Posted in Count Me!, Houston Politica, La Familia, LatinoVote '12
DREAM Activists Hold Rally at UHD
Over 150 activists ascended upon the University of Houston-Downtown on Thursday to demand the passing of the DREAM Act. Supported by UHD President William Flores and elected officials, such as State Rep. Armando Walle, and other community activists, the rally included comments by prospective beneficiaries of the Act.
Kudos to our friends at FIEL for organizing the rally and sending a strong message, especially as we go through the motions of early voting.
What Is Up With El Prez?
Just as I was getting excited over the action by FIEL and other activists on Thursday, word came that President Obama has nominated Gary Blankinship to serve as Marshal for the Southern District of Texas. Blankinship was the head of the local cops union who was quite vocal against Mayor Bill White’s position against cops becoming immigration officers. To see a bunch of Dems supporting this appointment is very disappointing, to say the least.
Tacos & Votes – Saturday!
Don’t forget about Tacos and Votes this Saturday at Noon at Bayland Park. We can complain about public policy and political appointments, but if you don’t vote, not only do you not matter, but you lose your license to complain. Everybody’s a taxpayer, but when a few decide who our leaders should be, you get lost in the shuffle. VOTE, and get a Taco while you’re at it.
Chicanos for Cargas
After reading the “e-mail war” between supporters of James Cargas and his opponent, I figured I would chime in. I’ve known Jim for over eight years–good organizer, loyal Democrat, and sharp as a tack on Democratic issues and policy. You would think that, in Houston, most Dems would be, right? But let me tell you when I figured out that Jim was the best candidate.
When a debate ensued regarding an HCDP resolution to support comprehensive immigration reform and not local cops enforcing immigration, it was James Cargas who responded in support, smacking down a local Dem celebrity who had railed against it as unnecessary. It was eloquent, it was practical, and it made sense. None of the other candidates have been anything near coherent on the issue of immigration. Knowing that Culberson will make Latinos and immigration an issue to rile up his right-wing base, it is really a no-brainer to have James Cargas on the November ballot as a true counter to the wing-nut on the ballot–on all issues, especially immigration reform.
Without reservation, The Medellin Family supports James Cargas.
Full Disclosure: Jim hired me to consult and manage him for a couple of months, and not at some astronomical consulting fee. He paid me because a big chunk of my life was invested in someone in whom I believe. Ultimately, he got the Familia discount. As far as my Dem creds, I haven’t missed a Dem Primary-ever! I’m a Chicano (South Texas variety with an unapologetic La Raza Unida Party streak). Not that any of this should matter. I’ll give more reasons for supporting James Cargas next week.
In closing…VOTE!
Posted in Thoughts on Viernes
Contact: Rebecca Acuña (512) 478-9800, (956) 206-5853
***Advisory for Rally and Forum Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 11:00 AM***
TDP’s Promesa Project: Rally and Forum in Support of the DREAM Act
Houston – As part of its Latino engagement program known as the Promesa Project, the Texas Democratic Party is holding events across the state on National DREAM Act day of action in support of the DREAM Act. The TDP’s Promesa Project Fellow will participate in a DREAM Act rally and urge voters to support the referendum in favor of the DREAM Act on the Democratic Primary ballot. In the evening, Promesa Project Fellows will host a forum in support of the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act would allow immigrant students who were brought here as children and have stayed out of trouble earn a path to legalization through a higher education or military service.
WHAT: Rally in support of the DREAM Act on the Democratic Primary ballot AND Forum in support of the DREAM Act
WHO: -Maria Virginia Ivañez, Promesa Project Fellow from the University of Houston
-DREAM Act Students
WHERE: Rally: University of Houston Downtown Campus, South Deck
FORUM: Harris County Democratic Party Headquarters, 1445 North Loop W # 110 Houston, TX 77008
WHEN: Rally: Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 11:00 A.M.
Forum: Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 7:30 P.M.
The referendum (#1) reads as follows:
Any graduate of a Texas high school, who has lived in the state for at least three years and lived here continuously for the last year, should be eligible for in-state tuition at state supported colleges and universities and given the opportunity to earn legal status through a higher education or military service.
The DREAM Act would help an estimated 2.1 million young people in the country earn a path to legalization through a higher education or military service. An estimated 258,000 – or 12 percent – of total DREAM Act beneficiaries live in Texas.
The Texas Democratic Party’s Promesa Project will hold events today in Austin, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Houston, Brownsville and El Paso in support of the DREAM Act and in support of the referendum in favor of the DREAM Act on the Democratic Primary ballot.
Austin has a press conference, too.
WHAT: Press Conference urging voters to support the referendum in support of the DREAM Act on the Democratic Primary ballot
WHO: -Representative Rafael Anchia (D-Dallas)
-Julieta Garibay, a DREAM Act beneficiary who holds a Masters in Science of Nursing with a focus on Public Health from the University of Texas at Austin
-Justin Perez, Promesa Project Fellow from the University of Texas at Austin
WHERE: TDP Headquarters, 505 W. 12th St. Ste 200
WHEN: Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 10:00 A.M.
And Laredo, too, along with a phone bank!
WHAT: Press Conference and Phone Bank urging voters to support the referendum in support of the DREAM Act on the Democratic Primary ballot
WHO: -Arnoldo Alonso, Promesa Project Fellow at TAMIU
-Several Democratic Party candidates
WHERE: Press Conference: Outside the Webb County Courthouse, 1000 Houston St., Laredo, TX 79902
Phone Bank: 1019 San Bernardo, Laredo, Texas 78401
WHEN: Press Conference: Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 9:00 A.M.
Phone Bank: Thursday, May 17, 2012 from 1:00PM-4:00PM.
Trying to find ways to ensure the city’s budget is leaner, yet effective, Houston City Council voted to approve spending $4.3 million on a sobering center–an 84-bed detox facility for folks arrested for public intoxication.
Police officers who detain people whose only crime is being drunk in public will have the option of dropping them off at the so-called sobering center for at least a four-hour stay without an arrest on their record. Because the drop-offs are much quicker than jail bookings, police would return to patrol sooner.
Although this is a big victory for Mayor Parker, CM Ed Gonzalez was the lead member of Council on driving home the need for this center.
“We do not guarantee outcomes here. There’s nothing to say that we’re going to rehabilitate anyone,” said Councilman Ed Gonzalez, a former Houston police officer and the chief council champion for the center, “but the chances of removing them from the criminal justice system into a different model is more likely to be much, much more effective and likely to save taxpayers millions and millions of dollars over the course of the next few years.”
Gonzalez’s press release gives us a bigger picture regarding the savings.
Roughly 20% of Houston’s $25 million a year jail operation cost is attributed to public intoxication cases. The sobering center will not only provide citizens with the treatment they need and provide law enforcement officers more time to patrol against more violent crimes, it will save our city money.
Meanwhile, Helena Brown thinks private industry should fund such a facility and, apparently, feels that more cops on the street and more money in city coffers is bad.
“This will be like a slow cancer that will contribute to the death of a city.”
Are you listening (or reading), District A?
Kudos to the rest of the City Council, anyway.
Side-Note: Now that we will have a sobering center, I would like to remind you that some of our early voting centers have earned the name “So Boring Centers,” because you all aren’t voting. Get out there and vote today in the Democratic Primary!
I voted yesterday and it never fails; whenever I’m about to press “Cast Ballot” I feel this sense of power. I feel a sense that in this democracy, I do matter. And when turnout is expected to be low, damn right, I feel a lot more powerful.
When I’m voting, various things go through my mind. Like all those who fought on battlegrounds, and especially in the streets, for my right to vote. Along with my parents who instilled in me a love for voting, one name that comes to mind is voting rights activist, the late Willie Velasquez, founder of the Southwest Voter Registration and Education Project.
Velasquez is the subject of a children’s book based on his life and times, expected to be published on September 16, 2012. The interactive children’s book is by a collaboration of authors and artists led by novelist and journalist Barbara Renaud Gonzalez.
The boy made of lightning will be about 25 pages long. It will include sound, photos, video, original music and local voices. A two-page glossary with links.
As our State Board of Education attempts to minimize the contributions of Latinos, it is becoming more and more important that we create a body of evidence that we existed in the making of Texas and America and that children everywhere be taught reality, rather than some fantasy. And Willie Velasquez’s life is one that should be taught as an example of what one can accomplish and how “one boy sets out to change the world.”
Excerpt:
One day something happened that Willie would never forget.
It had rained again. That morning, Willie decided he would discover what caused the flooding once and for all.
“Vamonos!” He told Rudy. “Adventure!”
The night before, the drums in his head wouldn’t stop.
Why?Where?What?When? Why?Why?Why?
He just had to know where the flooding began.
His mother let him go. Once Willie started on something there was no stopping him. They took some tacos and a rope just in case they found something interesting to bring home.
Excerpt from The boy made of lightning@2012
Of course, the development of this E-book for Ipad doesn’t happen as easily without your support. Visit the website and make a small contribution toward making this book a reality.
All these Democratic Primary controversies, direct mail wars, and other juicy stuff need to take a backseat–at least for this post. Mayor Annise Parker has just proposed a $2 billion general fund budget with no tax increase or layoffs.
Mayor Annise Parker has just unveiled a proposed $2 billion general fund budget that includes plans to increase curbside recycling, restore night and weekend hours to the city’s 311 assistance line and start operation of a sobering center as an alternative to jail time for people whose only crime is being drunk.
What Parker emphasized in a news conference, however, was what is not in the budget. No tax increase. No fee hikes. No layoffs. No furloughs. No service cuts. No borrowing to pay pension costs. Not many new initiatives.
“This budget does not include a tax increase. It maintains my focus on five priorities: Jobs and sustainable development, infrastructure, public safety, quality of life and strong fiscal responsibility,” Parker said.
Sounds pretty good, but once the council starts having their budget hearings and debates, we’ll get down into the nitty gritty, for sure.
And I really can’t wait until Helena Brown proposes cutting $2 billion from the $2 billion budget.
The Clubs and Organizations of the Harris County Democratic Party will be hosting a BBQ Fundraiser on Early Vote Sunday. The 1st Annual Club Carniv-ALL not only offers good food and fun, but also a bus to the nearest polling location!
Here are the particulars:
Harris County Democratic Party Clubs & Organizations
First Annual HCDP BBQ Fundraiser – Club Carniv-ALL
Sunday, May 20, 2012 – 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm
1445 N. Loop W. Houston, Texas 77008
BBQ Picnic and Carnival Style Booths with fun filled entertainment for the entire family!
A bus will be available to take people to the nearest Early Vote location for their convenience to officially vote that day.
Children under 9 eat free.
Click here to purchase you ticket(s) now!
All attendees can participate in our 1st ever Straw Poll. Voters, candidates, and candidate supporters will be given a sample ballot with their admission ticket(s) so come vote for your favorite candidates in Democratic contested races. Buy your ticket(s) and bring as many people you like to vote for your favorite candidate and let’s make this a fun and exciting event for everyone!
Precinct Chairs & Election Judges will have trainings available during the event.
HCDP HOST COMMITTEE
Democracy For Houston
Houston Area Stonewall Democrats
Meyerland Dems
ROAD Women
Spring Branch Democrats
West University Dems
Oak Forest Area Democrats
Area 5 Dems
Greater Heights Democrats
Kingwood Area Democrats
Oil Patch Democrats
Silver D’s
Tejano Democrats
Bay Area New Democrats (BAND)
Cy-Fair Area Democratic Club
Elected Officials, Candidates, and Clubs please email
navid@hcdp.org to become a sponsor of Club Carniv-ALL
It is great to see the Tacos and Votes event come to fruition. A great team of civic leaders has gotten together to develop this program for this upcoming Early Voting Saturday in Southwest Houston.
Growing up in South Texas, voting and BBQ rallies went hand-in-hand–good food and great and empowering speeches before sending folks to the ballot box. I’m sure glad these folks have targeted my part of town because there is a great need to empower folks over here. I’m looking forward to being there on Saturday.
Here’s the press release:
HOUSTON, TEXAS – A coalition of new, professional Latino civic leaders from established non-profits organizations have united to celebrate the right to vote by organizing Tacos & Votes, a free community gathering and march to the ballot on Saturday, May 19, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Bayland Park located at 6400 Bissonnet Street.
Organizers are motivated by concerns over low voter turnout, the voter ID/voter suppression controversy, and lack of community access to information. It is necessary to bring our community together to fully participate in the American political process to make our voices heard at the polls and develop a vibrant culture of Latino voting.
Bayland Park serves as a family-friendly setting in the “Latino opportunity” City Council District J, as well as a polling location for early voting in the May primary elections. Deputy voter registrars will be present to register citizens eligible to vote and distribute bilingual voter guides. Demonstrations on how to use the E-Slate voting machines will be done by volunteers. Food and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided along with mariachis and activities for kids. Strictly a non-partisan effort, voters and candidates of all affiliations in Harris County are encouraged to attend.
Event Schedule
10:00 a.m. – Get Out the Vote (GOTV) Neighborhood Canvassing
12:00 p.m. – Family GOTV Barbeque
12:30 p.m. – Community Dialogue
1:00 p.m. – Piñata with a Purpose
1:15 p.m. – Press Conference
1:45 p.m. – March to the Ballot
2 – 3:00 p.m. – Voting and Wrap-upIncreased Latino population has not translated into proportional voting or political representation; however, a new and vibrant Latino culture of civic engagement is emerging to affirm its presence in the political process. This targeted effort will raise awareness and get out the vote.
Participants in the consortium of non-partisan groups and individuals: Familias Inmigrantes y Estudiantes en la Lucha (FIEL), Greater Houston Civic Coalition, Houston Area League of Women Voters Education Fund, Latino Giving Houston, Texas League of Young Voters Education Fund, Mi Familia Vota, NALEO Educational Fund, National Hispanic Professional Organization (NHPO), NHPO Leadership Institute and The UNO Project (Uniendo Nuestras Organizaciones).
AND FYI: VOTER ID IS NOT IN EFFECT. You can vote with your voter registration certificate or another acceptable form of ID:
Acceptable identification includes:
Here’s the most recent installment from our friends at the Promesa Project, the Texas Democratic Party’s Latino youth outreach program. Visit the site and check out this vid featuring DC-Amiga State Rep. Jessica Farrar.
And I’ve gotta say…I’m proud to be part of the Buzz, too.
But we need to pick Team Dem, first. Early Voting in the Democratic Primary continues through the 25th. VOTE EARLY!
Here’s my virtual slate card. VOTE EARLY! And here’s the Early Voting schedule (pdf) from the county. Remember, you can vote at any location during this period. Might as well get it done early!
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