Free Coto Passes for 3rd Annual Healthy Children's Day - September 8, 2007

The event is designed to promote healthy living habits, literacy, and child safety. The Coto office would like to thank our sponsors: The Children's Discovery Museum of San José, United Latinos Vote, Wells Fargo, Garden City Sanitation, PhRMA, and Comcast. Additional partners include: Community Health Partnership, Child Quest International, Sportsbasement, Devil Valley College, Mt. Diablo Dental Hygiene Association, Central YMCA, Kaiser Permanente, San José Giants, California Optometric Association, and Children's Health Initiative.

The Children's Discovery Museum of San José has agreed to admit up to 5 members per family if they have a Coto pass. The passes are being mailed to residents with children in the 23rd Assembly District. In addition to the exciting programs offered by the Children's Discovery Museum, there will be a variety of agencies providing services and information to families on health related issues, literacy and child safety.

Please note: Child Quest International will be providing free fingerprinting for children with their parents/guardians. They do not "register" children when they are fingerprinted. Child Quest does not keep/register/store any of the "fingerprint data." All "fingerprint data" is given back to the parents/guardians upon completion. In addition to fingerprinting, Child Quest will have assorted safety information and tips (videos, brochures, safety tip sheets, etc.) and showcase some of their more successful prevention education programs offered to the community. For more information, visit: www.childquest.org

WHEN: Saturday, September 8, 2007 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
WHERE: Children's Discovery Museum of San José, 180 Woz Way, San Jose, CA.

Bold Initiative Benefiting Franklin-McKinley Moves through Legislature

This ambitious idea is a part of the plan developed collaboratively by a team representing Franklin-McKinley's entire community. The team included teachers, parents, district leaders, school principals, government officials, business leaders and community groups. Focus groups and interviews with district students indicated that they value passage of the CAHSEE more than any other academic assessment they are required to take in school. The District has also long felt that math instruction and math achievement is strength of the district and one which can be built upon. Success in this effort will help all in Franklin-McKinley schools believe more deeply in themselves and their abilities.

Franklin-McKinley student achievement has grown steadily since the onset of STAR, CAHSEE and the state-wide testing and accountability programs. Yet, the school district and community are convinced that growth can be significantly greater. The 8th grade math CAHSEE initiative is an innovative local strategy which can serve English Learners, reinvigorate students and teachers with a sense of forward moving accomplishment, raise the expectations for all students, keep students in school, help to build a high quality work force, and demonstrate what can be achieved when a community comes together in thoughtful shared commitment.

AB 144 should be sent to the Governor for signature in the next few weeks. "I commend the Franklin-McKinley School District, the community and Superintendent for taking this bold step to raise the bar significantly for their students," said Mr. Coto.

Coto Meets with Representative of Vietnamese Community Organization

All of the representatives provided Mr. Coto with information about their organization, described the services they offer and outlined the type of support that would further benefit the community. The type of support requested includes:

• To assist in the dissemination of information about the services that are available
• To help engage more Vietnamese young people in the legislative process
• To advocate for diversity in all professions but especially in health professions
• To establish regular meetings for the organizations that provide services to the Vietnamese community so they can share information and resources

Assemblymember Coto plans to meet with these representatives regularly to support them in their efforts. He hope to provide an opportunity for the organizations to work together and find common areas in which they can assist each other with on going needs and issues.

NBC11/ Telemundo 48 Highlight Ways to Stay Healthy

NBC11 and Telemundo 48 will be holding the Living Well 2007 Expo on September 8-9, 2007 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center from 10am-5pm. This expo is free to the public.

The event was organized to show people about the fun and exciting ways there are to stay healthy and fit. Everyone attending this event will be able to enjoy a huge variety of activities including interactive presentations, cooking demonstrations, scuba diving, health tests and screenings and rock climbing.

Sponsors of this event consist of Glaxo Smith Kline, Good Neighbor Pharmacy, Safeway, California AAA, Washington Hospital, and Macy's. For more information please contact Meredith Smith at (408) 432-4318 or e-mail her at meredith.smith1@nbcuni.com.

One of the Largest Mariachi Festivals is Coming to San José

The Feria de Mariachi will take place at Arena Green Park, San Jose (adjacent to the HP Pavilion). This two day outdoor music and community festival will have three stages of music and dance, food, drinks, and family activities. Saturday, they will showcase other genres of Latin music and Sunday will feature traditional Mariachi. Admission for the Feria de Mariachi is $5 per day and can be purchased on site.

For more information, visit: http://mhcviva.org/education/mariachi_festival.html or call: (408) 928-5500.

Celebrate Mid-Autumn Moon Festiva

The festival is originally thought to have come about as a way for parents to make up lost time with their children after the harvest season. The harvest season was typically done by September when the parents were anxious to spend time with their children as well as celebrate the harvest. This year, the Children Moon Festival (Tet Trung Thu) will be held at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, September 22nd, 2007 from 12:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.

Take Control of Your Diabetes Conference & Health Fair

The TCOYD Conference is designed to educate and motivate people with diabetes or help them work with other family members who have the disease. The conference explains step by step how to take a more active role as a diabetic in order to live a healthier and productive lifestyle. Top physicians, diabetes nurse educators, dietitians, food specialists are available to help participants improve their health and/or answer specific questions. TCOYD is working in association with Health Trust, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente and Diabetes Coalition of Santa Clara County. Registration is $35 per person and it includes lunch.

For more information:
Call TCOYD office: (800) 998-2693
Visit: http://www.tcoyd.org/05/conferences.shtml

Take Steps to Keep your Family Healthy
Fresh Produce: Safe Handling Tips for Consumers

Buying

You can buy locally grown produce instead of going to the supermarket. Studies show that locally grown produce is less likely to be susceptible to harmful contamination and since it has been picked a short time before it is sold it is also more nutritional. At the store, do not purchase bruised or damaged produce, bacteria enters through those areas. Make sure you only buy fresh-cut produce that is refrigerated or iced.

Store cold items below 40 °F; hot foods above 140°F. Remember not to leave food sitting out for hours at a time. To decrease the time microorganisms have to multiply all fresh produce should be refrigerated within two hours of peeling, cutting, or cooking.

Preparation

Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds before and after handling fresh produce. Use cool tap water to wash your fruits and vegetables before preparing. Sanitize utensils and cutting boards before using them.

Separate all fresh produce from raw meat, poultry and fish. This step is essential in avoiding cross contamination.

Information obtained from Consumers Union and University of Florida, for more information visit:

http://www.consumersunion.org/pub/core_food_safety/002283.html or

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/FY/FY48100.pdf.

September Community Events

September 8, 2007- Healthy Children's Day
Bring your children to the Discovery Museum to enjoy a day of fun activities! This year Kaiser Permanente, Children's Health Initiative, Sportsbasement, ICAN, The California Optometric Association, DVC Dental Hygiene, and the San Jose Giants will also join in the festivities offering free services and give-aways. It will be held from 11am-3pm. For more information please contact the Office of Assemblymember Joe Coto at (408) 277-1220.

September 8-9, 2007- NBC11/ Telemundo 48 Living Well 2007
This event will be held at the San José McEnery Convention Center from 10am-5pm. There will be scuba diving, cooking demonstrations, health tests and screenings and much more! For more information please contact Meredith Smith at (408) 432-4318 or e-mail her at meredith.smith1@nbcuni.com.

September 14, 2007- Friday Fun: Heritage Crafts
Get an early start on celebrating the Independence Day of Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua with these fun crafts projects. This is a free program suitable for all ages. This event will be located in the Exploration room at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library and will be held from 3pm-4pm. For more information please call (408) 808-2183 or visit http://sjlibrary.org/about/locations/king/events.htm.

September 15, 2007- Taking Control of Your Diabetes
A day to educate & motivate people with diabetes and their loved ones, to take a more active role in their condition, in order to live healthier, happier lives. It will be held at the Santa Clara Convention Center from 8:30am-5pm. For more information visit www.tcoyd.org.

September 22, 2007 - American Indian Heritage Celebration
A sharing of Culture & Tradition, offering art, music, crafts, food and health fair 10am - 6pm at the National Hispanic University, 4271 Story Rd., San Jose, CA, For info call: Vernon Medicine Cloud—(408) 445-3400 or email: vmcloud@ihcscv.org

September 26-30, 2007- 16th Annual San José International Mariachi Festival
The Festival includes workshops, conferences, and various concerts on different days. There will also be a two day outdoor festival on the 29th and 30th which takes place at Arena Green in San José, CA. Visit http://mhcviva.org/education/mariachi_festival.html for more information.

September 29, 2007- Dance on The Alameda
The event will be an incredible cultural and colorful event that you won't want to miss, offering a variety of dancers including Flamenco, Philippine and Indian. The times for this event will be from 8:30am-12:30pm. Location of this event will be on the Corner of The Alameda with Hanchett Ave. 1343 The Alameda, San José, CA. For more information please call (408) 795-1860 or visit the website at www.the-alameda.com/events.html.

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)