Former supervisor to represent Lopez-Sanchez
Matt Gonzalez, who ran for mayor in 2003 and led the Board of Supervisors’ progressive faction at that time, has agreed to represent undocumented Mexican national Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, who is charged with the first degree murder of Kathryn “Kate” Steinle. Gonzalez is chief attorney for the city’s Public Defender’s Office, and a former vice-presidential candidate who ran with Ralph Nader as an independent in 2008.
Supervisors pass mayor’s version of Airbnb regulations
San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors passed an amendment Tuesday, July 14 to better regulate “short-term rentals” being offered through the home-sharing service Airbnb. There have been loud complaints from tenants’ rights and low-income housing rights advocates about the impact of Airbnb, since the city legalized such rentals in October 2014. Two competing bills—one from Mayor Ed Lee and one from Supervisor David Campos—were proposed last month and the board has decided to pass the mayor’s version, which is more lenient.
Latinos officially the majority in California
The latest statistics released by the U.S. Census Bureau in late June 2015 confirm that Latinos now constitute a majority of California residents. As of July 1, 2014 there were 14.99 million Latinos living in California compared to 14.92 million whites. The demographic shift in state population has long been projected but this is the first confirmation that it has come to pass. The growth of the Latino demographic in California is expected to accelerate over the next generation because the median age of the Latino population (29) is much younger than its white counterpart (45).
NYC reaches settlement in killing of un-armed man
New York City has agreed to pay $5.9 million in damages to the family of Eric Garner, the black man who was choked to death by NYPD officer Daniel Pantaleo on July 17, 2014. Garner’s death was caught on camera, where he could be heard saying, “I can’t breathe” at least 11 times before he finally died. A grand jury in New York declined to indict Pantaleo.
Legendary Mexican singer dead at 64
José Manuel Figueroa, who was better known as the Mexican singer and songwriter Joan Sebastian, died Monday, July 13 after an extended battle with bone cancer, diagnosed back in 1999. Figueroa wrote more than 1000 songs, winning five Grammys and seven Latin Grammys over the course of his illustrious career, which spanned five decades.
Cartel boss escapes maximum-security prison
Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, widely considered Mexico’s most powerful drug lord, escaped from a maximum-security prison in Mexico City. The Sinaloa cartel boss made his escape through a mile-long underground tunnel that ran from the shower in the building in which he was being held to an empty building in a cornfield. This is the second time El Chapo has managed to escape captivity and a serious blow to the credibility of President Enrique Peña Nieto’s ability to crack down on narco-traffickers. So far more than 30 prison personnel have been detained for questioning on suspicion of corruption.