April 2007 Newsletter

    News You Can Use...

    Seven Trees Elementary School Celebrates Read Across America Day

    On Friday, March 2, 2007, Assemblymember Joe Coto (D-San Jose) visited Seven Trees Elementary School to participate in their Read Across America Day. Mr. Coto read a Dr. Seuss book to a class of 2nd graders and talked to them about the importance of reading.

    Read Across America Day is celebrated throughout the nation by schools, libraries and bookstores. March 2nd was selected as the day to initiate the year long effort because it is Dr. Seuss’s birthday. “For many children, Dr. Seuss was their first introduction into reading. It is appropriate that we kick off this annual effort to get children interested in a life-long habit of reading on the memory of his birthday,” Coto said.

    Seven Trees Elementary School used the event to initiate a number of activities aimed at promoting reading. They scheduled an Author’s Night where their students shared books they had written with their families. To make it more exciting for the students, the school had a publisher hard-bound the books for the students. They also had two De Anza College students, who are majoring in child development, work on literacy activities with small groups of Kindergarten students. Those children were given a special bag of materials, including a book sponsored by KTEH channel 54. On March 2nd, they had guest readers visiting the classrooms to share the joy of reading with the students and the Tzu Chi Foundation presented the students with books at an assembly. In addition, Choices for Children hosted a Play and Learn for Pre-K and younger students to help parents and babysitters learn how to play with their children and develop early literacy skills.

    “I commend Seven Trees on their comprehensive and creative efforts to promote reading. They did an incredible job of involving the whole family in the learning process and demonstrating to them how important reading is to success in school and life.” Coto stated.

    Aggressive Credit Card Marketing to College Students Under Scrunity:
    AB 262 Would Reign in Predatory Credit Card Marketing on Campuses

    This legislative session, Assemblymember Joe Coto has introduced AB 262, the College Student Credit Protection Act.

    The bill would direct California’s public university campuses to disclose exclusive credit card marketing arrangements with banks on those campuses, prohibit card companies from offering gifts to students who complete credit card applications on campuses, and urge the UC regents to revise a 2004 policy that exempted many banks from campus regulations.

    According to student lender Nellie Mae, in 2004 more than 75% of college students nationwide had credit cards, and more than 40% of students had at least four credit cards. Student credit card debt increases significantly over college years; on average, senior college students owe nearly double that owed by freshmen students in credit card debt.

    Upon introduction of the AB 262, Assemblymember Coto said: “Many California public university students, of all incomes and backgrounds, are graduating into severe credit card debt. AB 262 will help to protect the students who represent the future of California’s economy.”

    Alberto Gonzalez, a UC Berkeley senior, said: “I signed up for a credit card the first week of my freshman year. I got a free T-shirt and a pile of debt that rivals my student loan debt.”

    Anabel Paez, a UC Berkeley junior, said: “I think students need access to credit like anyone else. I just don’t like the way the credit card companies target us. They take advantage of the fact that we tend to have lower financial literacy and we often need money to finance our college expenses. AB 262 will protect us from the more predatory tactics of the credit card companies.”

    For more information on AB 262 please contact the our office at 916.319.2023.

    San Jose / Silicon Valley NAACP Recognizes Assemblymember Joe Coto "Legislator of the Year"

    Assemblymember Joe Coto will receive the Legislator of the Year Award at the NAACP’s Freedom and Friendship Awards Gala. This will be the first time in the San Jose/Silicon Valley NAACP’s 55 year history that an individual has been recognized in two of the top award categories. These prestigious awards are given to those who have been nominated and selected for demonstrating a superior commitment to the community by continuously advocating for equal rights, educational equality, human rights, workers rights, social justice, economic equality or have shown they support conversations and ideas about how to improve race relations for people of color in the community.

    In 2002, prior to retiring from the East Side Union High School District, Assemblymember Joe Coto was awarded with the Lifetime Educational Achievement Award for his long held demonstration that educators must serve as advocates for youth and belief that every student is capable of achieving high standards. During the course of his tenure as superintendent he initiated a number of efforts aimed at ensuring that all students graduate with the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in college and in the competitive global job market.

    Assemblymember Coto is now being awarded with the NAACP Legislator of the Year Award due to his robust social justice and civil rights agenda in 2006. His legislation included: allowing children’s groups and teachers to continue enrolling children in public health insurance, providing additional protection to Native American burial sites by ensuring the preservation of sacred burial grounds, providing $20 million for a three year study of 25,000 California students to document best practices in English Learner education and passing legislation that established a Legislative Task Force on Diabetes and Obesity, to study the factors contributing to the high rates of diabetes and obesity especially among Latinos, African-Americans, Asian Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans in this country and recommend ways to address the problem.

    Rick Callender, President of the San Jose/Silicon Valley NAACP said, “Assemblymember Coto is truly committed to equality, fairness, social justice and civil rights. The civil rights movement is far from finished but Assemblymember Coto has clearly demonstrated that he understands that wide disparities still exist, and realizes until we address those disparities we will not have not achieved the perfect union that our forefathers had intended.”

    FREE "Healthy Living Fair" In East San Jose

    On Sunday, April 29, 2007, Congregation Shir Hadash, a reform Jewish synagogue in Los Gatos, is partnering with Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church to present a free Community Health Fair in East San Jose.

    The Health Fair has the goal of providing needed healthcare screening and information to a large, multi-ethnic, medically-underserved population. In addition to the local community, congregants of twenty PACT (People Acting in the Community Together) churches will be invited to the fair.

    April 29, 2007:
    Healthy Living Health Fair
    Most Holy Trinity Church
    2040 Nassau Drive, SJ
    8:30 am-2:00 pm.

    Become An Absentee Voter and Vote From Home

    Getting to the polls can be difficult for many reasons such as transportation, work, school, illness or disability. Voting absentee allows the convenience of using the postal service as a way to send your ballot rather than driving to the polls. Absentee voting also allows for more time to review the candidates and issues listed on the ballot at home and the option to vote early.

    An absentee ballot is a paper ballot, with the same candidates and measures on it as you would receive at your polling place on Election Day. The ballot is mailed to you with instructions on how to mark it and how to return it.

    Any California registered voter may vote by absentee ballot. You do not have to be "absent" or "out of town on election day" to vote by mail in California. You may vote an absentee ballot just because you want to.

    You must request an absentee ballot for each election unless you have permanent absentee voter status.

    Absentee Voting - As required by law, the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters provides voting materials in the following languages: English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese and Tagalog.

    To reach the Registrar of Voters bilingual staff for assistance, please call:

    Spanish: (408) 282-3095
    Vietnamese: (408) 282-3097
    Chinese: (408) 282-3086
    Tagalog: (408) 535-3916.

    Or call: (408) 299-VOTE [8683] or, toll free: (866) 430-VOTE [8683]

    Absentee Request Forms: Absentee ballots must be requested in writing at least seven days before an election

    Attachments:

    Absentee Application CH 030607
    Absentee Application ENG 030607
    Absentee Application PI 030607
    Absentee Application SP 030607
    Absentee Application VT 030607

    Permanent Absentee - Anyone may apply for permanent absentee voter status by checking a box and signing your name on an absentee ballot request form. You will automatically be mailed an absentee ballot for each election as long as you continue to vote. You will not need to request an absentee ballot for each election. If you fail to vote in a statewide election, your name will be deleted from the permanent absentee voter list and you will have to rerequest permanent absentee voter status. Failure to vote does not affect your registration status.

    Attachments:

    Permanent Absentee Application

    To learn more about absentee voting please visit http://www.sccgov.org/portal/site/rov/.

    April Events For the Family.

    Easter Movie
    It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown
    Willow Glen Funeral Chapel • 1039 Lincoln Ave • San Jose
    Time: 6:30pm - 7:00pm •
    Cost: Free • 408.295.6446
    Bring the kids to Downtown Willow Glen for some Easter-time fun! Join us Friday March 30, at 6:30 pm for our second Children's Cinema Event: It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown.
    Free movie. Free drinks. Free popcorn and snacks.
    And a special Easter surprise for everyone from the Easter Bunny himself!
    Co-sponsored by: Victoria's Dance - Theatrical Supply, 1331 Lincoln Ave., San Jose
    ArtHouse Kids
    Drop-in Saturdays
    1043 Lincoln Avenue, San Jose
    Time: 10:30am - 12:00pm • Cost: $20 • 408-975-9987
    On the first Saturday of every month for children ages 4-10
    Drop off your kids Saturday morning at the ArtHouse and stroll Downtown Willow Glen while your children have a blast making art! We'll present three different self-directed projects each time. Cost is $20 each child. Reservations are encouraged; please phone 408-975-9987 to reserve a spot.

    Free Egg Hunt at Tully Community Branch Library
    April 06, 2007 - 4pm
    880 Tully Road
    San Jose, CA 95111
    (408) 808-3030
    View Map
    Ages 5-10 are invited to try their luck at finding the prize egg

    Both Indoor and Outdoor - Easter Bunny at Oakridge Mall
    April 1st – April 17th
    925 Blossom Hill Road
    San Jose, CA 95123
    (408)-578-2910; Fax: (408) 578-1148
    View Map
    Mon-Sat: 11:00AM - 8:00PM; Sun: 11:00PM - 7:00PM.
    Ages: Infants (0-12 mo.), Toddlers (1-3), Pre-schoolers (3-4), Kindergarten (4-6), Elementary (6-8), Elementary+ (9-12), Teenagers (13+), All ages, Parents only
    Indoor, Bring the kids out for photos with the Easter Bunny in Macy's court!

    Easter Bunny at Valley Fair Mall
    April 1st – April 7th
    2855 Stevens Creek Blvd., Suite 2178
    Santa Clara, CA 95050
    (408) 248-4451; Fax: (408) 248-8614
    View Map
    Mon-Sat: 11:00AM - 8:00PM; Sun: 11:00PM - 7:00PM.
    Ages: Infants (0-12 mo.), Toddlers (1-3), Pre-schoolers (3-4), Kindergarten (4-6), Elementary (6-8), Elementary+ (9-12), Teenagers (13+), All ages, Parents only
    Indoor
    Bring the kids out for photos with the Easter Bunny. You can find him near the Concierge Center between MAC and Lancome Cosmetics.

    For more information on please contact:
    Assemblymember Joe Coto’s office
    State Capitol, Room 2013
    Sacramento, CA  95814
    916.319.2023 (phone)
    916.319.2123 (Fax)
    assemblymember.coto@assembly.ca.gov

    San Jose District Office
    100 Paseo de San Antonio #319
    San Jose, CA  95113
    408.277.1220 (phone)
    408.277.1036 (fax)