Madeleine Bair

How fraudsters are preying on immigrants seeking legal support Not yet subscribed? Click here to sign up for our weekly emails.  The Weekly Dispatch Community-powered immigration news from the Bay Area. Welcome to El Tímpano’s Weekly Dispatch. I’m Erica Hellerste...

In today's Weekly Dispatch, @ehellerstein.bsky.social reports on the rise in scams targeting immigrants seeking legal help—where fraudsters pose as legitimate attorneys, make false promises and charge for services that may never be delivered.

www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/h...

“It may be too late”: How Oakland addresses lead contamination puts children at risk, medical experts say Lead in homes should be identified before, not after, children suffer from lead poisoning, according to pediatricians.

Pediatricians say lead in homes should be identified before children suffer from lead poisoning. @jas-aguilera.bsky.social reports on a new model Oakland is considering that prioritizes proactive inspections of rental units to test for lead and other hazards. www.eltimpano.org/english/heal...

Proposed food stamp cuts could hit Latino and immigrant families hard in California Community-powered immigration news from the Bay Area.

In today's newsletter @eltimpano.bsky.social, I unpack what federal cuts to food stamps could mean for tens of thousands of Latino & immigrant communities across CA who rely on CAlFresh:

www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/p...

Thank you so much for featuring our work! You can subscribe to the newsletter here 😜

eltimpano.us17.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=...

California’s Immigrants may pay the price if Medicaid funding is cut Were you forwarded this email? Click here to subscribe.  The Weekly Dispatch Community-powered immigration news from the Bay Area. A big thank you to everyone who has shared this newsletter with frien...

This week's newsletter @eltimpano.bsky.social is abt what potential Medicaid cuts could mean for members of our community in the Bay.

I crunched the #s abt how many ppl in the East Bay have gained coverage under the Medi-Cal expansion for undocumented immigrants:

www.eltimpano.org/newsletter/c...

New rules aim to protect California farmworkers after extreme heat cut last year's work short Now, farmworkers in Contra Costa County look anxiously ahead to March.

Between 1/3 to 1/2 of all farmworkers nationwide are in CA, a state at the frontlines of the climate crisis. As climate change intensifies extreme weather across CA, the workers powering its $50 billion annual ag industry are struggling with the fallout

My latest www.eltimpano.org/english/new-...

Next Tuesday, @ehellerstein.bsky.social will be moderating a live @kalwradio.bsky.social panel convo on how Bay Area orgs are adapting and organizing in response to rapidly changing immigration policies. Bring your questions, concerns, and hopes!

Free RSVP: www.eventbrite.com/e/the-bay-ag...

Under the new Trump administration, El Tímpano launches new guidelines to try to protect sources - Poynter El Tímpano staff speaks with Poynter about its new source protection guidelines that have three components: source protection and informed consent, limited identification policy and enhanced in-person...

Thanks @poynterinstitute.bsky.social for highlighting @eltimpano.bsky.social's work and approach to protecting immigrant sources. Also v strange to be the subject of a lede for once 😅

www.poynter.org/ethics-trust...

‘Panic benefits Ice’: local newsrooms fight back as immigrants face misinformation As rumored raids fuel anxiety about mass deportations, outlets are offering resources and debunking falsehoods

How local, independent newsrooms across CA are combatting misinformation, featuring @eltimpano.bsky.social alongside @missionlocal.org @citysidejournalism.bsky.social & the Central Valley Journalism Collab.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

the federal government is being disemboweled and you’d never know it.

As the more mainstream press continues to flail on this story, Wired is all fucking over it.

Oakland renters at risk of lead exposure asked, "What are our rights?" Eight of the most common renter's rights questions that came up in El Tímpano's investigation on lead exposure.

Landlords have a legal duty to protect renters from lead exposure. So what can renters do if lead is found? @cgaribay.bsky.social answered our community’s top questions about what steps to take to protect themselves. www.eltimpano.org/health/oakla...

We don’t know what immigration policy Trump will change, but we know how he will do it Court challenges could slow executive actions, but also sow confusion. Here is what to remember about how quickly immigration policy will change beginning Jan. 20.

Executive actions on immigration can take effect immediately—but are often tied up in court battles. Experts warn this back-and-forth creates chaos for immigrants caught in the system. @jas-aguilera.bsky.social explains what we can expect after Trump's inauguration.
www.eltimpano.org/immigrant-ri...

"Strength" and "Uncertainty" / "Fortaleza" y "Incertidumbre" Immigrants confront uncertainty ahead of another Trump administration. / Los inmigrantes enfrentan incertidumbre ante otra administración de Trump.

As we wait for the first exec orders on immigration, @eltimpano.bsky.social's newsroom is keeping our focus on those who will be most impacted.
www.eltimpano.org/reporting/ph...

How El Tímpano plans to meet this moment With immigrant communities and the free press under attack, El Tímpano’s work is more important than ever. This is how we plan to meet the moment.

Do not underestimate the vital role of immigrant media, as well as the immense challenges we are confronting at this time.
This is how @eltimpano.bsky.social plans to meet this moment.
www.eltimpano.org/inside-el-ti...

Oh wow, I did not know this!

Quick note: I'm now covering immigration @eltimpano.bsky.social in addition to labor. l'll continue covering both beats from an accountability + systems lens.

Bay Area folks, if you have immigration-related tips/stories you think I should cover, you know where to find me: ehellerstein@eltimpano.org

Cultural healing in the fields of Half Moon Bay In Half Moon Bay, an innovative music class led by the son of music royalty helps farmworkers cope with trauma.

Beautiful & important story on farm workers' mental health, music, and culturally accessible treatment, by El Tímpano's @ehellerstein.bsky.social
www.eltimpano.org/labor/cultur...

Oakland corruption probe: Duong family supported Sheng Thao to rake in taxpayer funds, prosecutors say - NewsBreak OAKLAND — In a bombshell court filing, Alameda County prosecutors have accused a powerful Bay Area family of supporting Sheng Thao’s successful run for mayor in 2022 with the expectation that they’d g...

Hot fucking damn this story. Who in Oakland politics isn't involved?
share.newsbreak.com/abihji6j?s=i16

Have you read Space is the Place? One of my favorite biographies, might help with the listening experience.

archive.is/d7a5o

Incredible (and infuriating) reporting by @cgaribay.bsky.social on lead and other all-too-common health hazards in Oakland rental homes.
A case study in reporting that uses a systems lens to examine what's behind a seemingly intractable crisis and what solutions could make a difference. 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

Oakland's Lead Funding Sits Untouched as Residents Face Exposure | KQED Despite winning millions in settlement money from paint companies, the City of Oakland has stalled on using the funds to address its lead issues.

🔊On today's episode of @kqednews.bsky.social's The Bay, our reporters @cgaribay.bsky.social and @jas-aguilera.bsky.social spoke about their recent investigation into Oakland's lead crisis, and why the city of Oakland has still not used millions of lead settlement funds. www.kqed.org/news/1201609...

Hi! For those who don't know me, I'm the senior housing reporter for @eltimpano.bsky.social — more specifically I cover how housing issues impact Latino and Mayan immigrants in the Bay Area. To talk about housing related issues, tips questions, etc reach me at cgaribay@eltimpano.org!

“Anything less than action by the city of Oakland immediately is a dereliction of their public duty to children.”
The latest on Oakland's lead crisis by @jas-aguilera.bsky.social & @cgaribay.bsky.social

If you're in the Bay and want to dig into some of the structural issues contributing to the current state of our info ecosystem, come to The New Parkway tmrw, Nov 19.
The screening of Stripped for Parts will be followed by a Q&A. Join us!
www.thenewparkway.com/upcomingeven...

Home El Tímpano—Spanish for “eardrum”—informs, engages, and amplifies the voices of Latino and Mayan immigrants of Oakland and the wider Bay Area.

👋🏼Hi, we're El Tímpano—a civic media organization designed with and for the Bay Area's Latino & Mayan immigrants.

We produce news in Spanish, Mam, and English, via SMS, videos, on the streets, and online at www.eltimpano.org
We're glad to join you here.

Toward equitable models of journalism sustainability In a dire year for media, lessons learned on how an outlet serving low-income immigrants defied the odds

I ✍️about the news industry's inequitable biz models, and our search for an alternative. It's a topic that has kept me up many a night in the journey toward sustainability for
El Tímpano, and one I'm focusing my JSK Stanford Fellowship on.
jskfellows.stanford.edu/toward-equit...

ALERT: This is an emergency — but for English speakers only - El Tímpano Despite the Bay Area’s vast diversity and the frequency of natural disasters, Alameda and Solano Counties only send out alerts in English, leaving more than one in ten local residents at risk of mis...

Will it take a disaster for Alameda County to make their emergency alerts accessible to the 46% of residents who speak a language other than English at home? That’s the question El Tímpano’s latest story leaves me asking.
www.eltimpano.org/public-safet...

What El Tímpano learned training 100+ Latino immigrants on disinformation defense - El Tímpano Five key lessons from our work designing and facilitating workshops and informing communities impacted by targeted disinformation

Since 2021, El Tímpano has partnered with local grassroots orgs and nat’l disinfo experts to design and facilitate disinformation defense workshops with & for Latino immigrants. 

As more orgs work to address mis/disinfo, we want to share 5 lessons we've learned. 

www.eltimpano.org/inside-el-ti...