California lawmakers and Gov. Brown reach budget deal; Apple to manufacture Mac Pro computers in the US; Gary Baseman's 'Door is Always Open' at the Skirball Center; Reuniting children with deported parents brings extra scrutiny; Spirit: The little Mars rover that could, 10 years later; Tuesday Reviewsday: Boards of Canada, Calexico, Fat Tony and more.
Reuniting children with deported parents brings extra scrutiny
Deported parents have an especially difficult challenge when their U.S. Citizen children become wards of the state. From Mexico, they must prove to social workers and family court judges across the border, in the U.S., that they're fit parents. Jill Replogle from the Fronteras Desk introduces us to one couple on a long quest to have their children reunited with them in Tijuana.
Just a stone’s throw from the international border that separates Tijuana from San Diego, Manuel and Maribel* have just finished a supervised visitation with their three U.S.-citizen children.
The visit took place in a little room in the Department of Homeland Security building that sits right on the border here. The couple is carrying the leftovers of all the goodies they brought with them — pizza, juice, these little chocolate cupcakes the kids love.
The couple has two boys, 7 and 10 years old, and a girl who is 9. The family lived near Mission Viejo in Southern California.
Manuel called the U.S. home for 23 years, and his wife 13 years.
Manuel said he doesn’t like to remember the event that threw his family’s life into turmoil.
“It’s hard,” he said.
“And embarrassing,” his wife chimed in.
“We didn’t think about the consequences,” Manuel said.
Shortly before Christmas 2011, the couple was caught stealing toys from a store. They were deported, and Manuel’s mother was given temporary custody of their children.
Now they’ve been trying to get their kids back —to join them in Tijuana — for more than a year.
"We've done everything they asked,” Manuel said of the caseworkers overseeing the court-ordered family reunification plan.
“They ask us to do therapy, we go. They ask us to get jobs, we're working. They asked us to get a home, well, we have a place to live," he said.
But the couple says the American social worker handling their case still seems unconvinced they’re fit to have custody of their children.
And they say she has expressed doubt about whether the couple is legitimately meeting the requirements of the case plan, even though the Mexican child welfare agency has verified each step.
The couple is exasperated.
“It seems like such a long time,” Maribel said. “It’s really painful to be without (the kids), especially after these visits.”
The couple thinks if they could just be present at one of their family court hearings to show the judge and social worker what they're really like, how they’ve changed, maybe it would help their case.
But they can't, because they're barred from going back to the U.S.
This puts the parents at a disadvantage, said Seth Wessler, a journalist with the online publicationColorlines who has reported extensively on cross-border dependency cases.
"I heard over and over again from caseworkers and attorneys in these cases that when mothers and fathers aren't in the courtroom, it makes it much more difficult for those parents to argue to get their kids back," Wessler said.
In dozens of interviews with caseworkers, lawyers and family court judges, Wessler said he perceived a sort of bias against placing children in Mexico.
"It's often about poverty in Mexico. It's often just about fear about Mexico itself," Wessler said.
Raquel Amezcua assists with cross-border dependency cases for Children and Family Services of Orange County. She said the agency is extra cautious when placing children in Mexico.
"Media shares all the things and horrible things that are happening in Mexico, and we all read that, we're all aware of that," she said.
But, Amezcua said, in recent years the agency has begun to work closely with the Mexican consulate to facilitate cross-border cases.
“We work with the consulate very carefully and we ask them 'What about this city? What did the home study say? What's the crime rate? Will they be employed?' All those factors are considered," she said.
Amezcua also said they apply extra scrutiny to these cases because once the child is across the border, the American child welfare agency can't follow up and see how it's working out. It's out of their jurisdiction.
Back in Tijuana, Maribel unrolled a thick stack of handmade posters, cards and letters given to her by her children during their visit at the border.
The couple has come to terms with the abrupt end to their life in the U.S. They've found that life in their home country isn't as hard as they feared.
But it won’t be complete, they say, until a judge rules that their children should be reunified with them in Mexico.
“We want to move forward,” Manuel said, “start new and forget about all this. But we haven’t been able to turn the page, and we don’t know why.”
*Their real names are being withheld at the request of the couple so as to not jeopardize their dependency case.
Spirit: The little Mars rover that could, 10 years later
Ten years ago, NASA launched a rover named Spirit on a mission to Mars. It was one of two robotic vehicles sent that year to study the red planet. The Spirit rover taught us a lot, but as KPCC's Science Reporter Sanden Totten found, the mission almost failed right out of the gate.
California lawmakers and Gov. Brown reach budget deal
Governor Jerry Brown and legislative leaders emerged from a meeting yesterday afternoon smiling.
Looks like lawmakers will have no problem meeting Saturday's deadline for a final version of the budget.
If you've spent any amount of time in California, you know things seldom go this smoothly.
Apple to manufacture Mac Pro computers in the US
Tech giant Apple made a bunch of announcements at its annual developer's conference yesterday: A new internet radio platform, major changes to iOS operating system that runs the iPhone and iPad, and a new laptop, which the company claims has a battery life of 12 hours.
Also, Apple will assemble its Mac Pro line of desktop computers right here in the USA.
The Cupertino-based company is not alone. There's been something of a manufacturing renaissance happening in the US of late. Charles Fishman, who writes about innovations in business for magazines like The Atlantic and Fast Company, joins the show with more.
Facebook to face shareholders in first official meeting
Facebook is grabbing headlines this week for allegedly giving the government access to its customers' data online — a charge it has denied. It remains to be seen what effect, if any, it will have on stock price.
Facebook is hosting its first ever shareholder meeting later today. It may be hard to believe that only a year has passed since the social media site went public, to disappointing results. The meeting is not open to the press, but Bloomberg's Brian Womack will be streaming it —and watching it — on his computer.
Gary Baseman's 'Door is Always Open' at the Skirball Center
Gary Baseman has been making art of all kinds for more than four decades. He got his start in the commercial art world penning colorful, cartoon like illustrations which graced the covers of major magazines.
He's delved into the world of pop culture as the Emmy-award winning creator of the Disney series "Teacher's Pet" and as the designer for the characters in the Hasbro board game Cranium. Recently, the LA-based artist has been finding deeper meaning in his work as he focuses on his parents' past as Holocaust survivors.
The various stages of Gary Baseman's life and career are now on display at the Skirball Cultural Center until August 18. Alex recently spent some time with the artist there and brings us this report.
Interview Highlights:
On how having much older siblings inspired his art:
"I don’t remember a time in my life where I didn’t draw. It's the way I've always communicated and got out my emotions and feelings and views of the world…I felt like at first, I was so bombarded by pop-culture and everything and being around all these teenagers, the Beatles, the Who, Animals and — boom — they all left. I had so much I needed to get out and this coffee table, where I would sit down and I would be drawing all the time. In fact, one of my cousins Shirley said she thought I had an emotional problem because she saw me sitting by myself drawing all the time and I didn’t think so. I thought I was a very social kid, outside and playing."
On his concept for the bedroom exhibit:
"When people would come to my real home, its like a mini version of Disneyland because I have a lot of costumes, heads, and old mannequin heads and advertising displays and wood-jointed toys. I like having my inspiration around me and people would come with such a big smile and I was like this is what I want. "I want to create a home where people can come through and feel relaxed and they can sit on my sofas and engage with the work. I want people to understand the artwork, I don’t want them to feel like they need 200 years of college to be able to comprehend a little bit of what this is all about. To me art is important because it is about us, its about the human condition, its about our frailties, our beauty and for me all my art I s about celebrating the bitter sweetness of life."
On dedicating the exhibition to his late parents:
"My mom just passed away in October, but I was hoping that she would be around to see this show. My parents were married for 63 years. I have this exhibition called “The Door Is Always Open," and this is the first time in my life that my parents home isn’t open. That with my mom passing, that home that they lived in 43 years is no more, so I took their furniture, not knowing what to do. It's all very kitschy '50s furniture and I said I'm bringing it into here as a way to honor them. Besides the last couple years, a lot of my body of work is about telling their story."
Tuesday Reviewsday: Boards of Canada, Calexico, Fat Tony and more
Now it's time for Tuesday Reviewsday, where we talk about what's new in music. Joining us today is Shirley Halperin, music editor at The Hollywood Reporter, and Chris Martins, senior writer for Spin magazine.
Chris Martins' Picks:
Artist: Boards of Canada
Album: Tomorrow's Harvest
Release: June 11
Song: "New Seeds"
Scottish electronic duo — active since '86, releasing music since '95 — with a deep and well-deserved cult following. Part of the '90s Warp music IDM boom, known for recordings imbued with dense atmosphere and warmed by analog equipment. The sound of nostalgia for the world that was in a post-apocalyptic future. This is their first album in eight years and it came as a surprise. In order to announce the thing, the duo sent fans on a wild goose chase that involved secretly seeded vinyl, esoteric number cyphers and hidden messages via television, radio, music videos, and even website source code.
Artist: Fat Tony
Album: Smart Ass Black Boy
Release Date: June 11
Song: "Hood Party" featuring Kool A.D. and Despot"
Buzzing 25-year-old rapper from Houston. His vibe is conversational, lighthearted, smart, stylish and a little wry though he's no cynic. His style isn't particularly regional — a hallmark of MCs his age with unfettered Internet access — but his concerns are local. 2010 album was called RABDARGAB, which is the acronym of a controversial Houston educational initiative (read a book, do a report, get a buck).
Artist: Case Studies
Album: This Is Another Life
Release Date: June 11
Songs: "Everything," "Villain"eaturing Marissa Nadler"
Seattle's Jesse Lortz and whoever's around to lend a hand. Got start with duet, the Dutchess and the Duke, but broke away in 2010, transitioned from Mamas & Papas or Zombies garage rock to dark poetry and a Leonard Cohen-like drawl to match. He prefers capital letter subjects with an emphasis on duality: Life and Death, Love and Lust, God and the Devil. On his second album, I hear a whole lot of the dearly departed Jason Molina of Songs: Ohia and Magnolia Electric Company. Sad Bastard music with a real sense of the beauty that comes with struggle. Don't know exactly what/who "Everything" is about, but I'm okay with that. Mystery is one of Case Studies' strong points. The second song features dream-folk singer-songwriter Marissa Nadler, is reminiscent of his earlier stuff. Would be a real pretty one to go out on.
Shirley Halperin's Picks:
Artist: Andrew Stockdale
Album: Keep Movings
Release Date: June 11
Songs: "Long Way to Go," "Everyday Drone," "Woman"
Former frontman for Australian hard rock band Wolfmother (their 2005 hit "Woman" has been heard in countless TV commercials) takes his band's songs for himself.
Artist: Alex Pangman
Album: Have a Little Fun
Release Date: June 11
Songs: "The Panic is On," "Are You Having Any Fun?"Listen Here
Jazz singer from Toronto recreates swing era standards. Album features 87-year-old guitar legend Bucky Pizzarelli who's played with everyone from Benny Goodman to Les Paul. Good timing as Gatsby fans looks for more period-appropriate fare to sink their teeth into.
Artist: Calexico
Album: Spiritoso
Release Date: June 11
Songs: "Para"
Tucson alt-country band perform has only gotten better with age. Case in point: this live album recorded in Germany where Calexico is backed by two orchestras - the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien) and the Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg. Simply beautiful.
US troops to train Japanese soldiers in San Diego
The San Diego area, home to several military bases, sees its share of military exercises. But it's not everyday you have 1,000 Japanese troops training alongside Americans.
In a two-week training session starting today, U.S. Marines and sailors will train the Japanese on amphibious attacks. China has reportedly asked the U.S. to cancel the drill but it appears that will not happen.
With more is Tai-Ming Cheung, director of the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation at the University of California, San Diego.
Air Force tests first in-flight missile launch by F-35 fighter jet
It's years behind schedule and billions over budget, but the military's F-35 fighter plane is inching closer to reality. For the first time ever, the U.S. Air Force test-fired a missile from the jet while in flight yesterday in an event the military is hailing as a crucial step toward proving combat capability.
For more on this, we're joined by William Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy.
E3 begins: What's buzzing at the biggest gaming expo in the world?
Alright, gamers, time to stretch your thumbs and get ready. Today's the first day of the Electronic Entertainment Expo — better known as E3 — right in downtown Los Angeles. The three-day conference will showcase everything that video game companies will have to offer in the upcoming year.
RELATED: VIDEO: E3: Sony launches PS4 while trolling Microsoft's Xbox One
Joining the show for a wrap is Jeff Bakalar, games editor of CNET.
Hubber car-sharing business comes to LAX
The next time you fly out of LAX, instead of spending money to park your car, you could be earning some. That's the idea behind Hubber, a new peer-to-peer car rental service that pairs tourists with residents.
As an outbound traveler, you can register your vehicle with Hubber and drop it off at a designated parking facility. Hubber will find someone to rent your car, paying you from $10 to $30 a day for each day it's rented out.
"In the meantime you'll get free parking for your entire trip," says Hubber founder and CEO, Paul Davis. "We'll gas up your car, so it's ready with a full tank of gas when you return and have it washed for you as well."
Davis got the idea when he was renting cars and houses while working in film production, "while at the same time leaving those same assets sitting unused at home."
"It's utilization," Davis says. "It's finding un-utilized resources that we could put to use rather than try to pay to get them somewhere else."
If you're thinking about what could go wrong, Hubber says they'll cover the costs of anything: accidents, scratches, you name it.
"We carry a $1 million insurance policy, so basically the owner of the vehicle has zero liability when the car is entrusted to us," Davis says.
To Davis, having Hubber at LAX just makes sense.
"Los Angeles has a huge amount of rental car activity at the airport, as well as a huge amount of congestion as a result of all the traffic there," said Davis.
People have been open to the idea, Davis says, but it's not necessarily for everyone. Hubber's target audience is people who are "early adopters of technology" and "willing to buy into new concepts."
Friends of the Earth's role in San Onofre's shutdown
When Southern California Edison made the surprise announcement that it would shut down San Onofre, anti-nuclear activists were jubilant. Many had been working for decades to close the plant, but there was one small environmental group that was especially important to shuttering San Onofre.
KPCC's Ben Bergman joins us now with more on this David versus Goliath story.
Invasive Quagga mussels found at Lake Powell
An invasive species is making inroads in the west. Quagga mussels first hitchhiked into the US aboard ocean vessels from Eastern Europe in the 1980s. Now, they're showing up in Lake Powell, which straddles the border between Utah and Arizona.
For more on this, we're joined by Larry Dalton, who's the Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator for the state of Utah.
Angelenos air frustration over helicopter noise at public meeting
Angelenos love to complain about how loud helicopters are, and last night, residents were given an opportunity to air those grievances. Homeowners, pilots and representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration attended a meeting held by Congressman Adam Schiff to talk about solutions to helicopter noise.
KPCC's Erika Aguilar joins the show with more.