 Edición Semanaria de Noticiero Latino |
 |
June 2006
June 2nd | Listen to the program
FIRED FOR MARCHING - Sandra Carreño was fired from her job at a foundry plant in Northern California after the May 1st marches. Sandra claims that her termination was in retaliation for her participation at the pro-immigrant demonstrations. In recent days, Carreño, a naturalized citizen, filed the first formal lawsuit in California for employment termination related to the marches. Marco Vinicio Gonzalez reports.
HOUSING DENIED TO UNDOCUMENTED - In the city of San Bernadino, near Los Angeles, authorities want to force landlords to demand documentation from tenants. They are also considering fines against those that hire day laborers on the city streets and they are even considering declaring English as the city’s official language. These proposals will be submitted to a referendum in the September special elections. Even though the initiatives are far from becoming law, day laborers on the streets are already feeling the effects. Ruben Tapia reports from Los Angeles.
HEATED POLITICAL CLIMATE IN SOUTHERN MEXICO - A group of Oaxacan government officials and businessmen visit California this weekend to encourage tourism, foreign investment and academic exchange. On the eve of their arrival, Oaxacan immigrant groups release an extensive report on the area’s human rights abuses. Vladimir Flores reports on some of the claims of political persecution and murders under Governor Ulises Ruiz’s administration.
June 9th | Listen to the program
TROOPS IN THE BORDER AREA - This week President Bush visited a Border Patrol training center in New Mexico. Bush said that he wanted to see first hand how agents are being trained to detain undocumented immigrants. The president also tried to gather support for his immigration reform plan. Next week, at least 50 National Guard soldiers are scheduled to arrive at the border area despite initial opposition from New Mexico’s Governor Bill Richardson. Dolores Bernal reports from Las Cruces.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN MEXICO - The second and final debate among Mexico presidential hopefuls was headlined by a direct clash between National Action Party, PAN candidate, Felipe Calderon and the Center-Left coalition “Coalicion Por el Bien de Todos”, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Each candidate asked citizens to trust their proposals. However, none of these or other promises have been able to energized Mexico’s politically exhausted population. Citlali Saenz reports from Mexico City.
COLON CANCER DETECTION - Nearly ten months ago, our collaborator in Los Angeles, Eleazar Salinas was diagnosed with colon cancer. Despite being a 57 year-old Mexican immigrant with a family history of cancer, he had a difficult time receiving an examination to detect the ailment. Eleazar shares his experience in the following piece, part of a series of occasional reports.
June 16th | Listen to the program
FUNDING FOR TROOPS - In Washington, DC, legislators and the President approved nearly 2 billion dollars for the deployment of National Guardsmen to the border area. This is part of a military spending budget for Iraq and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, negotiations about immigration legislation still at an impasse. Patricia Guadalupe reports from the Capitol.
HEAT DEATH PREVENTION - This week the state of California cleared the way for a permanent approval of regulations to prevent heat related deaths for farm workers and some outdoor workers during the hot summer months. Last year’s tragic death toll was two lives that were lost in the harvest fields. Marco Vinicio Gonzalez reports.
VIOLENCE IN OAXACA - Several weeks shy of the upcoming presidential elections in Mexico, violence erupts on the streets of the southern city of Oaxaca. This week, local and state police forces dismantled a large concentration of teachers that had taken to the streets demanding salary increases. The displacement left several people injured and some deaths. Vladimir Flores was present at the scene of the demonstrations and files the following report.
CAMPAIGN CLOSURES BEGIN IN MEXICO - Next Sunday, July 2nd, Mexico will hold its general elections to choose the person that will replace outgoing President Vicente Fox who was elected back in 2000. For this reason, political parties are scrambling to maintain power in the states that they have governed. The PAN seeks to consolidate itself in the north and central regions of the country, the PRD in the country’s poorest states, and the PRI in his longtime stronghold states. Citlali Saenz reports from Mexico City.
June 23rd | Listen to the program
IMMIGRATION REFORM AT STALEMATE - The U.S. House Republican leadership announces that before starting negotiations with the Senate on an immigration reform, leaders will hold public consultation hearings in their communities. Democrats say that this delay tactic will mean that an immigration reform bill is not likely to be approved before November elections. Patricia Guadalupe has followed the debate and files the following report.
UNEMPLOYED FOR BEING WOMEN - Fed up with being rejected after soliciting employment only because they were women, a group of six farm workers filed a lawsuit before the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against a prominent agricultural company. This was two months ago, now the lawsuit is attracting the attention of other potential victims and it promises to become one of the largest gender discrimination lawsuits. Marco Vinicio Gonzalez reports.
CONFLICT CONTINUES IN OAXACA - Days shy of the next presidential elections in Mexico, violence continues to erupt in the southern state of Oaxaca. This week, a demonstration in support of embattled Governor Ulises Ruiz by pro-government organizations tried to discredit the teachers’ movement that is in its fifth week protest for a wage increase demand. Thousands of teachers demand the PRI governor’s resignation. Vladimir Flores offers details from Oaxaca’s capital.
FINAL ROUND FOR MEXICAN PRESIDENCY - Wednesday marks the end of electoral campaigns in Mexico. Presidential hopefuls will conclude their battles for the presidency and the anxious wait will begin. The latest polls that have been published conclude a technical “dead heat” among top candidates, with a slight advantage for the center-left candidate. Citlali Saenz reports on the atmosphere surrounding the final round of this presidential race.
June 30th | Listen to the program
IMMIGRATION REFORM PUSH - A bipartisan group of senators joined an immigrant rights coalition to lobby their colleagues at the U.S. House of Representatives to ask them to stop using delay tactics aimed at halting immigration negotiations at the bicameral committee. Patricia Guadalupe reports from Washington, DC.
LAWSUIT OVER INTOXICATION - Nearly 30 farm workers that suffered intoxication at a vineyard they labored in California’s Kern County, file a lawsuit against the field owners and the helicopter sprayers. One year after the exposure to the toxic gas, the workers, mainly women, continue to feel the results of their contamination. Now, the plaintiffs seek a judge’s intervention. Alma Martinez spoke with the affected women and files the report.
MEXICO CHOOSES PRESIDENT - This Sunday Mexicans will head to the polls to elect the country’s next president. With more than 70 million registered voters, the day will be a long. Election results could be announced the same night, still the computation may last several days. Citlali Saenz reports how the top three contenders closed their campaigns and the political climate surrounding the eve of this highly contested election.