LatinoPoliticsBlog.com

Entries from February 2009

“A Class Apart” Open Thread – Share your thoughts about the documentary!

February 26th, 2009 · 12 Comments

If you did not get to watch “A Class Apart” on the tube earlier this week, you can watch it from your computer here (thank you PBS). I was able to watch it via the internet, and I enjoyed it. I was struck by how little the Supreme Court knew about the Mexican-American community in the [...]

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Tags: Civil Rights · community organizing and activism · Latino History · LULAC · racism · Supreme Court

Hilda Solis confirmed as Sec of Labor, Finally!

February 24th, 2009 · 12 Comments

The 51 year old Congresswoman from California, Hilda Solis (D-El Monte) was confirmed by the Senate today with a 80 to 17 vote. Republicans in the Senate were stalling on her nomination over fears that Solis is going to make it easier to join unions. “Lions, and tigers, and workers, oh my!” I have written posts [...]

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Tags: Congressional Hispanic Caucus · GOP · Labor Relations · Rep. Hilda Solis · Rep. Nydia Velazquez · Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis · Vice President Biden

Seneca On Why the Latinos are Now the Most Numerous in Jail

February 20th, 2009 · 37 Comments

This week the Pew Hispanic Center released a new report, Hispanics and Federal Crime. It describes the alarming state of affairs in terms of how Latinos now lead in numbers in the federal penal system throughout the US. It does not address with any granularity the status of Latinos at the local level, except to suggest that [...]

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Tags: African-Americans · Crime · Immigration · MALDEF · Prison · Seneca

Will the Congressional Hispanic Caucus stand in solidarity with working Americans?

February 18th, 2009 · 15 Comments

Times are certainly tough, and while the President signed the stimulus bill into law yesterday, we certainly have an uphill battle to climb in terms of employment and holding onto existing jobs. However, some members of Congress still expect an automatic pay raise in 2010. HR 156, the Stop the Congressional Pay Raise Act introduced [...]

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Tags: Barack Obama · Congressional Hispanic Caucus · Economics · Government Accountability · Rep. Henry Cuellar · Rep. John Salazar

Seneca’s thoughts on the upcoming PBS “A Class Apart”

February 14th, 2009 · 21 Comments

PBS’ American Experience series will broadcast on February 23 a compelling, yet largely unknown segment of Latino history. This one hour show will focus on the landmark case, Hernandez vs Texas decided by the US Supreme Court. The high court’s ruling on May 3, 1954 included a new trial for the Mexican-American defendant. This trial [...]

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Tags: Civil Rights · Crime · Henry B. Gonzalez · Latino History · Seneca · Substance Abuse and Latinos · Supreme Court

Another Thursday roundup

February 12th, 2009 · 6 Comments

It’s been a busy week, but rest assured that we will be putting up new content in the next few days. I know that some people have commented about wanting a blog post on the stimulus, and I will be working on that. I have mixed feelings about the whole plan and whether it will [...]

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Tags: Antonio Villaraigosa · Economics · Labor Relations · Rep. Hilda Solis

Salazar to revamp plan for Oil Exploration

February 11th, 2009 · No Comments

Interior Secretary Salazar came out in strong favor of offshore renewable energy yesterday and also will extend public comment for plans for new drilling, allowing activists to push for more or less oil exploration off of the coasts. Secretary Salazar is not ruling out offshore drilling entirely, but he did scrap a plan that the [...]

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Tags: Barack Obama · Secretary of Interior Salazar

Son’s legal troubles don’t prevent Highfalutin Fabian Nuñez from Seeking Higher Office

February 5th, 2009 · 21 Comments

Just when you thought we would get a break from former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez’s political activities, beyond his lobbying gig of course, we learned that today he has filed paperwork to make a comeback as a state senator (to fill the seat of Gil Cedillo, who may leave earlier for Hilda Solis’s Congressional seat). [...]

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Tags: Crime · Fabian Núñez