Monthly Archives: June 2010

Woodfill and GOP: Faux Love of Latinos While Hating on Latinos

Posted on June 29, 2010 | Comments Off

One thing that was quite obvious at last week’s Texas Democratic Convention was the diversity of the Democratic Party. And one positive aspect that showed the diversity of Latinos in the Party was the fact that there were three different Latino-oriented caucuses which then would meet as one official caucus in a show of unity for our candidates and our platform.

Bottom line:  The Democrats are diverse and the recently approved Democratic Platform is one based on progress, rather than backwards thinking (like the GOPs).

So, when the TDP sent out a list of quotes from a notable and diverse set of Democrats, Harris County GOP Chair Woodfill wasted no time in attacking the diversity of the Democrats by promoting a political agenda that Latinos and other people of color simply would never support.

“At their convention, Republicans followed up their purging of Hispanic candidates in March’s Primary with an emphatic message of hate and division to the Hispanic community,” said State Representative Jessica Farrar, Chair of the House Democratic Caucus. “While the Democratic convention is focusing on the excitement around the Bill White campaign and hearing the concerns of all citizens, Republicans mainly used their convention to identify Texans they view as undesirable and laying out the steps that can be taken to block their path to prosperity.”

We take exception to Jessica Farrar’s comments, which completely misconstrued the business of the Republican Convention recently held in Dallas, TX.  As usual, Farrar’s tired rhetoric was meant to confuse and obfuscate Republican advocacy for border security, responsible immigration process, and the rule of law.

Actually, I think Rep. Farrar hit the Republican platform and record spot-on. Woodfill’s Republicans want to criminalize immigrants, racially profile Latinos, continue starving public and higher education which have growing numbers of Latino students, and continue the divisive politics as usual that has driven the Texas economy and its education system into an abyss that only Democratic policies can save. The Republicans have nothing to offer Texas, except window dressing. And to Latinos, they offer a “conservative like me” hand-shake with a knife in the back to follow on policies that best benefit Latinos and all Texans.

The rest of Woodfill’s e-mail is a right-wing attack on Farrar with a money-demand for her opponent. Now, I know Rep. Farrar and she happens to be a good representative for her constituents and a tireless fighter in Austin for the issues that matter to the vast majority of Texans.  She does not run from her record, nor does she promote an agenda that would set Texas back over half-a-century.

Woodfill and the GOP on the other hand, they need to come up with something better than their “we think just like you Hispanics” tag line which has continuously failed, given their continual support of racist and anti-Latino laws.

List of TDP Official Quotes on Diversity Below the fold.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Bigots and Liars, DREAM Act, Immigration, LatinoVote '10, TDP Convention 2010, Texas Dems 2010, Texas Lege, U.S. Ethnic Relations

Texas Dems’ Immigration Plank

Posted on June 27, 2010 | 2 Comments

The Texas Democratic Party’s duly elected delegates to the state convention approved a comprehensive platform for the party.  The plank I was most interested in was the one on immigration.  Would the TDP be the opposite of the Republicans, or would they avoid–as had been done during some, if not most, of the speeches from candidates and leaders. Here’s the result:

The Texas Democratic Party recognizes that we are a nation of immigrants. Here in Texas, we honor those immigrants, their children and their grandchildren, who fought and died to protect our freedom and earn the blessings of liberty for themselves and all Americans.

Today, immigrants come to our country from all areas of the world. Some come legally and many come without documentation, but almost all are driven by economic necessity. Texas Democrats recognize that a workable immigration policy requires a no-nonsense solution instead of proposals that serve only as political props and wedge issues designed to incite fear for partisan gain. For years, the politics of division has prevailed and the federal government has failed to do its job. A clear and uniformly enforced federal immigration policy is long overdue. The fundamental tenets of a comprehensive immigration policy require an aggressive yet practical approach, including measures that would:

  • secure all our borders, including the allocation and use of sufficient resources to equip and maintain a well-trained Border Patrol with the manpower needed to effectively police our borders;
  • enforce existing immigration laws;
  • eliminate bureaucratic logjams that delay and frustrate those who attempt to follow the rules to become citizens;
  • emphasize economic security and development on both sides of the border;
  • continue the United States’ constitutional provision making all persons born in this country citizens of this country;
  • provide for strict enforcement, appropriate punishment and economic sanctions against those who profit by hiring undocumented workers; and
  • establish a path to citizenship for those who meet qualifications and seek to become part of our national community.

Texas Democrats also realize that politicians who pander politically with foolish, shortsighted and wasteful proposals are not offering solutions. Texas will not become Arizona, and we strongly oppose:

  • any law that would, through its enforcement, result in discrimination; intimidation or victimization of citizens based on their race, ethnicity or appearance;
  • any law that would force law enforcement agencies to divert limited resources and manpower from their primary duty to protect citizens and prevent crime in order to enforce immigration policy that is the responsibility of the federal government;
  • any law that would prohibit ethnic studies classes;
  • any law that could make it more difficult for a qualified citizen to exercise the right to vote;
  • any effort to expand the existing border fence without regard to the border economy, environmental impact or property rights;
  • wasteful efforts like Governor Perry’s “virtual wall” of border cameras that resulted in only a handful of apprehensions at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars per arrest; and
  • measures that attempt to improperly limit the constitutional requirement to provide for the health, education, and safety needs of individuals and communities.

Ultimately, the best interest of the United States requires us to help our neighboring countries develop their economies and create better paying jobs for workers in those countries to make the lure of a better paying job in the U.S. less attractive. We believe it is the height of hypocrisy for Republicans who consistently support outsourcing jobs to cheap labor markets overseas to claim they are “protecting American jobs” with extreme immigration proposals.

First, let’s start with “securing the border.” It has become obvious that the Obama Administration has been doing more on the enforcement side than the Bush Administration ever talked about; in fact, it has continued a policy of family separation, deportation and detention of people who may one day qualify for the path to legalization, and other innocent people (DREAM Act future beneficiaries).

A commitment to supporting ridding ICE and CIS of the “logjams” that place families at the back of line that does not move is a welcome pronouncement. And the vast majority of the plank is positive and supportive of policies that would make for an effective comprehensive immigration reform plan.

Although the Higher Education plank includes a supportive statement for the “Texas DREAM Act,” the in-state tuition for undocumented students law which then State-Rep. Rick Noriega put in place, a supportive statement of the DREAM Act from the national scale, which provides for a path to status for children of immigrants brought here by their parents, is missing. The DREAM Act movement is one that is not stalled at the moment, and deserves a push.

One other statement that I believe should have been included was one which favors the Uniting American Families Act. Not only does this Act further emphasize that comprehensive immigration reform is more about family unity and valuing famlies, it also shows a growing unity with other constituencies; in this case, the LGBT community.

Ultimately, this is definitely the strongest statement put forth by the Democratic Party in a long time. Instead of running away from Arizona and the Berman/Riddle threats to the Latino community, they took them on in this document.

The important thing is that our candidates (from the state house to the court house) follow it and promote it when asked about it and are out campaigning.

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Posted in Chicano Politics, DREAM Act, Immigration, LatinoVote '10, TDP Convention 2010, Texas Dems 2010, Texas Lege, U.S. Ethnic Relations, Violence Against Latinos

Tiny, Booming Voiced Candidate Takes the Stage at TDP

Posted on June 26, 2010 | 2 Comments

Linda Chavez-Thompson announces, “I am the next Lt. Governor of the State of Texas.

“We are not apologizing for being Democrats and fighting for working families…”

“A balanced budget doesn’t mean that you’ve taken care of our school, or children…”

“You know how many zeroes in $19,000,000,000?  11 including Perry and Dewhurst.”

“Well Perry has had 10 years in office and Dewhurst 8.  If the boys aren’t prepared to muscle up then it’s time they step aside.”

But dropouts are just a symptom of a larger broken system — a system that has already failed our children before they’ve even entered the first grade.  Parenting Magazine, recently spelled out the epidemic that is the early literacy crisis:

“While a child growing up in a middle class neighborhood will own an average of 13 books at any given time, low-income communities average about one book for every 300 children.”

In the face of such a daunting crisis, what does the Republican Party offer?  A platform that calls for abolishing federally sponsored pre-kindergarten classes.

They just don’t get it.

“I realize us Texans are known for our big talk.  But the outside world needs to know there is some truth to the Texas myth.  Because when you’re born in the Lone Star State, you just grow up believing the sky is the limit.  It’s true for this daughter of a cotton sharecropper.  And in today’s economy, it can still hold true for any Texas child with a book in their hand.

“But at the recent Republican Party Convention, the same Rick Perry who has trouble counting dropouts made a bold statement that just knocked my socks off.  He said, and I quote, “This is the home of a Hispanic in America:  The Republican Party.”

Listen, any home that neglects children like the Republican Party of Texas should be reported to Child Protective Services.

So what is their grand scheme to get the Latino vote?

According to the Dallas Morning News:
•    Perry hired a Spanish speaking Press Secretary
•    He launched a Spanish language web and twitter site
•    And he hired a Hispanic ad agency that sells beer and Domino’s pizza.

Por favor!

To paraphrase my good friend Jim Hightower, you can stuff a jalapeño in a pig but that doesn’t make it chorizo.

Now we must follow in Bill White’s example.

It’s up to you and me to lift the aspirations of those who have given up hope … it’s up to you and me to lift our economy by electing leaders up and down the ballot who will invest in education … and it’s up to you and me to lift up our hearts and send a message loud and clear that we will not stand for the neglect of any child.

Nosotros tenemos la responsibilidad de luchar por nuestros hijos y nuestros nietos.    Y como Demócratas, no olvidamos nuestros responsibilidades.

We have enough challenges, and 11 zeroes is two zeroes too many.

We win when we lift up our voices.  So make sure they hear you.  Are you ready to go to work?  Are you ready to win?  I am. Thank you and God bless.  Muchisimas gracias y que dios les bendiga.

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Posted in LatinoVote '10, National Democrats, TDP Convention 2010, Texas Dems 2010

Bill White’s Speech to TDP Delegates

Posted on June 26, 2010 | Comments Off

Democrat for Governor, Bill White, energized a crowd of Democrats with a speech that had familiar themes expected from  your usual Democratic convention.

We all believe that Texans need more jobs, with real futures.

We all understand that Texans work hard to create a better life for our children.

And we all know that Texans are ready for a new governor!

We gather in Corpus today because we share common values:

We believe in freedom and diversity, but we understand that real leadership unites us.

We take pride in our state’s heritage, but we understand that we have come a long way in breaking down barriers and our greatest days can be ahead of us.

White wasted no time in going after his opponent Rick Perry, also using one all too familiar theme of late.

We learn that Perry charges taxpayers for a $10,000 a month rented mansion, larger than anything used by prior governors, with chefs and a subscription to Food & Wine magazine.

[...]

We know that Rick Perry accepted more federal stimulus dollars than any Governor except those in California and New York. In fact, federal dollars have been the fastest growing source of state funding since he has been governor. Yet now we hear that he is writing a book on state’s rights, called “Fed Up.” How does he have time to write a book when hehasn’t even written a state budget that adds up? Simple: part-time Perry is in it for himself.

And then he went for the heart-strings of all of the folks with working class backgrounds.

I learned the value of service from my parents, life-long educators. My dad held down two jobs for most of the time I was growing up. My brother and I learned hard work, faith, and the value of education. En San Antoniocreemos que todos merecen respecto . We were taught that life is about what you give, not what you take; it’s about preparing for the future– leaving our community, our state, our nation, better than we found it.

I used this background to build great businesses, to create jobs, to balance budgets and meet payrolls.

And then his record.

These values and skills served me well as mayor of our largest city. We cut crime rates, expanded parks and health clinics, cleaned the air, brought dropouts back to school, and improved services for veterans. We did so while building surpluses and cutting property tax rates for five straight years.

Because I’m in it for Texas we’ll do the hard work Rick Perry has never done: we’ll prepare Texas for a better future. That means moving forward–not standing still–on education and job training.

Missing from the speech has been one theme which would energize the vast Latino electorate from which Democrats are seeking votes–immigration and the Arizona law. Perhaps a defense of Texans targeted by such a law. Perhaps even a call to Washington for Comprehensive Immigration Reform and the DREAM Act. But it didn’t happen in this speech.

One of the themes at the Convention has been the need to increase Latino participation in November, of which I will be writing more in a later post. I’m hoping there are stronger messages from the speakers on Saturday, because thus far, the strongest message has been from the hundreds of “Do I Look Illegal?” buttons that En Contacto Communications has been handing out to delegates.

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Posted in Chicano Politics, DREAM Act, Immigration, LatinoVote '10, TDP Convention 2010, Texas Dems 2010

DC is Corpus-Bound–Texas Dem Convention

Posted on June 24, 2010 | Comments Off

DosCentavos.net will be covering the Texas Democratic Convention this week, beginning Thursday and ending Saturday.

Follow us here on the blog, or on Twitter, or even on Facebook.

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Posted in LatinoVote '10, TDP Convention 2010, Texas Dems 2010

Arizona May Affect GOP…In Texas

Posted on June 23, 2010 | 1 Comment

That’s right, according to the same recent polling conducted by Public Policy Polling which has the Governor’s race in a tie (see Kuff), the Arizona law has incensed Latino voters enough to continue abandoning the GOP, according to Reform Immigration For America. (Emphases mine, mostly)

Washington D.C. – Last week, at the Texas Republican state convention, red meat Republican activists adopted a hard line approach to immigration that even Republican Governor Rick Perry has said isn’t right for Texas. The Republican Party platform is a blueprint of the policies that GOP activists want elected officials to pursue. Attendees voted to include a plank for a state law that would ban illegal immigrants from “intentionally” or “knowingly” living in Texas. Like Arizona’s harsh immigration law, the Texas GOP proposal would require local law enforcement to verify legal residency when making arrests. Governor Perry said that Arizona’s approach would unfairly burden local Texas law enforcement.

Just like Arizona’s failed policy, the Texas GOP blueprint will not solve our broken immigration system and none of them will remove the incentives that fuel illegal immigration. What these proposals are sure to do, however, is drive Latino voters to the Democratic Party. According to data released this week by Public Policy Polling, GOP candidates are suffering a backlash as a result of the passage and advocacy of Arizona’s anti-immigrant law. According to the polling:

“Our poll of the Texas Governor’s race this week is another data point indicating possible backlash for Republican candidates this fall in the wake of the Arizona immigration law.  When we polled the race in Februrary Rick Perry led Bill White by 6 points. The race is tied now, and the movement since the previous poll has come completely with Hispanic voters. With white voters Perry led 54-35 then and leads 55-35 now. With black voters White led 81-12 then and leads 70-7 now. But with Hispanics Perry has gone from leading 53-41 in February to now trailing 55-21. And it’s not that the sample of Hispanic voters we interviewed for this poll was somehow fundamentally different from the previous one- Barack Obama’s approval with them on this poll was 49% compared to 47% on the previous Texas poll… There’s no doubt the (Arizona) immigration bill is popular nationally. But if it causes Hispanics to change their voting behavior without a parallel shift among whites then it’s going to end up playing to Democratic advantage this fall.”

A Democrat has not won a statewide race in Texas since 1994, and a win by former Houston Mayor Bill White would be a political earthquake with national implications. The GOP demonizes immigrants at their peril. Immigration has become a litmus test issue for Latino voters and they are poised to make the difference in a pivotal race. It’s not just in Texas. Races in the West, where Arizona’s law is motivating Latinos to turnout for the midterm elections, Public Policy Polling conducted a survey in late May that indicated that Hispanics in the Mountain West have swung dramatically towards the Democrats:

“ When we polled Colorado in early March Michael Bennet and Jane Norton were tied. Last week we found Bennet with a 3 point lead. One of the biggest reasons for that shift? Bennet went from leading Norton by 12 points with Hispanic voters to a 21 point advantage. That large shift in a Democratic direction among Hispanics mirrors what we saw in our Arizona Senate polling last month- Rodney Glassman went from trailing John McCain by 17 points with them in September to now holding a 17 point lead…Hispanics in the Mountain West are leaning much more strongly toward the Democrats since the Arizona law was passed. The big question then becomes whether there are white voters who are going to go Republican this fall who wouldn’t have if that bill hadn’t been passed. We don’t see any evidence of that happening yet.”

There is definitely an opportunity on which to capitalize, and even seal the deal, if the Democratic Party plays this correctly.  Again, it will take a lot more than simply pointing fingers at the other side.

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Posted in Chicano Politics, DREAM Act, Houston Politica, Immigration, LatinoVote '10, Texas Dems 2010, Texas Lege

Jerry Eversole Said What?

Posted on June 22, 2010 | Comments Off

The self-proclaimed “most wanted politician” decided to go off on our Sheriff Adrian Garcia during a discussion of shipping Harris County inmates to other county jails and facilities in Texas and Louisiana.

Eversole sought an explanation for the county having 1,221 inmates in other Texas jails, at daily rates that start at $42 per inmate, and only 381 in Louisiana, where the price recently sank to $29 a day.

“Everybody here knows that I’m under observation by every law enforcement agency the United States can create and ever has created,” Eversole said, referring to his past acknowledgment that the FBI was investigating corruption allegations against him.

“If I were doing what Sheriff (Adrian) Garcia is allowed to do, I would be indicted — not just looked at, indicted — for being able to take a $28 prisoner and put him in a $45 jail,” Eversole said at Tuesday’s Commissioners Court meeting.

Obviously, there were good reasons for the Sheriff’s shifting of inmates recently.

Garcia quickly convened a news conference to respond, saying factors such as medical bills and transportation complicate direct price comparisons. In addition, County Judge Ed Emmett said after the meeting that Louisiana jails have until recently taken only “cream of the crop” inmates — physically and mentally healthy offenders who are the cheapest to house.

“I want those folks back here so we can put them to work and get some sweat equity out of them for the taxpayers here,” the sheriff said.

Inmates who work in the jail can earn extra time off their sentences. Garcia said he hopes that work credit and other reforms reduce the jail population enough to fit inside the county’s 9,400-bed system.

Harris County spent nearly $17 million last year to rent jail space in other counties and in Louisiana.

The county resumed sending inmates to Louisiana earlier this month after the investigation cleared officials there of wrongdoing in the prisoner’s death, and the count has climbed by more than 200 just this month.

The sheriff and the county budget director said they expect the county will send a much greater proportion of inmates to Louisiana in coming months.

That seems pretty feasible, considering the reason we are sending folks away: Republicans have done nothing to reform bonding or pretrial release, which in turn contributes to the overcrowding. In fact, it is known that about 60% of those in our facilities are waiting for the disposition of their cases (trials, etc.).  They could have easily bonded out of jail with a reasonable bond, or perhaps been given the opportunity to prove themselves with a personal recognizance bond.

Of course, Republican judges, the DA, and others have chosen to play obstructionists, pushing Harris County into a period of wasteful spending on shipping inmates away, rather than promoting an era of smart criminal justice.

What we the public tends to forget is that a bail bond is a promise to appear in court. It is not supposed to be punishment, and it certainly should not be a boondoggle for privately run county jails in rural Texas counties and Louisiana.

And what about the new jail?

The Commissioners Court also declined to take action on a $250 million booking center the sheriff had requested. Garcia has proposed a joint city-county facility to handle 1,000 people on their way into or out of the jail, as well as 1,200 beds for the mentally ill and women.

Asked if that meant Garcia’s proposal is dead for this year, Emmett said, “For this year that would be a fair assumption. At some point again, it has to be put on the ballot for voters to approve a bond issue for. I don’t anticipate that being done this November.”

Or Republican Emmett could actually take a more responsible approach and actually push for bond reform? Doubtful.

Which is why we need to vote for responsible leadership that only Gordon Quan offers, as well as re-elect Commissioner Sylvia Garcia.

Oh yeah, we could also get rid of 287(g) and DA Lykos’ rule to up the bond on undocumented folks to $35,000 for petty misdemeanors.  I mean, let’s remember, these folks are wanting to stay, they aren’t fleeing, thus missing their court dates.

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Posted in Chicano Politics, Houston Politica, LatinoVote '10, Mayor Parker, National Democrats, Republinutiness, Texas Dems 2010, Texas Lege

Now, It’s An Issue?–The Dropout Rate

Posted on June 22, 2010 | 1 Comment

The Chron had an op-ed on the grim future of Texas given its growing drop-out rate.

As reported by the Chronicle’s Gary Scharrer, demographer Steve Murdock warned nearly a decade ago that unless the dropout issue was successfully confronted, the potential asset of a burgeoning young population could become a lead weight dragging down median incomes and the ability to attract new business enterprises.

That’s right, I guess it’s time to celebrate 10 years since the state’s expert warned us about what was to come.  As far as Chicano/Latino scholars go, they’ve been warning about this for decades longer.

Our current Republican Governor Rick Perry has long held that Texas only has a 10% dropout rate, using fuzzy math to his favor. The reality is that all he has done is shirk his responsibility as an elected official by starving K-12 and higher education programs which would have done much to graduate better prepared high school students, institute a more effective college-going culture, and adequately fund college prep catch-up programs at the university level in order to increase retention and graduation rates.

Bill White seems to get it, and we need leadership at the Capitol which will enact legislation that gets to the root of the problem, rather than playing politics with the future of Texas, as Perry and the Republican-led Legislature has done.

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Posted in Chicano Politics, Higher Education, History Lessons, Houston Politica, K-12 Education, LatinoVote '10, Texas Dems 2010, Texas Lege

Lila Valencia Announces for SDEC Hispanic Caucus Representative

Posted on June 22, 2010 | Comments Off

I’ve known of Lila’s work with Austin-based organization Latinos For Texas, and we have a lot of the same friends/colleagues in common. If you’re attending the Texas Democratic Convention as a delegate and participating in the Hispanic Caucus, please consider supporting a hard-working, innovative, and more importantly, accessible representative to the SDEC.

Dear Fellow Democrats,

My name is Alelhie “Lila” Valencia. Many of you may know me from my work with the Democratic Party. For those of you who I have not met, I am an SD 14 delegate to the State Convention and candidate for SDEC Hispanic Caucus female committee member. I am originally from Brownsville, TX, but have been living in Austin since I came to the University of Texas as an undergraduate. I left briefly to attend a master’s program at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. I continue my education today as a doctoral candidate in the Demography Department at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Inspired by Howard Dean and his belief in the power of the individual, in October 2003 I joined Dean for Texas and reached out to Iowans by phone and mail prior to the primary. In 2004, I worked with the Travis County Coordinated Campaignand served as the Field Coordinator in Travis County for the Southwest Voter Registration and Education Project. Leading up to the 2004 election, a few hard-working friends with a lot of heart and I registered over 3,281 voters in Travis County. I also helped to coordinate blockwalks during which we knocked on almost 2 thousand doors. In 2005 and 2006, we took our passion on the road and helped in the campaigns of Julian Castro for San Antonio Mayor, Congressman Ciro Rodriguez in Bexar County, Rep. Juan Garcia in San Patricio and Nueces Counties, and Rep. Diana Maldonado in Williamson County. In Travis County, we coordinated blockwalks for Chris Bell and other down-ballot candidates and knocked on nearly 4 thousand doors. In 2008, I helped to organize my precinct in support of Hillary Clinton for President and had the honor of being a Hillary Clinton delegate at the Travis County Democratic Convention. I also helped to facilitate the presence of Hillary Clinton delegates at the State Convention.

I would like to continue my service to the Democratic Party by advancing progressive Hispanic interests. At Latinos for Texas, one of our guiding principles was “uniendo comunidades.” I would like the opportunity to help unite progressive Hispanic communities by utilizing the State Party’s Voter Activation Network and collaborating with the various Hispanic Democratic organizations in coming together to mobilize voters. I ask for your vote at the State Convention for SDEC Hispanic Caucus female committee member.

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Posted in LatinoVote '10, Texas Dems 2010, Texas Lege

Clutterbuck’s Idea to Take Away Special Skills Pay

Posted on June 21, 2010 | 2 Comments

Council Member Anne Clutterbuck originally had introduced a city budget amendment to do away with paying a stipend for the City’s bilingual non-classified employees; however, met with protests from various civil rights organizations, she seems to have changed her tune a tiny bit, according to reporter Mary Benton.

After hearing concerns from the public and administration, Clutterbuck has offered substitute language to her amendment that reads: Eliminate bilingual pay for all non-classified employees unless the employee is in direct contact with the public, demonstrates proficiency and there is a reasonable expectation that the language will be used in the normal course of their job duties.

Frankly, this still is not good enough in my opinion.  I mean, c’mon, how many of us bilingual folks get called in to translate on a moment’s notice–even if it’s not in our job description just because we’re the Mexican in the room?

Perhaps a Human Resource audit is needed to determine exactly who are these employees that would be targeted before a vote is taken by council. In addition, perhaps they can also determine what is meant by proficiency because whether someone can pass a standardized test or not, an attempt at Spanish is still better than the usual way that non-Spanish speakers would communicate with those constituents:  IN LOUDER ENGLISH.

The argument is that this could save over $1,000,000; however, during a time in which the economy continues to hit all employees, taking away pay is that last thing that should be on Council’s agenda, much like furloughs and lay-offs. And there would definitely be questions of fairness if one “type” of employee is targeted over another.

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Posted in City of Houston, Houston Politica, HoustonVotes 09, LatinoVote '10, Texas Dems 2010, Texas Lege