DIS-

CRIMINATION COMPLAINTAGAINST FACEBOOK

Secretary-initiated com-plaint alleges platform allowsadvertisers to discriminate

WASHINGTON – The U.S.Department of Housing andUrban Development (HUD)announced today a formalcomplaint against Facebookfor violating the Fair HousingAct by allowing landlords andhome sellers to use its adver-tising platform to engage inhousing discrimination.

HUD claims Facebookenables advertisers to controlwhich users receive housing-related ads based upon therecipient’s race, color, religion,sex, familial status, nationalorigin, disability, and/or zipcode. Facebook then invitesadvertisers to express unlaw-ful preferences by offering dis-criminatory options, allowingthem to effectively limit hous-ing options for these protectedclasses under the guise of‘targeted advertising.’ ReadHUD’s complaint againstFacebook.

“The Fair Housing Act pro-hibits housing discriminationincluding those who mightlimit or deny housing options

with a click of a mouse,” saidAnna María Farías, HUD’s As-sistant Secretary for FairHousing and Equal Opportu-nity. “When Facebook usesthe vast amount of personaldata it collects to help adver-tisers to discriminate, it’s thesame as slamming the door insomeone’s face.”

The Fair Housing Act pro-hibits discrimination in hous-ing transactions including printand online advertisement onthe basis of race, color, na-tional origin, religion, sex, dis-ability, or familial status.HUD’s Secretary-initiatedcomplaint follows the Depart-ment’s investigation into Face-book’s advertising platformwhich includes targeting toolsthat enable advertisers to filterprospective tenants or home-buyers based on these pro-tected classes.

For example, HUD’s com-plaint alleges Facebook’s plat-form violates the Fair HousingAct. It enables advertisers to,

among other things:➢ display housing ads ei-

ther only to men or women; ➢ not show ads to Face-

book users interested in an“assistance dog,” “mobilityscooter,” “accessibility” or“deaf culture”; ➢ not show ads to users

whom Facebook categorizesas interested in “child care” or“parenting,” or show ads onlyto users with children above aspecified age; ➢ to display/not display

ads to users whom Facebookcategorizes as interested in aparticular place of worship, re-ligion or tenet, such as the“Christian Church,” “Sikhism,”“Hinduism,” or the “Bible.”➢ not show ads to users

whom Facebook categorizesas interested in “Latin Amer-ica,” “Canada,” “SoutheastAsia,” “China,” “Honduras,” or“Somalia.” ➢ draw a red line around

zip codes and then not displayads to Facebook users who

live in specific zip codes. Additionally, Facebook pro-

motes its advertising targetingplatform for housing purposeswith “success stories” for find-ing “the perfect homeowners,”“reaching home buyers,” “at-tracting renters” and “person-alizing property ads.”

In addition, today the U.S.Attorney for the Southern Dis-trict of New York (SDNY) fileda statement of interest, joinedin by HUD, in U.S. DistrictCourt on behalf of a number ofprivate litigants challengingFacebook’s advertising plat-form.

HUD Secretary-InitiatedComplaints

The Secretary of HUD mayfile a fair housing complaint di-rectly against those whom theDepartment believes may bein violation of the Fair HousingAct. Secretary-Initiated Com-plaints are appropriate incases, among others, involv-ing significant issues that arenational in scope or when theDepartment is made aware ofpotential violations of the Actand broad public interest reliefis warranted or where HUDdoes not know of a specificaggrieved person or injuredparty that is willing or able tocome forward.

A Fair Housing Act com-plaint, including a Secretaryinitiated complaint, is not a de-termination of liability.

A Secretary-Initiated Com-

plaint will result in a formalfact-finding investigation. Theparty against whom the com-plaint is filed will be providednotice and an opportunity torespond. If HUD’s investiga-tion results in a determinationthat reasonable cause existsthat there has been a violationof the Fair Housing Act, acharge of discrimination maybe filed.

Throughout the process,HUD will seek conciliation andvoluntary resolution. Chargesmay be resolved through set-tlement, through referral to theDepartment of Justice, orthrough an administrative de-termination.

This year marks the 50th an-niversary of the Fair HousingAct. In commemoration, HUD,local communities, and fairhousing organizations acrossthe country have coordinateda variety of activities to en-hance fair housing aware-ness, highlight HUD's fairhousing enforcement efforts,and end housing discrimina-tion in the nation.

For a list of activities,log onto www.hud.gov/fair-housingis50.

Persons who believe theyhave experienced discrimina-tion may file a complaint bycontacting HUD's Office ofFair Housing and Equal Op-portunity at (800) 669-9777(voice) or (800) 927-9275(TTY).

Photo courtesy of the Santa Clara Valley Water DistrictThe water was overflowing on East Bayshore Road during theKing Tude on December 4, 2017.

continued on page 8

Graphic courtesy of https://www.hud.gov/

East Palo Alto Today Page 3 September 2018

City, County, State & U.S.Government Meetings & ContactsEast Palo Alto City Council

The East Palo Alto CityCouncil meets the first andthird Tuesday of eachmonth at 7:30 pm in theCouncil Chambers, EastPalo Alto City Hall, 2415University Avenue; (650)853-3100 or Fax: (650) 853-3115. Website:www.ci.east-palo-alto.ca.us

East Palo AltoCity Council Members

Ruben AbricaMayor(650) 380-4987

Lisa GauthierVice Mayor(650) 387-4584

Carlos Romerocromero@cityofepa.org

Donna Rutherford(650) 327-7926

Larry Moody(650) 644-9110

East Palo Alto Agencies,Boards, Commissions,Committees

Planning CommissionSecond and Fourth Monday

Rent Stabilization BoardSecond and FourthWednesday

Public Works & Trans-portation CommissionThird Wednesday

Youth Advisory Commit-teeFirst Thursday of eachmonth

Senior Advisory Commit-teeMeets first Wednesday ofthe even numbered monthsfrom 1:30p.m.-3:30p.m. -City Hall.

East Palo Alto SanitaryDistrictThe East Palo Alto SanitaryDistrict office is open Mon-day through Friday from8:00 a.m. to 12 noon andre-opens from 1:00 p.m. to5:00 p.m. for service. Regu-

lar Board Meetings are heldthe first Thursday of everymonth at 7:00 pm.

Menlo Park City CouncilThe Menlo Park City Coun-cil holds meetings everyTuesday at 7:00 p.m. at theCity Council Chambers lo-cated at 801 Laurel Street.You can subscribe to re-ceive the agendas and min-utes by e-mail when theyare published.For questionsabout an agenda, call thecity clerk at 650.330.6620.

Menlo Park City Council Members

Peter I. Ohtaki- Mayor(650) 328-0300

Ray Mueller Mayor ProTen(650) 776-8995

Catherine CarltonCell:575-4623

Kirsten Keith- Cell:(650) 308-4618

Richard Cline - Cell:(650)207-1677

Menlo ParkBoards, Commissions,CommitteesArts CommissionBicycle CommissionEnvironmental Quality Com-missionFinance and Audit Commis-sionHousing CommissionLas Pulgas CommitteeLibrary CommissionParks and Recreation Com-missionPlanning CommissionTransportation Commission

San Mateo CountyBoard of SupervisorsSupervisor WarrenSlocum Fourth DistrictThe San Mateo CountyBoard of Supervisors meetson March 3, 17, 31, & April14,28 2009 in the County ofSan Mateo Hall of Justice &Records 400 County Cen-ter, Redwood City, CA94063. Roll call at 8 a.m.9 a.m. Regular & ConsentAgenda Iems. 650 691-2121

State OfficialsGovernor Edmund G. BrownState Capitol BuildingSacramento, CA 95814Phone: 916-445-2841Fax: 916-445-4633Email: governor@gover-nor.ca.gov

Assembly Member Marc BermanDistrict Address5050 El Camino RealSte.117Los Altos, CA 94022650 691-2121

State SenatorJerry Hill District Address1528 South El Camino Real San Mateo, CA 94301(650) 212-3313

U.S. GovernmentU.S. CongresswomanJackie SpeierSan Mateo Office155 Bovet Rd, Suite 780San Mateo, CA 94402Phone: (650) 342-0300Phone: (415) 566-5257Fax: (650) 375-8270

East Palo Alto City Councilon August recess untilTuesday, September 4, 20187:30 p.m. when it will re-sume its regular city coun-cil meetings.–This summer, the East Palo

Alto City Council held longevening meetings, severalpast midnight to address keyissues.

At its special August 8, 2018meeting, the council had sev-eral weighty issues on itsagenda: One was to Repealthe 2003 Zoning Code andthe 1983 Subdivision Regu-lations and Establish the2018 Development Code.

The Development Code isconsidered the primary toolto implement the goals andpolicies of the city’s Gen-eral Plan.

At the August 8 meeting, thecity staff sought the council’s guidance on whether it shouldintroduce an ordinance to es-tablish the 2018 DevelopmentCode which would guide thefuture development of theEast Palo Alto for the next 20years. Some of the changes pro-posed would give the councilother housing options for cityresidents.

After listening to variousviews from community resi-dents, Woodland Park staffmembers and other speakers,the council mde modifications

to the text of the ordinanceThe council will consider

its adoption on September4, 2018. The Ordinance andnew Development Codewould go into effect on Oc-tober 5, 2018.

Another issue which led tovigorous debate within thecouncil chamber was theAdoption of East Palo AltoPolice Department Rulesand Regulations related tothe Use of Conductive En-ergy Devices and BodyWorn Cameras, and Updating the ReportingSchedule for Police Depart-ment Rules and Regulations.

Listening to several resi-dents who were quite persua-sive, the council decided totake the issue of ConductiveEnergy Devices, aka stunguns, up at a future meeting togive more community mem-bers a chance to participate inthe council discussion.Another one was to Rescind

the Dual Designation of CityManager/City Clerk positionand make them separatepositions.

A key issue to be placed onthe 2018 November ElectionBallot - a parcel tax for EastPalo Alto - called for the ap-pointment of a City Coun-cil SubCommittee to Writea Ballot Argument on Be-half of the City Council.

According to the East PaloAlto City Manager’s Update,On July 31, 2018, the CityCouncil approved for submis-sion to East Palo Alto votersthe question of whether to ap-prove a measure that wouldadd Chapter 3.70 to the Mu-nicipal Code to enact a spe-cial parcel tax titled the“Commercial Office SpaceParcel Tax for AffordableHousing and Job Opportuni-ties.”

If approved by the voters,the Measure would enact aparcel tax on commercial of-fice space over 25,000 square feet at an annual rate $2.50per square foot.

It is estimated that the spe-cial tax will generate annualrevenue of $1,675,000. Therevenue from the parcel taxwill be llimited to affordableand supportive housing pro-grams; programs that facilitateaccess to job opportunitiesresidents in the S.T.E.M. sec-

continued on page 9

Community News Briefs

Here are some of the dailyisses your neighbors areconcerned about on NextDoor

Who else is tired of peoplecreating an exit lane wherenone exists?

We’ve had ten months to adjustto the current Willow inter-change configuration. It amazesme there haven’t been more ac-cidents. There is not a day Ipass this interchange when Idon’t see someone making anillegal u-turn, running a red light,creating their own turn lane,waiting until the last minute toget out of the EB Willow NB 101turn lane or running the red turnlight altogether. This is easyrevenue; the MPPD and CHPshould be camped out catchingthese scofflaws!

Joellen McGruderBelle Haven

Responses:

And the buses are probably theworse offenders, making a lane

for themselves and giving youno option but to move out ofthe way. Doesn’t matter ifyou’ve been lined up for closeto an hour, they just cut rightin front of you. I cannot standmy ground because I wouldmuch rather be alive than becrushed. I truly am surprised ithas not been regulated butthankfully no accidents haveoccurred. I try to avoid it at allCost between 4:30-7pm. Notworth the energy.

DC BangBelle Haven

Please note Willow Road willbe completely closed to alltraffic for a weekend. That clo-sure is tentatively scheduledfor Friday, September 14,2018, at 10 p.m. until Monday,September 17, 2018, at 4a.m. Subscribe to the Con-struction News Updates tokeep informed about this clo-sure.

Pamela D Jones Belle Haven

New Willow Rd 101 off-rampscoming mid-September

According to the Willow Rd and101 construction web pagehttps://www.menlopark.org/1127/Willow-RoadUS-101-Inter-change, which has a link to amap, the northbound andsouthbound off-ramps will bothbe re-located in mid-September2018. The northbound off-rampwill be BEFORE the overpass.It will widen to 4 lanes at a trafficlight, with the two left lanesgoing toward the Willows. Thesouthbound off-ramp will beBEFORE the overpass. It toowill widen to 4 lanes at a trafficlight, with the two right lanesgoing toward the Willows. It'shard to see on the map, but Ithink the southbound and north-bound on-ramps will remainwhere they currently are. Tomake this switch, the Willow Rdoverpass will be closed oneweekend, tentatively scheduledfor Sept 14-16 (Friday 10 pm toMonday 4 am).Andrea JulianThe Willows

East Palo Alto Today Page 4 September 2018

greatly abetted that transfor-mation, and stood to profitfrom the rising flood of corpo-rate money into the capital.”

So, why have I taken thiscolumn and focused somuch attention on Paul Man-afort ?

One statement in the arti-cle explains it all: “The thing

I love,” oneperson whowas inter-viewed said,“is that the po-litical elitesand the eco-nomic elites in

every othercountry but

the United States of Americ aa r e t h e same.” The electedofficials and the people “run-ning the elections are therichest people in the country,who own all the assets.”

Many of the people in thecurrent administration inWashington are alreadysome of the richest people inour country and they, obvi-ously, seem to be trying toconsolidate their power andtheir fortunes.

We all have heard thatpower corrupts and absolutepower corrupts absolutely.

So, what can we, the peo-ple, do? We can first beaware the degree to whichour representatives locally,statewide and nationally arevulnerable to corruption.

We must always holdthem accountable at all timesat every level. We need tohave shared strong moralvalues and set ethical stan-dards that we uphold our-selves within the communityand, at the same time, holdall of our representatives asa community to the higheststandards.

This means letting themknow that they were notelected to office to use theprivileges that they are ac-corded to line their ownpockets. They are elected tooffice to work at all times forthe best interests of us andfor the best interests of all ofthe communities that theyserve.

Iread a fascinating arti-cle in the AtlanticMonthly magazine a

few weeks ago about PaulManafort. You might havebeen following his indictmentin the Mueller investigationand his ensuing federal courtcase.

Why was the arti-cle so fascinating?Well, it detailed Man-afort’s start as ayoung Republicancampaign workerand his rise throughthe ranks as an influ-ential force in the Re-publican Party.

Manafort’s campaign ef-forts were instrumental in thesuccess of Ronald Reaganand later George H.W.Bush’s presidential cam-paigns and it was the companythat he started in Washington,D.C. that made the role of lob-bying the force that it becamein wielding influence over ournation’s representatives inWashington.

The article stated that be-fore Manafort started his lob-bying company, Black,Manafort and Stone, “Lobby-ing hardly carried a stigma,because there was so little ofit.”

In fact, three leading po-litical scientists, who studiedthe profession in 1963 con-cluded: “When we look at thetypical lobby, we find its op-portunities to maneuver aresharply limited, its staffmediocre, and its typicalproblem not the influencingof Congressional votes butfinding the clients and con-tributors to enable it to sur-vive at all.”

But, that all changedwith the rise of Manafort’s in-fluence in creating the“swamp” in Washington thatTrump, ironically, said hewas going to clean out whenhe became president. (listthe number in his administra-tion who were booted out ofWashington.

“By the 1990s, the dou-ble-digit list of registered lob-byists... had swelled to morethan 10,000. Black, Man-afort, Stone and Kelly had

Letters in East Palo Alto Today

East Palo Alto TodayPublisher:East Palo Alto Center for Community Media

Editor- in-chief: Henrietta J. Burroughs

East Palo Alto Today is published bimonthly;Address all letters to: East Palo Alto Today

2111 University Avenue #160, East Palo Alto, CA 94303 (650)289-9699 epatoday@epatoday.org;

www.epamedia.org and www.epatoday.org

From the Editor’s DeskLessons we can learn from the career of Paul Manafort

Henrietta J. Burroughs

continued on page 10 In order to better serve thecommunities of East Palo Altoand Belle Haven, East Palo AltoToday has made the commitmentto operate with high professionalstandards and to adhere to a strictcode of ethical conduct.

The principles and policiesstated herein serve as anagreement with our readers,advertisers and all others

within our service area.East Palo Alto Today is dedi-

cated to conscientious journalism.We maintain this commitment byseeking and reporting the truth,acting with integrity, and servingthe public interest. We will reportthe news thoroughly and accu-rately and include multiple per-spectives without favoring oneover the other.

We will hold ourselves ac-countable to common standardsof decency, treating our col-leagues, news sources, and thepublic with respect.

We are committed to main-taining our independence byavoiding partnerships, invest-ments or business relationshipsthat would compromise the in-tegrity of our news reports.

EPA Today’s Pol ic ies & Principles

Photo by HJ BurroughsThe were a variety of bands at the East Palo Alto Blues Festival that took place at Bell Street Park in EastPalo Alto from August 4 through August 5 this summer. This is just one of them. Reading the back of theman’s T-shirt in the photo, you can just imagine the number of people who came to live their art, to get realand to simply listen to the music.

East Palo Alto Today Page 5 September 2018

OpinionThe ideas expressed on this page are solely the views of the individual authors who do not represent East Palo Alto Today’s board or staff

Fintech could make California's Payday Lenders obsoleteBy David Contreras

More people live paycheckto paycheck in California thanany other state. Their situa-tion is especially precariousbecause many have lowcredit scores. So they can'ttake out bank loans if theysuffer financial setbacks, likelayoffs or unexpected bills.

Politicians in Washington,including California's ownRep. Brad Sherman, regularlypromise to help the middleclass. Now they have achance to put their words intoaction. Congress will soonconsider a bill that enablesSilicon Valley's most promis-ing tech firms to partner withcommunity banks. Thanks totech firms' algorithms, bankscan reliably extend loans to

people with middling creditscores. The bank-tech part-nerships offer people more af-fordable credit than pay-daylenders.

Many Americans are worseoff financially than they werebefore the Great Recession.An astounding 46 percent ofAmericans say they can'tcover $400 of emergency ex-penses without borrowing orselling some of their posses-

sions.These folks often can't de-

pend on their local banks forloans. In the wake of theGreat Recession, communitybanks have proven uninter-ested in lending to "subprime"borrowers -- those who havecredit scores under 700.Banks have cut lending tothese non-prime customersby $143 billion nationwidesince 2008.

Without affordable credit,the ladder to the middle classcan simply disappear -- as ithas for many young adults inparticular.

Consider a CSU Northridgegraduate who lands a terrificagency job in Los Angeles.She'll need an apartment --and in LA the median rate fora one-bedroom is $2,000 a

month plus a security deposit.Despite a respectable start-

ing salary, the graduate wouldlikely be denied a bank loan,since she has no credit his-tory coming out of school.

Her only option may be tovisit a payday lender -- where,with loan origination and otherfees, effective annual interestrates can reach 400 percent.Often, borrowers find them-selves trapped in a cycle ofdebt, having to take out newpayday loans to pay off oldones. People often labor foryears to break free of thisdebt.

Payday lenders issued 12.3million loans in the GoldenState in 2015, for a total of$4.2 billion. Many of theseloans went to recent gradu-ates; others went to newly ar-

rived immigrants in search ofthe American dream.

There's a better option.New financial technology or"fintech" companies are part-nering with local lenders toidentify customers who areworthy of credit even if creditagencies haven't designatedthem as "prime."

Fintech firms analyze thou-sands of nontraditional datapoints. For instance, theymight explore whether a po-tential borrower has paid hiscell phone bill on time and infull. Insights like this allow fin-tech firms to detect reliableborrowers that traditionalcredit rating services miss.

Unfortunately, some courtshave been slow to understand

3 obstacles to clear on the road to immigration reformJacob Monty

Immigration is one of themost hotly debated issues ofour time, often dividing Re-publicans and Democrats asreform measures are dis-cussed.

Rather than build a wallalong the border as Presi-dent Donald Trump has sug-gested, a Mexican-Americanimmigration attorney who’s aTrump supporter says foreconomic reasons alone, it’stime to put politics aside andbuild consensus for immigra-tion reform.

“As a conservative andfree-market proponent, I’m

p a s s i o n a t eabout positiveimmigration re-form because itseconomic bene-fits would be ex-t r a o r d i n a r y, ”says JacobMonty, the au-thor of The Sonsof Wetbacks andfounder of the law firm Monty& Ramirez LLP (www.montyramirez law.com).

“Reforming our immigra-tion system will ensure thatbusinesses have access tothose workers and that oureconomy thrives.

Immigrants comprise

about 25 millionpeople in theAmerican work-force, accordingto the U.S. De-partment ofLabor. A WallStreet Journalarticle cited anassessment bythe National

Academies of Sciences, En-gineering, and Medicine thatconcluded immigrants are in-tegral to the nation’s eco-nomic growth.

But with much of the im-migration discussion focus-ing on the 11 millionundocumented workers in

the U.S., Monty says that’s agood place to start when dis-secting the need for reform.

“Our immigration systemis fundamentally broken,”Monty says. “Millions of im-migrants live in uncertaintyand fear. Businesses are baf-fled by convoluted hiringpractices.”

Monty lists the main ob-stacles he thinks need to beovercome in order to brokerpositive immigration reform:

•Codify DACA. DeferredAction for Childhood Arrivalsprovides a level of amnestyto undocumented immigrantswho came to the U.S. as chil-dren, but no clear path to cit-

izenship. “Their continuedundocumented status isshameful,” Monty says. “Theparents of DACA kids did notcome in the lawful way, butbecause of the failure of ourimmigration system to estab-lish a viable guest workerprogram, there were noproper channels to enter thecountry.” One solution,Monty says, is to change thelaw so as to regularize thestatus of the 11 million illegalimmigrants, over half ofwhom have been in the U.S.10 or more years.

Improve the vettingprocess. Monty points out

Jacob Monty

continued on page 8

David Contreras

By Curtis Tongue

5 Tips for Saving Energy this Summer

In periods of peak energyusage (especially during sum-mer), stress on the grid forcesstates to turn on their least en-vironmentally-friendly powerplants to handle the excessdemand.

That 's accord ing toOhmConnect [www.ohmcon-nect.com], which works withCalifornia’s energy providersto allow residents to earncash back rewards for theirreal-time household energy

savings. It says that by reduc-ing energy during key times,we can stop these plants fromgoing on and multiply our en-vironmental impact.

Here are the three mosthigh-impact ways you can re-duce energy consumption

during these key moments:TURN OFF YOUR CEN-

TRAL AIRWe know, it's hard to live

without AC—but the averagecentral air unit uses 5,000watts of energy per hour! Forcontext, 5,000 watts of energycan power almost every otheraTURN OFF YOURSCREENS

TVs use around 400 wattsof energy—and the averageAmerican has their TV on forat least 4 hours a day.

DELAY YOUR DAILYCHORES

This might sound like an ex-cuse not to clean up after

yourself. However, holding offon high-energy activities likerunning the dishwasher until atime where the grid is lessstrained can drastically de-crease California's energy im-pact.

INSTALL A SMART THER-MOSTAT

Upgrade your thermostatwith one that is WiFi-enabledthat allows you full control ofthe temperature of yourhome, whether you're there ofaway. Some models also"learn" when you're not homeand adjust temperature auto-matically—saving you energyand money.

PUT YOUR WiFi ON TIME-OUT

Installing a “smart plug” thatoperates an electric switch isa great way to manage yourhome better. You can setthem to turn off your WiFi dur-ing normal hours when you'renot home, or even reduce en-ergy by turning off yourgarage refrigerator for an houra day (it won't change the in-ternal temp if it's off for 5hours!).

For more tips on how to re-duce your energy consump-tion, go to ohmconnect’swebsite at https://www.ohm-connect.com

Unplug your fridge for an hour?

Curtis Tongue

continued on page 8

Saphrona WilliamsAlexander wasborn on March 1,

1938 in Okmulgee, Okla-homa to Floyd Williams andBertha Woodruff. She wasthe 7th of 11 children. In1958, Saphrona met theLove of her Life, Charles“Chuck” Alexander. Theywere married on November12, 1959. They made theirhome in San Jose. They arethe parents of two children,

Tony and Sharon Alexander.Saphrona attended SanJose State University andcontinued her College edu-cation over the years and re-ceived her Bachelor’s of ArtsDegree in Liberal Arts.

Saphrona started herworking career at PAC Bell inPalo Alto, CA where she wasthe first Black Operator. Shewas recognized in the PaloAlto newspaper as being thefirst Black Operator. She alsoworked at San Jose StateUniversity but returned towork at PAC Bell. Saphronaworked in several offices andretired from PAC Bell in theEngineering Departmentafter 30 years. After retire-ment, Saphrona worked forPG& E in the CustomerService Department and re-tired after 5 years of service.

Saphrona joined AntiochBaptist Church in 1960where over the years shesang in the choir, held the of-

fice of church clerk, and wasa member of the Inez C.Jackson Circle and the

MLK–CW Washington schol-arship committee. Saphronawas a member of Alpha

Kappa Sorority, Inc. and theSan Jose NAACP.

East Palo Alto Today Page 6 September 2018

AlDaniel Goodspeed - April 13, 1939 - August 1, 2018AlDaniel Goodspeed,

79, took his Heavenlyflight to be with the

Lord on Wednesday, August1, 2018, after a long, hardfight with heart-related issues.

Funeral services will be heldat Jones Mortuary located at660 Donohoe Street in EastPalo Alto on Thursday, August9, 2018, at 11 am. The Rev-erend Theodore Fields will of-ficiate. The Burial will be atAlta Mesa Cemetary, PaloAlto. Visitation will be 10 amon Thursday, August 9, 2018.

AlDaniel was born on April13, 1939, in Marshall, Texas,to Herbert Goodspeed (de-

ceased) and Bennie Chilton.He leaves behind his wife of40 years, Ida Goodspeed;sons, Gordon Goodspeed(East Palo Alto), Steven

Goodspeed, Ronald Good-speed (Sacramento) anddaughters, Jermina Good-speed (Sacramento) and Adri-enne Goodspeed (Sacra-mento), Sonya Brooks (Fre-mont) and Lakeisha Brooks(Hercules). His Grandchildreninclude DeRob Wright, DeRonMuldrew, Joshua Banks(Army), Isaiah Harris, ArianaHarris, Infinity Brooks, KhylerBrooks-Sims, Chase Brooks-Sims, Ronald Goodspeed, Jr,Lashieka Goodspeed, JaporiaGoodspeed, and ReginaGoodspeed. His Great-grand-children are DeJon Wright,DeJah Muldrew, and DeRon

Muldrew, Jr. His brothers Her-bert (Rafus) Goodspeed, Jr.(deceased), Shupaza Sadifu(East Palo Alto), JefferyGoodspeed (Brentwood),Brian Goodspeed (Pittsburg),and sister, Judith Goodspeed(Vallejo).

He is preceded in death byhis father, Herbert Good-speed, and his brother, Her-bert (Rafus) Goodspeed, Jr.

Mr. Goodspeed worked forthe Schlage Company in SanFrancisco then worked for theCounty of San Mateo for over3 decades. He was an avidlover of trucks and built themin his spare time. He loved at-

tending truck shows and wasoften entered into them basedon the quality and design ofhis work. He was a huge pro-ponent of education and lovedto talk politics and SPORTS -he would often win....

He was a devoted husband,father and friend. All whoknew him were happy to callhim "friend". He will be sorelymissed as we celebrate hislife and celebrate the blessingof being able to know him -Mr. AlDaniel Goodspeed.

Memorials may be made toJones Mortuary.

Get the dream off of yourpillow!!!

Lifecycles

AlDaniel Goodspeed

Obituaries

Saphrona Williams Alexander - March 1, 1938 - July 22, 2018

See more obituaries athttp://www.epatoday.org/treasured_memo-

ries/listing.php

Saphrona W. Alexander

East Palo Alto Today Page 7 September 2018

LifecyclesEast Palo Alto artist is getting national and international attentionBy Henrietta J. Burroughs

You might not haveheard of MichaelBroadhurst, even

though he is an East Palo Altoresident. But, don’t feel badly.After all, it’s not possible toknow every East Palo Altoresident – even all of the resi-dents who might live on yourblock.

However, Broadhurst isspecial. He has been de-scribed by those who know

him as “a prolific artist…whose artwork is deeply in-spired by heroes, animals,and supernatural creatures.”

Broadhurst’s artistry is per-formed on canvases and hispaintings often depict animalswho live in the wild harmo-niously together. In creatinghis artwork he primarily workswith paint on canvas, butsometimes he also uses col-ored pencils, acrylic, ink, andwatercolors on paper.

Broadcast, who is 38 yearsold, has solddozens of hispaintings toart loversacross thecountry andnow, also, inChina.

Most of hisp a i n t i n g srange from$75.00 to$300.00/

What’s behind his paint-ings? “Nature calls to me tobuild a sanctuary for the wildanimals,” he says.

Those who work with him inthe Independent Living Skillsand Computer Education pro-grams at Abilities United,where he participates are veryproud of his accomplish-ments.

Broadhurst has been em-ployed at Menlo College since2012,. For years, he volun-teered at the Palo Alto Chil-

dren’s Zoo and Museum. In2015, his work inspired theexhibition Paradise Ranch atthe Children’s Discovery Mu-seum of San Jose. During thatyear, he led a workshop as avisiting artist.

Broadhurst, who was diag-nosed with autism is workingtowards self-sufficiency and isstriving to move into his ownapartment. His artistry hasgained him much attention,and he has been profiled invarious local television andprint news storiesover the years.

In 2013, Broad-hurst was featuredalong with hisuncle, Rev. Ches-ter McCall, in anABC 7 news story.

During the inter-view by televisionreporter CarolynJohnson, McCallsaid that his

nephew has developed a lotof self-confidence through hisparticipation in programs pro-vided by Abilities United, thePalo Alto organization thatworks with those with disabili-ties. and he has marveled at thepostive changes that he hasseen as he has developed.

You can read more aboutBroadhurst and see his port-folio online at https://www.abil-itiesunited.org/michael-broadhurst-portfolio/.For more infor-mation, call (650) 494-0550.

Michael Broadhurst

Gryphon, acrylic, colored pencil and ink on paper, SOLD

Unicorn, watercolor and ink, $200

By Jessica Chiu

Ravenswood FamilyDentistry (RFD) hasbeen a critical ac-

cess point to oral health carefor low-income children andfamilies in San Mateo County

sincesince 2010. RFD provides acomprehensive range of den-tal care services, includingpreventive, restorative, surgi-cal, periodontal care, and oralhealth education to childrenas young as six months old.RFD also accommodates chil-

dren referred from other localhealth care facilities who arein need of dental services re-quiring conscious sedation orgeneral anesthesia.

In the past five years, therehas been significant growth inthe number of children inneed of oral health services,which has caused RFD toreach capacity. Limited num-ber of dental chairs has madeit challenging for RFD to ac-cept new patients while effec-tively completing the oraltreatment plans of existing pa-tients. To remedy this issueand better address the dentalcare needs of the commu-nity’s most vulnerable chil-dren, RFD is expanding.

The expansion will increaseRFD’s physical and opera-tional capacity to serve bothnew and current patients, andimprove patient oral health

outcomes. The 3,017 sq. ft.building adjacent to the exist-ing dental clinic will be con-

verted into a Pediatric DentalWing, adding nine additionaldental chairs in order to servemore children at one time. Itis estimated that RFD will beable to serve an additional3,500 patients each year fol-lowing the completion of theexpansion project in April2019. The majority of thesenew patients will be betweenthe ages of 0 and 18.

The expansion will not onlyincrease patient access tooral health services, but alsoserve as a gateway for pedi-atric patients to receive pri-mary medical care atRavenswood Family HealthCenter. All in all, RFD’s ex-pansion will provide more chil-dren access to necessarydental care and to the primaryhealth care they need to leadhealthy lives!

East Palo Alto Today Page 8 September 2018

Ravenswood Family Dentistry expands within the community

Photo courtesy of Rachel TarantinoRavenswood Family Dentistry will expand into the adjacent

building.

Photo by Rachel TarantinoErnesto receives a routineoral health cleaning fromRavenswood dentist, Dr. MacSoliman.

fintech. Rather than viewingfintech companies as advi-sors to banks, some judgeshave classified fintech firms asthe "true lenders" originating theloans -- thereby subjectingthem to all the capital and reg-ulatory requirements of thebanks themselves.

That's a mistake. Banks thatpartner with fintech firms stilltake on significant portions ofthe responsibility and risk man-agement associated with lend-ing. They just receive helpidentifying promising cus-

tomers. Naming fintech firms as"true lenders" would blow uptheir business model, making itharder for deserving Americansto obtain loans at reasonablerates.

Thankfully, many in Congressdo understand how importantfintech-bank partnerships arefor working Americans. They'veintroduced legislation, the Mod-ernizing Credit OpportunitiesAct, to clarify that fintech com-panies merely act as bank ad-visors.

Rep. Sherman has long

strived to help communitylenders. In the past, he cospon-sored bipartisan legislation tohelp credit unions obtainneeded capital. Throwing hisweight behind the new legisla-tion would make it possible forCalifornians to access afford-able loans and secure theirfootholds in the middle class.David Contreras is regional

director for the West Coast andCo-founder of TechLatino, theLatinos in Information Sciencesand Technology Association.He lives in Los Angeles County.

3 obstacles continued from 5the common national per-ception of illegal immigrantsbeing associated with crime.An out-of-date vettingprocess, Monty says, ispartly to blame. “Our vettingprocess is terrible,” Montysays. “The State Departmentissued their visas manyyears ago, but now they’veoverstayed their visas so wedon’t know what’s happenedto them since those visaswere granted. Let’s finger-

print them and find out whothey are, do backgroundchecks. That will makeAmerica safer.”

Streamline the workervisa program. Immigrantlabor’s importance to U.S.agriculture is well-docu-mented. In 2017, changes tothe agricultural worker visacleared the House subcom-mittee. “Similar expandedvisa programs are neededfor highly-skilled immigrants,

such as in the computerfield,” Monty says. “Withoutthem, America’s most prof-itable corporations couldcease to function. Mean-

while, we need to pushthrough visa changes thatwould provide a steady sup-ply of agricultural workers,who are essential to the pro-ductivity and security of ourfood supply.”

“I believe,” Monty says,“that the reasons for chang-ing our immigration policy toaccommodate the 11 millionhuman beings here – peoplewho have not committedmajor crimes, who are con-

tributing to our economy andwho are assimilating toAmerican culture – are justas compelling as the condi-tions that motivated MartinLuther King Jr. and others inthe fight for the civil rights ofAfrican-Americans.”

Jacob Monty is an immi-gration attorney and founderof the law firm Monty &Ramirez LLP (www.montyra-mirezlaw.com), located inHouston.

Fintech continued from page 5Way, Verbena Drive, and EastBayshore Road; and con-struct a boardwalk to connectthe Friendship Bridge to thenew levee along the Palo AltoGolf Course.

The SFCJPA and its part-ners also sought to use thisproject to improve other infra-structure along the creek. Forexample, PG&E’s major natu-ral gas pipeline is being up-graded and relocated awayfrom East Palo Alto homesand into the Palo Alto GolfCourse, the East Palo AltoSanitary District sewer main

was upgraded, and two newpipes were installed to bringrecycled water to East PaloAlto from Palo Alto’s RegionalWater Quality Control Plant.

The SFCJPA and its mem-ber agencies are working tocomplete construction assoon as possible and mini-mize construction impacts toEast Palo Alto. To ensure pub-lic safety at the constructionsite and to allow the comple-tion of the remaining projectimprovements, the adjacentcreekside trails and Friend-ship Bridge are closed. Their

Project to protect EPA continued from page 2reopening is targeted for theend of this year. Other im-pacts to East Palo Alto resi-dents during this periodinclude truck traffic, noise anddust closest to the new creek-side levee between DaphneWay and O’Connor Street.We are working hard to makethese impacts as minimal aspossible.

On behalf of the SFCJPAand its member agencies in-

cluding the Santa Clara ValleyWater District, we appreciatethe community’s understand-ing and cooperation duringthe lengthy process to get thisproject approved and con-structed. We hope you are asexcited as we are that fromnow on the homes and busi-nesses on the east side ofEast Palo Alto will be pro-tected from flooding from SanFrancisquito Creek.

For more information and tosign up to receive email up-dates on the project status,visit sfcjpa.org.Gary Kremen is the chair-

person of the San Francis-quito Creek Joint PowersAuthority and the director ofthe Santa Clara Valley WaterDistrict. Len Materman is theexecutive director of the SanFrancisquito Creek Joint Pow-ers Authority.

Photo courtesy of the Santa Clara Valley Water DistrictSan Francisco Creek as seen from East Bayshore during theflooding of the area on February 7, 2017.

https://www.immigroup.com/

East Palo Alto Today Page 9 September 2018

Community News Briefs continued from page 3tors, building trades, and strengthen the City’s FirstSource Hiring Program; andfor City staff and overheadcosts to administer the taxand provide an annual reportas required by law.”

The Measure must be ap-proved by a 2/3 majority of thevoters in the City of East PaloAlto

Proclamations issued totwo community membersfor outstanding service

At its July 31, 2018 meeting,the East Palo Alto City Coun-cil honored both Bernestine C.Benton and Jose Luis Guz-man Avelar.

Ms. Benton worked for sev-eral decades as the Commu-nity Program Supervisor atthe San Mateo County HealthSystem’s Prenatal AdvantageBlack Infant Project from

which she retired in July. TheCity of East Palo Alto pre-sented her with a city procla-mation to honor her for thecontributions that she made tothe program and to the city.

After honoring Ms. Benton,council members honoredJose Luis Guzman Avelar onhis 50th birthday. GuzmanAvelar was born in Nochistlán,

Zacatecas, México on April10, 1968 and came to EastPalo Alto as a young child,where he was raised. Councilmembers also gave him aproclamation thanking him forhis contributions to the City ofEast Palo Alto.

The City of East Palo Altomight still be recruiting for va-cant staff positions. If inter-

ested, If you are interestedin a position with the city,and would like to view avail-able positions, go towww.cityofepa.org/Jobs.aspx?CID=98

East Palo Alto candidatesrunning in the upcomingNovember 2018 election

There are eleven cndidatesrunning for the RavenswoodCity School Board:Incumbent, Ana Pulido;Julian Alberto Garcia, a spe-cial education aide;Nicole Sbragia, paraeducatorand parent;Stephanie Fitch, curriculumdeveloper and educator;Daniel Cesena;Laura Nunez, teacher;Tmara Sobomehin, educator;Brooke N. Crosby, educator;Charlie Knight, incumbent;Marcelino Lopez, incumbentand Maria Victoria Chavez,school aftercare director.

There are seven candidatesrunning for the East Palo AltoCity Council:Regina Wallace-Jones, techexecutive and mother;Donna Rutherford, incum-bent;Patricia Ape Finau Lopez;Court Skinner;Bernardo Huerta;Randal "Randy" D. Fields,businessman andRuben Abrica, incumbent

East Palo Alto residentRobert Jones, the executivedirector of EPA CANDO, whowas appointed to serve an un-expired term on the board ofthe Menlo Park Fire Protec-tion District is running to con-tinue to serve on the board.

Voters will also find thatMea- sure HH - City of EastPalo Alto: Commercial OfficeSpace Parcel Tax Measure isalso on the ballot.

Black Lives Matter: groundbreaking multimedia exhibition showcases locally

By Ayanna Anderson

Are you thinking pink?If you have the pinkdonor dot on your

drivers license or state identi-fication, you are giving hopeto the thousands of Californiaresidents whose lives hang inthe balance as they await life-saving gifts of organs and tis-sues.

Ever-mindful of the 22,000residents awaiting transplantsthroughout California—manyof whom are African Ameri-can, federally designatedorgan procurement organiza-

tion, Donor Network West,teamed up with the AfricanAmerican Museum and Li-brary at Oakland (AAMLO) tolaunch a groundbreakingphotography and multimediaexhibition.

There are just two weeksleft to experience the ac-claimed Giving Me Life: A Vi-sual Journey of AfricanAmerican Organ and TissueTransplant Recipients installa-tion before it shutters on Au-gust 31st.

Through a series of blackand white portraits taken byBay Area social documentary

photographer, Katie Sugar-man, Giving Me Life depictsthe visual testimonials of ninelocal African American trans-plant recipients who haveovercome incredible obsta-cles in their respective jour-neys toward health andwellness – all thanks to the giftof organ, eye, and tissue do-nation.

The primary exhibit featurestwo photographs accompa-nied by a short narrative ofeach recipient. Other ele-ments include an audiovisualstation that will highlight com-pelling community perspec-tives from African Americanswho champion the cause oforgan and tissue donation lo-cally, as well as samples oftools and resources con-nected to the donationprocess.

“This project is why I lovephotography; its power tobring people together to learnfrom and share each other’sstories. Stories of strengthand resilience that are de-picted through the vulnerabil-ity and power of the portraits.

The people I’ve met thoughthis project have given me somuch strength and it’s myhope that by sharing theiramazing stories we can makea difference,” says Katie Sug-arman, whose mother is aheart transplant recipient.

The city of Oakland is lo-cated in Alameda County,which has one of the highestpercentage of African Ameri-can residents in Donor Net-work West’s service area of40 counties, second only to

Solano. Although AfricanAmericans make up 5% of the13 million people served byDonor Network West, theyrepresent 10% of those wait-ing for organ transplants in theregion.

Multiple research studieshave shown that trust and mis-trust of health institutions, physi-cians, or agencies such asorgan and tissue recovery or-ganizations directly affect thehealth care and end-of-life deci-sions of African Americans.

With this in mind, the exhibi-tion serves as a vital catalystfor dialogue and advocacyabout the need for more con-versations and donor registra-tions in the African Americancommunity.

For more information on theexhibit and/or to access aFREE ticket to AAMLO,please visit:...........................\

https://www.donornetwork-west.org/programs/giving-me-life/Ayanna Anderson, senior

community development liai-son/exhibit director, Donor Net-work West.

Photo-Donor West NetworkDr. Maisha Gray Diggs is adouble cornea transplant re-cipient.

Photo courtesy of Donor West Network

Photo courtesy of the August 2018 City Manager’s UpdateThe East Palo Alto City Council stands with the awardees oftwo of the city’s proclamations: Bernestine Benton and JoseLuis Guzman Avelar.

We need to always belooking over the shoulders ofour politicians, not becausewe don’t trust them, but be-cause we know what thetemptations and the pres-sures are that surround themand confront them each day.

It does not take much tocorrupt our politicians. Byconstantly holding them ac-countable, we are protectingthem from undue influence.

We are enabling them tokeep mindful of the reasonsthat the public elected them.

We must do this not onlyfor our politicians, but for all ofthe leaders within our commu-nities: nonprofit leaders,church leaders – all leaders.

Having power goes topeople’s heads, and eventhose who profess strongmoral values, are not abovecorruption and fault. It goes

with being human. Also,some people have big egosthat make them think thatthey are above the law andabove the restraints that arethere for the rest of us.

With Manafort, it was al-ways about money andpower. “Manafort seldomspoke of first principles orpolitical ideals.” Even hisdaughter acknowledged this.

I have to admit that article

Frank Foer’s article on Man-afort is one of the best arti-cles that I have read in along time, because it offeredvaluable insight into theworld of Washington politics.When the next Pulitzer prizeis given, this article shouldbe at the top of the list for anaward. You can read it onlinehttps://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/03/paul-manafort-american-hus-

tler/550925/Sorry, President Trump, it

is not the media that is theenemy of the people. Speak-ing as objectively as I can asa journalist, I think it is themedia, represented by suchwriters as Foer, who are thepublic’s best friend, becauseit the “legitimate” media thatsheds light on the issues thatthe public urgently need toknow about and address.

Lessons we can learn from the career of Paul Manafort continued from page 4

East Palo Alto Today Page 10 September 2018

East Palo Alto continued from page 1August 7, 2018, council meet-ing, Lindsay acknowledgedthat it was most likely his lastcouncil meeting, thanked theRichmond community andRichmond’s seven-membercity council for his "enjoyable13 plus years" and said thatRichmond was a great citywith a great trajectory.

During the meeting, whichcan be seen online athttp://richmond.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=11&clip_id=4362, a motion wasmade to approve Martinez’contract that had been dis-cussed in the council's priorclosed session meeting.

With two council members –- Jovanka Beckles and ViceMayor Melvin Willis --votingno, the Richmond City Coun-cil approved “an employment

agreement with Carlos Mar-tinez as Richmond City Man-ager, providing for a five-yearterm commencing Nov. 1, 2018,at an initial base salary of$260,000.00 annually (ap-proximately $358,000 totalcompensation), with subse-quent salary increases sub-ject to a satisfactory

performance evaluation, andother specified employmentterms.”

In comparison, Lindsaymade a base salary of$270,000.

As Richmond’s new citymanager, Martinez will be re-sponsible, according to theCity of Richmond's website,for: Implementing City Councilpolicy

Directing departments andthe City's administrative func-tions

Providing day-to-day lead-ership in policy developmentand implementation

Assuring an efficient andequitable delivery of City serv-ices

Initiating and developingshort and long-term specialprojects

Overseeing the annualbudget process

Managing the City's inter-governmental relations andpublic information functions

Directing major economicdevelopment projects

Martinez will become thecity manager of a city that ismuch larger than East PaloAlto. While East Palo Alto hasa population of about 30,000,Richmond, which is in ContraCosta County, has a popula-tion of 107,597.

Richmond was incorporated in1905 and has a land area of 33.7square miles as opposed to EastPalo Alto’s 2.5 square miles. Rich-mond also has a shoreline that is32 miles long. The city celebratedits centennial in 2016, whereasEast Palo Alto celebrated its 35thanniversary in June of this year.

See more about the City ofRichmond online here.

As to his departure fromEast Palo Alto, Martinez said,"I am committed to a smootht rans i t ion.The t rans i t ionprocess will be defined by theCity Council.

My last day will be a dayCouncil is comfortable withmy transition, but before mystart date in Richmond of No-vember 1st."

The East Palo Alto CityCouncil held a special councilmeeting, its last council meet-ing, before its summer recesson Wednesday, August 8,2018. The council will nowhave to add the task of findinga new city manager to its listof things to do for the Fall of2018.

pened to the wrongpeople,” JessicaCollins told EthnicMedia Services.

BofA isn’t alone inasking customers theircitizenship status.Checking account ap-plications from Chase,Citi, Wells Fargo, USBank and even thecredit union where theCollinses now do theirbanking, Mainstreet,all ask about it, and sodo San Francisco’s Fire andGolden1 credit unions.

BofA declined to say why ittargeted Josh Collins but nothis wife, how often it performssuch “routine updates” ofclient accounts, or how manypostcards it sent out like theone the Collinses ultimatelythrew away in fear it was ac-tually a scam, or how manymore people experienced thebank’s “last resort,” asspokesman ChristopherFeeney described it, of havingtheir accounts frozen for fail-ing to respond.

Banks and AmericanBankers Association spokes-woman Blair Bernstein gener-ally explain the citizenshipquestion as a part of their ef-fort to combat money-launder-ing and terrorism funding, butin every case, the decision toask customers about their cit-izenship status is the bank’sown choice. Federal rules donot require it.

“We have many customerswho aren’t U.S. citizens,”Feeney told Ethnic MediaServices. He also said the cit-izenship question is nothingnew for them and probablyhas been in place at least adecade. The Collinses, he

said, just got caught up in oneof the bank’s periodic updatesof client information.

Treasury Department regu-lations require that banksknow customers’ names, dateof birth, Social Security num-bers and addresses.

“Banks may be tightening uptheir due diligence,” said lawyerAlma Angotti, who specializes inmoney laundering and terrorfunding enforcement for theconsulting firm Navigant inWashington, D.C. She previ-ously worked at the Securitiesand Exchange Commissionand Treasury Department.

“The current political climatehas cast doubt on why finan-cial institutions are doing this.There are lots of things bankswill ask you that aren’t re-quired,” she said.

Bank of America spokes-manFeeney described the govern-ment’s various sanctionsagainst other countries as theroot of an array of regulationsthat led the bank to ask aboutcitizenship. Knowledge of acustomer’s dual citizenship, forinstance, Angotti said, mightkeep a bank from questioningwhy a customer is sendingmoney out of the country.

The more information abank has up front, the fewer

questions it will have as it rou-tinely monitors customers’ ac-counts and transactions.

But for those without citizen-ship status, immigrant advo-cates say, any requirement thatthey divulge their circumstancesis going to deter them fromdoing business with that bank.

“It’s something we’ve beenhearing about for a while,” saidPaulina Gonzalez of the Califor-nia Reinvestment Coalitionsaid. “It seems to correlate with… the anti-immigrant stance ofthe administration.

“That’s what’s so concern-ing. People are afraid to signpapers,” she said, referring toa 2017 survey done by someof the 300 members of thenonprofit California Reinvest-ment Coalition.

Her 32-year-old organiza-tion aims to ensure financialinstitutions reinvest in theircommunities and “do noharm,” she said. Some mem-bers in the course of theirwork will try to gather rudi-mentary information from thepeople they provide financialcounseling and small busi-ness support.

“People are afraid to signeven for nonprofits in this po-litical climate,” she said.

In San Francisco, the treas-urer and tax collec-tor’s Office ofFinancial Empower-ment reports thatfrom 2011 through2015, the percentageof “unbanked” cityresidents droppedfrom 5.9% to 2.1%.

Although it alsonotes that 16.5% ofcity residents continueto rely on payday-loanand check-cashing

companies rather than tradi-tional banks, some of its suc-cess in getting people bankaccounts may be due to its pro-gram BankOn San Francisco,which refers citizens to banksthat have met its “very specificstandards,” program directorSean Kline told Ethnic MediaServices. Among those stan-dards is the requirement thatthey accept non-U.S. identifica-tion.

Among its banking partnersis the Self-Help Credit Union,formed in 2008. That institu-tion requires knowing a per-son’s citizenship status forloan applications, but not forchecking accounts. Its web-site includes links to informa-tion on such topics as “YouDon’t Need to Be a Citizen toHave a US Bank Account”(https://tinyurl.com/noncitizen-banking) and “How undocu-mented immigrants can getbank accounts”........................(https://tinyurl.com/ whatdocu-mentswork) as well as testi-monials to the reasons whypeople should establish credithistory, safety in not carryingcash, earn interest and thebill-paying convenience.

It also lists Latino creditunions across the coun-thttps://tinyurl.com/Latinocredi-

tunions). Gonzalez is quoted onthe laws protecting customers’personal information from gov-ernmental prying.

Banking, Gonzalez said, “issuch a necessity of everydaylife. Here we are, creating asituation where they’re notgoing to have access to thisimportant function, or they’regoing to freeze your accountor make you feel like you’renot welcome there.”

There’s “a lack of trust in fi-nancial institutions,” she said.“To have to answer such a pri-vate question in this political cli-mate ... there are privacy rulesin place. I know the bank can’tturn that information over with-out a subpoena, but that doesn’tmean that people aren’t afraidthat’s going to happen.”

“We need this citizenship in-formation to determine the eligi-bility and suitability of ourproducts and to comply with theUSA PATRIOT Act,” readsWells Fargo’s online checkingaccount application, in an ex-plainer popup accompanyingthe online form’s citizenshipquestion. Feeney, also, hadcited the 2001 Patriot Act andthe 1970 Bank Secrecy Act andTreasury Department regula-tions, but ultimately could notcite specific requirements thatbanks collect clients’ citizenship.

Neither could Blair Bernstein,spokeswoman for the AmericanBankers Association, who citedthe 1970 legislation, “KnowYour Customer” standards, and“strict regulatory requirementssteadily expanded since 9/11,”along with regulators’ routineexaminations of banks for com-pliance.

Mark Hedin writes for EthnicMedia Services in San Francisco.

Should banks be raising the citizenship question? continued from page 1

Carlos Martinez

Photo courtesy https://www.publicdomain-pictures.net

Photo courtesy https://www.publicdomain-pictures.net

East Palo Alto Today Page 11 September 2018

Family Movie Night - JackFarrell Park - August 24, 2018Family Movie Night is the 2ndand 4th Fridays from June-September - Bring your blan-ket and head to the park forfree family fun. Festivitiesbegin around 7 p.m. Get afree screening of popularfilms. For more info., call 650-853-3100 Go here for more in-formation.

Free Immigration Workshop- August 28, 2018Free Naturalization ApplicationHelp and General ImmigrationScreenings OneJustice, IIBA,PARS Equality Center, and St.Francis of Assisi Church

Event on Tuesday, August28, 2018 1:00 - 5:00 PM St.Francis of Assisi Church 1425Bay Rd. East Palo Alto, CA94303

Call 415-534-5878 for ap-pointments Spanish inter-preters may be available Gohere for more information.

National Drive ElectricWeek - September 16, 2018National Drive Electric Week™is September 8-16, 2018. JoinActerra for a celebration nearyou. National Drive ElectricWeek Event - Palo Alto Day:Sunday, September 16, 2018Time: 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. Loca-tion: Peninsula ConservationCenter 3921 E. Bayshore Rd.Palo Alto, CA 94303 Go herefor more information.

Disaster Preparedness DaySaturday, September 22,2018 - Time: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.Location: San Mateo CountyEvent Center, 1346 SaratogaAvenue, San Mateo- Prepare,survive and recover. Free,family friendly fun! Experiencespeakers and interactivedemonstrations.

For more information:www.smcdisasterprep.org Of-fice of Emergency Services at(650) 363 - 4790

Office of Supervisor CaroleGroom at (650) 363 - 4568

Family Movie Night - BellStreet Park - September 28,2018

Family Movie Night is the 2ndand 4th Fridays from June-September - Bring your blan-ket and head to the park forfree family fun. Festivitiesbegin around 7 p.m.

Get a free screening of pop-ular films. For more info., call650-853-3100 Go here formore information.

Photo courtesy of Talking with HenriettaFrom left, Patricia Lopez, David Swift, Henrietta J. Burroughsand Anita Blount sit on the set of the Talking with Henrietta tele-vision show after their discussion on August 9, 2018

Talking with HenriettaLooking at the Role of Churches

See more

community calendar

events at the website

for the

East Palo Alto Today

newspaper

www.epatoday.org

This show can be seen on Channel 30 on the Midpeninsulaand on the Internet at the days and times below until Fri.September 15, 2018 on Sundays@5 p.m., Mondays@2p.m.,Tuesdays@8 p.m., Wednesdays@2 a.m., 11 a.m. and6 p.m., Thursdays@8 p.m., Fridays@3:00 a.m. and 12 p.m.and Saturday at 10 a.m.

Talking with Henrietta also appears on Channel 27 onWednesdays at 10:30 p.m.

Get more information about this show on the East PaloAlto Today websi te at

www.epatoday.org/tv.html#roleofchurches

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Support the East Palo Alto Center for Community MediaThe East Palo Alto Today newspaper is published by the East Palo Alto Center for Community Media, a nonprofit agency that was formed in January 2003 to create media

outlets in East Palo Alto and provide the type of positive, relevant information about the community that is not easily found elsewhere. If you like what you see in East Palo AltoToday, then we ask that you enable us to serve the community better. You can do this by completing the partnership card below and mailing it with your tax deductible donationwhich will go directly to the center’s media efforts. You can read more about the East Palo Alto Center for Community Media online at www.epamedia.org. You can also donateto the center at the EPA Today and the EPA Media websites. Please contact us if you have any questions. We look forward to hearing from you.

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___Please check back with me about becoming a donor.*The East Palo Alto Center for Community Media is a tax-exempt nonprofit corporation - CA # 20-1415500

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Mail donations to: East Palo Alto Center for Community Media PO Box 50274 East Palo Alto, 94303

Support the East Palo Alto Center for Community Media and its media outlets by making a tax deductible donation and by purchasing one or more T-shirtsfor $15.00 each (sm., med., large and x large), and one or more water bottles for $10.00 each. See more ways to support the center’s programs below.

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East Palo Alto Today Page 12 September 2018