How one video changed the story of a fatal beating

There was more fallout Thursday as reaction continued to the blockbuster news regarding César Chávez, but other stories rose to the fore too. Here’s a rundown:

Accusations of excessive force have dogged federal officials during the Trump administration. The situation, however, is not new – take Anastasio Hernández Rojas, who died in 2010 after an encounter with local border officers. Long before the citizen activists who are bearing witness today, one woman heard the man’s screams and turned on her camera. Our partner, Capital and Main, shares the story about how her video has kept the pursuit of justice alive for Hernández Rojas’ family.

Decades earlier, another woman stepped up, this time for the Japanese children who were among her patrons at a San Diego library. Our Brooke Binkowski recalls Clara Breed, the librarian who gave them a voice after their families were sent off to internment camps during World War II. 

San Diego’s water authority announced a massive, two-decade deal to sell surplus water that will net the agency $40 million upfront. But could it lower water costs? One official called it “a win for San Diego ratepayers.” 

Finally, if longevity is on your mind and you’ve chosen San Diego County as your home, good call. Our local average life expectancy, it turns out, exceeds that of California and the U.S. We have more from the county’s report – including which local city tops the county in life expectancy, at a ripe old 87.

Thoughts? Opinions? Share them with us at news@timesofsandiego.com.