Where in the World is San Diego’s Vargas?
At the beginning of the 1980s, an American company called Broderbund created an “edutainment” game that sought to involve students in topics like geography and history, which eventually covered items like mathematics and English. The company’s co-founder Gary Carlston and programmer Dane Bigham came with the game idea and invited David Siefkin to write the new series. Three decades later the project turned into a dozens of Emmy awards winning franchise that also includes TV series, books, five million copies of games sold worldwide and live performances. Netflix has plans to launch a new series in 2019.
Siefkin invented the game’s main character Carmen Sandiego —a villain and international master thief who left the fictitious ACME Detective Academy to create the Villains International League of Evil, or VILE — inspired by Carmen Miranda, a Brazilian singer who became the first Latin American artist to become successful in the United States, as well as our neighboring city of San Diego.
My hopes are that someone, with the usage of GPS and other technology, develops a game that allow Imperial Valley residents to know where their Congressman is and, more importantly, when he’s coming back to meet his constituents.
After reviewing archives and our lawmaker’s Facebook page one can come to the conclusion that Juan Vargas has not been in the Valley since he brought then-Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to El Centro in June of last year.
In the past 12 months our congressman has introduced several bills at the House of Representatives that are somehow significant to our region, like the California New River Restoration Act of 2017, the Imperial Valley Desert Conservation and Recreation Act and the Building Bridges Not Walls Act, among others. He has also reintroduced a bill to support deported veterans and joined a group of close to 200 lawmakers in a lawsuit against President Donald Trump for alleged violations of the Foreign Emoluments Act. Unfortunately, I knew about the filing of the lawsuit through the office of Los Angeles Democratic Representative Ted Lieu.
Recently, Vargas met with deported veterans living in Tijuana along with a group of fellow congressmen. He has also been in Chula Vista, National City, Sacramento, Washington and, of course, San Diego, holding different public activities.
In the meantime, at the local level Vargas’ co-legislator Duncan Hunter Jr., a Republican himself, attended a ceremony at the Imperial County fairgrounds to raise funds for families of fallen law enforcement agents.
As the District 79 Assemblyman Vargas visited the Valley on a more constant basis that he has done in the last 12 months. In fact, I clearly recall a press conference held by the then-state lawmaker in April 2006 in Calexico. A month earlier he was in El Centro and in May denounced Congressman Bob Filner in an event held at the steps of our County Superior Courthouse. Back then Vargas set his sights on winning the congressional primary election to defeat Filner, but to no avail.
Actually, although many said Filner was disgusted with representing Imperial Valley after the 2000 redistricting that put our county within his jurisdiction, the former San Diego Mayor visited our region on a very constant basis, with most of the events announced with days of anticipation.
A few days ago the Congressman launched a survey asking his constituents for their ideas of community events that resulted in holding an immigration forum in San Diego.
It is true Vargas has a local resident to represent him in the Valley, but for constituents and voters it is not the same than talking straight to their representative in Washington.
I must admit I don’t miss Carmen Sandiego, but I can truly let readers know I miss my “Favorite Congressman” as Filner jokingly called himself whenever we met.