Hispanic Congressional Caucus Pressures Obama to Keep Promise of Immigration Reform

The chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Immigration Task Force Luis Gutiérrez is calling on President Obama to push for comprehensive immigration reform. He has started a petition movement to get as many signatures as he can in support of reform that would give the twelve to fourteen million illegal immigrants in the United States a way to citizenship, or what many say is amnesty. Gutiérrez is in favor of a path to citizenship that would entail english language classes, paying a fine, and waiting another six to eight years.

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/print/43038

130 to get layoff notices from PVUSD

WATSONVILLE -- Layoff notices will go out to about 130 Pajaro Valley teachers, assistant principals and counselors in March.

The Pajaro Valley Unified School District board of trustees approved the notices of potential layoffs Wednesday in a 4-2 vote.

The job cuts, which, if finalized, would be effective June 30, are the result of $8.5 million in spending reductions for next year and the loss of grants and other special funding.

The layoffs could be rescinded before the end of the school year if circumstances change, but the district is moving forward now to meet a state mandated deadline of March 15 for notifying teachers and other certificated staff of the potential job loss.

The largest group of teachers, 32, would be laid off due to the increase in class sizes in first and second grades, a cost-saving measure.
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/education/ci_14424136

Posted by Ramiro Andrade

Third Defendant Pleads Guilty in Hate Crime Stabbing

After the stabbing of an Ecuadorean immigrant in New York, the US Justice Department has launched an investigation into hate crimes in that area, and the response of local police.

full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/19/AR2010021904555.html

[posted by Ana Perales]

Teens Denied Bail in Pa. Hate Crimes Case Two Men Accused in Beating Death of Mexican Immigrant Plead Not Guilty; Police Officers Accused of Cover-U

(CBS/AP) A federal judge denied bail Tuesday for two Pennsylvania teens who pleaded not guilty to a hate crime charge in the death of a Mexican immigrant, noting that one defendant is accused of kicking the victim in the head "as if you were kicking a field goal."

Brandon Piekarsky, 18, and Derrick Donchak, 19, were charged in the July 2008 beating death of 25-year-old Luis Ramirez in the town of Shenandoah. A separate indictment charges three police officers with obstructing the investigation into Ramirez's death

[Posted by Cynthia Sanchez]

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El Censo marcha sobre ruedas El mensaje que lleva para los angelinos es ‘confidencialidad

No es casualidad que el vehículo de la Oficina del Censo que recorre Los Ángeles para recordar a sus residentes que su participación en esta actividad es vital haya sido nombrado "Confidencial".Hace una década miles de angelinos dudaron que su información personal no sería compartida con otras agencias de gobierno. El costo fue que no llegaron a esta ciudad más de $200 millones en fondos federales

[Posted by Cynthia Sanchez]

http://www.impre.com/laopinion/noticias/2010/1/5/el-censo-marcha-sobre-ruedas-166999-1.html

TX Governor puts the needs of state's Latino students behind his power-play of party politics

According to the Intercultural Development Research Association's (IDRA) annual school attrition study from 2008-09, Texas schools lost 31 percent of their students. In IDRA's 1985-86 inaugural study, 33 percent of students were lost. The attrition rate gaps between White students and Black students and between White students and Hispanic students persist. The gap today is higher than 24 years ago.

At current pace, the state will lose an additional 2.3 million to 6 million students before reaching an attrition rate of zero in 2042.

http://www.latinalista.net/palabrafinal/2010/01/tx_governor_puts_the_needs_of_states_lat.html

[posted by Cynthia Sanchez}