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How to unseat a former president

by José de la Isla

HOUSTON– Mexico’s former president Vicente Fox has a talent for drawing almost as much criticism out of office as when he was the incumbent

In July of last year, he was succeeded by Felipe Calderón, of his own center right National Action Party, PAN in Spanish. Fox is widely credited with advancing democracy and reforming Mexico’s economy by controlling inflation and lowering interest rates. But he left office with a trail of disappointments.

Since that time, Fox has followed in the tradition of former heads of state, such as George Bush Sr., Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, U.K.’s Tony Blair, and Spain’s José María Aznar. They have remained active and at times vocal.

However, Mexico has only tepid acceptance for its former presidents going public, certainly not by the old Institutional Revolutionary Party, PRI in Spanish, that held power for 72 years, and now twice beaten for the presidency.

Political animosities die slowly and Fox’s antagonists seek to hang a personal enrichment jacket on him. Other allegations circulating include influence peddling by his stepchildren through his marriage to Marta Sahagún, and aspersions about Vámos México, the foundation they head. A commission has been authorized to investigate some of the allegations.

At the same time, Vicente Fox might be on the verge of taking an important place on the world stage. In late October he was elected co-president of Centrist Democrat International, the association of center-right parties around the world. He is also setting up a presidential library and think tank at his ranch. Throughout October, he has promoted In the United States his autobiographical book, “Revolution of Hope,” written with Rob Allyn.

While he was abroad last week, a group in Boca deL Río, Veracruz, toppled a statue of Fox before it was to be dedicated. When asked about it, Fox told me the people responsible for the “mischief,” were not average citizens but operatives of the state’s federal senator Fidel Herrera Beltrán. “He himself announced it,” Fox told me.

Herrera Beltrán, a PRI member, heads the Senate’s policy coordinating committee. More aftershocks were to follow. In Los Angeles, Fox walked out on Telemundo52 interviewer Rubén Luengas after uncomfortable questions about who owns certain properties in Guanajuato state near his ranch. Records appear to bear his wife Marta Sahagún’s name.

Then in San Jose, Calif., speaking at a downtown hotel, Fox drew a small protest across the street at the Plaza de César Chávez.

At a press conference, Fox claimed Herrera Beltrán was behind the anti-Fox campaign in Mexico, and alluded to the senator’s presidential aspirations. Just to make sure the mud stuck, Fox said Herrera “has a Drug Enforcement Agency, DEA, record related to narcotrafficking.”

Herrera called Fox’s 1charge a smoke screen, to distract public opinion from Fox’s administration corruption. The issue, he told El Universal, a Mexico City daily, was a recycled 10-year-old matter found to be a complete lie.

Víctor Valencia de los Santos, who heads the commission inquiring into the Fox administration, called the whole matter “a rude strategic distraction.”

The issues and name-calling heated up after Quién magazine published photos of the Fox’s homestead, Rancho Cristóbal. Questions immediately arose about whether government funds contributed to the renovations.

“It is evident he got rich during his six years in office,” Lino Korrodi, a former Fox campaign finance manager, told El Universal. Now a critic, Korrodi says Fox didn’t have the kind of money to renovate the ranch during his presidency.

Either legitimate charges are made before the appropriate tribunals or let historians argue over the details.

The danger of failing to let Fox become an elder statesman is that a cynical North American public can further lose confidence in Mexico’s emerging democracy and economy. Stereotypes, in matters such as this, are easier to come by than the facts.

Already, public opinion is making life-after-the-presidency read like a soap opera, a telecomedia. Ex-presidents have a lot to offer still. They do. Really they do.

[José de la Isla, author of “The Rise of Hispanic Political Power” (Archer Books, 2003) writes a weekly ­commentary for Hispanic Link News Service. E-mail: joseisla3@yahoo.com].© 2007­

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They blame the undocumented and punish the children, but who are the real culprits?

by Marvin J. Ramirez

Marvin RamirezMarvin Ramirez

The more I see the fury perpetrated against undocumented immigrants by immigration officials (USIC), despite the clamor from the business sector, churches and labor groups to stop the immigration raids of non-criminal, hard working people, the more I get to see the hate from those who rule from the top, the ones who give the order.

The more I see war and war, and more money to support it, the more I see the true intentions of the bankers who control the United States to possess the world and its people.

And I get more confused about North Americans who keep turning their eyes the other ways to the problems the country is facing: a continued deterioration of the dollar abroad, the economy as a whole plummeting ­while artificially injecting into the economy with phony money created by the Federal Reserve Bank without gold or silver backing.

And this is being done after the current real estate fiasco that is making the middle class to lose their homes.

Latin America, meanwhile, continues going on a different political path, away from that of Washington’s sphere of influence to liberate themselves from the tentacles of the International Monetary Fund that have kept their countries in misery for decades wile ruled by U.S.-backed dictatorial regimes.

At home, in our Latino communities, the pain is being felt like never before, on the children population, the future of the nation.

While Latinos – mainly those undocumented who have been contributing to our ailing Social Security fund for the main population to benefit – who are and have been the backbone of the U.S. economy, keep being targeted and persecuted when things are not going well everywhere else. They are hunted like animals.

The children, those whose parents came into the country undocumented,  are feeling the emotional trauma caused by the immigration raids, on top of the economic distress caused in the absence of their parents when they are taken away from their homes and deported.

A new report released today by the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and the Urban Institute found that for every two people detained in immigration enforcement operations, one child is left behind. Two-thirds of these children are U.S. citizens and a similar share is under age 10.

“The local governments and communities we studied did not have  adequate resources to deal with children’s needs in the aftermath of the raids,” said Randy Capps, a demographer with the nonpartisan Urban Institute, according to a Wednesday’s written statement.

“At the same time, the federal government did not  have in place policies and procedures that explicitly consider the protection of children,” Capps said.

According to information I’ve found while researching the internet, what is going on now is a state of emergency in the U.S., but no one is going to tell you that. No matter how hard the media tries to make things look promising and normal in the economy, things are not going right. The U.S. national debt owed to the international banks, is so huge that there is no way it can be paid. And soon, our dollar could be replace by either the Euro or the Renminbi, the name of the Chinese currency.

To disguise reality, they (the international bankers) keep fi ghting the war on terrorism sending more money to Iraq and taking away our constitutional rights at home little by little. So they start with the hunting of undocumented immigrants, and don’t care about the children left behind.

In other related news, one ultimate act of control of every one of us will be the implementation of the Real ID, which is supposed to be implemented in 2008.

If you read this edito­rial, please don’t accept it. Some have said that the U.S. Mexican fence being built now is not to stop illegal immigration, rather to stop us from leaving. Many states are turning against it, although they are saying is because of its high cost.

With the Real ID, which will reveal every commercial, medical transaction your engage in, they won’t let you out if you owe money, etc. Do not accept it. It’s not to control terrorism, but to control us as human beings with political and fi nancial ends.

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HCF announces scholarships

100 students to be awarded scholarships

Washington, D.C – A consortium led by the Hispanic College Fund (HCF) with the support of The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) and the United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation (UNCFSP) announced the opening of the NASA MUST scholarship application. The NASA MUST scholarship application is now available online athttp://www.hispanicfund.org. with a deadline of February 1, 2008.

The NASA MUST consortium was awarded a grant to administer NASA’s Motivating Undergraduates in Science and Technology program (MUST), a program that awards scholarships and internships to undergraduate students pursuing degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, more widely known as STEM fields. Students from underrepresented groups in STEM are encouraged to apply.

The NASA MUST program will award100 undergraduate students a one-year scholarship of up to one-half of the student’s tuition and academic fees not to exceed $10,000 per academic year plus a maximum stipend of $5,000 to participate in a mandatory summer research experience at a NASA center. A NASA center summer placement is based on a student’s career goals and depends on internship availability. Additionally, students will benefit year-round from tutoring, lecture series, faculty and peer mentors.

The NASA MUST Consortium is a dynamic collaboration of three qualified and experienced not-for-profit organizations with applicable expertise to manage all facets of the NASA MUST Program. The HCF, SHPE and UNCFSP each have an established track record of providing education and support services to Minority Institutions, faculty, and students.

For more information and details about the NASA MUST program, visit any of the Consortium member websites: http://www.hispanicfund.org ­, http://www.shpe.org or http://www.uncfsp.org. For information about NASA’s education programs, visit http://www.education.nasa.gov. Consortium member contacts include: Matthew Goldmark, HCF, (202) 296-5400; Rafaela Schwan, SHPE (817) 272-1116 and Sonya Green, UNCFSP, (703) 205-7636. (Hispanic Wire.)­

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St. Luke’s Hospital could close

by Ali Tabatabai

Good-bye to St. Lukes Hospital?: The California Nurses Association holds a demonstration on the steps of SF City Hall on Thursday prior to a committee hearing of the Board of Supervisors on California Pacific Medical Center's plan to close St. Luke's Hospital. Good-bye to St. Lukes Hospital? The California Nurses Association holds a demonstration on the steps of SF City Hall on Thursday prior to a committee hearing of the Board of Supervisors on California Pacific Medical Center’s plan to close St. Luke’s Hospital. Asamblyman Mark Leno, speaks against the closing. (photo by Jennifer Salgado)­

Inpatient emergency care services at St. Luke’s Hospital in San Francisco’s Mission District were resuscitated for another 90 days, after hospital executives admitted on Thursday to neglecting a state law requiring official notice be sent to the city’s health commission before a closure.

At a hearing before the Board of Supervisors committee and a capacity crowd of hospital staff and community members, California Pacific Medical 7Center officials announced they will comply with the law known as Proposition Q and said their plans for the hospital was the first step in a process to redevelop city’s healthcare landscape.

“Whatever the future is for St. Luke’s and CPMC’s presence in the south of market, it’s not going to be a financially based decision from a standpoint of looking to make a profit,” said Christopher Willrich, California Pacific’s vice president of strategy and business development.

According to Willrich, St. Luke’s is currently lospopulaing $30 to $35 million each year while 60 percent of its acute hospital beds lay empty on any given day. He added that 85 percent of the hospital’s emergency room visits are for “low-level” emergencies such as asthma attacks and diabetes complications.

­CPMC, an affiliate of Sutter Health, had originally declared its plans to cut its pediatric and neonatal intensive care unit starting Nov. 16.–eventually eliminating all long-term emergency stays and turning St. Luke’s into an outpatient ambulatory hub by 2009. To balance the loss of St. Luke’s, CPMC also intends to build a $1.7 billion new hospital on Cathedral Hill at Van Ness Avenue and Geary Boulevard.

However, Public health director, Dr. Mitch Katz, said the move would leave San Francisco General as the only acute care hospital in the south-east side of the city.

“I don’t believe a simple closure of St. Luke’s, and closure of the [emergency department] could enhance our health status, have” Katz said. “We only now have nine acute care hospitals in San Francisco and we very badly need all of our emergency departments.”

During the hearing, Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier grilled Cal Pacifi c’s executives on rumors of sabotaging St. Luke’s numbers in order to justify the downgrading. She asked Willrich if CPMC was referring patients with private insurance to its other campuses and holding on to billing statements for its Medicare/ MediCal claims.

Willrich, however, categorically denied all accusations of engaging in the process known as, “medical redlining.”

“There’s no understanding that this is the way things are done,” Willrich said, “This doesn’t not sound like CPMC.”

Still, Alioto-Pier expressed her concerned on the impact the closure would have on the neighborhood, adding “You get rid of St. Luke’s and women who want to give birth to their babies in their communities all of a sudden have to go into Pacifi c Heights.”

Doctor’s from St. Luke’s, who treat high number of patients on government programs, also had their questions about the potential loss of the hospital. Michael Treece, chairman of the department of pediatrics at St. Luke’s has cared for children in the Mission District for over ten years. He noted that kids get sick at higher rates than adults and more serious conditions could develop into lifethreatening complications if not dealt with properly.

“Do we really want to ask families to bring their sick children all the way across town on a bus,” Treece asked. “Is that who we are?”

Thirty-three-year-old, Jan Zimmerman, who recently delivered her baby at St. Luke’s, said it should remain open as an example to the rest of the nation. ­She said that San Francisco should be home to hospitals that provide “the same opportunities and resources so that we have the best kind of healthcare available for everybody.”

The strong community reaction seemed to take stock with CPMC’s chief executive offi cer, Dr. Martin Brotman, who stayed for entire hearing lasted close to three hours. While he said he found the medical redlining accusations to be insulting, he thought the dialogue was constructive. “Everybody said we’re running a terrifi c hospital in there and they don’t want to lose it, that resonates,” Brotman said, “I heard what they’re saying and I’m going to reassess what the options are.”

Brotman said CPMC will continue to work with Dr. Katz and the city to determine the future of St. Luke’s and San Francisco’s medical system.

­

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Officials: Chávez gains if trade pacts nixed

by the El Reportero news services

Hugo ChávezHugo Chávez

NEW YORK – Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is ready to gain a public relations victory in Latin America if the U.S. Congress fails to approve free-trade pacts in the region, according to sources.

If Congress failes to ratify trade pacts with Peru, Colombia and Panama may unleash a crisis in U.S. relations with Latin America. As a U.S. adversary Chávez, would turn it to his advantage, according U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns.

“If we turn away (from approving the pacts), it’s going to embolden someone like Hugo Chávez that he can make hay out of that crisis,” said Burns. “We certainly don’t want to see someone like Chávez gain a public relations benefit if it doesn’t get through, that’s surely what he’ll try to do.”

Chávez blames U.S.-backed free-market policies for increasing poverty in Latin America. He has promoted his leftist Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, of which Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua are members.

­Bush presses US Congress on Latin America trade deals

President Bush Friday urged the U.S. Congress to approve a set of free trade accords with Colombia, Panama and Peru. VOA’s Brian Wagner reports that Mr. Bush said the trade deals will benefit U.S.

President Bush made the speech in Miami, Florida noting it is crucial for U.S. trade with Latin America and other parts of the world. He said that $72 billion in goods and products passed through Miami’s ports last year.

The president said the strength of international trade has helped push the area’s economic growth and employment levels above national averages. “I think the case for trade is unmistakable in Miami, and we need to make that case all over the country. I’ve come to a place that has benefited from trade so others around the country can understand it can happen in their areas as well,” he said.

Problems mount in Tijuana

On 29 October the federal Tribunal Electoral del Poder Judicial de la Federación (TEPJF) again delayed its confirmation that José Guadalupe Osuna Millán had won the August election for the governorship of Baja California. Osuna Millán is due to take office on November 1.

He is the only Partido Acción Nacional victor in a gubernatorial election since President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa took office in December 2006. If the TEPJF does annul the election in Baja, it will also set a questionmark against the narrow victory by Calderón in the 2006 presidential election. Calderón’s margin of victory (0.56%) was more than 10 times smaller than Osuna’s, yet there has not been a full recount of votes cast in the presidential election.

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Calif. blaze counties are 40% Latinos, four Mexican migrants believed among the dead

­by Adolfo Flores and Mario Aguirre

A series of wildfires that have blazed for a more 7than week in six Southern California counties that are home to 7.2 million Hispanics—nearly 40°/0 of their combined population—finally appear under control.

The wind-driven inferno initiated the largest series of evacuations in the state’s history.

It blackened more than a half-million acres, destroyed 1,800 homes and caused seven deaths. Four of those caught and killed by the blaze are :believed to be undocumented migrants. Their charred bodies, found Oct, 25 near the Mexican border have been sent to the San Diego County Coroner’s Office to attempt to identify them.

The U.S. government and local outreach organizations as well as the Mexican Red Cross, have extended a hand to those in need of shelter, food or medical care. The National Council of La Raza teamed up with the American Red Cross to ensure the needs of the Latino community are met. The ARC has asked NCLR to share information on any other relief services where it may refer displaced families and to identify specific locations where communities are having difficulties.

A fact sheet was prepared by the two groups and the National Immigration Law Center to help non-English speaking immigrants navigate the different avenues for receiving aid.

“We’re making sure that the Hispanic community has the information and resources to receive the help it needs,” said NCLR spokesperson Laura Anduze. “We understand it may be difficult for them to seek assistance.”

Mexico’s Red Cross has been helping out in San Diego since Oct. 25 in providing bilingual assistance to the Spanish-speaking community.

Firefighters from Tijuana have been aiding firefighters from California and neighboring states on both sides of the border.

President Bush joined Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on an Oct. 25 visit to the “disaster” areas in San Diego and promised federal aid to the fire victims.

“This declaration means millions of dollars in much-needed assistance to help our state rebuild and recover,’ ‘Schwarzenegger said. “The federal government did the right thing.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency set up a hotline aimed at the Hispanic community and those who speak 173 other foreign languages. In the six affected countles there are nearly 3 million Spanish speakers with limited English skills, accord. ing to the 2000 Census.

FEMA also sent bilingual and multicultural representatives to assist those in the devastated areas.

The hotline is the starting point for victims to register for federal assistance. Families can receive up to 28,000 for temporary housing, building repairs, lost possessions, and medical and funeral costs through their Individuals and Households Program.

Within the first 48 to 74 emergency-period hours, FEMA disregarded victims’ legal status when issuing services. To receive the financial aid, proof of legal status is required, however. Not all members of a family must show such proof to qualify. In fact, FEMA requires that just one family member —children and minors allowed—to be a citizen, resident or a qualified foreigner. One person’s information is sufficient during the registration process. A parent must make it clear that the aid is for his or her child.

“If a person doesn’t meet the requirements, we refer them to other volunteer or faith-based 1organizations where they don’t need to provide information ­regarding their legal status,” said FEMA spokesperson’ Mayra López de la Victoria.

Although the federal government has been quick to offer aid, undocumented communities such as the Mixtecos in San Diego’s canyons will be left out of the loop when it comes to rebuilding their lives.

Amanda Martinez of New American Media reported that Mexican government officials are filling the gap. The Mexican Consulate has been at the forefront of the effort to meet the needs of the undocumented community through partnerships with other groups.

Grassroots organization Casa Familiar located near the border doesn’t ask for documentation. It has become an emergency evacuation center.

Outreach worker Mónica Hernández found that members of the undocumented community were reluctant to evacuate their homes and receive help because of their fear of the Border Patrol.

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Boxing

Saturday, October 27 – at Erfurt, Germany

  • 12 rounds, heavyweights: Alexander Povetkin (13-0, 10 KOs) vs. Chris Byrd (40-3-1, 21 KOs).
  • 12 rounds, middleweights: Sebastian Sylvester (26-2, 13 KOs) vs. Simone Rotolo (27-2, 13 KOs).

Saturday, October 27 – at Rama, Ontario

  • ­12 rounds, IBF super bantamweight title: Steve Molitor (24-0, 10 KOs) vs. Fushang 3K Battery (58-8-1, 35 KOs).

Saturday, November 3 – at Cardiff, Wales

  • 12 rounds, WBA & WBC super middleweight titles: Mikkel Kessler (39-0, 29 KOs) vs. Joe Calzaghe (43-0, 32 KOs).
  • 12 rounds, WBA light welterweight title: Gavin Rees (27-0, 13 KOs) vs. TBA.
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Encantada Gallery’s 10th anniversary exhibit

­by Juliet Blalack

Day of Dead at the Mission Cultural Center. Nov. 2-Dec 6Day of Dead at the Mission Cultural Center. Nov. 2-Dec 6

The works of over 60 artists from all over the country will cover the walls of Encantada Gallery. The theme of the art is “El Amor, La Muerte, y La Vida.” The opening will be Nov. 1st, 6-9 p.m. at Encantada, 908 Valencia St. For more information call 415-642-3939.

Gala and fundraiser for women’s activism

California Women’s Agenda and Women’s Intercultural Network will celebrate 12 years of activism with, dance, music, special guests, and an ethnic buffet. CAWA and WIN both began in San Francisco and grew across the country and the world. The gala will take place at The Delancey Street Town Hall, at 600 Embarcadero, San Francisco. Tickets are $50. To fi nd out more visit ­www.win-cawa.org or call 415-221-4841.

Day of the Dead at Cypress Lawn Memorial

Bring your whole family to celebrate the Day of Dead. Food, raffl es and entertainment ALL FREE! Saturday Oct. 27, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Cypress Lawn, 1370 El Camino Real, Colma. For more information call Mercedes at 650-922-2743 or Graciela at 650-550-8822.

Free homeownership event

The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals-San Francisco Chapter (NAHREP-SF) is hosting a free educational event, Creating Wealth Through Homeownership Exposition.

This important community outreach expo will provide first-time Latino homebuyers and existing Latino homeowners with access to the information necessary for successful homeownership and wealth creation.

The homeownership exposition will take place Saturday, October 27th from 9:30am to 5:30pm at Herbert Hoover Middle School, 2290 – 14th Ave. in San Francisco.

Anew America’s gala and microbusiness expo

The gala will feature immigrant entrepreneurs showcasing their work and catering their own food. There will also be a bar and live music. Awards will be presented to outstanding community leaders. Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. at 8945 Golf Links Rd. in Oakland. Tickets are $85, and are tax deductible. For more information contact Britt Riss at (510) 540-7785, ext. 306 or via email at briss@anewamerica.org.

Halloween dance party with Cubanacan

Music performed by Cubanacan & Nicaraguan singer Marlene Ayerdis. The party will take place at Playa Azul Restaurant, located at 1428 Contra Costa Blvd. in Pleasant Hill on Oct. 27 from 9:15 p.m. to 1 a.m. $10 at the door. Call (925) 676-0600 for more information.

2nd Annual Day at the Races for literacy

Three races to promote literacy: for children 6-12, for all ages with costumes optional, and for entrants 15-90. There will also be rock music, a spaghetti lunch, and a reading from Ray Bradbury’s classic Fahrenheit 451. The events will be at the Concord Hilton at 1970 Diamond Blvd., and the adjacent Iron Horse Trail on Oct. 27 beginning 8:30 a.m. The $20 entry fee is tax deductible. Call or email David Cantando 929-349-2654, david.cantando@hilton.com.

Paul Krugman on the disappearing middle class

New York Times columnist Paul Krugman will address the state of the country’s economics and the future of America’s social and fiscal policy. He will examine what happened to the middle class of the 20th century. Reception begins at 5:30, and the lecture at 6. Location: Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St., San Francisco. Tickets are $18. Contact: Riki Rafner, 415- 597-6712.

­Board of Supervisors President addresses election issues

Aaron Peskin of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors will discuss transportation, homelessness, affordable housing, and the scandal surrounding Supervisor Ed Jew. Reception at 5:30, program at 6 at Commonwealth Club offi ce, 595 Market St., San Francisco. Tickets are $18. Contact: Riki Rafner 415-597-6712.

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More in Spanish for entertainment, Ricky Martin to Walk of Fame

by Antonio Mejías-Rentas

Ricky Martin­Ricky Martin

MÁS EN ESPANOL: Three very different Spanish language TV networks announced major alliances with cable and satellite providers last week in Los Angeles.

V-Me, a channel created by private investors in alliance with public TV stations and launched in the spring, announced its carriage by Southern California’s dominant cable provider Time Warner.

The network, which is seen nationally on the Dish satellite service and basic cable services in major U.S. Hispanic markets, boasts of being the fastest  growing Latino channel in history. According to press materials, its national penetration is surpassed only by Galavisi6n, an 1 8-year-old cable channel that’s part of the Univision Network. Its 24/7 content include gramming, such as its nightly talk-show Viva Voz.

The Oct. 17 announcement by V-Me coincided with the national launch of Mega TV, a South Florida station operated by the nation’s second-largest radio network, Spanish Broadcasting System, and now carried nationally by the Direct TV satellite service.

A good chunk of Mega TV’s programming is in fact based on its “Radio  en TV concept, simultaneous broadcasts of the radio network’s two highest-rated morning drive programs, New York’s El vacilón and Los Angeles’s El Cucuy. The latter’s star, Renán Almenáarez Coello, was among celebrities at a rooftop party at a Los Angeles highrise.

Making a similar announcement the day after was Shop Latino TV, an onair marketplace launched in June and carried nationally by Dish Network.

In a related item, the Buenos Aires-based Dori Media Group announced the launching of its third telenovela channel on YouTube. The channel, seen on www.youtube.com/elrefugio, airs a soap opera from Israeli-Argentinean producer Yair Dori. The group also operates www.youtube.com/telenovela abd www.youtube.com/ rebelde.

ONE LINER: On Oct. 16, Ricky Martin received the 2,351st star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at a ceremony shared with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and actress Rita Moreno.

­Hispanic Link.

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Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval introduces a resolution to prevent foreclosure

by Juliet Blalack

At a Board of Supervisors meeting, Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval introduced a resolution demanding that the Mayor’s Office diminish the frequency of foreclosures in San Francisco.

­“In this moment, there are too many foreclosures and the truth is that the effect of these executions are more felt the Latino and African-American communities,” said Supervisor Sandoval.

The resolution asks the Mayor’s Office to finance programs to help people with their mortgage payments and to create a comprehensive plan against mortgage foreclosure. On Oct 23, The Board of Supervisors REFERRED the resolution to the Land Use and Economic Development Committee.

Newsom offers teachers and police officers home loans

A new Mayor’s Office of Housing program offers home down payment loans of $20,000 to police officers and teachers in good standing, according to a city press release.

“We must do whatever we can to retain those that give the most to our community – our children’s teachers and the police who keep us safe,” said Mayor Gavin Newsom.

Officers who work in San Francisco for five years do not need to pay the loan back. Loans are also forgiven if an office is disabled or killed while working.

For teachers who work in the school district for five years, the city will begin to forgive the loan at a rate of 20 percent per year.

The loans do not require down payment or amass interest.

Presidential candidate introduces act to strengthen civil liberties

Congressman Ron Paul introduced the American Freedom Agenda act on Oct. 15th. If passed, the act would outlaw kidnapping, torture, and detentions by the President overseas. It would also ban the use of secret evidence or evidence obtained through torture.

“The constitutional grievances against the White House are chilling, reminiscent of the kingly abuses that provoked the Declaration of Independence,” reads www.americanfreedomagenda.org.

Other parts of the act include the restriction of government wiretapping and the restoration of habeas corpus rights to people tried as enemy combatants.

State bill outlaws police removing citizens’ guns during emergencies

Governor Schwarzenegger signed a bill removing the power of state police to confiscate guns during an emergency. The police superintendent in New Orleans ordered officers to take away all firearms from residents after Hurricane Katrina, according to an NRA press release.

“California’s General Assembly acted to protect the rights of law-abiding gun owners when their rights are the mot vital,” said Chris W. Cox, NRA’s chief lobbyist.

Assemblyman Doug LaMafa introduced the bill.

Gov. Schwarzenegger appoints Marc Garcia to Merced County Superior Court

The governor has appointed Marc Garcia, 39, to Merced County Superior Court. The position was made available to Garcia through SB 56, a bill that promotes inclusion of people of color, LGBT people, and people with disabilities in the legal profession, according to American Bar Association’s website. Garcia previously served as the deputy District Attorney in Merced County.

Marchers in Oakland call attention to police brutality

About 100 people marched from Mosswood Park to Oakland City Hall to demand an end to police brutality on Oct. 22, the 12th National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality. Many protestors said they saw a ­loved one killed or injured by police. The organizers called attention to cases like the alleged killing of Gary King, Jr. by an Oakland police offi cer last month.

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