Republicans mindful of political risks in opposing Sotomayor
By Thomas Fitzgerald, The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 26, 2009
PHILADELPHIA — Nominations to the Supreme Court have inspired many of the nasty, defining partisan battles of the last generation in Washington, creating a whole cottage industry of interest groups on both the left and the right.
President Barack Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor, however, has the potential to quiet the usual noise.
That's because Republicans will need to tread lightly in opposing the woman who would be the first Hispanic justice, lest they risk further alienating the nation's fastest-growing group of voters.
Republicans experienced a sharp drop in Latino support in 2008, after eight years of efforts led by former President George W. Bush to increase the party's appeal. Exit polls found that Obama captured 67 percent of the Hispanic vote, running 16 percentage points better than 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry.
The GOP's image had suffered among Hispanics in part by conservatives' push for a crackdown on illegal immigration in debates during 2006 and 2007 over Bush's effort to provide a path to citizenship for undocumented workers.
"If the debate over Judge Sotomayor starts to get too negative, it could hurt the Republicans with Hispanics, and they still have an immigration debate looming," said Matt Barreto, a political scientist and pollster at the University of Washington. "They'll have to ask how important it is to block this judge, especially if she's likely to be confirmed anyway."
Eighty-one percent of Latino voters already approved of Obama's job performance in a Latino Decisions poll Barreto conducted with Pacific Market Research earlier this month.
"Republicans would be idiots for opposing her. ... It would be one more nail in the Republican image coffin," Lionel Sosa, a GOP strategist who advised Bush on Hispanic outreach, told The Associated Press.
Even Alberto Gonzales, attorney general under Bush, called the nomination a "powerful message of hope and opportunity."
Last fall's shift among Hispanics was important because it was key to the strategic realignment of the Mountain West states, for the last 25 years a part of the GOP's geographic base.
Obama flipped Colorado from red to blue on the strength of a 73 percent share of the Latino vote, and captured Nevada with 76 percent of Latino voters and New Mexico, with 69 percent. The Hispanic share of the electorate increased in all three states.
Conservative activists came out strongly against Sotomayor yesterday, denouncing her as an out-of-the-mainstream liberal who has demonstrated a willingness to legislate from the bench. They particularly seized on a clip from a Duke University forum that shows Sotomayor saying that circuit courts are "where policy is made" and past statements in which the judge said that her experiences as a Latina had affected her decisions.
"Judge Sotomayor is a liberal judicial activist of the first order who thinks her own personal political agenda is more important than the law as written," said Wendy Long, of the conservative Judicial Confirmation Network.
"She thinks that judges should dictate policy, and that one's sex, race, and ethnicity ought to affect the decisions one renders from the bench."
Citing a case in which Sotomayor ruled against a challenge by white firefighters to an affirmative action policy in New Haven, Conn., radio talker Rush Limbaugh called her a "reverse racist."
Republican senators were considerably more measured.
"Senate Republicans will treat Judge Sotomayor fairly," Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said. "Our Democratic colleagues have often remarked that the Senate is not a 'rubber stamp.' Accordingly, we trust they will ensure there is adequate time to prepare for this nomination, and a full and fair opportunity to question the nominee and debate her qualifications."
Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., the party's ranking member on the Judiciary Committee, promised a "fair and thorough examination" of the nominee's record.
Even Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., a leading conservative who said Sotomayor's writings raised questions about her commitment to judicial restraint, said he would "withhold judgment" until the hearings.
Heather Heidelbaugh, a Pittsburgh lawyer and Republican activist, said she believes it is possible to celebrate Sotomayor's historic status and also conduct a "proper examination" of her fitness to serve.
"I identify with her," Heidelbaugh said, adding that she is inspired by Sotomayor's fight against juvenile diabetes, the disease her daughter has.
At the same time, the comments at Duke raise a concern, she said.
"I prefer a judge who calls the balls and strikes and leaves the policy to the legislative branch," Heidelbaugh said.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Was Cardozo first Hispanic on bench?
Was a Hispanic Justice on the Court in the ’30s?
By NEIL A. LEWIS, NY Times, May 26, 2009
WASHINGTON — While most people may believe Sonia Sotomayor is poised to become the first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court, there has been a rich under-the-radar debate for years as to whether the court had already had a Hispanic justice.
Several people have suggested that Justice Benjamin Cardozo might properly hold the title of the court’s first Hispanic justice. Prof. Andrew Kaufman of the Harvard Law School, who is the author of a 1998 biography of Cardozo, said the debate was esoteric, complicated and, perhaps above all, amusing.
“Was Cardozo Hispanic?” Professor Kaufman asked, noting that the assertion has been prevalent on Web sites and in articles for years. “Well, I think he regarded himself as a Sephardic Jew whose ancestors came from the Iberian Peninsula.”
He said the term “Hispanic” was not commonly used during Cardozo’s lifetime and would probably have been unfamiliar to him in 1932 when President Herbert Hoover named him to the court, where he served for six years until his death.
Professor Kaufman said that although there is no documentation, Cardozo’s family, which came to America in the 18th century, always believed that its forebears had come from Portugal, not Spain. And that raises an even more recondite question: are Portuguese people Hispanic?
Most Hispanic organizations and the United States Census Bureau do not regard Portuguese as Hispanic.
But Tony Coelho, a Portuguese-American congressman from California, was a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus when he was in the House, and Representative Dennis Cardoza, Democrat of California, whose ancestors came from the Azores, a Portuguese archipelago, is still a member.
The executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, Arturo Vargas, said the contemporary political definition of Hispanic in the United States would definitely not include Cardozo. The practical definition he uses, Mr. Vargas said, includes people who are “descended from countries in the Americas” with a Spanish-language heritage. It does not even include those from Spain itself, he said.
By NEIL A. LEWIS, NY Times, May 26, 2009
WASHINGTON — While most people may believe Sonia Sotomayor is poised to become the first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court, there has been a rich under-the-radar debate for years as to whether the court had already had a Hispanic justice.
Several people have suggested that Justice Benjamin Cardozo might properly hold the title of the court’s first Hispanic justice. Prof. Andrew Kaufman of the Harvard Law School, who is the author of a 1998 biography of Cardozo, said the debate was esoteric, complicated and, perhaps above all, amusing.
“Was Cardozo Hispanic?” Professor Kaufman asked, noting that the assertion has been prevalent on Web sites and in articles for years. “Well, I think he regarded himself as a Sephardic Jew whose ancestors came from the Iberian Peninsula.”
He said the term “Hispanic” was not commonly used during Cardozo’s lifetime and would probably have been unfamiliar to him in 1932 when President Herbert Hoover named him to the court, where he served for six years until his death.
Professor Kaufman said that although there is no documentation, Cardozo’s family, which came to America in the 18th century, always believed that its forebears had come from Portugal, not Spain. And that raises an even more recondite question: are Portuguese people Hispanic?
Most Hispanic organizations and the United States Census Bureau do not regard Portuguese as Hispanic.
But Tony Coelho, a Portuguese-American congressman from California, was a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus when he was in the House, and Representative Dennis Cardoza, Democrat of California, whose ancestors came from the Azores, a Portuguese archipelago, is still a member.
The executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, Arturo Vargas, said the contemporary political definition of Hispanic in the United States would definitely not include Cardozo. The practical definition he uses, Mr. Vargas said, includes people who are “descended from countries in the Americas” with a Spanish-language heritage. It does not even include those from Spain itself, he said.
Latino to serve as Vatican Ambassador
Hispanic theologian picked as Vatican envoy
PRESS RELEASE
WASHINGTON — A Hispanic Roman Catholic theologian who advised Barack Obama's presidential campaign is the Obama administration's choice to serve as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican.
The White House announced Wednesday it plans to nominate Miguel H. Diaz, an associate professor of theology at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minn., for the post.
Diaz, 45, a Cuban-American, was a member of the Obama campaign's Catholic advisory board. Diaz was among 26 Catholics who signed a statement supporting the nomination of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, a Catholic whose support for abortion rights was criticized by conservative Catholics.
The previous ambassador to the Vatican was Mary Ann Glendon, a Harvard University professor. Glendon turned down the University of Notre Dame's top honor, the Laetare Medal, because of the Catholic school's decision to have Obama speak to graduates earlier this month.
PRESS RELEASE
WASHINGTON — A Hispanic Roman Catholic theologian who advised Barack Obama's presidential campaign is the Obama administration's choice to serve as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican.
The White House announced Wednesday it plans to nominate Miguel H. Diaz, an associate professor of theology at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University in Collegeville, Minn., for the post.
Diaz, 45, a Cuban-American, was a member of the Obama campaign's Catholic advisory board. Diaz was among 26 Catholics who signed a statement supporting the nomination of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, a Catholic whose support for abortion rights was criticized by conservative Catholics.
The previous ambassador to the Vatican was Mary Ann Glendon, a Harvard University professor. Glendon turned down the University of Notre Dame's top honor, the Laetare Medal, because of the Catholic school's decision to have Obama speak to graduates earlier this month.
Study shows Hispanic U.S. born children on rise
Report notes rise of ‘second generation’ of Hispanic children
By Juan Castillo | Wednesday, May 27, 2009
More than half of the nation’s 16 million Hispanic children are the U.S.-born sons or daughters of at least one foreign-born parent, the Pew Hispanic Center says in advance of a report due out Thursday on the rise of this second generation of Latino children.
Their foreign-born parents typically came to the United States in the immigration wave from Mexico, Central America and South America that began around 1980.
The newest figures represent a striking demographic change. In 1980, a significant majority of Hispanic children were the U.S.-born sons or daughters of U.S.-born parents.
The Pew Hispanic Center also estimates that fewer than one-in-ten of all Hispanic children are unauthorized immigrants, but a greater share of Hispanic children have one or more unauthorized parents.
Latinos now make up more than one-in-five of all children in the United States.
By Juan Castillo | Wednesday, May 27, 2009
More than half of the nation’s 16 million Hispanic children are the U.S.-born sons or daughters of at least one foreign-born parent, the Pew Hispanic Center says in advance of a report due out Thursday on the rise of this second generation of Latino children.
Their foreign-born parents typically came to the United States in the immigration wave from Mexico, Central America and South America that began around 1980.
The newest figures represent a striking demographic change. In 1980, a significant majority of Hispanic children were the U.S.-born sons or daughters of U.S.-born parents.
The Pew Hispanic Center also estimates that fewer than one-in-ten of all Hispanic children are unauthorized immigrants, but a greater share of Hispanic children have one or more unauthorized parents.
Latinos now make up more than one-in-five of all children in the United States.
Latino high school dropout top issue in San Diego
Grappling with San Diego's Latino high school dropouts
By Vince Vasquez, SDDT.COM, May 27, 2009
Over the past month educators at the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) have been trumpeting new state statistics that indicate a dramatic cut in the number of high school dropouts. Though this is good news, we shouldn't ignore the growing "Latino achievement gap" in the region.
Changing the status quo on student retention is critical, as teenagers that fall through the cracks will dramatically diminish our region's economic growth and prosperity. Adults who drop out of high school are more likely to be poor, unemployed, be in poorer health and spend time in the corrections system. A high school dropout is the loss of not only thousands of taxpayer dollars, but the loss of a young resident who will find it harder to compete in our globalized economy, where higher skills and academic degrees are required to attain high-paying employment.
On the surface the numbers from the California Department of Education tell an encouraging story. San Diego Unified School District reduced the number of high school dropouts by 490 students in the 2007-2008 academic year, slashing the 4-year dropout rate by 37 percent.
The tallies in the rest of the region are not nearly as promising. Of the 25 high school districts in San Diego County that reported to the state, nearly half (12) saw a year-to-year rise in overall student dropouts. On the whole, 6,126 students dropped out of San Diego County high schools, a figure which is essentially unchanged from last year.
Where trends appear especially bleak is the drop out rate among Latino teens. Though they make up less than half of all students in San Diego County public schools (44 percent), Latinos composed more than half (56 percent) of all county dropouts in 2007-08, a rate which increased from the previous school year. Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD), which educates more than one out of every three Hispanic high school students in the county, stood out as being especially troubled, with a 44 percent year-to-year increase in the number of Latino dropouts.
There are some proven policy options that can help address this problem. One is taking aggressive steps to increase the number of charter schools. The flexibility and diversity in teaching methods that charters encourage have been shown to help keep students in school and get them to graduation ceremonies. UC San Diego's Preuss Charter School, for example, which enrolls 758 low-income students and is 60 percent Latino, reported zero dropouts in 2007-2008. Indeed, the overwhelming majority of San Diego Unified charter high schools have lower Latino dropout rates and overall dropout rates than the district average.
Unfortunately, in this respect Sweetwater has lagged the rest of the region. There is currently only one chartered high school, MAAC Community Charter School, which focuses on at-risk students who have already dropped out of school. Another school, High Tech High Chula Vista, which opened its doors in fall 2007 and is modeled from a highly-popular educational philosophy, is not part of the district and has yet to graduate its first full class of students. The SUHSD School Board should consider setting new goals to approving charter schools, including transitioning existing high schools into charters, giving school administrators the tools they need to raise academic expectations and deliver results in the classroom.
A second problem is that too many of our high schools in this region are simply too large to meet the needs of students. Eighty-two percent of all Latino public high school students in San Diego County are currently enrolled at a high school with population of at least 1,823. At the Sweetwater District, 11 of its 12 high schools reach this size, including three with enrollments of almost 3,000. In contrast, at San Diego Unified only 27 percent of all mainstream public high schools have enrolments greater than 1,800.
Breaking down school sizes has been accomplished regionally with the aid of private dollars. With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, three historically large schools within SDUSD (San Diego High, Kearny High and Crawford High) were divided into 14 smaller schools in 2004. Eight of these 14 institutions have now posted Latino dropout rates that are lower than the district average. Cultivating higher achievement is not exclusive to San Diego; earlier this decade, New York City officials broke 12 large high schools in 47 small schools and witnessed a 38 percent graduation rate increase in 2007.
Dramatic success with either small schools or charter reforms is not guaranteed. Nor is it the only thing that needs to change. As Bill Gates stated in his Foundation's 2009 Annual Letter, the schools that failed to make a dent in graduation rates or student achievement "tended to be the schools that did not take radical steps to change the culture, such as allowing the principal to pick the team of teachers or change the curriculum." It will take true classroom pioneers and undaunted professionals to change the state of South Bay public schools, and when they do emerge, they are deserving of the full support of parents and teachers.
No parent, no matter what ethnic background, should be forced to send their child to a failing school and sentence them to an unproductive adulthood. By working together and setting higher goals for all, our community can achieve more scholastic success for the benefit of every student.
Vasquez is the senior policy analyst at the National University System Institute for Policy Research. Send comments to editor@sddt.com. Letters may be published as Letters to the Editor.
By Vince Vasquez, SDDT.COM, May 27, 2009
Over the past month educators at the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) have been trumpeting new state statistics that indicate a dramatic cut in the number of high school dropouts. Though this is good news, we shouldn't ignore the growing "Latino achievement gap" in the region.
Changing the status quo on student retention is critical, as teenagers that fall through the cracks will dramatically diminish our region's economic growth and prosperity. Adults who drop out of high school are more likely to be poor, unemployed, be in poorer health and spend time in the corrections system. A high school dropout is the loss of not only thousands of taxpayer dollars, but the loss of a young resident who will find it harder to compete in our globalized economy, where higher skills and academic degrees are required to attain high-paying employment.
On the surface the numbers from the California Department of Education tell an encouraging story. San Diego Unified School District reduced the number of high school dropouts by 490 students in the 2007-2008 academic year, slashing the 4-year dropout rate by 37 percent.
The tallies in the rest of the region are not nearly as promising. Of the 25 high school districts in San Diego County that reported to the state, nearly half (12) saw a year-to-year rise in overall student dropouts. On the whole, 6,126 students dropped out of San Diego County high schools, a figure which is essentially unchanged from last year.
Where trends appear especially bleak is the drop out rate among Latino teens. Though they make up less than half of all students in San Diego County public schools (44 percent), Latinos composed more than half (56 percent) of all county dropouts in 2007-08, a rate which increased from the previous school year. Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD), which educates more than one out of every three Hispanic high school students in the county, stood out as being especially troubled, with a 44 percent year-to-year increase in the number of Latino dropouts.
There are some proven policy options that can help address this problem. One is taking aggressive steps to increase the number of charter schools. The flexibility and diversity in teaching methods that charters encourage have been shown to help keep students in school and get them to graduation ceremonies. UC San Diego's Preuss Charter School, for example, which enrolls 758 low-income students and is 60 percent Latino, reported zero dropouts in 2007-2008. Indeed, the overwhelming majority of San Diego Unified charter high schools have lower Latino dropout rates and overall dropout rates than the district average.
Unfortunately, in this respect Sweetwater has lagged the rest of the region. There is currently only one chartered high school, MAAC Community Charter School, which focuses on at-risk students who have already dropped out of school. Another school, High Tech High Chula Vista, which opened its doors in fall 2007 and is modeled from a highly-popular educational philosophy, is not part of the district and has yet to graduate its first full class of students. The SUHSD School Board should consider setting new goals to approving charter schools, including transitioning existing high schools into charters, giving school administrators the tools they need to raise academic expectations and deliver results in the classroom.
A second problem is that too many of our high schools in this region are simply too large to meet the needs of students. Eighty-two percent of all Latino public high school students in San Diego County are currently enrolled at a high school with population of at least 1,823. At the Sweetwater District, 11 of its 12 high schools reach this size, including three with enrollments of almost 3,000. In contrast, at San Diego Unified only 27 percent of all mainstream public high schools have enrolments greater than 1,800.
Breaking down school sizes has been accomplished regionally with the aid of private dollars. With support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, three historically large schools within SDUSD (San Diego High, Kearny High and Crawford High) were divided into 14 smaller schools in 2004. Eight of these 14 institutions have now posted Latino dropout rates that are lower than the district average. Cultivating higher achievement is not exclusive to San Diego; earlier this decade, New York City officials broke 12 large high schools in 47 small schools and witnessed a 38 percent graduation rate increase in 2007.
Dramatic success with either small schools or charter reforms is not guaranteed. Nor is it the only thing that needs to change. As Bill Gates stated in his Foundation's 2009 Annual Letter, the schools that failed to make a dent in graduation rates or student achievement "tended to be the schools that did not take radical steps to change the culture, such as allowing the principal to pick the team of teachers or change the curriculum." It will take true classroom pioneers and undaunted professionals to change the state of South Bay public schools, and when they do emerge, they are deserving of the full support of parents and teachers.
No parent, no matter what ethnic background, should be forced to send their child to a failing school and sentence them to an unproductive adulthood. By working together and setting higher goals for all, our community can achieve more scholastic success for the benefit of every student.
Vasquez is the senior policy analyst at the National University System Institute for Policy Research. Send comments to editor@sddt.com. Letters may be published as Letters to the Editor.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Hispanic students in AZ get recognition
Neto's Tucson : Hispanic students get much-deserved pats on the back
By Ernesto Portillo Jr., Arizona Daily Star | 05.24.2009
Eddie Rios, a teacher and lifelong youth booster, tells the story this way: One day he and the late Fred G. Acosta, a community activist, wondered aloud why so few Hispanic students were seen on local prep sports teams and why even fewer Hispanic students were honored for their achievements.
They turned their questions into action by creating the Hispanic Sports and Academic Enrichment Program awards ceremony. That was 1984, and recently 71 Southern Arizona students were congratulated, honored and patted on the back for their academic and athletic accomplishments.
For Rios, dean of students at Hohokam Middle School, the event was more than satisfying. It was a 25-year-old celebration of a dream he and Acosta had to recognize the achievements of Hispanic youths.
"It's our way of telling the kids they did a great job in school," said Rios, 55, a 1972 alum of Cholla Magnet High School.
Acosta, who died in 1992, was a former U.S. Marine, high school teacher and director of the Tucson Job Corps Center who aggressively created opportunities for young people.
Today the awards program is organized by Luz Social Services Inc., a nonprofit community-service agency that also operates a college prep charter school.
The aim today remains the same: recognize high school and middle school students who largely go unnoticed in competitive end-of-the-year school award ceremonies. Many of the students have gone on to become educators, writers, business owners, doctors and successes in other areas.
"If you don't pat yourself on your back, who will?" Rios said.
In the first years, the students were honored at monthly breakfasts during the school year, culminating with an end-of-the-year dinner.
Today there are no breakfast programs but a single year-end affair. However, the program honors students from border communities in Douglas, Rio Rico and Nogales; from the mining towns of Safford, San Manuel, Superior and Miami; and other schools in Florence and Hayden. In addition, parents, teachers, administrators and coaches are recognized for their tireless work.
While the students do not receive scholarship money, they leave with something of great value.
"I feel appreciated," said Izamar Murrieta, a senior who played volleyball at Luz Academy, a West Side charter school. "It also helped me understand there are other teens like me."
Those teens may not always be the star athletes and students in their schools, but they work just as hard and are as important to their teams and schools, said Pat Weber, the athletic director at Flowing Wells High School.
"Maybe they don't get their name in the paper, but they participated and are part of the program," Weber said.
Years after the recognition, some people still can recall the elation in receiving it. It meant something powerful then and still carries some weight.
Marci Aguilar Baker was a student and a softball player at Rincon High School when she was recognized for her classroom work and prowess on the playing field.
"I can still remember the feeling of receiving that award and honor," said Baker, who graduated from Rincon in 1987. After high school, she played softball for Pima Community College, second base on the University of Arizona's first national softball championship team in 1991, and briefly for the Colorado Silver Bullets, a professional women's baseball team.
Although the number of students honored each year has grown, Luz Social Services still meets resistance from school administrators who will not nominate students.
Manuel Guzman of Luz Social Services speculated that the resistance is due, in some part, to school officials' opposition to singling out Hispanic students.
But Guzman and Rios said recognition of Hispanic students remains critical because despite the students' hard work and achievements, schools are still slow to honor them.
"Some of these students are not being honored at their schools, and I wish I knew why," said Guzman, who graduated from Superior High School in 1998 as co-valedictorian.
The Hispanic Sports and Academic program, Guzman said, equals the playing field.
The program, which is held around Mother's Day, also recognizes the role of parents, some of whom have not finished high school or gone on to college. In recognizing the students, the program also reinforces the importance of college, Guzman said.
Rios said there will be a time when the annual honors program will cease. That will be the time when Hispanic students and their achievements are given more recognition, and college enrollment of Hispanic students rises to greater levels.
"But we're not there yet," Rios said. "We have not done our jobs."
Reporter Ernesto "Neto" Portillo Jr. has deep roots here. His maternal grandparents came to Tucson in 1931. His maternal great-great-grandfather, Argentine-born Onofre Navarro, lived in Tucson beginning in the 1860s. Portillo can be contacted at 807-8414 or eportillo@azstarnet.com.
By Ernesto Portillo Jr., Arizona Daily Star | 05.24.2009
Eddie Rios, a teacher and lifelong youth booster, tells the story this way: One day he and the late Fred G. Acosta, a community activist, wondered aloud why so few Hispanic students were seen on local prep sports teams and why even fewer Hispanic students were honored for their achievements.
They turned their questions into action by creating the Hispanic Sports and Academic Enrichment Program awards ceremony. That was 1984, and recently 71 Southern Arizona students were congratulated, honored and patted on the back for their academic and athletic accomplishments.
For Rios, dean of students at Hohokam Middle School, the event was more than satisfying. It was a 25-year-old celebration of a dream he and Acosta had to recognize the achievements of Hispanic youths.
"It's our way of telling the kids they did a great job in school," said Rios, 55, a 1972 alum of Cholla Magnet High School.
Acosta, who died in 1992, was a former U.S. Marine, high school teacher and director of the Tucson Job Corps Center who aggressively created opportunities for young people.
Today the awards program is organized by Luz Social Services Inc., a nonprofit community-service agency that also operates a college prep charter school.
The aim today remains the same: recognize high school and middle school students who largely go unnoticed in competitive end-of-the-year school award ceremonies. Many of the students have gone on to become educators, writers, business owners, doctors and successes in other areas.
"If you don't pat yourself on your back, who will?" Rios said.
In the first years, the students were honored at monthly breakfasts during the school year, culminating with an end-of-the-year dinner.
Today there are no breakfast programs but a single year-end affair. However, the program honors students from border communities in Douglas, Rio Rico and Nogales; from the mining towns of Safford, San Manuel, Superior and Miami; and other schools in Florence and Hayden. In addition, parents, teachers, administrators and coaches are recognized for their tireless work.
While the students do not receive scholarship money, they leave with something of great value.
"I feel appreciated," said Izamar Murrieta, a senior who played volleyball at Luz Academy, a West Side charter school. "It also helped me understand there are other teens like me."
Those teens may not always be the star athletes and students in their schools, but they work just as hard and are as important to their teams and schools, said Pat Weber, the athletic director at Flowing Wells High School.
"Maybe they don't get their name in the paper, but they participated and are part of the program," Weber said.
Years after the recognition, some people still can recall the elation in receiving it. It meant something powerful then and still carries some weight.
Marci Aguilar Baker was a student and a softball player at Rincon High School when she was recognized for her classroom work and prowess on the playing field.
"I can still remember the feeling of receiving that award and honor," said Baker, who graduated from Rincon in 1987. After high school, she played softball for Pima Community College, second base on the University of Arizona's first national softball championship team in 1991, and briefly for the Colorado Silver Bullets, a professional women's baseball team.
Although the number of students honored each year has grown, Luz Social Services still meets resistance from school administrators who will not nominate students.
Manuel Guzman of Luz Social Services speculated that the resistance is due, in some part, to school officials' opposition to singling out Hispanic students.
But Guzman and Rios said recognition of Hispanic students remains critical because despite the students' hard work and achievements, schools are still slow to honor them.
"Some of these students are not being honored at their schools, and I wish I knew why," said Guzman, who graduated from Superior High School in 1998 as co-valedictorian.
The Hispanic Sports and Academic program, Guzman said, equals the playing field.
The program, which is held around Mother's Day, also recognizes the role of parents, some of whom have not finished high school or gone on to college. In recognizing the students, the program also reinforces the importance of college, Guzman said.
Rios said there will be a time when the annual honors program will cease. That will be the time when Hispanic students and their achievements are given more recognition, and college enrollment of Hispanic students rises to greater levels.
"But we're not there yet," Rios said. "We have not done our jobs."
Reporter Ernesto "Neto" Portillo Jr. has deep roots here. His maternal grandparents came to Tucson in 1931. His maternal great-great-grandfather, Argentine-born Onofre Navarro, lived in Tucson beginning in the 1860s. Portillo can be contacted at 807-8414 or eportillo@azstarnet.com.
Will Latinos vote for an all White slate?
All-white slate may be liability
The top of the Republican ticket in 2010 is expected to be more seasoned than the Democratic slate, but not nearly as diverse.
BY BETH REINHARD AND MARC CAPUTO, Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau
At a time when the Florida electorate is growing increasingly diverse, the Republican party is gearing up to field an all-male, all-white slate in 2010.
In contrast, the Democratic front-runners for the top of the ticket are U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, a 42-year-old African American running for the U.S. Senate, and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink for governor, who would be the state's first female chief executive. A handful of Hispanic and Jewish Democrats are potentially in the mix for attorney general and chief financial officer.
''It's something I see as an advantage for Florida voters, that the Democratic ticket could end up looking like it represents Florida's population,'' said Ana Cruz, a top Meek advisor.
The Republican front-runners for statewide office include Gov. Charlie Crist for Senate, Attorney General Bill McCollum for governor, Senate President Jeff Atwater for chief financial officer and U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam for agriculture commissioner. Putnam is the only one of the GOP candidates under 50 years old.
To be sure, the Republican and Democratic lineups could change, with 18 months left before the 2010 election. What's more, a diverse ticket doesn't guarantee success.
Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, who was better known than Sink, lost the Democratic primary for governor in 2002 to Sink's husband, Bill McBride.
When a black former state senator named Daryl Jones ran for lieutenant governor on the Democratic ticket in 2006, exit polls showed Crist garnered unprecedented black support for a statewide Republican.
But as Republicans brace to defend their dominance of state government in the age of President Barack Obama, some are concerned about the image of a ticket dominated by white men. About a half-dozen local Republican parties, from Palm Beach to Okaloosa, are protesting efforts by state and national Republican leaders to squeeze a 37-year-old Cuban American out of the Senate race so Crist can avoid a primary.
''The party needs to be careful. Marco Rubio is a good candidate,'' Pasco County GOP Chairman Bill Bunting said of the former Speaker of the Florida House. ``And aren't we trying to attract more Hispanic voters? I'm not sure what message it sends if people think we're making it unfair for the Hispanic candidate.''
No doubt there will be pressure on McCollum, a 64-year-old lawyer who spent two decades in Congress, to choose a running mate who doesn't look like the status quo.
CHANGING ELECTORATE
He and Crist will find the makeup of Florida's electorate has shifted dramatically since they ran statewide just two years ago. African-American voters have increased by 18 percent; Hispanic voters are up 22 percent.
At the same time, the Republican party has been shedding black voters, with four percent fewer in 2008 than in 2006. Obama's multimillion-dollar outreach in Florida helped the Democratic party boost black voter registration by 21 percent over the past two years.
Hispanic Republicans grew by 8 percent, while Hispanic Democrats increased their ranks 39 percent. Obama was the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the Hispanic vote in Florida in decades, according to exit polls.
The Republican Party of Florida is trying to gain ground with black and Hispanic voters. It has established an office of minority outreach and leadership councils designed to maintain a constant presence in black and Hispanic communities throughout the state.
''Obviously, people like to see diversity. But that's not all they're looking for,'' said party spokeswoman Katie Gordon. ``They're looking for someone who can get the job done in these economic times. They're looking at the content of what candidates and the party are saying. They're not just voting for a candidate because she's a Hispanic female, or because he's a black male candidate.''
Gordon pointed to Hispanic Republican Belinda Ortiz, a state Senate candidate in 2008 who narrowly lost to a black Democratic incumbent, even though Gary Siplin's Orlando-area district is overwhelmingly black and Democratic. Ortiz now leads the party's Hispanic outreach.
HISPANIC OUTREACH
The party has also deployed a full-time Spanish-speaking spokeswoman in South Florida and is tailoring its message to younger Cuban-Americans who aren't as bound to the island as their grandparents.
''For a long time, we were only translating press releases that had to do with Cuba,'' Gordon said. ``But the Hispanic population doesn't want to hear just about Cuba. They want to hear about small business and education, healthcare, what everyone else wants.''
The challenge facing Democrats in 2010 will be to convince the thousands of newly registered Obama supporters to continue to support the Democratic ticket. Ana Navarro, who advised Republican presidential nominee John McCain on Hispanic outreach in 2008, said she doesn't think Sink can pull off an Obama-like campaign in which she presents herself as a political outsider.
''The next election is not going to be about change,'' said Navarro, who has already written McCollum a check. ``This is going to be about experience and qualifications, given the dire economic straits that Florida is in right now. It's going to be about policy, not personality.''
Asked about the potential lack of diversity in the Republican slate, Crist said, ''I think people ought to elect whoever they want.'' Of the Republican party in in Florida, he said, ``Well, I love it. It looks like it's doing incredibly well to me.''
Beth Reinhard can be reached at breinhard@MiamiHerald.com. Marc Caputo can be reached at mcaputo@MiamiHerald.com
The top of the Republican ticket in 2010 is expected to be more seasoned than the Democratic slate, but not nearly as diverse.
BY BETH REINHARD AND MARC CAPUTO, Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau
At a time when the Florida electorate is growing increasingly diverse, the Republican party is gearing up to field an all-male, all-white slate in 2010.
In contrast, the Democratic front-runners for the top of the ticket are U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, a 42-year-old African American running for the U.S. Senate, and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink for governor, who would be the state's first female chief executive. A handful of Hispanic and Jewish Democrats are potentially in the mix for attorney general and chief financial officer.
''It's something I see as an advantage for Florida voters, that the Democratic ticket could end up looking like it represents Florida's population,'' said Ana Cruz, a top Meek advisor.
The Republican front-runners for statewide office include Gov. Charlie Crist for Senate, Attorney General Bill McCollum for governor, Senate President Jeff Atwater for chief financial officer and U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam for agriculture commissioner. Putnam is the only one of the GOP candidates under 50 years old.
To be sure, the Republican and Democratic lineups could change, with 18 months left before the 2010 election. What's more, a diverse ticket doesn't guarantee success.
Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, who was better known than Sink, lost the Democratic primary for governor in 2002 to Sink's husband, Bill McBride.
When a black former state senator named Daryl Jones ran for lieutenant governor on the Democratic ticket in 2006, exit polls showed Crist garnered unprecedented black support for a statewide Republican.
But as Republicans brace to defend their dominance of state government in the age of President Barack Obama, some are concerned about the image of a ticket dominated by white men. About a half-dozen local Republican parties, from Palm Beach to Okaloosa, are protesting efforts by state and national Republican leaders to squeeze a 37-year-old Cuban American out of the Senate race so Crist can avoid a primary.
''The party needs to be careful. Marco Rubio is a good candidate,'' Pasco County GOP Chairman Bill Bunting said of the former Speaker of the Florida House. ``And aren't we trying to attract more Hispanic voters? I'm not sure what message it sends if people think we're making it unfair for the Hispanic candidate.''
No doubt there will be pressure on McCollum, a 64-year-old lawyer who spent two decades in Congress, to choose a running mate who doesn't look like the status quo.
CHANGING ELECTORATE
He and Crist will find the makeup of Florida's electorate has shifted dramatically since they ran statewide just two years ago. African-American voters have increased by 18 percent; Hispanic voters are up 22 percent.
At the same time, the Republican party has been shedding black voters, with four percent fewer in 2008 than in 2006. Obama's multimillion-dollar outreach in Florida helped the Democratic party boost black voter registration by 21 percent over the past two years.
Hispanic Republicans grew by 8 percent, while Hispanic Democrats increased their ranks 39 percent. Obama was the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the Hispanic vote in Florida in decades, according to exit polls.
The Republican Party of Florida is trying to gain ground with black and Hispanic voters. It has established an office of minority outreach and leadership councils designed to maintain a constant presence in black and Hispanic communities throughout the state.
''Obviously, people like to see diversity. But that's not all they're looking for,'' said party spokeswoman Katie Gordon. ``They're looking for someone who can get the job done in these economic times. They're looking at the content of what candidates and the party are saying. They're not just voting for a candidate because she's a Hispanic female, or because he's a black male candidate.''
Gordon pointed to Hispanic Republican Belinda Ortiz, a state Senate candidate in 2008 who narrowly lost to a black Democratic incumbent, even though Gary Siplin's Orlando-area district is overwhelmingly black and Democratic. Ortiz now leads the party's Hispanic outreach.
HISPANIC OUTREACH
The party has also deployed a full-time Spanish-speaking spokeswoman in South Florida and is tailoring its message to younger Cuban-Americans who aren't as bound to the island as their grandparents.
''For a long time, we were only translating press releases that had to do with Cuba,'' Gordon said. ``But the Hispanic population doesn't want to hear just about Cuba. They want to hear about small business and education, healthcare, what everyone else wants.''
The challenge facing Democrats in 2010 will be to convince the thousands of newly registered Obama supporters to continue to support the Democratic ticket. Ana Navarro, who advised Republican presidential nominee John McCain on Hispanic outreach in 2008, said she doesn't think Sink can pull off an Obama-like campaign in which she presents herself as a political outsider.
''The next election is not going to be about change,'' said Navarro, who has already written McCollum a check. ``This is going to be about experience and qualifications, given the dire economic straits that Florida is in right now. It's going to be about policy, not personality.''
Asked about the potential lack of diversity in the Republican slate, Crist said, ''I think people ought to elect whoever they want.'' Of the Republican party in in Florida, he said, ``Well, I love it. It looks like it's doing incredibly well to me.''
Beth Reinhard can be reached at breinhard@MiamiHerald.com. Marc Caputo can be reached at mcaputo@MiamiHerald.com
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
LATINA NOMINATED TO SUPREME COURT
Sonia Sotomayor: inspired by 'Perry Mason'
Latino Journal
The newest nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court is a 54-year-old federal appellate court judge who grew up in a housing project in the South Bronx, the oldest child of a couple from Puerto Rico who spoke no English.
“You have nominated me to serve on the country’s highest court,” Sotomayor told the President at a press conference this morning. “I choose to be a lawyer because of the challenges the law presents. I strive never to forget the real world consequences of my decisions.”
Winning a scholarship to Princeton University and graduating from Yale Law School, where she was editor of the Law Review, Sonia Sotomayor has bipartisan credentials. She was appointed to the federal district court by a Republican president, George H.W. Bush, and elevated to the appellate court by a Democratic president, Bill Clinton.
Still, President Obama's pick to be the next Supreme Court justice, the first Latina on the court, is inspiring some opposition from Republicans who call her "an activist judge" for a statement she made at Duke University. In the statement -- clip below -- Sotomayor says that appellate courts drive policy.
Some conservatives have come to her defense, arguing that she was just stating the obvious, noting that the federal appellate courts are the first hearing for the issues that eventually reach the Supreme Court.
Sotomayor grew up poor and suffering childhood-onset diabetes, raised by a widowed mother and speaking no English until after her father died when she was 9 years old. She drew her inspiration from reading Nancy Drew detective stories and watching "Perry Mason" on TV. In one "Perry Mason" episode, the prosecutor was overruled by the judge, leading Sotomayor to conclude that the judge was the most important person in the courtroom.
"I thought, what a wonderful occupation to have," Sotomayor told the New York Times in a 1992 interview. "And I made the quantum leap: If that was the prosecutor's job, then the guy who made the decision to dismiss the case was the judge. That was what I was going to be."
It is anticipated that Sotomayor’s confirmation will fly through Congress.
Latino Journal
The newest nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court is a 54-year-old federal appellate court judge who grew up in a housing project in the South Bronx, the oldest child of a couple from Puerto Rico who spoke no English.
“You have nominated me to serve on the country’s highest court,” Sotomayor told the President at a press conference this morning. “I choose to be a lawyer because of the challenges the law presents. I strive never to forget the real world consequences of my decisions.”
Winning a scholarship to Princeton University and graduating from Yale Law School, where she was editor of the Law Review, Sonia Sotomayor has bipartisan credentials. She was appointed to the federal district court by a Republican president, George H.W. Bush, and elevated to the appellate court by a Democratic president, Bill Clinton.
Still, President Obama's pick to be the next Supreme Court justice, the first Latina on the court, is inspiring some opposition from Republicans who call her "an activist judge" for a statement she made at Duke University. In the statement -- clip below -- Sotomayor says that appellate courts drive policy.
Some conservatives have come to her defense, arguing that she was just stating the obvious, noting that the federal appellate courts are the first hearing for the issues that eventually reach the Supreme Court.
Sotomayor grew up poor and suffering childhood-onset diabetes, raised by a widowed mother and speaking no English until after her father died when she was 9 years old. She drew her inspiration from reading Nancy Drew detective stories and watching "Perry Mason" on TV. In one "Perry Mason" episode, the prosecutor was overruled by the judge, leading Sotomayor to conclude that the judge was the most important person in the courtroom.
"I thought, what a wonderful occupation to have," Sotomayor told the New York Times in a 1992 interview. "And I made the quantum leap: If that was the prosecutor's job, then the guy who made the decision to dismiss the case was the judge. That was what I was going to be."
It is anticipated that Sotomayor’s confirmation will fly through Congress.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Latino district may elect Asian for Congress vacancy
Seeking political lessons in 32nd District race
As Judy Chu emerges as the likely winner in the July 14 runoff for the heavily Democratic district, observers say newcomer Emanuel Pleitez cut into support for Gil Cedillo, who finished second.
By Jean Merl, LA Times, May 23, 2009
A campaign that made the most of Judy Chu's strong ties to the San Gabriel Valley, her skills as a coalition-builder and her support from organized labor is credited with propelling her to the front of a crowded field in Tuesday's hot race for the vacant 32nd Congressional District seat.
Chu, a former local school board member, Monterey Park city councilwoman and Democratic member of the state Assembly -- and current vice chairwoman of the state Board of Equalization -- outdistanced opponents in most of the largely working-class district's communities.
They include Azusa, Covina, El Monte, Duarte, Monterey Park, Rosemead and West Covina, according to voting data released this week by the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder's office.
"Basically, she ran very strongly just about everywhere," Chu campaign consultant Parke Skelton said.
She took nearly 32% of the vote, well short of the majority needed to win the seat outright. In the July 14 runoff, she will face Republican Betty Tom Chu, a cousin by marriage, who got about 10% of the vote Tuesday, and Libertarian Christopher M. Agrella, who won a little more than 1%.
But because the district is so strongly Democratic, Judy Chu is widely expected to win the runoff easily.
"It's over now," said Jaime A. Regalado, director of the Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs at Cal State L.A.
State Sen. Gil Cedillo, who won a little more than 23% of the vote and finished second among the eight Democrats on the ballot, got the most votes in heavily Latino areas -- such cities as Baldwin Park and South El Monte and unincorporated areas east of Los Angeles.
However, political newcomer and former financial analyst Emanuel Pleitez, who grew up in the Eastside neighborhood of El Sereno, posted a strong first-place finish there and in neighboring Los Angeles city areas.
Pleitez, 26, raised enough money for targeted mail and reached out to nontraditional voters with a corps of volunteers that included young people from across the United States. He finished third overall with nearly 14% of the vote.
Although Pleitez clearly cut into the votes for fellow Latino Cedillo -- as Republican Betty Tom Chu almost certainly drew some voters from Democrat Judy Chu -- most seasoned political observers believe Cedillo would have lost even if Pleitez hadn't run, albeit by a slimmer margin.
Latinos make up nearly half of the district's registered voters, while Asians -- Judy Chu is Chinese American -- account for an estimated 13%.
Chu appears to have won about one-third of the Latino vote, preliminary analyses indicate, plus virtually all the Asian vote and most of the white vote.
Within the Cedillo campaign, there was a strong belief that Pleitez "has cost us a Latino congressional seat and that has stirred up a lot of feelings," said a campaign staffer who requested anonymity because no one was authorized to speak publicly about the loss.
The seat previously was held by Democrat Hilda Solis of El Monte, a Latina who resigned to become U.S. Labor secretary.
Pleitez appears to have done well among younger voters and English-speaking Latinos, including many who probably would not have voted for Cedillo even if the younger man had not been in the race, several political analysts said.
"He took some of Judy's votes and also some white votes from people who liked the outsider," said Eric Hacopian, Pleitez's campaign consultant.
And although Hacopian acknowledged that Pleitez had undoubtedly cut into Cedillo's Latino base, he contended it was not enough to swing the race to Chu. A good chunk of Pleitez's support came from people who would not otherwise have voted, Hacopian added.
Hacopian said Cedillo's supporters, including many of the area's prominent Latino politicians, should not blame Pleitez for the loss but should welcome him as a fresh face who can bring in new voters.
"They did not run a good campaign," Hacopian added. "They got out-hustled by a bunch of kids."
But Regalado said he saw Cedillo as the underdog from the start.
He said Chu is better known in the district (Cedillo had recently moved in from his nearby state Senate district in Los Angeles), is a stronger campaign fundraiser and has a track record as a coalition-builder, attracting votes and other support from across ethnic lines.
"Gil ran what most thought was a good campaign, though not a great campaign," Regalado said. "He was able to raise money and introduce himself to a lot of new people" but could not overcome Chu's advantages.
Chu also had support from labor leaders, including the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, which put $150,000 into urging its members to vote for her. Skelton, Chu's consultant, believes much of her Latino vote came from union members.
Miguel Santiago, Chu's campaign manager, said a strategy was to introduce her to voters outside her old Assembly district (now represented by her husband, Mike Eng), where she already was well known.
The campaign turned to elected officials and other community leaders whom Chu had worked with previously and who were supporting her, and asked them to arrange meetings with likely voters in their communities.
"We took a very local approach, using her relationships and her better understanding of the district," Santiago said.
On the weekend before the election, Santiago said, Chu spent hours in the campaign headquarters calling voter after voter, engaging them in sometimes-lengthy conversations and leaving personal voice mail messages for those who didn't answer the phone.
jean.merl@latimes.com
As Judy Chu emerges as the likely winner in the July 14 runoff for the heavily Democratic district, observers say newcomer Emanuel Pleitez cut into support for Gil Cedillo, who finished second.
By Jean Merl, LA Times, May 23, 2009
A campaign that made the most of Judy Chu's strong ties to the San Gabriel Valley, her skills as a coalition-builder and her support from organized labor is credited with propelling her to the front of a crowded field in Tuesday's hot race for the vacant 32nd Congressional District seat.
Chu, a former local school board member, Monterey Park city councilwoman and Democratic member of the state Assembly -- and current vice chairwoman of the state Board of Equalization -- outdistanced opponents in most of the largely working-class district's communities.
They include Azusa, Covina, El Monte, Duarte, Monterey Park, Rosemead and West Covina, according to voting data released this week by the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder's office.
"Basically, she ran very strongly just about everywhere," Chu campaign consultant Parke Skelton said.
She took nearly 32% of the vote, well short of the majority needed to win the seat outright. In the July 14 runoff, she will face Republican Betty Tom Chu, a cousin by marriage, who got about 10% of the vote Tuesday, and Libertarian Christopher M. Agrella, who won a little more than 1%.
But because the district is so strongly Democratic, Judy Chu is widely expected to win the runoff easily.
"It's over now," said Jaime A. Regalado, director of the Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs at Cal State L.A.
State Sen. Gil Cedillo, who won a little more than 23% of the vote and finished second among the eight Democrats on the ballot, got the most votes in heavily Latino areas -- such cities as Baldwin Park and South El Monte and unincorporated areas east of Los Angeles.
However, political newcomer and former financial analyst Emanuel Pleitez, who grew up in the Eastside neighborhood of El Sereno, posted a strong first-place finish there and in neighboring Los Angeles city areas.
Pleitez, 26, raised enough money for targeted mail and reached out to nontraditional voters with a corps of volunteers that included young people from across the United States. He finished third overall with nearly 14% of the vote.
Although Pleitez clearly cut into the votes for fellow Latino Cedillo -- as Republican Betty Tom Chu almost certainly drew some voters from Democrat Judy Chu -- most seasoned political observers believe Cedillo would have lost even if Pleitez hadn't run, albeit by a slimmer margin.
Latinos make up nearly half of the district's registered voters, while Asians -- Judy Chu is Chinese American -- account for an estimated 13%.
Chu appears to have won about one-third of the Latino vote, preliminary analyses indicate, plus virtually all the Asian vote and most of the white vote.
Within the Cedillo campaign, there was a strong belief that Pleitez "has cost us a Latino congressional seat and that has stirred up a lot of feelings," said a campaign staffer who requested anonymity because no one was authorized to speak publicly about the loss.
The seat previously was held by Democrat Hilda Solis of El Monte, a Latina who resigned to become U.S. Labor secretary.
Pleitez appears to have done well among younger voters and English-speaking Latinos, including many who probably would not have voted for Cedillo even if the younger man had not been in the race, several political analysts said.
"He took some of Judy's votes and also some white votes from people who liked the outsider," said Eric Hacopian, Pleitez's campaign consultant.
And although Hacopian acknowledged that Pleitez had undoubtedly cut into Cedillo's Latino base, he contended it was not enough to swing the race to Chu. A good chunk of Pleitez's support came from people who would not otherwise have voted, Hacopian added.
Hacopian said Cedillo's supporters, including many of the area's prominent Latino politicians, should not blame Pleitez for the loss but should welcome him as a fresh face who can bring in new voters.
"They did not run a good campaign," Hacopian added. "They got out-hustled by a bunch of kids."
But Regalado said he saw Cedillo as the underdog from the start.
He said Chu is better known in the district (Cedillo had recently moved in from his nearby state Senate district in Los Angeles), is a stronger campaign fundraiser and has a track record as a coalition-builder, attracting votes and other support from across ethnic lines.
"Gil ran what most thought was a good campaign, though not a great campaign," Regalado said. "He was able to raise money and introduce himself to a lot of new people" but could not overcome Chu's advantages.
Chu also had support from labor leaders, including the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, which put $150,000 into urging its members to vote for her. Skelton, Chu's consultant, believes much of her Latino vote came from union members.
Miguel Santiago, Chu's campaign manager, said a strategy was to introduce her to voters outside her old Assembly district (now represented by her husband, Mike Eng), where she already was well known.
The campaign turned to elected officials and other community leaders whom Chu had worked with previously and who were supporting her, and asked them to arrange meetings with likely voters in their communities.
"We took a very local approach, using her relationships and her better understanding of the district," Santiago said.
On the weekend before the election, Santiago said, Chu spent hours in the campaign headquarters calling voter after voter, engaging them in sometimes-lengthy conversations and leaving personal voice mail messages for those who didn't answer the phone.
jean.merl@latimes.com
Latino voter gap concerns GOP
Latino vote gap a concern for GOP
By Juan Castillo | Statesman, May 22, 2009
Some Republican leaders are sounding the alarm on what could be the party’s most pressing challenge, recovering from its 2006 midterm elections collapse among Latino voters, Politico reports.
“The demographics are there in black and white,” said former Rep. Henry Bonilla (R-Texas), a casualty of the Hispanic swing to the Democratic Party. “If we don’t figure out a way to open our party up to more Hispanic voters, nothing else we do will matter. Mathematically, we can’t get there from here.” The math is, in fact, simple. Hispanic voters represented 7.4 percent of the electorate in 2008, up from 6 percent in 2004 and 5.4 percent in 2000. And growing Latino populations in the Midwest and the Carolinas stand to give Democrats an edge in a growing number of swing states.
Politico reports so far there are few visible attempts in the party to reverse trends and appeal to Hispanics again.
Republicans’ poor showing among Hispanic voters extended to the presidential election. Arizona Sen. John McCain got 31 percent of the Latino vote to George W. Bush’s 44 percent in 2004, according to exit polls.
By Juan Castillo | Statesman, May 22, 2009
Some Republican leaders are sounding the alarm on what could be the party’s most pressing challenge, recovering from its 2006 midterm elections collapse among Latino voters, Politico reports.
“The demographics are there in black and white,” said former Rep. Henry Bonilla (R-Texas), a casualty of the Hispanic swing to the Democratic Party. “If we don’t figure out a way to open our party up to more Hispanic voters, nothing else we do will matter. Mathematically, we can’t get there from here.” The math is, in fact, simple. Hispanic voters represented 7.4 percent of the electorate in 2008, up from 6 percent in 2004 and 5.4 percent in 2000. And growing Latino populations in the Midwest and the Carolinas stand to give Democrats an edge in a growing number of swing states.
Politico reports so far there are few visible attempts in the party to reverse trends and appeal to Hispanics again.
Republicans’ poor showing among Hispanic voters extended to the presidential election. Arizona Sen. John McCain got 31 percent of the Latino vote to George W. Bush’s 44 percent in 2004, according to exit polls.
Will Mayor feel Hispanic wrath?
It's Politics: Apathy by mail, Hispanic wrath and rogue candidates
SGV Tribune, 05/22/2009
Nearly one-third of all voters in Tuesday's election for the 32nd congressional district voted by mail - a huge jump from the 21 percent who did so in the November election. Still, the 21 percent total turnout on Tuesday pales compared to the 77 percent in November.
HISPANIC WRATH?: Local politicos are asking what effect Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's support for Judy Chu in the 32nd congressional district race will have on his political ambitions. While political consultant Allan Hoffenblum proposed that Villaraigosa will face the wrath of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus for helping prevent the election of a Latino to a historically Latino seat, sociology professor Leland Saito said the mayor may reap the rewards of Asian support in a bid for the governor's office.
LESSONS LEARNED: The politically inexperienced campaign of Stefan Lysenko learned some important lessons in its long-shot bid for the 32nd: choose your candidate wisely. Campaign manager Lawrence Gaughan said from the start that he and other Lysenko supporters asked the filmmaker to run because he was the perfect spokesman for the message they were trying to spread: more people should vote, and it shouldn't take a lot of dollars to get elected. But just days before the election, Gaughan dropped Lysenko, calling him a "rogue candidate" and saying he had "gone off message." Lysenko kept campaigning until the end, including a tearful appearance at a veterans' forum, and won 217 votes.
Editor's note: It's Politics reports Saturdays on the ins and outs of San Gabriel Valley politics and city government.
SGV Tribune, 05/22/2009
Nearly one-third of all voters in Tuesday's election for the 32nd congressional district voted by mail - a huge jump from the 21 percent who did so in the November election. Still, the 21 percent total turnout on Tuesday pales compared to the 77 percent in November.
HISPANIC WRATH?: Local politicos are asking what effect Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's support for Judy Chu in the 32nd congressional district race will have on his political ambitions. While political consultant Allan Hoffenblum proposed that Villaraigosa will face the wrath of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus for helping prevent the election of a Latino to a historically Latino seat, sociology professor Leland Saito said the mayor may reap the rewards of Asian support in a bid for the governor's office.
LESSONS LEARNED: The politically inexperienced campaign of Stefan Lysenko learned some important lessons in its long-shot bid for the 32nd: choose your candidate wisely. Campaign manager Lawrence Gaughan said from the start that he and other Lysenko supporters asked the filmmaker to run because he was the perfect spokesman for the message they were trying to spread: more people should vote, and it shouldn't take a lot of dollars to get elected. But just days before the election, Gaughan dropped Lysenko, calling him a "rogue candidate" and saying he had "gone off message." Lysenko kept campaigning until the end, including a tearful appearance at a veterans' forum, and won 217 votes.
Editor's note: It's Politics reports Saturdays on the ins and outs of San Gabriel Valley politics and city government.
Hispanics pledgee to work with city leaders
Hispanics pledge to work with city leaders
By Jonathan Stinson, The Reporter, May 23, 2009
Fourteen members of the Hispanic community, made up of business owners and preachers, approached the City Council last week and said they were willing and able to work with the city to be a part of Albertville’s community and they had no problem cooperating with all of the city’s ordinances.
The individuals also said they were willing to change their billboards to include English and use their churches to teach people how to speak English.
“We are willing to change our billboards, and not only that but everything else useful to change our city,” the group wrote to the City Council in a letter.
The group approached the city and met with council President Diane McClendon and Councilman Doug Wood on Monday after seeing a man protest in front of City Hall last week.
“Basically, they just put out their hands and said, this is our hand of friendship, of being good citizens, we want to work with you,” McClendon said.
She said the group was very humble and sincere in their intentions.
McClendon and Wood stressed to the group that they did have to uphold the law and that they wanted people to have the proper documentation and to work here legally.
McClendon also said these 14 individuals did not want to be associated with any group or go against the grain in any way.
They asked what they could do to help clean up the city and McClendon and Wood gave them a few suggestions.
“We suggested that they encourage their congregation to clean up around their own place and their neighborhoods, and that would be a starting point,” McClendon said.
McClendon said Wood told the group the city did not know when businesses would come and look at the city, so it was important to make sure the city looked the best it could all the time.
“They just basically wanted to help,” McClendon said. “They wanted to know what they could do to help us and each person went around and told their feelings and they were all pretty much the same. They have been here, some of them 10 years or 12 years, nine years, 15 years, that kind of thing, and they love the city.
“They kept stressing they have lived other places but they loved Albertville and they wanted it to be a good place.”
McClendon said she was a little surprised by the individuals’ feelings. She said she had heard statements like theirs before, but this was the first time she had been approached by a group of people feeling the same way.
McClendon said the only other group that had approached her or the council was La Voz de la Comunidad, or the Voice of the Community.
Aylene Sepulveda, the main organizer for La Voz, said her group’s goal was to unify the community through educating the Hispanic population about what is going on in the city, but La Voz does not support the city’s plan to require all the signs in written in Spanish to have an English translation.
“I believe mainly that this meeting with the 14 individuals was mainly, basically, because many business owners are in fear of going against the change,” Sepulveda said. “Being the economy is as it is, [they] want to protect their business therefore feel almost forced to comply.”
Sepulveda said not all business owners feel that way and her business, a law office, does not plan on changing its sign.
She said translating the sign defeats the purpose of a business’ sign.
“If you are a business and you pay taxes, you should be able to put the sign in the language you choose,” she said. “If it is a public safety issue, do not make language an issue but make numeric addresses an issue.”
Sepulveda said she wouldn’t have a problem if the city required all businesses to have a prominent display of their numeric addresses in order to make it easier for emergency personnel to find a location.
She also said people should not look at La Voz and these 14 individuals as being in opposition of one another, even though they may not agree on everything.
“Division is not anybody’s goal,” she said. “I think honestly, these 14 individuals in all aspects had good intentions. From what I know they are good people, but division is only going to cause more problems.”
By Jonathan Stinson, The Reporter, May 23, 2009
Fourteen members of the Hispanic community, made up of business owners and preachers, approached the City Council last week and said they were willing and able to work with the city to be a part of Albertville’s community and they had no problem cooperating with all of the city’s ordinances.
The individuals also said they were willing to change their billboards to include English and use their churches to teach people how to speak English.
“We are willing to change our billboards, and not only that but everything else useful to change our city,” the group wrote to the City Council in a letter.
The group approached the city and met with council President Diane McClendon and Councilman Doug Wood on Monday after seeing a man protest in front of City Hall last week.
“Basically, they just put out their hands and said, this is our hand of friendship, of being good citizens, we want to work with you,” McClendon said.
She said the group was very humble and sincere in their intentions.
McClendon and Wood stressed to the group that they did have to uphold the law and that they wanted people to have the proper documentation and to work here legally.
McClendon also said these 14 individuals did not want to be associated with any group or go against the grain in any way.
They asked what they could do to help clean up the city and McClendon and Wood gave them a few suggestions.
“We suggested that they encourage their congregation to clean up around their own place and their neighborhoods, and that would be a starting point,” McClendon said.
McClendon said Wood told the group the city did not know when businesses would come and look at the city, so it was important to make sure the city looked the best it could all the time.
“They just basically wanted to help,” McClendon said. “They wanted to know what they could do to help us and each person went around and told their feelings and they were all pretty much the same. They have been here, some of them 10 years or 12 years, nine years, 15 years, that kind of thing, and they love the city.
“They kept stressing they have lived other places but they loved Albertville and they wanted it to be a good place.”
McClendon said she was a little surprised by the individuals’ feelings. She said she had heard statements like theirs before, but this was the first time she had been approached by a group of people feeling the same way.
McClendon said the only other group that had approached her or the council was La Voz de la Comunidad, or the Voice of the Community.
Aylene Sepulveda, the main organizer for La Voz, said her group’s goal was to unify the community through educating the Hispanic population about what is going on in the city, but La Voz does not support the city’s plan to require all the signs in written in Spanish to have an English translation.
“I believe mainly that this meeting with the 14 individuals was mainly, basically, because many business owners are in fear of going against the change,” Sepulveda said. “Being the economy is as it is, [they] want to protect their business therefore feel almost forced to comply.”
Sepulveda said not all business owners feel that way and her business, a law office, does not plan on changing its sign.
She said translating the sign defeats the purpose of a business’ sign.
“If you are a business and you pay taxes, you should be able to put the sign in the language you choose,” she said. “If it is a public safety issue, do not make language an issue but make numeric addresses an issue.”
Sepulveda said she wouldn’t have a problem if the city required all businesses to have a prominent display of their numeric addresses in order to make it easier for emergency personnel to find a location.
She also said people should not look at La Voz and these 14 individuals as being in opposition of one another, even though they may not agree on everything.
“Division is not anybody’s goal,” she said. “I think honestly, these 14 individuals in all aspects had good intentions. From what I know they are good people, but division is only going to cause more problems.”
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Latinos push back at city council member
Latinos will rally for Nowakowski
by Scott Wong, The Arizona Republic - May. 19, 2009
Local Latino leaders are rallying behind Michael Nowakowski, saying fellow Councilman Sal DiCiccio is trying to oust the only Hispanic member of the Phoenix City Council "for his own personal gain."
DiCiccio said Nowakowski supporters are "playing the race card."
A group of Nowakowski backers - including the United Food and Commercial Workers, the Unite Here hotel and restaurant workers union, and Chicanos por la Causa - will hold a rally at 11:30 a.m. today at Cesar Chavez Plaza, at Second Avenue and Washington Street.
"This is the community coming together to show support for (Nowakowski) against these blatant lies and allegations being put out against him," said Alejandro Chavez, a grandson of the late labor leader and civil-rights activist Cesar Chavez.
DiCiccio, who was appointed by the council in February, has accused Nowakowski of trying to pressure Assistant City Manager Alton Washington to fire Police Chief Jack Harris. That, DiCiccio said, is a violation of the city charter that carries the penalty of removal from office.
Nowakowski has denied the allegations and has said he supports Harris.
City Manager Frank Fairbanks said he will detail today how his office plans to look into DiCiccio's allegations. DiCiccio said Monday the plan should require Nowakowski to take a lie-detector test that would be interpreted by the FBI.
"I want to cut to the chase," DiCiccio said. "I think the public is tired of these types of activities. If he's willing to submit to it (the test), I will too."
Nowakowski called the proposed polygraph test "a mindless political scheme" to help generate publicity for DiCiccio and set up a future run for mayor.
"This is just the typical act of a career politician," Nowakowski said.
But DiCiccio dismissed comments about future political ambitions and ethnicity as little more than an attempt to distract from the central issue: whether Nowakowski broke the law.
"It went from debating the truth to playing the race card, and that is extremely offensive," said DiCiccio, who noted that his parents were Italian immigrants and that his cousins and chief of staff are Hispanic.
Reach the reporter at scott.wong@arizonarepublic.com
by Scott Wong, The Arizona Republic - May. 19, 2009
Local Latino leaders are rallying behind Michael Nowakowski, saying fellow Councilman Sal DiCiccio is trying to oust the only Hispanic member of the Phoenix City Council "for his own personal gain."
DiCiccio said Nowakowski supporters are "playing the race card."
A group of Nowakowski backers - including the United Food and Commercial Workers, the Unite Here hotel and restaurant workers union, and Chicanos por la Causa - will hold a rally at 11:30 a.m. today at Cesar Chavez Plaza, at Second Avenue and Washington Street.
"This is the community coming together to show support for (Nowakowski) against these blatant lies and allegations being put out against him," said Alejandro Chavez, a grandson of the late labor leader and civil-rights activist Cesar Chavez.
DiCiccio, who was appointed by the council in February, has accused Nowakowski of trying to pressure Assistant City Manager Alton Washington to fire Police Chief Jack Harris. That, DiCiccio said, is a violation of the city charter that carries the penalty of removal from office.
Nowakowski has denied the allegations and has said he supports Harris.
City Manager Frank Fairbanks said he will detail today how his office plans to look into DiCiccio's allegations. DiCiccio said Monday the plan should require Nowakowski to take a lie-detector test that would be interpreted by the FBI.
"I want to cut to the chase," DiCiccio said. "I think the public is tired of these types of activities. If he's willing to submit to it (the test), I will too."
Nowakowski called the proposed polygraph test "a mindless political scheme" to help generate publicity for DiCiccio and set up a future run for mayor.
"This is just the typical act of a career politician," Nowakowski said.
But DiCiccio dismissed comments about future political ambitions and ethnicity as little more than an attempt to distract from the central issue: whether Nowakowski broke the law.
"It went from debating the truth to playing the race card, and that is extremely offensive," said DiCiccio, who noted that his parents were Italian immigrants and that his cousins and chief of staff are Hispanic.
Reach the reporter at scott.wong@arizonarepublic.com
Latinos to decide Florida's next governor
Florida governor’s race appears to be set
By Hastings Wyman, Southern Political Report
May 20, 2009 — The day after Florida’s Gov. Charlie Crist (R) announced he would run for the US Senate in 2010, leaving the governor’s office an open seat, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink (D) made it official that she will run for governor. A week later Attorney General Bill McCollum (R) announced that he'll run also. With no serious opposition expected in either party primary, the stage appears to be set for next year’s gubernatorial contest.
Sink, 60, has a long career in business, culminating in serving as the CEO of Bank of America in Florida. She won her current post as Florida’s CFO with 54% in 2006. She is highly popular among state Democrats and has significant appeal in the GOP-leaning business community. Her business background is unusual for a Democrat and combined with her social liberalism and her strong opposition to drilling for oil off Florida’s coast make her candidate to be reckoned with.
In 2002, her husband, Bill McBride, ran for governor against Jeb Bush (R), giving her a taste of statewide campaigning which has served her well in politics. Popular former governor and former US Senator Bob Graham (D) quickly endorsed her, underscoring the Democratic Party’s unity behind her candidacy. If she wins the election, Sink would become the Sunshine State’s first Democratic governor in 12 years.
“Alex is the perfect candidate for a Florida race,” says Frank Sanchez, a long-time Tampa Democrat slated to become Undersecretary of Commerce for International Affairs in the Obama Administration. “She’s been fiscally responsible and very focused on what things cost. She’s not a tax and spend politician… Business Republicans feel very comfortable with her.”
Perhaps Sink’s greatest asset is that she is a fresh face at a time when voters here as elsewhere have shown a penchant for change. This was demonstrated in 2008 when Barack Obama carried the state, helped significantly by an extra-large turnout among African-American voters. If US Rep. Kendrick Meek (D), who is black, wins the US Senate nomination in Florida next year, the voter-turnout pattern from 2008 could be repeated. Moreover, the state’s Democrats are in better shape than they have been for a long time. In addition to Obama’s victory here, the Democrats picked up three congressional seats and some state legislative seats, and the state party is in good financial shape.
Another Democratic asset could be Hispanic resentment over the likely loss of former House Speaker Marco Rubio (R) to Crist, the favorite of GOP leaders, in the US Senate primary. Latino support for the GOP declined sharply in 2008 and could decline even further if Hispanic voters perceive the party has disregarded them importance by defeating Rubio. In any case, 2010 will be a major election year in Florida, with open seats for the US Senate, governor and the three cabinet posts -- attorney general, chief financial officer and agriculture commissioner -- which are likely to create a lot of well-financed campaigns and in the process, boost turnout, to whose benefit is not yet clear.
A Republican insider has a much less favorable view of Sink’s prospects. “Sink is far weaker than the conventional wisdom has her,” he tells SPR. “Her name ID is only 41%... The Republicans will be able to define her.” He adds, “She has a banking background. That’s better than an insurance company, but not much. And her husband lost his 2002 race.” Although she won the low-profile race for CFO in 2006, “She’s never really been tested,” he says.
McCollum has run statewide three times, twice unsuccessfully for the US Senate, in 2000 and 2004, and once successfully, when he was elected Florida’s attorney general in 2006. A relatively colorless man in a gray flannel -- or perhaps seersucker in Florida -- suit, McCollum nevertheless is a tireless worker and tends to surprise observers by his stronger-than-expected showings. Prior to his election as attorney general in 2006, McCollum served 20 years in Congress. Other potential GOP contenders, including former Gov. Jeb Bush and US Rep. Vern Buchanan, have taken themselves out of the governor’s race. State Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson (R), who is term-limited and has previously expressed interest in the governorship, has not yet taken removed his name from consideration.
Asked if Bronson is likely to run, one experienced GOP insider says, “No, no! … He doesn’t want to be a spoiler.” And he adds that Bronson “doesn’t have a compelling differential with McCollum, no selling point.” Moreover, state GOP chairman Jim Greer appeared with McCollum at his announcement and stated that he will ask the state Republican Committee to endorse McCollum. Observers expect Bronson to pull his name out of the hat soon.
Another factor which may help McCollum is that Republicans have been in charge of the state for 12 years, holding both the governor’s office and majorities in both houses of the legislature. “People have basically been okay with this,” says the GOP insider. If true, the Democrats’ “change” argument may not sell.
A business-oriented Republican says that “McCollum is definitely a perfect candidate for the business community on the issues.” He adds several caveats, however: “But he’s an uninspiring campaigner, he’s not a back-slapper and he’s run [statewide] twice and lost, and won once.” He also notes that “Sink has done as excellent job as CFO… The business community is excited to have a Democrat like Alex Sink. But we need to know about how she stands on [business] issues.”
A recent Quinnipiac Poll shows McCollum with a 48%/18% approval/disapproval rating for his performance as attorney general, to a 32%/22% rating for Sink’s performance as chief financial officer, suggesting in part that McCollum is better known than Sink. It may also reflect an effort by McCollum to project a less partisan image while serving as attorney general. Recently, for example, he launched a series of public service announcements on television that high-lighted his efforts to fight child predators (the ad campaign was denounced by Democrats as a thinly disguised campaign ploy).
At this point, the polls show a tight race, but that may not hold.
“If the turnout pattern is like Obama’s race, it’s Sink’s to lose,” says University of South Florida political scientist Susan MacManus; “If not, then McCollum has a chance.” She also notes that Sink, because she would be the first woman governor in Florida’s history, “could take advantage of the gender gap.” A Mason Dixon survey taken March 30-April 1 showed McCollum with 36% of the vote to Sink’s 35%, with a very large 29% undecided. MacManus notes, “The role of independents is critical in Florida and they don’t know these candidates. So far, the polls are split along part activist lines.
Look for a hard-fought, highly financed contest with much at stake both for the Sunshine State and for the nation. Holding the governorship could give either party a major advantage in carrying Florida and its post-census 27-plus electoral votes in the 2012 presidential contest.
By Hastings Wyman, Southern Political Report
May 20, 2009 — The day after Florida’s Gov. Charlie Crist (R) announced he would run for the US Senate in 2010, leaving the governor’s office an open seat, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink (D) made it official that she will run for governor. A week later Attorney General Bill McCollum (R) announced that he'll run also. With no serious opposition expected in either party primary, the stage appears to be set for next year’s gubernatorial contest.
Sink, 60, has a long career in business, culminating in serving as the CEO of Bank of America in Florida. She won her current post as Florida’s CFO with 54% in 2006. She is highly popular among state Democrats and has significant appeal in the GOP-leaning business community. Her business background is unusual for a Democrat and combined with her social liberalism and her strong opposition to drilling for oil off Florida’s coast make her candidate to be reckoned with.
In 2002, her husband, Bill McBride, ran for governor against Jeb Bush (R), giving her a taste of statewide campaigning which has served her well in politics. Popular former governor and former US Senator Bob Graham (D) quickly endorsed her, underscoring the Democratic Party’s unity behind her candidacy. If she wins the election, Sink would become the Sunshine State’s first Democratic governor in 12 years.
“Alex is the perfect candidate for a Florida race,” says Frank Sanchez, a long-time Tampa Democrat slated to become Undersecretary of Commerce for International Affairs in the Obama Administration. “She’s been fiscally responsible and very focused on what things cost. She’s not a tax and spend politician… Business Republicans feel very comfortable with her.”
Perhaps Sink’s greatest asset is that she is a fresh face at a time when voters here as elsewhere have shown a penchant for change. This was demonstrated in 2008 when Barack Obama carried the state, helped significantly by an extra-large turnout among African-American voters. If US Rep. Kendrick Meek (D), who is black, wins the US Senate nomination in Florida next year, the voter-turnout pattern from 2008 could be repeated. Moreover, the state’s Democrats are in better shape than they have been for a long time. In addition to Obama’s victory here, the Democrats picked up three congressional seats and some state legislative seats, and the state party is in good financial shape.
Another Democratic asset could be Hispanic resentment over the likely loss of former House Speaker Marco Rubio (R) to Crist, the favorite of GOP leaders, in the US Senate primary. Latino support for the GOP declined sharply in 2008 and could decline even further if Hispanic voters perceive the party has disregarded them importance by defeating Rubio. In any case, 2010 will be a major election year in Florida, with open seats for the US Senate, governor and the three cabinet posts -- attorney general, chief financial officer and agriculture commissioner -- which are likely to create a lot of well-financed campaigns and in the process, boost turnout, to whose benefit is not yet clear.
A Republican insider has a much less favorable view of Sink’s prospects. “Sink is far weaker than the conventional wisdom has her,” he tells SPR. “Her name ID is only 41%... The Republicans will be able to define her.” He adds, “She has a banking background. That’s better than an insurance company, but not much. And her husband lost his 2002 race.” Although she won the low-profile race for CFO in 2006, “She’s never really been tested,” he says.
McCollum has run statewide three times, twice unsuccessfully for the US Senate, in 2000 and 2004, and once successfully, when he was elected Florida’s attorney general in 2006. A relatively colorless man in a gray flannel -- or perhaps seersucker in Florida -- suit, McCollum nevertheless is a tireless worker and tends to surprise observers by his stronger-than-expected showings. Prior to his election as attorney general in 2006, McCollum served 20 years in Congress. Other potential GOP contenders, including former Gov. Jeb Bush and US Rep. Vern Buchanan, have taken themselves out of the governor’s race. State Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson (R), who is term-limited and has previously expressed interest in the governorship, has not yet taken removed his name from consideration.
Asked if Bronson is likely to run, one experienced GOP insider says, “No, no! … He doesn’t want to be a spoiler.” And he adds that Bronson “doesn’t have a compelling differential with McCollum, no selling point.” Moreover, state GOP chairman Jim Greer appeared with McCollum at his announcement and stated that he will ask the state Republican Committee to endorse McCollum. Observers expect Bronson to pull his name out of the hat soon.
Another factor which may help McCollum is that Republicans have been in charge of the state for 12 years, holding both the governor’s office and majorities in both houses of the legislature. “People have basically been okay with this,” says the GOP insider. If true, the Democrats’ “change” argument may not sell.
A business-oriented Republican says that “McCollum is definitely a perfect candidate for the business community on the issues.” He adds several caveats, however: “But he’s an uninspiring campaigner, he’s not a back-slapper and he’s run [statewide] twice and lost, and won once.” He also notes that “Sink has done as excellent job as CFO… The business community is excited to have a Democrat like Alex Sink. But we need to know about how she stands on [business] issues.”
A recent Quinnipiac Poll shows McCollum with a 48%/18% approval/disapproval rating for his performance as attorney general, to a 32%/22% rating for Sink’s performance as chief financial officer, suggesting in part that McCollum is better known than Sink. It may also reflect an effort by McCollum to project a less partisan image while serving as attorney general. Recently, for example, he launched a series of public service announcements on television that high-lighted his efforts to fight child predators (the ad campaign was denounced by Democrats as a thinly disguised campaign ploy).
At this point, the polls show a tight race, but that may not hold.
“If the turnout pattern is like Obama’s race, it’s Sink’s to lose,” says University of South Florida political scientist Susan MacManus; “If not, then McCollum has a chance.” She also notes that Sink, because she would be the first woman governor in Florida’s history, “could take advantage of the gender gap.” A Mason Dixon survey taken March 30-April 1 showed McCollum with 36% of the vote to Sink’s 35%, with a very large 29% undecided. MacManus notes, “The role of independents is critical in Florida and they don’t know these candidates. So far, the polls are split along part activist lines.
Look for a hard-fought, highly financed contest with much at stake both for the Sunshine State and for the nation. Holding the governorship could give either party a major advantage in carrying Florida and its post-census 27-plus electoral votes in the 2012 presidential contest.
GOP continues alienating Latino voters
Hispanics unhappy with RNC hiring, inaction
Politico, May 20, 2009
Hispanic Republican leaders say they've lost patience with promises from Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele to hire high-profile Hispanic operatives and launch targeted outreach toward their community.
The complaints began in March, when leaders of key Hispanic GOP organizations wrote Steele in a private letter that they "were extremely disheartened that no Hispanics were considered for the post of Coalitions Director and that, to date, no Hispanics have been appointed to any other high-profile leadership roles within the party," according to a copy of the March 6 letter provided POLITICO by one of its signatories.
The letter came in response to Steele's decision to hire a fellow black Republican, Angela Sailor, to lead the GOP's diversity efforts, a role he elevated within the party structure.
"If the RNC's outreach effort to Hispanics consists simply of appointing a Hispanic to serve as Director of the Hispanic Coalitions, then this plan is a recipe for disaster," said the letter, signed by the leaders of seven groups, including the Republican National Hispanic Assembly, the Hispanic War Veterans of America, and the National Coalition for Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders.
The jostling among minority Republicans comes as the party seeks to broaden its appeal beyond an aging, shrinking, and regionalizing base. Steele made that promise a centerpiece of his campaign for chairman, but Republicans have yet to seriously engage in the task of wooing back Hispanic voters, some 44% of whom, according to exit polls, voted for President George W. Bush in 2004. Hispanics, whose growing power could put much of the West and any plausible road to the White House out of reach for the GOP, fled the party amid the charged 2005 battle over federal immigration reform legislation, and could not be wooed back even by pro-immigration Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who won just 31% of their votes.
A former RNC insider said the committee had conducted an extensive post-mortem on the 2008 election, and concluded that the RNC should urgently prepare for an immigration debate on Capitol Hill and invest resources in Hispanic outreach. The pre-Steele leadership concluded that if the official Republican leadership were not in a position to aggressively state a pro-immigrant position, and to distance the GOP sharply from perceived anti-immigrant voices in Congress, Republican numbers could fall further and effectively end the party's chances of winning a national majority.
"The future of the party is at stake," said the RNC insider who echoed a wide consensus that the RNC has done nothing to prepare for that debate.
Politico, May 20, 2009
Hispanic Republican leaders say they've lost patience with promises from Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele to hire high-profile Hispanic operatives and launch targeted outreach toward their community.
The complaints began in March, when leaders of key Hispanic GOP organizations wrote Steele in a private letter that they "were extremely disheartened that no Hispanics were considered for the post of Coalitions Director and that, to date, no Hispanics have been appointed to any other high-profile leadership roles within the party," according to a copy of the March 6 letter provided POLITICO by one of its signatories.
The letter came in response to Steele's decision to hire a fellow black Republican, Angela Sailor, to lead the GOP's diversity efforts, a role he elevated within the party structure.
"If the RNC's outreach effort to Hispanics consists simply of appointing a Hispanic to serve as Director of the Hispanic Coalitions, then this plan is a recipe for disaster," said the letter, signed by the leaders of seven groups, including the Republican National Hispanic Assembly, the Hispanic War Veterans of America, and the National Coalition for Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders.
The jostling among minority Republicans comes as the party seeks to broaden its appeal beyond an aging, shrinking, and regionalizing base. Steele made that promise a centerpiece of his campaign for chairman, but Republicans have yet to seriously engage in the task of wooing back Hispanic voters, some 44% of whom, according to exit polls, voted for President George W. Bush in 2004. Hispanics, whose growing power could put much of the West and any plausible road to the White House out of reach for the GOP, fled the party amid the charged 2005 battle over federal immigration reform legislation, and could not be wooed back even by pro-immigration Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who won just 31% of their votes.
A former RNC insider said the committee had conducted an extensive post-mortem on the 2008 election, and concluded that the RNC should urgently prepare for an immigration debate on Capitol Hill and invest resources in Hispanic outreach. The pre-Steele leadership concluded that if the official Republican leadership were not in a position to aggressively state a pro-immigrant position, and to distance the GOP sharply from perceived anti-immigrant voices in Congress, Republican numbers could fall further and effectively end the party's chances of winning a national majority.
"The future of the party is at stake," said the RNC insider who echoed a wide consensus that the RNC has done nothing to prepare for that debate.
Latino youth likely to end up in adult facilities
1 Out of 4 Incarcerated Latino Youth Is Held in Adult Facilities, Finds New Report
PRESS RELEASE
WASHINGTON, May 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Latino youth are treated more harshly by the justice system than white youth, for similar offenses, at all stages in the justice system, according to a new report released today by The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and the Campaign for Youth Justice (CFYJ). America's Invisible Children: Latino Youth and the Failure of Justice examines the most recent information available about Latino youth in the justice system, with a particular focus on youth tried as adults.
"This country's justice system is in crisis. At the heart of the crisis is our failure to recognize that this system is for the care and treatment of children, not simply the punishment and correction of criminals," said Janet Murguia, NCLR President and CEO. "We need a new approach that allows Latino children to dream, and dream big, while providing them with the tools they need to accomplish those dreams."
Each year, an estimated 200,000 youth under age 18 are tried as adults in courts nationwide. As a result, thousands of Latino youth are prosecuted in the adult criminal justice system every year, depriving them of rehabilitative opportunities, including education, mental health services, and other age-appropriate services that make it more likely that youth will become law-abiding, productive citizens. In addition, Latino youth prosecuted in the adult system can be held in adult jails and prisons where they are at great risk of suicide and sexual assault.
"The justice system has failed Latino youth and communities as these kids are treated more punitively by the justice system than white youth for similar offenses," said Liz Ryan, CFYJ President and CEO. "The Administration, Congress, and state and local officials must take immediate steps to redress these glaring disparities."
According to recent reports from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Justice, youth who are tried as adults are more likely to reoffend than youth retained in the juvenile justice system.
Key Findings from America's Invisible Children: Latino Youth and the Failure of Justice:
* On any given day, close to 18,000 Latino youth are incarcerated in America. The majority of these youth are incarcerated for nonviolent offenses. Most Latino youth are held in juvenile detention facilities (41%) and juvenile long-term secure facilities (34%). However, one out of every four (24%) incarcerated Latino children is held in an adult prison or jail even though youth in adult facilities are in significant danger of suicide and rape.
* Latino youth are overrepresented in the U.S. justice system and receive harsher treatment than white youth. In order of rising disparities, Latino youth are: 4% more likely than white youth to be petitioned; 16% more likely than white youth to be adjudicated delinquent; 28% more likely than white youth to be detained; 41% more likely than white youth to receive an out-of-home placement; 43% more likely than white youth to be waived to the adult system; and 40% more likely to be admitted to adult prison. States with the highest levels of disparity of Latino youth in adult prison (rates over 5 times that for white youth) were California, Minnesota, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
* Nine out of ten (90%) Latino youth ages 10 to 17 live in states that permit the pre-trial detention in adult jails for youth prosecuted in the adult system. According to a study of 40 large urban jurisdictions, Latino youth prosecuted in the adult system are routinely incarcerated in adult jails. Overall, a higher proportion of white youth are released pretrial (60%) than any other racial or ethnic categories. Most (54%) of Latino youth prosecuted in the adult system were detained pretrial; of the Latino youth detained pretrial, 72% were held in adult jails.
Recommendations for Congress and the Administration:
* Reauthorize the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) this year with strengthening provisions such as updating the "Disproportionate Minority Contact" (DMC) core requirement to give states specific guidance on action steps to reduce both racial and ethnic disparities and by closing the loophole that allows youth to be placed in adult jails.
* Substantially increase federal investments to improve culturally and linguistically appropriate, community-based programs and alternatives to incarceration for Latino youth.
* Oppose legislation that increases the transfer of youth to the adult criminal system or expands mandatory minimum sentences such as gang enhancements.
State and Local Policymakers should:
* Immediately stop housing young people in adult jails and prisons.
* Redirect resources from incarceration to culturally and linguistically competent in-home and community-based services for at-risk youth and youth already in the juvenile or adult justice systems, such as the programs profiled in this brief.
* Reduce the transfer of youth to adult court by repealing statutory exclusion and prosecutorial discretion laws.
The National Council of La Raza is the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., working to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans.
The Campaign for Youth Justice is a national organization dedicated to ending the practice of trying, sentencing and incarcerating youth under the age of 18 in the adult criminal justice system.
To view the entire report, visit http://campaignforyouthjustice.org/documents/Latino_Brief.pdf
PRESS RELEASE
WASHINGTON, May 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Latino youth are treated more harshly by the justice system than white youth, for similar offenses, at all stages in the justice system, according to a new report released today by The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and the Campaign for Youth Justice (CFYJ). America's Invisible Children: Latino Youth and the Failure of Justice examines the most recent information available about Latino youth in the justice system, with a particular focus on youth tried as adults.
"This country's justice system is in crisis. At the heart of the crisis is our failure to recognize that this system is for the care and treatment of children, not simply the punishment and correction of criminals," said Janet Murguia, NCLR President and CEO. "We need a new approach that allows Latino children to dream, and dream big, while providing them with the tools they need to accomplish those dreams."
Each year, an estimated 200,000 youth under age 18 are tried as adults in courts nationwide. As a result, thousands of Latino youth are prosecuted in the adult criminal justice system every year, depriving them of rehabilitative opportunities, including education, mental health services, and other age-appropriate services that make it more likely that youth will become law-abiding, productive citizens. In addition, Latino youth prosecuted in the adult system can be held in adult jails and prisons where they are at great risk of suicide and sexual assault.
"The justice system has failed Latino youth and communities as these kids are treated more punitively by the justice system than white youth for similar offenses," said Liz Ryan, CFYJ President and CEO. "The Administration, Congress, and state and local officials must take immediate steps to redress these glaring disparities."
According to recent reports from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Justice, youth who are tried as adults are more likely to reoffend than youth retained in the juvenile justice system.
Key Findings from America's Invisible Children: Latino Youth and the Failure of Justice:
* On any given day, close to 18,000 Latino youth are incarcerated in America. The majority of these youth are incarcerated for nonviolent offenses. Most Latino youth are held in juvenile detention facilities (41%) and juvenile long-term secure facilities (34%). However, one out of every four (24%) incarcerated Latino children is held in an adult prison or jail even though youth in adult facilities are in significant danger of suicide and rape.
* Latino youth are overrepresented in the U.S. justice system and receive harsher treatment than white youth. In order of rising disparities, Latino youth are: 4% more likely than white youth to be petitioned; 16% more likely than white youth to be adjudicated delinquent; 28% more likely than white youth to be detained; 41% more likely than white youth to receive an out-of-home placement; 43% more likely than white youth to be waived to the adult system; and 40% more likely to be admitted to adult prison. States with the highest levels of disparity of Latino youth in adult prison (rates over 5 times that for white youth) were California, Minnesota, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
* Nine out of ten (90%) Latino youth ages 10 to 17 live in states that permit the pre-trial detention in adult jails for youth prosecuted in the adult system. According to a study of 40 large urban jurisdictions, Latino youth prosecuted in the adult system are routinely incarcerated in adult jails. Overall, a higher proportion of white youth are released pretrial (60%) than any other racial or ethnic categories. Most (54%) of Latino youth prosecuted in the adult system were detained pretrial; of the Latino youth detained pretrial, 72% were held in adult jails.
Recommendations for Congress and the Administration:
* Reauthorize the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) this year with strengthening provisions such as updating the "Disproportionate Minority Contact" (DMC) core requirement to give states specific guidance on action steps to reduce both racial and ethnic disparities and by closing the loophole that allows youth to be placed in adult jails.
* Substantially increase federal investments to improve culturally and linguistically appropriate, community-based programs and alternatives to incarceration for Latino youth.
* Oppose legislation that increases the transfer of youth to the adult criminal system or expands mandatory minimum sentences such as gang enhancements.
State and Local Policymakers should:
* Immediately stop housing young people in adult jails and prisons.
* Redirect resources from incarceration to culturally and linguistically competent in-home and community-based services for at-risk youth and youth already in the juvenile or adult justice systems, such as the programs profiled in this brief.
* Reduce the transfer of youth to adult court by repealing statutory exclusion and prosecutorial discretion laws.
The National Council of La Raza is the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., working to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans.
The Campaign for Youth Justice is a national organization dedicated to ending the practice of trying, sentencing and incarcerating youth under the age of 18 in the adult criminal justice system.
To view the entire report, visit http://campaignforyouthjustice.org/documents/Latino_Brief.pdf
Latino politicians, pastors fight same sex marriage
Latino Politicians/Pastors Lead Fight Against Same-sex Marriage in New York
by Bill Berkowitz, Dissident Voice / May 20th, 2009
Years from now — I won’t venture a guess as to how many but I am fairly certain by that time the names Carrie Prejean and Perez Hilton will be mere footnotes — when the history of the struggle over gay rights and same-sex marriage is written, there will be plenty of heroes/heroines to be honored, and more than enough villains to go around. Maybe villains is too strong a term; how about anti-gay true believers whose beliefs resulted in real harm? For every courageous couple in Iowa or Massachusetts who, against great odds, have pressed on, there are those that have made it their business to stand (metaphorically for now) in the courthouse doorway.
For now, if you’ve been following the battle over same-sex marriage and you don’t know who the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez or Rubén Díaz are, you likely soon will.
Rodriguez, President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), and Diaz, a New York state Senator from the Bronx a Pentecostal pastor in that borough, are two key players leading anti-same-sex marriage forces in New York State.
On Sunday, May 17, while much of the “culture war” crowd was focused on events at Notre Dame University — where President Barack Obama was heartily welcomed by UND graduates and their families — things were hopping in New York City. Thousands of anti-same-sex marriage activists marched in opposition to Governor David Patterson’s gay marriage bill. The Christian Post reported that the mostly Latino crowd, which gathered at the Governor’s Manhattan office, “stretched from 35th to 40th Street on 3rd Avenue in New York City.”
At the same time hundreds of marriage-equality advocates gathered at a rally near Rockefeller Center. Speakers at the pro–marriage equality rally included New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, City Council speaker Christine Quinn, state assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell, and actors Cynthia Nixon, David Hyde Pierce, Cheyenne Jackson, and Gavin Creel.
Last week, the New York State Assembly passed the marriage equality bill by an 89 to 52 vote. According to Box Turtle Bulletin, “The Assembly voted for a marriage bill in 2007, as well. But in that vote the count was 85 to 61. And while this year’s vote only has four more ‘yes’ votes, the margin of victory increased from 24 to 37.” How the bill will fare in the State senate is anybody’s guess.
Among the leaders of the protest was Rubén Díaz who had earlier charged Patterson with disrespecting religious groups by introducing gay marriage legislation on April 16, a few days before the weeks of Passover and Easter began. As if it would have been okay on May Day!
Charisma News Online reported that at this time, Diaz has expressed near certainty that the bill will not pass in the Senate, as it “lacks the 32 votes needed to pass the measure, even though there are 32 Democratic senators.”
“I have the commitment form six Democrats that they will not vote for it,” Díaz said. “So they’re going to have to go to the Republicans if they want to pass it in the Senate. But this is a Democratic agenda, and I doubt that the Republicans would jump on board to make the Democrats look good.” According to Charisma News Online, “Even if the gay marriage bill is reintroduced every year, Díaz promises to block it. ‘I’m a preacher. I’m not only a state senator. I would not vote for that.’”
Joining Diaz at the demonstration was a coalition that included Radio Vision Cristiana International, the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization, the CONLICO network of bishops and the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC).
“Radio Vision has been motivated to respond to . . . Paterson and every other elected official, to let them know that we are not sleeping and that we will not stay idle with our hands crossed while they pressure and promote marriage between persons of the same sex,” said the Rev. Milton Donato, president of Radio Vision Cristiana.
Amongst this group of pastors and politicians, Samuel Rodriquez has the highest public profile and biggest national platform. In late April, Rodriguez’s NHCLC (NHCLC) and the Hispanic National Association of Evangelicals, sponsored the third Annual Hispanic/African American Evangelical Summit in the Baltimore Metropolitan area. “With approximately 1,700 in attendance, this event establishes the gathering as the premier Black/Brown faith event in our nation. The African American Hispanic Summit served the Christian community as it provided a venue for multi-layered, cross cultural interactions,” declared Dr. Angel Nunez, NHCLC Senior Vice President and National Director of the Hispanic/Black Evangelical Alliance.
“Hispanics and African Americans stand as the Peter and John of the 21st Century American Church. We stand before the Gate called Beautiful. Our communities once again lie crippled, paralyzed and without hope. We, the Black and the Brown may not have all the silver or the gold but what we have we give; In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth we tell our families, communities and nation, get up and walk,” stated Rodriguez.
In early May, in a post at the “On Faith” website sponsored by Newsweek and The Washington Post Rodriguez criticized President Obama for “demonstrate[ing] his brand of political correctness by acknowledging a day of prayer and simultaneously rejecting the idea that the White House should somehow commemorate the day in an official event.”
As Frederick Clarkson recently pointed out at Talk2Action, Rodriguez was a signatory to a document titled “Come Let Us Reason Together: A Fresh Look at Shared Cultural Values Between Evangelicals and Progressives (CLURT)”, a document aimed at establishing “common ground” between evangelicals and progressive religious.
At the anti-same-sex marriage three-hour extravaganza, Diaz told the crowd: “They accuse us of homophobia. They accuse us of being radicals . . . They accuse us of many things because they want to close the mouth of the church.”
According to Gay City News, “Diaz credited Radio Vision Cristiana, a New Jersey-based AM radio station that broadcasts religious programming, with turning out the [huge] crowd” which, organizers claimed, included representatives from 3,000 churches from the tri-state area.
“They sounded the trumpet and here we are,” Diaz said. “The sleeping giant has awakened and nothing can make him go back to sleep.”
Rabbi Yehuda Levin of Brooklyn, a longtime anti-gay activist, played the fear card to its fullest possible extent: “If this legislation passes, God forbid, you and I will be considered by the state law as bigots, as discriminating. They will take away from our religious schools the tax deductions. They will not give us any government for our schools. They will make our marriage counselors counsel homosexual couples. Our accountants will have to do taxes for married homosexual couples. Our children will be brought in school “Heath has Two Mommies” . . . The full force of the state government will come down on us like a ton of bricks. We will be outcasts.”
And, Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, a Washington, D.C.-based lobby group, was also on hand. “The politicians are unleashing chaos on our children, on our families, and on our nation by redefining marriage . . . One thing stands in the way of this chaos — you,” Perkins told the crowd.
by Bill Berkowitz, Dissident Voice / May 20th, 2009
Years from now — I won’t venture a guess as to how many but I am fairly certain by that time the names Carrie Prejean and Perez Hilton will be mere footnotes — when the history of the struggle over gay rights and same-sex marriage is written, there will be plenty of heroes/heroines to be honored, and more than enough villains to go around. Maybe villains is too strong a term; how about anti-gay true believers whose beliefs resulted in real harm? For every courageous couple in Iowa or Massachusetts who, against great odds, have pressed on, there are those that have made it their business to stand (metaphorically for now) in the courthouse doorway.
For now, if you’ve been following the battle over same-sex marriage and you don’t know who the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez or Rubén Díaz are, you likely soon will.
Rodriguez, President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), and Diaz, a New York state Senator from the Bronx a Pentecostal pastor in that borough, are two key players leading anti-same-sex marriage forces in New York State.
On Sunday, May 17, while much of the “culture war” crowd was focused on events at Notre Dame University — where President Barack Obama was heartily welcomed by UND graduates and their families — things were hopping in New York City. Thousands of anti-same-sex marriage activists marched in opposition to Governor David Patterson’s gay marriage bill. The Christian Post reported that the mostly Latino crowd, which gathered at the Governor’s Manhattan office, “stretched from 35th to 40th Street on 3rd Avenue in New York City.”
At the same time hundreds of marriage-equality advocates gathered at a rally near Rockefeller Center. Speakers at the pro–marriage equality rally included New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, City Council speaker Christine Quinn, state assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell, and actors Cynthia Nixon, David Hyde Pierce, Cheyenne Jackson, and Gavin Creel.
Last week, the New York State Assembly passed the marriage equality bill by an 89 to 52 vote. According to Box Turtle Bulletin, “The Assembly voted for a marriage bill in 2007, as well. But in that vote the count was 85 to 61. And while this year’s vote only has four more ‘yes’ votes, the margin of victory increased from 24 to 37.” How the bill will fare in the State senate is anybody’s guess.
Among the leaders of the protest was Rubén Díaz who had earlier charged Patterson with disrespecting religious groups by introducing gay marriage legislation on April 16, a few days before the weeks of Passover and Easter began. As if it would have been okay on May Day!
Charisma News Online reported that at this time, Diaz has expressed near certainty that the bill will not pass in the Senate, as it “lacks the 32 votes needed to pass the measure, even though there are 32 Democratic senators.”
“I have the commitment form six Democrats that they will not vote for it,” Díaz said. “So they’re going to have to go to the Republicans if they want to pass it in the Senate. But this is a Democratic agenda, and I doubt that the Republicans would jump on board to make the Democrats look good.” According to Charisma News Online, “Even if the gay marriage bill is reintroduced every year, Díaz promises to block it. ‘I’m a preacher. I’m not only a state senator. I would not vote for that.’”
Joining Diaz at the demonstration was a coalition that included Radio Vision Cristiana International, the New York Hispanic Clergy Organization, the CONLICO network of bishops and the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC).
“Radio Vision has been motivated to respond to . . . Paterson and every other elected official, to let them know that we are not sleeping and that we will not stay idle with our hands crossed while they pressure and promote marriage between persons of the same sex,” said the Rev. Milton Donato, president of Radio Vision Cristiana.
Amongst this group of pastors and politicians, Samuel Rodriquez has the highest public profile and biggest national platform. In late April, Rodriguez’s NHCLC (NHCLC) and the Hispanic National Association of Evangelicals, sponsored the third Annual Hispanic/African American Evangelical Summit in the Baltimore Metropolitan area. “With approximately 1,700 in attendance, this event establishes the gathering as the premier Black/Brown faith event in our nation. The African American Hispanic Summit served the Christian community as it provided a venue for multi-layered, cross cultural interactions,” declared Dr. Angel Nunez, NHCLC Senior Vice President and National Director of the Hispanic/Black Evangelical Alliance.
“Hispanics and African Americans stand as the Peter and John of the 21st Century American Church. We stand before the Gate called Beautiful. Our communities once again lie crippled, paralyzed and without hope. We, the Black and the Brown may not have all the silver or the gold but what we have we give; In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth we tell our families, communities and nation, get up and walk,” stated Rodriguez.
In early May, in a post at the “On Faith” website sponsored by Newsweek and The Washington Post Rodriguez criticized President Obama for “demonstrate[ing] his brand of political correctness by acknowledging a day of prayer and simultaneously rejecting the idea that the White House should somehow commemorate the day in an official event.”
As Frederick Clarkson recently pointed out at Talk2Action, Rodriguez was a signatory to a document titled “Come Let Us Reason Together: A Fresh Look at Shared Cultural Values Between Evangelicals and Progressives (CLURT)”, a document aimed at establishing “common ground” between evangelicals and progressive religious.
At the anti-same-sex marriage three-hour extravaganza, Diaz told the crowd: “They accuse us of homophobia. They accuse us of being radicals . . . They accuse us of many things because they want to close the mouth of the church.”
According to Gay City News, “Diaz credited Radio Vision Cristiana, a New Jersey-based AM radio station that broadcasts religious programming, with turning out the [huge] crowd” which, organizers claimed, included representatives from 3,000 churches from the tri-state area.
“They sounded the trumpet and here we are,” Diaz said. “The sleeping giant has awakened and nothing can make him go back to sleep.”
Rabbi Yehuda Levin of Brooklyn, a longtime anti-gay activist, played the fear card to its fullest possible extent: “If this legislation passes, God forbid, you and I will be considered by the state law as bigots, as discriminating. They will take away from our religious schools the tax deductions. They will not give us any government for our schools. They will make our marriage counselors counsel homosexual couples. Our accountants will have to do taxes for married homosexual couples. Our children will be brought in school “Heath has Two Mommies” . . . The full force of the state government will come down on us like a ton of bricks. We will be outcasts.”
And, Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, a Washington, D.C.-based lobby group, was also on hand. “The politicians are unleashing chaos on our children, on our families, and on our nation by redefining marriage . . . One thing stands in the way of this chaos — you,” Perkins told the crowd.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Hispanic voters flex political muscle
Poll finds Hispanic voters flexing political muscle
McClatchy Newspapers, May 18, 2009
MIAMI - The country's Hispanic voting population is gaining political ground, rallying behind the new president, and keeping immigration reform close to its heart, according to poll results released Monday.
"It's a very personal issue," Sergio Bendixen, president of Bendixen & Associates, a Coral Gables, Fla.-based consulting and research firm, said of immigration in a telephone news conference. "What's new in this poll is the growing intensity among Hispanic voters."
In Spanish-English interviews with 800 Hispanic voters, researchers from Bendixen's group found that Hispanic voters identify more closely with the Democratic Party than the Republican Party, and that they view President Barack Obama as a leader sympathetic to immigration issues. The pro-immigration campaign America's Voice also sponsored the 39-page report.
Researchers interviewed Hispanic voters from 13 states from April 28-May 5. Fifteen percent of those interviewed lived in Florida, 29 percent in California, and 24 in Texas. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
A central part of the survey was deciding which way the 12 million to 13 million eligible Hispanic voters are casting their ballots.
The report showed that a majority of those interviewed backed President Barack Obama. Sixty-eight percent of respondents said they supported Obama in the 2008 presidential election, compared to 30 percent who supported GOP candidate John McCain.
Seventy-one percent of respondents said the Democratic Party best represents the opinion of the Hispanic community on immigration issues, compared to 11 percent who thought there was better representation from the Republican Party.
The survey also found that more Hispanic voters have been showing up at the polls. In the 2008 election, 86 percent of the respondents said they voted, compared to 50 percent in the 2006 mid-term election. (Presidential elections draw more voters than mid-term ones.)
For the 2010 mid-term election, when immigration is expected to be an important part of the political debate, 75 percent of respondents said they were very likely to vote. Sixteen percent said they were somewhat likely to vote, and 7 percent said not likely.
Respondents also were asked about their views on problems facing the country. Fifty-six percent said the country's weak economy weighed most heavily on them, and 13 percent cited the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as concerns. Other worries included lack of access to health care, illegal immigration, the housing crisis and low quality of public schools.
Fifty-nine percent of respondents said the immigration issue was very important to them and their families.
According to the poll, it was easy to see why: Many respondents - 69 percent - said they knew undocumented migrants personally, counting them as friends, family members, neighbors or co-workers.
"This very much fits in with why the immigration issue is important to them," said Bendixen. "It's personal."
Seventy-five percent said they felt anti-immigrant sentiment against Hispanics was growing, compared to 21 percent who disagreed.
During Obama's short time in office, he has eased travel restrictions to Cuba and visited Mexico to relay his concerns over drug-related violence along the U.S. border.
Seventy-five percent said his performance in addressing Hispanic issues was excellent or good. Seventeen percent said he had done a mediocre or bad job.
Of the former category, 35 percent said Obama has done a "good job so far." In the latter category, 53 percent said he hadn't "done much at all."
The bulk of those interviewed in the Bendixen survey - 45 percent - identified the United States as their place of origin, and 30 percent said Mexico. Five percent said Cuba, Puerto Rico and South America.
McClatchy Newspapers, May 18, 2009
MIAMI - The country's Hispanic voting population is gaining political ground, rallying behind the new president, and keeping immigration reform close to its heart, according to poll results released Monday.
"It's a very personal issue," Sergio Bendixen, president of Bendixen & Associates, a Coral Gables, Fla.-based consulting and research firm, said of immigration in a telephone news conference. "What's new in this poll is the growing intensity among Hispanic voters."
In Spanish-English interviews with 800 Hispanic voters, researchers from Bendixen's group found that Hispanic voters identify more closely with the Democratic Party than the Republican Party, and that they view President Barack Obama as a leader sympathetic to immigration issues. The pro-immigration campaign America's Voice also sponsored the 39-page report.
Researchers interviewed Hispanic voters from 13 states from April 28-May 5. Fifteen percent of those interviewed lived in Florida, 29 percent in California, and 24 in Texas. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
A central part of the survey was deciding which way the 12 million to 13 million eligible Hispanic voters are casting their ballots.
The report showed that a majority of those interviewed backed President Barack Obama. Sixty-eight percent of respondents said they supported Obama in the 2008 presidential election, compared to 30 percent who supported GOP candidate John McCain.
Seventy-one percent of respondents said the Democratic Party best represents the opinion of the Hispanic community on immigration issues, compared to 11 percent who thought there was better representation from the Republican Party.
The survey also found that more Hispanic voters have been showing up at the polls. In the 2008 election, 86 percent of the respondents said they voted, compared to 50 percent in the 2006 mid-term election. (Presidential elections draw more voters than mid-term ones.)
For the 2010 mid-term election, when immigration is expected to be an important part of the political debate, 75 percent of respondents said they were very likely to vote. Sixteen percent said they were somewhat likely to vote, and 7 percent said not likely.
Respondents also were asked about their views on problems facing the country. Fifty-six percent said the country's weak economy weighed most heavily on them, and 13 percent cited the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as concerns. Other worries included lack of access to health care, illegal immigration, the housing crisis and low quality of public schools.
Fifty-nine percent of respondents said the immigration issue was very important to them and their families.
According to the poll, it was easy to see why: Many respondents - 69 percent - said they knew undocumented migrants personally, counting them as friends, family members, neighbors or co-workers.
"This very much fits in with why the immigration issue is important to them," said Bendixen. "It's personal."
Seventy-five percent said they felt anti-immigrant sentiment against Hispanics was growing, compared to 21 percent who disagreed.
During Obama's short time in office, he has eased travel restrictions to Cuba and visited Mexico to relay his concerns over drug-related violence along the U.S. border.
Seventy-five percent said his performance in addressing Hispanic issues was excellent or good. Seventeen percent said he had done a mediocre or bad job.
Of the former category, 35 percent said Obama has done a "good job so far." In the latter category, 53 percent said he hadn't "done much at all."
The bulk of those interviewed in the Bendixen survey - 45 percent - identified the United States as their place of origin, and 30 percent said Mexico. Five percent said Cuba, Puerto Rico and South America.
Police reach out to Latino immigrants
A barrier of silence in East Boston
Police strive to gain Latino immigrants' trust
By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff / May 18, 2009
A thief breaks into a car on Eagle Hill. A day laborer is beaten up near Chelsea Street for not handing over his wages. Near Maverick Square, a woman's house is ransacked and her belongings stolen.
Such crimes have been commonplace in East Boston in recent months, but police said they often do not hear about them until hours or days after they have happened, and sometimes not at all, because few witnesses or victims are bothering to call 911.
As the city works to keep the peace in this largely immigrant neighborhood, which has seen a sharp rise in crime over the first four months of the year, police say they are confronting a formidable obstacle: silence.
Time and again, police say, Latino immigrants, often the victims and witnesses of the crimes, have suffered anonymously rather than come forward. "No vale la pena," is one of the excuses Sergeant Arthur McCarthy has heard. "It's not worth it."
"That's the general attitude," said McCarthy, a fluent Spanish speaker with eight years in the district.
Persuading citizens to alert them to crimes and participate in investigations is a chronic challenge for police. In some neighborhoods, witnesses or victims fear they will be accused of "snitching" and become a target of criminals. In others, such as South Boston, a changing population has created a less cohesive sense of community, forcing police to beg neighbors to watch out for each other.
In this neighborhood, police say, the silence is mostly a byproduct of fearful immigrants who worry that if they tell police about a crime, they may be forced to reveal their illegal status.
"Don't even look in their eyes," adults would tell 29-year-old Diana Cardona and her twin sister, who moved to the United States from Colombia as children. "They said to us, 'Be careful. They're going to take you away.' "
That message, she said, is still out there.
Cardona was one of about 50 people, most of them Colombian immigrants, who gathered under the vaulted ceiling of the Maverick Community Center on a recent Thursday night for a 13-week course entitled "Despierta" or "Wake-up." The program is run by ¿Oiste?, a Latino political organization that is trying to inform immigrants about local government, how to organize as a community, and the court and criminal system.
Every Thursday, McCarthy or another representative of the police department shows up at the meeting to answer questions about how the department works, in hopes of engendering more trust for police within the community. The number of Latinos in this heavily Italian neighborhood has jumped to more than 15,000, making up about 40 percent of the population.
Anna Stifano, director of advocacy for ¿Oiste?, said the community's mistrust stems not just from apprehension about deportation but also from the corruption many Latinos witnessed in their native countries.
"In Colombia, in Venezuela, people are scared of police," said Stifano, who was born in Venezuela. "You're afraid that they're going to do something to you. So imagine if you have no documents. They have even more fear."
There is also a perception that police don't like immigrants, according to many interviewed in Maverick Square, a bustling commercial center in East Boston filled with shops, bakeries, and Mexican restaurants.
"When a policeman stops a Hispanic person in a car, they get rigid," said David Gomar, 42, a Salvadoran who has lived in East Boston for two years. "When talking with Hispanic people, they're more aggressive."
Over coffee in La Sultana Bakery, Mario Sepúlveda recalled one time he asked police for help. It was after midnight, and Sepúlveda, a 48-year-old cook, walked to the station to complain about his loud neighbors.
The detective who responded was a Spanish-speaker, Sepúlveda said, but refused to speak to him in his native tongue.
"He didn't want to talk to me," he said. "He didn't want to have anything to do with me. He just told me to knock on their door."
Sepúlveda said that if he sees that detective on the street asking witnesses for information, he won't provide any. "Why would I?" Sepúlveda said.
Sergeant Detective Donald S. Gosselin, a fluent Spanish speaker who is assisting in the courses, said that communication between the police and the Latino community has improved immensely over the past 20 years.
"I'd like to think that our relationship with the Latino community is far and away better than when I started," he said.
But McCarthy acknowledged there is still a way to go. He has asked officers from his district to come to the meetings so both sides will learn to overcome barriers. Last week, Gosselin and McCarthy took a group of about 35 immigrants to the Police Academy for a tour while another group toured the 911 call center at headquarters.
At a recent meeting, McCarthy implored the audience in Spanish to cooperate. Don't be afraid to call 911 even to complain about loud music, he said.
"There are many people, gringos as well, who don't want to talk to police," McCarthy told them. "You are the voice of the city, the eyes of the city, and we need to know the problems."
Many looked dubious until Gosselin and McCarthy told them that as officers they have absolutely no legal authority to ask about the immigration status of people who come forward as witnesses or victims.
That reassured 31-year-old Natalia Isaza. "They're not our enemies, they're our friends," she said. "We found out the most important thing - they can't ask us for papers."
Maria Cramer can be reached at mcramer@globe.com.
Police strive to gain Latino immigrants' trust
By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff / May 18, 2009
A thief breaks into a car on Eagle Hill. A day laborer is beaten up near Chelsea Street for not handing over his wages. Near Maverick Square, a woman's house is ransacked and her belongings stolen.
Such crimes have been commonplace in East Boston in recent months, but police said they often do not hear about them until hours or days after they have happened, and sometimes not at all, because few witnesses or victims are bothering to call 911.
As the city works to keep the peace in this largely immigrant neighborhood, which has seen a sharp rise in crime over the first four months of the year, police say they are confronting a formidable obstacle: silence.
Time and again, police say, Latino immigrants, often the victims and witnesses of the crimes, have suffered anonymously rather than come forward. "No vale la pena," is one of the excuses Sergeant Arthur McCarthy has heard. "It's not worth it."
"That's the general attitude," said McCarthy, a fluent Spanish speaker with eight years in the district.
Persuading citizens to alert them to crimes and participate in investigations is a chronic challenge for police. In some neighborhoods, witnesses or victims fear they will be accused of "snitching" and become a target of criminals. In others, such as South Boston, a changing population has created a less cohesive sense of community, forcing police to beg neighbors to watch out for each other.
In this neighborhood, police say, the silence is mostly a byproduct of fearful immigrants who worry that if they tell police about a crime, they may be forced to reveal their illegal status.
"Don't even look in their eyes," adults would tell 29-year-old Diana Cardona and her twin sister, who moved to the United States from Colombia as children. "They said to us, 'Be careful. They're going to take you away.' "
That message, she said, is still out there.
Cardona was one of about 50 people, most of them Colombian immigrants, who gathered under the vaulted ceiling of the Maverick Community Center on a recent Thursday night for a 13-week course entitled "Despierta" or "Wake-up." The program is run by ¿Oiste?, a Latino political organization that is trying to inform immigrants about local government, how to organize as a community, and the court and criminal system.
Every Thursday, McCarthy or another representative of the police department shows up at the meeting to answer questions about how the department works, in hopes of engendering more trust for police within the community. The number of Latinos in this heavily Italian neighborhood has jumped to more than 15,000, making up about 40 percent of the population.
Anna Stifano, director of advocacy for ¿Oiste?, said the community's mistrust stems not just from apprehension about deportation but also from the corruption many Latinos witnessed in their native countries.
"In Colombia, in Venezuela, people are scared of police," said Stifano, who was born in Venezuela. "You're afraid that they're going to do something to you. So imagine if you have no documents. They have even more fear."
There is also a perception that police don't like immigrants, according to many interviewed in Maverick Square, a bustling commercial center in East Boston filled with shops, bakeries, and Mexican restaurants.
"When a policeman stops a Hispanic person in a car, they get rigid," said David Gomar, 42, a Salvadoran who has lived in East Boston for two years. "When talking with Hispanic people, they're more aggressive."
Over coffee in La Sultana Bakery, Mario Sepúlveda recalled one time he asked police for help. It was after midnight, and Sepúlveda, a 48-year-old cook, walked to the station to complain about his loud neighbors.
The detective who responded was a Spanish-speaker, Sepúlveda said, but refused to speak to him in his native tongue.
"He didn't want to talk to me," he said. "He didn't want to have anything to do with me. He just told me to knock on their door."
Sepúlveda said that if he sees that detective on the street asking witnesses for information, he won't provide any. "Why would I?" Sepúlveda said.
Sergeant Detective Donald S. Gosselin, a fluent Spanish speaker who is assisting in the courses, said that communication between the police and the Latino community has improved immensely over the past 20 years.
"I'd like to think that our relationship with the Latino community is far and away better than when I started," he said.
But McCarthy acknowledged there is still a way to go. He has asked officers from his district to come to the meetings so both sides will learn to overcome barriers. Last week, Gosselin and McCarthy took a group of about 35 immigrants to the Police Academy for a tour while another group toured the 911 call center at headquarters.
At a recent meeting, McCarthy implored the audience in Spanish to cooperate. Don't be afraid to call 911 even to complain about loud music, he said.
"There are many people, gringos as well, who don't want to talk to police," McCarthy told them. "You are the voice of the city, the eyes of the city, and we need to know the problems."
Many looked dubious until Gosselin and McCarthy told them that as officers they have absolutely no legal authority to ask about the immigration status of people who come forward as witnesses or victims.
That reassured 31-year-old Natalia Isaza. "They're not our enemies, they're our friends," she said. "We found out the most important thing - they can't ask us for papers."
Maria Cramer can be reached at mcramer@globe.com.
Latino seminars help with services available
West Valley City Hosts Latino Seminars
by Elizabeth Ziegler, KCPW, May 18, 2009
(KCPW News) At least a third of West Valley City's population is Hispanic, and the community is continuing to grow. That poses a cultural challenge for the city, which is sponsoring free Latino seminars on the city's services and codes. Enrique Sosa, West Valley City's Hispanic Neighborhood Services Specialist, says the community needs to know how the city works because it's very different than many places in Latin America.
"They are part of the city and they are living there, it is very important for the city that the Latino community -- and this is also things that I explain to them in the seminars -- since we have these services, since we have these programs, that also comes with certain responsibilities," Sosa says.
For instance, Sosa says the city's code enforcement department is often a new concept to Hispanic immigrants, whose hometowns didn't tell residents where they can park their vehicles, what they can't keep in their backyard or how high their lawn can grow. The seminars will also touch on crime prevention, domestic violence, fire prevention and starting a small business. Sosa says the seminars are intended to help West Valley City's newest residents fit into the fabric of the community.
"What we want, and that is one of the prior objectives of this is to integrate, to integrate the Latino community into the Anglo community so at the end of the day we can coexist together jointly, and living well. That's what we all desire," Sosa says.
The seminars take place on the third Thursday of each month. The first one was in April, and gave an overview of city services. The next meeting is this Thursday and will highlight the Neighborhood Watch program.
by Elizabeth Ziegler, KCPW, May 18, 2009
(KCPW News) At least a third of West Valley City's population is Hispanic, and the community is continuing to grow. That poses a cultural challenge for the city, which is sponsoring free Latino seminars on the city's services and codes. Enrique Sosa, West Valley City's Hispanic Neighborhood Services Specialist, says the community needs to know how the city works because it's very different than many places in Latin America.
"They are part of the city and they are living there, it is very important for the city that the Latino community -- and this is also things that I explain to them in the seminars -- since we have these services, since we have these programs, that also comes with certain responsibilities," Sosa says.
For instance, Sosa says the city's code enforcement department is often a new concept to Hispanic immigrants, whose hometowns didn't tell residents where they can park their vehicles, what they can't keep in their backyard or how high their lawn can grow. The seminars will also touch on crime prevention, domestic violence, fire prevention and starting a small business. Sosa says the seminars are intended to help West Valley City's newest residents fit into the fabric of the community.
"What we want, and that is one of the prior objectives of this is to integrate, to integrate the Latino community into the Anglo community so at the end of the day we can coexist together jointly, and living well. That's what we all desire," Sosa says.
The seminars take place on the third Thursday of each month. The first one was in April, and gave an overview of city services. The next meeting is this Thursday and will highlight the Neighborhood Watch program.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Inside Obama's Hispanic Strategy
Inside Obama’s Hispanic strategy
By Jonathan Martin, Politico, May 15, 2009
TEMPE, Arizona – To get an idea of just how much effort the Obama administration is putting into retaining the support of the Hispanic community, click on the homepage of Eduardo Sotelo .
Don’t know who that is?
Top Obama aides do, and they’ve already had the president speak twice to the nationally syndicated radio talk show powerhouse better known as “Piolin.”
Last week, they brought the Southern California-based talker into the Oval Office for a sit-down that went largely unnoticed – except, that is, to the millions of listeners in the 52 markets where Piolin is heard.
“We need to be able to communicate through radio and obviously you’ve got the biggest listenership so we’ve got to make sure you’re involved,” Obama said in the interview.
It was just one example of a relentless courtship of the nation’s largest minority group and a pivotal voting bloc that numerous aides say has become a near-obsession of White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.
After initially facing questions about whether he could win the Hispanic vote, Obama won it by 36 percentage points against a pro-reform Republican – and his staff is determined to do it again in 2012.
Obama officials are focused on the fast-growing interior West and especially this state, which they believe the president lost only because it is John McCain’s home. With states such as Arizona adding congressional districts after the 2010 census – and thus electoral votes – turning the West into a Democratic bulwark could ensure a lock on the presidency, Obama’s strategists believe.
And they’re backing it up with personal attention from Obama, who made his second trek to Arizona in barely four months in office. The president addressed Arizona State University graduates in a mostly full football stadium Wednesday, winning cheers from a crowd of about 60,000 when he went off-script at one point to pay homage to Latino icon Cesar Chavez in his commencement speech.
Yet even as the Obama charm offensive continues, the administration is faced with twin political challenges that ultimately may threaten any good will they’ve won from Hispanics – how he handles immigration reform and his first Supreme Court nomination. Hispanic leaders say their voters are watching.
“He will ultimately be judged by the Hispanic community on what he does for the weakest and most vulnerable,” said Rep. Luis Gutierrez, the veteran Chicago Democrat, referring to the issue on which he’s become a national leader, comprehensive immigration reform.
Gutierrez said he and fellow Hispanic officials appreciate the wooing and White House invites, but want action on the issue of providing illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. And he doesn’t mince words about what he sees as White House foot-dragging on the issue, which proved difficult to tackle even in better economic times.
“If Rahm thinks he can get away with not doing anything on immigration and still have the support of Latino voters, it won’t get done,” said Gutierrez, who has had a long and at times contentious relationship with his fellow Chicago pol.
But Emanuel aside, Gutierrez said he believes Obama is “reluctant” on the issue and that little progress has been made since the president had the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to the White House in March.
Obama pledged at his 100 Days press conference to work with Gutierrez and another member on immigration reform, but Gutierrez quipped: “That’s why you shouldn’t have term limits.”
“Because if you don’t have term limits, and you’ve been here for nine terms, you don’t get all lit up because the president mentioned your name at a press conference,” he said. “You look for what substantially has changed given his comment.”
Janet Murguia, president of La Raza, said she has been invited to the White House for a series of conferences and meetings this year but was still waiting for a clearer sign on Obama’s intentions on immigration.
“There’s going to be growing frustration if we don’t see some tangible and real signals that this is going to be carried out in earnest this fall,” Murguia said, suggesting that Obama needed to give a speech or somehow make clear this summer that he wanted Congress to act.
Brent Wilkes, executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, also lavished praise on the White House effort to be inclusive but was equally candid: “I think they genuinely want to do [immigration reform] but they genuinely want to do other things a lot more.”
Obama himself conceded to Piolin on the radio last week that “we’ve been delayed a little because of the economic crisis” in addressing immigration. He said it was his “hope is that we can get something moving this year.”
That is, of course, different than getting an actual bill signed into law this year.
A senior administration official recognized that Gutierrez is “pushing very hard” on the issue and acknowledged its significance to the Latino community.
“The immigration issue tends to suck up all the oxygen,” said the official. “But our other major priorities, especially the economy but also health care, are also Latino issues.”
And while getting an immigration bill done isn’t the only thing weighing heavily on the minds of Hispanics, it’s not just the economy and health care. The community is making no secret of their strong desire to see the first Hispanic justice appointed to the Supreme Court, and the Hispanic Caucus has sent Obama a letter urging him to do just that.
Rep. Xavier Becerra, a California Democrat and member of the House leadership, said picking an Hispanic to replace David Souter would spark an “off-the-charts” reaction among Hispanics.
And if the president passed over the community?
“Then people would say the game is still played by the same people,” said Becerra, who himself nearly joined Obama’s Cabinet. “The game has not been changed. People would have every right to say that the doors of opportunity haven’t been completely opened.”
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz), who made a point to note his support for Appeals Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor, said “it would just build up [anticipation] for the next appointment.”
“The urgency would be greater than it is now,” Grijalva said.
Murguia said plainly that it would be “a real opportunity for him to solidify his support with the Latino community.”
White House officials are reluctant to discuss the high court pick, but they note that this isn’t likely to be the president’s only appointment. Press secretary Robert Gibbs said this week that lobbying wouldn’t be helpful.
While anxious on immigration and the court pick, Obama’s Hispanic allies in Congress and advocacy groups generally offer praise on what they see as an unprecedented effort to include them – and not just on traditional Latino or minority issues.
It’s a point of pride for the White House.
“We’re not just doing this on the obvious conversations, but in every major policy conversation,” said a senior administration official.
Hispanics, the official noted, were at the table for meetings on the budget, the stimulus, health care and for a fiscal summit. And a major education speech was delivered before the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Another top White House aide pointed out that when the president travels, they don’t just include Hispanic leaders in the intimate meetings set up before and after events in the usual places like California but in rust belt states like Ohio and Indiana, too.
Obama aides have put special emphasis on catering to the Spanish-language media.
They held a town hall meeting on the H1N1 virus earlier this month entirely in Spanish (except for the president).
When they announced their easing of the sanctions on Cuba last month, it was done by in Spanish and English by a bilingual NSC official.
All the daily press releases and advisories also go out in Spanish.
Obama has been interviewed on a variety of Hispanic radio and TV programs, including Univision, Telemundo and CNN En Espanol. Aides also note that the president has twice used his prime-time press conferences to call on Spanish-media representatives.
More quietly, aides such as Emanuel, energy and climate czar Carol Browner, domestic policy chief Melody Barnes and cabinet secretaries have also conducted briefings. And on the day of the State of the Union speech, newscasters from the Spanish-language TV stations got their own preview from Vice President Joe Biden.
“For many it’s the news of choice,” said Becerra of the Spanish-language channels.
When Piolin asked Obama if he had the votes in Congress on immigration reform, the president was candid.
“Probably not yet,” he said
But when it comes time to rally support for the bill, Obama said he would need the talk show host’s help.
“You can count on me,” Piolin assured.
By Jonathan Martin, Politico, May 15, 2009
TEMPE, Arizona – To get an idea of just how much effort the Obama administration is putting into retaining the support of the Hispanic community, click on the homepage of Eduardo Sotelo .
Don’t know who that is?
Top Obama aides do, and they’ve already had the president speak twice to the nationally syndicated radio talk show powerhouse better known as “Piolin.”
Last week, they brought the Southern California-based talker into the Oval Office for a sit-down that went largely unnoticed – except, that is, to the millions of listeners in the 52 markets where Piolin is heard.
“We need to be able to communicate through radio and obviously you’ve got the biggest listenership so we’ve got to make sure you’re involved,” Obama said in the interview.
It was just one example of a relentless courtship of the nation’s largest minority group and a pivotal voting bloc that numerous aides say has become a near-obsession of White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.
After initially facing questions about whether he could win the Hispanic vote, Obama won it by 36 percentage points against a pro-reform Republican – and his staff is determined to do it again in 2012.
Obama officials are focused on the fast-growing interior West and especially this state, which they believe the president lost only because it is John McCain’s home. With states such as Arizona adding congressional districts after the 2010 census – and thus electoral votes – turning the West into a Democratic bulwark could ensure a lock on the presidency, Obama’s strategists believe.
And they’re backing it up with personal attention from Obama, who made his second trek to Arizona in barely four months in office. The president addressed Arizona State University graduates in a mostly full football stadium Wednesday, winning cheers from a crowd of about 60,000 when he went off-script at one point to pay homage to Latino icon Cesar Chavez in his commencement speech.
Yet even as the Obama charm offensive continues, the administration is faced with twin political challenges that ultimately may threaten any good will they’ve won from Hispanics – how he handles immigration reform and his first Supreme Court nomination. Hispanic leaders say their voters are watching.
“He will ultimately be judged by the Hispanic community on what he does for the weakest and most vulnerable,” said Rep. Luis Gutierrez, the veteran Chicago Democrat, referring to the issue on which he’s become a national leader, comprehensive immigration reform.
Gutierrez said he and fellow Hispanic officials appreciate the wooing and White House invites, but want action on the issue of providing illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. And he doesn’t mince words about what he sees as White House foot-dragging on the issue, which proved difficult to tackle even in better economic times.
“If Rahm thinks he can get away with not doing anything on immigration and still have the support of Latino voters, it won’t get done,” said Gutierrez, who has had a long and at times contentious relationship with his fellow Chicago pol.
But Emanuel aside, Gutierrez said he believes Obama is “reluctant” on the issue and that little progress has been made since the president had the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to the White House in March.
Obama pledged at his 100 Days press conference to work with Gutierrez and another member on immigration reform, but Gutierrez quipped: “That’s why you shouldn’t have term limits.”
“Because if you don’t have term limits, and you’ve been here for nine terms, you don’t get all lit up because the president mentioned your name at a press conference,” he said. “You look for what substantially has changed given his comment.”
Janet Murguia, president of La Raza, said she has been invited to the White House for a series of conferences and meetings this year but was still waiting for a clearer sign on Obama’s intentions on immigration.
“There’s going to be growing frustration if we don’t see some tangible and real signals that this is going to be carried out in earnest this fall,” Murguia said, suggesting that Obama needed to give a speech or somehow make clear this summer that he wanted Congress to act.
Brent Wilkes, executive director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, also lavished praise on the White House effort to be inclusive but was equally candid: “I think they genuinely want to do [immigration reform] but they genuinely want to do other things a lot more.”
Obama himself conceded to Piolin on the radio last week that “we’ve been delayed a little because of the economic crisis” in addressing immigration. He said it was his “hope is that we can get something moving this year.”
That is, of course, different than getting an actual bill signed into law this year.
A senior administration official recognized that Gutierrez is “pushing very hard” on the issue and acknowledged its significance to the Latino community.
“The immigration issue tends to suck up all the oxygen,” said the official. “But our other major priorities, especially the economy but also health care, are also Latino issues.”
And while getting an immigration bill done isn’t the only thing weighing heavily on the minds of Hispanics, it’s not just the economy and health care. The community is making no secret of their strong desire to see the first Hispanic justice appointed to the Supreme Court, and the Hispanic Caucus has sent Obama a letter urging him to do just that.
Rep. Xavier Becerra, a California Democrat and member of the House leadership, said picking an Hispanic to replace David Souter would spark an “off-the-charts” reaction among Hispanics.
And if the president passed over the community?
“Then people would say the game is still played by the same people,” said Becerra, who himself nearly joined Obama’s Cabinet. “The game has not been changed. People would have every right to say that the doors of opportunity haven’t been completely opened.”
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz), who made a point to note his support for Appeals Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor, said “it would just build up [anticipation] for the next appointment.”
“The urgency would be greater than it is now,” Grijalva said.
Murguia said plainly that it would be “a real opportunity for him to solidify his support with the Latino community.”
White House officials are reluctant to discuss the high court pick, but they note that this isn’t likely to be the president’s only appointment. Press secretary Robert Gibbs said this week that lobbying wouldn’t be helpful.
While anxious on immigration and the court pick, Obama’s Hispanic allies in Congress and advocacy groups generally offer praise on what they see as an unprecedented effort to include them – and not just on traditional Latino or minority issues.
It’s a point of pride for the White House.
“We’re not just doing this on the obvious conversations, but in every major policy conversation,” said a senior administration official.
Hispanics, the official noted, were at the table for meetings on the budget, the stimulus, health care and for a fiscal summit. And a major education speech was delivered before the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Another top White House aide pointed out that when the president travels, they don’t just include Hispanic leaders in the intimate meetings set up before and after events in the usual places like California but in rust belt states like Ohio and Indiana, too.
Obama aides have put special emphasis on catering to the Spanish-language media.
They held a town hall meeting on the H1N1 virus earlier this month entirely in Spanish (except for the president).
When they announced their easing of the sanctions on Cuba last month, it was done by in Spanish and English by a bilingual NSC official.
All the daily press releases and advisories also go out in Spanish.
Obama has been interviewed on a variety of Hispanic radio and TV programs, including Univision, Telemundo and CNN En Espanol. Aides also note that the president has twice used his prime-time press conferences to call on Spanish-media representatives.
More quietly, aides such as Emanuel, energy and climate czar Carol Browner, domestic policy chief Melody Barnes and cabinet secretaries have also conducted briefings. And on the day of the State of the Union speech, newscasters from the Spanish-language TV stations got their own preview from Vice President Joe Biden.
“For many it’s the news of choice,” said Becerra of the Spanish-language channels.
When Piolin asked Obama if he had the votes in Congress on immigration reform, the president was candid.
“Probably not yet,” he said
But when it comes time to rally support for the bill, Obama said he would need the talk show host’s help.
“You can count on me,” Piolin assured.
Latina Empowerment Conference scheduled
MAOF to Host 33rd Annual National Hispanic Women's Conference
PRESS RELEASE
LOS ANGELES, May 15 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- The Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (MAOF), one of the largest Latino nonprofit organizations in the United States, will host the thirty-third annual National Hispanic Women's Conference (NHWC), its premier networking and professional development event for young Latinas, at the Pasadena Convention Center on May 22, 2009. The conference will feature an award ceremony for Latinas who have excelled in various professional fields, including an inaugural award for U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis.
The NHWC, the nation's longest-running conference on Latina empowerment, began thirty-three years ago to ensure Latinas had access to job opportunities in corporate America. What started with 50 participants has grown to a yearly audience of over 2,000 Latinas.
The conference's Women of the Year Awards Luncheon will honor Latinas who have excelled in their chosen industry and have made a mark on society as a whole. This year, MAOF will honor five exemplary Latinas: Julie Stav, financial expert and host of Tu Dinero con Julie Stav; Chef Lala, celebrity chef, nutritionist and author; Lora J. Villarreal, EVP & Chief People Officer at ACS; Milka Duno, professional race car driver; and, Concepcion Rueda Gomez, Mexican Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples. In addition, MAOF is proud to present the first-ever American Latina Spirit Award to U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, the highest-ranking Latina in the U.S. government, for two decades of courageous leadership and historic accomplishments in public service.
Award-winning Journalist Elizabeth Espinosa will serve as mistress of ceremony during the awards luncheon. Immediately following the awards luncheon, MAOF will present a runway fashion show sponsored by Macy's. To see biographies of award recipients and learn more about conference registration, please visit http://tinyurl.com/o2e2t9.
About MAOF
The Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (MAOF), a 501 (c) (3) charity, was founded in 1963 to empower the Mexican American community. MAOF has become the nation's third largest Latino nonprofit organization by providing no-cost, high quality human services to those communities where the need is the greatest. MAOF operates in seven counties throughout California, and is headquartered in Montebello, Calif. For more information about MAOF, visit http://www.maof.org .
PRESS RELEASE
LOS ANGELES, May 15 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- The Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (MAOF), one of the largest Latino nonprofit organizations in the United States, will host the thirty-third annual National Hispanic Women's Conference (NHWC), its premier networking and professional development event for young Latinas, at the Pasadena Convention Center on May 22, 2009. The conference will feature an award ceremony for Latinas who have excelled in various professional fields, including an inaugural award for U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis.
The NHWC, the nation's longest-running conference on Latina empowerment, began thirty-three years ago to ensure Latinas had access to job opportunities in corporate America. What started with 50 participants has grown to a yearly audience of over 2,000 Latinas.
The conference's Women of the Year Awards Luncheon will honor Latinas who have excelled in their chosen industry and have made a mark on society as a whole. This year, MAOF will honor five exemplary Latinas: Julie Stav, financial expert and host of Tu Dinero con Julie Stav; Chef Lala, celebrity chef, nutritionist and author; Lora J. Villarreal, EVP & Chief People Officer at ACS; Milka Duno, professional race car driver; and, Concepcion Rueda Gomez, Mexican Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples. In addition, MAOF is proud to present the first-ever American Latina Spirit Award to U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, the highest-ranking Latina in the U.S. government, for two decades of courageous leadership and historic accomplishments in public service.
Award-winning Journalist Elizabeth Espinosa will serve as mistress of ceremony during the awards luncheon. Immediately following the awards luncheon, MAOF will present a runway fashion show sponsored by Macy's. To see biographies of award recipients and learn more about conference registration, please visit http://tinyurl.com/o2e2t9.
About MAOF
The Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (MAOF), a 501 (c) (3) charity, was founded in 1963 to empower the Mexican American community. MAOF has become the nation's third largest Latino nonprofit organization by providing no-cost, high quality human services to those communities where the need is the greatest. MAOF operates in seven counties throughout California, and is headquartered in Montebello, Calif. For more information about MAOF, visit http://www.maof.org .
Physician will run for Senate, recruit Latinos
Northern Nevada physician declares candidacy for Senate
RGJ.COM, May 15, 2009
Charging that U.S. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) "has neglected the incredible resources in Nevada," prominent northern Nevada physician Dr. Robin L. Titus has declared her candidacy for the Republican nomination for the senior senator's seat in Congress in the 2010 election.
"We have incredible resources in our state and Harry Reid has neglected them," she explained. "He has not helped develop the resources we have here."
Labeling herself as a supporter of the gaming industry, Dr. Titus also pointed to the need to diversify the economy and resource development in the Silver State. "Resources, in addition to gaming, need to be marketed. Money could be used for solar power and wind power and renewable resource power and the mining industry that we have in Nevada. There are resources we have that we are not tapping into," she said.
"I think it is a huge mistake to ignore agriculture. Millions of dollars come in from valleys in Nevada and are not appreciated. That's another huge issue for me," stated Dr. Titus who was a chemical engineering major before switching to medicine. "There are things we are not using in this state that we should be."
But, the 25-year Lyon County doctor is also a member of the Audubon Society and says she understands why there are concerns about "throwing up turbine windmills in bird flight patterns and hunters would agree with me. We can work together as a group, find out what we have in common and work from there."
Dr. Titus charged, "One of the things Reid has been good at and one of the reasons I think he has gotten re-elected is, he gives communities little pieces of things so they feel they have to vote for him. But what he takes away is far more than he gives."
She pointed to Sen. Reid's recent television commercials as another reason she considered seeking election. "They say call Harry Reid and thank him that every child has health care. But the realization is that Nevada is 50th in vaccine coverage for children in the nation. That's horrible, and it's not getting any better. Our state doesn't have the funds to vaccinate our children. His ads just aren't true."
"We spend more on health care than any other nation in the world per capita but we're ranked 12th in health care outcome of all the developed nations," the doctor added.
Dr. Titus said, "It's those kinds of issue that made me say it's time for a change."
She said, "The other thing is Harry Reid does not 'play well with others', as the saying goes,"; and she charged that the veteran politician is good at "making things up about others if he can't find a real issue".
Dr. Titus, an avid outdoor-person who has climbed to the base camp on Mt. Everest, referred to the election campaign as, "My next mountain to climb"»Capitol Hill. It may appear daunting, but it's the kind of genuine excitement I like in my life. I genuinely think I can make a difference."
UNR Med School grad
The new political candidate is a Smith Valley High School graduate of the 12-member Class of 1972. She attended the University of Nevada, Reno on scholarships and several jobs.
She changed her college major from chemical engineering to medicine so she could return to her beloved valley; and her medical school was financed through a plan she recommended to Lyon county commissioners who agreed to pay for her schooling in return for her promise to practice medicine in Lyon County. She received a Doctorate of Medicine from the University School of Medicine in May of 1981 and took over for the venerable Dr. Mary Fulstone in 1984. And she has now practiced for 25 years.
Calling house calls "the right thing to do", she continues the practice today, and she also covers the emergency room at the South Lyon Medical Center and is the Lyon County Health Officer.
Dr. Titus has also served on several state committees, specialty boards, licensure boards, and appointed positions; and she remains an active Rural Preceptor for residents and medical students at Nevada's school of medicine.
"I do not know all the issues simply because you can't know all that happens; but I have a scientific mind. I have a way at looking at information. I like to keep a very open mind and look at all sides regardless of affiliation. And, I think a good, honest discourse and a good discussion is really important and listening to other people's opinions is really important," she said.
"I have a real passion to do this," added Dr. Titus.
Economy: no new laws needed
The GOP candidate said she feels the economy is in trouble partly "because of dishonorable practices. I think we are always going to see people who don't follow the rules; but I don't think we need new laws for that."
Dr. Titus said she feels government, to some degree, is using this situation as an excuse to pass more laws and to "make people more indebted to them. This is wrong."
"I think that if a company can't make it in today's business, they don't need to be practicing. They need to retool, remodel, regroup or fold. Our government bailouts just extend the agony and we can't afford to support them anymore."
"I think government and personal accountability is huge," said the physician.
She said she feels the U.S. has outsourced so many operations that there is a need to rethink what the country wants to produce of its own. "We're not even growing our own food here; and that's a huge issue. Food safety is another big issue. When we outsource, we have no control," said Dr. Titus.
Health Care: Keeping costs down
She said it is no mystery that businesses left the country due to the cost of doing business, and part of that cost is health care for employees.
"That all circles back to a health plan, and that's something I have a key insight into"»keeping the cost of medicine down and health insurance," Dr. Titus said. "Companies go out of the country because they cannot afford to pay the costs of health care and liability insurance."
Immigration: stop illegals, welcome legals
She said the Republican Party needs to do a better job of courting the Hispanic vote. "Frankly, if you think of the Hispanic people and their love of family and their religious beliefs, they really are conservative. They are hard workers and are way more into what the Republicans stand for than what the Democrats stand for," the doctor added.
Dr. Titus explained that she feels the Hispanic workers come to the U.S. because they can find jobs. "If there were not jobs for them, they wouldn't come here. I don't fault them for coming here. I'm for making the process a little easier for them to come here and to work and so that they can be registered and pay taxes, not given a free ride to sneak in here and be hired."
"Absolutely we need to stop the influx of illegal immigrants. I'm not for illegal immigration where then we don't have a record of them, they don't pay taxes and they take their money home. That has to be stopped," she continued. "But some businesses like in agriculture cannot survive without our laborers. In fields where there is a need, like they do in other countries, we need to make the process simpler and more streamlined. Legitimate workers who want to come here and become part of the community, pay taxes and become part of the work force need to know they can obtain their cards. We need those workers."
"The system is broken in many ways." stated the doctor.
Internationally: same hopes & ambitions
"I am really encouraged President Obama kept the same Secretary of Defense (William Gates)," said the candidate. "He too recognized that nobody could step in and know everything about all the issues. You need to keep people around you that are informed," said the physician.
Dr. Titus has enjoyed a lot of international travel over the years and sees that as a plus because she has been able to share ideas personally with the peoples of those countries.
"We all have the same hopes and ambitions. We all want to be free, not have fear for our families, and want to be able to feed our families, want a roof over our heads, and want to be free to worship whatever we believe. Those are universal things," she added.
Promote democracy proudly
Dr. Titus proclaims proudly, "I think democracy works! We want to make sure that we promote that nationally and not be ashamed of that."
"And I am concerned that the president may be too passive internationally, and I don't agree with his approach. He needs to be proud that democracy works and not apologize for it around the world," she adds.
"But he is our president and I wish him well. My running has very little to do with Obama; but it has everything to do with the state of Nevada and Harry Reid," she concluded.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Robin L. Titus M.D.
P.O. Box 377
Wellington, NV 89444
Phone: 775-721-1621
Email: dr.robin@robintitus.com
RGJ.COM, May 15, 2009
Charging that U.S. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) "has neglected the incredible resources in Nevada," prominent northern Nevada physician Dr. Robin L. Titus has declared her candidacy for the Republican nomination for the senior senator's seat in Congress in the 2010 election.
"We have incredible resources in our state and Harry Reid has neglected them," she explained. "He has not helped develop the resources we have here."
Labeling herself as a supporter of the gaming industry, Dr. Titus also pointed to the need to diversify the economy and resource development in the Silver State. "Resources, in addition to gaming, need to be marketed. Money could be used for solar power and wind power and renewable resource power and the mining industry that we have in Nevada. There are resources we have that we are not tapping into," she said.
"I think it is a huge mistake to ignore agriculture. Millions of dollars come in from valleys in Nevada and are not appreciated. That's another huge issue for me," stated Dr. Titus who was a chemical engineering major before switching to medicine. "There are things we are not using in this state that we should be."
But, the 25-year Lyon County doctor is also a member of the Audubon Society and says she understands why there are concerns about "throwing up turbine windmills in bird flight patterns and hunters would agree with me. We can work together as a group, find out what we have in common and work from there."
Dr. Titus charged, "One of the things Reid has been good at and one of the reasons I think he has gotten re-elected is, he gives communities little pieces of things so they feel they have to vote for him. But what he takes away is far more than he gives."
She pointed to Sen. Reid's recent television commercials as another reason she considered seeking election. "They say call Harry Reid and thank him that every child has health care. But the realization is that Nevada is 50th in vaccine coverage for children in the nation. That's horrible, and it's not getting any better. Our state doesn't have the funds to vaccinate our children. His ads just aren't true."
"We spend more on health care than any other nation in the world per capita but we're ranked 12th in health care outcome of all the developed nations," the doctor added.
Dr. Titus said, "It's those kinds of issue that made me say it's time for a change."
She said, "The other thing is Harry Reid does not 'play well with others', as the saying goes,"; and she charged that the veteran politician is good at "making things up about others if he can't find a real issue".
Dr. Titus, an avid outdoor-person who has climbed to the base camp on Mt. Everest, referred to the election campaign as, "My next mountain to climb"»Capitol Hill. It may appear daunting, but it's the kind of genuine excitement I like in my life. I genuinely think I can make a difference."
UNR Med School grad
The new political candidate is a Smith Valley High School graduate of the 12-member Class of 1972. She attended the University of Nevada, Reno on scholarships and several jobs.
She changed her college major from chemical engineering to medicine so she could return to her beloved valley; and her medical school was financed through a plan she recommended to Lyon county commissioners who agreed to pay for her schooling in return for her promise to practice medicine in Lyon County. She received a Doctorate of Medicine from the University School of Medicine in May of 1981 and took over for the venerable Dr. Mary Fulstone in 1984. And she has now practiced for 25 years.
Calling house calls "the right thing to do", she continues the practice today, and she also covers the emergency room at the South Lyon Medical Center and is the Lyon County Health Officer.
Dr. Titus has also served on several state committees, specialty boards, licensure boards, and appointed positions; and she remains an active Rural Preceptor for residents and medical students at Nevada's school of medicine.
"I do not know all the issues simply because you can't know all that happens; but I have a scientific mind. I have a way at looking at information. I like to keep a very open mind and look at all sides regardless of affiliation. And, I think a good, honest discourse and a good discussion is really important and listening to other people's opinions is really important," she said.
"I have a real passion to do this," added Dr. Titus.
Economy: no new laws needed
The GOP candidate said she feels the economy is in trouble partly "because of dishonorable practices. I think we are always going to see people who don't follow the rules; but I don't think we need new laws for that."
Dr. Titus said she feels government, to some degree, is using this situation as an excuse to pass more laws and to "make people more indebted to them. This is wrong."
"I think that if a company can't make it in today's business, they don't need to be practicing. They need to retool, remodel, regroup or fold. Our government bailouts just extend the agony and we can't afford to support them anymore."
"I think government and personal accountability is huge," said the physician.
She said she feels the U.S. has outsourced so many operations that there is a need to rethink what the country wants to produce of its own. "We're not even growing our own food here; and that's a huge issue. Food safety is another big issue. When we outsource, we have no control," said Dr. Titus.
Health Care: Keeping costs down
She said it is no mystery that businesses left the country due to the cost of doing business, and part of that cost is health care for employees.
"That all circles back to a health plan, and that's something I have a key insight into"»keeping the cost of medicine down and health insurance," Dr. Titus said. "Companies go out of the country because they cannot afford to pay the costs of health care and liability insurance."
Immigration: stop illegals, welcome legals
She said the Republican Party needs to do a better job of courting the Hispanic vote. "Frankly, if you think of the Hispanic people and their love of family and their religious beliefs, they really are conservative. They are hard workers and are way more into what the Republicans stand for than what the Democrats stand for," the doctor added.
Dr. Titus explained that she feels the Hispanic workers come to the U.S. because they can find jobs. "If there were not jobs for them, they wouldn't come here. I don't fault them for coming here. I'm for making the process a little easier for them to come here and to work and so that they can be registered and pay taxes, not given a free ride to sneak in here and be hired."
"Absolutely we need to stop the influx of illegal immigrants. I'm not for illegal immigration where then we don't have a record of them, they don't pay taxes and they take their money home. That has to be stopped," she continued. "But some businesses like in agriculture cannot survive without our laborers. In fields where there is a need, like they do in other countries, we need to make the process simpler and more streamlined. Legitimate workers who want to come here and become part of the community, pay taxes and become part of the work force need to know they can obtain their cards. We need those workers."
"The system is broken in many ways." stated the doctor.
Internationally: same hopes & ambitions
"I am really encouraged President Obama kept the same Secretary of Defense (William Gates)," said the candidate. "He too recognized that nobody could step in and know everything about all the issues. You need to keep people around you that are informed," said the physician.
Dr. Titus has enjoyed a lot of international travel over the years and sees that as a plus because she has been able to share ideas personally with the peoples of those countries.
"We all have the same hopes and ambitions. We all want to be free, not have fear for our families, and want to be able to feed our families, want a roof over our heads, and want to be free to worship whatever we believe. Those are universal things," she added.
Promote democracy proudly
Dr. Titus proclaims proudly, "I think democracy works! We want to make sure that we promote that nationally and not be ashamed of that."
"And I am concerned that the president may be too passive internationally, and I don't agree with his approach. He needs to be proud that democracy works and not apologize for it around the world," she adds.
"But he is our president and I wish him well. My running has very little to do with Obama; but it has everything to do with the state of Nevada and Harry Reid," she concluded.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Robin L. Titus M.D.
P.O. Box 377
Wellington, NV 89444
Phone: 775-721-1621
Email: dr.robin@robintitus.com
Latina judge could see supreme court
On a Supreme Court Prospect’s Résumé: ‘Baseball Savior’
By NEIL A. LEWIS, NY TIMES, May 14, 2009
WASHINGTON — Federal judges are rarely famous or widely celebrated. Yet during a brief period in 1995, Judge Sonia Sotomayor became revered, at least in those cities with major league baseball teams.
She ended a long baseball strike that year, briskly ruling against the owners in favor of the players.
The owners were trying to subvert the labor system, she said, and the strike had “placed the entire concept of collective bargaining on trial.”
After play resumed, The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that by saving the season, Judge Sotomayor joined forever the ranks of Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson and Ted Williams. The Chicago Sun-Times said she “delivered a wicked fastball” to baseball owners and emerged as one of the most inspiring figures in the history of the sport.
Judge Sotomayor is now high on lists that lawyers and politicians have assembled of possible replacements for Justice David H. Souter of the Supreme Court.
Part of the reason is her approach on the bench, which she displayed as a trial judge in the baseball strike and for the last 11 years has shown as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, based in New York City. She questions lawyers vigorously, and delivers what her admirers say are crisp, forceful and reasoned decisions.
But her potential appeal to President Obama as a nominee to the Supreme Court also derives in part from her personal story, a version of the up-from-modest-circumstances tales that have long been used to build political support. Judge Sotomayor, 54, grew up in a Bronx housing project, a child of Puerto Rican parents. She would be the court’s first Hispanic justice.
Her father died when she was 9, leaving her mother to raise her and a brother. In speeches to Latino groups over the years, Judge Sotomayor has recalled how her mother worked six days a week as a nurse to send her and her brother to Catholic school, purchased the only set of encyclopedias in the neighborhood and kept a warm pot of rice and beans on the stove every day for their friends.
She loved Nancy Drew mysteries, she once said, and yearned to be a police detective. But a doctor who diagnosed her childhood diabetes suggested that would be difficult. She traded her adoration of Nancy for an allegiance to Perry — she became a fan of Perry Mason on television, she said, and decided to become a lawyer.
She went to Princeton, which she has described as a life-changing experience. When she arrived on campus from the Bronx, she said it was like “a visitor landing in an alien country.” She never raised her hand in her first year there. “I was too embarrassed and too intimidated to ask questions,” Judge Sotomayor said.
In one speech, she sounded some themes similar to Mr. Obama’s description of his social uncertainties as a biracial youth in a largely white society.
“I have spent my years since Princeton, while at law school and in my various professional jobs, not feeling completely a part of the worlds I inhabit,” she said, adding that that despite her accomplishments, “I am always looking over my shoulder wondering if I measure up.”
After graduating summa cum laude from Princeton, she went to Yale Law School, worked for Robert M. Morgenthau in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and spent time in private practice before being named to the bench.
In addition to ending the baseball strike while on the trial court, Judge Sotomayor ruled in another case that homeless people working for the Grand Central Partnership, a business consortium, had to be paid the minimum wage.
She had been nominated to the district court in 1992 by the first President Bush, but actually chosen for the seat by Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a Democrat, who had an arrangement with his Republican counterpart, Senator Alfonse M. D’Amato, to share district court judge selections in New York.
In 1997, Republican senators held up her nomination by President Bill Clinton to the appeals court for more than a year, because they believed that as a Hispanic appellate judge she would be a formidable candidate for the Supreme Court.
On the Circuit Court, she has been involved in few controversial issues like abortion. Some of her most notable decisions came in child custody and complex business cases.
Her most high-profile case involved New Haven’s decision to toss out tests used to evaluate candidates for promotion in the fire department because there were no minority candidates at the top of the list.
She was part of a panel that rejected the challenge brought by white firefighters who scored high but were denied promotion. Frank Ricci, the lead plaintiff, argued that it was unfair he was denied promotion after he had studied intensively for the exam and even paid for special coaching to overcome his dyslexia.
The case produced a heated split in the Circuit Court and is now before the Supreme Court.
Judge Sotomayor married before she graduated from college and divorced a few years later. Her diabetes, for which she takes insulin daily, has not proved to be a problem, but some have speculated as to whether her illness could or should be an issue in terms of her projected longevity on the court, because of the potential for complications.
Some lawyers have described her courtroom manner as abrupt, but several others said in interviews that it represents nothing more than her direct, New York style. Judge Martin Glenn, who as a veteran appeals lawyer had appeared before her frequently, said that she was widely regarded as an excellent judge
Judge Glenn, now a federal bankruptcy judge, said that Judge Sotomayor always asked “questions that were penetrating but fair.”
“She was always respectful,” he said.
Judge Glenn said lawyers generally regard her as representative of what he said is called “a hot bench,” meaning that questions come fast and furious and lawyers have to be fully prepared.
By NEIL A. LEWIS, NY TIMES, May 14, 2009
WASHINGTON — Federal judges are rarely famous or widely celebrated. Yet during a brief period in 1995, Judge Sonia Sotomayor became revered, at least in those cities with major league baseball teams.
She ended a long baseball strike that year, briskly ruling against the owners in favor of the players.
The owners were trying to subvert the labor system, she said, and the strike had “placed the entire concept of collective bargaining on trial.”
After play resumed, The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that by saving the season, Judge Sotomayor joined forever the ranks of Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson and Ted Williams. The Chicago Sun-Times said she “delivered a wicked fastball” to baseball owners and emerged as one of the most inspiring figures in the history of the sport.
Judge Sotomayor is now high on lists that lawyers and politicians have assembled of possible replacements for Justice David H. Souter of the Supreme Court.
Part of the reason is her approach on the bench, which she displayed as a trial judge in the baseball strike and for the last 11 years has shown as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, based in New York City. She questions lawyers vigorously, and delivers what her admirers say are crisp, forceful and reasoned decisions.
But her potential appeal to President Obama as a nominee to the Supreme Court also derives in part from her personal story, a version of the up-from-modest-circumstances tales that have long been used to build political support. Judge Sotomayor, 54, grew up in a Bronx housing project, a child of Puerto Rican parents. She would be the court’s first Hispanic justice.
Her father died when she was 9, leaving her mother to raise her and a brother. In speeches to Latino groups over the years, Judge Sotomayor has recalled how her mother worked six days a week as a nurse to send her and her brother to Catholic school, purchased the only set of encyclopedias in the neighborhood and kept a warm pot of rice and beans on the stove every day for their friends.
She loved Nancy Drew mysteries, she once said, and yearned to be a police detective. But a doctor who diagnosed her childhood diabetes suggested that would be difficult. She traded her adoration of Nancy for an allegiance to Perry — she became a fan of Perry Mason on television, she said, and decided to become a lawyer.
She went to Princeton, which she has described as a life-changing experience. When she arrived on campus from the Bronx, she said it was like “a visitor landing in an alien country.” She never raised her hand in her first year there. “I was too embarrassed and too intimidated to ask questions,” Judge Sotomayor said.
In one speech, she sounded some themes similar to Mr. Obama’s description of his social uncertainties as a biracial youth in a largely white society.
“I have spent my years since Princeton, while at law school and in my various professional jobs, not feeling completely a part of the worlds I inhabit,” she said, adding that that despite her accomplishments, “I am always looking over my shoulder wondering if I measure up.”
After graduating summa cum laude from Princeton, she went to Yale Law School, worked for Robert M. Morgenthau in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and spent time in private practice before being named to the bench.
In addition to ending the baseball strike while on the trial court, Judge Sotomayor ruled in another case that homeless people working for the Grand Central Partnership, a business consortium, had to be paid the minimum wage.
She had been nominated to the district court in 1992 by the first President Bush, but actually chosen for the seat by Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a Democrat, who had an arrangement with his Republican counterpart, Senator Alfonse M. D’Amato, to share district court judge selections in New York.
In 1997, Republican senators held up her nomination by President Bill Clinton to the appeals court for more than a year, because they believed that as a Hispanic appellate judge she would be a formidable candidate for the Supreme Court.
On the Circuit Court, she has been involved in few controversial issues like abortion. Some of her most notable decisions came in child custody and complex business cases.
Her most high-profile case involved New Haven’s decision to toss out tests used to evaluate candidates for promotion in the fire department because there were no minority candidates at the top of the list.
She was part of a panel that rejected the challenge brought by white firefighters who scored high but were denied promotion. Frank Ricci, the lead plaintiff, argued that it was unfair he was denied promotion after he had studied intensively for the exam and even paid for special coaching to overcome his dyslexia.
The case produced a heated split in the Circuit Court and is now before the Supreme Court.
Judge Sotomayor married before she graduated from college and divorced a few years later. Her diabetes, for which she takes insulin daily, has not proved to be a problem, but some have speculated as to whether her illness could or should be an issue in terms of her projected longevity on the court, because of the potential for complications.
Some lawyers have described her courtroom manner as abrupt, but several others said in interviews that it represents nothing more than her direct, New York style. Judge Martin Glenn, who as a veteran appeals lawyer had appeared before her frequently, said that she was widely regarded as an excellent judge
Judge Glenn, now a federal bankruptcy judge, said that Judge Sotomayor always asked “questions that were penetrating but fair.”
“She was always respectful,” he said.
Judge Glenn said lawyers generally regard her as representative of what he said is called “a hot bench,” meaning that questions come fast and furious and lawyers have to be fully prepared.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Hispanic Heritage Foundation partners with U.S. Army
U.S. Army Partners With the Hispanic Heritage Foundation
PRESS RELEASE
DALLAS, May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Army is joining forces with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) to recognize Hispanic students across America who have achieved success in the classroom and demonstrated a commitment to their community. Through this partnership, the Army is underscoring its dedication to preparing young people for adulthood through discipline, leadership and education.
As the Leadership Award sponsor of the 11th annual HHF Youth Awards, the Army will recognize top students with a distinguished record of academic and civic accomplishments. Leadership Award recipients will be selected from among high-performing students receiving Youth Awards in other categories, including business, education, engineering, mathematics, journalism and sports.
"The U.S. Army is dedicated to helping men and women develop the mental, emotional and physical strength needed to be leaders. We share a commitment with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation to develop future leaders by providing access to higher education, cutting edge technology and the real world experience needed to succeed in life," said Col. David Lee, G-7, Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategic Communication, United States Army Accessions Command. "As sponsor of the prestigious Hispanic Heritage Youth
Leadership Award, we're acknowledging our shared values with HHF and demonstrating our commitment to strengthening Hispanic communities."
Leadership Award winners will be announced at HHF Youth Awards regional ceremonies across the nation from April through June 2009. The Army will also honor one national Leadership Award recipient, selected from among all of the regional awardees, to be recognized at the HHF's National Youth Awards ceremony on July 1 in Miami.
The Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards were founded in 1998 to identify and promote the next generation of Hispanic leaders and role models by celebrating their accomplishments in the classroom and community. Since then, HHF has honored more than 1,500 students and awarded more than $3 million in educational grants. This national leadership program is open to graduating high school seniors who maintain an unweighted 3.0 GPA and have an outstanding record of community service.
"The Hispanic Heritage Foundation is proud to partner with the U.S.
Army as we focus on education, community service and leadership in moving the Latino community forward," said Jose Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO of HHF. "The Army's core values -- including duty, integrity and selfless service -- embody the spirit of the Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards. Given the Army's ability to develop proven leaders, their involvement with the Youth Awards provides a compelling example for our students."
About Hispanic Heritage Foundation
The Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) is a nonprofit organization which identifies, inspires, prepares and positions Latino leaders in the classroom, community and workforce. Please visit http://www.HHFvideo.com for an introduction to the mission or http://www.HispanicHeritage.org.
PRESS RELEASE
DALLAS, May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Army is joining forces with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) to recognize Hispanic students across America who have achieved success in the classroom and demonstrated a commitment to their community. Through this partnership, the Army is underscoring its dedication to preparing young people for adulthood through discipline, leadership and education.
As the Leadership Award sponsor of the 11th annual HHF Youth Awards, the Army will recognize top students with a distinguished record of academic and civic accomplishments. Leadership Award recipients will be selected from among high-performing students receiving Youth Awards in other categories, including business, education, engineering, mathematics, journalism and sports.
"The U.S. Army is dedicated to helping men and women develop the mental, emotional and physical strength needed to be leaders. We share a commitment with the Hispanic Heritage Foundation to develop future leaders by providing access to higher education, cutting edge technology and the real world experience needed to succeed in life," said Col. David Lee, G-7, Deputy Chief of Staff, Strategic Communication, United States Army Accessions Command. "As sponsor of the prestigious Hispanic Heritage Youth
Leadership Award, we're acknowledging our shared values with HHF and demonstrating our commitment to strengthening Hispanic communities."
Leadership Award winners will be announced at HHF Youth Awards regional ceremonies across the nation from April through June 2009. The Army will also honor one national Leadership Award recipient, selected from among all of the regional awardees, to be recognized at the HHF's National Youth Awards ceremony on July 1 in Miami.
The Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards were founded in 1998 to identify and promote the next generation of Hispanic leaders and role models by celebrating their accomplishments in the classroom and community. Since then, HHF has honored more than 1,500 students and awarded more than $3 million in educational grants. This national leadership program is open to graduating high school seniors who maintain an unweighted 3.0 GPA and have an outstanding record of community service.
"The Hispanic Heritage Foundation is proud to partner with the U.S.
Army as we focus on education, community service and leadership in moving the Latino community forward," said Jose Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO of HHF. "The Army's core values -- including duty, integrity and selfless service -- embody the spirit of the Hispanic Heritage Youth Awards. Given the Army's ability to develop proven leaders, their involvement with the Youth Awards provides a compelling example for our students."
About Hispanic Heritage Foundation
The Hispanic Heritage Foundation (HHF) is a nonprofit organization which identifies, inspires, prepares and positions Latino leaders in the classroom, community and workforce. Please visit http://www.HHFvideo.com for an introduction to the mission or http://www.HispanicHeritage.org.
Latino college education key to economy
Editorial - Hispanic kids need college
Fort Morgan Times
With the increasing population of Hispanics in Morgan County, it is important that this segment of our population achieves at as high a level as it can for our economy to thrive.
That is one reason it was good to see Fort Morgan Middle School educators taking nearly 100 students to the Latino and Latina youth leadership conferences at the University of Northern Colorado the past two weeks. The main purpose of the conferences was to let Hispanic kids know they really can attend college.
They learned all about scholarships, grants and financial aid, as well as how they have to devote themselves to their studies if they want to succeed.
One of the educators said that people with college degrees earn an average of $1 million more over a lifetime than those without, which is certainly one way to encourage teens to take school seriously.
Too many Hispanic families live in poverty, and too often their children do not feel it is possible to go to college. But there are programs out there for students when they are the first in their family to attend college, and some scholarships which are specifically aimed at certain students are not claimed each year, those at the conference emphasized.
Hispanic advocate Ricardo Romero noted that Hispanics are the majority in Greeley schools — a situation Fort Morgan shares — and that they may well be the majority segment of the population in Greeley in 10 years.
In other words, these kids are our future workers and caregivers. We need them to have as much education as they can get.
Making that happen can be difficult, especially motivating them during their teenage years to take school seriously. Many of their parents never finished high school and it is a familial cycle. They too often opt to go to work to bring extra income into a struggling family, instead of planning for the future.
That is a dynamic which has happened with many new immigrants to our country. Eventually, they found a way to merge into the broader culture and reap the benefits of education, but that was with the help of those who thought the effort was worth it.
For instance, Catholic schools were often founded to help immigrants to receive good educations so they could go on to better things. Others founded colleges for specific parts of the population.
Today, we try to bring a good education to all students and all segments of society, but it isn’t always easy.
That is why we applaud the efforts of those at FMMS to show their students how much they can gain from college.
As one educator said, the school does not want to just target Hispanics, and other efforts will be made to encourage all students to go as far as they can. Let’s hope they succeed.
Fort Morgan Times
With the increasing population of Hispanics in Morgan County, it is important that this segment of our population achieves at as high a level as it can for our economy to thrive.
That is one reason it was good to see Fort Morgan Middle School educators taking nearly 100 students to the Latino and Latina youth leadership conferences at the University of Northern Colorado the past two weeks. The main purpose of the conferences was to let Hispanic kids know they really can attend college.
They learned all about scholarships, grants and financial aid, as well as how they have to devote themselves to their studies if they want to succeed.
One of the educators said that people with college degrees earn an average of $1 million more over a lifetime than those without, which is certainly one way to encourage teens to take school seriously.
Too many Hispanic families live in poverty, and too often their children do not feel it is possible to go to college. But there are programs out there for students when they are the first in their family to attend college, and some scholarships which are specifically aimed at certain students are not claimed each year, those at the conference emphasized.
Hispanic advocate Ricardo Romero noted that Hispanics are the majority in Greeley schools — a situation Fort Morgan shares — and that they may well be the majority segment of the population in Greeley in 10 years.
In other words, these kids are our future workers and caregivers. We need them to have as much education as they can get.
Making that happen can be difficult, especially motivating them during their teenage years to take school seriously. Many of their parents never finished high school and it is a familial cycle. They too often opt to go to work to bring extra income into a struggling family, instead of planning for the future.
That is a dynamic which has happened with many new immigrants to our country. Eventually, they found a way to merge into the broader culture and reap the benefits of education, but that was with the help of those who thought the effort was worth it.
For instance, Catholic schools were often founded to help immigrants to receive good educations so they could go on to better things. Others founded colleges for specific parts of the population.
Today, we try to bring a good education to all students and all segments of society, but it isn’t always easy.
That is why we applaud the efforts of those at FMMS to show their students how much they can gain from college.
As one educator said, the school does not want to just target Hispanics, and other efforts will be made to encourage all students to go as far as they can. Let’s hope they succeed.
Latino group calls for new hate crime laws
Latino Group Calls for New Hate Crime Laws
By Bob Reynolds, WNEP, May 13, 2009
There is a call for new hate crimes laws in the United States. At the center is the beating death of Luis Ramirez in Schuylkill County.
A picture of Ramirez was featured during a news conference Wednesday on Capitol Hill. Just last month two teens from Shenandoah were cleared of the most serious charges in connection with the beating death of the illegal immigrant.
A group called the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund believes the jury's verdict sends the wrong message.
"The message as far as MALDEF is concerned, is that if you are Latino in America, if you are brutally attacked because of your ethnicity, if you die as a result of that brutal beating that is senseless and unjust, there is no justice for you," said John Amaya of MALDEF.
MALDEF and lawmakers urged Congress to pass new laws against hate crimes.
They also called on the department of justice to file federal charges against the teens involved in the beating death of Luis Ramirez.
In Shenandoah, some said the call for a federal investigation into the Ramirez death last year is opening up emotional wounds.
Derrick Donchak and Brandon Piekarsky were found not guilty of the most serious charges for the beating death of Ramirez, an illegal immigrant. They were convicted of simple assault. Third-degree murder charges were dropped against a third suspect, Colin Walsh in exchange for his testimony.
One of the jurors at the beating death trial said a federal investigation is not the way to go.
"When is enough, enough? It's over! I don't think anything should come of this. I think the boys should live their lives and do something," said juror Josh Silfies.
Some people in Shenandoah agree.
"I think the verdict is the verdict and it should stay the verdict," said Christine Pridish.
Others, including Gene Gilbert, believe there is a need for a federal investigation. "Let them come in and look at this because I think they're getting off a little lenient."
"To get down to the truth to really investigate and find out what really went on and to make sure they get their justice," said Camille Guzman of Shenandoah.
"Up to now people are not satisfied with it and others who were very uncomfortable with it and I think it will bring satisfaction to go though with it. Nobody is going to be satisfied with it until it's over," said Kathleen Merchlinsky.
No matter what the federal government decides, Donchak and Piekarsky will be sentenced in Schuylkill County court on June 17.
By Bob Reynolds, WNEP, May 13, 2009
There is a call for new hate crimes laws in the United States. At the center is the beating death of Luis Ramirez in Schuylkill County.
A picture of Ramirez was featured during a news conference Wednesday on Capitol Hill. Just last month two teens from Shenandoah were cleared of the most serious charges in connection with the beating death of the illegal immigrant.
A group called the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund believes the jury's verdict sends the wrong message.
"The message as far as MALDEF is concerned, is that if you are Latino in America, if you are brutally attacked because of your ethnicity, if you die as a result of that brutal beating that is senseless and unjust, there is no justice for you," said John Amaya of MALDEF.
MALDEF and lawmakers urged Congress to pass new laws against hate crimes.
They also called on the department of justice to file federal charges against the teens involved in the beating death of Luis Ramirez.
In Shenandoah, some said the call for a federal investigation into the Ramirez death last year is opening up emotional wounds.
Derrick Donchak and Brandon Piekarsky were found not guilty of the most serious charges for the beating death of Ramirez, an illegal immigrant. They were convicted of simple assault. Third-degree murder charges were dropped against a third suspect, Colin Walsh in exchange for his testimony.
One of the jurors at the beating death trial said a federal investigation is not the way to go.
"When is enough, enough? It's over! I don't think anything should come of this. I think the boys should live their lives and do something," said juror Josh Silfies.
Some people in Shenandoah agree.
"I think the verdict is the verdict and it should stay the verdict," said Christine Pridish.
Others, including Gene Gilbert, believe there is a need for a federal investigation. "Let them come in and look at this because I think they're getting off a little lenient."
"To get down to the truth to really investigate and find out what really went on and to make sure they get their justice," said Camille Guzman of Shenandoah.
"Up to now people are not satisfied with it and others who were very uncomfortable with it and I think it will bring satisfaction to go though with it. Nobody is going to be satisfied with it until it's over," said Kathleen Merchlinsky.
No matter what the federal government decides, Donchak and Piekarsky will be sentenced in Schuylkill County court on June 17.
46.9 million Hispanics in the U.S.
Hispanic population boom fuels rising U.S. diversity
By Les Christie, CNNMoney.com, May 14, 2009
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The nation is becoming even more diverse: More than one third of its population belongs to a minority group, and Hispanics are the fastest-growing segment.
Nearly one in six residents, or 46.9 million people, are Hispanic, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Nearly one in six residents, or 46.9 million people, are Hispanic, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The U.S. Census Bureau reported Thursday that the minority population reached an estimated 104.6 million -- or 34 percent of the nation's total population -- on July 1, 2008, compared to 31 percent when the Census was taken in 2000. Nearly one in six residents, or 46.9 million people, are Hispanic, the agency reported.
Even more telling for the future: 44 percent of children younger than 18 and 47 percent of children younger than the age of five are now from minority families.
The quickly expanding Latino population is having a healthy impact on the economy, according to Ken Gronbach, author of "The Age Curve: How to Profit from the Growing Demographic Trend."
"Latinos have saved our country," he said. "They represent 14 percent of the population but 25 percent of the live births. The United States is the only western industrialized nation with a fertility rate above the 2.2 percent replacement rate."
Growth of other minority groups is also outpacing that of the majority population. Asians, the second-fastest growing group, increased 2.7 percent year-over-year to 15.5 million. The African-American population rose 1.3 percent to 41.1 million.
Minority births, combined with high immigration levels, kept the nation's population growing dynamically, spurring the economy by adding to consumer demand.
They will also help to prop up the real-estate market once the economy begins to recover, according to Rakesh Kochhar, associate director of the Pew Hispanic Center. During the housing boom, minorities closed much of the homeownership gap, although the bust has worked to widen that again.
As it ages, the Baby Boom generation, the largest age cohort in U.S. history, will start to sell their castles as they look to downsize their empty nests. But the group that would be expected to buy those houses, Generation X, has about 9 million fewer members.
"There would be about 10 homes for every eight buyers," said Gronbach. "Xers simply do not have the critical mass to make up for the boomers' footprint."
Minorities will help take up that slack. They are relatively youthful and looking to house their families. The Hispanic population, for example, posted a median age of 27.7 years in 2008. That compared to 36.8 years for the total U.S. population -- which is a year-and-a-half older than the median age in 2000.
The number of 65-year-olds and older is nearing 39 million, or 12.8 percent of the population, up from 12.4 percent in 2000. The state with the oldest average residents is, not surprisingly, Florida: 17 percent of the retirement Mecca's population was 65 or older.
Latinos and other minority workers contribute to keeping the Social Security system solvent, according to Monique Morrissey, an economist for the Economic Policy Institute. The undocumented workers among them often pay more into the Social Security pool than they will take out in benefits.
Morrissey said estimates of deficits in the pool's finances were reduced last year when a Social Security advisory board's technical panel revised some unrealistically low assumptions it had made about Latino immigration.
"They took into account people without papers [paying into Social Security] but not accessing funds from there," she said. "That's bad for workers but very good for Social Security."
The most Latino county in the nation was Los Angeles, with 4.7 million people. Latinos accounted for nearly half the population there and increased 67,000 during the 12 months ended July 1, the most of any county. The Rio Grande border county of Starr, Texas, has the highest proportion of Latino residents: 98 percent.
California leads all states in the number of Latinos, with a population of 13.5 million, an increase of 313,000 in just one year. New Mexico, appropriately, has the highest percentage of Latinos: 45 percent.
New York State has the greatest number of African-Americans -- 3.5 million -- while the District of Columbia and Mississippi have the highest percentages, at 56 percent and 38 percent respectively. In terms of counties, Cook County, Ill. (Chicago) leads all others with 1.4 million African Americans, while Claiborne County, Miss., had the highest percentage at 84 percent.
More than 5 million Asians live in California, more than in any other state; Hawaii has the highest percentage of Asians at 54 percent. It's the only majority-Asian state in the nation.
Los Angeles County is home to 12.4 million Asians, the most of any county. Honolulu, with 58 percent, had the highest proportion.
More Pacific Islanders (283,000) and native Americans (739,000) lived in California than any other state.
By Les Christie, CNNMoney.com, May 14, 2009
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The nation is becoming even more diverse: More than one third of its population belongs to a minority group, and Hispanics are the fastest-growing segment.
Nearly one in six residents, or 46.9 million people, are Hispanic, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Nearly one in six residents, or 46.9 million people, are Hispanic, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The U.S. Census Bureau reported Thursday that the minority population reached an estimated 104.6 million -- or 34 percent of the nation's total population -- on July 1, 2008, compared to 31 percent when the Census was taken in 2000. Nearly one in six residents, or 46.9 million people, are Hispanic, the agency reported.
Even more telling for the future: 44 percent of children younger than 18 and 47 percent of children younger than the age of five are now from minority families.
The quickly expanding Latino population is having a healthy impact on the economy, according to Ken Gronbach, author of "The Age Curve: How to Profit from the Growing Demographic Trend."
"Latinos have saved our country," he said. "They represent 14 percent of the population but 25 percent of the live births. The United States is the only western industrialized nation with a fertility rate above the 2.2 percent replacement rate."
Growth of other minority groups is also outpacing that of the majority population. Asians, the second-fastest growing group, increased 2.7 percent year-over-year to 15.5 million. The African-American population rose 1.3 percent to 41.1 million.
Minority births, combined with high immigration levels, kept the nation's population growing dynamically, spurring the economy by adding to consumer demand.
They will also help to prop up the real-estate market once the economy begins to recover, according to Rakesh Kochhar, associate director of the Pew Hispanic Center. During the housing boom, minorities closed much of the homeownership gap, although the bust has worked to widen that again.
As it ages, the Baby Boom generation, the largest age cohort in U.S. history, will start to sell their castles as they look to downsize their empty nests. But the group that would be expected to buy those houses, Generation X, has about 9 million fewer members.
"There would be about 10 homes for every eight buyers," said Gronbach. "Xers simply do not have the critical mass to make up for the boomers' footprint."
Minorities will help take up that slack. They are relatively youthful and looking to house their families. The Hispanic population, for example, posted a median age of 27.7 years in 2008. That compared to 36.8 years for the total U.S. population -- which is a year-and-a-half older than the median age in 2000.
The number of 65-year-olds and older is nearing 39 million, or 12.8 percent of the population, up from 12.4 percent in 2000. The state with the oldest average residents is, not surprisingly, Florida: 17 percent of the retirement Mecca's population was 65 or older.
Latinos and other minority workers contribute to keeping the Social Security system solvent, according to Monique Morrissey, an economist for the Economic Policy Institute. The undocumented workers among them often pay more into the Social Security pool than they will take out in benefits.
Morrissey said estimates of deficits in the pool's finances were reduced last year when a Social Security advisory board's technical panel revised some unrealistically low assumptions it had made about Latino immigration.
"They took into account people without papers [paying into Social Security] but not accessing funds from there," she said. "That's bad for workers but very good for Social Security."
The most Latino county in the nation was Los Angeles, with 4.7 million people. Latinos accounted for nearly half the population there and increased 67,000 during the 12 months ended July 1, the most of any county. The Rio Grande border county of Starr, Texas, has the highest proportion of Latino residents: 98 percent.
California leads all states in the number of Latinos, with a population of 13.5 million, an increase of 313,000 in just one year. New Mexico, appropriately, has the highest percentage of Latinos: 45 percent.
New York State has the greatest number of African-Americans -- 3.5 million -- while the District of Columbia and Mississippi have the highest percentages, at 56 percent and 38 percent respectively. In terms of counties, Cook County, Ill. (Chicago) leads all others with 1.4 million African Americans, while Claiborne County, Miss., had the highest percentage at 84 percent.
More than 5 million Asians live in California, more than in any other state; Hawaii has the highest percentage of Asians at 54 percent. It's the only majority-Asian state in the nation.
Los Angeles County is home to 12.4 million Asians, the most of any county. Honolulu, with 58 percent, had the highest proportion.
More Pacific Islanders (283,000) and native Americans (739,000) lived in California than any other state.
Hispanic group pushes potential jurists
HNBA Issues List of Hispanic American Jurists and Statement Concerning a Hispanic Appointment to the United States Supreme Court
PRESS RELEASE
WASHINGTON, May 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With the impending retirement of Justice David H. Souter, there has been much discussion about President Obama's first appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. The HNBA has urged the President to take this opportunity to make history and to "select from among the many talented and experienced Hispanic American jurists and lawyers who are both willing and able to serve our country" on the Supreme Court. Hispanic lawyers share the interest of our fellow Americans in preserving the public's trust in the Supreme Court as the ultimate arbiter of justice in our society. We believe that the participation of an outstanding, well-prepared Latina or Latino on the Supreme Court would enhance its credibility and respect among the large and growing Hispanic community in the United States, which now numbers over 45 million people -- 15% of the population -- and is expected to triple in size by 2050 and to represent 29% of the population. Most importantly, we believe that this more inclusive participation will be in the best interest of all Americans by expanding the perspectives that inform the evolution of our country's jurisprudence.
As lawyers, the HNBA membership understands the importance of President Obama's choice and the factors that must inform it. For several decades, the HNBA has supported many non-Latino nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court and the federal bench who are sensitive to the interests, needs, and concerns of the Hispanic community, and indeed, for all Americans. Concurrently, we have advocated on a bipartisan basis for a talented Hispanic voice on the high court because we genuinely believe that a Hispanic Justice who understands the issues faced by ordinary Americans and under-served communities would help realize our country's promise of "equal justice under law" for all Americans.
The failure of past U.S. Presidents to appoint an Hispanic American to the Supreme Court has been attributed to an alleged absence of a pool of suitable candidates. HNBA National President Ramona E. Romero notes that "in renewing our call for the appointment of the first Hispanic Justice, the HNBA reminds the American people, the Administration and the U.S. Senate that there are now at least 82 Latinas and Latinos on the federal bench and on state courts of last resort, as well many other gifted and distinguished Hispanic lawyers in academia, government and the private sector. Through the work of its Supreme Court Committee, the HNBA offers the list of 82 judges, which is bipartisan, to illustrate the substantial pool of Hispanic legal talent throughout the United States." By merely publishing this list we do not purport to evaluate or endorse any of the individuals listed. The HNBA reserves the right to review the qualifications of any person actually nominated by the President, and to report to our community and to the broader public the HNBA's judgment on a nominee's qualifications. But we believe that this illustrative list makes it abundantly clear that it can no longer be asserted in good faith that the pool of Hispanic candidates is too small or inadequate.
The HNBA is an incorporated, not-for-profit, national membership organization that represents the interests of the more than 100,000 attorneys, judges, law professors, legal assistants, and law students of Hispanic descent in the United States, its territories and Puerto Rico. For more information about the HNBA and its Appointments Project, please visit www.hnba.com.
PRESS RELEASE
WASHINGTON, May 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With the impending retirement of Justice David H. Souter, there has been much discussion about President Obama's first appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court. The HNBA has urged the President to take this opportunity to make history and to "select from among the many talented and experienced Hispanic American jurists and lawyers who are both willing and able to serve our country" on the Supreme Court. Hispanic lawyers share the interest of our fellow Americans in preserving the public's trust in the Supreme Court as the ultimate arbiter of justice in our society. We believe that the participation of an outstanding, well-prepared Latina or Latino on the Supreme Court would enhance its credibility and respect among the large and growing Hispanic community in the United States, which now numbers over 45 million people -- 15% of the population -- and is expected to triple in size by 2050 and to represent 29% of the population. Most importantly, we believe that this more inclusive participation will be in the best interest of all Americans by expanding the perspectives that inform the evolution of our country's jurisprudence.
As lawyers, the HNBA membership understands the importance of President Obama's choice and the factors that must inform it. For several decades, the HNBA has supported many non-Latino nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court and the federal bench who are sensitive to the interests, needs, and concerns of the Hispanic community, and indeed, for all Americans. Concurrently, we have advocated on a bipartisan basis for a talented Hispanic voice on the high court because we genuinely believe that a Hispanic Justice who understands the issues faced by ordinary Americans and under-served communities would help realize our country's promise of "equal justice under law" for all Americans.
The failure of past U.S. Presidents to appoint an Hispanic American to the Supreme Court has been attributed to an alleged absence of a pool of suitable candidates. HNBA National President Ramona E. Romero notes that "in renewing our call for the appointment of the first Hispanic Justice, the HNBA reminds the American people, the Administration and the U.S. Senate that there are now at least 82 Latinas and Latinos on the federal bench and on state courts of last resort, as well many other gifted and distinguished Hispanic lawyers in academia, government and the private sector. Through the work of its Supreme Court Committee, the HNBA offers the list of 82 judges, which is bipartisan, to illustrate the substantial pool of Hispanic legal talent throughout the United States." By merely publishing this list we do not purport to evaluate or endorse any of the individuals listed. The HNBA reserves the right to review the qualifications of any person actually nominated by the President, and to report to our community and to the broader public the HNBA's judgment on a nominee's qualifications. But we believe that this illustrative list makes it abundantly clear that it can no longer be asserted in good faith that the pool of Hispanic candidates is too small or inadequate.
The HNBA is an incorporated, not-for-profit, national membership organization that represents the interests of the more than 100,000 attorneys, judges, law professors, legal assistants, and law students of Hispanic descent in the United States, its territories and Puerto Rico. For more information about the HNBA and its Appointments Project, please visit www.hnba.com.
Grandstanding Hispanic activists
Margarita Martín-Hidalgo: Grandstanding Hispanic activists
Dallas Morning News, May 13, 2009
Last year, dozens of messages poured into a Hispanic community list-serve during the brouhaha to rename a Dallas street after farm worker advocate César Chávez. For months, members rallied readers to the cause, demanded respect from city officials and expressed outrage over City Hall's half-hearted attempt to reach out to its largest minority.
Not surprising. The people who participated in these spirited discussions included influential members of the community.
Here's what doesn't generate as much dialogue from those folks – and not nearly such passionate reactions:
•A 15-year-old Hispanic girl gave birth to Dallas' first baby of 2009. No outcry. There were a few predictable comments about how sad it was, but no calls to curb the runaway pregnancy rate among Latina teens.
•Thousands of U.S.-born Hispanic children – more than 700,000 of them in Texas schools alone – have limited English-language skills. Silence on the list-serve.
•The thousands of poor and uneducated Hispanic couples in this community who keep having children they and we can't afford. Zero pleas for responsible family planning.
These ostensible community leaders are not focusing on the real issues that deeply affect everyone in Dallas. The conversation is dominated by a handful of people with misplaced priorities – and self-serving agendas – who cloud real concerns and pander to feelings of ethnic pride and prejudices.
These are people who pull the race card to distract from pressing issues – and their responsibility to take them on.
Not surprisingly, those who dissent and take them to task are ignored. That's what happened last year during the street-naming fiasco. The appeals of people who said the community had better things to worry about were drowned out by battle cries of people inciting cultural warfare.
It happened again recently during a lively discussion of the firings of Hispanic reporters from this newspaper. An editorial board member challenged the group to air its concerns more publicly, and he was quickly labeled a racist.
Eventually, these self-proclaimed activists lose credibility from their peers and people in the establishment – whose support they need and seek. They also damage the credibility of those activists who do good work and understand that Hispanics face more serious problems than not having a street named after César Chávez.
In the end, the biggest losers are the people whose interests they claim to represent and protect.
The current turmoil at the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce illustrates that. Chatter on the list-serve indicates that leadership needs to change. Most who have made comments feel as if their purported leaders aren't doing their job.
Hispanics have legitimate gripes about the way they're treated in this community. They are underrepresented in government. They are largely ignored by the mainstream English-language media. They are often misrepresented in the media.
Hispanics deserve better leaders. People who pick battles wisely. People who demand accountability from the people they represent. People who understand respect is something one earns.
More important, advocates who won't victimize the people they serve, but work hard to empower them.
Margarita Martín-Hidalgo is an interpreter in Dallas. She can be reached at columns.comments@gmail.com.
Dallas Morning News, May 13, 2009
Last year, dozens of messages poured into a Hispanic community list-serve during the brouhaha to rename a Dallas street after farm worker advocate César Chávez. For months, members rallied readers to the cause, demanded respect from city officials and expressed outrage over City Hall's half-hearted attempt to reach out to its largest minority.
Not surprising. The people who participated in these spirited discussions included influential members of the community.
Here's what doesn't generate as much dialogue from those folks – and not nearly such passionate reactions:
•A 15-year-old Hispanic girl gave birth to Dallas' first baby of 2009. No outcry. There were a few predictable comments about how sad it was, but no calls to curb the runaway pregnancy rate among Latina teens.
•Thousands of U.S.-born Hispanic children – more than 700,000 of them in Texas schools alone – have limited English-language skills. Silence on the list-serve.
•The thousands of poor and uneducated Hispanic couples in this community who keep having children they and we can't afford. Zero pleas for responsible family planning.
These ostensible community leaders are not focusing on the real issues that deeply affect everyone in Dallas. The conversation is dominated by a handful of people with misplaced priorities – and self-serving agendas – who cloud real concerns and pander to feelings of ethnic pride and prejudices.
These are people who pull the race card to distract from pressing issues – and their responsibility to take them on.
Not surprisingly, those who dissent and take them to task are ignored. That's what happened last year during the street-naming fiasco. The appeals of people who said the community had better things to worry about were drowned out by battle cries of people inciting cultural warfare.
It happened again recently during a lively discussion of the firings of Hispanic reporters from this newspaper. An editorial board member challenged the group to air its concerns more publicly, and he was quickly labeled a racist.
Eventually, these self-proclaimed activists lose credibility from their peers and people in the establishment – whose support they need and seek. They also damage the credibility of those activists who do good work and understand that Hispanics face more serious problems than not having a street named after César Chávez.
In the end, the biggest losers are the people whose interests they claim to represent and protect.
The current turmoil at the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce illustrates that. Chatter on the list-serve indicates that leadership needs to change. Most who have made comments feel as if their purported leaders aren't doing their job.
Hispanics have legitimate gripes about the way they're treated in this community. They are underrepresented in government. They are largely ignored by the mainstream English-language media. They are often misrepresented in the media.
Hispanics deserve better leaders. People who pick battles wisely. People who demand accountability from the people they represent. People who understand respect is something one earns.
More important, advocates who won't victimize the people they serve, but work hard to empower them.
Margarita Martín-Hidalgo is an interpreter in Dallas. She can be reached at columns.comments@gmail.com.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Latino graduate learns about D.C.
From U.C. to D.C.
Young grad gets active in Latino issues in capital
by Amanda Staab, Hudson Reporter
A young Union City man whose passion for public policy originated in his hometown recently got a crash course in human rights and immigration.
Ebenezer Concepcion, 24, a graduate from St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, was selected from hundreds of applicants to participate in a prestigious fellowship program in Washington, D.C. It was sponsored by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.
“It is to develop future leaders in government,” said Concepcion, “expose them to the world of public policy.” Having grown up in a town where many Latinos reside, Concepcion said he decided to concentrate on human rights and immigration.
“Social justice and giving back and trying to learn about the different problems that communities face in Latin America and the United States really interests me a lot,” he said.
Three countries
In the past year, Concepcion took the opportunity to work at the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the United States Department of State as well as the National Council for La Raza (the Race), an advocacy group for Hispanic issues.
At the bureau, Concepcion focused on the quality of life of everyday people in three specific countries.
“My responsibility was to edit human rights reports for three countries in Latin America: Columbia, Honduras, and Panama,” he said. The reports are written by foreign service officers representing the United States abroad who are responsible for reporting any human rights violations. The reports gauge issues such as religious freedom.
“We need to make sure they are reporting all the violations,” said Concepcion.
He added that while working in this capacity, he also attended meetings with advocates and activists from foreign countries who sought help from the United States government. “I learned basically about human rights and how human rights are either violated or respected in Latin America,” said Concepcion.
His time at the bureau, he said, helped him realize there is still quite a bit of work to be done in that area.
“In most countries, there are a lot of violations of human rights,” said Concepcion. However, he said, violations differ greatly between the nations.
“Columbia is probably one of the biggest violators of human rights,” he said. He added that military men are terrorizing civilians. In many Latin American countries, he said, there is also not enough social programs or institutions for the young and old.
Advocating for immigration issues
In January, Concepcion turned his attention to immigration in the United States while at the National Council for La Raza.
“It is the largest Hispanic advocacy organization in the United States,” said Concepcion. “It advocates on issues surrounding immigration, housing, wealth-building, education, health, juvenile justice.”
Working with the immigration team, Concepcion provided policy information to community leaders on local and state levels who wanted to organize rallies to raise awareness of the national issue.
“We’re the ones that provide the resources for those people who would want to organize a rally or protest on the ground,” he said. “We just give them any information that they may need, such as talking points.”
The group also encourages the public to contact their congressmen to voice their concerns about immigration and push for immigration reform because, he said, the system is broken.
“In order for America to prosper and in order for it to stand true to its values, we need to fix our immigration system,” said Concepcion. He added that he believes immigration law has been stretched and misinterpreted for other purposes.
“After September 11, when we are trying to target terrorists and criminals, instead of doing that, we are targeting immigrants,” said Concepcion. Even people who are in the United States legally, he said, are being targeted.
Concepcion said he has always been passionate about the issues he was able to focus on during the past year. After all, he was a double major in Latin American and Latino studies and Spanish, and a minor in international and intercultural studies in college. But he said that public policy and politics are not where his heart is.
“I am very passionate about teaching,” said Concepcion, “so I really see myself in that field more than anything else. I think it would be very hard for me to put that aside and focus on something else, because I enjoy it so much.”
Now that the fellowship is over, he said, his next step is to wait for an answer to his application to a research program in the Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress or make the decision to teach Spanish in Spain to non-native speakers.
Amanda Staab can be reached at astaab@hudsonreporter.com.
Young grad gets active in Latino issues in capital
by Amanda Staab, Hudson Reporter
A young Union City man whose passion for public policy originated in his hometown recently got a crash course in human rights and immigration.
Ebenezer Concepcion, 24, a graduate from St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, was selected from hundreds of applicants to participate in a prestigious fellowship program in Washington, D.C. It was sponsored by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.
“It is to develop future leaders in government,” said Concepcion, “expose them to the world of public policy.” Having grown up in a town where many Latinos reside, Concepcion said he decided to concentrate on human rights and immigration.
“Social justice and giving back and trying to learn about the different problems that communities face in Latin America and the United States really interests me a lot,” he said.
Three countries
In the past year, Concepcion took the opportunity to work at the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the United States Department of State as well as the National Council for La Raza (the Race), an advocacy group for Hispanic issues.
At the bureau, Concepcion focused on the quality of life of everyday people in three specific countries.
“My responsibility was to edit human rights reports for three countries in Latin America: Columbia, Honduras, and Panama,” he said. The reports are written by foreign service officers representing the United States abroad who are responsible for reporting any human rights violations. The reports gauge issues such as religious freedom.
“We need to make sure they are reporting all the violations,” said Concepcion.
He added that while working in this capacity, he also attended meetings with advocates and activists from foreign countries who sought help from the United States government. “I learned basically about human rights and how human rights are either violated or respected in Latin America,” said Concepcion.
His time at the bureau, he said, helped him realize there is still quite a bit of work to be done in that area.
“In most countries, there are a lot of violations of human rights,” said Concepcion. However, he said, violations differ greatly between the nations.
“Columbia is probably one of the biggest violators of human rights,” he said. He added that military men are terrorizing civilians. In many Latin American countries, he said, there is also not enough social programs or institutions for the young and old.
Advocating for immigration issues
In January, Concepcion turned his attention to immigration in the United States while at the National Council for La Raza.
“It is the largest Hispanic advocacy organization in the United States,” said Concepcion. “It advocates on issues surrounding immigration, housing, wealth-building, education, health, juvenile justice.”
Working with the immigration team, Concepcion provided policy information to community leaders on local and state levels who wanted to organize rallies to raise awareness of the national issue.
“We’re the ones that provide the resources for those people who would want to organize a rally or protest on the ground,” he said. “We just give them any information that they may need, such as talking points.”
The group also encourages the public to contact their congressmen to voice their concerns about immigration and push for immigration reform because, he said, the system is broken.
“In order for America to prosper and in order for it to stand true to its values, we need to fix our immigration system,” said Concepcion. He added that he believes immigration law has been stretched and misinterpreted for other purposes.
“After September 11, when we are trying to target terrorists and criminals, instead of doing that, we are targeting immigrants,” said Concepcion. Even people who are in the United States legally, he said, are being targeted.
Concepcion said he has always been passionate about the issues he was able to focus on during the past year. After all, he was a double major in Latin American and Latino studies and Spanish, and a minor in international and intercultural studies in college. But he said that public policy and politics are not where his heart is.
“I am very passionate about teaching,” said Concepcion, “so I really see myself in that field more than anything else. I think it would be very hard for me to put that aside and focus on something else, because I enjoy it so much.”
Now that the fellowship is over, he said, his next step is to wait for an answer to his application to a research program in the Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress or make the decision to teach Spanish in Spain to non-native speakers.
Amanda Staab can be reached at astaab@hudsonreporter.com.
Latino Clergy promotes census boycott, alone
Concern over Latino evangelical leader's call to boycott U.S. census
By DAVID OLSON, The Press-Enterprise, May 9, 2009
As immigrant and Latino organizations gear up to urge illegal immigrants to participate in the 2010 census, a Latino evangelical leader is telling them to boycott the count unless comprehensive immigration reform is enacted.
The Rev. Miguel Rivera, chairman of the Washington-based National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders, appears to be alone among national Latino leaders in promoting a boycott.
But his call worries immigration-rights advocates, who say it could lead to fewer services in immigrant communities and hurt efforts to increase Latino political influence. Census population counts are used to shape congressional districts and help determine where federal funding goes.
Local immigration activists are planning outreach campaigns to encourage census participation. The Census Bureau is working with community groups across the country to promote the benefits of filling out the census.
"Unfortunately the comments and posture taken by (the coalition) may very well have a negative impact and cause more trepidation in a community that was already naturally hesitant to participate in the census," said the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the Sacramento-based National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, an evangelical group that supports a full census count.
Rodriguez said even if a few hundred thousand of the nation's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants do not participate, it could mean millions of dollars in lost funding.
The U.S. Census Bureau will begin mailing forms in March 2010. The U.S. Constitution requires the census to count everyone, whether they are legal residents or not. The census does not ask immigration status.
Many illegal immigrants fear answering an official government survey like the census or talking with a government employee, believing it could lead to deportation, said Laura Barrera, deputy director for the Census for the Los Angeles-based National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. The boycott taps into those fears, she said.
The 2000 census undercounted the Hispanic population by about 3 percent, Barrera said. The Census Bureau estimates the 2000 Hispanic undercount was less than 1 percent, down from an undercount of about 5 percent in 1990, said Raul Cisneros, a census spokesman.
Barrera's group is launching a Spanish-language media campaign in October to reassure immigrants and others that census answers are not shared with other government agencies. Census employees face fines or jail for disclosing information.
The group is also setting up a hotline to address census concerns, said Barrera, who called Rivera "irresponsible" for threatening a boycott.
Rivera said he is not convinced the census information will remain confidential, despite the law. And he believes that population data from the census can be combined with voter statistics to determine which areas have the largest illegal-immigrant populations, which could lead to harsh anti-illegal-immigrant laws and Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdowns.
Rivera said he hopes the boycott threat helps lead to a push for legalization of millions of illegal immigrants.
"If governors want to have that funding in their states, and if mayors want to have that funding in their cities, they need to stop looking the other way and roll up their sleeves and put pressure on Congress to bring about comprehensive immigration reform," he said.
Population data from the census help determine how about $300 billion in federal funding each year is distributed. A smaller population for a city, county or state leads to less funding.
Census data also is used to form congressional districts, which are created based upon total population, including illegal immigrants.
For the first time this year, census forms will be mailed to about 13 million households -- about half of all Latino homes -- in English and Spanish, Cisneros said.
Armando Navarro, a professor of ethnic studies at UC Riverside and coordinator of the Riverside-based National Alliance for Human Rights, said an undercount of illegal immigrants would lead to less political power for immigrants and Latinos by underestimating their numerical clout.
Navarro said he and other activists are planning Inland town-hall meetings to encourage immigrants to participate in the census. The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino is planning its own outreach campaign, said diocesan spokesman John Andrews.
Emilio Amaya, executive director of the San Bernardino Community Service Center, which will distribute pro-census leaflets in immigrant communities, predicted Rivera's boycott call will be outweighed by campaigns by local community groups to encourage participation in the census.
Navarro said illegal immigrants, who cannot vote, do not have the political leverage to force immigration reform through a boycott threat. Instead, the boycott call may backfire, causing more anti-immigrant sentiment, he said.
"This says one thing to me: That in the absence of any organized strategy, they come up with something so desperate that they don't think of the cost-benefit and the cause and effect," Navarro said.
Reach David Olson at 951-368-9462 or dolson@PE.com
By DAVID OLSON, The Press-Enterprise, May 9, 2009
As immigrant and Latino organizations gear up to urge illegal immigrants to participate in the 2010 census, a Latino evangelical leader is telling them to boycott the count unless comprehensive immigration reform is enacted.
The Rev. Miguel Rivera, chairman of the Washington-based National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders, appears to be alone among national Latino leaders in promoting a boycott.
But his call worries immigration-rights advocates, who say it could lead to fewer services in immigrant communities and hurt efforts to increase Latino political influence. Census population counts are used to shape congressional districts and help determine where federal funding goes.
Local immigration activists are planning outreach campaigns to encourage census participation. The Census Bureau is working with community groups across the country to promote the benefits of filling out the census.
"Unfortunately the comments and posture taken by (the coalition) may very well have a negative impact and cause more trepidation in a community that was already naturally hesitant to participate in the census," said the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the Sacramento-based National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, an evangelical group that supports a full census count.
Rodriguez said even if a few hundred thousand of the nation's estimated 12 million illegal immigrants do not participate, it could mean millions of dollars in lost funding.
The U.S. Census Bureau will begin mailing forms in March 2010. The U.S. Constitution requires the census to count everyone, whether they are legal residents or not. The census does not ask immigration status.
Many illegal immigrants fear answering an official government survey like the census or talking with a government employee, believing it could lead to deportation, said Laura Barrera, deputy director for the Census for the Los Angeles-based National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. The boycott taps into those fears, she said.
The 2000 census undercounted the Hispanic population by about 3 percent, Barrera said. The Census Bureau estimates the 2000 Hispanic undercount was less than 1 percent, down from an undercount of about 5 percent in 1990, said Raul Cisneros, a census spokesman.
Barrera's group is launching a Spanish-language media campaign in October to reassure immigrants and others that census answers are not shared with other government agencies. Census employees face fines or jail for disclosing information.
The group is also setting up a hotline to address census concerns, said Barrera, who called Rivera "irresponsible" for threatening a boycott.
Rivera said he is not convinced the census information will remain confidential, despite the law. And he believes that population data from the census can be combined with voter statistics to determine which areas have the largest illegal-immigrant populations, which could lead to harsh anti-illegal-immigrant laws and Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdowns.
Rivera said he hopes the boycott threat helps lead to a push for legalization of millions of illegal immigrants.
"If governors want to have that funding in their states, and if mayors want to have that funding in their cities, they need to stop looking the other way and roll up their sleeves and put pressure on Congress to bring about comprehensive immigration reform," he said.
Population data from the census help determine how about $300 billion in federal funding each year is distributed. A smaller population for a city, county or state leads to less funding.
Census data also is used to form congressional districts, which are created based upon total population, including illegal immigrants.
For the first time this year, census forms will be mailed to about 13 million households -- about half of all Latino homes -- in English and Spanish, Cisneros said.
Armando Navarro, a professor of ethnic studies at UC Riverside and coordinator of the Riverside-based National Alliance for Human Rights, said an undercount of illegal immigrants would lead to less political power for immigrants and Latinos by underestimating their numerical clout.
Navarro said he and other activists are planning Inland town-hall meetings to encourage immigrants to participate in the census. The Roman Catholic Diocese of San Bernardino is planning its own outreach campaign, said diocesan spokesman John Andrews.
Emilio Amaya, executive director of the San Bernardino Community Service Center, which will distribute pro-census leaflets in immigrant communities, predicted Rivera's boycott call will be outweighed by campaigns by local community groups to encourage participation in the census.
Navarro said illegal immigrants, who cannot vote, do not have the political leverage to force immigration reform through a boycott threat. Instead, the boycott call may backfire, causing more anti-immigrant sentiment, he said.
"This says one thing to me: That in the absence of any organized strategy, they come up with something so desperate that they don't think of the cost-benefit and the cause and effect," Navarro said.
Reach David Olson at 951-368-9462 or dolson@PE.com
Latino facing challenge from Asian
Racial lines tested in Calif. House race
By MICHAEL R. BLOOD, AP Political Writer, May 9, 2009
Racial lines are being tested in a Southern California congressional race in which an Asian candidate is a leading contender in a district that has been a Hispanic stronghold for years.
The contest to fill the vacant seat in a heavily Democratic stretch of Los Angeles and its eastern suburbs is a snapshot of the state's fluid racial landscape.
An area where Hispanics supplanted a largely white and Japanese population has in recent years seen a surge in Asian newcomers, including Filipinos, Vietnamese and Chinese.
"It's a community in transition," says Gil Cedillo, a Hispanic state senator vying for the open slot.
The neighborhoods of the 32nd Congressional District were once thick with Italian delis and Armenian restaurants. Today, Cedillo said, "one block looks like Saigon, another one will look like Taipei and then the third one will look like ... Mexico."
He calls the region a "window to the future of America."
Former state Assembly member Judy Chu knows she can't win the May 19 special election without drawing support from Hispanics, who make up about half the registered voters and two-thirds of the population.
The seat — held by Rep. Hilda Solis until she resigned to become President Barack Obama's labor secretary — has been in Hispanic hands since the early 1980s.
"I think I have a great chance to win," said Chu, a member of the California Board of Equalization, which oversees the state's various tax programs and hears tax appeals.
She notes that she has captured a string of local elections in areas within the district over 23 years.
"I am a coalition builder," she said.
There are 12 candidates on the ballot — eight Democrats, three Republicans and a Libertarian. It's unlikely any candidate will get the required majority to win outright on election night. If no candidate clears that mark, the top finishers in each party will advance to a July 14 runoff.
But the runoff would be a formality. The Democrat will be the all-but-certain winner in a district where the party holds a more than 2-to-1 registration edge over Republicans. Solis won nearly every vote when she was re-elected in November 2008 — Republicans didn't have a candidate on the ballot.
The two leading candidates, Chu and Cedillo, each share a liberal Democratic pedigree and similar voting records. Both agree the economy and jobs are top issues.
Endorsements have cut across racial and ethnic lines, and assumptions about racial bloc voting and identity politics are being challenged in the era of President Barack Obama, the first black in the Oval Office.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, one of the nation's most recognized Hispanic politicians, endorsed Chu and is raising money for her campaign. Villaraigosa and Cedillo have not been close since their days in the California Legislature.
Solis is staying out of the race, but Chu has endorsements from Solis' husband, mother, father and sisters. She also has the backing of the powerful Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, headed by Maria Elena Durazo.
Cedillo has picked off Asian support, including endorsements from a state senator and an Assembly member.
In fliers landing in voter mailboxes, Cedillo accuses Chu of favoring big business in her position on the state tax board while Chu has been critical of Cedillo's use of campaign funds for lavish shopping excursions and gourmet meals.
Both candidates stress an ability to work — and by implication draw votes — across racial and ethnic lines.
Chu's Web site features pictures of her with Villaraigosa and Solis family members. Cedillo clearly wants a strong turnout from Hispanics, but one mailer talks about his work with Filipino-American veterans.
White voters are a sliver of the electorate but could provide a decisive margin in what's expected to be a low-turnout election.
With an unusual May contest, the biggest challenge could be rounding up voters across the often-smoggy, working-class area divided by congested freeways.
When asked about the campaign, empty stares came from most people in a random sampling of voters at strip malls in two small cities in the district.
Jose Rodriguez of El Monte, 38, a sales manager at an auto parts store, kept shaking his head when asked if he knew about the election or recognized the names of the leading candidates, Chu and Cedillo.
"You kind of lose track," he said.
Political scientist Raphael Sonenshein gives Chu a slight edge, given her close political ties to the district, which includes the area she represented in the Assembly. Cedillo's senate district does not overlap the area. He only recently moved into the district, although he has family ties there dating to the 1970s.
"To beat her, you really have to pretty much convince Latino voters to vote as Latinos," says Sonenshein, who teaches at California State University, Fullerton. "His advantage is the growing Latino consciousness in the state."
The district's population is about 64 percent Hispanic, 20 percent Asian, 12 percent white and 2 percent black.
Chu and Cedillo have strong ties to immigrant communities. Chu became involved in politics fighting an English-only proposal for signs in her hometown, while Cedillo's signature bill would allow illegal immigrants to apply for driver's licenses, an idea he has pushed unsuccessfully for years.
Cedillo has the support of the political arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which is eager to keep the seat in Hispanic hands.
For Hispanics, "a lot of our needs have not been met," said Rep. Joe Baca, a Democrat and caucus member who represents a neighboring district. "It's a Hispanic seat. We should not lose that seat."
By MICHAEL R. BLOOD, AP Political Writer, May 9, 2009
Racial lines are being tested in a Southern California congressional race in which an Asian candidate is a leading contender in a district that has been a Hispanic stronghold for years.
The contest to fill the vacant seat in a heavily Democratic stretch of Los Angeles and its eastern suburbs is a snapshot of the state's fluid racial landscape.
An area where Hispanics supplanted a largely white and Japanese population has in recent years seen a surge in Asian newcomers, including Filipinos, Vietnamese and Chinese.
"It's a community in transition," says Gil Cedillo, a Hispanic state senator vying for the open slot.
The neighborhoods of the 32nd Congressional District were once thick with Italian delis and Armenian restaurants. Today, Cedillo said, "one block looks like Saigon, another one will look like Taipei and then the third one will look like ... Mexico."
He calls the region a "window to the future of America."
Former state Assembly member Judy Chu knows she can't win the May 19 special election without drawing support from Hispanics, who make up about half the registered voters and two-thirds of the population.
The seat — held by Rep. Hilda Solis until she resigned to become President Barack Obama's labor secretary — has been in Hispanic hands since the early 1980s.
"I think I have a great chance to win," said Chu, a member of the California Board of Equalization, which oversees the state's various tax programs and hears tax appeals.
She notes that she has captured a string of local elections in areas within the district over 23 years.
"I am a coalition builder," she said.
There are 12 candidates on the ballot — eight Democrats, three Republicans and a Libertarian. It's unlikely any candidate will get the required majority to win outright on election night. If no candidate clears that mark, the top finishers in each party will advance to a July 14 runoff.
But the runoff would be a formality. The Democrat will be the all-but-certain winner in a district where the party holds a more than 2-to-1 registration edge over Republicans. Solis won nearly every vote when she was re-elected in November 2008 — Republicans didn't have a candidate on the ballot.
The two leading candidates, Chu and Cedillo, each share a liberal Democratic pedigree and similar voting records. Both agree the economy and jobs are top issues.
Endorsements have cut across racial and ethnic lines, and assumptions about racial bloc voting and identity politics are being challenged in the era of President Barack Obama, the first black in the Oval Office.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, one of the nation's most recognized Hispanic politicians, endorsed Chu and is raising money for her campaign. Villaraigosa and Cedillo have not been close since their days in the California Legislature.
Solis is staying out of the race, but Chu has endorsements from Solis' husband, mother, father and sisters. She also has the backing of the powerful Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, headed by Maria Elena Durazo.
Cedillo has picked off Asian support, including endorsements from a state senator and an Assembly member.
In fliers landing in voter mailboxes, Cedillo accuses Chu of favoring big business in her position on the state tax board while Chu has been critical of Cedillo's use of campaign funds for lavish shopping excursions and gourmet meals.
Both candidates stress an ability to work — and by implication draw votes — across racial and ethnic lines.
Chu's Web site features pictures of her with Villaraigosa and Solis family members. Cedillo clearly wants a strong turnout from Hispanics, but one mailer talks about his work with Filipino-American veterans.
White voters are a sliver of the electorate but could provide a decisive margin in what's expected to be a low-turnout election.
With an unusual May contest, the biggest challenge could be rounding up voters across the often-smoggy, working-class area divided by congested freeways.
When asked about the campaign, empty stares came from most people in a random sampling of voters at strip malls in two small cities in the district.
Jose Rodriguez of El Monte, 38, a sales manager at an auto parts store, kept shaking his head when asked if he knew about the election or recognized the names of the leading candidates, Chu and Cedillo.
"You kind of lose track," he said.
Political scientist Raphael Sonenshein gives Chu a slight edge, given her close political ties to the district, which includes the area she represented in the Assembly. Cedillo's senate district does not overlap the area. He only recently moved into the district, although he has family ties there dating to the 1970s.
"To beat her, you really have to pretty much convince Latino voters to vote as Latinos," says Sonenshein, who teaches at California State University, Fullerton. "His advantage is the growing Latino consciousness in the state."
The district's population is about 64 percent Hispanic, 20 percent Asian, 12 percent white and 2 percent black.
Chu and Cedillo have strong ties to immigrant communities. Chu became involved in politics fighting an English-only proposal for signs in her hometown, while Cedillo's signature bill would allow illegal immigrants to apply for driver's licenses, an idea he has pushed unsuccessfully for years.
Cedillo has the support of the political arm of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, which is eager to keep the seat in Hispanic hands.
For Hispanics, "a lot of our needs have not been met," said Rep. Joe Baca, a Democrat and caucus member who represents a neighboring district. "It's a Hispanic seat. We should not lose that seat."
Monday, May 11, 2009
HOLA takes charge to help Hispanics adjust
Working in two languages to improve Latinos’ plight
By Cynthia Dettelbach, Cleveland Jewish News, May 8, 2009
“If you’re Hispanic, people already expect you to steal, to fight, to be rude, to be ghetto. If everyone thinks wrong of you, eventually you are going to start thinking wrong about yourself …”
Those comments by the 19-year-old daughter of Salvadoran immigrants (quoted in The New York Times April 19) would probably get a nod of sad recognition from Veronica Isabel Dahlberg. Or, as Dahlberg expressed it to me in a different context, “If you’re Hispanic (or Latino), it’s an automatic cloud of suspicion.”
Dahlberg is director of HOLA, Hispanas Organizadas de Lake y Ashtabula, an Hispanic advocacy group covering Northeast Ohio’s Latino community, as well as editor of its impressive The HOLA Journal. Published in both Spanish and English language editions, HOLA prints bimonthly ... provided more compelling advocacy issues don’t interfere.
Dahlberg knows firsthand what some of those daunting issues in the Hispanic community are, since she works with them 24/7. They include draconian anti-immigration laws, presumptions of guilt by law enforcement, terrifying police roundups, illiteracy, and the “demonizing” of Hispanics by, among others, the mainstream media. (Among the worst of the media demonizers, she notes, are talk show hosts Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh as well as CNN’s Lou Dobbs.)
I met Dahlberg several weeks ago, when we both participated on an ethnic news media panel sponsored by the Society for Professional Journalists. Much of what Dahlberg had to report about her community and its relationship to its own and to mainstream media was eye opening.
The words the secular or general press often uses to describe her people, claims Dahlberg, are objectionable and dehumanizing. “Illegals,” she points out, is not a noun; if someone is labeled as illegal, that individual suddenly has no rights. The preferred term is “undocumented immigrants.”
Other pejoratives used to describe Hispanics include “aliens” and “fugitives,” while headlines like “Swarm of Illegals Uncovered” or day laborers described in one article as “loaded up and dumped at a workplace” make people think “we Latinos are animals.” (It’s reminiscent of the Nazis’ characterization of Jews as rats and vermin.)
The HOLA Journal, by contrast, demonstrates “we’re not demons as portrayed by the secular press,” says its editor, main reporter and photographer. To accentuate the positive, Dahlberg reports on cultural traditions, Latinos of interest, ongoing efforts at immigration reform, and opportunities for self-help, including migrant education and Cleveland scholarship programs.
She also covers the many horror stories experienced by Latinos, such as being roused in the middle of the night, taken from their homes, and thrown into jail. But she is careful, she admits, “not to freak people out” with too many of these stories.
Nevertheless, in her role as director of HOLA, Dahlberg is constantly dealing with these scenarios.
“Veronica is a tireless advocate on behalf of the undocumented and families split up because of our broken immigration system,” says immigration attorney David Leopold, who often collaborates with her on these issues. “She works extremely hard to assure that the laws we have on the books are enforced fairly.” When families are broken up because someone is arrested or deported, “she takes these cases on personally.”
Leopold is certainly not the only Jewish person with whom Dahlberg has worked. Her magazine’s Spanish translator, Heddy Herrera, is Jewish, and for the last few years, she has undertaken joint projects with the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland.
Initially, the goal was to foster good relations between the Hispanic and Jewish communities here. “It’s beneficial for Latinos to be educated about Jewish issues and vice versa,” says Dahlberg. She also sought Federation support in opposing anti-immigration bills. Government liaisons from the Federation put together a position paper on the subject “to help us meet with Senators George Voinovich and Sherrod Brown.”
Dahlberg was one of 20 Hispanic leaders to travel to Israel for two weeks, where she learned about and observed Israeli immigration programs. In addition to writing about that trip in The HOLA Journal, Dahlberg still communicates with some of the Israelis she met and “always pays attention to the news” about Israel.
Another Jewish organization she works with is ADL and its executive director Shari Kochman. Dahlberg needs ADL’s help to track and monitor hate groups. The latter, she explains, “don’t distinguish between legals and undocumented; they hate (all) Spanish-speaking immigrants.”
As if all that weren’t enough on Dahlberg’s plate, she also worries about filling the plates of area Latinos who’ve lost their jobs in the current economic recession. HOLA, she reports, has a food pantry currently serving 50 Latino households.
As for the future, Dahlberg wants The HOLA Journal to grow and for her umbrella organization to continue doing advocacy. She characterizes the George Bush years as “a dark, scary time to be a Latino” and is optimistic that the Obama administration will be more Latino-friendly. “I hope immigration reform will pass this year, along with a path to citizenship,” she says.
If the past is prologue, Dahlberg and HOLA will be doing their part, advocating to make the next act happen.
cdettelbach@cjn.org
By Cynthia Dettelbach, Cleveland Jewish News, May 8, 2009
“If you’re Hispanic, people already expect you to steal, to fight, to be rude, to be ghetto. If everyone thinks wrong of you, eventually you are going to start thinking wrong about yourself …”
Those comments by the 19-year-old daughter of Salvadoran immigrants (quoted in The New York Times April 19) would probably get a nod of sad recognition from Veronica Isabel Dahlberg. Or, as Dahlberg expressed it to me in a different context, “If you’re Hispanic (or Latino), it’s an automatic cloud of suspicion.”
Dahlberg is director of HOLA, Hispanas Organizadas de Lake y Ashtabula, an Hispanic advocacy group covering Northeast Ohio’s Latino community, as well as editor of its impressive The HOLA Journal. Published in both Spanish and English language editions, HOLA prints bimonthly ... provided more compelling advocacy issues don’t interfere.
Dahlberg knows firsthand what some of those daunting issues in the Hispanic community are, since she works with them 24/7. They include draconian anti-immigration laws, presumptions of guilt by law enforcement, terrifying police roundups, illiteracy, and the “demonizing” of Hispanics by, among others, the mainstream media. (Among the worst of the media demonizers, she notes, are talk show hosts Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh as well as CNN’s Lou Dobbs.)
I met Dahlberg several weeks ago, when we both participated on an ethnic news media panel sponsored by the Society for Professional Journalists. Much of what Dahlberg had to report about her community and its relationship to its own and to mainstream media was eye opening.
The words the secular or general press often uses to describe her people, claims Dahlberg, are objectionable and dehumanizing. “Illegals,” she points out, is not a noun; if someone is labeled as illegal, that individual suddenly has no rights. The preferred term is “undocumented immigrants.”
Other pejoratives used to describe Hispanics include “aliens” and “fugitives,” while headlines like “Swarm of Illegals Uncovered” or day laborers described in one article as “loaded up and dumped at a workplace” make people think “we Latinos are animals.” (It’s reminiscent of the Nazis’ characterization of Jews as rats and vermin.)
The HOLA Journal, by contrast, demonstrates “we’re not demons as portrayed by the secular press,” says its editor, main reporter and photographer. To accentuate the positive, Dahlberg reports on cultural traditions, Latinos of interest, ongoing efforts at immigration reform, and opportunities for self-help, including migrant education and Cleveland scholarship programs.
She also covers the many horror stories experienced by Latinos, such as being roused in the middle of the night, taken from their homes, and thrown into jail. But she is careful, she admits, “not to freak people out” with too many of these stories.
Nevertheless, in her role as director of HOLA, Dahlberg is constantly dealing with these scenarios.
“Veronica is a tireless advocate on behalf of the undocumented and families split up because of our broken immigration system,” says immigration attorney David Leopold, who often collaborates with her on these issues. “She works extremely hard to assure that the laws we have on the books are enforced fairly.” When families are broken up because someone is arrested or deported, “she takes these cases on personally.”
Leopold is certainly not the only Jewish person with whom Dahlberg has worked. Her magazine’s Spanish translator, Heddy Herrera, is Jewish, and for the last few years, she has undertaken joint projects with the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland.
Initially, the goal was to foster good relations between the Hispanic and Jewish communities here. “It’s beneficial for Latinos to be educated about Jewish issues and vice versa,” says Dahlberg. She also sought Federation support in opposing anti-immigration bills. Government liaisons from the Federation put together a position paper on the subject “to help us meet with Senators George Voinovich and Sherrod Brown.”
Dahlberg was one of 20 Hispanic leaders to travel to Israel for two weeks, where she learned about and observed Israeli immigration programs. In addition to writing about that trip in The HOLA Journal, Dahlberg still communicates with some of the Israelis she met and “always pays attention to the news” about Israel.
Another Jewish organization she works with is ADL and its executive director Shari Kochman. Dahlberg needs ADL’s help to track and monitor hate groups. The latter, she explains, “don’t distinguish between legals and undocumented; they hate (all) Spanish-speaking immigrants.”
As if all that weren’t enough on Dahlberg’s plate, she also worries about filling the plates of area Latinos who’ve lost their jobs in the current economic recession. HOLA, she reports, has a food pantry currently serving 50 Latino households.
As for the future, Dahlberg wants The HOLA Journal to grow and for her umbrella organization to continue doing advocacy. She characterizes the George Bush years as “a dark, scary time to be a Latino” and is optimistic that the Obama administration will be more Latino-friendly. “I hope immigration reform will pass this year, along with a path to citizenship,” she says.
If the past is prologue, Dahlberg and HOLA will be doing their part, advocating to make the next act happen.
cdettelbach@cjn.org
Latinos, other minorities applying at West Point
West Point says more minorities applying
By Alexa James, Times Herald-Record, May 11, 2009
WEST POINT — The U.S. Military Academy at West Point is recruiting a record number of minorities into its class of 2013.
The nation's oldest service institution is on pace to welcome as many as 91 black and 127 Hispanic undergraduates into its incoming class of about 1,300 cadet candidates.
While not a huge increase over previous years, admissions officials say West Point's new cohort is moving in the right direction and closing the gap between the Academy's minority demographics and those of the rest of the Army.
Nearly 63 percent of the total Army is white, according to defense reports. But at West Point, an elite training ground for future officers and scholars, admissions officials say roughly 75 percent of the student body is white.
West Point doesn't use quotas in its admissions process, but the goal is to graduate officers that more closely resemble the makeup of the Army. The soldiers giving orders should look like those receiving them.
West Point received more than 11,000 applications for the class of 2013, about 9 percent more than last year, spread across every demographic. Interest from black males, the Academy's most elusive segment, grew by more than 200 applications.
"We are very excited about this year's numbers and hope the trend continues," said Col. Deborah McDonald, director of admissions at West Point. She connected the swell in minority applicants to new recruiting strategies and better networking among minority leaders.
One of this year's initiatives was a hand-shaking blitz on Capitol Hill. Because West Point's application process requires a nomination from a U.S. senator or representative, admissions officials and a cadet traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with black and Hispanic congressional caucuses.
That plan paid off. Congressional nominations increased about 50 percent and included first-time participation from some black politicians.
"The mere fact that they're nominating is a big step for us," said Maureen Velez, minority admissions specialist at West Point. "They finally understand the process, the need and our challenge."
The entire Army is struggling to combat declining interest among blacks and to bolster their numbers in the higher ranks. At West Point, those challenges are acute.
In 2008. black soldiers constituted nearly 21 percent of the enlisted Army. At West Point, black cadets made up about 6 percent of its 4,400-member student body.
Final admissions numbers for the class of 2013 are pending. The new cadets report to boot camp on June 29.
ajames@th-record.com
By Alexa James, Times Herald-Record, May 11, 2009
WEST POINT — The U.S. Military Academy at West Point is recruiting a record number of minorities into its class of 2013.
The nation's oldest service institution is on pace to welcome as many as 91 black and 127 Hispanic undergraduates into its incoming class of about 1,300 cadet candidates.
While not a huge increase over previous years, admissions officials say West Point's new cohort is moving in the right direction and closing the gap between the Academy's minority demographics and those of the rest of the Army.
Nearly 63 percent of the total Army is white, according to defense reports. But at West Point, an elite training ground for future officers and scholars, admissions officials say roughly 75 percent of the student body is white.
West Point doesn't use quotas in its admissions process, but the goal is to graduate officers that more closely resemble the makeup of the Army. The soldiers giving orders should look like those receiving them.
West Point received more than 11,000 applications for the class of 2013, about 9 percent more than last year, spread across every demographic. Interest from black males, the Academy's most elusive segment, grew by more than 200 applications.
"We are very excited about this year's numbers and hope the trend continues," said Col. Deborah McDonald, director of admissions at West Point. She connected the swell in minority applicants to new recruiting strategies and better networking among minority leaders.
One of this year's initiatives was a hand-shaking blitz on Capitol Hill. Because West Point's application process requires a nomination from a U.S. senator or representative, admissions officials and a cadet traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with black and Hispanic congressional caucuses.
That plan paid off. Congressional nominations increased about 50 percent and included first-time participation from some black politicians.
"The mere fact that they're nominating is a big step for us," said Maureen Velez, minority admissions specialist at West Point. "They finally understand the process, the need and our challenge."
The entire Army is struggling to combat declining interest among blacks and to bolster their numbers in the higher ranks. At West Point, those challenges are acute.
In 2008. black soldiers constituted nearly 21 percent of the enlisted Army. At West Point, black cadets made up about 6 percent of its 4,400-member student body.
Final admissions numbers for the class of 2013 are pending. The new cadets report to boot camp on June 29.
ajames@th-record.com
Latino immigrants lead political change in California
Naturalized citizens are poised to reshape California's political landscape
By Teresa Watanabe, LA Times, May 10, 2009
More than 1 million immigrants became U.S. citizens last year, hastening the ethnic transformation of California's political landscape with more Latinos and Asians now eligible to vote.
Leading the wave, California's 300,000 new citizens accounted for nearly one-third of the nation's total and represented a near-doubling over 2006, according to a recent report by the U.S. Office of Immigration Statistics. Florida recorded the second-largest group of new citizens, and Texas claimed the fastest growth.
Mexicans, who have traditionally registered low rates of naturalization, represented the largest group, with nearly one-fourth of the total. They were followed by Indians, Filipinos, Chinese, Cubans and Vietnamese.
The new citizens are reshaping California's electorate and are likely to reorder the state's policy priorities, some political analysts predict. Several polls show that Latinos and Asians are more supportive than whites of public investments and broad services, even if they require higher taxes.
Most Latinos, for instance, support all five budget propositions on the May ballot while most whites oppose them, according to recent polls by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California. Although viewed as largely conservative, most Asian Americans supported a 2004 measure requiring large businesses to provide health insurance to employees, even as it failed at the ballot box, according to an analysis by the Asian Pacific American Legal Center in Los Angeles.
Nationally, nonwhite voters overwhelmingly supported Barack Obama's presidential candidacy, while most whites voted for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a recent study by the Pew Hispanic Center showed. And there were more of them last year -- Latino registered voters increased by 3 million compared with 2004, said Antonio Gonzalez, president of the Southwest Voting Registration Education Project in Los Angeles.
The surge in new citizens will accelerate by several years the California electorate's shift from majority white to nonwhite, according to Dowell Myers, a USC demographer. Although that shift won't be completed until 2026, Myers and others said, Latinos, Asians and African Americans are already joining with progressive whites to elect ethnically diverse candidates.
"As we have more Asian American and Latino voters, our electorate will begin to look more like the face of the public at large," said Mark Baldassare of the Public Policy Institute. "From the standpoint of representative democracy, few things could be more important than this."
The path to the 1-million mark was paved by an organized collaboration among community activists, the Spanish-language media and government. Univision TV network and La Opinion newspaper, in particular, had many stories about the importance of citizenship and demystified the application process, said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Assn. of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund in Los Angeles.
"You could not go throughout Los Angeles and not be bombarded with the message that it's time to become a citizen," said Vargas, whose organization helped spearhead the national campaign called Ya Es Hora ("It's Time").
U.S. immigration officials worked weekends to distribute information, develop TV scripts and provide an official to conduct an on-air mock citizenship interview, Vargas said. Jane Arellano, district director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' seven-county area covering Southern California, was the movement's "unsung hero," he said.
Arellano said she first met with activists in 2006 about their citizenship campaign plans. As she watched citizenship applications shoot up in January 2008, Arellano immediately appealed to her agency's headquarters for extra help.
In all, she managed to add more than 100 extra staff, won authorization for weekend overtime work and worked with the courts to add and expand citizenship ceremonies. The high point came in September, when 34,000 new citizens took the oath of allegiance -- more than a fourfold increase over the previous year, Arellano said.
Meanwhile, the region's adult and community colleges joined the effort, expanding English and civics classes to help prepare immigrants for their citizenship test. The Los Angeles Unified School District's adult education division nearly doubled the number of citizenship classes last year over the previous year, officials said.
One of those new Latino voters was Joanuen Llamas, a 26-year-old Mexico native and Los Angeles homemaker who legally immigrated here in 1998. She was inspired to become a citizen in March 2008 after joining the massive immigrant rights marches of recent years and took to heart their slogan, "Today we march, tomorrow we vote."
"It made me think that that's the way to change anything in this country," said Llamas, who cast her first vote, for Obama, in November.
Those demographic and political trends will continue to marginalize Republicans unless the party makes major changes in its tone and policies toward immigrants, said Allan Hoffenblum, a Republican political consultant in Los Angeles.
"The reason the Republican Party is in such dire straits is its inability to successfully reach out and change its image among Latinos and Asians," he said. "The image is too shrill on immigration. It's an image of an intolerant cult."
But Gonzalez said Latinos still had far to go, noting that 8 million legal immigrants have not yet claimed citizenship although they are eligible. "The test is going forward," he said.
Indeed, new citizenship applications have already dropped significantly. In the Southern California district, for instance, applications plunged to 58,433 last year from 253,666 the previous year, U.S. immigration statistics show.
Most experts say that a 69% increase in application fees to $675 was one reason for the steep decline. The Obama administration is proposing $206 million in funding for immigration services that could help reduce the fee by about $50, and activists are hoping for more, said Rosalind Gold of the National Assn. of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund. New citizen Alfonso Vergara is one product of the massive citizenship campaign effort. A Mexico native and pharmaceutical technician, the 31-year-old said he had postponed applying for citizenship for years because the process seemed too time-consuming. But last year, he said, he was swept up in the marches and the call for civic activism.
"It was time for me to build a stronger future for my family and become a more active person in this country," he said.
Ultimately, Vargas said, the citizenship wave will help Latinos and other new U.S. citizens contribute even more to the country.
"This isn't about helping Latinos for the sake of helping Latinos," Vargas said. "This is about helping Latinos succeed for the sake of America."
teresa.watanabe@latimes.com
By Teresa Watanabe, LA Times, May 10, 2009
More than 1 million immigrants became U.S. citizens last year, hastening the ethnic transformation of California's political landscape with more Latinos and Asians now eligible to vote.
Leading the wave, California's 300,000 new citizens accounted for nearly one-third of the nation's total and represented a near-doubling over 2006, according to a recent report by the U.S. Office of Immigration Statistics. Florida recorded the second-largest group of new citizens, and Texas claimed the fastest growth.
Mexicans, who have traditionally registered low rates of naturalization, represented the largest group, with nearly one-fourth of the total. They were followed by Indians, Filipinos, Chinese, Cubans and Vietnamese.
The new citizens are reshaping California's electorate and are likely to reorder the state's policy priorities, some political analysts predict. Several polls show that Latinos and Asians are more supportive than whites of public investments and broad services, even if they require higher taxes.
Most Latinos, for instance, support all five budget propositions on the May ballot while most whites oppose them, according to recent polls by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California. Although viewed as largely conservative, most Asian Americans supported a 2004 measure requiring large businesses to provide health insurance to employees, even as it failed at the ballot box, according to an analysis by the Asian Pacific American Legal Center in Los Angeles.
Nationally, nonwhite voters overwhelmingly supported Barack Obama's presidential candidacy, while most whites voted for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a recent study by the Pew Hispanic Center showed. And there were more of them last year -- Latino registered voters increased by 3 million compared with 2004, said Antonio Gonzalez, president of the Southwest Voting Registration Education Project in Los Angeles.
The surge in new citizens will accelerate by several years the California electorate's shift from majority white to nonwhite, according to Dowell Myers, a USC demographer. Although that shift won't be completed until 2026, Myers and others said, Latinos, Asians and African Americans are already joining with progressive whites to elect ethnically diverse candidates.
"As we have more Asian American and Latino voters, our electorate will begin to look more like the face of the public at large," said Mark Baldassare of the Public Policy Institute. "From the standpoint of representative democracy, few things could be more important than this."
The path to the 1-million mark was paved by an organized collaboration among community activists, the Spanish-language media and government. Univision TV network and La Opinion newspaper, in particular, had many stories about the importance of citizenship and demystified the application process, said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Assn. of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund in Los Angeles.
"You could not go throughout Los Angeles and not be bombarded with the message that it's time to become a citizen," said Vargas, whose organization helped spearhead the national campaign called Ya Es Hora ("It's Time").
U.S. immigration officials worked weekends to distribute information, develop TV scripts and provide an official to conduct an on-air mock citizenship interview, Vargas said. Jane Arellano, district director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' seven-county area covering Southern California, was the movement's "unsung hero," he said.
Arellano said she first met with activists in 2006 about their citizenship campaign plans. As she watched citizenship applications shoot up in January 2008, Arellano immediately appealed to her agency's headquarters for extra help.
In all, she managed to add more than 100 extra staff, won authorization for weekend overtime work and worked with the courts to add and expand citizenship ceremonies. The high point came in September, when 34,000 new citizens took the oath of allegiance -- more than a fourfold increase over the previous year, Arellano said.
Meanwhile, the region's adult and community colleges joined the effort, expanding English and civics classes to help prepare immigrants for their citizenship test. The Los Angeles Unified School District's adult education division nearly doubled the number of citizenship classes last year over the previous year, officials said.
One of those new Latino voters was Joanuen Llamas, a 26-year-old Mexico native and Los Angeles homemaker who legally immigrated here in 1998. She was inspired to become a citizen in March 2008 after joining the massive immigrant rights marches of recent years and took to heart their slogan, "Today we march, tomorrow we vote."
"It made me think that that's the way to change anything in this country," said Llamas, who cast her first vote, for Obama, in November.
Those demographic and political trends will continue to marginalize Republicans unless the party makes major changes in its tone and policies toward immigrants, said Allan Hoffenblum, a Republican political consultant in Los Angeles.
"The reason the Republican Party is in such dire straits is its inability to successfully reach out and change its image among Latinos and Asians," he said. "The image is too shrill on immigration. It's an image of an intolerant cult."
But Gonzalez said Latinos still had far to go, noting that 8 million legal immigrants have not yet claimed citizenship although they are eligible. "The test is going forward," he said.
Indeed, new citizenship applications have already dropped significantly. In the Southern California district, for instance, applications plunged to 58,433 last year from 253,666 the previous year, U.S. immigration statistics show.
Most experts say that a 69% increase in application fees to $675 was one reason for the steep decline. The Obama administration is proposing $206 million in funding for immigration services that could help reduce the fee by about $50, and activists are hoping for more, said Rosalind Gold of the National Assn. of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund. New citizen Alfonso Vergara is one product of the massive citizenship campaign effort. A Mexico native and pharmaceutical technician, the 31-year-old said he had postponed applying for citizenship for years because the process seemed too time-consuming. But last year, he said, he was swept up in the marches and the call for civic activism.
"It was time for me to build a stronger future for my family and become a more active person in this country," he said.
Ultimately, Vargas said, the citizenship wave will help Latinos and other new U.S. citizens contribute even more to the country.
"This isn't about helping Latinos for the sake of helping Latinos," Vargas said. "This is about helping Latinos succeed for the sake of America."
teresa.watanabe@latimes.com
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Latino personal health records important
Latino Coalition Highlights Importance of Personal Health Records At Economic Summit
PRESS RELEASE
LOS ANGELES, May 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MMR Information Systems, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: MMRF), which through its wholly-owned operating subsidiary, MyMedicalRecords, Inc. (collectively, "MMR") provides consumer-controlled Personal Health Records ("PHRs") (www.mymedicalrecords.com) and electronic safe deposit box storage solutions (www.myesafedepositbox.com), was recognized by Hector V. Barreto, Chairman of The Latino Coalition ("TLC") at The Latino Coalition's 2009 Economic Summit being held today in Washington, D.C. Mr. Barreto cited the MyMedicalRecords PHR as the first bilingual Personal Health Record to serve the Latino population and help bring healthcare equality to Latino families.
Appearing at The Latino Coalition Economic Summit are experts from federal agencies and corporations that include the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Lockheed Martin and Serco, among many others, to advise TLC members on how to pursue existing business development opportunities, including those linked to the economic stimulus package.
The Latino Coalition, based in Irvine, California, was founded in 1995 to research and develop policies relevant to Latinos and has a network of more than 600,000 business owners nationwide.
"President Obama's economic stimulus package allocates $19 billion for health information technology under the HITECH Act. We want to ensure that the Latino population receives its fair share of the resources that will make it easier for Latino families to better manage their health and medical information, which becomes increasingly critical as America's healthcare system undergoes reform. That is why the MyMedicalRecords Personal Health Record will be offered to members and employees of The Latino Coalition," said Mr. Barreto.
According to Robert H. Lorsch, Chairman and CEO of MMR Information Systems, Inc., "The MyMedicalRecords PHR enables individuals and their families to easily access their health information in both English and Spanish, which promotes communication with doctors and helps prevent medical errors. We are proud that our effort to recognize the Hispanic population in our society has enabled us to enter into an agreement with The Latino Coalition to offer a truly user-friendly PHR to TLC members as a way to further help reduce costs in the delivery of healthcare."
Hector V. Barreto, Chairman of The Latino Coalition, also serves on the Board of Directors of MMR Information Systems, Inc.
PRESS RELEASE
LOS ANGELES, May 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MMR Information Systems, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: MMRF), which through its wholly-owned operating subsidiary, MyMedicalRecords, Inc. (collectively, "MMR") provides consumer-controlled Personal Health Records ("PHRs") (www.mymedicalrecords.com) and electronic safe deposit box storage solutions (www.myesafedepositbox.com), was recognized by Hector V. Barreto, Chairman of The Latino Coalition ("TLC") at The Latino Coalition's 2009 Economic Summit being held today in Washington, D.C. Mr. Barreto cited the MyMedicalRecords PHR as the first bilingual Personal Health Record to serve the Latino population and help bring healthcare equality to Latino families.
Appearing at The Latino Coalition Economic Summit are experts from federal agencies and corporations that include the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Lockheed Martin and Serco, among many others, to advise TLC members on how to pursue existing business development opportunities, including those linked to the economic stimulus package.
The Latino Coalition, based in Irvine, California, was founded in 1995 to research and develop policies relevant to Latinos and has a network of more than 600,000 business owners nationwide.
"President Obama's economic stimulus package allocates $19 billion for health information technology under the HITECH Act. We want to ensure that the Latino population receives its fair share of the resources that will make it easier for Latino families to better manage their health and medical information, which becomes increasingly critical as America's healthcare system undergoes reform. That is why the MyMedicalRecords Personal Health Record will be offered to members and employees of The Latino Coalition," said Mr. Barreto.
According to Robert H. Lorsch, Chairman and CEO of MMR Information Systems, Inc., "The MyMedicalRecords PHR enables individuals and their families to easily access their health information in both English and Spanish, which promotes communication with doctors and helps prevent medical errors. We are proud that our effort to recognize the Hispanic population in our society has enabled us to enter into an agreement with The Latino Coalition to offer a truly user-friendly PHR to TLC members as a way to further help reduce costs in the delivery of healthcare."
Hector V. Barreto, Chairman of The Latino Coalition, also serves on the Board of Directors of MMR Information Systems, Inc.
Status of Washington Latinos reported
Report shows state of Latinos
The report is among the most comprehensive studies of Latino issues in the state.
By MARIA P. GONZALEZ, Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
WALLA WALLA -- A day of celebrating Mexican heritage and traditions proved to be an appropriate time to discuss the social and political needs of Latinos in the state.
A team of Whitman College political science students spent the earlier part of the school year researching the State of the State for Washington Latinos, in what is now a yearly assessment by the college on the existing issues and complexities faced by the state's biggest and fastest growing minority group.
Started in 2005, the State of the State for Washington Latinos is among the most comprehensive studies of Latino issues being compiled in the state.
On Tuesday, or Cinco de Mayo, the nine students presented their findings and recommendations at Walla Walla Community College, as part of a daylong celebration marking the victory over French forces in Puebla, Mexico, in 1862.
Under the guidance of Whitman political science professor Paul Apostolidis, the students studied issues ranging from voting patterns of Latinos and their political representation, to civic engagement, housing needs, involvement in school and knowledge of the Earned Income Tax Credit.
The work took some of the students outside Walla Walla, although several explored the issues locally.
Estela Vasquez, who met with Latino students at Walla Walla High School, asked them to keep daily journals and make weekly reflections on any racial tensions at the school or other concerns. Vasquez was studying civility in the school as it impacts and is related to Latinos.
The work helped Vasquez learn that sometimes hostility, or violence, exists at the school in subtle ways, such as an off-color joke, a stare, or a bump or push in the hall. He then looked at the effect that had on the students, who were less likely to participate in activities.
Two students, Alisa Carson-Xu and Lisa Curtis, followed the outreach work of Commitment to Community, a local organization that has helped low-income neighborhoods decrease crime and raise living standards.
Both students found that area residents benefited from the group's work, especially by working with people recognized in the community who could help establish connections with local government.
Other research included the benefits of quality farm worker housing, the need to educate Latinos on voting rights and encourage civic participation.
Some of the research also transcended the Latino lens. Issues like voter turn-out or claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit lacked awareness and participation from all groups, although Latinos were more likely to not take part.
Part of the work is to try to bring change, and the students traveled to Seattle and Olympia to meet with state policymakers and organizational leaders to share their findings.
Carson-Xu is specifically calling for the Port of Walla Walla to work with Commitment to Community to open communication with residents of a neighborhood targeted for a revitalization project.
"If they're not included they're just going to become more isolated," she said.
In her work studying the Earned Income Tax Credit, Heather Nichols-Haining found that a little known new state law, the Working Families Tax Rebate, would have helped get money back to working families, yet hasn't been funded.
"It's the kind of thing we can't be cutting right now," she said.
An art exhibit by Seattle artist Pedro de Valdivia is on display at Walla Walla Community College through May 15 and compliments the students' research. de Valdivia has worked with Whitman students since the launch of the program, and has a series of painting that express many of the themes of the findings.
In explaining his work, de Valdivia, who is originally from Pasco, said art can often help people make connections or perceive a topic in a way that is limited by simply the written word.
"My job was to take their information and make it visual," he said. "This is the first time we bridged political science and art."
Tidbits and facts from the research were stacked on single sheets and bound together, so observers could then rip a sheet off, leaving a pile on the ground. A series of recordings taken from the project played from inside a white box. A pile of candy in one corner is meant to represent the spilled contents of a shattered piñatas, which Mexican tradition holds are symbolic of people breaking bad habits and getting a sweet reward. Guests were welcome to grab a treat.
"It's formulated so people can be a part of it," Valdivia said.
Complete research and executive summaries are available online at www.walatinos.com
The report is among the most comprehensive studies of Latino issues in the state.
By MARIA P. GONZALEZ, Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
WALLA WALLA -- A day of celebrating Mexican heritage and traditions proved to be an appropriate time to discuss the social and political needs of Latinos in the state.
A team of Whitman College political science students spent the earlier part of the school year researching the State of the State for Washington Latinos, in what is now a yearly assessment by the college on the existing issues and complexities faced by the state's biggest and fastest growing minority group.
Started in 2005, the State of the State for Washington Latinos is among the most comprehensive studies of Latino issues being compiled in the state.
On Tuesday, or Cinco de Mayo, the nine students presented their findings and recommendations at Walla Walla Community College, as part of a daylong celebration marking the victory over French forces in Puebla, Mexico, in 1862.
Under the guidance of Whitman political science professor Paul Apostolidis, the students studied issues ranging from voting patterns of Latinos and their political representation, to civic engagement, housing needs, involvement in school and knowledge of the Earned Income Tax Credit.
The work took some of the students outside Walla Walla, although several explored the issues locally.
Estela Vasquez, who met with Latino students at Walla Walla High School, asked them to keep daily journals and make weekly reflections on any racial tensions at the school or other concerns. Vasquez was studying civility in the school as it impacts and is related to Latinos.
The work helped Vasquez learn that sometimes hostility, or violence, exists at the school in subtle ways, such as an off-color joke, a stare, or a bump or push in the hall. He then looked at the effect that had on the students, who were less likely to participate in activities.
Two students, Alisa Carson-Xu and Lisa Curtis, followed the outreach work of Commitment to Community, a local organization that has helped low-income neighborhoods decrease crime and raise living standards.
Both students found that area residents benefited from the group's work, especially by working with people recognized in the community who could help establish connections with local government.
Other research included the benefits of quality farm worker housing, the need to educate Latinos on voting rights and encourage civic participation.
Some of the research also transcended the Latino lens. Issues like voter turn-out or claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit lacked awareness and participation from all groups, although Latinos were more likely to not take part.
Part of the work is to try to bring change, and the students traveled to Seattle and Olympia to meet with state policymakers and organizational leaders to share their findings.
Carson-Xu is specifically calling for the Port of Walla Walla to work with Commitment to Community to open communication with residents of a neighborhood targeted for a revitalization project.
"If they're not included they're just going to become more isolated," she said.
In her work studying the Earned Income Tax Credit, Heather Nichols-Haining found that a little known new state law, the Working Families Tax Rebate, would have helped get money back to working families, yet hasn't been funded.
"It's the kind of thing we can't be cutting right now," she said.
An art exhibit by Seattle artist Pedro de Valdivia is on display at Walla Walla Community College through May 15 and compliments the students' research. de Valdivia has worked with Whitman students since the launch of the program, and has a series of painting that express many of the themes of the findings.
In explaining his work, de Valdivia, who is originally from Pasco, said art can often help people make connections or perceive a topic in a way that is limited by simply the written word.
"My job was to take their information and make it visual," he said. "This is the first time we bridged political science and art."
Tidbits and facts from the research were stacked on single sheets and bound together, so observers could then rip a sheet off, leaving a pile on the ground. A series of recordings taken from the project played from inside a white box. A pile of candy in one corner is meant to represent the spilled contents of a shattered piñatas, which Mexican tradition holds are symbolic of people breaking bad habits and getting a sweet reward. Guests were welcome to grab a treat.
"It's formulated so people can be a part of it," Valdivia said.
Complete research and executive summaries are available online at www.walatinos.com
Hispanics told to get politically involved
Solis encourages a Hispanic voice in the political process
by David McNace, Intern · May 06, 2009
Adelberto Solis’s involvement in politics started with a campaign button and continued with his efforts to get the Hispanic population in West Liberty involved in the political process, as well.
During the 2000 Presidential election, a man came into Solis’s West Liberty restaurant, El Torito, wearing a button supporting then Presidential candidate Al Gore. Solis asked the man where he got the button from. That was the starting point for Solis’s political involvement.
Solis began attending and participating in political meetings and started talking to other Hispanics, explaining to them why it was important to vote.
“I started speaking to my friends and told them that we needed to tell the political people that we are here, that we count and that we can make a difference,” Solis said.
Solis came to the United States in 1986. He became a permanent resident in 1988 and obtained his citizenship in 2003. In his first opportunity to vote as a U.S. citizen, Solis voted, but didn’t caucus. This past caucus cycle, Solis became more active.
Solis saw that not many Hispanic people in the community participated in the caucuses and wanted to change that. He saw there being too many citizens to not participate and help choose who would be elected.
“Too many people like me never participate in the caucus,” Solis said. “Many people think that they are citizens and have all of the rights to have our family and come to the United States, but they don’t care who the President is, Republican or Democrat.”
Having seen Bill Richardson being interviewed by many Hispanic television stations, Solis knew that Richardson was an important candidate and Solis wanted to help him. Solis saw Richardson as a Hispanic candidate that the Hispanic people needed to support not just because he is Hispanic, but because he was a good candidate and had a good political record.
“If I am a citizen then I have rights. I have an obligation to participate and a right to help change something.”
This time around for Solis, he had more information and had the chance to participate more compared to the last time when he didn’t have much information. He knew more because more candidates visited the area and Solis was able to attend more meetings and listen to what the candidates had to say. He knew his opinion mattered.
Solis signed a pledge card to vote for Bill Richardson during the caucus period and then started trying to get his friends involved as well. He started with the people he knew, sharing with them all the information he could about the candidates. Once he got them to sign their pledge cards he continued talking to others, trying to get more people involved.
“With my vote and another vote and another we can make changes,” Solis said. “If nobody starts it then we cannot do it so somebody has to do it. That’s why I started doing it.”
As for his future in the political process, he will continue to participate and help the Hispanic people participate more in the political process.
“We are here, we have rights and we can make difference,” Solis said.
by David McNace, Intern · May 06, 2009
Adelberto Solis’s involvement in politics started with a campaign button and continued with his efforts to get the Hispanic population in West Liberty involved in the political process, as well.
During the 2000 Presidential election, a man came into Solis’s West Liberty restaurant, El Torito, wearing a button supporting then Presidential candidate Al Gore. Solis asked the man where he got the button from. That was the starting point for Solis’s political involvement.
Solis began attending and participating in political meetings and started talking to other Hispanics, explaining to them why it was important to vote.
“I started speaking to my friends and told them that we needed to tell the political people that we are here, that we count and that we can make a difference,” Solis said.
Solis came to the United States in 1986. He became a permanent resident in 1988 and obtained his citizenship in 2003. In his first opportunity to vote as a U.S. citizen, Solis voted, but didn’t caucus. This past caucus cycle, Solis became more active.
Solis saw that not many Hispanic people in the community participated in the caucuses and wanted to change that. He saw there being too many citizens to not participate and help choose who would be elected.
“Too many people like me never participate in the caucus,” Solis said. “Many people think that they are citizens and have all of the rights to have our family and come to the United States, but they don’t care who the President is, Republican or Democrat.”
Having seen Bill Richardson being interviewed by many Hispanic television stations, Solis knew that Richardson was an important candidate and Solis wanted to help him. Solis saw Richardson as a Hispanic candidate that the Hispanic people needed to support not just because he is Hispanic, but because he was a good candidate and had a good political record.
“If I am a citizen then I have rights. I have an obligation to participate and a right to help change something.”
This time around for Solis, he had more information and had the chance to participate more compared to the last time when he didn’t have much information. He knew more because more candidates visited the area and Solis was able to attend more meetings and listen to what the candidates had to say. He knew his opinion mattered.
Solis signed a pledge card to vote for Bill Richardson during the caucus period and then started trying to get his friends involved as well. He started with the people he knew, sharing with them all the information he could about the candidates. Once he got them to sign their pledge cards he continued talking to others, trying to get more people involved.
“With my vote and another vote and another we can make changes,” Solis said. “If nobody starts it then we cannot do it so somebody has to do it. That’s why I started doing it.”
As for his future in the political process, he will continue to participate and help the Hispanic people participate more in the political process.
“We are here, we have rights and we can make difference,” Solis said.
Mayor ignores community's growing Hispanic population
Mayor Proposes All Business Signs Be in English
Albertville's Mayor is proposing that all the city's Spanish businesses have an English version of their sign.
Carson Clark Reporter, May 5, 2009
ALBERTVILLE - Downtown Albertville doesn't look like it once did. It's not in decline. It's actually booming. It's just that almost all the businesses are connected to the Hispanic community.
Now Mayor Lindsey Lyons is proposing a change to many of those businesses. He says they need to have an English version of their sign because it's a matter of public safety.
"Our firemen, our policemen, for the most part, they don't read Spanish," Lyons says.
Lyons says in an emergency, emergency crews might not be able to find a business since they don't read the language. He also believes it could increase business to those stores. He says it would give them new opportunities among people who speak English.
Some Hispanic advocates say if the Spanish businesses have to change their signs, then the English signs should have a Spanish version.
Mayor Lyons calls this a "ludicrous" idea.
Albertville's Mayor is proposing that all the city's Spanish businesses have an English version of their sign.
Carson Clark Reporter, May 5, 2009
ALBERTVILLE - Downtown Albertville doesn't look like it once did. It's not in decline. It's actually booming. It's just that almost all the businesses are connected to the Hispanic community.
Now Mayor Lindsey Lyons is proposing a change to many of those businesses. He says they need to have an English version of their sign because it's a matter of public safety.
"Our firemen, our policemen, for the most part, they don't read Spanish," Lyons says.
Lyons says in an emergency, emergency crews might not be able to find a business since they don't read the language. He also believes it could increase business to those stores. He says it would give them new opportunities among people who speak English.
Some Hispanic advocates say if the Spanish businesses have to change their signs, then the English signs should have a Spanish version.
Mayor Lyons calls this a "ludicrous" idea.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Latino students in California may get raw education
Californians Want Change in Public Schools
But Balk at Higher Taxes
PRESS RELEASE
SAN FRANCISCO, April 29, 2009 — Californians worry that the state's budget gap will hurt public schools, but they are also increasingly likely to say that spending money more wisely—rather than just spending more—will lead to better quality K–12 education, according to a survey released today by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) with funding from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Residents believe the public schools have plenty of room for improvement: A solid majority of residents (58%) say that the system needs major changes. While most (61%) agree that more state funding would lead to higher quality public schools, there is even stronger agreement (85%) that better use of existing state funds would improve schools. When asked to choose among three options for improving public education, half (49%) say that better use of existing funds is the answer—12 points higher than two years ago (37% April 2007). Only 6 percent say increased funding is the key (11% 2007); 43 percent choose a combination of better use of funds and increased funding (48% 2007).
Although most Californians (56%) are very concerned that the state's budget gap will cause significant cuts to schools, they are divided about whether they would be willing to pay higher taxes to keep funding at current levels: 48 percent would and 49 percent would not. During the last economic downturn, Californians were much more willing to raise their own taxes for K–12 education (67% in June 2003 and January 2004).
"Californians are concerned about school quality and they're concerned about school funding. But that hasn't translated into more support for taxes and spending," says Mark Baldassare, PPIC president and CEO. "They're looking for reform and innovation that can lead to gains in school performance and student achievement."
MOST WANT K–12 SCHOOLS SPARED IN STATE BUDGET
In a recession that has hit California particularly hard and facing a fiscal crisis that threatens every part of the state budget, a majority of residents (58%) say that K–12 education is the area they most want to protect from spending cuts. Californians have held this view since June 2003, the first time PPIC asked the question and a period when the state was also struggling with a budget deficit. Today, majorities across parties, regions, and demographic groups agree.
For public school parents, the state's budget troubles are more than a future concern. Most (72%) say their children's schools have already been hurt a lot (28%) or somewhat (44%) by recent cuts.
In less than a month, Californians will decide a package of ballot measures that address the state's budget gap and would affect school funding. The results could change the way two earlier initiatives passed by voters will be carried out: Proposition 98, the 1988 measure that established minimum funding levels for public schools and community colleges, and Proposition 37, which created the state lottery in 1984 to provide more money for schools. In light of the current budget situation, how important is it to voters to guarantee minimum funding levels for schools each year? A strong majority of Californians (68%) say it's very important. Residents also feel that it's very important (68%) for schools to get a dedicated stream of funding from state lottery profits.
When it comes to determining how state money should be spent on public schools, residents would prefer that their local school districts (49%) or local schools (33%) rather than the state (13%) make the decisions. Most agree (77%) that local schools should have more flexibility than they do now in how to spend money. In another indication that they have greater confidence in their local schools than in the state's decisionmakers, more Californians say they would vote yes on a local school construction bond measure (60%) or new parcel tax to provide more money for local schools (54%) than would be willing to pay higher taxes to maintain K–12 funding levels statewide (48%). But support for a local school construction bond falls to 54 percent among likely voters—just short of the 55 percent required for passage. The percentage of all adults and likely voters who would approve this type of bond is the lowest since the PPIC Statewide Survey began asking this question in 1999.
HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT RATE SEEN AS A BIG PROBLEM
What needs improvement in the schools? There is little consensus. Teacher quality (13%), class size and overcrowding (11%), and teaching the basics (10%) are the top responses to this open-ended question.
When asked specifically about three education issues—the high school dropout rate, student achievement, and teacher quality—the responses are strikingly different. A strong majority (70%) say the dropout rate is a big problem, with blacks (85%) and Latinos (82%) much more likely than whites (65%) and Asians (51%) to hold this view. Forty-three percent of residents say student achievement is a big problem, with blacks (54%) more likely than others (43% whites, 41% Latinos, 38% Asians) to agree. Teacher quality is seen as a big problem by just 29 percent; blacks (42%) are more likely than others (29% Asians, 29% whites, 25% Latinos) to hold this negative view.
Californians got a reality check on the high school dropout rate last year, when the state used a new student tracking system and found that nearly one in four students in the class of 2007 had dropped out of high school. Latino and black students had even higher rates. Today, 60 percent of residents in the PPIC survey say they are very concerned that students in lower-income areas have a higher dropout rate. This is a 7-point increase since the new dropout figures were released (53% April 2008). Blacks (82%) are far more likely than others (60% Latinos, 59% whites, 52% Asians) to be very concerned.
Although nearly all Californians (96%) say it is important for K–12 schools to prepare students for college, less than half say the school system does an excellent (4%) or good (42%) job of doing so.
LOCAL SCHOOLS GET PASSING GRADES, STATE LEADERS FARE POORLY
Even as many Californians see education quality as a big problem, 53 percent give their neighborhood schools a grade of A (19%) or B (34%). Public school parents have an even more positive view: 63 percent of these parents award their schools a B or higher, with 25 percent giving A grades to local schools and 38 percent giving B's.
Californians give their state leaders far worse grades. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's overall job approval rating matches his record low (32%) and marks the second time a majority of Republicans have disapproved of his performance (54% today, 53% March 2009). His approval rating on education is even lower. Just 20 percent approve, a historic low that has dropped 5 points since April 2008 and 16 points since April 2007. Majorities across parties disapprove of the way he is handling K–12 education (65% Democrats, 56% independents, 52% Republicans).
The legislature's overall approval rating remains low (23% vs. 18% last month) and drops to a record low 18 percent on education issues. More than six in 10 (63%) disapprove of the way the legislature is handling education. Majorities across parties, regions, and racial/ethnic groups share this view.
MORE KEY FINDINGS:
* Obama retains 70 percent approval rating – page 11
In stark contrast to the ratings of California elected officials, President Obama's approval rating has been at least 70 percent each of the three times that PPIC has surveyed California residents.
* Parents have high aspirations for their children
– page 14
An overwhelming majority (85%) of parents want their youngest child to get a college or graduate degree, and many parents (45%) are very confident that they have the resources and information needed to make this happen. Fewer (24%) have the same level of confidence in the resources provided by their local schools. White parents and those with higher incomes are much more likely than lower-income or Latino parents to be very confident in their own resources and those of their local schools.
* Californians recognize resource inequities – page 21
Nearly eight in 10 Californians (77%) say schools in lower-income areas have less money for teachers and classroom materials than those in wealthier areas, a finding that holds true across all regions, demographic groups, and political parties. If new money were available, a large majority (70%) would spend more of it on lower-income schools.
* High school exit exam is popular – page 22
Most Californians (69%) think students should pass the exit exam to graduate, with Latinos (80%) most likely to agree. Most Californians are very (55%) or somewhat (32%) concerned that students in lower-income communities have higher failure rates on the test.
* Career technical education gets strong backing
– page 25
Vocational education is very important to most (71%) of Californians. But just 31 percent of those who say it's very important think schools are doing a good or excellent job at preparing students for the workforce.
* Californians value data collection – page 26
The development of data systems to track student, school, and fiscal information is a state and national priority that residents also feel is very (56%) or somewhat (34%) important.
ABOUT THE SURVEY
This is the fifth PPIC Statewide Survey focusing on K–12 education. It is part of a series funded by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation that is intended to inform state policymakers, encourage discussion, and raise public awareness about a variety of K–12, higher education, environment, and population issues. Findings are based on a telephone survey of 2,502 California adult residents, including 2,250 interviewed on landline telephones and 252 on cell phones. Interviews took place April 7–21, 2009. They were conducted in English, Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese), Vietnamese, and Korean. The sampling error for the total sample is ±2 percent and slightly larger for subgroups. For more information on methodology, see page 29. This is the 97th PPIC Statewide Survey in a series that has generated a database of responses from more than 206,000 Californians.
But Balk at Higher Taxes
PRESS RELEASE
SAN FRANCISCO, April 29, 2009 — Californians worry that the state's budget gap will hurt public schools, but they are also increasingly likely to say that spending money more wisely—rather than just spending more—will lead to better quality K–12 education, according to a survey released today by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) with funding from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Residents believe the public schools have plenty of room for improvement: A solid majority of residents (58%) say that the system needs major changes. While most (61%) agree that more state funding would lead to higher quality public schools, there is even stronger agreement (85%) that better use of existing state funds would improve schools. When asked to choose among three options for improving public education, half (49%) say that better use of existing funds is the answer—12 points higher than two years ago (37% April 2007). Only 6 percent say increased funding is the key (11% 2007); 43 percent choose a combination of better use of funds and increased funding (48% 2007).
Although most Californians (56%) are very concerned that the state's budget gap will cause significant cuts to schools, they are divided about whether they would be willing to pay higher taxes to keep funding at current levels: 48 percent would and 49 percent would not. During the last economic downturn, Californians were much more willing to raise their own taxes for K–12 education (67% in June 2003 and January 2004).
"Californians are concerned about school quality and they're concerned about school funding. But that hasn't translated into more support for taxes and spending," says Mark Baldassare, PPIC president and CEO. "They're looking for reform and innovation that can lead to gains in school performance and student achievement."
MOST WANT K–12 SCHOOLS SPARED IN STATE BUDGET
In a recession that has hit California particularly hard and facing a fiscal crisis that threatens every part of the state budget, a majority of residents (58%) say that K–12 education is the area they most want to protect from spending cuts. Californians have held this view since June 2003, the first time PPIC asked the question and a period when the state was also struggling with a budget deficit. Today, majorities across parties, regions, and demographic groups agree.
For public school parents, the state's budget troubles are more than a future concern. Most (72%) say their children's schools have already been hurt a lot (28%) or somewhat (44%) by recent cuts.
In less than a month, Californians will decide a package of ballot measures that address the state's budget gap and would affect school funding. The results could change the way two earlier initiatives passed by voters will be carried out: Proposition 98, the 1988 measure that established minimum funding levels for public schools and community colleges, and Proposition 37, which created the state lottery in 1984 to provide more money for schools. In light of the current budget situation, how important is it to voters to guarantee minimum funding levels for schools each year? A strong majority of Californians (68%) say it's very important. Residents also feel that it's very important (68%) for schools to get a dedicated stream of funding from state lottery profits.
When it comes to determining how state money should be spent on public schools, residents would prefer that their local school districts (49%) or local schools (33%) rather than the state (13%) make the decisions. Most agree (77%) that local schools should have more flexibility than they do now in how to spend money. In another indication that they have greater confidence in their local schools than in the state's decisionmakers, more Californians say they would vote yes on a local school construction bond measure (60%) or new parcel tax to provide more money for local schools (54%) than would be willing to pay higher taxes to maintain K–12 funding levels statewide (48%). But support for a local school construction bond falls to 54 percent among likely voters—just short of the 55 percent required for passage. The percentage of all adults and likely voters who would approve this type of bond is the lowest since the PPIC Statewide Survey began asking this question in 1999.
HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT RATE SEEN AS A BIG PROBLEM
What needs improvement in the schools? There is little consensus. Teacher quality (13%), class size and overcrowding (11%), and teaching the basics (10%) are the top responses to this open-ended question.
When asked specifically about three education issues—the high school dropout rate, student achievement, and teacher quality—the responses are strikingly different. A strong majority (70%) say the dropout rate is a big problem, with blacks (85%) and Latinos (82%) much more likely than whites (65%) and Asians (51%) to hold this view. Forty-three percent of residents say student achievement is a big problem, with blacks (54%) more likely than others (43% whites, 41% Latinos, 38% Asians) to agree. Teacher quality is seen as a big problem by just 29 percent; blacks (42%) are more likely than others (29% Asians, 29% whites, 25% Latinos) to hold this negative view.
Californians got a reality check on the high school dropout rate last year, when the state used a new student tracking system and found that nearly one in four students in the class of 2007 had dropped out of high school. Latino and black students had even higher rates. Today, 60 percent of residents in the PPIC survey say they are very concerned that students in lower-income areas have a higher dropout rate. This is a 7-point increase since the new dropout figures were released (53% April 2008). Blacks (82%) are far more likely than others (60% Latinos, 59% whites, 52% Asians) to be very concerned.
Although nearly all Californians (96%) say it is important for K–12 schools to prepare students for college, less than half say the school system does an excellent (4%) or good (42%) job of doing so.
LOCAL SCHOOLS GET PASSING GRADES, STATE LEADERS FARE POORLY
Even as many Californians see education quality as a big problem, 53 percent give their neighborhood schools a grade of A (19%) or B (34%). Public school parents have an even more positive view: 63 percent of these parents award their schools a B or higher, with 25 percent giving A grades to local schools and 38 percent giving B's.
Californians give their state leaders far worse grades. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's overall job approval rating matches his record low (32%) and marks the second time a majority of Republicans have disapproved of his performance (54% today, 53% March 2009). His approval rating on education is even lower. Just 20 percent approve, a historic low that has dropped 5 points since April 2008 and 16 points since April 2007. Majorities across parties disapprove of the way he is handling K–12 education (65% Democrats, 56% independents, 52% Republicans).
The legislature's overall approval rating remains low (23% vs. 18% last month) and drops to a record low 18 percent on education issues. More than six in 10 (63%) disapprove of the way the legislature is handling education. Majorities across parties, regions, and racial/ethnic groups share this view.
MORE KEY FINDINGS:
* Obama retains 70 percent approval rating – page 11
In stark contrast to the ratings of California elected officials, President Obama's approval rating has been at least 70 percent each of the three times that PPIC has surveyed California residents.
* Parents have high aspirations for their children
– page 14
An overwhelming majority (85%) of parents want their youngest child to get a college or graduate degree, and many parents (45%) are very confident that they have the resources and information needed to make this happen. Fewer (24%) have the same level of confidence in the resources provided by their local schools. White parents and those with higher incomes are much more likely than lower-income or Latino parents to be very confident in their own resources and those of their local schools.
* Californians recognize resource inequities – page 21
Nearly eight in 10 Californians (77%) say schools in lower-income areas have less money for teachers and classroom materials than those in wealthier areas, a finding that holds true across all regions, demographic groups, and political parties. If new money were available, a large majority (70%) would spend more of it on lower-income schools.
* High school exit exam is popular – page 22
Most Californians (69%) think students should pass the exit exam to graduate, with Latinos (80%) most likely to agree. Most Californians are very (55%) or somewhat (32%) concerned that students in lower-income communities have higher failure rates on the test.
* Career technical education gets strong backing
– page 25
Vocational education is very important to most (71%) of Californians. But just 31 percent of those who say it's very important think schools are doing a good or excellent job at preparing students for the workforce.
* Californians value data collection – page 26
The development of data systems to track student, school, and fiscal information is a state and national priority that residents also feel is very (56%) or somewhat (34%) important.
ABOUT THE SURVEY
This is the fifth PPIC Statewide Survey focusing on K–12 education. It is part of a series funded by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation that is intended to inform state policymakers, encourage discussion, and raise public awareness about a variety of K–12, higher education, environment, and population issues. Findings are based on a telephone survey of 2,502 California adult residents, including 2,250 interviewed on landline telephones and 252 on cell phones. Interviews took place April 7–21, 2009. They were conducted in English, Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese), Vietnamese, and Korean. The sampling error for the total sample is ±2 percent and slightly larger for subgroups. For more information on methodology, see page 29. This is the 97th PPIC Statewide Survey in a series that has generated a database of responses from more than 206,000 Californians.
Latino among possible Court candidates
Supreme Court: The Contenders
By Robert Barnes, Washington Post
As President Obama begins the search for a replacement for Justice David H. Souter, the following people are being mentioned as possible nominees by administration officials, interest groups and others who watch the court. The list is heavy with women and minorities, because the last three justices confirmed to the court were white men.
Judge Sonia Sotomayor (born 1954), U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. Sotomayor was nominated to the bench by President George H.W. Bush in a deal with New York senators in 1991 and elevated to the appeals court in 1998 by President Bill Clinton. She could become the first Hispanic on the Supreme Court. Conservatives have raised questions about her role in upholding the city of New Haven, Conn.'s decision to throw out a firefighter promotions test because no African Americans qualified. The case is now before the Supreme Court.
Judge Diane Wood (born 1950), U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. Wood worked at the antitrust division of the Justice Department during the Clinton administration, and was nominated to the appeals court by Clinton in 1995. She knows Obama from her days as a professor at the University of Chicago law school, where he also taught. Wood, who will turn 60 next year, is the oldest of the candidates frequently mentioned for the court, where the trend has been toward younger justices who would serve for years in the lifetime appointment.
Judge Kim McLane Wardlaw (born 1954), U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. Warlaw worked for the Clinton Justice Department transition team and was nominated by Clinton as a federal judge in 1995, then elevated to the appeals court in 1998. She is a liberal judge on the nation's most liberal appeals court, and she also had a role in a case now before the Supreme Court. She wrote the appeals court decision that said Arizona school officials violated the constitutional rights of a 13-year-old middle school student who was strip-searched in an unsuccessful effort to find drugs.
Solicitor General Elena Kagan (born 1960). Kagan was confirmed by the Senate to her new job in March on a 61-31 vote, and has yet to argue a case at the court. Her confirmation process was more difficult than some had predicted, as Republican senators accused her of avoiding their questions. In the background was the thought that Kagan might be Obama's first nominee to the court. She is the former dean of the Harvard Law School, worked in the Clinton administration and worked with Obama, although not closely, at the University of Chicago.
Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears (born 1955). Sears was appointed by then-governor Zell Miller in 1992 and later became the first woman elected in a contested statewide race there. In 2005, she became chief justice, and in the process, became the first African-American woman in the nation to head a state supreme court. Although her current term runs until the end of 2010, Sears has announced she will step down from the job at the end of June.
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (born 1959). Granholm has encountered political trouble in her state because of the collapsing economy but was seen as a rising Democratic star. Born in Canada, Granholm is a Harvard Law graduate who served as attorney general before winning election as governor in 2002. She frequently campaigned with Obama during the presidential campaign.
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) (born 1956). Patrick worked for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and served as assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Clinton Justice Department, 1994 before becoming a corporate lawyer. He was elected governor in 2006, and has had a rocky time in the job, but is well-liked in the civil rights community.
Judge Ruben Castillo (born 1954). U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Castillo is a former assistant U.S. attorney for Chicago and was counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund. He was nominated to the bench by Clinton in 1994.
Kathleen Sullivan (born 1955) Sullivan is a constitutional scholar and former dean of Stanford Law School who has been an active advocate for abortion rights and gay rights. She more recently has represented business interests before the court, and remains director of Stanford's Constitutional Law Center.
Harold Hongju Koh (born 1954) Koh is dean of the Yale University Law School but has been nominated by Obama to be legal adviser to the State Department. He formerly worked in the Office of Legal Counsel and as an assistant secretary of state. His current nomination is under fire from conservatives who criticize his view on international law and its applicability to U.S. judicial decisions.
By Robert Barnes, Washington Post
As President Obama begins the search for a replacement for Justice David H. Souter, the following people are being mentioned as possible nominees by administration officials, interest groups and others who watch the court. The list is heavy with women and minorities, because the last three justices confirmed to the court were white men.
Judge Sonia Sotomayor (born 1954), U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. Sotomayor was nominated to the bench by President George H.W. Bush in a deal with New York senators in 1991 and elevated to the appeals court in 1998 by President Bill Clinton. She could become the first Hispanic on the Supreme Court. Conservatives have raised questions about her role in upholding the city of New Haven, Conn.'s decision to throw out a firefighter promotions test because no African Americans qualified. The case is now before the Supreme Court.
Judge Diane Wood (born 1950), U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. Wood worked at the antitrust division of the Justice Department during the Clinton administration, and was nominated to the appeals court by Clinton in 1995. She knows Obama from her days as a professor at the University of Chicago law school, where he also taught. Wood, who will turn 60 next year, is the oldest of the candidates frequently mentioned for the court, where the trend has been toward younger justices who would serve for years in the lifetime appointment.
Judge Kim McLane Wardlaw (born 1954), U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. Warlaw worked for the Clinton Justice Department transition team and was nominated by Clinton as a federal judge in 1995, then elevated to the appeals court in 1998. She is a liberal judge on the nation's most liberal appeals court, and she also had a role in a case now before the Supreme Court. She wrote the appeals court decision that said Arizona school officials violated the constitutional rights of a 13-year-old middle school student who was strip-searched in an unsuccessful effort to find drugs.
Solicitor General Elena Kagan (born 1960). Kagan was confirmed by the Senate to her new job in March on a 61-31 vote, and has yet to argue a case at the court. Her confirmation process was more difficult than some had predicted, as Republican senators accused her of avoiding their questions. In the background was the thought that Kagan might be Obama's first nominee to the court. She is the former dean of the Harvard Law School, worked in the Clinton administration and worked with Obama, although not closely, at the University of Chicago.
Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears (born 1955). Sears was appointed by then-governor Zell Miller in 1992 and later became the first woman elected in a contested statewide race there. In 2005, she became chief justice, and in the process, became the first African-American woman in the nation to head a state supreme court. Although her current term runs until the end of 2010, Sears has announced she will step down from the job at the end of June.
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (born 1959). Granholm has encountered political trouble in her state because of the collapsing economy but was seen as a rising Democratic star. Born in Canada, Granholm is a Harvard Law graduate who served as attorney general before winning election as governor in 2002. She frequently campaigned with Obama during the presidential campaign.
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) (born 1956). Patrick worked for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and served as assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Clinton Justice Department, 1994 before becoming a corporate lawyer. He was elected governor in 2006, and has had a rocky time in the job, but is well-liked in the civil rights community.
Judge Ruben Castillo (born 1954). U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Castillo is a former assistant U.S. attorney for Chicago and was counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund. He was nominated to the bench by Clinton in 1994.
Kathleen Sullivan (born 1955) Sullivan is a constitutional scholar and former dean of Stanford Law School who has been an active advocate for abortion rights and gay rights. She more recently has represented business interests before the court, and remains director of Stanford's Constitutional Law Center.
Harold Hongju Koh (born 1954) Koh is dean of the Yale University Law School but has been nominated by Obama to be legal adviser to the State Department. He formerly worked in the Office of Legal Counsel and as an assistant secretary of state. His current nomination is under fire from conservatives who criticize his view on international law and its applicability to U.S. judicial decisions.
Why Latino should be on the Court
Supreme Court Handicapper: Why a Latino should be on the Court
Sfgate.com
Now that the Justice Souter has officially told Team O that he's retiring, let's start handicapping who might land on the bench. Few better to start than with UC-Davis Law School Dean Kevin Johnson, the first Latino to serve as dean of a UC law school. Not only that, but he was a member of Obama's Immigration Policy Group, so he knows how Team O thinks.
Johnson said online minority law professor forums were blowing up Friday morning with news of Souter's departure. His view, as he wrote last year, was that given the increasing power of the Latino demographic "we should expect -- some might say demand -- to see a Latina/o on the Supreme Court in the twenty-first century."
Why should there be a Latino on the Court? Symbolically, he said it "would be symbol of inclusion in U.S. society." But being a legal scholar, he also offers a concrete example from the Court's history: U.S. v. Brigoni-Ponce.
The 1975 case said Border Patrol officers on roving patrols could consider the race of the occupant of a car when they were making an immigration stop. Writes Johnson "In the Court's words, '[t]he likelihood that any given person of Mexican ancestry is an alien is high enough to make Mexican appearance a relevant factor' in the decision to stop a vehicle."
Quick translation of the legalese, says the dean: "the Court ruled that what amounted to racial profiling in immigration enforcement was constitutional."
A Latino/Latina on the Court would surely call to attention how ridiculous that is, says Johnson. Plus, just as Thurgood Marshall was able to shed light on the African-American experience that his colleagues might not understand, Johnson said that a Latino/a could give voice to the "long history of segregation and discrimination against Mexican-Americans in the Southwest" for example.
So what is Team O looking for in a justice? Earlier Friday, Obama said he wanted someone with "that quality of empathy, of understanding and identifying with people's hopes and struggles as an essential ingredient for arriving as just decisions and outcomes."
"I would not be surprised if he looked to the political world," Johnson said. "He's not just going to be looking at a list of the 10 best U.S. Court of Appeals judges."
On paper, it looks like Obama's nominee would have clear sailing -- courtesy of what could be, with a dash of Franken, a 60-Democrat, filibuster-proof Senate. So he could pick someone as liberal as he wanted, right?
No, Johnson said. "I don't think he's going to pick someone who would divide the country. I don't think he'll pick someone extreme."
Sfgate.com
Now that the Justice Souter has officially told Team O that he's retiring, let's start handicapping who might land on the bench. Few better to start than with UC-Davis Law School Dean Kevin Johnson, the first Latino to serve as dean of a UC law school. Not only that, but he was a member of Obama's Immigration Policy Group, so he knows how Team O thinks.
Johnson said online minority law professor forums were blowing up Friday morning with news of Souter's departure. His view, as he wrote last year, was that given the increasing power of the Latino demographic "we should expect -- some might say demand -- to see a Latina/o on the Supreme Court in the twenty-first century."
Why should there be a Latino on the Court? Symbolically, he said it "would be symbol of inclusion in U.S. society." But being a legal scholar, he also offers a concrete example from the Court's history: U.S. v. Brigoni-Ponce.
The 1975 case said Border Patrol officers on roving patrols could consider the race of the occupant of a car when they were making an immigration stop. Writes Johnson "In the Court's words, '[t]he likelihood that any given person of Mexican ancestry is an alien is high enough to make Mexican appearance a relevant factor' in the decision to stop a vehicle."
Quick translation of the legalese, says the dean: "the Court ruled that what amounted to racial profiling in immigration enforcement was constitutional."
A Latino/Latina on the Court would surely call to attention how ridiculous that is, says Johnson. Plus, just as Thurgood Marshall was able to shed light on the African-American experience that his colleagues might not understand, Johnson said that a Latino/a could give voice to the "long history of segregation and discrimination against Mexican-Americans in the Southwest" for example.
So what is Team O looking for in a justice? Earlier Friday, Obama said he wanted someone with "that quality of empathy, of understanding and identifying with people's hopes and struggles as an essential ingredient for arriving as just decisions and outcomes."
"I would not be surprised if he looked to the political world," Johnson said. "He's not just going to be looking at a list of the 10 best U.S. Court of Appeals judges."
On paper, it looks like Obama's nominee would have clear sailing -- courtesy of what could be, with a dash of Franken, a 60-Democrat, filibuster-proof Senate. So he could pick someone as liberal as he wanted, right?
No, Johnson said. "I don't think he's going to pick someone who would divide the country. I don't think he'll pick someone extreme."
Latino group urges apppointment of Latino to Supreme Court
NALEO Urges President Obama to Appoint a Highly Qualified Latino or Latina to the U.S. Supreme Court
PRESS RELEASE
LOS ANGELES, May 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) issued the following statement regarding news reports that Associate Justice David Souter will retire from the U.S. Supreme Court in June:
"NALEO urges President Barack Obama to use his first opportunity to place his mark on the U.S. Supreme Court by appointing a highly-qualified Latino or Latina. The nation's highest court should reflect the full diversity of U.S. society, including Latinos, who are the nation's second largest population group. In our nation's history, no Latino has held a seat on the Supreme Court. There are many exemplary Latino jurists and legal scholars who are exceptionally qualified to serve on the Supreme Court, and we urge the President to appoint one of them to replace Justice Souter."
PRESS RELEASE
LOS ANGELES, May 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) issued the following statement regarding news reports that Associate Justice David Souter will retire from the U.S. Supreme Court in June:
"NALEO urges President Barack Obama to use his first opportunity to place his mark on the U.S. Supreme Court by appointing a highly-qualified Latino or Latina. The nation's highest court should reflect the full diversity of U.S. society, including Latinos, who are the nation's second largest population group. In our nation's history, no Latino has held a seat on the Supreme Court. There are many exemplary Latino jurists and legal scholars who are exceptionally qualified to serve on the Supreme Court, and we urge the President to appoint one of them to replace Justice Souter."
College looks for Latino board members
MCC's board of trustees needs a Latino voice
Democrat and Chronicle, May 1, 2009
There was a hint that change was coming to Monroe Community College in the way that its interim president would often refer to his then-unnamed successor as "she."
Larry W. Tyree, hired for a short-term stint after the failed attempt last year to fill the president's job at the school, insists he used the male pronoun, too.
"But I always led with she," he told me this week.
In the wake of the selection of Anne M. Kress as the first female president to lead MCC, there's another opportunity to quite literally bring a key constituent to the table: appoint a Latino member to the college's influential board of trustees.
Just one Latino has served on the policy-making board since MCC's inception in 1961, according to a college spokeswoman, and that was 11 years ago.
In the interim, the local Latino community has grown even as the area has lost population.
The U.S. Census Bureau says nearly 13 percent of city residents and some 6 percent of Monroe County residents identify themselves as Hispanic or Latino.
But that was in 2000, and the Latino population has increased substantially since those numbers were collected. Latinos now form the largest minority in the country.
Nowhere is that seemingly more evident than in education, where nationally, about one in five public school students in kindergarten to 12th grade is Latino, says the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington, D.C.
The nonpartisan, research-based group has documented, too, the educational challenges with that demographic shift, including at least one of particular interest to those in higher education.
In a 2004 report titled, "Latino Youth and the Pathway to College," researchers noted, for example, that just one in four Latino students was academically prepared for college.
They were also least likely, among the race and ethnic groups studied, to aspire toward earning a bachelor's degree, and a higher percent of Latinos attended a two-year school, the research shows.
They're also the most likely to drop out of school.
All of which suggests that the educational system is not working for Latinos or that Latinos are not working the educational system — take your pick.
Clearly, there's a need for change, and that should start locally by including Latinos in the conversation at policy-making levels such as MCC's board of trustees.
The good news is that Wayne Zyra, who's in charge of nominating a person to replace the late Trustee Richard Guon, says he sees the need in understanding Latino perspectives.
"It's definitely going to be one of my recommendations to pursue that," says Zyra, president of the Monroe County Legislature, which must approve the appointment. "It's something I've already given thought to."
Zyra, who is also an MCC trustee, says he plans to nominate someone next month.
For short-timer Tyree, the benefit of having Latinos at the table is simple.
"The policymakers of the institutions should reflect the demographics of the community they serve," he says. "I don't know how to say it more succinctly, clearly or directly than that."
Democrat and Chronicle, May 1, 2009
There was a hint that change was coming to Monroe Community College in the way that its interim president would often refer to his then-unnamed successor as "she."
Larry W. Tyree, hired for a short-term stint after the failed attempt last year to fill the president's job at the school, insists he used the male pronoun, too.
"But I always led with she," he told me this week.
In the wake of the selection of Anne M. Kress as the first female president to lead MCC, there's another opportunity to quite literally bring a key constituent to the table: appoint a Latino member to the college's influential board of trustees.
Just one Latino has served on the policy-making board since MCC's inception in 1961, according to a college spokeswoman, and that was 11 years ago.
In the interim, the local Latino community has grown even as the area has lost population.
The U.S. Census Bureau says nearly 13 percent of city residents and some 6 percent of Monroe County residents identify themselves as Hispanic or Latino.
But that was in 2000, and the Latino population has increased substantially since those numbers were collected. Latinos now form the largest minority in the country.
Nowhere is that seemingly more evident than in education, where nationally, about one in five public school students in kindergarten to 12th grade is Latino, says the Pew Hispanic Center in Washington, D.C.
The nonpartisan, research-based group has documented, too, the educational challenges with that demographic shift, including at least one of particular interest to those in higher education.
In a 2004 report titled, "Latino Youth and the Pathway to College," researchers noted, for example, that just one in four Latino students was academically prepared for college.
They were also least likely, among the race and ethnic groups studied, to aspire toward earning a bachelor's degree, and a higher percent of Latinos attended a two-year school, the research shows.
They're also the most likely to drop out of school.
All of which suggests that the educational system is not working for Latinos or that Latinos are not working the educational system — take your pick.
Clearly, there's a need for change, and that should start locally by including Latinos in the conversation at policy-making levels such as MCC's board of trustees.
The good news is that Wayne Zyra, who's in charge of nominating a person to replace the late Trustee Richard Guon, says he sees the need in understanding Latino perspectives.
"It's definitely going to be one of my recommendations to pursue that," says Zyra, president of the Monroe County Legislature, which must approve the appointment. "It's something I've already given thought to."
Zyra, who is also an MCC trustee, says he plans to nominate someone next month.
For short-timer Tyree, the benefit of having Latinos at the table is simple.
"The policymakers of the institutions should reflect the demographics of the community they serve," he says. "I don't know how to say it more succinctly, clearly or directly than that."
Hispanic voters targeted by GOP candidate in Tenn
Ramsey sees untapped pool in Hispanic vote
By Harriet Vaughan • THE TENNESSEAN • May 1, 2009
FRANKLIN — Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey began gearing up his political engine Thursday with a pit stop to reach out to the Hispanic community.
The Republican National Hispanic Assembly of Tennessee hosted a night with Ramsey to help reclaim Hispanics for the Republican Party. The $100 per person event was held at La Hacienda restaurant in Franklin. About 60 people attended.
"Maybe we did lose some footing, but that's what I'd like to be able to correct on a national level," Ramsey said.
"I think here in Tennessee we'll be able to change that. First, you have to start with outreach and tell them where you stand and what your views are not only as a person but as a party, too."
Ramsey spent the first hour shaking hands and talking with supporters. That's exactly what is needed from members of the Republican Party, said Juan Borges, vice-chair of the RNHAT.
Borges believes the event will not only aid Ramsey in his 2010 run for Tennessee governor, but help turn the tide for the party.
"The Hispanic vote is critical. Right now we estimate that there are about 155,000 homes in Middle Tennessee that speak Spanish. We estimate that there are about 53,000 Latinos registered to vote. Out of those only about 9,500 have voted in the previous election.
"They are an untapped market and we're going to go get them. We're going to give them a place to belong and it's going to be the Republican National Hispanic Assembly," said Borges.
Rene Valadez, a registered Republican, attended the fundraiser. He said he's committed to the party but not to a particular candidate. He also said events like Ramsey's fundraiser will be key in reeling back in Latino voters.
"To me, it says they are putting an effort into it. They are doing outreach that's necessary and they're willing to listen to regular folks like me," said Valadez.
By Harriet Vaughan • THE TENNESSEAN • May 1, 2009
FRANKLIN — Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey began gearing up his political engine Thursday with a pit stop to reach out to the Hispanic community.
The Republican National Hispanic Assembly of Tennessee hosted a night with Ramsey to help reclaim Hispanics for the Republican Party. The $100 per person event was held at La Hacienda restaurant in Franklin. About 60 people attended.
"Maybe we did lose some footing, but that's what I'd like to be able to correct on a national level," Ramsey said.
"I think here in Tennessee we'll be able to change that. First, you have to start with outreach and tell them where you stand and what your views are not only as a person but as a party, too."
Ramsey spent the first hour shaking hands and talking with supporters. That's exactly what is needed from members of the Republican Party, said Juan Borges, vice-chair of the RNHAT.
Borges believes the event will not only aid Ramsey in his 2010 run for Tennessee governor, but help turn the tide for the party.
"The Hispanic vote is critical. Right now we estimate that there are about 155,000 homes in Middle Tennessee that speak Spanish. We estimate that there are about 53,000 Latinos registered to vote. Out of those only about 9,500 have voted in the previous election.
"They are an untapped market and we're going to go get them. We're going to give them a place to belong and it's going to be the Republican National Hispanic Assembly," said Borges.
Rene Valadez, a registered Republican, attended the fundraiser. He said he's committed to the party but not to a particular candidate. He also said events like Ramsey's fundraiser will be key in reeling back in Latino voters.
"To me, it says they are putting an effort into it. They are doing outreach that's necessary and they're willing to listen to regular folks like me," said Valadez.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Latino appointments lauded
Praise for Latino appointments
El Diario NY | 2009-04-29
Latinos in New York City are celebrating two major appointments. Yesterday, the City University of New York (CUNY) announced that Dr. Félix V. Matos Rodríguez will become the president of Hostos Community College in the Bronx.
A respected scholar who earned his doctorate at Columbia University, Matos Rodríguez is a former director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College. He has impeccable credentials and the experience to lead an institution that holds a special place for Hispanics.
During the last few years, Matos Rodríguez served as Secretary for the Department of Family for the government of Puerto Rico. In that role, he oversaw five agencies, worked to make social services more accessible to the working poor and emphasized partnerships with community-based organizations to prevent child abuse.
A native of Puerto Rico who migrated to the states to study, Matos Rodríguez understands first hand some of the transitional challenges for students attending Hostos.
Matos Rodríguez is not the only Latino to draw great pride in recent days. Last week, Columbia University announced the appointment of Dr. Feniosky Peña-Mora, a native of the Dominican Republic, as the dean of the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Peña-Mora’s distinguished record includes extensive research, writing and award-winning work. He earned his doctorate in civil engineering from MIT and has worked with governments and the construction industry in Argentina and Japan, among other countries. Growing up, Peña-Mora spent time in Washington Heights, so he is familiar with the transnational experience common to so many Dominican and immigrant students.
We applaud both CUNY and Columbia University for recognizing these stellar leaders. Matos Rodríguez and Peña-Mora are not only ready to lead the advancement of two important educational institutions but also serve as inspiration for educational excellence for all New Yorkers.
Latinos in New York City are celebrating two major appointments. Yesterday, the City University of New York (CUNY) announced that Dr. Félix V. Matos Rodríguez will become the president of Hostos Community College in the Bronx.
A respected scholar who earned his doctorate at Columbia University, Matos Rodríguez is a former director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College. He has impeccable credentials and the experience to lead an institution that holds a special place for Hispanics.
During the last few years, Matos Rodríguez served as Secretary for the Department of Family for the government of Puerto Rico. In that role, he oversaw five agencies, worked to make social services more accessible to the working poor and emphasized partnerships with community-based organizations to prevent child abuse.
A native of Puerto Rico who migrated to the states to study, Matos Rodríguez understands first hand some of the transitional challenges for students attending Hostos.
Matos Rodríguez is not the only Latino to draw great pride in recent days. Last week, Columbia University announced the appointment of Dr. Feniosky Peña-Mora, a native of the Dominican Republic, as the dean of the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Peña-Mora’s distinguished record includes extensive research, writing and award-winning work. He earned his doctorate in civil engineering from MIT and has worked with governments and the construction industry in Argentina and Japan, among other countries. Growing up, Peña-Mora spent time in Washington Heights, so he is familiar with the transnational experience common to so many Dominican and immigrant students.
We applaud both CUNY and Columbia University for recognizing these stellar leaders. Matos Rodríguez and Peña-Mora are not only ready to lead the advancement of two important educational institutions but also serve as inspiration for educational excellence for all New Yorkers.
El Diario NY | 2009-04-29
Latinos in New York City are celebrating two major appointments. Yesterday, the City University of New York (CUNY) announced that Dr. Félix V. Matos Rodríguez will become the president of Hostos Community College in the Bronx.
A respected scholar who earned his doctorate at Columbia University, Matos Rodríguez is a former director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College. He has impeccable credentials and the experience to lead an institution that holds a special place for Hispanics.
During the last few years, Matos Rodríguez served as Secretary for the Department of Family for the government of Puerto Rico. In that role, he oversaw five agencies, worked to make social services more accessible to the working poor and emphasized partnerships with community-based organizations to prevent child abuse.
A native of Puerto Rico who migrated to the states to study, Matos Rodríguez understands first hand some of the transitional challenges for students attending Hostos.
Matos Rodríguez is not the only Latino to draw great pride in recent days. Last week, Columbia University announced the appointment of Dr. Feniosky Peña-Mora, a native of the Dominican Republic, as the dean of the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Peña-Mora’s distinguished record includes extensive research, writing and award-winning work. He earned his doctorate in civil engineering from MIT and has worked with governments and the construction industry in Argentina and Japan, among other countries. Growing up, Peña-Mora spent time in Washington Heights, so he is familiar with the transnational experience common to so many Dominican and immigrant students.
We applaud both CUNY and Columbia University for recognizing these stellar leaders. Matos Rodríguez and Peña-Mora are not only ready to lead the advancement of two important educational institutions but also serve as inspiration for educational excellence for all New Yorkers.
Latinos in New York City are celebrating two major appointments. Yesterday, the City University of New York (CUNY) announced that Dr. Félix V. Matos Rodríguez will become the president of Hostos Community College in the Bronx.
A respected scholar who earned his doctorate at Columbia University, Matos Rodríguez is a former director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College. He has impeccable credentials and the experience to lead an institution that holds a special place for Hispanics.
During the last few years, Matos Rodríguez served as Secretary for the Department of Family for the government of Puerto Rico. In that role, he oversaw five agencies, worked to make social services more accessible to the working poor and emphasized partnerships with community-based organizations to prevent child abuse.
A native of Puerto Rico who migrated to the states to study, Matos Rodríguez understands first hand some of the transitional challenges for students attending Hostos.
Matos Rodríguez is not the only Latino to draw great pride in recent days. Last week, Columbia University announced the appointment of Dr. Feniosky Peña-Mora, a native of the Dominican Republic, as the dean of the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science.
Peña-Mora’s distinguished record includes extensive research, writing and award-winning work. He earned his doctorate in civil engineering from MIT and has worked with governments and the construction industry in Argentina and Japan, among other countries. Growing up, Peña-Mora spent time in Washington Heights, so he is familiar with the transnational experience common to so many Dominican and immigrant students.
We applaud both CUNY and Columbia University for recognizing these stellar leaders. Matos Rodríguez and Peña-Mora are not only ready to lead the advancement of two important educational institutions but also serve as inspiration for educational excellence for all New Yorkers.
More Hispanics in GOP districts
Beyond Specter, Republicans have a steep hill to climb
To overcome scary electoral math, the GOP must recast its principles.
By John J. Pitney Jr., CS Monitor, April 29, 2009
Claremont, Calif. - Arlen Specter is out of the GOP, Democrats are up on Capitol Hill, and Republicans are down in the dumps. What happened, and what can the GOP do about it?
The problem is not that Senate Republicans mistreated him – far from it.
In 2004, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to help him beat a conservative primary challenger. Then his colleagues gave him the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee despite his liberal views on abortion and other issues in the committee's jurisdiction. And in recent weeks, he got the NRSC chairman's endorsement and $10,000 from Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's political committee.
But Senator Specter made a calculation. Next year's GOP primary and general election looked very difficult for him. And even if he cleared both hurdles, he would still be in the minority party. As a Democrat, he would have a better chance of retaining his seat and regaining some power. He chose self-interest over gratitude, earning a chapter in "Profiles in Something Less Than Courage."
Most Republicans feel a sense of betrayal, which is understandable. But some feel a sense of joy, which is unwise.
"This is ultimately good," said Rush Limbaugh. "I mean this is winnowing out the people that end up misdefining or preventing the party from having a singular identity."
Such comments recall a line from the 1939 comedy Ninotchka: "The last mass trials were a great success. There are going to be fewer but better Russians." Although having fewer but better Republicans may make El Rushbo feel good, it's a very strange way to win majorities.
Specter's switch highlights a huge problem for the GOP: large swatches of the country are becoming "off limits." There are 12 Eastern states north of Virginia, and five more states bordering the Pacific. Of the 34 senators from these regions, only 4 are Republicans.
The picture in the House is just as grim. Many years ago, Republicans had a stronghold in New England, and they still had a toehold as late as the 1990s. But in 2008, they lost their last seat in the region: The score is now 22-0. Next door, New York State once had a thriving GOP that could win at every level. Those days are gone: Republicans hold no statewide offices, and only three of the state's 29 House districts. In a recent special election, they failed to recapture an upstate seat they had held for decades before 2006.
Republicans have just one of the 31 districts that are at least 40 percent African American and only seven of the 42 districts that are at least 40 percent Hispanic. More than 100 Democratic districts fall into one or more of the following categories: black, Hispanic, New England, New York. Without these seats, the GOP has to take about two-thirds of the rest in order to regain a majority. In the Senate, likewise, writing off the Democratic seats of the East and Pacific West means that they must win 71 percent of the remainder.
It is hard to see how Republicans could pull off that feat, especially since Democrats have become skillful in invading GOP territory. In the South and Mountain West, Democrats have won key Senate elections and picked up some very Republican House seats. Last year, they mounted stiff challenges to Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, as well as other red-state Republican lawmakers who had previously counted on easy reelection.
In much of the country, grassroots GOP organizations have withered. Facing a similar situation a few years ago, Democratic national chairman Howard Dean crafted a "50-state strategy" to rebuild his party's structure. Though his approach caused shouting matches within the party leadership, it contributed a great deal to the Democratic victories in 2006 and 2008. Something like a 50-state strategy is essential to Republican survival.
To compete in Democratic areas, Republicans must obviously reach beyond their base.
Such an approach does not mean that all Republicans must renounce their positions on social issues. Indeed, it would make no sense to ditch religious conservatives and gun owners, who make up much of the party's dwindling corps of volunteers. But Republicans do have to cast their principles in language with broader appeal, and show how their policies can solve the problems that concern voters.
Notwithstanding his poorly-received response to the president's address to Congress, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal provides an example of effective conservative governance. He has championed ethics reform and stood up to special interests. (Among other things, he signed legislation requiring insurance companies to cover autism.)
A resurgent GOP will remain conservative – but it cannot be monolithic. Some of their candidates and new supporters will take different positions on certain issues. In 1990, before he became Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich put it well:
"We have to recognize that we have to get used to fighting ourselves at times and we have to recognize that we are in the business of conflict management. We are not in the business of conflict resolution. You only resolve conflicts by kicking people out and that means you become a minority. So, if you intend to be a majority, you have to be willing to live with a lot of conflict because that is the nature of a majority."
John J. Pitney, Jr. is the Roy P. Crocker Professor of Government at Claremont McKenna College. With James W. Ceaser and Andrew E. Busch, he is coauthor of "Epic Journey: The 2008 Elections and American Politics."
To overcome scary electoral math, the GOP must recast its principles.
By John J. Pitney Jr., CS Monitor, April 29, 2009
Claremont, Calif. - Arlen Specter is out of the GOP, Democrats are up on Capitol Hill, and Republicans are down in the dumps. What happened, and what can the GOP do about it?
The problem is not that Senate Republicans mistreated him – far from it.
In 2004, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to help him beat a conservative primary challenger. Then his colleagues gave him the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee despite his liberal views on abortion and other issues in the committee's jurisdiction. And in recent weeks, he got the NRSC chairman's endorsement and $10,000 from Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's political committee.
But Senator Specter made a calculation. Next year's GOP primary and general election looked very difficult for him. And even if he cleared both hurdles, he would still be in the minority party. As a Democrat, he would have a better chance of retaining his seat and regaining some power. He chose self-interest over gratitude, earning a chapter in "Profiles in Something Less Than Courage."
Most Republicans feel a sense of betrayal, which is understandable. But some feel a sense of joy, which is unwise.
"This is ultimately good," said Rush Limbaugh. "I mean this is winnowing out the people that end up misdefining or preventing the party from having a singular identity."
Such comments recall a line from the 1939 comedy Ninotchka: "The last mass trials were a great success. There are going to be fewer but better Russians." Although having fewer but better Republicans may make El Rushbo feel good, it's a very strange way to win majorities.
Specter's switch highlights a huge problem for the GOP: large swatches of the country are becoming "off limits." There are 12 Eastern states north of Virginia, and five more states bordering the Pacific. Of the 34 senators from these regions, only 4 are Republicans.
The picture in the House is just as grim. Many years ago, Republicans had a stronghold in New England, and they still had a toehold as late as the 1990s. But in 2008, they lost their last seat in the region: The score is now 22-0. Next door, New York State once had a thriving GOP that could win at every level. Those days are gone: Republicans hold no statewide offices, and only three of the state's 29 House districts. In a recent special election, they failed to recapture an upstate seat they had held for decades before 2006.
Republicans have just one of the 31 districts that are at least 40 percent African American and only seven of the 42 districts that are at least 40 percent Hispanic. More than 100 Democratic districts fall into one or more of the following categories: black, Hispanic, New England, New York. Without these seats, the GOP has to take about two-thirds of the rest in order to regain a majority. In the Senate, likewise, writing off the Democratic seats of the East and Pacific West means that they must win 71 percent of the remainder.
It is hard to see how Republicans could pull off that feat, especially since Democrats have become skillful in invading GOP territory. In the South and Mountain West, Democrats have won key Senate elections and picked up some very Republican House seats. Last year, they mounted stiff challenges to Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, as well as other red-state Republican lawmakers who had previously counted on easy reelection.
In much of the country, grassroots GOP organizations have withered. Facing a similar situation a few years ago, Democratic national chairman Howard Dean crafted a "50-state strategy" to rebuild his party's structure. Though his approach caused shouting matches within the party leadership, it contributed a great deal to the Democratic victories in 2006 and 2008. Something like a 50-state strategy is essential to Republican survival.
To compete in Democratic areas, Republicans must obviously reach beyond their base.
Such an approach does not mean that all Republicans must renounce their positions on social issues. Indeed, it would make no sense to ditch religious conservatives and gun owners, who make up much of the party's dwindling corps of volunteers. But Republicans do have to cast their principles in language with broader appeal, and show how their policies can solve the problems that concern voters.
Notwithstanding his poorly-received response to the president's address to Congress, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal provides an example of effective conservative governance. He has championed ethics reform and stood up to special interests. (Among other things, he signed legislation requiring insurance companies to cover autism.)
A resurgent GOP will remain conservative – but it cannot be monolithic. Some of their candidates and new supporters will take different positions on certain issues. In 1990, before he became Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich put it well:
"We have to recognize that we have to get used to fighting ourselves at times and we have to recognize that we are in the business of conflict management. We are not in the business of conflict resolution. You only resolve conflicts by kicking people out and that means you become a minority. So, if you intend to be a majority, you have to be willing to live with a lot of conflict because that is the nature of a majority."
John J. Pitney, Jr. is the Roy P. Crocker Professor of Government at Claremont McKenna College. With James W. Ceaser and Andrew E. Busch, he is coauthor of "Epic Journey: The 2008 Elections and American Politics."
Hispanic voters pushed GOP out
Bush, Demography, and The Future of the GOP
By Philip Klein, Spectator, 4.29.09
The defection of Arlen Specter to the Democrats has reignited the debate over what direction the Republican Party should be taking to return to power – or heck, at this point, to regain enough votes to mount a modicum of opposition to the Democrats' agenda. The way I see it, there are two basic explanations for the current fortunes of the GOP, each with different ramifications.
It Was Bush, Stupid – Under this mode of analysis, Republicans lost power primarily because President Bush and his policies were seen as a failure by the vast majority of Americans, and the Democrats were able to exploit this in 2006 and 2008, aided last year by a talented candidate in the form of Barack Obama.
If this is really what it boiled down to for most voters, then there really isn't much that the Republican Party can do at the moment, because their prospects will largely be decided by whether Obama's policies succeed or fail. If his spending policies lead to higher taxes, inflation, and anemic economic growth and his national security decisions lead to an international crisis or an attack on the homeland, then Republicans will be in a strong position to mount a comeback. If Obama's policies succeed, then the GOP's prospects look grim for the foreseeable future. This is the simplest way of thinking about things.
Demographics are Destiny – Other analysts emphasize certain long-term trends such as: a rising minority population and decline in the percentage of voters who are white males, middle-class voters increasingly disenchanted with the GOP, and young voters who are more socially liberal. Critics of the Republican Party will prescribe all sorts of remedies for these challenges, and unsurprisingly, those remedies tend to correlate quite closely with whatever a given critic's own views happen to be. So, depending on who you talk to, Republicans either need to reestablish themselves as the party of small government or abandon limited government dogma; they either need to remain socially conservative to attract middle-class voters who may not vote Republican on economic issues, or abandon social conservatism so they are seen by younger and urban/suburban voters as being more tolerant --and so on.
As much as I'd like to argue that the Republican Party would thrive as long as they adopted my personal views, the truth is I have no idea how to solve this demographic Rubik's Cube. The problem is that policies that the party may adopt to win over one group of these voters will hurt their chances with another group. For instance, if Republicans gave up their opposition to gay marriage, it may help their chances among younger voters, while hurting their chances among blacks and Hispanics, who remain more opposed to gay marriage than the population at large. If the GOP embraces comprehensive immigration reform, it may help them win over more Hispanics (though John McCain's experience would suggest otherwise), but it could hurt them among working class voters who believe that mass illegal immigration cuts into their wages. If they become more open to bigger government, they may attract some moderates, but they could also lose young professionals who disagree with social conservatives but would vote Republican if they believed that the party would actually limit the growth of government. None of this even takes into account the fact that any decision by Republicans to stray from their current basket of positions risks alienating the base of the party, so any shifts would have to gain more new voters than they lose in existing voters.
I tend to be of the opinion that the perceived effectiveness of policies in terms of economic conditions and the state of our national security have more of an impact on votes than demographic patterns, so most of my writing has been within that framework. But if others are right and demography truly is destiny, then I see no way that the Republican Party can survive. At least not without changing so drastically, that it may as well go by a different name.
By Philip Klein, Spectator, 4.29.09
The defection of Arlen Specter to the Democrats has reignited the debate over what direction the Republican Party should be taking to return to power – or heck, at this point, to regain enough votes to mount a modicum of opposition to the Democrats' agenda. The way I see it, there are two basic explanations for the current fortunes of the GOP, each with different ramifications.
It Was Bush, Stupid – Under this mode of analysis, Republicans lost power primarily because President Bush and his policies were seen as a failure by the vast majority of Americans, and the Democrats were able to exploit this in 2006 and 2008, aided last year by a talented candidate in the form of Barack Obama.
If this is really what it boiled down to for most voters, then there really isn't much that the Republican Party can do at the moment, because their prospects will largely be decided by whether Obama's policies succeed or fail. If his spending policies lead to higher taxes, inflation, and anemic economic growth and his national security decisions lead to an international crisis or an attack on the homeland, then Republicans will be in a strong position to mount a comeback. If Obama's policies succeed, then the GOP's prospects look grim for the foreseeable future. This is the simplest way of thinking about things.
Demographics are Destiny – Other analysts emphasize certain long-term trends such as: a rising minority population and decline in the percentage of voters who are white males, middle-class voters increasingly disenchanted with the GOP, and young voters who are more socially liberal. Critics of the Republican Party will prescribe all sorts of remedies for these challenges, and unsurprisingly, those remedies tend to correlate quite closely with whatever a given critic's own views happen to be. So, depending on who you talk to, Republicans either need to reestablish themselves as the party of small government or abandon limited government dogma; they either need to remain socially conservative to attract middle-class voters who may not vote Republican on economic issues, or abandon social conservatism so they are seen by younger and urban/suburban voters as being more tolerant --and so on.
As much as I'd like to argue that the Republican Party would thrive as long as they adopted my personal views, the truth is I have no idea how to solve this demographic Rubik's Cube. The problem is that policies that the party may adopt to win over one group of these voters will hurt their chances with another group. For instance, if Republicans gave up their opposition to gay marriage, it may help their chances among younger voters, while hurting their chances among blacks and Hispanics, who remain more opposed to gay marriage than the population at large. If the GOP embraces comprehensive immigration reform, it may help them win over more Hispanics (though John McCain's experience would suggest otherwise), but it could hurt them among working class voters who believe that mass illegal immigration cuts into their wages. If they become more open to bigger government, they may attract some moderates, but they could also lose young professionals who disagree with social conservatives but would vote Republican if they believed that the party would actually limit the growth of government. None of this even takes into account the fact that any decision by Republicans to stray from their current basket of positions risks alienating the base of the party, so any shifts would have to gain more new voters than they lose in existing voters.
I tend to be of the opinion that the perceived effectiveness of policies in terms of economic conditions and the state of our national security have more of an impact on votes than demographic patterns, so most of my writing has been within that framework. But if others are right and demography truly is destiny, then I see no way that the Republican Party can survive. At least not without changing so drastically, that it may as well go by a different name.
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