KPBS Midday Edition

Meet San Diego's First Immigration Affairs Manager

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, John Carroll / General Assignment Reporter & Anchor

Published November 14, 2019 at 10:00 AM PST

This story was published more than 5 years ago.

San Diego Immigrant Affairs Manager Rita Fernandez appears in this undated photo

Meet San Diego’s First Immigration Affairs Manager

As the “build the wall” chants still rock the President Donald Trump’s rallies, San Diego has chosen a different approach to the subject of immigration.

As part of the city's five-year "Welcoming San Diego" strategic plan, the city created the position of Immigration Affairs Manager and a Chula Vista native is the first person hired for the job. Rita Fernandez comes from Los Angeles, where she was the associate director of the Office of Immigrant Affairs.

She previously worked on border and immigration issues in the office of San Diego Democratic Congressman Juan Vargas.

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Fernandez said she will work on issues ranging from education and financial literacy to assistance for small business owners and entrepreneurs.

She joined Midday Edition to talk about the challenges and opportunities of her new job.

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Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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John Carroll

John Carroll is a general assignment reporter and anchor at KPBS. He loves coming up with story ideas that are not being covered elsewhere, but he’s also ready to cover the breaking news of the day.

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