Editorial:
It is always good to look back at the past editorials of the year, it tells us where we were and where we are going. Editorials for any newspaper are the sole of the paper, if you want to know about a newspaper, read their editorials.
Re-reading our editorials is interesting and in some cases, they gave us reason to smile.
A quick review of all the editorials it is clear that politics and elections were the most popular topics throughout the year, to the point that one editorial lamented about the overdose of special elections that the voters have had to endure. Moreover, with our political endorsements is where we have to smile, our track record with picking winners was not good! We like to think it is not always about picking a winner, but about a principal.
For example with the special election for mayor, in the primary, we had two choices David Alvarez and Mike Aguirre. Both individuals are good people, Aguirre has more experience, Alvarez is young, bright and a go-getter. Aguirre had no money, which means he had no chance, but we endorsed him over Alvarez. Alvarez is only in his 3rd year of his first term of his first political office where he promised the voters of the district that he would serve two terms, something that hasn’t happened in the 8th district for a very long time. The principal is that a political promise had been made and a promise should be kept.
There are also moral principals that have to be lived up to and this past year we were reminded of this with the scandal of mayor Bob Filner. When we endorsed Filner in 2012 we knew he had a reputation as a womanizer, we didn’t know the depths of his actions but there were other women who tried to warn us of his actions. Despite this, we still endorsed Filner and in 2013, we apologized to our readers for letting them down, we lost our moral compass when it came to that endorsement.
The Filner scandal was our second most popular topic, it was sad, and disappointing to watch this whole sordid scandal unfold.
The third most favored topic of discussion with our editorials was immigration reform.
Immigration reform got off to a fast start, in part due to the defeat at the polls in 2012 and their inability to attract Hispanic voters. Under the leadership of Florida Senator Marco Rubio, the Senate passed an immigration reform policy early on in the year that was dedicated to securing the border, but did not provide a clear path to citizenship a key component for immigration reform advocates.
Despite the Senate’s heavy emphasis on border security there was a major push by the Hispanic community to get the reform done in 2013. La Prensa San Diego took a slightly different position. Instead of accepting a deeply flawed policy we believed that the community should stand strong and demand a reform policy that meets the needs of the Hispanic and immigrant community.
Despite the editorials and commentaries across the country, the protesting, marches, sit-ins, and fasting, Congress was not moved, and sat on the legislation. There will be a push in 2014 but with it being an election year, it doesn’t look good for immigration reform.
There was the Boston Bombing which made no sense and George Zimmerman being acquitted of killing Trevyon Martin, a young black man.
We talked about Obamacare, the Republican assault on the middle-class and the near collapse of the government with 24 Republicans pushing the government to the brink.
There was Pope Francis I named the Times Magazine Man of the Year, and we saw a Gonzalez, a Hueso, and a Vargas getting elected this past year. And, now we have David Alvarez running for mayor of San Diego, he could become the first Hispanic mayor of this city.
2013 was an interesting year and now we look forward to 2014 with renewed enthusiasm as we see the Hispanic community continuing to grow as a political power and as the community matures with younger generation growing up to become the leaders of our cities and country. We can’t wait for the New Year as we watch the next chapter of the Hispanic community unfold!