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CHIRLA Action Fund 2015 California Legislative Scorecard

CHIRLA Action Fund identified critical votes on issues important to aspiring citizens and immigrant communities. CHIRLA’s Action Fund’s Legislative Scorecard is designed to provide the public with information about how their state legislator voted on bills on these important issues. Click the link below to view the list of state legislators and their vote percentage:

CHIRLA Action Fund California Elected Score Card for 2015.

CHIRLA Action Fund analyzed the votes on twenty-three state proposals, affecting immigrants and their children in the areas of criminal and environmental justice, access to public benefits, as well as civil and labor rights.

Lawmakers have the opportunity to cast their votes in policy, fiscal committees, as well as on the Assembly or Senate Floor. Furthermore, a proposal can be subject to a concurrence vote, which means the approval by the House of origin to changes made to a bill while it was on the second House. For the purposes of CHIRLA’s Action Fund Legislative Scorecard the votes that were taken into account were floor votes only, not including concurrence votes. Unless, a proposal did not reach a floor vote, those lawmakers who had the opportunity to cast their votes were scored.

2015 State Proposals Summary

Assembly Bills

AB 60 (Gonzalez): Strengthens consumer protections for immigrant seeking legal assistance with private attorneys.

AB 206 (Stone): Establishes California Dream Work-Study Program to assist students who are non U.S citizens but authorize to work to participate in college work study programs.

AB 359 (Gonzalez): Provides labor protections for grocery workers when Grocery Stores Corporations merge together.

AB 622 (Hernandez): Prevents the misuse and abuse by unscrupulous employers of E-verify federal and flaw program.

AB 813 (Gonzalez): Creates a mechanism for people to challenge legally invalid convictions after criminal custody has ended and the time period for hebeas corpus relief has passed.

AB 829 (Nazarian): Expands opportunity for people to be notify if their names are in a shared gang data base and creates a process for them to request their names remove from these databases.

AB 899 (Levine): Protects confidential juvenile files from being shared with federal agencies, unless order by a court order.

AB 900 (Levine): Aligns state law with immigration law to allow for the maximum number of youth in California to be eligible to receive humanitarian relief through the Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Visa.

AB 953 (Weber): Aims to curb the harmful and unjust practice of racial profiling and increase transparency and accountability with law enforcement agencies.

AB 1065 (Chiu): Protects immigrant workers who recently legalized their status from being discriminated when applying for a job.

AB 1343 (Thurmond): Requires defense counsel to provide accurate and affirmative information to a client who is not a U.S. citizen about potential immigration consequences of a proposed plea. Requires both prosecution and defense counsel to contemplate immigration consequences in the plea negotiation process.

AB 1351 (Eggman): Modifies current process of deferred entry of judgment programs, which are alternatives to court proceedings that allow offenders to participate in a drug rehabilitation treatments, to avoid negative unintended consequences to offenders who are non U.S. citizens.

AB 1352 (Eggman): Ends unintended immigration consequences for non U.S. citizens who successfully complete a deferred entry of judgment programs, which are alternatives to court proceedings that allow offenders to participate in a drug rehabilitation treatments.

AB 1366 (Lopez): Establishes Dream Resources Center at institutions of higher education to assist students who are AB 540.

Senate Bills

SB 4 (Lara): Expands healthcare coverage for all children in our state regardless of immigration status.

SB 200 (Lara): Updates state school residency laws to ensure live-in workers such as household workers, caregivers and gardeners whose children live with them could attend school on that district.

SB 350 (De Leon): Seeks to reduce pollution and increase clean energy sources.

SB 406 (Jackson): Expands job protection for workers who take family leave to businesses with 25 employees or more. Under the California Family Leave Act, jobs are only protected for those who work at businesses with at least 50 employees.

SB 443 (Mitchell): Requires additional due process protections in cases where the state seeks to forfeit assets in connection to specific criminal charges.

SB 588 (De Leon): Strengthens labor protections for low-income workers who are victims of wage theft by providing new enforcement tool to collect the wages of these workers.

SB 600 (Pan): Includes citizenship, language and immigration status among the list for which discrimination is prohibited under the Unruh Civil Rights Act.

SB 623 (Lara): Clarifies that undocumented workers are eligible for certain workers’ compensation benefits.

SB 674 (De Leon/Atkins): Establishes uniform protocols to ensure immigrant who are victims of crime are able to be certified by local law enforcement to be eligible to request immigration relief.

SCOTUS Gives Texas 8 Days, Delay Strategy Failing

Washington D.C. – The Supreme Court of the United States dealt a blow to the delay strategy by Texas against the President’s Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) program today. After seeking a 30 day extension–which would have ensured that the DAPA case would not be heard until June of 2017–the Supreme Court underscored that a resolution sooner is better than a resolution later.

So what does this mean for the 5 million undocumented immigrants waiting in the wings to become part of our American fabric? The news is a great development and one big step forward, but they will have to wait until one more major hurdle is overcome: the SCOTUS still needs to agree to hear the case. This is very likely to happen soon with a final decision delivered in June of 2016. As the court moves in this direction, there will be a continuation and build up of a massive movement across the country to underscore the importance of this case.

When the decision is delivered next Spring, community organizations are preparing for the massive number of applicants who will sign up as DAPA/DACA+ beneficiaries.  It will be up to the next President to decide whether to keep the DAPA, DACA+ and the original DACA programs and build upon their success, or end the programs leaving millions in limbo. For now, we will wait patiently for the final decision from the Supreme Court.

SENATOR SANDERS STEPS UP THE ANTE IN RECENTLY RELEASED IMMIGRATION REFORM PLAN

As the field of Presidential candidates begins to narrow and Republican candidate anti-immigrant statements run rampant, it is without a doubt a breath of fresh air to see a candidate provide concrete solutions to our nation’s immigration system.

Senator Bernie Sanders joins Governor Martin O’Malley in meeting two key milestones: meeting with immigrant families and providing a detailed immigration plan. The key areas of reform in Senator Sanders’ plan includes issuing executive orders that include bringing more of the 11 million undocumented immigrants out of the shadows should Congress fail to act on immigration reform in his first 100 days should he be elected President.

Other reforms include accountability at the border, putting an end to racial profiling and local police entanglement with ICE. One major point in his plan includes shutting down the for profit detention centers who have disregarded the basic rights of immigrant women, children and the LGBT community.

Senator Sanders also addresses the root causes of migration and links them with our free trade agreements which have disrupted the local economies of Mexico, Central and South America.

Lastly, and more importantly, Senator Sanders underscores the absurdity of “sweeping up […] millions of men, women, and children and throwing them out of the country unjustly.”

While the Republican candidates reminisce on racist and shameful immigration policies, create lists of Muslims and shut the door on vulnerable refugees, it is evident that what we need now more than ever is leadership that recognizes the true contributions of immigrants and implements policies that uplifts the dignity of all immigrants and refugees.

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Become a Member and Fight Back Against Hate

Los Angeles, CA – The CHIRLA Action Fund and CHIRLA have launched their fall dual membership drive to continue to build power and momentum to stop hate speech on its tracks. If you are tired of the rampant unsubstantiated attacks on the immigrant community, become a CHIRLA Action Fund member join the fight to push back. We are continuing to grow our immigrant rights movement and there has never been a better  time to get involved than now!

Presidential Elections 2016

This year, in this election, we are called to reaffirm our values and our commitments, to hold them against a hard reality and see how we are measuring up, to the legacy of our forbearers, and the promise of future generations. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother – a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe. But my personal story is not so unique. That is in Israel’s interest, Palestine’s interest, America’s interest, and the world’s interest. That commitment is at the core of the Treaty, and it must be kept for all who fully abide by it.

Again and again, we’ve seen him make tough choices when easier ones were available. But the truth is, that isn’t all that I know of the man. I get it.

But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a slight change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. We would be making the same mistake that Reverend Wright made in his offending sermons about America – to simplify and stereotype and amplify the negative to the point that it distorts reality. Let us be our brother’s keeper, Scripture tells us. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. Over seven years ago, the United States pursued al Qaeda and the Taliban with broad international support. The Internet and television can bring knowledge and information, but also offensive sexuality and mindless violence.

More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. The men and women who gathered there could’ve heard many things. Tomorrow, I will visit Buchenwald, which was part of a network of camps where Jews were enslaved, tortured, shot and gassed to death by the Third Reich. I know there has been controversy about the promotion of democracy in recent years, and much of this controversy is connected to the war in Iraq.

Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. When a new flu infects one human being, all are at risk.

We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don’t like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the Red States. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth and carrying out His works. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. We see it in the history of Andalusia and Cordoba during the Inquisition.

No Hate in L.A. Action Draws Hundreds

Los Angeles, CA – On Friday, hundreds of Angelenos upset about anti-immigrant comments made by Donald Trump gathering in protest during his visit to the Luxe Hotel in Brentwood. After having insulted Latinos and immigrants, Donald Trump was met by community members who held signs which read, “No hate in L.A.” and “We are not criminals.”

“There is no way a candidate for the highest elected office in the land can utter the type of hateful language that Trump is known for and expect to win the Latino/immigrant vote. We have no room for hate in Los Angeles,” said Diana Colin, CHIRLA Action Funds Program Director.

The positive message delivered by community members prevailed and sparked a social media and communications frenzy which highlighted the push back against unfounded allegations and “gut-feeling” anti-immigrant statements made by Trump.

The CHIRLA Action Fund is committed to fighting against anti-immigrant comments to ensure that a civil discourse with concrete solutions to immigration reform are not overshadowed by hate speech.

Senate confirms judicial nominees

The Senate unanimously confirmed four of 38 pending judicial nominations Thursday evening, the first of President Barack Obama’s judicial nominees to be approved since September.

The nominees—Catherine Eagles, Kimberly Mueller, John Gibney, and James Bredar—are the longest delayed district court nominees, who were each reported out of the Judiciary Committee unanimously. The nominations for Eagles, Mueller and Gibney were sent to the full Senate in May and Bredar was reported out of the committee in June.

The White House hailed the confirmations but said the Senate must continue to act.

“We’re pleased that these four nominees have been confirmed, but urge the Senate to take action on the 34 nominees who remain on the calendar – particularly the 19 who would fill judicial emergencies,” said spokesman Josh Earnest.

Regan Lachapelle, a spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that the four confirmations Thursday are “just a start” to clearing the backlog during this session.

“We are still working through the list and are committed to confirming as many judges as we can,” said Lachapelle. “We’ll take them when we can get them.”

This week, Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have negotiated a deal that could potentially break the bottleneck of Obama’s “uncontroversial” federal court nominees during the dwindling lame duck legislative session. These included most of the nominees who had been reported out of the Judiciary Committee by unanimous votes before November elections.

Still, there are a handful of circuit court nominees — whose nominations are rarer and typically receive greater scrutiny — still waiting for votes on the Senate floor, though they had been nominated as far back as November 2009.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy praised the confirmations and called on more to be confirmed to address districts facing judicial emergencies, including vacancies and backlogged dockets, across the country.

“These confirmations are long overdue,” Leahy said. “For months, these nominations have languished before the Senate, without explanation and for no reason. I hope these are the first of many confirmations by the Senate before we adjourn.”

GOP lawmakers have flagged three other nominees, including California law professor Goodwin Liu, as too liberal and inexperienced to be parceled with the rest of the non-controversial judicial candidates set for Senate confirmation.

“We’re pleased that these four nominees have been confirmed, but urge the Senate to take action on the 34 nominees who remain on the calendar – particularly the 19 who would fill judicial emergencies.”

Cutting Risk by Disclosing Political Donations

In politics, it often pays to be ahead of the curve. That holds true for corporate governance too, even more so when politics enter the equation.

That is why a small number of the nation’s largest corporations have voluntarily agreed to report their share of trade association outlays that go to fund political activities. Together, these firms encompass a virtual who’s who in the microcosm of corporate America. In doing so, this corporate vanguard has yielded to pressure from shareholder activist groups that targeted them as prime candidates for greater accountability and transparency.

But this trend also reflects the altered political climate in Washington — a climate personified by Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., the liberal chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and an advocate of what he calls “shareholder democracy.”

“Some companies get it, some don’t,” said Bruce Freed, co-director of the Washington-based Center for Political Accountability, a nonprofit and non-partisan shareholder advocacy group that is playing a key behind-the-scenes role in orchestrating the recent run of voluntary disclosures. “The ones that don’t get it,” he added, “are headed for a (shareholder) proxy vote.”

Jacque Robinson Makes Top Two for April Runoff

Pasadena, CA – A jubilant crowd gathered at the Lincoln Restaurant last night as the Mayoral Election results were displayed for all to see. Jacque Robinson received 30.3% of the total vote last night, which means she will be headed for a runoff election set for Tuesday, April 21.

Her mother, who is originally from Belize and shares Nicaraguan ancestry, and father were both present last night sharing in the joy of their daughter’s significant win. As the next election approaches, Robinson’s campaign will take a short, well-deserved rest and ramp up again very soon.

 

More on Jacque Robinson’s top two win last night:

Marqueece Harris-Dawson Wins!

Los Angeles – Results from yesterday’s Los Angeles City Council election in District 8 has Marqueece Harris-Dawson up by 61% of the vote. Based on these results, Marqueece has won the seat to make him the 8th District’s Council Member. There will be no need for a runoff election in May. Congratulations to Marqueece as he takes the win and prepares to represent Los Angeles.