Mojave
Mojave, CA · Municipal
Visalia Times-Delta | Tulare Advance Register
Visalia school board candidates debate key issues
Four candidates for the Visalia Unified School District School Board offered their differing perspectives in a public forum at the Tulare County Office of Education on Oct. 8. The candidates participating were incumbent Area 1 Board Member Walta Gamoian and challenger Stacy Boyce, and incumbent Area 4 Board Member Todd Oto and challenger Efrain Becerra. Paul Hurley moderated the event, asking questions and occasional follow-ups. Hurley started by having the candidates introduce themselves. Meet the candidates Area 4 incumbent Todd Oto said he worked for Visalia Unified School District for 32 years. “I started as a drafting teacher at Mt. Whitney High School, worked there for 12 years, also taught woodshop there, became a dean at Mt. Whitney High School, then an assistant principal for six years at Redwood High School, and was principal at Sequoia High School, the continuation school here in town," he said. Becerra said he has a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in education and is currently getting his master's in teaching. "Education is something that I'm very passionate about,” Becerra said. “Education has always been around me. My whole family are educators.” Gamoian introduced herself as the current Area 1 trustee. “I've been an
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The Fresno Bee
ICE detainees from Fresno area denied legal visits, transferred to Texas, lawyers say
Central Valley detention facilities have denied attorneys access to detainees picked up by ICE in Fresno and the region during an immigration enforcement surge that started early last week, lawyers say. Many of those detainees have already been transferred to a Texas facility after they agreed to sign voluntary departure forms, attorney Ambar Tovar, director of Legal Services with the UFW Foundation, told The Fresno Bee. She said family members have reported to the foundation that detention facility officers appear to be pressuring detainees to sign the forms and circumvent their due process rights. “Speaking to their relatives, they’re saying every so often an officer will come to where they’re being held and say, ‘All right, who’s ready to sign?,’” she said. “It’s a tactic of not providing the opportunity to consult and look into their immigration relief options.” “They are making these decisions despite asking for legal counsel and not having the opportunity to consult with someone,” Tovar said. The UFW Foundation and its partner organizations have identified the names of 65 people detained in Fresno County since the start of last week, she said, adding that the true number of detentions is likely much higher. Community groups and