9/4/02

LC020904

VAL ZAVALA>> ON LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT --

JESS MARLOW>> DNA HAS PROVEN TO BE AN INCREDIBLE TOOL FOR TRACKING DOWN CRIMINALS UNLESS THE POLICE MAKE THE MISTAKE OF THROWING AWAY THE EVIDENCE.

KAREN POMER>> IT'S IMPORTANT TO PRESERVE EVIDENCE IN RAPE CASES BECAUSE THERE YOU COULD GET A MATCH. I MEAN, YOU COULD ALWAYS FIND WHO THE RAPIST IS AND THAT'S THE ONLY WAY SOMETIMES TO GET A CONVICTION.

VAL>> AND WE'LL TALK WITH THE NEW DIRECTOR OF THE PEACE CORPS. GADDI VASQUEZ IS AN ORANGE COUNTY MAN AND ALSO THE FIRST LATINO TO SERVE IN THAT POST.

JESS>> AND THEN THE HARSH REALITIES OF BEING A CHILD AND A MOTHER. YOU'LL MEET THREE PREGNANT TEENS FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TO SEE HOW THEY DEAL WITH IMPENDING PARENTHOOD. SO MUCH IS AT STAKE FOR THEM AND FOR THEIR BABIES.

VAL>> THESE STORIES COMING UP NEXT ON LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT.

LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE FOLLOWING FOUNDATIONS:

THE L.K. WHITTIER FOUNDATION
DEDICATED TO IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE BY SUPPORTING INNOVATIVE ENDEAVORS IN THE FIELDS OF MEDICINE, HEALTH, SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.

AND THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT
THE STATE'S LARGEST HEALTH FOUNDATION SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS THAT DIRECTLY IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF CALIFORNIA'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT, A PARTNER FOR HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES.

VAL>> GOOD EVENING, I'M VAL ZAVALA.

JESS>> AND I'M JESS MARLOW.

DNA MAY BE THE GREATEST TOOL FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT SINCE POLICE LEARNED HOW TO USE FINGERPRINTS, SO WHY WOULD ANY POLICE AGENCY EVER THROW AWAY THE DNA EVIDENCE FROM AN UNSOLVED CASE? TONIGHT YOU'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT.

VAL>> IT HAPPENED NOT LONG AGO IN LOS ANGELES WHEN THE LAPD TOSSED OUT THE DNA FROM ABOUT 1,100 RAPE CASES. BUT AS GAY YEE REPORTS, THAT'S JUST PART OF THE PROBLEM.

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GAY YEE>> THESE WOMEN SAY THEY'VE BEEN VICTIMIZED TWICE. ONCE BY THE ATTACKERS WHO RAPED THEM AND THEN AGAIN BY LOS ANGELES POLICE WHO THREW AWAY THE CRUCIAL DNA EVIDENCE IN MORE THAN A THOUSAND UNSOLVED RAPE CASES.

KAREN POMER>> IT'S THE ONLY WAY SOMETIMES TO GET A CONVICTION. I MEAN, FOR INSTANCE, IN MY CASE, MY RAPIST, THE ONLY WAY I KNEW WHO HE WAS WAS BECAUSE THERE WAS DNA. BECAUSE BY THE TIME WE GOT TO COURT SIX YEARS AFTER MY RAPE, THIS MAN HAD PUT ON OVER A HUNDRED POUNDS AND NONE OF THE VICTIMS COULD RECOGNIZE HIM. SO IF IT WASN'T FOR A DNA MATCH IN A RELATED CASE TO MINE, I WOULD TO THIS DAY NOT KNOW WHO MY RAPIST WAS.

GAY YEE>> KAREN POMER FIGHTS ON BEHALF OF RAPE SURVIVORS AS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE RAINBOW SISTERS PROJECT.

KAREN POMER>> MY WHOLE THING WAS TO GET THIS MAN WHO DIDN'T JUST RAPE ME, BUT HE RAPED OTHER WOMEN AS WELL, INCLUDING AN 83-YEAR-OLD WOMAN WHILE HE HAD HER 85-YEAR-OLD HUSBAND IN THE TRUNK OF THE CAR. FOR THREE HOURS, HE RAPED HER. I COULDN'T LIVE WITH THAT. WITH THIS MAN, AS LONG AS HE WAS OUT, HE WAS RAPING AGAIN.

GAY YEE>> THE LAPD SAYS IT NOW HAS A MORATORIUM ON DISPOSING DNA EVIDENCE IN RAPE CASES.

SGT. JOHN PASQUARIELLO>> WE DO RECOGNIZE THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ISSUE. WITH THE ADVENT OF DNA TECHNOLOGY, OBVIOUSLY, IT'S EVEN MORE IMPORTANT AS TIME GOES ON. AS A POLICE DEPARTMENT, WE'RE ACUTELY AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND WE'RE GOING TO PRESS FORWARD AND MAKE SURE THAT THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN.

GAY YEE>> BUT THE PROBLEM GOES FAR BEYOND THE DESTRUCTION OF EVIDENCE IN UNSOLVED CASES. IN MOST INSTANCES, DNA EVIDENCE IS TESTED ONLY WHEN POLICE HAVE A NAMED SUSPECT. AS A RESULT, THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF UNTESTED RAPE KITS SITTING IN STORAGE IN THE LAPD AND SHERIFF DEPARTMENTS' PROPERTY ROOMS.

STEVE COOLEY>> THEY WAIT UNTIL THEY GET A SUSPECT THE GOOD OLD-FASHIONED WAY THROUGH, YOU KNOW, GOOD, CONSCIENTIOUS POLICE INVESTIGATION. THEN THEY USE THE DNA AS SORT OF THE CORROBORATIVE EVIDENCE, THE CONFIRMING EVIDENCE. THEY SHOULD BE USING THE DNA ANALYSIS AT THE VERY FRONT END OF THE INVESTIGATION.

GAY YEE>> L.A. COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY, STEVE COOLEY, SAYS THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES SHOULD BE TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE OF THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY.

STEVE COOLEY>> NOW THAT MEANS A LOT MORE WORK, A LOT MORE TESTING, BUT, HEY, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLES' LIVES HERE AND TERRIBLE, VICIOUS CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

GAY YEE>> JEANNIE STEPHENSON, A NURSE WITH THE SEXUAL ASSAULT RESPONSE TEAM AT CALIFORNIA HOSPITAL, KNOWS THAT MUCH OF THE EVIDENCE SHE COLLECTS WILL NEVER BE CHECKED.

JEANNIE STEPHENSON>> THIS IS AN INTENSE EXAM. AT THREE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING, YOU HAND THIS KIT OVER AND YOU THINK I HOPE THEY'RE GOING TO OPEN THIS KIT BECAUSE I SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON IT. BUT THE REALITY IS THAT ONLY TWO PERCENT OF YOUR KITS ARE GOING TO BE OPENED.

GAY YEE>> BUT MOST RAPE SURVIVORS ARE UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT, WHEN THEY GO TO THE HOSPITAL, THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE THAT'S GATHERED WILL BE TESTED IMMEDIATELY.

JERI ELSTER>> I IMAGINED IT WOULD BE LIKE WHAT WAS ON TV. IT WOULD BE RUSHED TO A MICROSCOPE AND TESTED RIGHT AWAY. I REALLY JUST THOUGHT WE'D KNOW WHO IT WAS.

GAY YEE>> JERI ELSTER WAS RAPED BY A MAN WHO BROKE INTO HER HOUSE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. THAT WAS BACK IN 1992, BUT NOTHING HAPPENED WITH THE CASE FOR YEARS.

JERI ELSTER>> I WAS TOLD OVER AND OVER AGAIN THAT THERE'S NO SUSPECT, THERE'S NO SUSPECT, WE'LL LET YOU KNOW. WHEN I FINALLY CALLED SEVERAL YEARS LATER, I FOUND OUT NOTHING HAD BEEN DONE.

GAY YEE>> THEN ELSTER FOUND HER OWN CLUE. A RAPIST PROFILED IN THE NEWSPAPER SOUNDED LIKE THE MAN WHO ATTACKED HER. SHE CALLED THE POLICE AND THEY TESTED THE DNA. THEY GOT A HIT, BUT IT DIDN'T POINT TO THE MAN IN THE NEWSPAPER ARTICLE. INSTEAD, THE DNA TRAIL LED STRAIGHT TO ANOTHER SUSPECT. BUT THE BREAKTHROUGH CAME TOO LATE. THE SIX-YEAR STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS IN THE CASE HAD ALREADY PASSED. IF POLICE HAD TESTED THE DNA SOONER, THEY WOULD HAVE HAD THEIR MAN.

JERI ELSTER>> IN CASES OF RAPE, I FEEL LIKE WOMEN ARE SECOND-CLASS CITIZENS, THAT THEY'RE JUST NOT REALLY TAKING THE CRIME OF RAPE VERY SERIOUSLY.

GAY YEE>> WHILE THESE RAPE SURVIVORS PROTEST THE MANY OFFENDERS LEFT UNCAUGHT, THEY ALSO WORRY ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN WRONGLY ACCUSED, PEOPLE SUCH AS HERMAN ATKINS WHO SAT IN PRISON FOR A DOZEN YEARS FOR A RAPE HE DIDN'T COMMIT.

HERMAN ATKINS>> IN MY CASE, IT WAS A TIME IN MY LIFE WHERE IT LOOKED LIKE THERE WAS NO LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL. WHEN DNA TESTING CAME ALONG AND I OBTAINED AN UNDERSTANDING OF JUST HOW IT WOULD AFFECT ME, MY CASE AND HELP ME TO OBTAIN MY FREEDOM, THEN QUITE NATURALLY, THAT LIGHT WAS VERY BRIGHT THEN.

GAY YEE>> ATKINS SAYS DNA IS THE ONLY THING THAT WON HIS FREEDOM AND, IF THE EVIDENCE HAD BEEN TOSSED OUT, HE'D STILL BE SITTING IN PRISON. THAT'S WHAT TROUBLED L.A. COUNTY DEPUTY PUBLIC DEFENDER, JENNIFER FRIEDMAN. HER OFFICE IS LOOKING BACK AT CASES WHERE DEFENDANTS MAY HAVE BEEN MISTAKENLY SENT TO PRISON AND SHE'S BEEN TOURING THE POLICE AND SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT HOLDING AREAS WHERE SOME OF THE DNA HAS BEEN BURIED.

JENNIFER FRIEDMAN>> WHEN WE GOT THERE, WHAT WE FOUND OUT WAS THAT NOT ONLY WAS A LOT OF THE EVIDENCE GONE, BUT ALSO THE EVIDENCE THAT WAS THERE WAS KEPT, SOME OF IT, ON A VERY, VERY OLD ANTIQUATED COMPUTER SYSTEM. IT WAS EVEN DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE EVIDENCE ACTUALLY EXISTED IF IT WAS THERE.

GAY YEE>> FRIEDMAN FOUND LOTS OF BICYCLES IN STORAGE AND WONDERED ABOUT POLICE PRIORITIES. SHE SAYS SHE HOPES ALL THE NEW ATTENTION DRAWN TO THE LOST EVIDENCE WILL LEAD TO REFORMS. THAT MAY COME WITH A NEW CRIME LAB FOR THE LAPD AND SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT THAT WILL OPEN BY 2005.

STEVE COOLEY>> WE COULD ACTUALLY GET THIS RIGHT IF PEOPLE DO THE BASIC MATH IN TERMS OF OUR WORKLOAD IN OUR COUNTY AND BUILD THE FACILITY TO HANDLE THAT WORKLOAD.

GAY YEE>> UNTIL THEN, KAREN POMER ISN'T GOING TO STOP FIGHTING.

KAREN POMER>> THE RAPIST TOLD ME TO SHUT UP. HE TOLD ME HE WAS GOING TO COME BACK AND KILL ME. HE WANTED ME TO FEEL ASHAMED ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO ME. I DON'T HAVE TO BUY IN TO WHAT THE RAPIST SAID. RAPISTS TELL WOMEN TO SHUT UP A LOT OF TIMES. I REFUSED.

JESS>> JOINING US NOW IS LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCILMAN, JACK WEISS, WHO'S BEEN ASKING LOTS OF QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THE LAPD'S BEEN HANDLING DNA EVIDENCE. THERE REALLY ARE TWO ISSUES INVOLVED HERE, ARE THERE NOT? FIRST, THEY DON'T TEST IT UNLESS THERE'S A SUSPECT, SO A LOT OF IT LINGERS THERE, BUT ALSO DISCARDING MUCH OF IT. BUT IN THAT CASE, WASN'T IT BECAUSE THE DETECTIVES WERE UNAWARE THAT THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS HAD BEEN EXTENDED BEYOND SIX YEARS TO TEN?

JACK WEISS>> I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT. BUT WHAT WE REALLY NEED TO DO IS TAKE A STEP BACK AND REALIZE THAT WE NEED TO CHANGE THE MINDSET OF THE WAY POLICE OFFICERS DO THEIR JOBS WHEN IT COMES TO RAPE. WE NEED TO CHANGE OUR MINDSET TOWARDS DNA EVIDENCE. YOU KNOW, RAPISTS ARE NOTORIOUS RECIDIVISTS. THEY ARE REPEAT OFFENDERS. SO A RAPE KIT THAT WE HAVE TODAY, DNA THAT WE HAVE TODAY, IS IN ALL LIKELIHOOD FROM AN INDIVIDUAL WHO WILL RAPE AND VICTIMIZE AGAIN. AND IT MIGHT ALSO BE FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS RAPED AND COMMITTED A VIOLENT CRIME PREVIOUSLY IN THE PAST.

NOW WHAT IS INTERESTING IS THAT, IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA AND IN OTHER STATES THROUGHOUT THE NATION NOW, WE'RE DEVELOPING THESE DATABASES, DATABASES OF OFFENDERS, DATABASES OF PEOPLE WHO ARE IN PRISON. YOU CAN ACTUALLY MATCH UP CURRENT DNA TO STORED DNA THAT HAS BEEN PUT IN THE DATABASE. SO YOU NEED TO CHANGE THE MIND FRAME OF POLICE FROM WHAT WE SAW IN THE PIECE, WHICH IS DO THE OLD LEGWORK FIRST AND THEN PUT THE DNA ON A SORT OF THE KICKER AT THE END, TO DO THE DNA FIRST. BECAUSE IF YOU CAN TAKE ONE OF THESE OFFENDERS OFF THE STREETS, YOU'RE NOT JUST SOLVING ONE CRIME, YOU'RE PREVENTING FUTURE CRIMES. IT'S ALMOST GUARANTEED.

VAL>> BUT AS JESS SAID, THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS ON RAPE HAS NOW BEEN EXTENDED FROM SIX YEARS TO TEN YEARS. THAT MEANS WE CAN NOW PROSECUTE THESE RAPISTS FOR AN ADDITIONAL FOUR YEARS. IS THE EVIDENCE AT THE LAPD LAB NOW BEING HELD FOR TEN YEARS INSTEAD OF SIX?

JACK WEISS>> WELL, IT WASN'T BEING HELD UNTIL PEOPLE SUCH AS KAREN POMER AND JERI ELSTER AND I AND OTHERS ON THE COUNCIL CALLED THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND INSISTED THAT THEY NOT DESTROY ANY MORE RAPE KITS. YOU KNOW, YOU'VE HEARD AN ESTIMATE THAT 1,100 PIECES OF EVIDENCE HAVE BEEN DESTROYED. THAT'S JUST AN ESTIMATE, ALL RIGHT? I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S IN FACT THE FINAL NUMBER. JESS, YOU MENTIONED A FEW MOMENTS AGO THAT IT APPEARS THAT THE MAIN REASON THAT THE EVIDENCE HAS BEEN DESTROYED IS BECAUSE THE COPS --

VAL>> -- MISUNDERSTANDING ABOUT THAT.

JACK WEISS>> MISUNDERSTANDING. THE DETECTIVES DIDN'T KNOW THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS HAS CHANGED. I BELIEVE THAT THAT IS CERTAINLY THE CASE FOR SOME OF THE EVIDENCE. IT MAY NOT BE THE CASE FOR ALL OF THE EVIDENCE. THERE MAY BE QUESTIONS WE HAVE TO ASK ABOUT THE MANNER IN WHICH THE EVIDENCE IS MAINTAINED. I THINK YOUR VIEWERS SAW IN THE PIECE WE JUST WITNESSED AMPLE REASONS TO QUESTION HOW ARE WE MAINTAINING THIS EVIDENCE, SO MANY QUESTIONS ARE BEING RAISED.

JESS>> BUT THE QUESTION OF TESTING, DO WE HAVE THE FACILITIES FOR TESTING IT? IS THE CITY COUNCIL WILLING TO PROVIDE THE MONEY FOR HIRING ADDITIONAL CRIMINOLOGISTS TO TEST ALL THOSE?

JACK WEISS>> WELL, THIS YEAR ONLY A HANDFUL OF NEW CRIMINOLOGISTS WERE RECOMMENDED IN A BUDGET THAT WAS PRESENTED TO THE CITY COUNCIL. I TRIPLED THAT, SO WE'RE GOING TO HIRE --

VAL>> -- SO HOW MANY CRIMINOLOGISTS DO WE HAVE AND HOW MANY ARE YOU SAYING --

JACK WEISS>> -- WE HAVE ROUGHLY --

VAL>> -- ABOUT TWENTY-FIVE?

JACK WEISS>> -- TEN TO TWENTY-FIVE AND WE'RE GOING TO BRING ON AT LEAST A DOZEN MORE. NOW IT IS DIFFICULT TO FIND THESE PEOPLE AND IT'S DIFFICULT TO BRING THEM UP TO SPEED, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO CHANGE THE WAY WE DO BUSINESS. I MEAN, BRINGING ON FOUR MORE IS NOT ENOUGH. IF WE HAVE TO STACK THEIR SHIFTS MORNING THROUGH THE EVENING, FINE, LET'S DO IT. LET'S HAVE ALL OF THE MACHINES THAT ARE AT OUR DISPOSAL WORKING TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY TO SOLVE THESE CRIMES.

VAL>> L.A. CITY COUNCILMAN, JACK WEISS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING IN AND BRINGING US UP TO DATE. WE'LL BE FOLLOWING THIS ONE WITH GREAT INTEREST. THANKS.

JACK WEISS>> THANK YOU.

VAL>> TOMORROW ON LIFE AND TIMES, A LOOK AT THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY FOR LOCATING MISSING CHILDREN. ELECTRONIC CHIPS MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO TRACK YOUNGSTERS OVER LONG DISTANCES, BUT WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO INJECT ONE IN YOUR CHILD? THAT'S TOMORROW AT 7:00 P.M. ON LIFE AND TIMES.

JESS>> SOME FORTY YEARS AGO, PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ISSUED A CHALLENGE TO A GROUP OF COLLEGE STUDENTS. HE ASKED HOW MANY OF THEM WOULD BE WILLING TO SERVE THE CAUSE OF PEACE BY LIVING, WORKING AND TEACHING IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. THAT BECAME THE GROUNDWORK FOR THE PEACE CORPS AND, SINCE THEN, MORE THAN 165,000 YOUNG AMERICANS HAVE ANSWERED THE CALL.

VAL>> AND EARLIER THIS YEAR, PRESIDENT BUSH APPOINTED A SOUTHERN CALIFORNIAN TO RUN THAT AGENCY. GADDI VASQUEZ IS A FORMER ORANGE COUNTY SUPERVISOR AND A FORMER VICE PRESIDENT FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON. HE'S ALSO THE FIRST LATINO TO LEAD THE PEACE CORPS. GADDI, WELCOME TO LIFE AND TIMES.

GADDI VASQUEZ>> THANK YOU. IT'S GOOD TO BE WITH YOU.

JESS>> SINCE SEPTEMBER 11, THE CHALLENGES TO THIS NATION AND CHALLENGES TO THE PEACE CORPS HAVE GROWN, HAVE THEY NOT?

GADDI VASQUEZ>> THEY HAVE GROWN, BUT SO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITIES. WE'VE SEEN A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF AMERICANS WHO HAVE APPLIED FOR SERVICE IN THE PEACE CORPS AND WE'VE ALSO SEEN AN INCREASED NUMBER OF NATIONS THAT ARE REQUESTING PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS.

JESS>> INCLUDING MUSLIM NATIONS?

GADDI VASQUEZ>> THEY ARE INCLUDING MUSLIM NATIONS, ABSOLUTELY.

JESS>> IS THAT NOT WHERE THE GREATEST CHALLENGE IS?

GADDI VASQUEZ>> WELL, THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES FOR US BECAUSE I THINK THAT, MORE THAN EVER NOW, IT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE ABLE TO PUT A FACE ON AMERICA FOR OTHERS TO UNDERSTAND THAT AMERICANS ARE OF ALL COLORS, OF ALL BACKGROUNDS, OF ALL ORIGINS. I THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT WHO WE ARE, SO THE PEACE CORPS HAS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY AND HAS FORTY-ONE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN BUILDING BRIDGES, IN ADVANCING WORK ON A PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE BASIS. THE PEACE CORPS HAS MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE, AS 165,000 AMERICANS CAN ATTEST TO.

VAL>> DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT PERCENTAGE OF PEACE CORPS WORKERS -- THERE ARE 7,000 IN SEVENTY DIFFERENT COUNTRIES -- HOW MANY ARE IN MUSLIM COUNTRIES?

GADDI VASQUEZ>> RIGHT NOW, APPROXIMATELY FIFTEEN TO TWENTY OF OUR COUNTRIES ARE CURRENTLY MUSLIM COUNTRIES, BUT THERE ARE INCREASING REQUESTS FROM MUSLIM COUNTRIES FOR EITHER EXPANSION OR FOR ENTRY OR RE-ENTRY OF PEACE CORPS PROGRAMS.

JESS>> NOW THE SOVIET -- WE HAVE TO REMEMBER IT'S RUSSIA NOW -- RUSSIA HAD REJECTED A RECENT GROUP OF PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS.

GADDI VASQUEZ>> WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF HAVING DISCUSSIONS ABOUT SOME VISA ISSUES THAT EMERGED IN THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS WHERE SOME VISAS WERE NOT ISSUED, SO WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF DISCUSSING WHAT, IF ANY, PROGRAM ISSUES THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT MAY HAVE WITH THE PEACE CORPS. BUT WE CONTINUE TO HAVE A PRESENCE THERE. WE HAVE OVER THIRTY VOLUNTEERS WHO CONTINUE TO SERVE THERE AND WILL CONTINUE TO SERVE THERE.

JESS>> BUT THEIR VIEW IS THAT WE DON'T NEED YOU.

GADDI VASQUEZ>> WELL, WE'RE NOT SURE. WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT WE NEED TO COMMUNICATE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT, IF ANY, CHANGES WE NEED TO MAKE OR ANY PREFERENCES THAT COUNTRIES MAY HAVE BECAUSE IT IS NOT WITHOUT PRECEDENT THAT A COUNTRY MAY INDICATE THAT THEY WANT TO CHANGE A FOCUS OF PROGRAMS OR THEY MIGHT WANT TO GO FROM EDUCATION TO MORE EMPHASIS ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, ON SMALL BUSINESS. SO WE TRY TO MAKE THOSE ADJUSTMENTS BECAUSE WE TRY TO PLACE AMERICAN VOLUNTEERS IN COUNTRIES DOING JOBS WHERE THEY CAN MAKE THE MOST CONTRIBUTION.

VAL>> NOW YOU'RE VERY AMBITIOUS. YOU, ALONG WITH PRESIDENT BUSH'S SUPPORT, WANT TO DOUBLE THE SIZE FROM 7,000 VOLUNTEERS TO 14,000 OR 15,000 VOLUNTEERS. OVER WHAT PERIOD OF TIME AND DO YOU HAVE THE MONEY TO DO IT?

GADDI VASQUEZ>> THE PRESIDENT HAS PROPOSED A DOUBLING OF THE PEACE CORPS OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS FROM 7,000 TO 14,000. IF WE GET THE APPROPRIATIONS FROM CONGRESS, WE WILL BEGIN YEAR ONE OF A FIVE-YEAR PLAN TO EXPAND THE PEACE CORPS. WE'RE CONFIDENT THAT WE CAN DO THAT AND I SAY THAT FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS. ONE IS THAT THERE IS A CONTINUING INTEREST IN COUNTRIES TO HAVE PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS AND THAT HAS SEEN A DRAMATIC INCREASE SINCE JANUARY.

BUT AMERICANS ARE ALSO RESPONDING BECAUSE WE'VE SEEN A SEVENTEEN PERCENT INCREASE THIS YEAR OVER LAST YEAR IN THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS, OVER FORTY PERCENT INCREASE IN REQUESTS FOR APPLICATIONS, AND A NINETY-FOUR PERCENT INCREASE IN VISITS TO OUR WEBSITE OF PEACECORPS.GOV. SO I THINK AMERICANS ARE PREPARED AND WILLING TO SERVE AND I MIGHT INJECT HERE THAT NOT ALL PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS ARE YOUNG VOLUNTEERS --

JESS>> -- I MADE THE MISTAKE OF SAYING YOUNG VOLUNTEERS (LAUGHTER) AND THERE ARE SOME 82-YEAR-OLDS DOING THAT WHO WOULD HATE IT.

GADDI VASQUEZ>> (LAUGHTER) THERE ARE ABOUT SEVEN PERCENT OF OUR VOLUNTEERS OVER FIFTY YEARS OF AGE. COUPLES ARE INCREASINGLY APPLYING TO THE PEACE CORPS. SO THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL AMERICANS TO SERVE.

JESS>> YOU'VE JUST RETURNED FROM THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND WE NOTED EARLIER THAT YOU'RE THE FIRST LATINO TO HOLD THIS JOB. IS THAT A BIG ADVANTAGE WHEN YOU'RE IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC?

GADDI VASQUEZ>> WELL, IT'S A GREAT ADVANTAGE WHEN YOU WALK IN TO HAVE A MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENT OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND YOU CAN CONDUCT THE ENTIRE CONVERSATION IN ESPANOL AND HAVE GREAT DIALOGUE, GREAT COMMUNICATION. I MIGHT ADD THAT THE PRESIDENT OF THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC WAS ONE OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO WAS A BENEFICIARY AS A YOUNG MAN OF PEACE CORPS TRAINING. HE WAS RECOUNTING TO US HOW, WHEN HE WAS A YOUNG MAN, FOR THREE MONTHS HE TRAVELED EVERY SINGLE DAY TO GET HIS ENGLISH TRAINING FROM A PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER AND TODAY HE'S THE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNTRY. SO TO QUOTE HIM, HE SAID, "I LOVE THE PEACE CORPS" AND OBVIOUSLY ON A VERY PERSONAL LEVEL.

VAL>> NOW I'M GOING TO ASK YOU ABOUT YOUR PAST HERE IN ORANGE COUNTY WHICH YOU ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH OR IN CASE YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN. $1.7 BILLION DOLLAR BANKRUPTCY IN ORANGE COUNTY, THE BIGGEST IN U.S. GOVERNMENT HISTORY, YOU ENDED UP RESIGNING UNDER PRESSURE FROM A RECALL CAMPAIGN AS WELL AS, I THINK, A GRAND JURY INVESTIGATION. AND YOUR CRITICS, WHEN YOU WERE NOMINATED FOR THIS JOB, SAID YOU DIDN'T HAVE MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE, NO INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE AND NO FISCAL MANAGEMENT ABILITY. HAVE YOU DISPROVED THEM OR WHAT'S YOUR RESPONSE TO ALL THAT?

GADDI VASQUEZ>> WELL, I THINK THE ULTIMATE TEST IS WHETHER OR NOT YOU GET CONFIRMED. ONCE YOU'RE NOMINATED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, THE UNITED STATES SENATE MUST CONFIRM THE NOMINEE. AFTER QUESTIONING AND RESPONDING TO THOSE QUESTIONS ON ALL OF THOSE ISSUES THAT YOU HAVE ADDRESSED, WHICH I THINK AT LEAST TWO OF THE POINTS THAT YOU MADE WERE HISTORICALLY INCORRECT, BUT NEVERTHELESS THE FACT IS THAT THOSE WERE SCRUTINIZED, THOSE WERE EVALUATED AND ULTIMATELY THE SENATE CONFIRMED MY NOMINATION. SO I THINK THE ISSUE ABOUT THE RECALL AND THE GRAND JURY INVESTIGATION, I'M NOT SURE THAT'S TOTALLY CORRECT IN ITS ENTIRETY.

JESS>> BUT IT'S CLEAR THAT GADDI VASQUEZ HAS SOMETHING TO PROVE.

GADDI VASQUEZ>> WELL, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S MUCH ABOUT PROVING AS MUCH AS IT IS CONTRIBUTING TO A GREAT ORGANIZATION THAT HAS BUILT A TREMENDOUS LEGACY OVER FORTY-ONE YEARS WHEN 165,000 AMERICANS HAVE TAKEN TIME OUT OF THEIR LIVES TO REALLY CONTRIBUTE SOMETHING SPECIAL AND UNIQUE IN COUNTRIES OVERSEAS. WE HOPE THAT THE FUTURE WILL BRING EXPANDED OPPORTUNITY FOR AMERICANS TO CONTINUE SERVICE, BUT WE ALSO LOOK TO A PEACE CORPS IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY THAT IS MORE DIVERSE, THAT LOOKS MORE LIKE AMERICA, MORE LATINOS, MORE ASIAN-AMERICANS, MORE NATIVE-AMERICANS SERVING IN THE PEACE CORPS. THAT IS AN AREA OF IMPROVEMENT THAT WE'RE STRIVING FOR.

JESS>> BUT GOING INTO COUNTRIES -- WE'VE LEARNED THAT A NUMBER OF COUNTRIES, PARTICULARLY IN THE MIDDLE EAST, DISLIKE US INTENSELY. HAVE YOU RESERVATIONS ABOUT SENDING AMERICANS TO THOSE COUNTRIES?

VAL>> IN IRAN? SUDAN?

GADDI VASQUEZ>> WE'RE NOT IN IRAN, WE'RE NOT IN SUDAN.

VAL>> OH, I THOUGHT YOU WERE FROM THE LIST.

GADDI VASQUEZ>> NO, WE'RE NOT. WE ARE ALWAYS VERY, VERY CLEAR ABOUT PLACING SAFETY AND SECURITY OF VOLUNTEERS AT THE ABSOLUTE TOP OF THE LIST. FIRST OF ALL, THE PEACE CORPS ONLY GOES TO COUNTRIES WHERE IT IS INVITED BY THE HOST COUNTRY. ONCE WE'RE INVITED, WE CONDUCT AN ASSESSMENT AND THE TOP OF THE LIST IS SAFETY AND SECURITY. ASSUMING THAT WE CAN ASSURE THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF VOLUNTEERS, THEN WE'LL EVALUATE PROGRAM OPPORTUNITIES, EXPANSION OPPORTUNITIES, ENTRY OR RE-ENTRY, BUT SAFETY AND SECURITY IS ABSOLUTELY AT THE TOP OF THE LIST IN OUR CONSIDERATIONS. OVER FORTY-ONE YEARS, THE SAFETY AND SECURITY RECORD HAS BEEN PRETTY GOOD FOR AN ORGANIZATION THAT'S OPERATED IN 135 COUNTRIES.

VAL>> WELL, GADDI VASQUEZ, DIRECTOR OF THE PEACE CORPS, CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR NEW POST IN THIS EXCITING TIME. CONGRATULATIONS.

GADDI VASQUEZ>> THANK YOU.

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LIFE AND TIMES TONIGHT
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VAL>> EVERY PARENT KNOWS THAT HAVING A CHILD IS A LIFE-ALTERING EVENT, BUT THAT EXPERIENCE IS AMPLIFIED WHEN THE FUTURE MOTHER IS LITTLE MORE THAN A CHILD HERSELF.

JESS>> IT'S NOT A NEW PROBLEM, BUT TONIGHT YOU'RE ABOUT TO GET A FRESH LOOK AT IT THANKS TO OUR FRIENDS AT CHANNEL ONE. YOU'LL MEET THREE PREGNANT TEENS FROM SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND, AS CHANNEL ONE'S CRYSTAL GREEN REPORTS, THEY'RE ALL FACING TOUGH CHOICES THAT WILL AFFECT THEM AND THEIR BABIES FOREVER.

>> WHEN I TOOK THE TEST, I WAS SHOCKED AND I DIDN'T BELIEVE IT.

>> I WAS ALWAYS LIKE NOT BEING THE PREGNANT TYPE.

>> LIKE ONE DAY, IT'S KEEP IT, ONE DAY, ADOPT IT. KEEP IT, ADOPT IT.

CRYSTAL GREEN>> I MET SARA, VALERIE AND KARINA, TEENAGERS WITH UNPLANNED PREGNANCIES. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE WHEN YOU FOUND OUT THAT YOU WERE PREGNANT?

VALERIE>> I STARTED CRYING BECAUSE I NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD GET PREGNANT. I'D JUST SEE LIKE OTHER GIRLS GETTING PREGNANT, BUT ME, I WOULD JUST BE LIKE, WOW, IT WAS A TOTAL SHOCK.

KARINA>> MY SISTER, SINCE SHE GOT PREGNANT, IT WAS LIKE OH, I'M NOT GOING TO DO THAT. I'M GOING TO AT LEAST FINISH SCHOOL, BUT I GUESS NOT.

CRYSTAL GREEN>> DO YOU THINK RIGHT NOW YOU'RE READY TO BE A TEEN MOM?

SARA>> I'M NOT READY FINANCIALLY BECAUSE I ONLY GET A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MONEY A MONTH, SO THAT'S NOT ENOUGH TO RAISE A BABY ON.

CRYSTAL GREEN>> IT WAS NINE MONTHS AGO WHEN I FIRST MET SARA AND HER BOYFRIEND, ENRIQUE. THEY WERE FACING A DECISION OF WHETHER OR NOT TO PLACE THE BABY FOR ADOPTION. I WENT ALONG ON A DOCTOR VISIT.

ENRIQUE>> JUST SEEING THE BABY ON THE MONITOR, IT'S AMAZING (INAUDIBLE) BECAUSE I WANT TO RAISE THIS BABY WITH YOU.

CRYSTAL GREEN>> ENRIQUE IS SUPPORTING SARA NOW, BUT ONE HARSH REALITY OF TEEN PREGNANCY IS THAT, IN MANY CASES, THE FATHERS ARE OUT OF THE PICTURE BY THE TIME THE BABY ARRIVES. SO TAKE US THROUGH THE CONVERSATION YOU HAD WITH YOUR BOYFRIEND.

KARINA>> YOU KNOW, HE JUST TOLD ME, WELL, IT'S NOT MINE. I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU ANYMORE, I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO YOU ANYMORE. THEN I NEVER HEARD FROM HIM AGAIN.

CRYSTAL GREEN>> DO YOU THINK THAT HE'LL BE THERE EVEN AFTER THE BABY'S HERE?

SARA>> YES.

CRYSTAL GREEN>> PRETTY CONFIDENT?

SARA>> YES.

ENRIQUE>> I CAN DEFINITELY SEE MYSELF MARRIED TO HER. I TOLD HER I WANT TO. I STILL WANT TO GET MARRIED TO HER AND I WANT TO RAISE THIS BABY AS A FAMILY.

CRYSTAL GREEN>> TEEN MOTHERS ARE LESS LIKELY TO COMPLETE HIGH SCHOOL AND ABOUT EIGHT OUT OF TEN END UP ON WELFARE. KARINA IS HOPING TO BEAT THOSE ODDS. WHAT KIND OF MOM DO YOU THINK YOU'LL BE?

KARINA>> A MOM THAT WILL FINISH SCHOOL, HOPEFULLY (LAUGHTER), SO I COULD GET A GOOD JOB.

CRYSTAL GREEN>> THE NEXT TIME I MET WITH SARA AND ENRIQUE, HE GAVE HER SOME UNEXPECTED NEWS.

SARA>> HE'S AFRAID THAT HE DOESN'T WANT TO KEEP IT, BUT I HAVEN'T DECIDED YET.

CRYSTAL GREEN>> HOW DID THAT MAKE YOU FEEL?

SARA>> OH, SOMETIMES IT'S LIKE IT TEARS ME APART KNOWING THAT IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE BOTH WANTED AT POINTS, BUT NOW ONLY ONE OF US WANTS.

ENRIQUE>> I NEVER WANTED THIS KID AT ANY POINT. I AGREED TO KEEP IT BECAUSE I WANTED TO MAKE SARA HAPPY.

CRYSTAL GREEN>> A MUCH DIFFERENT STORY THAN WHAT HE TOLD ME JUST TWO MONTHS EARLIER. REMEMBER THIS?

ENRIQUE>> AND I WANT TO RAISE THIS BABY AS A FAMILY.

CRYSTAL GREEN>> WOULD THE SITUATION FOR SARA BE EASIER WITH FAMILY SUPPORT? NO DOUBT. BOTH KARINA AND VALERIE SAY THEY COULDN'T DO THIS WITHOUT THEIR FAMILY'S FINANCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORT. WHEN I SAW SARA A MONTH LATER, SHE HAD MADE HER DECISION ABOUT THE BABY.

SARA>> WE'RE GOING TO PUT IT UP FOR ADOPTION.

CRYSTAL GREEN>> TWO MONTHS AGO, YOUR RESPONSE WAS DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT. IT WAS I WANT TO KEEP THIS BABY AND NOW YOU'RE SAYING YOU DEFINITELY WANT TO GIVE IT UP FOR ADOPTION. WHY THE LEAP?

SARA>> PROBABLY BECAUSE I REALIZE THAT I'M NOT READY FOR THIS AT ALL.

CRYSTAL GREEN>> BY THE NEXT MONTH, SARA AND ENRIQUE HAD CHOSEN AN ADOPTIVE FAMILY. WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS FAMILY THAT MAKES THEM SO PERFECT TO RAISE YOUR DAUGHTER?

SARA>> THEY'RE JUST REALLY OUTGOING AND OPEN-MINDED. THEY TRAVEL A LOT, THEY'VE GOT WHAT I DON'T HAVE, WHICH IS MONEY IN ORDER TO HELP THIS BABY.

CRYSTAL GREEN>> IS THERE A SLIGHT CHANCE THAT YOU'LL SEE YOUR BABY AND WANT TO KEEP IT?

SARA>> A TEENY TINY ITTY BITTY CHANCE.

CRYSTAL GREEN>> THE NEXT TIME I SAW THE GIRLS WAS ON THEIR DELIVERY DAYS. KARINA'S DELIVERY WAS SO QUICK, I DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE TO MAKE IT TO THE HOSPITAL BEFORE SHE GAVE BIRTH. I MET SARA AT HER HOUSE THE MORNING HER LABOR WAS BEING INDUCED. IT WAS ALSO THE DAY SHE WOULD GIVE THE BABY TO ITS NEW FAMILY.

SARA>> I'M READY FOR THIS. I DON'T THINK I CAN PROGRAM MYSELF ANY MORE FOR WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.

CRYSTAL GREEN>> SO RIGHT NOW, IT'S JUST ABOUT MOVING ON.

SARA>> UM-HUM. MOVING ON WITH MY LIFE AND GETTING MY LIFE STARTED AGAIN.

CRYSTAL GREEN>> I TALKED TO ENRIQUE IN THE WAITING ROOM. WHERE ARE YOU AND SARA RIGHT NOW? ARE YOU GUYS STILL TOGETHER? ARE YOU BROKEN UP?

ENRIQUE>> EVERYTHING'S BROKEN UP FOR MONTHS.

CRYSTAL GREEN>> AT ONE POINT, YOU GUYS WERE TALKING ABOUT MARRIAGE.

ENRIQUE>> YEAH, WE WERE, BUT I THINK WE WERE BOTH LIVING IN A FANTASY WORLD.

CRYSTAL GREEN>> SARA'S LABOR WAS ABOUT TO GET UNDERWAY. SHE DEALT WITH THE PAIN PRETTY WELL. BUT FOR VALERIE, IT WAS A LOT TOUGHER.

>> RELAX.

VALERIE>> OH, MY GOD.

CRYSTAL GREEN>> TOMORROW ON PART TWO OF OUR SERIES, --

>> COME ON, SARA, PUSH.

CRYSTAL GREEN>> -- THE DELIVERIES, SARA'S FINAL DECISION AND WHAT LIFE IS LIKE FOR THESE TEENS AS NEW MOMS.

JESS>> AS NOTED, TOMORROW WE CONTINUE OUR REPORT WITH A LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE BABIES ARE BORN.

VAL>> THAT'S WHEN LIFE CHANGES. THAT'S OUR PROGRAM FOR TONIGHT. YOU CAN FIND TRANSCRIPTS OR LISTEN TO AUDIO OF RECENT PROGRAMS OF LIFE AND TIMES THROUGH OUR WEBSITE AT KCET.ORG.

JESS>> NOW FOR ALL OF US HERE AT LIFE AND TIMES, HAVE A GREAT EVENING.

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AND THE CALIFORNIA ENDOWMENT
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