Southern California
Poe’s final stop, family of slain Trans man wants answers
An identified descendent of the Wyandot Native American tribe, he was indigenous and had the right to claim two-spirit identity
By Richard Montenegro Brown | NASHVILLE, TN. — Lori Brammer speaks with a thick, melodic Southern drawl, the kind one might expect from a woman raised in Tennessee.
She has no idea where Imperial County is — “so, is Imperial County south of San Diego?” — but she plans to be here on June 26 regardless.
And she’d never heard of Slab City before the unthinkable caused her to catch up on her geography with lightning speed. Yet now, she plans to make that part of her trip as well.
“I didn’t even know that she was in the Slabs. I didn’t even know there was a Slab City until this happened,” the 41-year-old Nashville resident said of her second cousin, Tommi-Deane Jackson, the little girl she treated as her own growing up and who is today the subject of an active homicide investigation by the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office.
Brammer will be in the Imperial Valley toward the end of the month to advocate on behalf of Tommi-Deane in what may prove to be the most high profile of circumstances — she’ll be here at the invitation of Rosa Diaz of the Imperial Valley LGBT Resource Center, which is staging a vigil during national Pride Month in memory of Marilyn Monroe Cazares, who was the victim of an as-yet unsolved murder, when the transgender woman’s body was found burned in front of an abandoned building in Brawley on July 13, 2020.
Tommi-Deane is described by the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office as “nonbinary,” or gender nonconforming, none of which Brammer knows much about, but what she does know is that her 21-year-old cousin did not deserve to die, and she feels like she has to do something.
“I want to come to California for that very reason, because I want to bring attention to this case, and there’s no attention on it,” Brammer said during a phone interview on Saturday afternoon, June 5. “She was a baby, she was a (21)-year-old child, the same age as my daughter. This is my blood cousin, OK.
“But if something like this were to happen to my daughter, I would leave heaven and earth and burn the world down if that’s what it took to find out who did this to my child,” she said.
There is not a lot known about some of the specifics of Tommi-Deane Jackson’s life, as Brammer had only started to reconnect with her cousin after leaving high school. The two had not spoken since before leaving for California.
What Brammer has since learned through one of Tommi-Deane’s best friends from high school, the same person who put the Calexico Chronicle in contact with Brammer, is that this biological female was not nonbinary, but had transitioned before leaving his native Nashville and was living his life as a transgender male.
An identified descendent of the Wyandot Native American tribe, “he really identified more as a two-spirit, trans man. He was indigenous and had the right to claim two-spirit identity,” according to the woman, who had last spoken to him in April.
Oliver or Poe Black, a “two-spirit” transgender male of Wyandot Native American descent, is shown. (Photo: Facebook)
“He went by Poe while he was in the Slabs, but in Nashville, Oliver or Poe was just fine,” she said in an email on June 5.
When A Drowning’s Not A Drowning
The violent, swift-moving current of the Coachella Canal is shown as it runs past the Slab City Library, about 200 feet south (toward the right) of Siphon 7. About 2.1 miles northwest, at Siphon 9, the body of 21-year-old Poe Black, a transgender man identified as nonbinary Tommi-Deane Jackson by the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office, was discovered around 9:30 a.m. May 11 by two Coachella Valley Water District employees. Initially thought to be a drowning victim, an autopsy later revealed Poe was stabbed multiple times. (Photo Credit: CAMILO GARCIA JR)
NILAND, CA. — On a Tuesday, May 11, two Coachella Valley Water District workers discovered a body in the swift-moving Coachella Canal in the area around Siphon 9, a little more than a mile northwest of the farthest reaches of Slab City, a crusty artists’ enclave known as East Jesus.
The Sheriff’s Office activity logs make no mention of the discovery that morning, but coroner investigators dispatch reports show the call came in at 9:38 a.m., Chief Deputy Robert Benavidez explained.
A precise location where the body was retrieved hasn’t been revealed, but an individual monitoring radio scanner traffic that morning heard tell of the Coachella water workers attaching a rope to the remains and tying it off to what was likely the siphon to keep the body from going underwater and in place until death investigators could arrive to retrieve the remains.
The Coachella Canal is particularly dangerous, serving as the main tributary that feeds eastern Riverside County with Colorado River water from the All-American and the Imperial Irrigation District’s vast network of canals. Its proximity to Slab City has seen it become the site of several drownings in recent months, the latest of which was about three to four weeks ago when a Slabs resident named “JT,” who jumped into the turbulent waters fully clothed to rescue one of his dogs, Blackie, only to perish and show up downstream some days later.
A vigil was reportedly held in the Slabs for JT on Friday night, June 4, a resident in the area said.
Although it was only 75 degrees around 9 in the morning on May 11 when the CVWD employees located a body at Siphon 9, temperatures had already reached 93 degrees the day before, topped out at 95 later in the afternoon May 11, and would near the century mark — 99 degrees — around 4 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 12.
Heat and water can be a coroner investigator’s worst enemy, Benavidez said, and by the time the remains were pulled from the canal, the body “was several days old” and “started to decompose,” he explained while consulting the coroner’s notes.
It’s unclear when investigators knew who they were dealing with. But it would not be for another four to seven days after the body was pulled from the water and an autopsy was conducted in San Diego County that all involved knew they had a murder investigation on their hands.
Even now, few details have been released by the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office as they don’t want to reveal too much in an active, open investigation where no arrests have yet to be made. Sheriff’s officials won’t even say if they have any persons of interest at the moment.
It was only on the morning of Wednesday, June 2, when the murder probe went public on the Sheriff’s Office Facebook page, posted as a “public assistance request” in the homicide death of Tommi-Deane Jackson.
A Young Man Moves West
Known by the nickname “Legion” to folks in the Slabs, Poe Delwyn Black reportedly arrived in “town” — Slab City, that is — in a van with an unidentified male around four months earlier.
“He left Nashville around December 16, 2020. He went with his partner, who I won’t name for their privacy. They arrived in the Slabs some time at the end of December or beginning of January,” said the close high school friend of Poe’s.
Brammer knows nothing of Poe’s life in California or the Slabs, only what the unnamed friend has shared with her, which doesn’t appear to be all that much either. Tracing a person’s path through social media can also prove difficult depending on whether friends who don’t want to be identified have deleted their posts or tried to scrub the Internet of any online interactions.
Oliver or Poe Black, a “two-spirit” transgender male of Wyandot Native American descent
Photo via Facebook
Facebook is how the Sheriff’s Office came to identify the body, according to the friend, who implied that Poe Black’s acquaintances in the Slabs might not have known that his legal name was Tommi-Deane Jackson. According to the friend, it was at her urging that Poe’s mother contacted the Imperial County Sheriff’s Office around May 22.
“He had his friends in the Slabs added on his Facebook, and they were posting about his passing. A friend of ours asked if I had seen the posts on his Facebook timeline and I went and checked it out. This is where I found out that he was deceased,” the friend wrote in an email, answering a number of specific questions. “I realized nobody out there was going to know his legal name, so I contacted his family and let them know what had happened and to call the Imperial County Sheriff’s Department to identify themselves as his kin.
“Otherwise, he was going to be buried as a Doe. The day after, I was informed that his death was a murder,” the friend said.
Concrete Canals Tell No Tales
While it might sound strange to the uninitiated how the victim of multiple stab wounds like those found on the body of Poe Black can go undetected as a drowning, but Chief Deputy Benavidez, who oversees the coroner’s unit, explained that it’s perfectly reasonable.
He described what water and elevated temperature can do in just a few days, turning a body black and making the skin extremely fragile to handle.
Add in the conditions at the Coachella Canal, it becomes even more problematic considering this is a concrete-lined conveyance system moving huge amounts of water at high pressure and high speed.
“A body wants to stay underwater, and its scraping along the bottom of the concrete surface,” Benavidez said on Friday, June 4, adding it’s not surprising that if the body went into the water around Slab City that it would be found more than a mile north along the canal.
In consulting a map of the area, Siphon 7 is near the Slab City Library, on the southern end of the settlement. East Jesus, at the north, is adjacent to Siphon 8. Poe’s remains were found near Siphon 9, about 6,000 feet, or more than 1.1 miles from Siphon 8.
And, Benavidez said, when the body was pulled out, an initial postmortem inspection did reveal “a couple lacerations, but that could have been due to cuts from rebar on the concrete.”
When the body was examined under more exhaustive conditions at the contract medical examiner’s facility in San Diego County four to seven days later, Benavidez said, the multiple stab wounds were found, and at that point the murder investigation was started immediately, with deputies making multiple visits over successive days to interview Slab City residents.
Again, few details are being released at this point in the investigation.
Poe’s cousin, Brammer, and his high school best friend have their theories, and they know what they have been told through family members about the manner of Poe’s death, but no one wants to say too much right now, not when a suspect remains at large.
But that’s not going to deter Brammer from trying to get her own answers in a few weeks when she intends to find anyone in the Slabs who might have known Poe.
“I’m trying to find out as much as I can because this is my blood. This was like my own daughter, and this is terrible,” she said. “This is the worst thing you can imagine happening to a young child.”
Last Free Place in America
Slab City has been both romanticized and vilified, yet the truth is far more complicated for a spot referred to as “The Last Free Place in America.”
Those who have paid any attention to the former military installation owned by the state teachers’ union know that the lawless label isn’t exactly accurate, as those who live there permanently have their own system of checks and balances to maintain order and keep John Law off their backs.
Yet there is crime. There are drugs. There is a degree of lawlessness. And there have been murders, like Poe’s.
But there’s freedom, too, and it’s that kind of wide-eyed, aspirational way of life out West for a Southern kid from a troubled home that might have been a siren song of the counterculture.
“We believe that this was his idea,” Brammer said of the man that Poe traveled to California with. “Because I don’t think Tommi even knew anything about this place.”
But from what Poe’s former high school friend had to say, Brammer likely had no idea what compelled Poe Black. And from way back, Poe, when he was known as Oliver in Nashville, was an artsy youth who painted and had an Instagram account for his work as well as an online store to sell his paintings.
“Poe went to an arts-based high school and was a very talented visual artist. He loved to paint and draw, and he also liked restoring things that he found at thrift stores,” his friend wrote.
“He went to the Slabs because he had always wanted to go out West, and he had a sort of idealized image in his head of the Slabs because he had always wanted to live off-grid. He just wanted to feel freedom,” she wrote.
Part of Poe’s activism could have precipitated the move as well, she said. Shortly before he left Nashville, he had more fully immersed himself in more progressive causes and had taken a larger step forward in his transition, having elective “top” surgery, or the removal of his breasts, before leaving Tennessee.
“He was a strong activist, he was very involved in multiple Black Lives Matter protests and shed blood, sweat, and tears for the cause (in the most literal sense, this happened right before my eyes),” she wrote in the email. “He was also very involved in LGBTQ activism. When he began staying out in the Slabs, he had the goal of trying to help increase access to resources/supplies for trans people living in the Slabs.”
There does appear to be a substantial “queer, trans and non-binary” community that has banded together in an area known as Flamingo Camp, which was where Poe Black was believed to have stayed. And a lot of the social life in the LGBTQ community there seemed to revolve around a place called the Handlebar, described as a tavern of sorts by Poe in a YouTube video but also described by others as “another queer friendly camp and community space.”
This community within a community is similar to Slab City in the respect that it is both romantic and rough and tumble. At once described as a loving, inclusive place for those within the LGBTQ world, Poe himself reveals in a travelogue interview that it is also a place that is violent and a bit scary.
Rosa Diaz of the IV LGBT Resource Center has met some of the individuals who have dropped in at the center for resources or to take part in support groups. Although, she said she did not know of Poe Black or his story other than what the Sheriff’s Office had made public.
Life Back in Nashville
NASHVILLE — Brammer sent along some photos of a candlelight vigil held for Poe at the base of a huge tree in Nashville’s Centennial Park on May 27, not far from the Parthenon that is the focal point of the public space.
A candlelight vigil at the base of a tree in Nashville’s Centennial Park attended by family and friends of 21-year-old Poe Delwyn Black was held on May 27.
Photo courtesy of Lori Brammer
She attended the vigil at the invitation of Poe’s former best friend, who organized the event.
“It was very nice. And they did a wonderful job setting up and making things so pretty … It was really nice,” Brammer said. “By the time I got there, there was still at least 10 people there. And I heard that there were even more there before I arrived. So, it was a very good time.”
Brammer acknowledged that she was not a big part of Poe’s life as a man, but it doesn’t bother her. She has no issue with it, just no firm connection to it. Whether it’s the little girl she used to dress up in ribbons despite them being about 20 years apart in age, or the slight trans man with the close-cropped hair, love is love.
“I don’t care about that. That’s neither here nor there,” Brammer said. “I just didn’t meet her (as that person). I didn’t meet the person that people say that she became.”
Poe’s best friend said he seemed at peace the last time they spoke in mid-April. It was a good conversation, and she said Poe tried to call her a few weeks later, but they missed each other. He would have presumably been killed over the course of the next few days.
“We had a conversation about what was going on in our lives, and he seemed to be having a good time. He had plans. May 1st, he called me, and I missed the call. However, he called two other people and told both of them that he was getting ready to go home,” she emailed. “I assume that is what he had wanted to tell me. I couldn’t get him to answer me back after that.”
Poe did not have an easy life, his friend said, adding that Poe’s relationship with his immediate family was complicated and filled with tragedy. Brammer was less kind about how she put it, regularly referring to Poe’s mom as abusive, and mentally unstable.
Both agreed that the present life situation of Poe Black’s mother does not allow her to advocate on her son’s behalf.
Some of the familial strife was alluded to in postings on Poe’s social media pages from June 2020. Around the same time he was ready to get his elective top surgery, he also told people he had left his home to flee abusive family members.
Said Poe’s friend: “There was a variety of reasons he left Nashville. His relationship with his family was fairly bad, but his relationship with his mom had actually begun to improve. He told me this firsthand in November, and I also heard it recently from his mother. He had a traumatic upbringing and he only wanted to heal from that.”
The friend has been the support system for Poe’s mom through this, Brammer said. One of Poe’s older brothers, Aubrey, was the victim of a murder in 2011, and Poe’s father was killed in a car accident in 1999, before Poe was born. Brammer said Poe’s surviving brother is addicted to drugs.
Poe consistently posted about the chronic pain he lived with and about his learning disabilities. The friend was asked about that as well.
“He told me he was recently diagnosed as autistic, and we had both had many conversations about being neuro-divergent,” she wrote, referring to the term that is sometimes a catch-all for Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, and other cognitive learning disabilities. “There was suspicion that he had Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and he used to miss lots of school towards the end of his time in high school due to chronic pain. Besides this, we don’t know why else it was happening to him.”
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is a condition that affects the body’s connective tissue, and Poe on several occasions posted about suffering from chronic dislocations of the hips.
For the high school friend, she said Poe’s death has hit her hard.
“We were best friends for years; he told me so much about his life and he was so caring and loving for me. He helped me to be a better person, because he never judged me when I messed up,” she said. “He was also really generous and thoughtful. I miss him terribly. His mother is very distraught along with his only living brother. … He also has several extended family members who miss him terribly.”
Brammer’s sadness is still like a raw nerve; for her, it’s anger, and it needs an outlet. She is hoping to find that at the vigil for Marilyn Cazares, and by making her own trip to the Slabs.
“Tommi was a young, beautiful soul. And he was taken in a terrible way, in such a way that should never happen to anyone’s child. And there should be justice, and it should be swift,” she said. “This should never happen to anyone, especially someone so young, such a beautiful soul that had her whole life ahead of her.”
Richard Montenegro Brown is editor of the Calexico Chronicle and Holtville Tribune, longtime community newspapers focused on in depth reporting of life in Imperial County, California. Richard has more than 25 years experience in print and multimedia journalism as an editor and writer in small- and mid-market publications in Southern California.
The preceding article was published by the Calexico Chronicle and is republished here by permission.
Southern California
Triple A: Southern California gas prices begin to slowly decrease
The average price for self-serve regular gasoline in California is $5.41, which is four cents lower than a week ago
LOS ANGELES – Southern California gas prices slightly decrease in almost every metro city, according to the Auto Club’s Weekend Gas Watch. The average price for self-serve regular gasoline in California is $5.41, which is four cents lower than a week ago. The average national price is $3.66, which is also one cent higher than a week ago.
The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $5.37 per gallon, which is two cents less than last week, 33 cents higher than last month, and 44 cents higher than last year. In San Diego, the average price is $5.36, which is two cents lower than last week, 34 cents higher than last month, and 45 cents higher than this time last year.
On the Central Coast, the average price is $5.33, which is two cents lower than last week, 31 cents higher than last month, and 43 cents higher than last year. In Riverside, the average per-gallon price is $5.29, which is three cents lower than last week, 37 cents higher than last month, and 45 cents higher than a year ago. In Bakersfield, the $5.31 average price is the same as last week, 40 cents more than last month, and 43 cents higher than a year ago today.
“For the first time in almost two months prices in Southern California have slightly decreased,” said Auto Club Spokesperson Doug Shupe. “The reasons for gas prices moving lower include slowing domestic gasoline demand between Spring Break and summer travel, as well as the cost of crude oil retreating.”
The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline. As of 9 a.m. on April 25, averages are:
Southern California
Bonta files for permanent ban of Chino school’s forced outing policy
Bonta noted that the policy was detrimental to the physical, emotional safety, well-being, & privacy of trans students
OAKLAND, Calif. — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today filed a motion for final judgment in Bonta v. Chino Valley Unified School District seeking injunctive and declaratory relief to ensure that the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education (Board) does not reenact or implement their recently-rescinded forced outing policy.
In a press release, the Attorney General noted that the policy – Policy 5020.1 – was detrimental to the physical and emotional safety, well-being, and privacy of transgender and gender-nonconforming students.
In August 2023, Attorney General Bonta sued to challenge the policy on the basis that it violated students’ civil and constitutional rights under California law, and in October 2023, obtained a preliminary injunction enjoining the facially discriminatory provisions of the forced outing policy. While the District voted to rescind the forced outing policy on March 7, 2024, in response to the San Bernardino County Superior Court’s preliminary injunction order, the District’s Board continues to stand “proudly” by Policy 5020.1, the District’s counsel continues to maintain that it was “common sense and constitutional,” and the District continues to make comments echoing the anti-trans comments they made publicly before enacting the policy.
As a result, Attorney General Bonta is seeking a permanent injunction and declaratory relief to protect students’ civil rights and ensure that the Board does not reenact or implement its original, discriminatory policy.
“Chino Valley Unified has an obligation to protect the safety and well-being of the students it is charged to serve, especially our most vulnerable student communities who are susceptible to violence and harassment,” said Attorney General Bonta. “It took a lawsuit and court order to get Chino Valley to rescind their discriminatory forced outing policy, but even now, the Board has continued to assert that it was lawful, and board members continue to echo the anti-trans rhetoric they relied upon when passing it. Today’s motion seeks to ensure no child becomes a target again by blocking Chino Valley Unified from ever adopting another forced outing policy. As we continue to defend the rights of transgender and gender-nonconforming students, I urge all school districts to take note and ensure every student can enjoy their right to learn and thrive in a school environment that promotes safety, privacy, and inclusivity.”
Even though Attorney General Bonta issued a letter to the Board on July 20, 2023 stressing the potential harms and infringements on students’ civil rights from the adoption of Board Policy 5020.1, the Board enacted the policy nonetheless. The forced outing policy required schools to inform parents, with minimal exceptions, whenever a student requested to use a name or pronoun different from that on their birth certificate or official records, even without the student’s permission and even when disclosure would cause physical or mental harm to the student.
The policy also required notification if a student requested to use facilities or participate in programs that did not align with their sex on official records. In August 2023, Attorney General Bonta announced a lawsuit challenging the enforcement of Policy 5020.1, asserting it violated several state protections safeguarding students’ civil and constitutional rights.
Shortly after securing a temporary restraining order, the San Bernardino Superior Court issued a preliminary injunction against the Board’s forced outing policy in October 2023. The Court held that several provisions violated California’s equal protection clause and discriminated against transgender and gender-nonconforming students, causing them irreparable harm.
In today’s motion seeking a permanent injunction and declaratory relief against the forced outing policy, Attorney General Bonta underscores the importance of the Court’s issuance of final adjudication to guarantee the safety and well-being of transgender and gender-nonconforming students from future identical or similar forced outing policies, and declare that the forced outing policy violates students’ constitutional and statutory rights to be free from unequal and discriminatory treatment on the basis of sex, gender, and gender identity.
As part of today’s motion, Attorney General Bonta urges the Court to issue a final judgment because a live controversy exists, as the District’s conduct signals that it could re-adopt the discriminatory policy absent a final ruling by the Court, the discriminatory message communicated by the enactment of a discriminatory policy must still be redressed, and the case presents clear issues of public interest broadly affecting students, parents, school officials, and teachers that are likely to recur.
The Attorney General underscores the importance of securing final injunctive and declaratory relief against Policy 5020.1 to:
- Prevent the Board from re-enacting the discriminatory forced outing policy in the absence of a final injunction.
- Provide relief against the stigmatic harms inflicted by the Board’s adoption of the forced outing policy.
- Declare that the Board’s forced outing policy violates California’s equal protection and antidiscrimination laws.
Today’s motion also asserts the Board’s plain motivations in adopting Policy 5020.1 were to create and harbor animosity, discrimination, and prejudice towards transgender and gender-nonconforming students, without any compelling reason to do so, as evidenced by statements made during the Board’s hearing.
In discussing the policy before its passage, board members made a number of statements describing students who are transgender or gender-nonconforming as suffering from a “mental illness” or “perversion”, or as being a threat to the integrity of the nation and the family. The Board President went so far as to state that transgender and gender nonconforming individuals needed “non-affirming” parental actions so that they could “get better.”
The Attorney General has a substantial interest in protecting the legal rights, physical safety, and mental health of children in California schools, and in protecting them from trauma, harassment, bullying, and exposure to violence and threats of violence. Research shows that protecting a transgender student’s ability to make choices about how and when to inform others is critical to their well-being, as transgender students are exposed to high levels of harassment and mistreatment at school and in their communities when those environments are not supportive of their gender identity.
- One-in-10 respondents in a 2015 national survey said that an immediate family member had been violent toward them because they were transgender, and 15% ran away from home or were kicked out of their home because they were transgender. Fewer than one-in-three transgender and gender nonbinary youth found their home to be gender-affirming.
- Nearly 46% of transgender students reported missing at least one day of school in the preceding month because they felt unsafe or uncomfortable there and 17% of transgender students reported that they left a K-12 school due to the severity of the harassment they experienced at school.
- Seventy-seven percent of students known or perceived as transgender reported negative experiences such as harassment and assault, and over half of transgender and nonbinary youth reported seriously considering suicide in the past year.
A copy of the motion seeking declaratory and injunctive relief is available here.
Southern California
Equality California decries recall of elected Calexico trans official
During her tenure, Mayor Ureña championed numerous initiatives aimed at improving local infrastructure and public services
CALEXICO, Calif. – Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, has publicly denounced the recent recall of Calexico Councilmember and former Mayor Raúl Ureña, the first out transgender mayor in the city’s history.
The organization’s response underscores significant concern over what it views as a politically motivated attack leveraging anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments.
Tony Hoang, Executive Director of Equality California, expressed profound disappointment over the outcome of the recall effort, criticizing the focus of the recall on Ureña’s transgender identity rather than his accomplishments in office.
“We are deeply disappointed that a group of far-right extremists succeeded in recalling Calexico’s first out transgender Mayor Raúl Ureña, who has a proven track record of delivering for the people of Calexico,” Hoang said.
“This recall campaign was spearheaded by a group of disgruntled former politicians and littered with misinformation and transphobic rhetoric, focusing on Ureña’s identity and not the successful tangible results she has generated for her city. This was a calculated, anti-LGBTQ+ attack against Ureña that has sadly resulted in her recall and will no doubt lead to backsliding for a community already at a crossroads.
We were proud to support Mayor Ureña throughout this ordeal, and will continue to speak out against any and all anti-LGBTQ+ attacks.”
During her tenure, Ureña championed numerous initiatives aimed at improving local infrastructure and public services while fostering a community environment that valued diversity and inclusion.
The recall campaign, however, argued that new leadership was necessary to fulfill unmet promises such as reducing water costs, revitalizing public spaces, and addressing homelessness and housing shortages.
Ureña posted a Facebook video addressing the recall along with the following caption:
“The recall made a lot of promises. The clock of new administration begins. From now on my decisions will not affect the municipality.
My message to the youth: DON’T QUIT!
My message to the recall: Keep your promises between now and November. We want a standing Calexico:
- All the poles fixed
- All parks to perfection
- Streets and new benches
- Let the cost of water go down
- Downtown Clean
- Zero Homeless
- More Housing
- Police and Fire Department complete
- City Wide Transport
- More recreation for the seniors.
- Line to Mexicali and traffic solved
I wish them luck for the good of Calexico.”
Following the recall’s success, statements from the new administration promised to focus on various infrastructure projects, enhancements to public safety, and improved social services for seniors, pledging to transform campaign promises into tangible outcomes.
The decision to recall Ureña has polarized Calexico, with many residents and advocates worried about the potential regression in civil rights gains. Equality California has pledged ongoing support for Ureña and reaffirmed its commitment to fighting anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination.
For further details on Equality California’s initiatives and stance on this matter, please visit eqca.org.
Related:
Southern California
Triple A: Gas price increases slow down
The average price for self-serve regular gasoline in California is $5.45, which is four cents higher than a week ago
LOS ANGELES – Southern California gas prices are still up for the week, but are not increasing as quickly as they were earlier this month, according to the Auto Club’s Weekend Gas Watch. The average price for self-serve regular gasoline in California is $5.45, which is four cents higher than a week ago. The average national price is $3.67, which is also four cents higher than a week ago.
The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $5.39 per gallon, which is three cents more than last week, 43 cents higher than last month, and 44 cents higher than last year. In San Diego, the average price is $5.38, which is four cents higher than last week, 44 cents higher than last month, and 44 cents higher than this time last year.
On the Central Coast, the average price is $5.35, which is four cents higher than last week, 41 cents higher than last month, and 43 cents higher than last year. In Riverside, the average per-gallon price is $5.32, which is five cents higher than last week, 49 cents higher than last month and 46 cents higher than a year ago. In Bakersfield, the $5.31 average price is seven cents more than last week, 48 cents more than last month, and 42 cents higher than a year ago today.
“According to Oil Price Information Service (OPIS), yesterday’s U.S. Energy Information Administration report showed that West Coast gasoline inventories are at their lowest level in two years,” said Auto Club Spokesperson Doug Shupe. “However, OPIS also reported that imported gasoline should be on its way to California in the next few weeks, which should help ease the upward pressure on pump prices.”
The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline. As of 9 a.m. on April 18, averages are:
Southern California
USC cancels valedictorian’s speech over antisemitism allegations
“I am shocked by this decision & profoundly disappointed that the university is succumbing to a campaign of hate meant to silence my voice”
LOS ANGELES – The University of Southern California (USC) has decided to cancel the commencement speech of Asna Tabassum, a pro-Palestinian undergraduate and this year’s valedictorian, citing safety concerns. This decision marks the first time in the university’s 141-year history that a valedictorian has been prohibited from speaking at the graduation ceremony.
Provost Andrew Guzman expressed that while disappointing, the decision was necessary to ensure the safety of the campus and its students, emphasizing that the university’s actions are aligned with legal obligations to maintain a secure educational environment. He also clarified that the decision does not infringe upon free speech rights, as there is no entitlement to speak at the event.
Tabassum, majoring in biomedical engineering with a minor in “resistance to genocide,” faced criticism for her online posts about the Middle East conflict. The controversy escalated when a pro-Israel group accused her of antisemitism less than a week ago.
In response to the cancellation, the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Los Angeles (CAIR-LA) has called for the decision to be reversed, allowing Tabassum to deliver her speech. Tabassum, through CAIR-LA, stated that she has been subjected to a campaign of racist hatred due to her stance on human rights.
In a statement released through the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Los Angeles (CAIR-LA), Tabassum conveyed her shock and profound disappointment at the university’s decision, stating it was a result of a “campaign of hate” aimed to silence her voice. “Anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian voices have subjected me to a campaign of racist hatred because of my uncompromising belief in human rights for all,” Tabassum said.
USC maintains that the decision was solely based on safety considerations and not on the content of Tabassum’s proposed speech or her political views. The university has consulted its public safety department and external safety experts, concluding that the potential risks necessitate the cancellation for this year’s commencement to focus on celebrating the graduates without disruptions.
Tabassum’s full statement:
“I am honored to have been selected as USC Class of 2024 Valedictorian. Although this should have been a time of celebration for my family, friends, professors, and classmates, anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian voices have subjected me to a campaign of racist hatred because of my uncompromising belief in human rights for all.
“This campaign to prevent me from addressing my peers at commencement has evidently accomplished its goal: today, USC administrators informed me that the university will no longer allow me to speak at commencement due to supposed security concerns. I am both shocked by this decision and profoundly disappointed that the University is succumbing to a campaign of hate meant to silence my voice.
“I am not surprised by those who attempt to propagate hatred. I am surprised that my own university—my home for four years—has abandoned me,” Tabassum wrote.
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Southern California
Triple A: Gas prices continue upward by double digits
The average price for self-serve regular gasoline in California is $5.41, which is 21 cents higher than a week ago
LOS ANGELES – Southern California gas prices increased by about two cents a day in the last week, according to the Auto Club’s Weekend Gas Watch. The average price for self-serve regular gasoline in California is $5.41, which is 21 cents higher than a week ago. The average national price is $3.63, which is six cents higher than a week ago.
The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $5.36 per gallon, which is 13 cents more than last week, 42 cents higher than last month, and 42 cents higher than last year. In San Diego, the average price is $5.34, which is 13 cents higher than last week, 42 cents higher than last month, and 41 cents higher than this time last year.
On the Central Coast, the average price is $5.31, which is 12 cents higher than last week, 40 cents higher than last month, and 42 cents higher than last year. In Riverside, the average per-gallon price is $5.27, which is 14 cents higher than last week, 46 cents higher than last month and 44 cents higher than a year ago. In Bakersfield, the $5.24 average price is 17 cents more than last week, 43 cents more than last month, and 37 cents higher than a year ago today.
“Some additional refinery outages have further reduced fuel production and increased pump prices, and Oil Price Information Service reports that imported gasoline has been ordered and should arrive later this month or in early May,” said Auto Club Spokesperson Doug Shupe.
The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline. As of 9 a.m. on April 11, averages are:
Southern California
Heal the Bay seeking Earth Month in-person volunteers
Heal the Bay celebrates Earth Month with all things reusable! Residents to protect what they love, from marshland tours to beach cleanups
SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Environmental group Heal the Bay today announced its Earth Month events calendar for April, offering hands-on opportunities to participate in grassroots advocacy, education and community action.
The Santa Monica-based nonprofit has created a special series of virtual and in-person volunteer events for individuals, families and households, schools, businesses and community organizations. Participants will gain knowledge and skills that will help them support the health of our ocean, beaches, inland waterways and neighborhoods year-round.
No special training or experience is required. All are welcome.
Become a Beach Captain
Heal the Bay’s famous beach cleanups rely on volunteers to help mobilize and educate participants. Volunteers will learn best practices for conducting cleanups safely and gain valuable public-speaking skills. Join us April 20 10 a.m.-noon (Santa Monica Beach)
Become a Community Scientist
Our Safe Clean Water Program returns with an Earth Month BioBlitz. Participants will engage in community science by helping identify marshland plants and animals. Heal the Bay staff will host two events with the 2024 LA City Nature Challenge, sponsored by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the California Academy of Sciences. Join us April 27 at Bixby Marshland in Carson or Fern Dell in Griffith Park.
Become an Effective Advocate
Policy chiefs at Heal the Bay and partner nonprofit 5 Gyres are co-hosting a free virtual advocacy training about how to best combat plastic pollution throughout our region. Experts will provide an update on pending plastics legislation locally and nationally. Participants will learn insider tips on how to influence policy makers, make impactful calls to representatives and submit compelling written comments on proposed public policy. The Zoom session takes place April 16 from 6-7 p.m.
Become an Aquarist
Heal the Bay’s award-winning aquarium under the Santa Monica Pier relies on volunteers to educate visitors about all the marine animals that call the Bay home. Program leaders will be on hand at the aquarium’s Earth Month Celebration to discuss public engagement and training opportunities. Attendees are encouraged to bring kids along for face-painting, crafts and a scavenger hunt. Join us April 20 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Beyond these volunteer-training sessions, Heal the Bay is hosting dozens of other public events during April Month. Ocean lovers can join us for one of our biggest Nothin’ but Sand beach cleanups of the year at Santa Monica Beach on April 20 from 10 a.m. to noon. Register here.
To register or learn more about any of these events, please visit Heal the Bay’s Earth Month microsite.
If residents are not able to participate in these events, they can also support Heal the Bay’s advocacy and education through an Earth Month donation.
Southern California
Triple A: Biggest one-week jump of the year for SoCal gas prices
The average price for self-serve regular gasoline in California is $5.20, which is 17 cents higher than a week ago
LOS ANGELES – Most Southern California metro areas saw the biggest one-week gas price increase of 2024 in the last week, according to the Auto Club’s Weekend Gas Watch. The average price for self-serve regular gasoline in California is $5.20, which is 17 cents higher than a week ago. The average national price is $3.57, which is three cents higher than a week ago.
The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $5.23 per gallon, which is 15 cents more than last week, 33 cents higher than last month, and 34 cents higher than last year. In San Diego, the average price is $5.21, which is 15 cents higher than last week, 31 cents higher than last month, and 31 cents higher than this time last year.
On the Central Coast, the average price is $5.19, which is 14 cents higher than last week, 33 cents higher than last month, and 33 cents higher than last year. In Riverside, the average per-gallon price is $5.13, which is 17 cents higher than last week, 35 cents higher than last month and 34 cents higher than a year ago. In Bakersfield, the $5.07 average price is 14 cents more than last week, 36 cents more than last month, and 16 cents higher than a year ago today.
“Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) reports that maintenance work continues at the Wilmington section of Phillip 66’s Los Angeles refinery, and the Chevron refinery in El Segundo reported an unplanned breakdown-related flaring on Monday,” said Auto Club Spokesperson Doug Shupe. “OPIS also stated that West Coast refinery production was down in the last week as well as gasoline inventories based on Energy Information Administration reports.”
The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline. As of 9 a.m. on April 4, averages are:
Southern California
Parents mourn son’s loss to distracted driving
“My beautiful boy who was just riding a bike with friends, was lying in the street in a body bag,” Kellie Montalvo
LOS ANGELES – To mark the start of April’s National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, the Automobile Club of Southern California joined State Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, law enforcement and the parents of a young Corona man who was killed by an impaired and distracted driver, to remind the public about the deadly consequences of distractions behind the wheel.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2021 there were 3,522 people killed in traffic crashes involving a distracted driver. That’s an average of ten people killed each day. That same year, an estimated 362,415 people were injured in distracted driving crashes. Here in California alone, 828 people have died in distracted driving crashes since the start of 2021. Even with these high numbers, distraction-related crash fatalities and injuries are underreported because the behavior is difficult to detect during crash investigations, and police reports often understate the number of incidents.
“Distracted driving comes in many forms, but texting and cell phone use while driving has become the most common type of distracted driving,” said Auto Club President & CEO Greg Backley. “It is never safe to use a smartphone to text, check email, program GPS, post on social media or take photos and videos while your vehicle is in motion.”
When drivers travel at 55 miles per hour and take their eyes off the road for just five seconds that is the same as traveling the length of a football field blindfolded. Law enforcement officers nationwide are working together to enforce texting and distracted driving laws, including a high-visibility enforcement campaign during National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
“We know that the problem is serious, and the problem is real,” said California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. “Our mobile phones have almost become an appendage for us, but we must not allow ourselves to be ruled by our mobile devices, and we ask all drivers to please not let your phone be the cause of a fatal crash on our roads.”
The Auto Club’s campaign “Don’t Drive Intoxicated. Don’t Drive Intexticated.” is designed to increase the social stigma of using a smartphone while driving, like the stigma that exists with alcohol-impaired driving. Through public education and awareness, the Auto Club asks drivers to put their phone down and focus on what’s important, which is getting to their destination safely.
“There are too many victims and too many forever broken families and friends,” said Corona mother Kellie Montalvo, whose son was killed by a texting driver.
On June 11, 2020, an intoxicated driver, who was repeatedly texting her boyfriend, hit and killed Montalvo’s 21-year-old son Benjamin Montalvo as he and his friends rode bicycles to meet Benjamin’s brother. Benjamin, nicknamed “BeanDip” by his three older brothers, died at the scene of the crash.
“With the choices she made that night, she killed our future as well,” said Montalvo. “I would never wish this nightmare on anyone. No parent should bury their child, no brother should have to carry a casket, and no friend should have to watch their friend die.”
A jury convicted the driver who hit Benjamin of felony vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and felony hit-and-run causing injury or death and sentenced her to nine years in state prison. Benjamin’s parents now share his story with students and the public to prevent other people from making the same mistakes that took their son’s life.
“We are in a prison of our own, one that we will never be bonded or paroled from,” said Montalvo. “Dealing with trauma, anger, and the intense sadness of missing Bean every single day has changed our lives completely.”
To stay focused behind the wheel and prevent tragedies from driving “intexticated,” the Auto Club recommends:
- Use the Driving Focus features on your smartphone.
- Pull over if you must call or text someone.
- Speak up if the driver of your vehicle is distracted.
- Put it away. Place your mobile device out of sight to prevent temptation.
- Know where you are going. If using GPS, program the destination before driving.
- Ask passengers for help. If with someone, ask for help to navigate, make a call or text.
- Don’t be a distraction. Avoid calling or texting others when you know they are driving.
For more information about the Auto Club’s “Don’t Drive Intoxicated. Don’t Drive Intexticated.” campaign, visit AAA.com/DontDriveDistracted to read real stories of lives impacted by distracted driving, watch PSAs, and watch a distracted driving documentary called “Sidetracked.”
Southern California
Triple A: Average gas prices jump over $5 in SoCal
The average price for self-serve regular gasoline in California is $5.03, which is eight cents higher than a week ago
LOS ANGELES – Most areas of Southern California are now experiencing average prices over $5 a gallon as prices moved up for the second week in a row and for eight weeks total in 2024 so far, according to the Auto Club’s Weekend Gas Watch. The average price for self-serve regular gasoline in California is $5.03, which is eight cents higher than a week ago. The average national price is $3.54, which is one cent higher than a week ago.
The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $5.08 per gallon, which is nine cents more than last week, 26 cents higher than last month, and 23 cents higher than last year. In San Diego, the average price is $5.06, which is seven cents higher than last week, 22 cents higher than last month, and 19 cents higher than this time last year.
On the Central Coast, the average price is $5.06, which is six cents higher than last week, 26 cents higher than last month, and 23 cents higher than last year. In Riverside, the average per-gallon price is $4.96, which is nine cents higher than last week, 25 cents higher than last month and 18 cents higher than a year ago. In Bakersfield, the $4.93 average price is eight cents more than last week, 33 cents more than last month, and five cents higher than a year ago today.
“According to Oil Price Information Service, the Wilmington section of Phillip 66’s Los Angeles refinery is undergoing planned maintenance, with no information available on when it will return to production,” said Auto Club Spokesperson Doug Shupe. “It’s important for drivers to keep in mind that even in areas with average prices over $5 a gallon, they can usually find much less expensive gasoline than $5 nearby by using a free tool such as the AAA Mobile app. As of today, there are still several Southern California gas stations with prices under $4.50 a gallon.”
The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline. As of 9 a.m. on March 28, averages are:
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