Tag: mayor

Transcript: Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott on “Face the Nation,” March 31, 2024


The following is a transcript of an interview with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott that aired on March 31, 2024.

ED O’KEEFE: We turn now to the Mayor of Baltimore Brandon Scott. Mr. Mayor, thank you for spending part of Easter with us. We appreciate it. After this bridge collapse, this past week in your city, what is the most urgent need right now in Baltimore?

MAYOR BRANDON SCOTT: Well the most urgent need, because our focus will always be on those families. I’m talking focus on the total impact on humans, right. And that begins with the loss of life. That then goes to what’s going to happen for those families, and then the economic realities following this. And that’s where our focus is going to continue to be. We have the salvage operation underway as of yesterday, with one crane and one barge working to start to cut some of the bridge out, that work is happening through the unified command. But we are and always will be focused on the human impact of this tragedy.

ED O’KEEFE:  Well, let’s talk a little bit about that. What more can you as a city be doing for those four families, and then more broadly, for the roughly 15,000 workers whose jobs are tied in one way or another, to the Port of Baltimore?

MAYOR BRANDON SCOTT:  Well, listen, I said from day one, that my office would be there to support the families in every way possible. And it’s not just me, our partners and Governor Moore and his administration, my partners in Baltimore County Executive Olszewski and County Executive Pittman and their administration, my Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, has work with nonprofit groups that work with immigrants to set up case management for these individuals, we already set up a fund that now has over $300,000 into it for those families, and we will support them throughout this. That could mean that they need ongoing trauma care, that can mean in the future, they need help with different jobs and things like that. But we also have to focus on the impact of the workers and the businesses at the port. I first have to be thankful to President Biden for having the SBA allow us now to have these businesses apply for grants through SBA to be able to keep their business open, keep those folks employed. We’ve been working alongside- and thankful for Governor Moore for making that ask, that’s a strong sign of leadership for these workers in these businesses. We don’t want these small businesses to go away. We don’t want these jobs and my residents and everyone’s residents depend on, to go away. We’re actually opening up a center at 1501 South Clinton Street tomorrow morning, where the folks can come at afternoon at 1pm to come see the SBA. We’ll have our office on- on their on standby, it will be open every single day this week. Very gracious and grateful to the folks that care for us for allowing us to have it there. So that we can be able to help these individuals that are impacted in every way. But as I always say, in situations like this, we have to start with those most directly impacted. And that is, of course, those families. 

ED O’KEEFE:  You’re talking, when you say SBA, about the Small Business Administration that’s offering now loans of up to about $2 million to the affected companies. You know, ultimately, Congress is likely going to have to get involved in some of this to provide federal relief. What if any kind of direct outreach have you done to lawmakers in both parties to try to make the case for what Baltimore needs?

MAYOR BRANDON SCOTT: Well, listen, I have the best congressional delegation in the United States Congress. And Senator Cardin, Senator Van Hollen, Congressman Mfume, even Congressman Raskin, Congressman Trone, they have all been there on the ground. I don’t have to reach out to them because they’ve been there on site, talking with us, talking with the impacted individuals. And we know that they are going to do everything in their power to bring back resources for this tragedy that doesn’t just impact the city of Baltimore and the state of Maryland. This port is the number one port for cars and farm equipment. So this matters to folks in rural North Carolina, in Kansas, and Iowa, this matters to the global economy. And it does not, this should not be something that has anything or any conversation around party. We are talking about an American tragedy to an American city, American port city, that means so much to this country in the world, and no party conversation should be involved at all.

ED O’KEEFE: Secretary Buttigieg told us a little while ago that there’s still no sense of how quickly this cleanup will happen, or how quickly the bridge will get rebuilt. What happens to the economy of Baltimore in the meantime?

MAYOR BRANDON SCOTT: Well, right now, that’s the things that we’re looking at, right? We’re looking at how we’re going to offload some of the stuff that is in the port and maybe use our partners at Tradepoint Atlantic to help with some of that. We obviously have some stuff on trains that can go out,. This is why it’s so important for the SBA and what they’re doing. We be told- I’ll be meeting with labor leaders in the actual workers myself tomorrow to talk about what kind of other support that they need, while we all wrap our heads around and figure out how we can support them and keep as much commerce flowing as possible. This is going to be a long road. This is not going to be a sprint. This is a marathon and as I said yesterday, with you know anything about long distance running, the folks who get out quickly, never win. We are going to win, because we’re going to make every single step have the right pace, the focus and attention on every detail that we need to to make sure that we not only build back this bridge. That we focus on those humans impacted, and every single detail of that.

ED O’KEEFE: This was a tragic accident. But it seems these days when something like this happens in this country, there are always conspiracy theories and a lot of misinformation thrown around. And in the case of this accident, some downright nasty things said about you online this week. I’ve got to ask you one of the wilder things is some conservative critics blamed the bridge collapse on diversity, equity and inclusion policies in Maryland. Diversity, equity inclusion, better known as DEI to a lot of people. They called you, some critics, “the DEI mayor.” What did you make of that when you heard it?

MAYOR BRANDON SCOTT: Well, as I’ve said, already this week, we know. Listen, I am a young black man and young black mayor in this country. We know that there are a lot of racism, folks who don’t think I should be in this job. I know that, I’ve been Black my whole life. I know how racism- racism goes in this country. But my focus is always going to be on those people. I didn’t want to be out there that night asking- answering questions about DEI. I’m worried about the loss of life. We know how ridiculous that is. Those folks are afraid as I said this week, to use the N-word. This should not be even in conversation. We have to remain focused on the mission at hand and continue from my vantage point to prove those people wrong about people that look like me by doing my job in the best way that I can. And ignoring the noise of folks who simply want to be devices and are afraid that their way of life where people that don’t look like them and think like them can be in control can be in power and actually be better at the job.

ED O’KEEFE: Well, we thank you for spending some time on this Easter talking to us about the situation. As you said, it’s a marathon. We’ll likely be with you through some of the other miles of this and for now, happy Easter and thank you again.

MAYOR BRANDON SCOTT: Thank you. Happy Easter.



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Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott: “No party conversation should be involved” in bridge recovery


Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott: “No party conversation should be involved” in bridge recovery – CBS News

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Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott tells “Face the Nation” that as his city seeks federal assistance to rebuild after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed, “no party conversation should be involved.”

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San Bruno Muslims protest mayor over denial request during Ramadan


SAN BRUNO – For weeks, San Bruno’s Palestinian American residents and allies have rallied outside city hall, calling for a Gaza ceasefire.

On Thursday, however, the protest was aimed at San Bruno Mayor Rico Medina.

The protestors say they have been requesting a meeting with Medina and City Manager Alex McIntyre since last week, when the Council on American Islamic Relations sent the city a letter calling for an apology.

They say a group of eight to 10 Muslim residents had attended a March 12 city council meeting, and brought some pizza and water to the lobby of the senior center building where the meetings are held, in order to break their Ramadan fast.

The Muslim residents say the lobby has a café and tables. They say when they started to eat, they were confronted by police and the police chief told them they had to go outside to the parking lot where the city had erected tents.

“This city is our city. And we feel like it’s important that we’re heard, that we’re given an opportunity to explain why it was offensive to us and how we can move past this as a community,” said Kamilah Albahri, a San Bruno Palestinian American resident.

“I think they made this into a bigger problem than it needed to be. All they needed to do was sincerely apologize and commit to doing better,” said Musa Tariq, the CAIR SF Bay Area policy coordinator.

McIntyre sent KTVU an email Thursday that stated, “The city does not have a ban on individuals eating in the lobby space outside council meetings. As a practice, however, groups are not allowed to reserve any portion of the Senior Center.”

“The City did its best, under a very short deadline, to set up tents and create an eating area outside the Council chambers (where the city’s business is conducted) to accommodate their request,” McIntyre’s statement said.

Some people at the rally Thursday said the city needs to receive cultural training.

“What they lacked was basic courtesy and recognizing that these are their citizens, and they’re asking for accommodations,” said Hatem Bazian, a lecturer with the UC Berkeley Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures Department, who spoke at the rally, “I would tell them here’s our basic facts about the religious practices that the community has.”

McIntyre stated in the email that the additional police were present because meetings had become heated, and said one staff member was threatened after the March 12th meeting.

“In fact, one city staff member was harassed and subjected to threats by some of those audience members in the parking lot after the meeting. The added police staff at San Bruno are there to protect citizens, city staff, and residents,” McIntyre’s email stated.

The protestors say they were sad to hear that, and sent out emails to their members trying to determine who might have been the harasser. They said they could not find anyone in their group making such threats and offered to meet with the staff to foster dialogue and assure them the group was peaceful.

“We wanted to take accountability as a community, but we have no idea who did it,” Albahri said.

The city manager said there are plans to meet with the Muslim residents and address their concerns.

“The Mayor and staff will meet with some of the residents who have requested a meeting to find a path forward. The meeting has not yet been scheduled,” McIntyre wrote.

KTVU called and emailed the mayor and members of the city council, but received no replies Thursday night.



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Ecuador’s youngest mayor, Brigitte Garcia, and her adviser are found shot to death inside car


Ecuador’s youngest mayor was found shot to death Sunday, police said, as the South American country approaches its third month of a state of emergency decreed by the government to crack down on soaring gang violence.

Brigitte Garcia, the 27-year-old mayor of coastal San Vicente, was found dead along with her adviser, the municipality’s communications director, Jairo Loor.

During the early hours of the morning “two people were identified inside a vehicle without vital signs, with gunshot wounds,” the Ecuadoran national police said on social media.

Later, it added that the shots “were not fired from the outside of the vehicle but from the inside.” Investigators are still analyzing the route taken by the car, which had been rented.

Luisa Gonzalez, the party’s presidential candidate in the recent elections, called Garcia’s killing an assassination.

“I’ve just found out they’ve assassinated our fellow mayor of San Vicente Brigitte Garcia,” Gonzalez said in a post.

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Brigitte Garcia

twitter.com/melabrigitte


One of Garcia’s last posts on social media, where she touts herself as the nation’s youngest mayor, was about a new project to bring water to her municipality.

“Together, we’re building a brighter future for our community,” she wrote on Thursday.

In January, President Daniel Noboa imposed a state of emergency and declared the country in “a state of war” against gangs after a wave of violence following the prison escape of “Los Choneros” leader Adolfo “Fito” Macias.

That month, Noboa also gave orders to “neutralize” criminal gangs after gunmen stormed and opened fire in a TV studio and bandits threatened random executions of civilians and security forces.

Since then, the military has been deployed in the streets and taken control of the country’s prisons, where a string of gang riots in recent years has left some 460 people killed.

The government claims that its so-called “Phoenix Plan” has been successful at reducing the country’s soaring violence.

Security forces have carried out some 165,000 operations, made more than 12,000 arrests, killed 15 people considered “terrorists” and seized some 65 tons of drugs since January, according to official figures.

But several violent episodes were reported over the weekend, including the ambush of an army patrol in Sucumbios, a province on the Colombian border. One soldier was killed and three others wounded in the incident.

In the Andean city of Latacunga, a bomb threat prompted police to evacuate a stadium where a professional soccer championship game was being held.

After an inspection with the help of a trained dog, authorities found a suitcase in the parking lot of the stadium “containing five explosive charges,” which were detonated in a controlled manner, according to a police report.

The government said it would reinforce security controls following Garcia’s assassination.

Once considered a bastion of peace in Latin America, Ecuador has been plunged into crisis after years of expansion by transnational cartels that use its ports to ship drugs to the United States and Europe.





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Nagasaki marks 78th anniversary of atomic bombing with mayor urging world to abolish nuclear weapons


TOKYO (AP) — Nagasaki marked the 78th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the city Wednesday with the mayor urging world powers to abolish nuclear weapons, saying nuclear deterrence also increases risks of nuclear war.

Shiro Suzuki made the remark after the Group of Seven industrial powers adopted a separate document on nuclear disarmament in May that called for using nuclear weapons as deterrence.

“Now is the time to show courage and make the decision to break free from dependence on nuclear deterrence,” Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki said in his peace declaration Wednesday, “As long as states are dependent on nuclear deterrence, we cannot realize a world without nuclear weapons.”

Russia’s nuclear threat has encouraged other nuclear states to accelerate their dependence on nuclear weapons or enhance capabilities, further increasing the risk of nuclear war, and that Russia is not the only one representing the risk of nuclear deterrence, Suzuki said.

The United States dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroying the city and killing 140,000 people. A second attack three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000 more people. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and its nearly half-century of aggression in Asia.

At 11:02 a.m., the moment the bomb exploded above the southern Japanese city, participants at the ceremony observed a moment of silence with the sound of a peace bell.

Suzuki expressed concern about the tragedy being forgotten as time passed and memories fade. Survivors have expressed frustration about the slow progress of disarmament, while the reality of the atomic bombing and their ordeals are not yet widely shared around the world.

The concern comes after widespread reaction to social media posts about the “Barbenheimer” summer blitz of the “Barbie” and “Oppenhheimer” movies that triggered outrage in Japan.

The combination of “Barbie” and a biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer — who helped develop the atomic bomb — sparked memes, including of mushroom clouds. The craze was seen as minimizing the ghastly toll of the Nagasaki and Hiroshima bombings.

Suzuki, whose parents were hibakusha, or survivors of the Nagasaki attack, said knowing the reality of the atomic bombings is the starting point for achieving a world without nuclear weapons. He said the survivors’ testimonies are a true deterrence against nuclear weapons use.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who did not attend the memorial in person, acknowledged in his video message that the path toward a nuclear-free world has grown tougher because of rising tensions and conflicts, including Russia’s war on Ukraine. Also weighing on the disarmament movemement is a deeper division in the international community.

Kishida, who represents Hiroshima in parliament, has sought to showcase the G7 commitment to nuclear disarmament but has angered the survivors for justifying nuclear arms possession for deterrence and for refusing to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Suzuki demanded Kishida’s government and national lawmakers quickly sign and ratify the treaty and attend the upcoming meeting as an observer “to clearly show Japan’s resolve to abolish nuclear weapons.”

As Washington’s ally, Japan is under the U.S. nuclear umbrella and seeks stronger protection as the allies reinforce security cooperation to deal with threats from China and North Korea’s nuclear and missile advancement. Under its new national security strategy, Kishida’s government is pushing for a military buildup focusing on strike capability.

As of March, 113,649 survivors, whose average age is 85, are certified as hibakusha and eligible for government medical support, according to the Health and Welfare Ministry. Many others, including those known as victims of the “black rain” that fell outside the initially designated areas, are still without support.



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Tampa mayor finds big catch off Florida Keys: 70 pounds of cocaine



The mayor of Tampa found a big catch of another sort while fishing off the coast of the Florida Keys: 70 pounds of cocaine floating in the Atlantic Ocean.

Mayor Jane Castor made the discovery July 23 while on a fishing trip with her family. Castor, a longtime Tampa police officer and the city’s first female chief, immediately recognized the package wrapped in layers of plastic as cocaine, city spokesperson Adam Smith said Tuesday.

Smith confirmed the details of the find that were reported in the Tampa Bay Times to NBC News.

Smith also shared a U.S. Border Patrol post on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that showed dozens of pounds of cocaine “discovered by a recreational boater in the #FloridaKeys.” The drug haul had an estimated street value of $1.1 million dollars, the post said.

After spotting the cocaine, Castor’s family lifted the package, about the size of a microwave, onto her boat. A rip in the package showed it was more tightly packaged in bricks, the mayor told the Tampa Bay Times.

They discovered the cocaine off the Middle Keys city of Marathon. The package was eventually passed to federal agents after Castor called the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, the newspaper reported.

Cocaine floating off the waters of Florida is not a new occurrence, according to authorities.

Last month, a good Samaritan found a floating brick of cocaine, weighing about 2.7 pounds, while boating near the Florida Keys, according to NBC Miami.

The news outlet also reported that in May, a large bundle of cocaine that weighed about 41 pounds was discovered floating near Islamorada.

In May 2021, More than 30 kilograms of cocaine with a value topping $1 million were seized after washing ashore at Cape Canaveral Space Station, according to the U.S. Space Force.

 

 



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San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg calls heat wave “dangerous”


San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg calls heat wave “dangerous” – CBS News

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The ongoing heat wave has put much of the Southeastern U.S. under dangerous heat alerts from Florida to Texas. San Antonio set a record-high heat index this month. The city’s mayor, Ron Nirenberg, joined “Face the Nation” with more.

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Transcript: San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg on “Face the Nation,” July 30, 2023


The following is a transcript of an interview with San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg that aired on “Face the Nation” on July 30, 2023.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We turn now to the ongoing heatwave, which has put much of the southeastern United States under dangerous heat alerts from Florida to Texas. San Antonio has set a record high heat index this month. And its Mayor, Ron Nirenberg joins us with more. Good morning to you, Mr. Mayor. 

MAYOR RON NIRENBERG: Morning, Margaret.

MARGARET BRENNAN: What has been the impact of this high heat? The demand for electricity? What is it doing to your community?

MAYOR NIRENBERG: Well we continue to set records every week with respect to electric- electricity demand. Our emergency calls for heat exhaustion, heat illness are up 50% since last year, which itself was a record breaker. So it is a dangerous heatwave that we’re experiencing with- with just an unrelenting day after day heat exposure. So we’re certainly grateful for a president now that’s treating this heatwave with the urgency that I think is necessary. Especially given the fact that one of the challenges that we have is, cities in Texas are fighting our legislature and our state government for local control. We’re trying to protect residents and workers, and they are doing everything they can to prevent that from happening.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You’re talking about President Biden making it now, through the Department of Labor, a heat hazard alert, so it will guarantee workers heat related protections. But I wonder in- in San Antonio, are you actually seeing employers deny outdoor workers water breaks?

MAYOR NIRENBERG: Well, we had a case that actually is in the courts now last year where a young man died from heat exposure. But the challenge for us is, again, we need to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to ensure that employees are aware of their rights, and that federal protections are known to the employers. And so we were contemplating an ordinance at the local level to mandate local water breaks, similar to what has been done in other cities. Legislation has been passed that purports to prevent local governments from doing that labor code, as well as preventing us from, you know, utilizing our local authority in many other areas. But again, what we’re trying to do is make sure that there’s a backstop to prevent the most vulnerable members, the workers in our community who deserve those basic things.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So this was- you’re talking about the fight you have with the state of Texas where there are rules limiting your ability locally to set regulations that would allow for water breaks. But it doesn’t outlaw them, it just- I guess the governor has justified it saying that there are federal guarantees already. Why aren’t those federal guarantees sufficient?

MAYOR NIRENBERG: Well, what the announcement from President Biden will do is make sure that employers and employees know their rights, that there are protections in place also to ramp up enforcement activities through OSHA. But the reality of the legislation I mentioned is the fact that HB 2127, which was passed by the legislature, upends 70 plus years of local authorities that have been adopted through city constitution, city charters, in cities all across the state. In areas that go beyond just labor code, property code, agricultural code, commercial code. You know, local communities, local governments, are solving problems brought to us many times by our constituents, and legislation like that upends that process and prevents local residents from able- being able to address their concerns through the local governments that they elect. And I believe it’s an affront to our democratic process. And that’s why we’re challenging it in court.

MARGARET BRENNAN: All right. So that will continue that sounds like. I want to ask you as well about immigration. A federal judge in California, just struck down last Tuesday, the Biden administration’s restrictions on migrants seeking asylum arguing that it was the Biden administration violating federal law. So if the Justice Department loses an expected appeal, what’s the practical impact for a city like yours in this heat, with the migrants that are crossing?

MAYOR NIRENBERG: Sure, well, since January 2021, San Antonio has seen like many other big cities, a surge in migrants and in San Antonio, it’s- it’s over 400,000 migrants since 2021. While we don’t have authority to reform the immigration policies in America, what we are doing is treating people with compassion. And so we have worked with the Biden administration, with the Department of Homeland Security, to be able to fund a migrant resource center where we help folks who are coming through our city on their way to their sponsor families or to the next destination as they wait for their asylum hearings. The process now, we have to make sure that folks are getting their hearings, but they also have an opportunity to work in the meantime. So while you know we are in the midst of the further politicization and demagoguery that’s happening in Texas with respect to the immigration crisis, I do have to thank folks who are trying to take one step forward in the absence of congressional action that we’ve been waiting for for 30 years. Our representative Tony Gonzalez has offered some legislation that would expand the work visa process. The reality is people are coming. While we don’t have the authority to fix immigration at the local level, we do have an obligation to treat people with common humanity and dignity.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, Mr. Mayor, thank you for your time today. We’re gonna have to leave it there, but we’ll be back with more Face the Nation in a moment.



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Her daughter was killed in the Uvalde school shooting. Now Kimberly Mata-Rubio is running to be mayor.


Alexandria “Lexi” Rubio loved going to Starbucks and ordering a sweetened tall peach green tea lemonade and a cake pop, showing off bright colors like yellow, pink and turquoise. She wanted to grow up to play softball in college and become a lawyer. But the 10-year-old fourth-grader never got the chance – last May, she was among 21 people killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. 

Now, her mom is running to be the city’s mayor, saying in a message to her daughter, “I will honor your life with action.” 

“I grieve for the woman you would have become and all the difference you would have made in this world. I grieve for the woman I was when you were still here,” Kimberly Mata-Rubio wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday, along with a photo of a newspaper article announcing her mayoral run. “But, one part of me still exist, I am still your mom.” 

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10-year-old Lexi Rubio was among the young victims of the Uvalde school shooting

According to Uvalde Leader-News, the 34-year-old mother of five will run for the mayoral seat this November. Mata-Rubio has lived in the city her entire life, graduating from Uvalde High School in 2007. She’s also an award-winning journalist, the local paper – where she is employed as an advertising executive – says. 

Mata-Rubio told the paper that she wants to “represent the underserved…whose voices matter but have long been unheard.” 

“It would be easy to run from the issues that plague our town, but I have decided to remain in Uvalde and be part of the change that is long overdue,” Mata-Rubio told the Uvalde Leader-News. “…Our leadership became comfortable, which led to the events that unfolded on May 24, 2022. The aftermath has added to the trauma of a grieving and fractured community. It is my hope to bridge the gap because only when we come together can we evolve to something greater.”

Her daughter, Lexi, was among the 19 children killed at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022. Just hours before the shooting unfolded, Mata-Rubio was at the school as Lexi was recognized for getting on the “A” honor roll and was awarded the “good citizen award.” 

“We told her we loved her and would pick her up after school,” Mata-Rubio wrote on Facebook the day after the shooting. “We had no idea this was goodbye.”

In her first run for an elected office position, Mata-Rubio is seeking to take the seat left by Don McLaughlin, who has served as the city’s mayor since 2014. He announced earlier this month that he is stepping down to run for the District 80 state House seat, according to The Texas Tribune. The city is now planning a special election this November for his replacement, according to the San Antonio Express-News. 

If elected, the Uvalde Leader-News says Mata-Rubio would be the first woman and third Hispanic mayor of the city. 





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