L.A. supervisors approve task force to examine 'maternity hotels'

Immigrants rights advocates complained Tuesday about the move by Los Angeles County supervisors to crack down on so-called "maternity hotels," facilities that primarily host Asian women who travel to the United States while pregnant and stay to recover after giving birth.

The facilities' presence in the Los Angeles area, particularly the San Gabriel Valley, has generated controversy in recent months.

It is not illegal for pregnant women to travel to the United States to give birth, but residents of the neighborhoods where the centers operate have complained that they are violating zoning and building code regulations.

The complaints have surged in recent months since a facility in Chino Hills was shut down. City officials said the site had been illegally subdivided into 17 bedrooms and 17 bathrooms.

The county supervisors passed a motion Tuesday introduced by Supervisor Don Knabe, forming a task force to look at ways to better regulate the facilities. It was pared down from Knabe's original proposal, which called for county staff to draft an ordinance that would eliminate the centers through zoning regulations.

LGBT group says it's been ousted from Tet parade

A coalition of lesbian and gay Vietnamese groups was told to "sacrifice" and not march in Westminster's annual Tet parade, a Lunar New Year event expected to draw as many as 10,000 spectators to Little Saigon this weekend, according to a spokesperson for the LGBT group.

After asking the group not to participate, said spokesperson Ai Van, "they suggested that we obtain our own permit and have our own parade, and not be a part of the community parade."

The Tet parade, scheduled for Sunday, is a tradition dating back nearly three decades. The LGBT coalition has marched in the parade the last three years, over the objections of some religious leaders in Orange County's Vietnamese community.

LGBT participants last week submitted $100 along with an application to join again this year, according to Pierre Tran of the Gay Vietnamese Alliance.

Monday afternoon, about three dozen people protested in front of the office of the parade organizers, the Vietnamese American Federation of Southern California. Its leader, Nghia X. Nguyen, was not present to comment.

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Twitter: @newsterrier 

Photo: Minh Tran, left, of Westminster and Lamar Smith of West Covina are seen through Tran's gay pride flag Monday as they join the Coalition of Vietnamese American Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender in protesting reported exclusion of the LGBT community from this weekend's Tet Parade in Little Saigon. Credit: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

Latinos to surpass whites for first time since California statehood

For the first time since California became a state in 1850, Latinos will surpass whites as the largest ethnic group by 2014, according to demographic numbers released Thursday.

The state Department of Finance estimates that by the middle of this year, whites and Latinos will each represent about 39% of California population, with Latinos reaching a plurality soon after that.

Officials expected that by 2060, Latinos will make up 48% of the state’s population. Asians will make up 13% of the population, and blacks 4%.

As the white baby boomer population moves into retirement, Latinos and Asians will play an even bigger role in the state’s labor force, according to the state report.

In 2030, there will be 9.6 million Latinos in the prime working ages of 25 to 64; whites will have 7.2 million and Asians will have 3.1 million, the report said. By 2060, there will be 12.1 million Latinos in that working group, compared to 7.4 million whites and 3.2 million Asians.

Experts said these shifts will bring fundamental changes to the demographics of the workplace, as many baby boomers – the majority of whom are white –retire.

“This should serve as a wake-up call and appreciate how the older generation needs the younger generation,” said USC demography and urban planning professor Dowell Myers.

The more educated and prosperous this younger generation is, the more they can contribute to California tax base as the baby boomers’ contributions decrease, Myers said.

“Without the babies born to those immigrant mothers, we would really be in deep trouble,” he added.

Myers and other said the projections underscore the importance of education in helping the future workforce be as productive as possible.

The report also predicted a significant age gap among different ethnic groups.

By 2030 there will be 7.2 million Latinos under the age of 25 compared to 2.2 million who will be 65 or older. By comparision, 4.1 million of the white population will be 65 or older and 3.8 million will be less than 25 years old.

The rise of California’s Latino population has been apparent for decades. And news that they will surpass whites in total population has been predicted for some time.

Central Valley farm region reacts to Obama immigration reform

Kern County supported Mitt Romney by one of the state’s most lopsided margins, and its local congressman, Kevin McCarthy, is the majority whip and a hard-line conservative.

Yet the area is heavily dependent on the farming industry, which has hailed the latest immigration reform proposals.

The division was evident in the lunch crowd at Cope’s Knotty Pine Cafe in Bakersfield, where patron Randy Hubble said the nation’s estimated 11 million illegal immigrants don’t need a path to citizenship -- they need to be sent home.

“It’s pretty simple. Put them on the bus, and put them back where they came from,” said Hubble, 55, who works in construction. Hubble’s friend, Don, who would only give his first name, agreed: “We already have an immigration law, and we need to enforce it. That’s the end of the conversation, really.”

If McCarthy supports a version of Obama’s plan, he will alienate voters like Hubble.

But the views of other Knotty Pine diners, even those who identified themselves as strong Romney supporters, were more nuanced.

Kyle Steinberg, a Caltrans supervisor and a Republican who voted for Romney, said he could support a path to citizenship as long as immigrants became part of mainstream America and don’t cling to their native cultures.

“If they’re here, that’s fine," Steinberg said. "They just need to accept our way of life and not try to make this into Mexico.”

Obama immigration reforms garner skepticism, indifference, hope

At El Gallo Giro restaurant at Florence Avenue and Pacific Boulevard in Huntington Park, Obama’s immigration reform speech interrupted a celebrity talk show playing on a Spanish television station.

The restaurant, with tables and chairs matching the colors of the Mexican flag, is at the center of a large retail strip catering to Latino immigrants. At the back of the restaurant is a shrine to the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Yet as President Obama outlined his plan for sweeping change for immigrants, few in the sparse lunchtime crowd paid attention. Only one man seemed interested.

Felipe Velasquez, 56, said he labored for several years as an agricultural worker in Arizona after crossing illegally into the country in the early 1980s. He received legal papers in the immigrant amnesty of the late 1980s and immediately left agriculture for Los Angles and construction and factory work.

“I like the idea,” he said, watching Obama on the restaurant’s screen. “It’s correct. I agree with it. It’ll help people legalize, but jobs will still be hard to find because of the economy.

“People come here thinking it means a future. It’s a fantasy,” Velasquez said. “The only ones who do well are banks and big companies. The rest of us struggle all our lives to get ahead.”

In eastern Los Angeles County, the owner of a trash hauling company said broad legalization would hurt his business and other enterprises that have come to depend on low-cost labor that is not in a position to demand higher wages or benefits.

"Once they’re legal, I’m going to lose half my guys,” said the employer, who asked not to be identified to avoid offending his several dozen workers, most of whom are illegal.

The employer, whose parents were both illegal immigrants from Mexico, said he’s tried to hire citizens and legal residents, spending $50,000 a year for a while on help-wanted ads.

“It doesn’t happen,” he said, surveying a lot of aluminum cans. “People show up wanting full benefits and stuff. I can’t compete.”

For a legalization program to work, he said, “they need to give employers a way to sponsor these guys” in guest-worker programs, he said. “We need to bring in people who want to work."

Angelica Salas, director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), applauded Obama for leading on a tendentious issue.

“He is very clearly embracing the path to citizenship for 11 million undocumented workers,” she said. "I'm enthusiastic."

Obama has set records in deporting illegal immigrants, she said. “We’ve been unbalanced in our approach,” she said. With his speech, “he’s really pushing an agenda that is much more compassionate for workers.”

Salas said she hoped a reformed system would allow expanded visas for immigrants from poorer countries neighboring the United States. “There’s very little access for low-wage worker visas for service industry or agriculture. Getting in the back of the line, that would be great. For some people there is no line. There is no chance for them under the current legal system to come in legally and stay legally.”

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Photo: Felipe Velasquez talks about the potential for immigration reform Tuesday as President Obama speaks on television at El Gallo Giro in Huntington Park. Credit: Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times

Obama immigration reforms draw varied responses

In Escondido, a northern San Diego County working-class city known for its tough immigration enforcement efforts, residents from across the political spectrum expressed support for President Obama's immigration reforms, saying the status quo was not working.

At Del’s Barbershop, self-identified conservative Republicans got haircuts while immigrant women pushing baby strollers walked by the fluttering American flag outside. Several customers backed citizenship for youngsters brought illegally to the U.S. as children, and said a path to citizenship for others should be considered, so long as the conditions are strict.

Vincent Gazzara, 70, a retired administrator, was like several who backed citizenship for those youngsters and added that a path to citizenship for others should be considered, as long as conditions are met.

“Anyone applying for citizenship should pay a penalty," he said. “If you don’t respect our laws then you should pay the consequences.”

David Hopkins, 72, a former probation officer, said illegal immigrants should be required to take American civic and history lessons, so they learn, among other things, that “Pancho Villa was not a hero.”

“I get upset with Mexicans that don’t understand American history and the ideas of our founding fathers,” Hopkins said.

There was broad support for a Escondido’s tough enforcement program that allows federal immigration agents to team with Escondido police to identify illegal immigrants with criminal records. The city is one of the few in the country that permits federal agents to respond to traffic stops, and the program has resulted in hundreds of illegal immigrants being placed in deportation proceedings.

An illegal immigrant mother of three walking outside the barber shop said she doesn’t drive in the city because she fears getting pulled over at one of the city’s traffic checkpoints. Immigration reform is a must, said the woman, who was willing to only provide her first name, Maria.

She found common ground, though, with some of the hard-line Escondido residents who were opposed to criminals gaining citizenship. “I tell my friends that everyone should get the opportunity to apply for citizenship but there must be conditions. They can’t be pushed through really fast. They need to check people’s backgrounds thoroughly.”

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Maternity hotel opponents protest as court hearing is postponed

About a dozen protesters chanting “Not here, not anywhere” marched in front of a San Bernardino County courthouse Thursday morning as a judge prepared to hear arguments over whether to shut down an alleged Chino Hills maternity hotel.

The Chino Hills facility appears to have ceased operating, but city officials are seeking a court order to shut it down permanently. On Thursday, Superior Court Judge Keith Davis gave the city more time to serve papers on one of its owners, Hai Yong Wu.

John Cotti, an attorney for the city, said Wu may be in China. He said he recently made contact with Wu’s attorney, though neither Wu nor his attorney were in court Thursday.

Davis extended a temporary restraining order against the alleged hotel and scheduled the next hearing for Feb. 19.

The hilltop mansion on Woodglen Drive allegedly housed women from China who traveled to California to give birth so their babies would be American citizens.

In a Dec. 7 court filing, Chino Hills officials describe a seven-bedroom house divided into 17 bedrooms and 17 bathrooms, with mothers and their babies staying in 10 of the rooms.

The owners did not obtain permits to remodel the property, nor were they allowed to operate a business in a residential zone, the complaint stated. City officials who inspected the home said conditions inside were dangerous, with exposed wiring, missing smoke alarms and holes in the bedroom floors.

DMV report adds to debate on licenses for illegal immigrants

A recently released Department of Motor Vehicles report is adding fuel to the debate over whether illegal immigrants should be eligible for drivers' licenses.

Unlicensed drivers in California — the vast majority of whom are illegal immigrants — are nearly three times as likely to cause a fatal crash as licensed drivers, according to the study.

The report suggests that merely meeting the modest requirements necessary to get a license — passing a written exam and driving test — could improve road safety and help reduce the several thousand fatalities that occur in the state each year.

"If you don't hold people accountable to acceptable standards, then we get people that aren't prepared and don't have the skill set," said Tyler Izen, president of the Los Angeles Police Protective League.

Immigrant rights groups say granting such licenses would reduce fatalities and costly uninsured motorist claims. Insurance companies paid out $634 million in claims for collisions related to uninsured motorists in 2009, according to the most recent data from the state.

Villaraigosa presses for immigration reform in Washington speech

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was back in the nation’s capital Monday, delivering a high-profile speech in support of overhauling immigration laws but sidestepping questions about his future once his mayoral term ends.

"I'm focused on the job I've got and want to finish as strong as I can," he told a National Press Club audience. When asked if he would serve in the Obama administration after his term ends June 30, he said,  "When I’m asked, I’ll answer the question.

"The sun may be setting on my administration, but I'm not riding off into the sunset just yet," the mayor said. Indeed, Villaraigosa is due to return to Washington at the end of the week for a press conference with other mayors calling for tougher gun laws.

VIDEO: Watch the mayor's speech

Villaraigosa called for comprehensive immigration legislation that includes a path to citizenship for the 11 million people in the United States unlawfully. Illegal immigrants would have to undergo background checks, show English language skills and American civics knowledge, and pay back taxes before they could be processed for legal status under his proposal. The overhaul, he said, should include an effective employment verification system and "smart enforcement."

Maternity hotels help women give birth in U.S. [Google+ hangout]

Times immigration reporter Cindy Chang will join city editor Shelby Grad at 2 p.m. today in a Google+ hangout to discuss "maternity hotels," which cater to pregnant women from Chinese-speaking nations who want an American-citizen newborn.

The women pay as much as $20,000 to stay in the facilities during the final months of pregnancy, then spend an additional month recuperating and awaiting the new baby's U.S. passport. U.S. citizenship will allow some of the children to return to the U.S. to take advantage of free public schools and low-interest student loans. Parents may also be able to piggyback on the child's status and apply for a green card when the child turns 21.

From Chang's Friday article: 

Many of the hotels operate in violation of zoning laws, their locations known mainly to neighbors who observe the expectant mothers' frequent comings and goings.

Such was the case in Chino Hills, where residents recently protested an alleged maternity hotel operating in a hilltop mansion. City officials have sued the property owner, claiming that the seven-bedroom house was illegally subdivided with 17 bedrooms and 17 bathrooms, with at least 10 mothers and babies living there. San Gabriel officials shut down a similar facility in 2011, and Chino Hills officials hope their lawsuit will result in a similar outcome.

Critics also cite safety concerns surrounding the largely unregulated industry. A local attorney says he is representing a maternity hotel in a case where a baby was dropped and died. The California Department of Public Health also is investigating a case that may involve maternity hotels, said a spokesman who said he could not provide further details.

Federal immigration authorities say no law prevents pregnant women from entering the country. The women typically travel on tourist visas and return home with their newborns, who will have the option of coming to the U.S. for schooling, sometimes while the parents remain in Asia. American citizenship is also considered a hedge against corruption and political instability in the children's home countries. For some, giving birth in the U.S. staves off hefty fines under China's one-child policy.

Maternity hotels have proliferated in the last decade as mainland China's new middle class tries to give its offspring every advantage. But birth tourism is not limited to Chinese and Taiwanese nationals. South Korean and Turkish mothers are also reported to pay thousands of dollars for package deals that include hotel rooms and assistance with the visa process.

Since the publicity surrounding the Chino Hills case, Los Angeles County officials have received at least two dozen complaints, mostly regarding sites in Rowland Heights and Hacienda Heights. Curt Hagman, a Republican Assemblyman from Chino Hills, said he is looking into whether state government can play a role in addressing the issue.

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