5 Biden administration decisions that mirror Trump-era policies

By Eliza Siegel, Stacker

In early March 2023, reports surfaced that the Biden administration is considering reinstating the highly controversial Trumpera policy of migrant family detention. Though the policy has not been formally announced, its reconsideration has raised alarm bells for human rights organizations, immigrants’-rights advocates, and more than 100 House Democrats, who wrote a letter to the president on March 28 expressing concern and urging him not to “return to a cruel policy of the past.”

If the Biden administration moves forward with its revival of the policy, it would fly in the face of President Biden’s campaign promises and his own actions to put a stop to family detention early on in his presidency. In a tweet posted in June 2020, Biden condemned the practice, writing, “Children should be released from ICE detention with their parents immediately. This is pretty simple, and I can’t believe I have to say it: Families belong together.”

A different letter, written by the American Academy of Pediatrics to President Biden on March 16, argued that detaining children for any length of time is unsafe, and can pose “a threat to child health,” and asked him to “abandon any effort” to imprison families.

This is not the first time the Biden administration has entertained — or carried out — reinstating a Trump-era policy, despite its rollback of many Trump administration decisions.

Some revivals of Trump policies have not been intentional choices on the part of President Biden. For instance, Biden attempted to end President Trump’s “remain in Mexico” policy when he first took office but was blocked by a lawsuit that forced the program to restart. A U.S. district judge finally lifted his injunction in August, allowing the Biden administration to proceed with ending the program.

Some Trump-era policies have, however, been taken up by the Biden administration without the insistence of the courts. Certain policy experts have pointed out that some degree of continuity between administrations, however ideologically different, is standard practice, while others have remarked on inconsistencies between President Biden’s stated principles and his administration’s actions.

Stacker compared policy briefs, news reports, and formal decisions from the Trump and Biden administrations to see how certain policies have carried over — or been walked back and then reinstated — between the two presidencies.

Controversial Alaska oil drilling project approved by Biden in 2023

On March 13, the Biden administration greenlighted the Willow Project, a multibillion-dollar oil drilling plan that opens up a section of Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve on the North Slope to oil extraction. The move contradicted President Biden’s campaign promise to put a stop to new drilling on federal land.

The Willow Project was originally given the go-ahead by President Trump in 2020 but was blocked after a lawsuit from Trustees for Alaska charged that the potential environmental impacts of the project had not been fully evaluated. The version of the Willow Project approved by the Biden administration is of a smaller scope than what was originally proposed but is still expected to generate over 278 million tons of greenhouse gasses during its 30-year life span.

Reactions to the Biden administration’s announcement have been mixed, with oil industry stakeholders and some lawmakers, including Alaska’s Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, celebrating the decision for its perceived economic benefits. Environmental advocates and other legislators, on the other hand, have decried the decision, calling it harmful to the environment and antithetical to the Biden administration’s stated climate goals.

Indigenous Alaskan communities have also given mixed responses. Julie Kitka, the president of the Alaska Federation of Natives, voiced her support for the project, as did several other community leaders. Others, like Sonia Ahkivgak of Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic, voiced dissent for the decision and called out the Biden administration’s inconsistency on climate-related issues.

Asylum restrictions announced for many migrants seeking refuge in 2023

In February, the Biden administration rolled out a new policy that would deport asylum seekers who cross the U.S. border with Mexico illegally or who do not apply for asylum in countries they travel through on their way to the U.S. American immigration law has previously made it so that asylum seekers can apply for protection in the U.S. regardless of how they arrive.

While stopping short of banning asylum seekers outright, the restrictive new policy, which is set to last for two years, will likely have a dramatic deterrent effect on those seeking protection. It has drawn comparisons to Trump-era policies and contradicts President Biden’s promises to restore asylum.

Biden’s new asylum policy will replace the Trump administration’s asylum decree, Title 42, which is set to expire in May. Title 42 was instituted during the pandemic and has essentially barred entry to all asylum seekers on the grounds of threats to public health. Title 42 has been used over 2 million times to expel asylum seekers, according to Politico.

Trump-era refugee caps continued in 2021

While campaigning for the presidency, Biden committed to raising the refugee cap in the U.S. to 125,000 from the limit of 15,000 Trump imposed — a limit Democrats called “racist.” In 2021, however, the Biden administration announced that it would maintain the 15,000-refugee limit, sparking immediate backlash. President Biden quickly backpedaled, raising the cap to 62,500, half of his initial promise.

The following year, Biden raised the cap again, this time to the full 125,000, a number the administration repeated for 2023. However, an analysis of the number of refugees actually admitted in fiscal 2022 was only about 26,000, leaving thousands of ostensibly open slots unclaimed and even more waiting for admission. Refugee admission numbers have yet to reach pre-pandemic — and pre-Trump administration — levels.

Trump’s 15,000 refugee limit, instated in 2020, was the lowest since the 1980 Refugee Act raised the cap from 17,400 to 50,000. The Trump administration’s cap was announced during Trump’s campaign for reelection and was criticized as a betrayal of the role of

Gun violence

the U.S.’s as a humanitarian leader internationally.

Exports of excess vaccine doses to other countries in need were temporarily blocked in 2021

In March and April of 2021, Politico reported on conflict happening within the Biden administration about whether or not to send excess doses of the vaccine to countries with high COVID-19 rates and vaccine shortages. The stockpiled vaccines in question consisted mostly of that produced by AstraZeneca, which had not been given emergency authorization for use in the U.S.

Some top Biden administration officials argued that diminishing the U.S. vaccine stockpile would be unwise and reportedly brushed off requests from the State Department, U.S. Agency for International Development, health agency leaders, and others inside the administration to share extra vaccines with other countries. After more than a month of internal debate, the Biden administration announced that it would send millions of extra doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine abroad, but actual shipment of the vaccines did not begin until the summer of 2021.

The Biden administration’s indecision about sending vaccines overseas was a continuation of the Trump administration’s “America First” philosophy on vaccine distribution — a strategy that began even before the vaccine was fully developed. During Operation Warp Speed, vaccine ingredients and parts of the vaccine manufacturing supply chain were monopolized by the U.S., cutting lower and middle-income countries out. Despite urging from the World Health Organization in 2020 that sharing the vaccine globally would be the only way to keep the virus from spreading and mutating into even more dangerous variants, the Trump administration did not make a plan to do so.

Foreign policy strategies maintained in Saudi Arabia and Israel peace. Gun violence restraining orders awareness and enforcement: Improve awareness and access to gun violence restraining orders. Ensure that services, systems and messaging are culturally relevant and make it easy for community residents to initiate gun violence restraining orders.

On the campaign trail, President Biden did not mince words about his stance on U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia, particularly in light of the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He stated that he planned to “make them in fact the pariah that they are.” When President Biden traveled to Israel and Saudi Arabia, however, he met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the U.S. has continued to supply the country with weapons and other aid in the Yemen War despite reports of civilian deaths from Saudi airstrikes.

These actions are seen by many foreign policy analysts as a continuation and even a compounding of Trumpera strategies in the Middle East, notably demonstrated through Biden’s embrace of the Abraham Accords. President Trump brokered the Abraham Accords in 2020, which sought to normalize relations between Israel and Arab nations such as Bahrain, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates. The deal symbolized a break from former Arab-Israeli negotiations, which had prioritized an independent state for Palestinians in exchange for normalized relations between much of the Middle East and Israel.

The Abraham Accords are seen as a shift away from a two-state solution as a precursor to normalization.

Republished pursuant to a CC BY-NC 4.0 license. This article was copy edited from its original version.

School safety and services: Increase access to comprehensive, culturally relevant physical and mental health supports and services for all K- 12. Enhance school safety by implementing pilot initiatives in at least three school districts.

The platform was developed and will be implemented by a diverse group of county and community partners including community and faith leaders, health care and mental health professionals.

The platform was informed by data that shows the impact of systemic racism in perpet- uating a cycle of violence that leaves young people of color in the county experiencing the highest rates of death by firearms, according to Public Health officials.

“Gun violence is a public health issue,” said Susan Stone, L.A. Care’s senior medical director of utilization and care management services. “As the largest public health plan in the country, serving many who have suffered from gun violence, L.A. Care is committed to working with our county partners in taking a stand against gun violence and for gun safety, making people’s lives safer and healthier.”

Kevin Orange, a community violence interventionist for Public Health’s Office of Violence Prevention and executive director of Advocates for Peace and Urban Unity, said the community needs to come together to address trauma and anxiety and end gun violence.

Temple City Notices

Temple City Notice Of Public Hearing For The Planning Commission

The Planning Commission is holding a public hearing on the project described below. You are receiving this notice because your property is located near the project, the project may directly, or indirectly affect you, or because you have requested to be notified.

Project Citywide, City of Temple City, County of Los Angeles

Location:

Project: PL 23-3896 Zoning Code Amendment. Ordinance 23-1071 amending Section 9-1T-21 (Urban Dwellings and Urban Lot Splits) of the Municipal Code related to SB-9. Staff is recommending that the Planning Commission make a recommendation to the City Council on the proposed Ordinance. The City Council will be the final decisionmaker.

Applicant: City of Temple City, 9701 Las Tunas Drive, Temple City, CA 91780

Environmental The City Council finds that this Ordinance is not subject to environmental review

Review: under the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”). Senate Bill 9 (Atkins) states that an ordinance adopted to implement the rules of Senate Bill 9 is not considered a project under Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000) of the Public Resources Code. (See Government Code sections 65858.21(j) and 66411.7(n).

The Planning Commission Public Hearing will be held:

Meeting Date & Time: Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at 7:30 P.M.

Meeting Location: City Council Chambers, 5938 Kauffman Avenue, Temple City, CA 91780

For questions or concerns regarding this project, or if you wish to review the project file, please contact: Project Planner: Scott Reimers, Community Development Director (626) 656-7316 sreimers@templecity.us or visit the Community Development Department offices at City Hall, located at: 9701 Las Tunas Drive, Temple City, CA 91780 Monday – Thursday: 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.,

If you have a request for reasonable modification or accommodation due to a disability covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act please contact staff (planning@templecity.us or (626) 656-7316) 48 hours in advance of the meeting.

The decision of the Planning Commission is a recommendation to the City Council. A separate public hearing for the project will be held before the City Council. When scheduled, the hearing will be separately noticed. If you challenge any of the foregoing actions in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at the public hearing or in written correspondence delivered to the hearing body at, or prior to, the public hearing.

Date: April 3, 2023

Signature: Scott Reimers Scott Reimers, Community Development Director

Publish April 10, 2023

TEMPLE CITY TRIBUNE

Duarte City Notices

Notice Of Inviting Bids

Bernards is requesting bids from qualified bidders for the Duarte High School Gymnasium – Phase 2 project located at 1565 Central Avenue, Duarte, CA 91010. The project consists of a new gymnasium. Construction includes grading and full construction of a new gym. We are interested in bids from all trades involved in this project minus demolition. The bidders will be selected using the “Best Value” competitive procurement process under California Education Code section 17400 et seq. “Best value” is a competitive procurement process whereby the selected bidder is selected on the basis of objective criteria for evaluating the qualifications of bidders with the resulting selection representing the best combination of price and qualifications.

Duarte High School Gymnasium – Phase 2

Bids Due: May 4, 2023 at 2:00pm Email bids to: bid@bernards.com or to Gustavo Becerra at gbecerra@bernards.com

Pre-Qualification: In accordance with California Education Code 17250 and Public Contract Code 6109 all mechanical, electrical, plumbing (“MEP”) and sheet metal subcontractors (contractors that hold a C-4, C-7, C-10, C-16, C-20, C-34, C-36, C-38, C-42, C-43 or C-46 license), must have submitted prequalification applications (link below) at least ten (10) business days prior to bid date and must be approved at least five (5) business days PRIOR to bid date. Be sure to check approval and expiration dates. The prequalification application is available at the link below: https://www.duarteusd.org/cms/lib/CA01900906/Centricity/Domain/4/Duarte%20 HS%20Prequal%20Packet%202023.01.20.pdf

All prequalification applications must be completed and submitted to James Young at jyoung@ericksonhall.com and Mike Arnold at marnold@ericksonhall.com

Bernards is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to; and encourages the participation of MBEs, WBEs, DBEs, SBEs, DVBEs, and OBEs and requires submittal with their bid the certification form from the authorizing agency. Participation in Bernards’ Prequalification process improves our ability to collaborate with Subcontractors while providing them with the benefit of inclusion in potential select project lists. Please contact SubcontractorPrequalification@ bernards.com for Prequalification documents or visit our website https://www.bernards.com/industry-partners/ for more information.

Subcontractors must comply with general prevailing wage rates (PCC 1720 et seq.). Under new California law, all subcontractors and sub-tier subcontractors wishing to conduct business with any public entity must be registered and maintain good standing with the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) prior to submitting a bid and during performance of the work (Labor Code 1725.5). Only registered contractors and subcontractors can be awarded public works projects. Please visit www.dir.ca.gov/Public-Works/PublicWorks.html for more information and to register.

Subcontractors must also meet the minimum requirements for Skilled and Trained Workforce (PCC 2600 – 2603 et seq.). Also refer to California Education Code, Sections 81703(c)(2)(F) and 17407.5; Labor Code 1777.5; and CCR Title 8, Section 230.1. Please visit https://www.dir.ca.gov/Public-Works/Apprentices.html for more information.

Textura Construction Payment Management System: Subcontractors will be required to electronically sign and submit their pay applications – including invoices, sworn statements, conditional lien waivers, and unconditional lien waivers. Bernards pays for the majority of the cost for the Textura system. However, there is a small fee paid directly by each Subcontractor or Major Supplier to Textura which must be included in any bid to Bernards. For additional information and associated fees, please visit www.texturacorp.com.

Plans & Specifications: Plans and specifications will be available via BidMail and also the following link: https://share.bidmail.com/index.html#preconstruction/ sublist?project=200-176051

By submitting a bid, subcontractor confirms they have reviewed Bernards’ Standard Subcontract Agreement and/or Professional

Service Agreement along with Attachments “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”, “E” and will execute said Agreement without modifications. Please review all Bernards’ Standard Subcontract documents and forms at https://share.bidmail.com/index.html#preconstruction/ sublist?project=200-176051. Bids that do not conform to these bid instructions will not receive the maximum number of subcontractor quality points in a “Best Value” award process. The Attachments will be issued via an addendum during the bid period.

All subcontractors awarded work on this project must be prepared to furnish 100% faithful performance and 100% payment bonds issued by a licensed, admitted corporate surety with a minimum A.M. Best rating of A-VI that is authorized to issue bonds by the State of California and is acceptable to Bernards, (current Treasury Listing is acceptable), in the full amount of their subcontracts.

Requests for Information: Due April 20, 2023 by 2:00pm to Matt Wopschall MWopschall@bernards.com

Non-Mandatory Job Walk: April 13, 2023 at 10:00am.

Publish April 3, 10, 2023

DUARTE DISPATCH

Probate Notices

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF:

DONALD BOYD HOPPS

CASE NO. 23STPB03229

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of DONALD BOYD HOPPS.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by DONALD FLOYD HOPPS in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that DONALD FLOYD HOPPS be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act with limited authority. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows:

04/28/23 at 8:30AM in Dept. 11 located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner

AMY FENELLI CIFTCIKARASBN 224058, FENELLI LAW FIRM 24800 CHRISANTA DRIVE, SUITE 110 MISSION VIEJO CA 92691 BSC 223117 3/30, 4/3, 4/10/23

CNS-3685447# SAN GABRIEL SUN

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF:

SHARONANN GOLDBERG

CASE NO. 23STPB03248

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the WILL or estate, or both of SHARONANN GOLDBERG.

A PETITION FOR PROBATE has been filed by DAVID GOLDBERG in the Superior Court of California, County of LOS ANGELES.

THE PETITION FOR PROBATE requests that DAVID GOLDBERG be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

THE PETITION requests the decedent’s WILL and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The WILL and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.

THE PETITION requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held in this court as follows:

05/02/23 at 8:30AM in Dept. 2D located at 111 N. HILL ST., LOS ANGELES, CA 90012

IF YOU OBJECT to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

IF YOU ARE A CREDITOR or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

YOU MAY EXAMINE the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner DOMENIC SCIRE, ESQ. - SBN 276910, LAW OFFICE OF C.R. ABRAMS 27281 LAS RAMBLAS, STE.