Vigils, Raids and a Deadly Fall: ICE Crackdown Rocks California
BY DENIS PEREZ-BRAVO
Editor’s note: Photojournalist Denis Perez-Bravo reported from Camarillo, Los Angeles, Palo Alto and San Francisco
Indigenous prayers filled the tense air outside the Los Angeles Metropolitan Detention Center beginning July 11, the day after immigration raids at two California farms, one of which turned deadly. Activists have held a vigil around the clock each day in protest of recent federal immigration operations.
“We hold an Indigenous vigil here every night in front of the MDC,” said AK, who declined to provide her last name.
On July 18, however, L.A. police removed the activists and blocked off the street to deter people from gathering. As of then, it was not clear whether the demonstration would be relocated or disbanded, but Occupy ICE protests have continued outside MDC since.
Meanwhile, there have been confrontations across Southern California between Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and residents.
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On July 10, Camarillo farmworkers Francisco Lopez, 35, and Eduardo Ortega, 35, rushed to Glass House Farms, a licensed cannabis facility, after learning of an ICE raid in progress to look for their friend Abraham who worked there. Lopez said they were blocked from approaching by federal agents who aggressively pushed back a crowd.
By noon July 12, they still hadn’t heard from Abraham and couldn’t find his name on any online ICE detention list, Ortega said. According to news reports, agents fired rubber bullets and tear gas at people attempting to obstruct federal vans.
Another raid happened concurrently at the Glass House Farm in Carpinteria. Between the two farms, more than 360 people were arrested, making this one of the largest immigration enforcement operations of this Trump administration.
A farmworker, who preferred to stay anonymous, was present at the Camarillo raid.
She said 800 workers were detained — regardless of their immigration status — and that those not arrested ran or hid underground for several hours until the raid ended.
The July 10 raid resulted in the
The Contra Costa Pulse is a community media project focusing on local and health news coverage in West and East Contra Costa County. The project is supported by STRONG Collaborative Fund.
first confirmed death of the recent immigration enforcement campaign. Camarillo resident Jaime Alanis, 57, fell 30 feet from a rooftop while being chased, breaking his neck and skull. He was taken off life support July 13, his niece told The Associated Press.
“What’s happening to immigrants right now in the United States is a form of ethnic cleansing,” said Christina Harb, 32, a teacher from Berkeley and resident of Contra Costa County. “It’s not that different from what’s going on in Gaza.”
Harb is a granddaughter of Palestinians who experienced the 1948 Nakba in which an estimated 750,000 Arab residents of Palestine were violently displaced. “Right now, what we’re seeing is the Trump administration going after mostly Latino and Haitian folks that are darker-skinned,” she said, citing Alligator Alcatraz.
Alligator Alcatraz is the official name of a new detention facility in the Florida Everglades. According to the Miami Herald, of 700 detainees there, 250 had only immigration violations, with no criminal convictions or pending charges. Similarly, in June, the seven-county area surrounding Los Angeles saw 2,031 arrests by ICE agents. Of those, 1,381 had
no criminal convictions, the Los Angeles Times said. More than half had never been charged with any crime.
In the East Bay and San Francisco, volunteer attorneys report that asylum seekers have been arrested after court hearings if cases are denied, despite normally having the right to appeal.
Mission Local says 30 people have been arrested.
The Trump administration says its campaign is a deterrent to border crossings. Previously, first-time border crossers were rarely prosecuted. Now, even individuals without criminal histories are charged with illegal entry.
The campaign employs mass trials of up to 80 people. Individuals are charged, tried, convicted and sentenced within hours. Advocates say this violates due process, especially when language barriers prevent effective legal defense.
Harb was among hundreds outside Palantir Technologies in Palo Alto, protesting the company’s contracts with ICE and role in what demonstrators called ethnic cleansing.
“Palantir is complicit in the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians and the ethnic cleansing of our immigrant communities here in the United States,”
Jaime Alanis, pictured in his hospital bed on life support, died after falling from a roof at the Camarillo farm where he worked during an immigration raid. (Denis Perez-Bravo / The CC Pulse)
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Antioch Police Commission Addresses Proposed Changes, Hate Crimes
BY SAMANATHA KENNEDY
Afirst look at proposed changes to the ordinance that created the Antioch Police Oversight Commission shows that the commission might be at risk of losing some of its independence.
Commissioners at the July 7 meeting received a presentation on a number of the suggested changes, which would include allowing current officers from outside agencies to be appointed and the City Council to pause the commission in instances where city priorities change or budget constraints.
The current ordinance does not allow the City Council to pause the commission and only the commission can vote to take a break.
The council would have the authority to pause the commission based on, but not limited to, “the Commission’s effectiveness, compliance with legal obligations, budget constraints, or shifts in city priorities,” the proposed language reads.
Commissioners Alicia Lacey-Oha, Lisa Elekwachi and Joe Mitchell pushed back on parts of the changes — Lacey-Oha and Mitchell for the language overall being “too broad” and Elekwachi for the inclusion of budget constraints. All, including Vice Chair Devin Williams, suggested the need for further clarification on what would trigger a vote on a pause.
Consultant and former acting Police Chief William “Brian” Addington said the language was too broad and, though they could not predict everything that might happen, clarification would be added to the language before going to the council.
The proposed changes come months after commissioners resisted Mayor Ron Bernal’s request to pause commission meetings to allow current and new members to receive training.
Bernal made the request after the resignation of Leslie May, a former commissioner, put the city short in its agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice. At the time of May’s resignation, the commission had seen three members resign since its first meeting in 2024. Around one-third of meetings had been canceled due to holidays or not enough members being in attendance, and only four members were seated at the time.
Bernal filled the three vacancies soon after, appointing commissioners Elekwachi, Susan Kennedy and Mitchell, the last of whom drew controversy for his comments on social media.
Aside from Bernal’s support for having the power to pause the commission, council member Tamisha TorresWalker has called for the commission to remain independent “outside of political influence.”
Another change to the ordinance would allow current police officers of agencies outside of the city to serve on the commission. Right now, current officers and their spouses from any law enforcement agency do not qualify to sit on the commission.
“Our position is that somebody who is a current police officer or spouse of a police officer may have some unique insight and be a valuable person to serve on this commission,” said Addington.
“Just because you’re in the profession, doesn’t mean your opinion is not valued.”
That would mean that current officers, or their spouses, at law enforcement agencies such as Richmond Police Department could be appointed to the commission, Addington said.
Elekwachi said she had “some reservations” about the change because of how that might look to residents.
“From the perspective of the citizen, the optics are bad, so I wouldn’t trust it,” she said. “As soon as you put it out, and say, ‘This person is a current police
officer,’ I can imagine.”
All proposed changes and any revisions made would have to be approved by the City Council at a later meeting.
Hate crimes increase
Hate crimes in Antioch rose by 66% in 2024 compared to the previous year, increasing from two to five, the department said at the Antioch Police Oversight Commission meeting July 7.
Four out of five of the cases were antiLGBTQ+ hate crimes, according to acting Lt. Bill Whitaker. The other hate crime was anti-Black, where the n-word was written on a shed near a church.
“It was a 66% increase in hate crimes, but you have to look at it with only five in a city this large, it’s fairly low,” Whitaker said at the meeting.
The rise is part of a citywide increase in crime in 2024, he said.
The data also mirrors a statewide jump in hate crimes, where reported crimes increased by 2.7%, according to a report released by the California Attorney General in June. Hate crimes against Jewish and LGBTQ+ individuals especially increased, the report showed.
Hate crimes against LGBTQ+ communities saw the largest increase across the state. Anti-transgender events increased by 12.3% and anti-LGBTQ+ bias events by 13.9%.
When asked by Commissioner Lisa Elekwachi if any environmental factors had a role in the increase, Whitaker said there was no apparent reason for the increase in hate crimes.
Some advocates have suggested that the increase in anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes nationwide — which have previously increased even when crime overall decreases — has been in part due to politicians who pass anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and spread misinformation.
Two of the city’s cases resulted in arrests, one involving a juvenile and the
Antioch, pg. 6
DeSaulnier Town Hall Outlines East Bay Impacts From Trump Cuts
BY SAMANTHA KENNEDY BAY CITY NEWS
Nationwide, President Donald Trump’s recently passed “One Big Beautiful Bill” means trillions of dollars in tax cuts and the clawing back of funding for Medicaid and food support programs for lower-income people. In parts of the East Bay, the cuts could mean an increase in uncompensated care and millions of dollars reduced annually to at least one county’s health system.
The Contra Costa County system, which includes Contra Costa Health and the Contra Costa Regional Medical Center, will see annual cuts of between $121 million and $129 million, according to U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Walnut Creek, who represents parts of the county.
DeSaulnier’s district is the fifthwealthiest in the country, but more than 131,000 of those residents still rely on Medicaid, known as Medi-Cal in the state, DeSaulnier said during a July 10 town hall on Trump’s cuts.
Almost 18,000 households in the district also rely on food stamps, known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
“[Food stamps] are a benefit to all of us, particularly young people,” said
DeSaulnier. “When they get the nutrition they need, their cognitive development, as we all know science tells us, improves. And we all benefit from that.”
Cuts to Medicaid alone total almost $1 trillion for the country over the next 10 years. Nearly $200 billion will also be cut from SNAP in that same time.
DeSaulnier said that while the county is still evaluating the complete impact of the cuts, it could result in hospitals and clinics being closed.
In a June letter, leading Democrat and Republican congressmembers warned that the cuts would put 338 rural hospitals at risk of closure or unable to provide services. One of those is in the North Bay — Adventist Health St. Helena in Napa County.
The cuts were approved alongside a $75 billion increase in funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, around $45 billion of which is for immigration detention centers and the other almost $30 billion for personnel and other operational costs.
“There is reason to believe that with an increased budget, California will see more targeting from the administration,” a presentation by DeSaulnier said.
ICE raids in the Bay Area have sparked protests across the region, with some resulting in temporary closures of the immigration courthouses in Concord and
San Francisco.
DeSaulnier said it’s imperative to ensure congressional oversight of immigration efforts and funding because what’s happening is “not American democracy.”
“We’ve got to win elections. We’ve got to win the midterms and hopefully Republicans who believe in oversight will stop being afraid to provide oversight,” DeSaulnier said in response to a constituent’s question. “All of this money that is going to ICE and border security is an open check to this administration.”
DeSaulnier said he believes that part of the strategy around implementing the cuts is to make people think the cuts have little effect because they will be going into place over the next several years instead of right away.
“There won’t be any changes, as much as you imagine, because it’ll be 2026 when they take effect and 2028,” he told the audience.
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Richmond Struggles to Enforce Street Vendor Rules
BY SAMANTHA KENNEDY
One year since the Richmond City Council imposed new sidewalk vendor regulations in response to community concerns, vendor compliance has increased, but the data and the city’s enforcement is still limited.
Council members at the July 1 meeting voted to explore changes in how violations are penalized and consider clarifying where vendors could set up.
Additional rules that could help legacy vendors continue to operate will also be explored.
“There were street vendors long before we had an ordinance. The ordinance didn’t fit the vendors who were here before, so we need to look at how the ordinance affects the vendors we have,” said Mayor Eduardo Martinez. “There are a lot of solutions we need to consider.”
The initial regulations came after state lawmakers decriminalized sidewalk vending in 2018, which allows cities to issue administrative citations if vendors are not following permit, health or other operational regulations.
Business owners with the 23rd Street Merchants Association pushed for a cityspecific ordinance after raising concerns that vendors were operating without permits and taking away economic opportunities for traditional businesses.
Since enforcement began in August 2024, the number of monthly unpermitted vendors has dropped by around 40, according to an update from the public works department. In that same time, 15 special business licenses have been issued.
The concentration of vendors included several along the 23rd Street corridor, Hilltop Mall, Civic Center and San Pablo Avenue, Macdonald Avenue, Cutting Boulevard, Central Richmond and Miller/Knox Regional Park.
Under the city’s ordinance, 298 notices of violations to vendors have been issued. But the violations, which could potentially amount to thousands of dollars, have collected $0 in fines because of challenges in identifying vendors and the limited authority to compel people to pay. “As a result, monetary penalties have had limited deterrent value, particularly with non-cooperative vendors,” Andy Cho, an engineer with the city; Daniel Chavarria, director of public works; and Robert Armijo, deputy director of public works, said in their report.
Cho said at the meeting there is also only one full-time inspector on the
streets daily, which makes effective enforcement a challenge.
“We are doing our best to cover all seven days, but there is a limit to how much we can cover,” he said.
The inspector, a contractor through an agreement with 4Leaf, which provides code enforcement services, also faces a challenge when issuing violations because they are not legally authorized to request personal information, Chavarria, Cho and Armijo said in their report.
Vendors are often also hesitant to give identifying information, in part because of concerns with immigration enforcement, making issuing fines “nearly impractical,” said Cho.
The three suggested the city explore enforcement tools outside of fines because of the challenges.
Fines for unpermitted vendors currently range from $250 to $1,000 and, for other operational violations, $100 and $500. Council members adopted the fines alongside the initial vendor regulations to support the implementation of the program.
“Persistent field presence” and “nonpunitive outreach” — that is, having an inspector out on the street and multilingual materials informing vendors of regulations — have been more effective in encouraging compliance with regulations, staff said.
Vendors operating on city streets are in addition to the 10 who participate in the program known as The Lot: Downtown Richmond Food Court. Previously known as the Mobile Vendor Program, it gives vendors the platform to sell from two farmers’ markets or the parking lot by the BART station. The program helps vendors operate their businesses in a way that ensures they are in compliance with regulations.
Council approves pilot community maintenance crew
A recently approved pilot community maintenance crew could bring cleaner neighborhoods and a public works department with increased capacity to the city.
Council members at the July 1 meeting approved the development of the crew, to be launched under a nonprofit partner, that will help clean neglected areas across the city of litter, graffiti and illegal dumping.
“While I know we are committed to improving staff, especially within public works, this pilot gives time and space to hire those full-time employees,” said council member Jamelia Brown, who
brought the item forward. “But in the meantime, we must take action that residents will see and feel immediately with clean streets and responsible government.”
The pilot is estimated to cost $190,600 for around a dozen workers over the course of 26 weeks. Those workers will work seven days a week, Brown said, with paid workers during the week and volunteers over the weekends.
Transitional-aged youth, usually considered those between the ages of 18 and 24 who are transitioning from being a youth to a young adult, will be prioritized in that hiring.
During the pilot program, Brown said the city will hire four full-time employees in the public works department.
Only Mayor Eduardo Martinez and council member Sue Wilson voted no on the pilot.
Wilson, who said she had been in talks with the union representing city workers, SEIU 1021, said it was her understanding that the union did not support the pilot.
“I love the idea of this … but one of the things I have an issue with is about outsourcing this job,” she said. “This is something that public works should be doing, and we should be hiring more people to be able to do this within the city.”
Brown said she previously removed the pilot for consideration at another meeting because the union said it had to withdraw its support.
“I continued the item because I wanted to make sure that, with respect, I wanted to make sure that I was crossing my t’s and dotting my i’s,” Brown said.
Council member Claudia Jimenez, who ultimately ended up lending her support to the pilot, raised concerns that it might take longer than expected because of anticipated delays from legal obligations during union negotiations.
City Manager Shasa Curl told council that there was likely a “90%-plus” chance that requirement, known as meet and confer, would be necessary following the approval by the council.
At the request of council member Doria Robinson, a nonprofit leader herself, council also approved the incorporation of professional development for youth workers.
“That’s where I feel nonprofits really bring their strength in treating the whole person, having to be less transactional and really helping somebody grow into empowered people,” she said. •
Pittsburg Starts ‘SelfSufficiency’ Program for Low-Income Residents
BY SAMANTHA KENNEDY
Pittsburg is launching a pilot job training program for some lowincome residents in an effort to help them gain financial independence.
The Pittsburg City Council on July 7 approved the creation of the SelfSufficiency Pilot Training Program, which will connect Housing Choice Voucher, sometimes known as Section 8, recipients with job training and skillbuilding opportunities.
With the help of community organizations Opportunity Junction, Future Build, Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center and St. Vincent de Paul, participants can receive job skills counseling, training in skilled trades, and career coaching.
“It’s another way that we are trying to make sure we have economic vitality in our city, where folks who live here can work, play and live here,” said Vice Mayor Dionne Adams.
The city expects to enroll around 10 families per year in the program, according to the accompanying staff report. Participants will go through a selection process that will include expressing interest in the program, completing a program orientation and the completion of a service plan.
In Contra Costa County, the area median income for a family of four in 2025 is $159,800, according to the California State Department of Housing and Development. For a family of four who is an HCV recipient, the median income is $79,900.
Council member Angelica Lopez said she hopes the pilot can eventually be expanded so that it will also be available to residents who are on the HCV waiting list.
“With the idea that we want to remove them from the waitlist, so that they don’t even have to become HCV recipients,” she said. “It’s not so much that they don’t want to (stop receiving assistance) but that they can’t because they don’t have the skills necessary to get a better job or go into a program such as these.”
The program was first listed as a city goal that had been in the pipeline for implementation in the 202526 fiscal year. The Life Enrichment Subcommittee then recommended the program for approval at its Feb. 19 meeting, asking the city to gauge interest by conducting a survey among HCV recipients.
Approximately 100 people responded out of the 820 they tried to reach, the city said. The response to the program was positive, with respondents expressing interest in training related to computer skills, administrative and office work, healthcare work and general job preparation.
Though respondents noted that lack of education or childcare were challenges to improving employment or education, some said that support related to transportation, childcare, financial support and flexible schedules would help them be successful in the pilot program.
All HCV recipients will be notified of program availability, the city said. Outreach efforts will include sending informational materials to related community organizations, informational meetings on what the
‘Trying to Get My Lines as Crispy as I Can’: Barber Battle Brings Out Young Talent
Dozens of young, aspiring barbers from around the Bay Area and as far as Fresno participated in the School’s Out Barber Battle at
STORY AND PHOTOS • DENIS PEREZ-BRAVO
Middle and high school barbers from across California came to Pittsburg on June 22 to compete for trophies and professional recognition in an event designed to give underground talent a guide toward career paths.
The School’s Out Barber Battle drew youth from cities like Fresno, Pittsburg, San Francisco, Newark and Hayward to compete in five categories judged by licensed Bay Area barbers, organizer Tati Hernandez, 29, said.
Hernandez, her mother, Joanna Hernandez, and Tracy Clark, a 34-year-old West Pittsburg resident, teamed up with Ivan Contreras to host the event at his Conbello Academy.
The all-day competition departed from traditional barber battles that require professional licenses and opened the doors for underage participants to display their craft publicly, the younger Hernandez said.
“We want to motivate them to go to Barber College and not just graduate [from] high school and keep cutting in the garage,” she said.
Among the competitors was 16-year-old Edgar the Barber, who traveled from Fresno with teammate JoelBlurrzz for the student tag team category. Edgar spent weeks preparing, practicing with experienced barbers, and completing three to four tag team sessions weekly.
“I’ve been working with people who’ve won trophies, trying to get my lines as crispy as I can,” Edgar said. “They’re looking at how it connects, how everything flows without cuts or splatter.”
The competition served multiple purposes for participants beyond winning trophies. Edgar used the event to network and promote his family’s barber supply store in Fresno called Diamond Pressure Supply.
“Instagram helps spread the word, but coming to these events helps with branding,” he said. While fun, Edgar
said, competing and networking are also a good business move.
When asked about his motivation in barbering, he kept it simple: “Passion, bro. That’s it.”
Clark, a 2010 Pittsburg High School graduate who pioneered youth-focused barber competitions, recognized students were already cutting hair despite the risk of getting in trouble for doing it in the wrong settings.
“These kids are cutting hair in junior high in the bathrooms and getting in trouble for it,” Clark said. “Let’s bring y’all in, with open arms, and show y’all we can do it.”
Clark launched a Barbering and Financial Literacy class at Pittsburg High in 2018 after returning from Washington State University, where he played football on scholarship.
The program “sparked fire as soon as I started it,” he said. His first youth-focused barber battle in 2022 featured established barbers including 360 Geezy and Cuts by Matt. The concept initially surprised industry professionals in his circle.
“They were just like, man, you’re throwing a battle for high school kids? I’m like, yeah. We’re going to put it on for them,” Clark said.
Multiple competitions have followed since, and he hopes to organize another just before school resumes, he said.
Another motivated barber in the competition was 13-year-old Giovani Sarpec from Redwood City. Hernandez told the crowd that Giovani inspired this event because he continued to ask her to organize something for underage barbers after he attended a Bay Area Student Barber Expo event on Dec. 15, 2024.
“I just asked if I could compete,” Giovani said.
Despite initial nervousness about his first competition, Giovani entered four categories: the Honor Roll Taper, Beat the Bell Fade, Art Class Freestyle and Group Project Tag Team.
Apart from these four categories, two young girls also faced off in the Lunchroom Braids category.
Micah Bruce-Bahati, a 32-year-old Oakland barber cutting hair in Richmond, was one of the judges.
“We’re just looking for some of the cleanest blends, no lines left, you know, sharp hairline, making sure the hair just kind of fits the canvas,” said Bruce-Bahati, a.k.a. Mike Willcut.
Bruce-Baharti’s barbering background began in childhood with his military barber father, but he didn’t pursue it professionally until his wife became an aesthetician and showed him the entrepreneurial possibilities. They opened their own shop next to Nicholl Park in Richmond after he graduated from barber school.
To stand out amid the competition, Bruce-Baharti believes success comes from authenticity. “As long as you know, be unique and be yourself, you’re going to attract the clientele that is looking for that.”
For student competitors, Bruce-Bahati emphasized the value of performing under pressure. “I hope that you bear down, knuckle up, and get ready for the competition because if you could cut in an environment like this, then you could cut anywhere.”
The young barbers provided inspiration to the adult haircutters who came to judge or support the event.
Draun Manning, the emcee of the event, traveled from Reno, Nevada, to witness what he says represents the future of the barbering industry.
Manning, who goes by “Jack of All Fades,” has been cutting hair for five years and recently won a Barber Grammy at the CT Barber Expo.
He said opportunities like this weren’t available when he started his career. “When I started, I never saw kids cutting — you know what I’m saying?” he said. “This is tight, man.”
Manning emphasized that success in the industry requires dedication, and events like these can generate determination in the competitors, he said.
“I just expect to see some hungry, motivated young people that’s going to do something crazy. This is the future of the industry. That’s what I get to see today,” Manning said. •
Conbello Academy in Pittsburg on June 22.
A student competes in the School’s Out Barber Battle on June 22 in Pittsburg. It wasn’t just the ones cutting hair showing off their creative flair at the School’s Out Barber
Student barber Giovani Sarpec, 13, participates in the Art Class Freestyle category, one of four he competed in at the School’s Out Barber Battle at Conbello Academy in Pittsburg.
Two young girls competed in the Lunchtime Braids competition. They were the only two female contestants in any of the categories.
The School’s Out Barber Battle was designed to give underground talent who might be cutting hair in their school bathrooms a change to gain experience and exposure.
Antioch High Salutatorian Turns Passion Into Purpose
BY JOE PORRELLO
When Grace Fung started her freshman year at Antioch High, the remote learning during the pandemic had left her eager to get involved on campus. Her two older siblings, both graduates of the school, told her about CARE, the Club for Animal Respect and Education, because of her affection for animals, especially her own cats.
Fung, who graduated in June and plans to attend UC Berkeley this fall, spent all four years of high school as president of CARE, while also serving as an officer in three other campus organizations. Academically, she graduated as the salutatorian of her class and earned the AP Scholar Award for her exceptional performance on multiple Advanced Placement exams. Along the way, she also made time for internships centered on her goal of doing environmental justice work.
Her involvement with advocacy and multiple extracurriculars partly stems from the drive she developed being raised by two deaf parents, Fung says.
“My unique experience growing up as a CODA — child of deaf adults — has taught me a lot about responsibility, maturity and providing access to marginalized communities,” she said.
When Fung joined CARE, membership and activity were down because of the pandemic. So after being elected president in her first year, she encouraged other students to engage with the club and got to work getting educational and volunteer events going again. But she wanted to do more.
After reaching out to multiple animal organizations via email, she connected CARE with Herpaderp, an Antioch exotic animal rescue nonprofit that provides care for “turtles, lizards, snakes and other animals that are not native to the area or are not commonly kept as pets,” according to its website, and helps them get adopted.
“It’s really fulfilling to see neglected animals become healthy and loved again,” said Fung.
Then, after more than three years of trying, Fung restored the club’s partnership with the Antioch Animal Services shelter. “We had lost access to walking dogs at the shelter, which was basically what CARE club was known for prior to COVID,” she said.
Next, she set her focus for the club on Antioch High’s annual Warm for the Holidays event, where the school gives groceries, clothes, books and games to the local community.
With CARE already giving away food at the December event, Fung thought handing out animal beds would be a great addition. A teacher helped her come up with the idea to use old car tires as the foundation. “We already do a lot of upcycling work, like turning old T-shirts into dog toys,” she said. “We reached out to Big O Tires, and they were very willing to give us small tires.”
The club cleaned and painted the tires, then called upon people through social media to donate material for cushioning, like old pillows. “We were able to give all of them away for the event so that was really awesome,” said Fung.
She also volunteered — including hosting monthly school hot dog giveaways — for four years at Antioch High with the Key Club, where she served as secretary. Additionally, Fung was treasurer of the school’s California Scholarship Federation and social media
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program features and requires, and she said.
manager of the Psychology Club. Also an athlete, she competed in cross country and track as a sophomore. At UC Berkeley, she plans to double major in society & environment and sustainable environmental design. Her internships with the Richmond-based Earth Team and the Outdoor Leaders Program showed her how ecosystems affect daily life and how to help preserve them.
“Those kinds of experiences and my club work at school made me want to go into a career where I can still help people but all around the world because climate change is a big problem in our society,” Fung said. She says her goal is to make environmental education accessible to underserved communities and to promote environmental justice globally.
But while Fung has her career in mind, her advocacy work is not just for her resumé; she does it because she enjoys it.
“I don’t really see it as work. I honestly think the stuff I do is very fun,” she said. “People should seek out things that interest them or try to make something out of it because it could amplify your interest into a passion.”
When Fung isn’t busy trying to make a difference, she enjoys reading, watching movies, spending time with family and friends, eating good food — and, of course, hanging out with her cats. •
Palantir has held ICE contracts for more than a decade. It was awarded a $30 million contract in April to develop the Immigration Lifecycle Operating System, or ImmigrationOS, surveillance platform.
A document from the U.S. government’s System for Award Management says Palantir is the only provider capable of building the platform. It supplies ICE with its Investigative Case Management system, used by Homeland Security.
In another SAM document, ICE says that ImmigrationOS would make immigration enforcement more efficient, streamlining the process “from identification to removal” and “minimizing time and resource expenditure.”
Harb represents the CALSTRS Divest campaign, pushing for the state teachers’ retirement system stop investing in defense contractors and surveillance companies including Palantir, Lockheed Martin and Boeing.
Nursing student Jessica K. joined a recent protest outside a San Francisco immigration courthouse where demonstrators hoped to deter ICE arrests. But there was no ICE presence. “I don’t trust the police when they say they are not collaborating with ICE,” she said.
A San Francisco Standard report supports her skepticism. It says San Francisco and Oakland police logs show automated license plate reader data has been shared with federal agents,
which is against state law. The report also points to breaches that may have allowed federal access. Both departments are investigating compliance with state Senate Bill 34 and the California Values Act.
Jessica is also concerned about San Pablo police, the city’s license plate surveillance system, and approval of a $43.6 million regional training facility known as “Cop City.”
Closure of Doctors Hospital a decade ago, lack of urgency for an adequate replacement and the “sketchy” way the facility was approved might be a precursor to criminalization of unhoused and lower-class residents, she says.
The money spent on police could have alleviated problems with housing or healthcare but created a way to label more people as criminals. “As things fall apart and public services are divested from, what remains is the police,” she said. •
Class salutatorian Grace Fung, left, was involved in advocacy work throughout her four years at Antioch High. Among her other achievements was being elected president of the Club for Animal Respect and Education as a freshman. (Photo by Garce Fung)
Cryptocurrency Creates Financial Access and Risk for Underserved Communities
BY MALCOLM MARSHALL
The promise of getting rich investing in cryptocurrency is becoming increasingly popular. But it comes with real risks, especially for communities already living on thin finances.
American Community Media hosted a panel discussion June 13 to unpack these issues.
Tyrone Ross, CEO and co-founder of Turnqey Labs, says he’s passionate about cryptocurrency and financial access because they’re personal to him, having grown up in a home with no bank account and limited financial knowledge.
“I saw my parents operate outside of the traditional financial system whether that was with check cashing places or money orders,” he said. “So when I was introduced to Bitcoin, I couldn’t really unsee the opportunity, exacerbated by the fact that I was working on Wall Street.”
He used a simple example to explain cryptocurrency.
“If I handed someone a U.S. dollar and I walked away — that’s all that crypto is and does. She doesn’t need to know my name. I don’t need to know hers. We don’t need a Social Security number. I don’t need a bank. We don’t need to exchange any words. That is no more, no less than what happens with blockchains or crypto. It’s the ability to send value anywhere in the world at any time to anyone without the approval or lack thereof of a third party, a bank.”
Ross said cryptocurrency isn’t just about convenience. Italso reveals troubling issues in the traditional financial system.
“There is a great inequity when it comes to financial markets. There’s 1.4 billion people globally who are considered unbanked, 5 million of those folks here in the United States. There’s 12 million people who would be considered living in a banking desert, which means … not within 10 miles of a bank. It’s very expensive to be poor in this country.”
Ross said cryptocurrency highlights disparities.
“What Bitcoin and cryptocurrency ultimately do is act like a big flashlight on the existing inequities in financial markets and infrastructure not only in the United States but the world,” he said.
Cantrell Dumas, director of derivatives policy at Better Markets, offered an overview of cryptocurrency and minority communities, highlighting the potential and
risks.
“Cryptocurrency has been widely promoted as a tool for financial inclusion,” said Dumas. “It’s often described as a way to reach the unbanked, bypass traditional financial institution and help underserved communities build generational wealth.”
Dumas noted that survey data shows Black and Latino consumers are more likely than white consumers to report having used or invested in crypto.
“This reflects both the appeal of innovation and the persistence of economic barriers that make traditional financial services feel inaccessible or insufficient,” he said.
But Dumas said people should consider the broader reality.
“In 2023, about 7% of U.S. adults reported using cryptocurrency, a decline from 10% in 2022. Only 1% said that they had used crypto to make purchases,” he said. “Cryptocurrency is functioning far more as a speculative asset than as a form of everyday money.”
Speculative assets carry risk that may not be fully understood, he continued.
“One of the most significant risks is volatility,” he said. “Cryptocurrency prices have shown dramatic fluctuations in short time frames with little to no financial cushion. This volatility can result in significant losses.”
He pointed to the racial wealth gap to underscore the risk. In the U.S., the median white household has six times the wealth of the median Black household, and five times that of the median Latino household.
“Even small financial setbacks can have lasting consequences,” Dumas said.
Another major concern is fraud. Dumas said fraud and scams in 2023 alone led to over $5.6 billion in consumer losses. Losses in 2024 surged to 9.3 billion, according to
FBI complaint data.
“Adults over the age 60 were particularly affected,” Dumas said. “These include Ponzi schemes, fake investment platforms, phishing scams, and impersonation tactics, often delivered through mobile apps or social media.”
Dumas also cautioned about Bitcoin ATMs, disproportionately located in low-income, Black or Latino neighborhoods.
“The vast majority of these ATMs only allow for the purchases of crypto with cash and typically do not allow the user to convert crypto back into cash,” he said. “Fees for these transactions can exceed 20%.”
Elizabeth Kwok, who spent 12 years at the Federal Trade Commission, offered advice on avoiding scams.
“Many of the scams associated with cryptocurrencies are not new or unique,” said Kwok, now managing director at FTI Consulting. “They have been around for decades. It’s just that the new hook is the digital asset or the cryptocurrency.”
She also mentioned several red flags.
“Anytime somebody is only willing to accept payment in cryptocurrency or is out of the blue asking you for a payment transfer, that should be a red flag,” she said. “Another, of course, is the urgency. They need money and they need it now, and they need you to either go online to an exchange or run over to a Bitcoin ATM.”
Kwok said that confusion is often used as a tactic in scams.
“A red flag is the idea this technology is complicated and technical,” she said. “If you start asking questions, they’ll just throw a lot of technical jargon at you. That should cause you to pause and take stock of whether this is something that sounds too good to be true.” •
(Photo by Traxer on Unsplash)
San Pablo Says It’s Committed to Renter Protections
but Has Other Priorities
BY SAMANTHA KENNEDY
S an Pablo City Council said July 1 that it remains committed to exploring stronger renter protections, but members questioned whether new measures are necessary and whether they would make a difference.
Vice Mayor Elizabeth Pabon-Alvarado asked what good certain additional protections could do if landlords already disregard state law and blamed tenant lawyers for failing to protect residents.
Council member Rita Xavier said the city “really needed to follow up on” the claim that rent control causes homelessness and mentioned “a long list” of emails opposing rent control. “I think you see where I’m coming from,” she said.
Both, in addition to Mayor Arturo Cruz, backed the commitment to increase certain protections. Only council member Abel Pineda, who spoke at length about the need to support renters and called the move “redundant,” voted against the commitment.
Council member Patricia Ponce was absent.
The re-commitment includes prioritizing the exploration of just cause eviction protections that go beyond state law and anti-harassment protections for tenants. It comes almost three months after the council first made the commitment by formally adding the proposed protections to a list of city priorities.
The special meeting drew renters and landlords, with most of their comments focused on the possibility of rent stabilization. Before the meeting, some of those renters rallied with the group Rising Juntos in support of tenant protections.
“Every time I come into these council chambers, it feels like you continue to neglect this community in terms of community engagement and input,” said Sarah, a San Pablo resident who didn’t give her last name. “Our communities are being attacked (on the state and federal level), and we need leaders to really step up.”
The push by renter advocates also comes after the groups failed to gather enough signatures to place rent stabilization on last November’s ballot. The signaturegathering effort was in response to the council’s “inaction” on the issue, advocates previously told El Tímpano.
City Manager Matt Rodriguez said the cost to administer and enforce a rent control program was “not very practical” to “save a few dollars on somebody’s rent.”
Rodriguez referred to the city’s fiscal analysis comparing statewide rent control with a potential local ordinance at a maximum 5% annual increase. The potential local law would save renters $26 compared to the statewide law, the city said.
Renters in the city, he said, were also not well-educated
I’m Excited to Start College. But I Can’t Stop Thinking About
COMMENTARY
• ANTHONY ESCOBAR
Graduating from high school should feel like a celebration, and in many ways, it does. But for me, it has also filled me with worry about how I will afford my future. As I prepare to leave San Pablo and start at UC Santa Barbara this fall, I keep thinking, how I am going to pay for everything as prices keep going up?
President Trump campaigned on a promise to “immediately bring prices down, starting on Day One.” But I have seen the opposite.
I first noticed grocery prices rising when I went shopping with my grandparents at Costco. I noticed the prices of eggs, beef, cereal milk, and frozen foods were higher than before. And it was not just at Costco.
on potential rent stabilization impacts on the city.
Renters and their advocates, including Ethan Silverstein, an tenant rights attorney for Movement Legal who has worked on renter protection ordinances in the East Bay, said much of the information from staff was inaccurate.
Silverstein pushed back against claims that rent control, for example, prevents new development because it did not apply to new development.
He also disagreed that communities needed to be educated on the protections.
“We are experts on these laws. We are litigating these laws in the courts,” he told the council.
Cruz and Pabon-Alvarado pushed back on the criticism of city staff, saying they had complete trust in the city manager and other staff’s work.
“San Pablo already has one of the lowest average rents in West County compared to Richmond, El Cerrito, Pinole, Hercules, “ he said. “It’s one of the safest cities here.”
Cruz said that he was once a renter himself and had to make adjustments like getting rid of cable to live within his means.
The average rent across the city was $2,000, which has since risen to $2,100, according to Kieron Slaughter, the city’s economic development and housing manager.
Slaughter said that was below the then-average rents in Richmond at $2,100, El Cerrito at $2,500 and Pinole at $2,175. Hercules has lower average rent at $1,700.
Pineda said the problem was that while costs kept rising, including annual rent increases that are allowed at a certain percentage, renters’ wages were not necessarily going up.
The city does not have its own ordinance that sets minimum wage for workers within city limits, which means workers receive the amount set forth by the state. As of the beginning of the year, minimum wage was $16.50 per hour. Fast food workers and some health care workers also have higher minimum wages, most upwards of $20 per hour.
State law currently allows annual rent increases of 5% plus the consumer price index amount but cannot
Prices were also higher at local stores like the San Pablo Supermarket.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, grocery prices rose 2.2% from May 2024 to May 2025. Because of this, we’ve has had to cut back on things we thought we did not need, just to avoid wasting money on food that might go uneaten. For a family like mine, every dollar matters. There are times my mom even drives to other cities like Sacramento or Oakland to buy groceries in bulk. Buying in larger quantities helps us save money overall, even when you factor in the cost of driving. This way, we can stock up on what we need and make fewer trips.
It is stressful knowing that the basics are getting more expensive and we have to work even harder just to afford what we need.
As I get ready to go away to college, my biggest worry is how I am going to pay for food and everything else I need to live.
My financial aid package does not cover everything and I am not sure if I will get enough in the next few years to stay at a university. I have not made a budget yet since UCSB is far from home and it is hard to know what my expenses will be. But I am mostly worried about how I will afford food and a place to live. I want to get a part-time job or maybe an internship in sports photography since I enjoy it, but I will have to wait until I get there to see what is available.
When politicians talk about inflation, what they say does not match what I actually see at the store. Before the last election, some warned that prices would rise,
exceed a 10% increase in a single year. Rent can be increased up to 8.4% in the city, according to Slaughter. After Aug. 1, annual rental increases will be capped at 6.3% in the county.
If the city were to adopt a rent stabilization ordinance to build on statewide protections, Slaughter said operating and enforcing it would cost the city around $1.2 million.
And, even if the city did greenlight such a policy, the move would go against a separate council-approved policy to minimize new spending until June 30, 2027, or until $1 million in general fund revenue is generated.
If the council were to generate that type of money, the city “has other pressing budget and fiscal priorities,” it said. Those priorities include filling vacant or unbudgeted positions in the police department and public works and capital improvement projects that, Cruz pointed out, will bring livable, union wages to the city.
Sarah, the San Pablo resident who didn’t give her last name, said the city did have money and referred to the $47 million police training facility across the street from council chambers. Around $10.4 million of the project was funded through the city’s general fund reserves, $4.35 million from the American Rescue Plan Act and $28.8 million from lease revenue bonds.
Pineda unsuccessfully pushed for additions that would essentially allow renters to take up alleged violations of proposed renter protections privately, which would mean the city would not have to devote the estimated $1.2 million to operational or enforcement costs.
Pabon-Alvarado suggested the addition would make the city “Big Brother”-like and called on tenant rights attorneys, specifically Silverstein in the audience, to better protect renters.
But, without the tools Pineda proposed, the council member said attorneys had no way to protect renters in those ways.
It’s unclear when ordinances for just cause eviction and anti-harassment protections might come back to the council. •
while others promised relief. Despite these promises, I continue to notice costs going up. Now, with Trump back in office, economists warn that his new tariffs could make grocery bills even higher, especially for items like seafood, coffee, nuts, cheese and beef.
And it’s not just food. The news about school funding is also worrying. This is not just a normal budget cut. California schools are scrambling because the Trump administration froze nearly $811 million in federal grants for after-school programs, English-learner services, teacher training, and more.
Districts had counted on this money and now might have to cancel summer programs and cut important services. State Superintendent Tony Thurmond and others say this move is illegal and will hurt the students who need these programs the most.
I know I am not the only one feeling this way. Other teens in this area are also struggling with rising costs and financial worries. In a recent CC Pulse article, people still in high school or getting ready to start college like me shared their stories about how hard it is to afford groceries, pay for school, and plan for the future when so much feels uncertain.
If I could tell people in power one thing, it would be that the real cost of living for students is much higher than they think. Every dollar counts, and every price increase makes it harder for us to succeed.
Despite everything, I am determined to make the most of my time at UCSB and keep chasing my dreams, no matter how expensive the world gets. •
(Screenshot captured by Samantha Kennedy / The CC Pulse)