Charlene Wylie Williamson

OBITUARY

Charlene Williamson (nee Wylie) passed away peacefully on December 19, 2024, following a brief period of illness. Beloved wife, devoted mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, fierce advocate for public libraries and education of women; she will be missed.

After graduating from Hoover High, she went on to San Diego State College to major in journalism. At SDSU, she met Bob. They married in 1959 and were together to the very end.

She joined the Friends of the Oceanside Library in 1973. Neither Charlene’s life, nor the library, would ever be the same. A stalwart volunteer for the Friends, she was appointed to the Library Board of Trustees in 1988. She remained on that board for 36 years, not stepping down until January of 2024. She worked with community leaders to found the Oceanside Public Library Foundation.

She devoted countless hours to PEO and the American Association of University Women. Typical for her, she led both groups. Her work with AAUW’s Tech Trek program was a source of immense pride and passion.

Charlene is survived by her husband Bob, her children Lori Chambliss (Larry Bawdon), Scott (Debbie) and Ian (Rebecca). She is also survived by ten grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren including two who arrived this year. She was predeceased by her son Brian and his wife Happy.

Services will be held at Eternal Hills in the chapel on Wednesday, January 22 at 1:00pm. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in her name be made to the Oceanside Public Library Foundation.

Freshman guard Nat Martinez had career highs of 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists Saturday afternoon to lead San Diego State (3-4, 14-6) to a 85-66 Mountain West win at Utah State (0-6, 1-16).

Martinez, who hit her first five 3-point attempts, became the first Aztec in the Mountain West era to have at least six 3-pointers, nine rebounds and seven assists in the same game. Martinez has already earned Mountain West Freshman of the Week honors three times this season.

Point guard Veronica Sheffey had season-highs of 19 points and seven assists. Forward Kim Villalobos had 13 points and eight rebounds, and freshman guard Naomi Panganiban had 12 points. The Aztecs shot 60% (12-for-20) from 3-point range.

What San Diego and Chicago also have in common are leaders who have vowed to defy Homan by protecting undocumented migrants from deportation. The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted last month to become what one member called a “super sanctuary” community. In Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson has been reiterating in recent weeks that local law enforcement is prohibited from cooperating with federal immigration officials.

“San Diego better get the hell out of the way. We’re coming,” Homan, told a Republican group this month in Texas. “The Chicago mayor,” Homan continued, “said I am not welcome in Chicago. Well, guess where I am going to be on a day one?”

Trump’s team is planning a big immigration raid in the city starting Tuesday and continuing all week, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the planning.

While experts questioned whether the plans — dubbed Operation Safeguard, according to the New York Times — would differ dramatically from previous major actions by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the signaling right after Trump’s inauguration would be unmistakable.

The Chicago-based National Immigrant Justice Center is advising migrants to consult with an immigration attorney, memorize family phone numbers, establish an emergency contact with their children’s schools and keep all necessary documentation in a secure place.

US Representative Chuy Garcia, an Illinois Democrat, is working with churches and community groups to help immigrants understand their rights if ICE agents come calling.

“There are good reasons to expect that Chicago would be the primary target,” Garcia said. “We can expect ICE, under new leadership starting on Monday, to be targeting high visibility locations, whether it’s factories or possibly larger restaurants.”

While a flurry of executive orders on immigration and the border is expected when Trump takes office Monday, logistical details of the deportation operations have remained shrouded. Homan has signaled he’ll initially focus on deporting violent criminals, a view largely shared by Democratic leaders such as Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.

But Pritzker warned of the negative impact, including on the economy, of Homan’s gung-ho attitude.

“He seems like a blowhard to me, and I know that he’s going to go do things that really do affect people’s lives in a terribly negative way,” Pritzker said in an interview Jan. 14. “He thinks that he’s carrying out something that’s good for the country. But it’s not.”

Trump has threatened to withhold federal funding unless cities and states comply with the administration’s wishes. In Chicago, Mayor Johnson has fired back by vowing to defend his city’s immigrant community.

“I promise you we will not bend or break,” Johnson said after the November election. “Our values will remain strong and firm.”

Other cities are dealing with similar challenges while taking different approaches to the change of administration. New York Mayor Eric Adams, who was indicted on federal corruption charges in September, met with Trump on Friday as an adviser emphasized City Hall’s willingness to work with the new president.

In San Diego, by contrast, the board of supervisors last month approved a policy to bar county agencies from working with federal immigration authorities trying to carry about mass deportations.

“We should be deporting felons, not farm workers,” said Terra Lawson-Remer, one of three Democrats who voted for the measure. “We are very concerned about the specter of mass deportations that will make our communities fundamentally less safe.”

Jim Desmond, a Republican supervisor in San Diego County and the lone dissenter in the vote on the super sanctuary proposal, predicted the measure would have little impact. The county sheriff, Kelly Martinez, downplayed the new policies and said her office will continue to follow California state law.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta underlined that state law already limits when and how local authorities can work with federal immigration agents.

“Here in California we are not going to spend our time, money and resources going backward,” Bonta said at a briefing Friday. “You can be sure that as California’s attorney general, if Trump attacks the rights of our immigrants I will be there. If Trump breaks the law, we will see him in court and hold him accountable.”

It remains to be seen exactly how the threats from Homan and vows of protection from local authorities will play out in the coming weeks and months. It’s also unclear which groups of immigrants the new administration will prioritize for deportation. And federal officials face limits in staffing, money and temporary detention space.

But cities are girding for a showdown amid the uncertainty of how Trump’s crackdown will play out. Restaurants from Texas to Colorado are grappling with the uncertainty around potential deportations.

In Denver, Mayor Mike Johnston has said he’s willing to go to jail in order protect migrants in his community. Homan said he’s willing to put him there if Johnston blocks ICE agents from doing their jobs.

“Look, me and the Denver mayor, we agree on one thing — he’s willing to go to jail, I’m willing to put him in jail because there’s a statute,” Homan said in an interview with Fox News in late November. “And what it says is it’s a felony if you knowingly harbor and conceal an illegal alien from immigration authorities. It’s also a felony to impede a federal law enforcement officer.”

With assistance from Miranda Davis, Daniela Sirtori and Kate Seaman.