Volume 1, Edition 7 — March 2007

Assemblymember Ed Hernandez:
“A Clear Vision for California 's Health Needs

Dr. Ed Hernandez had only one goal as a young man – to serve the health care needs of the community he came from.  As an optometrist and local businessman, he never dreamed he would one day work in the California State Assembly.  As a health care provider in predominantly low-income communities, Dr. Ed routinely saw the ravages of diseases that went untreated because patients had no access to regular health care.  More than anything else, the need for universal access to health care is what drove him to run for office.  In November 2006, he won his first bid ever for a publicly elected office.

Before being voted into the Assembly, Dr. Ed worked as an optometrist in the San Gabriel Valley with offices in three communities.  He and his wife Diane, also an optometrist, have together served over 50,000 patients.  Dr. Ed happily donated his time to the community - providing free eye care to low-income children and working with local schools to examine the eyes of thousands of students.  He led the San Gabriel Valley campaign for Proposition 72 (health insurance) and his practices provide care to at-risk diabetic patients.

     Although a new member of the Assembly, he is no stranger to the State Capitol.  While practicing as an optometrist he worked his way up the ranks of the California Optometric Association and served as president of the organization in 2000 and 2001.  Until his election to the Assembly, he had also served as President of the California Board of Optometry.

     Dr. Ed grew up in La Puente , attended local schools and graduated from Bassett High School .  He worked his way through school, attending both Rio Hondo and Mt. San Antonio Community Colleges before going on to get his B.S. degree in Biology from Cal State Fullerton.  He received a scholarship to study Optometry at Indiana State University , which is where he met his wife Diane.  After returning home, Dr. Ed and his wife established their first practice in his hometown of La Puente .

California Latino Legislative Caucus Newsletter — March 2007

 Dr. Dowell Myers, professor of urban planning and demography in the School of Policy at USC, has been a longstanding advisor to the US Census Bureau and author of the most widely referenced text on census analysis. In March 2007, his newest book, Immigrants and Boomers: Forging a New Social Contract for the Future of America was published. He holds a Ph.D. in urban planning from MIT and has studied demography and sociology at Harvard.  

     Many Americans regard the massive influx of immigration with great anxiety, fearing new burdens and unwanted changes to the nation's ethnic, social, and economic identity. Virtually unnoticed in the contentious debate is the even more significant demographic change about to occur as the first wave of the Baby Boom generation retires, slowly draining the workforce and straining the federal budget to the breaking point.   

services for immigrants. Drawing on detailed census data, Myers demonstrates that long-established immigrants have been far more successful than the public believes. Among the Latino immigrant population, those who have lived in California over a decade show high levels of social mobility and English usage, and 50 percent of Latino immigrants become homeowners after 20 years. The impressive progress made by immigrant families suggests they have the potential to pick up the slack from aging boomers over the next two decades. As retirees sell their housing assets, the prospect of a generational collapse in housing prices looms. Myers suggests that it is in the boomers' best interest to invest in the education and integration of immigrants and their children, in order to bolster the ranks of workers, taxpayers, and homeowners America will depend on 10 and 20 years from now.

reported the uninsured had 327 more deaths over two years.
     "The clear implication is that when kids get sick or hurt, insurance matters," said Ron Pollack, Families USA executive director.
     The report was sent in early March to congressional committees that are considering ways to help cover the nation's 47 million uninsured people, including nine million children. A federal-state program created in 1997 that has insured more than 6 million children is up for renewal this year.

The Latino Caucus and the Barona Band of Mission Indians hosted an education symposium at the Barona Valley Ranch on March 22^nd and 23^rd.  The focus of the symposium was ‘Educational Equity in California Schools’.  “The California Latino Legislative Caucus has not only declared Education its number one issue, but also as California’s most pressing infrastructure issue”, Mr.Coto stated in his introduction. 

and Civic Engagement and Participation in Public Life. 

    The Barona symposium brought together Members of the Legislature with high profile educational researchers, theorists, and practitioners from around the state.  State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jack O’Connell attended and participated.  East San Jose superintendent of schools, Bob Núñez declared, ‘This is the best educational event I have ever attended.” 

On Wednesday, April 11^th, the Latino Caucus unveiled its legislative priorities at a standing-room only press conference.  Taking place in the Governor’s press room, the media, as well as members from prominent Latino organizations listened intently as the Latino Caucus discussed the priorities for the 2007 legislative year.  Media outlets present were La Opinion, Univision, Telemundo-Bay Area, Capitol Public Radio, and La Favorita, representing radio, television, and print media across the state.

this legislative year and beyond.”  Mr. Coto went on to introduce the Latino Caucus’ top policy areas: health, housing, education, prison reform, civil rights, environmental justice, civic engagement, and economic development.  Although it was a very busy day in the Capitol, Mr. Coto was joined by members of the Caucus.  Each member introduced themselves and spoke about their respective policy areas.  They were all welcomed with enthusiastic applause from the audience.

     This year’s legislative priority list is the Latino Caucus’ largest and most comprehensive to date.  It is the first list that is broken down into several policy areas, each headed by members of the Caucus.  It is also the first time the Latino Caucus has seriously addressed the issue of environmental justice. 

California Latino Legislative Caucus Newsletter — March 2007

The California State Assembly voted to approve a resolution introduced by Assemblyman Jose Solorio (D-Anaheim), that calls on President George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress to oppose the proposed 69% fee increase in the cost that legal immigrants must pay to undergo the naturalization process to become U.S. Citizens.  The Assembly approved the resolution, Assembly Joint Resolution (AJR) 18, on a 61-10 vote.  The resolution will now be sent to the California State Senate for consideration.  The Latino Caucus urges members of the public to contact the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to oppose the fee increase. (To comment on the proposed fee increase, refer to the contact information at the bottom of this article.)

     “Achieving the dream of U.S. citizenship is a hope that many of our country’s legal immigrants strive to attain, yet achieving it will become increasingly difficult if the proposed fee increase for naturalization is approved,”  states a letter that Assemblyman Jose Solorio has written to U.S. Congressional Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). 

    The USCIS believes that it needs this massive fee hike to pay for major infrastructure investments and process enhancements, such as improvements in the timeliness of background checks, modernization of its outdated business systems through technology upgrades, facilities improvements and enhancements in its personnel training and recruitment programs. 

     The current system of financing immigration services relies almost exclusively on application fees to fund the delivery of services to immigrants.  “I believe that our system of funding immigration services should be a partnership between newcomers and the federal government because the reality is that the proposed increase is way too much for these working class families to be paying,” said Solorio.       

     You can comment on the proposed fee increase using any of the following methods:

--By email: Send your comments to OSComments@dhs.gov, include the docket number (USCIS-2006-0044) in the subject line of the message.

--By fax: Federal eRulemaking Portal at 866-466-5370