By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO COUNTY
Rabbi Laurie Coskey, Sandra Scheller, and Robert Hicks were the main presenters at the first Holocaust commemoration ever held at Mesa College. Coskey, Vice Chancellor of the San Diego Community College District for Development and Entrepreneurship, read a poem about her family’s experiences in the Holocaust. According to reporter Jacob Repkin of The Mesa Press, she “became teary-eyed more than once, but the poem was also full of joy. It celebrated the little things in life, the ones that would be so ruthlessly taken away by the Nazis…” Scheller is the curator of the forthcoming exhibit on Holocaust survivors who made San Diego County their home that is scheduled to open May 21st at the Rancho San Diego branch of the San Diego County Library. The daughter of survivors Kurt and Ruth Sax, Scheller described European Jews as “the victims of a megalomaniac who viewed them simply as easy scapegoats with which to manipulate his nation.” Hicks, assistant regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, described Jews as an ethnoreligious group, “where some members are ethnically Jewish but not religiously, some are religiously Jewish but not ethnically, and some are both.” Mesa College’s President Dr. Ashanti Hands commented that because it’s important to remember the past, Yom HaShoah commemorations are educational even for people who are not Jewish.
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By a margin of 8-1, the San Diego City Council on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to an ordinance that would require landlords to provide two to three months rent money to blameless tenants whom they have evicted. Seniors would receive a greater allowance under the proposal. Council President Sean Elo-Rivera, who proposed the ordinance that will come up for a final vote May 16, commented: “San Diegans who are paying their rent and abiding by their lease should not live in fear of eviction. Sadly, too often, San Diego renters are being evicted despite the rules. These evictions cause massive financial and emotional distress to families and can lead to displacement and put people at risk of homelessness. This ordinance provides the protections that San Diego renters need and deserve.” Councilwoman Dr. Jen Campbell was the lone vote against the measure, saying she was following the wishes of many constituents to whom she had spoken in her 2nd Council District.
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County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer has said she favors appointing a successor to Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, who has promised to resign following his out-of-state treatment for PTSD and alcohol abuse. Fletcher announced his resignation after he was accused by former Metropolitan Transit System communications staff member Grecia Figueroa of sexual misconduct. Lawson-Remer and Board Chair Nora Vargas are Democrats while Jim Desmond and Joel Anderson are Republicans, making the likelihood of them agreeing on Fletcher’s replacement problematic. On Tuesday, San Diego City Councilwoman Monica Montgomery Steppe said whether the supervisors decide to appoint or to schedule a special election for the seat, she will be a candidate for it. Fellow Democrat Janessa Goldbeck also has announced herself as a candidate, and Fletcher’s last Republican opponent, Amy Reichert, is expected to run again.
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Journalist Lori Weisberg reports in The San Diego Union-Tribune that the plan to build a Ritz Carlton Hotel at 7th and Market Streets in downtown San Diego has fallen through and that the City of San Diego will now begin soliciting proposals to build apartments, including affordable housing for low-income families, at the site.
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Dr. Gary Weitzman, CEO of the San Diego Humane Society, is kvelling over news that the Society received the Top Workplaces 2023 Culture Excellence Award for Purpose & Values. The award is based on a confidential survey of the society’s more than 600 employees throughout San Diego County.
CALIFORNIA
State Sen. Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco) has acquiesced to legislation (SB 14) that he opposed last session, a bill by Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) that would make it a felony, instead of the current misdemeanor, to traffic minors under age 18 for prostitution. Wiener has authored legislation restricting the circumstances in which law enforcement officers may question someone they think is engaged in prostitution. The last time Grove’s measure was heard, Weiner opined that current penalties for trafficking were sufficient. On Tuesday, he was among Senate Public Safety Committee members who voted unanimously to approve Grove’s bill, sending it to another committee on its journey to the Senate floor. San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephan is backing the legislation.
NATIONAL
New York Yankee outfielder Harrison Bader, recovering from a muscle injury, and celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson dropped in on Liebman’s Kosher Deli in the Bronx. Owner Yuval Dekel gave them a tour, served them some matzah ball soup (aka Jewish penicillin), followed by pastrami sandwiches and stuffed cabbages. For an episode of Samuelsson’s Home Plate: New York program, he got Bader to tell about his early experiences with baseball: “Obviously my father was my first coach. Without my dd pitching to me every day, since I was 5 years old, I would be nowhere.” An account of their get-together was published in the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent.
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Maggie Feinstein, director of the 10.27 Healing Partnership, a mental health counseling group that was formed after a gunman on Oct. 27, 2018 murdered 11 persons at the Tree of Life Synagogue, commented as the trial of Robert Bowers got underway: “We can all take responsibility for caring for each other’s mental health during this challenging time,” Feinstein said. “Some people may experience trauma from the trial, and some people who have healed may experience setbacks. All of these feelings are normal, and everyone should feel comfortable seeking mental health resources if they need.” The murder victims were Joyce Fienberg; Richard Gottfried; Rose Malinger; Jerry Rabinowitz; Cecil Rosenthal, his brother David Rosenthal; Bernice Simon, her husband Sylvan Simon; Daniel Stein; Melvin Wax, and Irving Younger.
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Bob Iger, chief executive of Walt Disney Company, now is in direct legal conflict with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. His company filed a lawsuit Wednesday in Florida federal court saying the efforts of the governor and other officials to undo Disney’s political control over its park and environs amount to “a targeted campaign of government retaliation—orchestrated at every step by Gov. DeSantis as punishment for Disney’s protected speech.” DeSantis has been in conflict with Disney ever since the entertainment company opposed his “Don’t Say Gay” policies. According to the lawsuit, retaliation by DeSantis et al “now threatens Disney’s business operations, jeopardizes its economic future in the region, and violates its constitutional rights.” A spokeperson for the governor, commented: “We are unaware of any legal right that a company has to operate its own government or maintain special privileges not held by other businesses in the state.”
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U.S. Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-San Diego) explained why she voted against the debt ceiling proposal of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) on Wednesday: “It’s outrageous that House Republicans are using extortion to extract devastating cuts on federal programs that millions of Americans rely on every day to put food on the table, access health care and childcare, and keep a roof over their heads. Raising the debt limit should never be a political football — it’s about paying the debts we owe, maintaining the full faith and credit, and averting a catastrophic economic crisis. I will do whatever it takes to ensure that we raise a clean debt ceiling to protect our hard-earned benefits and our economy.” McCarthy’s bull was adopted on a party line 217-215 vote, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed.
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Federal Judge Lewis Kaplan, presiding over the New York civil trial in which former President Donald Trump is accused of rape and defamation by former Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll, on Wednesday called Trump’s online comments about the court case “entirely inappropriate” and asked attorney Joe Tacopina to tell Trump to refrain from further posting about it. The comments subsequently were taken down from Truth Social. In one of those comments, Trump said about Carroll: “She said there was a dress, using the ol’ Monica Lewinsky ‘stuff,’ then didn’t want to produce it.” While a White House intern, Lewinsky performed fellatio on then-President Bill Clinton with some of Clinton’s semen staining her dress. Back in 2020, Carroll requested a sample of Trump’s DNA for comparison purposes, a request that was refused. At that time, Carroll’s attorney Roberta Kaplan (no relation to the judge) said “Testing unidentified male DNA on the dress she wore during that assault has become standard operating procedure in these circumstances given the remarkable advances in DNA technology…”
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U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (Ind-Vermont) has endorsed President Joe Biden for reelection. The two opposed each other for the Democratic party nomination in 2020. Sanders explained to the Associated Press: “The last thing this country needs is a Donald Trump or some other right-wing demagogue who is going to try to undermine American democracy or take away a woman’s right to choose, or not address the crisis of gun violence, or racism, sexism, or homophobia. So, I’m in to do what I can to make sure that the president is reelected.” Biden is opposed for the nomination by author Marianne Williamson and anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
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Ivanka Trump has decided to have attorney Brendan Moskowitz represent her in the pending civil case brought against the Trump Organization by New York Attorney General Letitia James. Her father former President Donald Trump, and her brothers Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump are all being represented by attorneys Clifford Robert and Michael Farina. Previously, Ivanka was represented by the same attorneys as her family members. Last month Ivanka said the complaint against the Trump Organization does not contain any allegations that she was involved in the financial accounting that James contends saved the Trump Organization $250 million in taxes by falsifying values of assets. Ivanka, who is married to Jared Kushner, converted from Christianity to Judaism.
INTERNATIONAL
By a vote of 401-19, the House of Representatives honored Israel’s Independence Day. One Republican and 18 “Progressive” Democrats voted against the resolution sponsored by Democratic Reps. Kathy Manning of North Carolina and Brad Schneider of Illinois and Republican Reps. Ann Wagner of Missouri and Michael McCaul of Texas. Although the resolution did not refer to Palestinian aspirations for their own state, the issue was addressed in floor speeches. Manning said: “As a proud supporter of a strong bipartisan U.S.-Israel relationship, I also support a two-state solution, which preserves Israel’s fundamental character as a Jewish and democratic state.” Schneider commented: “I know in my heart that peace can one day be achieved with the Palestinians with a negotiated two-state solution that would give us a Jewish and democratic Israel and a demilitarized democratic Palestinian state, living side by side in peace, security, and prosperity.” Republican Thomas Massie, who traditionally votes against foreign aid, cast one of the 19 no votes. The others were cast by Democratic Reps. Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Andre Carson, Mark Desaulnier, Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Raul Grijalva, Jared Huffman, Pramila Jayapal, Hank Johnson, Summer Lee, Betty McCollum, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Mark Pocan, Ayanna Pressley, Delia Ramirez, Rashida Tlaib and Nydia Velazquez. Most members of this group, along with Bernie Sanders, urged President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to require that foreign aid to Israel, “including weapons and equipment is not used in support of gross violations of human rights, including by strengthening end-use monitoring and financial tracking.”
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Donald H. Harrison is editor emeritus of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com