In recent weeks, Americans have witnessed the execution of Troy Davis in Georgia, the occupation of Wall Street and cities across the country, some of the most anti-immigrant legislation to date in Alabama , and  hopeful immigrant rights legislation in California for education access, changes to car impound policies, and recognition of the diversity of the Asian Pacific Islander community. At home in California, grassroots leaders across the state in multiple coalitions are engaging voters in critical policy campaigns and building momentum towards 2012, with some high profile local races including this November’s election to decide the next Mayor of San Francisco. At MIV, we launched our Take Back the American Dream Campaign with a six-region campaign to engage voters around a values message of reclaiming the promise of this country and uniting around tax and fiscal reform solutions. The preliminary results of our 2010 Treatment and Control Study are now available. We hope the following updates are useful to your work and look forward to future opportunities for collaboration.

California youth have helped advance immigrant justice once again with the historic passage of the California Dream Act, AB130 and AB131, which opens up access to state financial aid for undocumented students. With a January 2013 implementation date for the larger of the two bills… read more

In September, MIV launched our Take Back the American Dream Campaign led by grassroots immigrant organizations across the state to reclaim the values which have been hijacked by our opposition in order to advance a progressive statewide agenda.

For too long, progressives have lacked a compelling narrative that captures the hearts and minds of everyday people. Building on the work of Van Jones, MoveOn, Eric Liu, and Nick Hanauer, the MIV American Dream narrative starts with core values that the majority of our communities share rather than issues that have traditionally divided us, and seeks to speak to our communities, our histories, and our futures.

MIV is testing this narrative with a pilot voter engagement and media campaign that builds on the decades of expertise of our grassroots partners in engaging with our communities in Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Korean, and beyond.

To join in the MIV Take Back the American Dream Campaign, contact Martha Figueroa at martha@mivcalifornia.org To learn how to invest in the campaign, contact Executive Director, Aparna Shah, at aparna@mivcalifornia.org

In 2010, MIV partnered with Lisa Bryant of the University of New Mexico to do a treatment and control study of immigrant family voters in California. Select final results and analysis are now available, and a fuller report is forthcoming. Overall, Ms. Bryant shares that the “MIV campaign was very effective in turning out voters.” Read the full Summary Report .

Evaluation of social and racial justice organizing, voter mobilization and civic engagement is a growing field. While there are many expert evaluators, ultimately low-income immigrant communities and communities of color must be the thought-leaders and generators of cutting edge methods and indicators for evaluating our efforts. November is an excellent time of year to refine your plans for a thoughtful end-of-the-year evaluation and begin inserting clear evaluation indicators and methods into your 2012 work plan. The following are some excellent resources and tools that can support your planning and evaluation.

• The PILA-produced Mobilize the Immigrant Vote Toolkit
• The MIV MOVE Toolkit
• Movement Building Indicators by Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice: A cutting-edge tool that supports social justice organizations in their strategic thinking around planning and assessing their movement building work.
• Soon to be released! Transactions – Transformations – Translations: Metrics That Matter for Building, Scaling, and Funding Social Movements by the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity. Check out their website in the coming days to obtain a copy of this compelling report.
• Marking Progress: Movement Towards Racial Justice by Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equality

In 2012, California expects a series of ballot initiatives that will again have major impact on the state and have ripple effects across the country. Organizations across California are collaborating on how to move tax and fiscal reform measures through the ballot box. In this issue, we focus on the statewide efforts to repeal the death penalty in California. Read more

MIV is Growing!

MIV is thrilled to welcome long-time partner and ally, Chinese Progressive Association (CPA), to the MIV Statewide Strategy Council. Founded in 1972, the Chinese Progressive Association educates, organizes and empowers the low income and working class immigrant Chinese community in San Francisco to build collective power with other oppressed communities to demand better living and working conditions and justice for all people. We would also like to share the newest additions to MIV’s senior statewide staff team: Martha Figueroa, Political Director, and Rebecca Concepcion Apostol, Capacity Building Manager. Read more

Transitions are part of our work. This year, MIV’s founding organization, Partnership for Immigrant Leadership in Action (PILA), decided to close down as we know it, pass on their amazing programs to sister organizations, and transition the organization to MIV. In these ways, PILA’s work lives on through MIV and the other sister organizations who will be taking on their programs, INCITE and the Movement Strategy Center. Please join us in honoring the outstanding and impactful work of PILA over the years, with particular acknowledgement to all the staff and Board members over these years. Thank you, PILA.

In unity,

Mobilize the Immigrant Vote

In August of this year, a new network of long-time activists and new advocates, California Taxpayers for Justice, announced a November 2012 initiative to replace the death penalty with life in prison without the possibility of parole. They are calling their efforts the SAFE California campaign.

The SAFE California campaign reveals startling statistics about the injustice in convictions and the disproportionate impacts on families of color, including immigrant families. One study found that 2 out of 3 death penalty cases are reversed in California . Other statistics share that African Americans make up 41% of death row members, but only 12% of the population. In 2007, Latinos made up 50% of death penalty sentences, but only 37% of the population .

In Los Angeles in 2007, 50% of murder cases with white or Asian victims were solved, but only 35% of cases with Latino or African American victims were. As a recent article in Colorlines notes , the execution of Troy Davis, an African American man who hundreds of thousands across the world believed was likely innocent, has recruited millions of new people to the movement against the death penalty.

MIV will be sharing future information about this campaign in subsequent bulletins.

Signature gathering to qualify the SAFE CA Act for the November 2012 ballot has begun. For more information about the California campaign to end the death penalty, contact: Natasha Minsker, Campaign Manager, at Natasha@safecalifornia.org or Elvia Meza (ACLU-SC) at emeza@aclu-sc.org.

MIV is thrilled to welcome long-time partner and ally, Chinese Progressive Association (CPA), to the MIV Statewide Strategy Council. Founded in 1972, the Chinese Progressive Association educates, organizes and empowers the low income and working class immigrant Chinese community in San Francisco to build collective power with other oppressed communities to demand better living and working conditions and justice for all people. We would also like to share the newest additions to MIV’s senior statewide staff team: Martha Figueroa, Political Director, and Rebecca Concepcion Apostol, Capacity Building Manager.

Ms. Figueroa joined MIV from Brave New Films/Foundation, where she worked as the Communications Director. During her tenure, Brave New Films was featured regularly and prominently on national cable, online, and print outlets such as MSNBC, Huffington Post and Telemundo. Previously, Ms. Figueroa spent over six years in the labor movement. She worked for SEIU as the Southern California Political Coordinator/Assistant Director where she managed several statewide and local electoral campaigns, as well as in the capacity of Bilingual Communications Coordinator on several worker organizing campaigns. She is a graduate of the New School where she received her Master’s Degree in Public Policy.

Ms. Apostol hails from the world of stiff backs and old coffee, also known as the campaign life. Growing up in Sacramento, she became involved in electoral politics at the age of nine when she volunteered for her first campaign. After graduating Cum Laude from UCLA, she joined the leading political communications firm MSHC Partners, Inc. for the exciting 2008 election cycle. She has since worked on numerous campaigns throughout the state, completing her last cycle in March 2011. Ms. Apostol serves as the National Field Director for KAYA: Filipino Americans for Progress, working to move the Filipino community toward progressive change and helping train, support and elect leaders to fill the political pipeline.

California youth have helped advance immigrant justice once again with the historic passage of the California Dream Act, AB130 and AB131, which opens up access to state financial aid for undocumented students. With a January 2013 implementation date for the larger of the two bills, these laws will allow undocumented college students who are classified as AB540 (the bill that allows undocumented students to pay in-state tuition) to receive state-funded financial aid, including Cal Grants (a the UC and CSU level) and the Board of Governors Fee Waiver (at the Community College level). Qualified students must have attended California high schools for at least three years, graduated from a California high school, and filed for the AB540 Affidavit. It is estimated that 70% of those who will benefit from these laws will be legal permanent residents and naturalized citizens. This is the most generous state “Dream Act” that has been ever passed, and it was ten years in the making.

In-state tuition was won over 10 years ago with the leadership of mostly high school-aged students and the late Assemblymember Marco Firebaugh. After Assemblymember Firebaugh passed away in 2006, then Senator Gil Cedillo picked up the torch and worked diligently to ensure a victory. Bolstering the opportunities provided by AB540 and the California Dream Act, Assemblymember Ricardo Lara, a freshman and former Chief of Staff of the late Marco Firebaugh, introduced two bills that were also signed into law by Governor Brown. As of Janauary 1, 2012, AB844 states that any college student, regardless of her/his immigration status, will be allowed to serve in any capacity in student government and to receive any scholarship, fee waiver, or reimbursement for expenses incurred connected with that service, to the full extent consistent with existing law. As of January 1, 2012, AB176 states that test sponsors must provide an alternative method to prove her or his identity to a student who does not have a government-issued identification.

The California Dream Network, along with other advocates across the state, continues to organize to ensure that the California Dream Act comes into effect in 2013. Groups are developing plans to advise college campuses on how to implement the new law as well as strategizing to prevent the repeal of AB131 through a referendum lead by Assemblymember Tim Donnelly. Donnelly has until January 6 to collect over 500,000 signatures for the repeal to be placed on the ballot for the November 2012 election. Maryland passed its own version of the “Dream Act” earlier this year that would have granted undocumented students in-state tuition there, but opponents were able to get more than the 55,000 signatures needed in that state to take it to a statewide election in fewer than six weeks. They collected a total of 74,000 signatures.

In recent years, California has seen its share of ballot measures that seek to repeal laws passed by the legislature. It is a sad circumvention of democracy, as ballot measures often win based on infusions of corporate dollars and distorted facts rather than the true and informed will of the people. Immigrant leaders do not want to take any chances of diverting resources for proactive, pro-immigrant measures to deal with an anti-immigrant ballot attack. If you are interested in the efforts to protect the California Dream Act, please contact Joseph Villela at jvillela@chirla.org.

While we celebrate the victory of California Dream, we must also take action against the worst anti-immigrant law in the history of our country, signed into law in June 2011 and became law in September in Alabama. HB56 is an even greater violation of civil and human rights than the 2005 Sensenbrenner Bill, HR4437, and its purpose is to create a state of fear for all immigrants and people who “look like immigrants.” A lawsuit has been launched by a coalition of civil rights organizations, churches, and. most recently. by the federal government. While some provisions of the law have been enjoined for now, the litigation process has been mostly ineffective, with conservative judges leaving most of the provisions of HB56 in place. Among some of the provisions that are in effect:

• Law enforcement officers are authorized to check the immigration status of people they stop, detain, or arrest who they reasonably suspect are in the country unlawfully;
• The law requires people to prove their immigration status when they enter into a “business transaction” with the state of Alabama and makes it a felony for an unauthorized immigrant to enter into a “business transaction” with the state of Alabama. Business transactions include applying for a license plate, applying for or renewing a driver’s license, and applying for a business license;
• The law invalidates all contracts between an unauthorized immigrant and another person, except for one night’s lodging, food purchases, and medical services. Contracts include child support, rental, loan, and other agreements;
• The law requires law enforcement to transport those arrested for driving without a license
to the nearest magistrate and to check their immigration status.

Abuses against the civil rights of immigrants are not new in Alabama. In some counties, judges refuse to marry couples unless they can “show papers,” including a social security card, but there is no doubt that this is a worse attack on immigrant rights, even more regressive than SB1070 in Arizona. On a national level, defeating this law must become a priority. North Carolina and other states are considering copying this legislation since it has passed judicial tests. The impact on immigrant families is devastating. Thousands of children are missing from school, and those that are left are scared they will not see their parents when they come home from school each day. Women are afraid to go to prenatal visits, and even legal permanent residents are afraid of being profiled. Yet, there is hope across the state as black and white allies stand up against HB56. Students at Oakwood College, a traditionally Christian black college, did not know about the bill until the youth they serve in an afterschool program just stopped showing up. They organized a What About the Children demonstration in Montgomery, two hours away from campus, in order to lend their support to the community. White women whose husbands are immigrants are protesting the law. The Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice has enlisted national and other immigrant rights groups to help respond to this humanitarian crisis. Grassroots organizers from across the country, including MIV anchor organization CHIRLA, have gone to Alabama to support local efforts, provide Know Your Rights trainings, and help identify new leadership throughout the state.

Alabama and California are on opposite poles of the immigrant right struggle. The many victories in California serve as a light of hope for communities in Alabama as well as Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina. We must defend these victories here in California while taking swift and decisive action to support the movement for justice in Alabama and across the country.

San Bernardino, California

Her Story

Born in El Salvador, Gloria Zometa Clavel was active in community organizing and participated in the Civil War in El Salvador in the 1980s. At the time, she worked at a university and experienced her politicization through the organizing of students. She was forced to leave her country as a political refugee during that time.

“It was very difficult to leave my roots and come to the United States,” shares Ms. Zometa Clavel. “As an immigrant you arrive and are faced with a totally different reality. It was a complete change at a cultural, language and communal level. In the United States, there is much more emphasis on the individual. In El Salvador, the focus is on collective practices and sharing.”

Librería del PUEBLO was founded by several leaders in San Bernardino and the Inland Valley who began their organizing in the local diocese of the Catholic Church. One of their early activities was selling Bibles and books, which was how their name was born. In the beginning, they worked to provide English classes, immigration and naturalization services, and other resources for communities in rural and urban areas throughout the Inland Valley. The mission of Librería del PUEBLO is to organize low-income communities so that they can take critical leadership roles for historic change. Immigration reform, health care, state budget reform, and housing rights are top issues for the leaders and members of Librería del PUEBLO.

Leadership Development

“In El Salvador, I did not confront the same challenges to women’s leadership as I see in the United States, so I’ve had to work through those conditions here,” shares Ms. Zometa Clavel. “I think one of the most important things to consider for women’s leadership development is patience and to realize that leadership development is a process. We have to build on the life experiences that women have.”

“We must look at every component of organizing as an opportunity for education and community building,” says Ms. Zometa Clavel. “Somos una familia. Somos una escuela. We’re a family. We’re a school.”

Civic Engagement and Policy Change

“One of the most important factors to remember for women, children and policy change is the focus on the whole family in all its aspects,” states Ms. Zometa Clavel. Librería del PUEBLO is currently working with Mobilize the Immigrant Vote and allied organizations to build the capacity and infrastructure of individuals and institutions in San Bernardino to have more influence over the decisions impacting their lives. The local Mobilize the Immigrant Vote table is collaborating with Wellstone Action to train local leaders and develop a voter engagement field plan for fall 2011 and 2012.

Conclusion

In 2010, Libreria Del Pueblo played an important role in the 2010 Census Outreach, efforts to protect the state budget, and advance immigration reform. In 2011, Librería del PUEBLO continues their leadership role for a fair state budget with California Partnership (CAP) and to advance immigrant civic engagement in the Inland Valley with Mobilize the Immigrant Vote. Ms. Zometa Clavel states, “our focus for our civic and voter engagement work is to build a stronger power base in the City of San Bernardino. Towards that end, we need to build up the organized power and alliances in the entire county.”

For more information about Ms. Zometa Clavel and Librería del PUEBLO, contact: Gloria Zometa Clavel or Father Patricio Guillen, www.ldpcalpulli.org . Librería del PUEBLO is a partner with the Mobilize the Immigrant Vote Inland Valley/San Bernardino immigrant civic engagement table.

San Jose, California

Her Story

The child of immigrant parents from Durango and Guanajuato, Mexico, Patricia Diaz grew up in the small rural town of Soledad, California. She was raised in an environment full of rules and structures because they lived on an agricultural company ranch. In college, Ms. Diaz became engaged in the fight against Proposition 187, which sought to deny undocumented immigrants access to health care, education, and social services. This was a formative time for her and became a vehicle to leverage the experiences of her childhood into a trajectory of activism and leadership.

“After Proposition 187, we saw Proposition 227 and Proposition 209, which sought to eliminate bilingual education and affirmative action,” says Ms. Diaz, “I saw our state moving backwards rather than forwards. I had attended a K-8 school in a poor rural community with just 50 students, which taught me about the need for bilingual and quality education. Our school was always last in its scores, not because the students weren’t smart, but because of the lack of resources. Affirmative action helped open doors for me, and I felt a strong pull to take on these attacks on our communities and be a part of positive social change. I studied social work which was how I began to learn more about oppression. It was so powerful to understand the commonalities that women, people of color, and immigrants faced. In a social policy class, I saw the key role of public policy in affecting the options which poor and marginalized communities have access to. That was a turning point for me where I became clear on my life purpose – to improve the lives of poor communities and to ensure that poor and immigrant communities themselves take the lead in these changes.”

Today, Ms. Diaz is the Executive Director of Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network (SIREN) in San Jose. SIREN began as an ad-hoc coalition of immigrant rights activists and advocates in 1987 and has evolved to become one of the premiere immigrant rights organizations of Northern California with a leadership role in the California Immigrant Policy Center, the California Table of Reform Immigration for America, Mobilize the Immigrant Vote, and California Partnership. SIREN participates actively in regional and local networks affecting immigrants and refugees and is an emerging national leader promoting immigrant rights and services for immigrants. SIREN is unique among immigrant rights organizations in that it combines policy work, community organizing, and direct services.

Women’s Leadership Development

“If you have been marginalized in your life, it continues you with forever,” shares Ms. Diaz. “A critical step in leadership development in general and in the development of women’s leadership is to embrace the unique aspects you have as a leader and not to see your experiences and culture as a deficit. For example, I grew up in a home with no specific gender roles—everyone had to help, the children helped with cooking, cleaning and gardening; everyone had to contribute to sustain the whole. This experience of collaborative living has made a huge and positive impact on the leader I am today.”

“I have participated in the Ethnic Leadership Program of the Silicon Valley Council of Nonprofits,” says Ms. Diaz. “Through this program, I have embraced the qualities I have as an ethnic woman leader. Before that, I tried to fit myself in a traditional model of leadership in which the leader is at the center, talks a lot, dominates, makes all the decisions, and is usually a man. Through workshops with the Ethnic Leadership Program, I’ve identified key leadership qualities that I possess, that many women leaders possess, and that are critical to success: transparency, shared leadership, and recognition of team efforts—none of which are the traditional qualities of leadership in the male-dominated paradigm.”

“In thinking about women’s leadership development, it is essential to start with a good understanding of the upbringing of the women involved. What are their ethnic histories? How have these experiences influenced their leadership styles? What are the challenges they face? What are the qualities they already possess to overcome challenges?”

Civic Engagement and Policy Change

In analyzing federal immigration reform, Ms. Diaz points to the fundamental reality that today’s society is still not safe and secure for women and therefore must be taken into consideration at every level of policy development. Sexual exploitation, denial of reproductive rights, lack of structural support to embrace a women’s choice to have children, lack of childcare in workplaces, and domestic violence are all critical issues for women and their children. “With the California Immigrant Policy Center, we have been working for years, and with great success, to protect the rights of immigrants and immigrant women through statewide policy change. Another important consideration for federal immigration reform is the need to integrate jobs that have been traditionally filled by women. For example, most current temporary worker programs proposals focus on jobs that are generally filled by men rather than domestic work and other jobs often done by immigrant women.”

Conclusion

Ms. Diaz continues to lead SIREN along with a team of talented staff, grassroots leaders, and allied organizations. 2011 will be a key year to promote naturalization, continue to defend the rights of immigrants and marginalized communities in the California budget, and strengthen SIREN’s integrated voter engagement efforts.

For more information on Ms. Diaz and SIREN, contact: Patricia Diaz, patty@siren-bayarea.org, www.siren-bayarea.org . Ms. Diaz serves on the Statewide Steering Committee of Mobilize the Immigrant Vote.

Oakland, California

Her Story

At the age of 20, Nunu Kidane fled war and became a refugee. Her path took her from Ethiopia to Eritrea to Sudan to West Africa to Europe and finally to the United States. “Like a lot of refugees and immigrants,” says Ms. Kidane, “I always planned to return home. It was traumatic enough to leave my country, let alone to consider the idea of never returning. “

“When I came to the United States,” she continues, “I realized that there were many assumptions that were made about me, as an African, and about my race as a Black woman that I didn’t understand. There was very little knowledge of the issues in Africa. I felt I needed to play a role in changing the conversation about African immigrant and refugees and about Africa. In 2003, we founded the Priority Africa Network (PAN) to make ‘Africa a priority agenda’ – we sought to connect immigrant communities from different African countries with the urgent needs in Africa and to promote broader education about Africa within the United States.”

“Since our founding, we have sought to connect the African immigrant and refugee communities more directly with other immigrant communities, with the African American community, and with the broader efforts for civic engagement and social change. Four years ago, we started the African Diaspora Dialogues in which African immigrants engage with African American on issues of race, identity, culture and more. While these conversations are quite complex and long-term, they have been transformative for many of the participants.”

Women’s Leadership Development

The vast majority of the formal leadership of African immigrant and refugee organizations are men. Women play significant roles, but are often behind the scenes. “Young women’s leadership development in our communities is important,” says Ms. Kidane. “They have multiple identities – as immigrants, as Americans, young people, and as women.” Ms. Kidane shares that many young and older women leaders have a non-linear way of thinking that can be useful in strategies for building the power and identity of communities.

“It is PAN’s hope that we will have the resources to host a gathering specifically for African women leaders,” says Ms. Kidane. “Women are often more open to change, and we need separate spaces for women to come together.”

Civic Engagement and Policy Change

Comments Ms. Kidane, “It has been absolutely essential to connect broader civic engagement initiatives and public policy campaigns with the concrete needs of our communities, such as the education of immigrant children. At PAN, we talk about the fact that even though our communities care so much about education, very few parents sit on the local PTAs (Parent Teacher Associations). Our message is: ‘we know you care about your children’s schools, and you have a say in what happens there!’ ”

In May 2006, PAN convened a gathering of some 16 core African immigrant leaders to talk about immigrant rights and immigration reform. Many of the participants had misconceptions and believed that immigration policy had nothing to do with them, that it only had to do with Mexican immigrants who were crossing the Southern U.S.-Mexico border. “We have sought out concrete ways for African immigrants to engage in immigrant rights campaigns,” says Ms. Kidane. “For example, we succeeded in early 2010 in extending DED (Deferred Enforced Departure), similar to TPS (Temporary Protected Status), for 3,600 Liberians living in the United States through advocacy which resulted in an Executive Order by President Barack Obama. This has been a vehicle to engage our communities with their local Congressional representatives, City Council members, and School Boards and to talk about the many components of immigration reform.”

In thinking about the needs of immigrant women in regards to immigration reform, Ms. Kidane emphasizes the importance of advancing the needs of families. “The fear of attacks on undocumented immigrants is very real in our communities. We have women members who don’t leave their homes because they’re afraid they may not return. They see the contradictions of what they thought were values of democracy and freedom in this country with the current state of policies and it confounds them.”

Perhaps the most important point to remember when engaging African immigrant and refugee communities and women leaders is to create inclusive spaces through thoughtful planning, selection of images, language access, and more. “Media and community events for immigrants are often only in English and Spanish,” comments Ms. Kidane. “Our communities are receiving the message from multiple sources that the ‘immigrant’ identity does not include them, and we want to challenge that notion. For African immigrant and refugees, immigrant’ rights is also not only about their status as immigrants, but also about the history of racism and race in this country. It’s a journey for African immigrants to reflect on what it means to be Black in America.”

Conclusion

There is a real need to invest in capacity-building of African community organizations. These largely volunteer-run organizations can document all they are doing and become more integrated into the movement as agents of change. “If we want Africans, immigrants, and U.S.-born communities to forge a commonality, we must bring them together, and that requires resources,” comments Ms. Kidane. “The population size of African immigrants is growing. As the New York Times reported a few years ago, more Africans have come to America since 1970 than during the Trans Atlantic slave trade. Who is Black in America is changing, and we need to ensure that we are organizing our communities and ensuring that young and older African immigrant women are at the forefront of this change.”

For more information about Ms. Kidane and the Priority Africa Network (PAN), contact: Nunu Kidane, nunukidane@priorityafrica.org, www.priorityafrica.org . PAN is a partner organization with Mobilize the Immigrant Vote.

Data for California show that among the five most populous incorporated cities are Los Angeles, 3,792,621; San Jose, 945,942; and San Francisco, 805,235. Los Angeles grew by 2.6% since the 2000 Census, San Jose grew by 5.7%, and San Francisco grew by 3.7%.

Since 2000, some of the largest counties include Los Angeles with a population growth of 3.1%, San Diego (increase of 10.0%), Orange (increase of 5.8%), Riverside (increase of 41.7%), and San Bernardino (increase of 19.1%).

Among these counties, immigrant populations are among the state’s fastest growing communities. The Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) population grew significantly, representing 33.6% growth in the last decade. The Hispanic or Latino population has grown from 10,966,556 to 14,013,719, representing 27.8% growth. In comparison, the state’s overall population grew to approximately 37 million in 2010, representing 10.0% growth.

Taking into account population shifts since the 2000 Census, this information is being used in the redistricting process. A powerful new Commission, established by the passage of Proposition 11 in 2008, will determine California’s new Congressional, Assembly, State Senate, and Board of Equalization districts. California’s new 14-member Citizens Redistricting Commission is tasked with redrawing these boundaries.

This represents a historic shift in how voting districts will be determined and implemented in one of the country’s diverse states. The growth and size of immigrant populations in several areas of the state underscore the need for the Commission to consider the priorities of these diverse communities. A major consideration of the Commission will be determined by “communities of interest.” A community of interest is a population that shares common social and economic interests that should be kept together in order for the population’s interests to be fairly and effectively represented. If divided, the community’s representation would be ineffective because it would be required to appeal to two or more elected officials. Many different types of communities can make up a community of interest, such as an immigrant community with shared language-access needs or a low-income neighborhood with specific educational needs.

Communities of interest are not generally labeled on maps, which is why it is crucial that local community members come forward to educate the commission. Without public input, the commission is unlikely to know whether a specific community of interest exists and even more unlikely to know the geographic parameters of the community of interest.

To learn more about the importance of the Commission, read an opinion editorial in the Sacramento Bee by Angelica Salas, board chair of the Californians for Humane Immigrant Rights Leadership and Action Fund (CHIRLA).

For more information on the Citizen’s Redistricting Commission, visit wedrawthelines.ca.gov . Commissioner biographies can be found here .

Key Dates

• First round of public input hearings: April 9 to May 23
• Commission releases first draft of its maps: June 10
• Second round of public input hearings: June 16 to June 28
• Commission releases second draft of its maps: July 7
• Third round of public input hearings: July 13 to July 20
• Commission releases final draft of its maps: July 28
• Deadline for commission to adopt maps: August 15

Resources:

• Commission’s guide to participating in public hearings
• List of public interest organizations helping members of the public get involved in redistricting
• Advancement Project’s online mapping platform —
• Redistricting manual published by Asian American Justice Center, MALDEF, and NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
• Redistricting guide published by California Common Cause

This article was written with the generous support of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, lead anchor organization of the Coalition of Asian Pacific Americans for Fair Redistricting (CAPAFR).

In March, the Governor signed a budget that made $12 billion dollars in cuts with $6 billion directly cut from vital health and human service programs like CalWORKs, Medi-Cal, and Healthy Families. With nearly $15 billion dollars left to address, the Governor engaged in negotiations with legislators to include much-needed revenue. In response, they asked for a pet-project list of 53 demands. At that point negotiations stalled as two Republicans from both the Assembly and the Senate were needed to put the Governor’s revenue package on a June ballot.

On May 16, Governor Brown released his May Revise Proposal for the state budget. The Governor has maintained his call for additional revenues to pay off some of the state’s structural debt and bridge the state’s remaining $9.6 billion dollar deficit. In this proposal, he eliminates 43 boards and commissions, realigns management of some programs, and modified some of his original revenue proposals. The major health service shift proposed by the Governor involves moving children enrolled in Healthy Families into Medi-Cal (under the Department of Health Care Services). This would result in the elimination of MRMIB (the Major Risk Medical Insurance Board), which currently administers Healthy Families.

Governor Brown continues to propose the extension of existing revenue streams that would help stabilize and secure programs serving California’s hard-working families to the Legislature. California needs these revenues to close the budget gap. Without a 2/3 vote to support extending existing revenue streams, the other option – an all-cuts budget that eliminates vital services – would harm all Californians. Legislators must face the reality of our budget crisis and demonstrate conscientious efforts to build a pathway to prosperity for California.

While the state’s immigrant specific programs were spared in this year’s May Revise, of particular concern to immigrant families are the cuts that were made to the state’s CalWORKs program back in March. The approximately $1 billion in budget cuts to the program included terminating aid to parents on CalWORKs after 48 months instead of the existing 60 month policy, reducing the maximum grants given to CalWORKs beneficiaries by 8%, and reducing aid to child only cases by 5% after five years (and by an additional 5% after six and after seven years). The cuts in aid to child only cases particularly impact children living in immigrant households. Testimony by advocates in Sacramento and beneficiaries of these vital services prompted the Assembly Budget Sub-Committee on Health and Human Services on May 24th to vote to repeal the 5% grant reductions that were scheduled to go into effect this July.

California needs revenues to close the budget gap to prevent more Californians, regardless of their ethnic, linguistic, or national origins, from falling through the cracks. With so much at stake, legislative leaders must extend current tax rates before they expire. Communities across the state are continuing their demand for a state budget that reflects its investment in the most vulnerable communities and the successful programs that advance California’s future for all of us. To get involved, please contact Astrid Campos, California Partnership Organizer, at (213)385-8018 or by email at acampos@communitychange.org

For more information, click here .

This article was written with the generous support of the California Immigrant Policy Center and by MIV partner organization, California Partnership.

Job Announcement – Open May 10, 2011
Start date June 2011 (open until Filled)

Mobilize the Immigrant Vote (MIV) is a non-partisan California coalition of organizations based in immigrant communities that work to advance the broader movement for social change by building immigrant voting power. MIV strategies include building the capacity of community-based organizations working with low-income immigrant communities of color to educate and mobilize their constituents to vote; linking these efforts with ongoing community work; shaping the debate on immigrant civic participation; and developing models for collaboration. MIV launched its work in 2004 as the first-ever multi-ethnic, immigrant-based coalition building the electoral capacity of community-based organizations in California.

Capacity Building Program Manager
To increase our impact in the next dynamic phase of immigrant empowerment, MIV is growing our staff and offering more technical support to our partners. We currently have an opening for a full-time Capacity Building Program Manager. This position will focus on supporting MIV partners to participate in MIV campaigns and to build partners’ capacity for civic engagement efforts in communities across California. Join our team!

Key Areas of Responsibility:

1) Assessment and Program Planning (15%)
Lead ongoing assessment of capacity of MIV partner organizations including working independently and with experts to collect and analyze data. Projects include developing assessment surveys; coordinating with partners to assess needs and opportunities, generate reports, etc.

2) Capacity Building and Training Program (70%)
Base on capacity needs assessment, develop and implement MIV’s capacity building program for 5-12 MIV core partners. Capacity Building programs include trainings and tailored technical support provided by MIV staff and partners. The Capacity Building Manager ensures that partners set and meet clear benchmarks and supports growth goals for each partner.

Duties include:

• Develop annual training program in 4-6 MIV regions, with experts such as Wellstone Action
• Coordinate statewide capacity building team with partners to implement program
• Work independently and with experts to develop a statewide leadership development program for grassroots members and leaders tailored to the unique circumstances and needs of each individual region
• Provide TA and individual coaching for core leaders, drawing on experts as appropriate
• Support partners to create and maintain technology & data systems for their electoral and civic engagement work
• Connect partner organizations to other resources and support as needed
• Develop the capacity of partner organizations to fundraise for electoral work
• Lead logistics for training programs

3) Other Responsibilities (15%)

• Catalogue and disseminate tools and manuals as needed
• Document, track, and evaluate the capacity growth of partner organizations
• Support other MIV projects as time permits, including leading logistics for quarterly MIV Statewide Strategy Council meetings

Required Experience and Qualifications

• At least 3 years experience in training/coaching, team building, curriculum development, meeting facilitation, community outreach, and developing organizational systems.
• Strategic thinker with ability to take initiative in driving strategies and overcoming obstacles. Problem solver and risk taker.
• Experience and commitment to working with low-income immigrant communities of color and on immigrant issues.
• Excellent skills in working with diverse individual and organizational cultures, political analysis and strategy, research, writing and public speaking.
• Roots in community organizing, grassroots electoral campaigns and coalition building a plus.
• Familiarity with database and/or communications strategies preferred.
• Willingness to travel frequently, within California and nationally.
• Bilingual or multilingual language skills preferred.

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive salary DOE and generous benefits package.
• Excellent working environment that encourages teamwork and values high-quality work.
• Preference given to applications received by May 20.

To apply, please email cover letter, resume, 3 references and a brief writing sample to:
Search committee at jobs@mivcalifornia.org .
Applications encouraged immediately.
Please send documents in MS Word or pdf.

MIV IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

See MIV at mivcalifornia.org/