Volume 1, Edition 6 — March 2007

Assemblymember Charles Calderón:
“Calderon Dynasty”

Charles Calderon made history last November when he and Ron Calderon became were elected to the State Legislature and became the first brothers to serve simultaneously in each house.  This is only one in a series of firsts created to the Calderon Family.  With Tom Calderon, there has been a Calderon in the State Legislature for the last twenty-four years.  Tom Calderon served in the State Assembly from 1998 to 2002.  Ron Calderon served in the Assembly from 2002 to 2006. 

The Calderon family’s long history of leadership in the State of California began with Charles Calderon’s election to the Assembly in 1982 as the first Latino lawyer elected to the Assembly.  He was elected to the California Senate in 1990.  In September 1996, he made history as the first Latino Senate Majority Leader.  Assemblyman Calderon was re-elected to the Assembly in 2006 to serve the 58th District. 

from California State University , Los Angeles , and earned his Doctorate of Jurisprudence from the University of California .

Charles and his wife, Lisa, have been married for ten years and have three children.  Charles describes Lisa as “a beautiful, strong and selfless woman.”  Lisa attended California State University , where she earned a Bachelors of Science Degree in Business Administration. She is a Public Affairs Officer at Southern California Edison. 

Ian is a 21 year old actor.  He attends Long Beach State University , and is a Political Science major. He surfs for the college team and recently won the State Collegiate Surfing Championship. Sanuk features Ian on their website under “Team U.S. West Coast.”  Ian is also attending acting school.  He has appeared in NEXT (an MTV show), and will be featured in another soon-to-be released MTV reality show. 

Matthew is a 19 year-old student at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo .  Like his brother, Matthew is involved with the college’s surf team. Matt also surfs competitively and is sponsored by several brand names, including ZJ Boarding House in Santa Monica . He is also an artist.

 Brennan is the youngest of the three boys, at 2½ years.  Charles calls him “his center” and loves to chug with him in the morning (a reference to how Brennan describes playing with his Thomas the Train set). 

California Latino Legislative Caucus Newsletter — March 2007

"We are confident. We have ourselves. We know how to sacrifice. We know how to work. We know how to combat the forces that oppose us. But even more than that, we are true believers in the whole idea of justice. Justice is so much on our side, that that is going to see us through."

Cesar Chavez

Thurs., March 29

Cesar Chavez Ceremony, Assembly Floor

Tuesday, April 10

Latino Caucus Meeting

Time: 11:00 a.m.

Tuesday, April 10 State of Latinos Briefing and Advocacy Day

Holiday Inn Capitol Plaza

Thursday, April 12, Latino Caucus Chief’s of Staff Meeting

Time: 12:00 Noon

 The Latino Caucus, in partnership with Price Waterhouse Coopers, has announced the creation of the Price Waterhouse Coopers-California Legislative Latino Caucus Intern Program.  This internship will place one deserving Latino college student at the Los Angeles offices of Price Waterhouse Coopers, the world’s largest professional services firm.   It will give the student the opportunity to work in the areas of assurance, tax, and advisory services to many of the world’s largest and most prestigious companies. 

Once placed, the student will be immersed in a dynamic and fast moving environment as a full-time tax or assurance associate.  He or she will have the unique opportunity to learn, to grow, and to understand how businesses operate from the top down and the inside out. 

Assemblymember Coto said, “I am pleased that Price Waterhouse Cooper is taking the initiative to reach out to our Latino students to participate in professions where Latinos are typically underrepresented.  It is the hope of the Latino Caucus that other companies will also reach out to our students.”

Applicants must have at least a 3.2 cumulative GPA, be graduating between December ’07 and August ’08, and be an Accounting or Taxation major.  Applications can be filled out online at www.pwc.com/lookhere, and sent to the Capitol office of Assemblymember Coto.  For questions, please contact Minnie Santillan at (916) 319-2023.

“A changed mission for education requires a new model for school reform, one in which policy makers shift from designing controls  . . . to developing the capacity for schools and teachers to be responsible for student learning and responsive to students and community needs, interests and concerns.

“As a consequence of structural inequalities in access to knowledge and       resources, students from racial and ethnic minority groups . . .face persistent and profound barriers to educational opportunities.  Serious policy attention to these ongoing, systematic inequalities is critical for improving educational quality and outcomes.”

— Linda Darling Hammond

Dr. Linda Darling Hammond will be the keynote speaker at the Education Symposium sponsored by the Latino Caucus on March 22 and 23.  She is professor of Education at Stanford and Executive Director of the National Commission on Teaching and America ’s Future. She grew up in Cleveland during the 1960s.  

As an outstanding student, Linda Darling Hammond was accepted at Yale and graduated magna cum laude with the first Yale class to accept women.   Recognizing how life chances can be decided by having access to quality education, Linda Darling Hammond became a lifetime advocate for equal access to quality education for all students. 

She is one of the most influential educational policy makers and educational reformers in the US .  Her work has influenced federal and state policy.  More than an educational researcher and policy-maker, Dr. Darling Hammond is also an educational activist.  She sponsors and works in schools which promote her ideas. Her award winning book, The Right to Learn, is used to initiate reform studied throughout the world. 

For many reasons, African American and Latino children living in urban areas are two to six times more likely to die from asthma than Caucasians (NIAID, 2002).

Every patient with asthma or another respiratory illness uses a short acting rescue inhaler as first line treatment. If their health plan does not pay for the inhaler, patient care is jeopardized.  There are over half a million Latinos in California , including approximately 200,000 Latino children, who suffer from asthma. The impact of asthma is disproportionate among children of different racial and ethnic groups.

An ongoing issue affecting asthma rescue

medications used by children and adults is occurring today. Patients use these inhalers when they need immediate relief to breathe. An FDA policy removes all CFC propellants in MDIs from the market effective December 31, 2008 and only alternative hydrofluoroalkane (HFA) propellants may be used after that date. CFC inhalers make up the majority of

product used in California today. Because of the 2008 mandate, decreased allocations are available since several manufacturers have ceased their CFC inhaler production.

Proactively, Fee-for-Service Medi-Cal has recognized this issue and has made available an HFA alternative agent.  However, many managed Medi-Cal health plans still do not cover many of the HFA alternative agents, which may

What do small businesses, Latino entrepreneurship, and economic development in California have in common?  They are all growing together!  During the last 15 years, small businesses less than 5 years old have accounted for approximately 70% of all new jobs created in our state and nation.  And although Latinos currently own 450,000 small businesses in California — 20% of the total — Latino small business ownership is rising fast.  The number of Latino-owned small businesses has increased 31% in the last decade.

 While Proposition 209 has prohibited state agencies from collecting data on

minority- and women-owned business enterprises, Census records show that small business owners and workers are quite diverse.  A recent study found that minority-owned firms are growing at a rate of 17% per year — six times the growth rate of all other U.S. firms.  Minority-owned firms' sales are growing 34% per year, more than twice the rate of other firms.

 Thanks to the hard work of thousands of entrepreneurs in California , small business growth has been the economic engine of our state.  And Latino small business growth continues to move at full speed ahead.

California Latino Legislative Caucus Newsletter — March 2007

 The Chicano Latino Youth Leadership Project, Inc. (CLYLP) was created in 1982 with the purpose of preparing Latino youth to participate in California ’s economic, social and political development. Since its inception, the CLYLP has held a week-long leadership conference in Sacramento for 120 high school sophomores and juniors from throughout the State. 

The mission of the CLYLP is to develop the leadership potential of California ’s youth and prepare them to become future leaders of our state and nation. The CLYLP seeks to fulfill its mission by: strengthening students’ knowledge of state and local politics; emphasizing the importance of cultural and family values; inspiring students to realize their academic and professional potential; and encouraging students to pursue post-secondary education.

communities with a stronger sense of identity and role in their community.  More than 2,000 students have participated in the program and alumni of the program include current legislative staff. 

Because housing, meals, and transportation are provided at no cost to the participants or their families, the Board of Directors fundraises year-round to host the conference. The Latino Legislative Caucus has been a long standing partner and supporter of the CLYLP .  For more information visit: www.clylp.com  

Latino Caucus Kicks Off Speaker Series

“We need to lead with truth not rhetoric,” declared Sen. Gil Cedillo, foreshadowing a recent Latino Caucus and Comcast-sponsored Capitol lecture by renowned author David Hayes-Bautista.  The author’s new book, La Nueva California: Latinos in the Golden State, is expected to help educate the public about the role of Latinos in California . In a presentation given to nearly 120 legislative staff, interns and lobbyists, Hayes-Bautista began with a history lesson highlighting early Latino influence in the United States . He proceeded to discuss the continuing and future influence Latinos will have on the state. 

Hayes-Bautista was just the first in a series of speakers, the Latino Caucus plans to sponsor throughout the year in an effort to create opportunities for dialogue. The focus of the presentations will be to educate and reach out to the capitol community.  Comcast has committed to partnering with the Caucus on this initiative. The speaker series are also being recorded and available for viewing on the Cal Channel.  In addition they are also available on Comcast on demand (Comcast on demand channel one)

After the presentation is a brief, Q&A will be conducted for attendees and they are treated to a lunch courtesy of the Latino Legislative Caucus and Comcast.