by the El Reportero wire services

Hugo Chávez

VENEZUELA – What is significant about the nationalisation measures announced by Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez over the past month, is that the government is not seizing the commanding heights of the economy.

­Foreign investors in the strategically important oil industry, with one significant exception, ENI from Italy, do not appear to feel that they are about to be expropriated. More interestingly, the banking industry has not even been threatened.

by the El Reportero wire services

Agustín Carstens­

MEXICO – On 27 February, Agustín Carstens, the country’s top economic policymaker, tried to reassure the financial markets after a 5.8 percent fall in the stockmarket. The last time the Mexican stockmarket fell so heavily, in January 2000, the US was heading into a mild recession. The Mexican economy followed the U.S. into recession, and Mexican economic growth in the first half of President Vicente Fox’s presidentialterm, which began in December 2000, was negligible. The big fear in Mexico is that the U.S. in going into recession again and this will cause major economic problems for Mexico. As President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa has a weak mandate, an economic crisis could easily set off social and political unrest in Mexico.

by City College staff

Anita Grier

Dr. Anita Grier was sworn in as President of the Board of Trustees of City College of San Francisco by Mayor Gavin Newsom at a ceremony March 1 at City Hall. Julio J. Ramos took the oath of office as Vice President. Both will serve throughout 2007.

Dr. Anita Grier, Ed. also served as President of the Board in 2003 and 2000, and Vice President in 1998. Dr. Grier was elected to the Board of Trustees in 1998 and re-elected in 2002 and 2006.

A graduate of City College of San Francisco, Trustee Grier holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from San Francisc­o State University and a Doctoral degree from the University of San Francisco.

Dr. Grier has extensive experience in education, of administrator, principal, program manager, special education teacher, program administrator and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Director at San Francisco Unified School District. She currently serves on the Boards of two community college associations: the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) and the California Community College Trustees (CCCT).

Trustee Ramos was elected to the City College of San Francisco Board in 2000 and re-elected in 2004. Mr. Ramos is a trial attorney in private practice and a former state attorney with the California Public Utilities Commission. He is a graduate of Columbia University Law School in New York, a past recipient of a Coro Foundation Fellowship in Public Affairs, a graduate of Pitzer College with a B.A. in Political Studies, and has been awarded the California Commendation Medal by the California Army National Guard. He also has been an English Teacher in Japan under a program sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Education.

by Tracie Morales

Week of protests: Indocumented immigrants advocatets from several community organizations march as part of week-long protest series to show support for undocumented immigrants and the raids ICE conducted during the last several months in the Bay Area.

Latino state lawmakers are supporting the initiatives of 17 states that have issued resolutions this month condemning the Real I.D. Act of 2005 for its lack of funding and the impact they claim it would have on the economy.

States have until May 11, 2008 to implement the law.

States that have passed or introduced legislation in February urging the U.S. Congress to repeal the law or delay its required implementation include Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Maryland, Maine, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.

The law, recommended by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to combat terrorism, was introduced by Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.). It establishes national st:andards for state-issued driver’s licenses and non-driver’s identification cards, requiring verification of immigration status.

Rep. Floyd Esquibel

­A resolution by State Rep. Floyd Esquibel (D) urging the federal government to repeal the act and halt its implementation passed the Wyoming House Feb. 5.

Esquibel told Weekly Report the Real ID act, intended to fix immigration issues, fails to do so.

He added that undocumented immigrants are dominant forces in the state’s service and agriculture industry and ID cards could be used to deport these people. The absence of that workforce could cripple its economy, he said.

“I can’t imagine the kind of chaos it’s going to create,” he said. “I don’t know if the economic system could cope with that kind of situation.”

The legislation has been strongly criticized by Latino, immigrant and civil rights organizations nationally.

The Real ID bill does not state specific penalties if states do not comply. However, state-issued driver’s licenses would not be federally recognized, limiting people’s access to multiple services, such as boarding a plane.

Russ Knocke, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, said the department will issue regulations soon, but did not provide specifics. He added that the current system is vulnerable to potential terrorist attacks.

However, opponents have raised concerns of invasion of privacy and identity theft. The act would require states to provide information into a national database.

Esquibel said he is skeptical that provisions such as a nationwide identity tracking system can increase security.

“If you have one system, it would be easy to hack into It,~ he said.

F61ix Ortiz, New York state assemblyman and president of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators, told Weekly Report that implementing the act would cost much more than the $40 million appropriated by Congress.

In New York alone, it wouid cost about $200 million, he said.

Ortiz said he will introduce a resolution in New York to call for the repeal of the federal bill.

Implementing the law will cost states more than $11 billion overfive years, according to a study conducted by the Natlonal Governors Association and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators.

“We represent the state lawmakers, and we are not getting a mandate imposed on us without funding,” Ortiz said. “If you ask most states about the fiscal impact- most would say `no way Jose.'” Hispanic Link.