Currently, the LA City Council consists of 14 council member: three Blacks, two Asian-Americans, four Whites, one Armenian-American, and four Latinos. District 6 is currently vacant after the resignation of Nury Martinez. Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense Education Fund shares how common it is for Latinos to face under-representation when it comes to positions of leadership in LA.
Tag: LA
Posted inOpinion
EDITORIAL: Let LA voters decide de León’s fate at City Hall
There is a democratic process and the voters who are disgusted with de León, or Breed, or any other politician can start a recall. We support the recall as it is part of the democratic process. Let the voters of the 14th District decide if they want de León to represent them.
Posted inUncategorized
JOSE BARRERA, LULAC state director discusses moving past City Hall scandal
CALÓ NEWS interviewed Barrera to further discuss how Latino and other LA communities who were harmed by the scandal can heal, what is crucial for the LA City Council to focus on that can help Latinos, whether Latinos have appropriate representation on the LA City Council and more.
Posted inHealth
Community health workers are vital links in Latino communities
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, in partnership with Community Health Councils and Team Friday, released a new video series called “COVID-19 Diaries – A Day in the Life of a Community Health Worker.” The nine-part video series highlights the personal stories of community health workers in LA County who have serviced nearly 6 million residents since the pandemic began. In the series, the community health workers share their personal experiences of being front-line workers in a worldwide pandemic.
Posted inHealth
TIFFANY ROMO, health manager for LA County helps Latinos fight COVID-19
At the height of the pandemic, there were nearly 900 workers across LA County; the number now is around 400, said Tiffany Romo, health program manager at the Los Angeles Department of Public Health. As a health program manager at the Los Angeles Department of Public Health, Romo manages projects and implements community outreach planning as well as writing grants. “I love my job because I get to serve my community and help people improve their health and well-being,” Romo said.
Posted inAnti-Hate
United Against Hate Week, what you should know
The Los Angeles County United Against Hate Week ends on Nov. 19 and is intended to urge local communities, neighborhoods, and cities to reject hate and bigotry and promote inclusion. The annual event is part of LA vs. Hate – a project of the LA County Commission on Human Relations.
Posted inLA Elections
HENRY PEREZ, and his social justice group ask Kevin de León to resign
Kevin De León has served as the LA City council member for District 14 since 2020 and said his resignation is not an option. “I have a moral obligation to my constituency, to give them a voice,” he told Smiley. But for Henry Perez, associate director of Inner City Struggle, a social justice non-profit organization in CD-14, de León no longer represents the community of the Eastside.
Posted inAnti-Hate
EDITORIAL: New Latino leaders needed on LA City Council now
If there is a lesson to be learned from the recent racist controversy that has rocked Los Angeles, it is that we need new Latino leadership on the City Council. Nury Martinez has resigned. Ron Herrera, the leader of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, who also was part of the racist conversation, resigned. City Council Members Gil Cedillo and Kevin de Leon, who were part of the racist dialogue, have refused to resign. We need Latino leaders who want to build up our community and also support the diverse and working people of Los Angeles. We need leaders who won’t condone or stay silent when bigoted and racist comments are made.
Posted inRepresentation
Q&A: LUIS LÓPEZ RESÉNDIZ on Nury Martinez and Reaction by Indigenous, Latino Communities
The audio leak comes one month before the city election, where multiple council seats are sought, including the mayor’s position. “We hope this new election will spark a movement holding our local politicians accountable and having them be more transparent and honest in their work,” says Luis López Reséndiz. Following the news of Nury Martinez and city council members, CALÓ NEWS recently spoke with Luis López Reséndiz, CIELO’s director of the center of language and power department, to understand the feelings within the Indigenous and Latino communities after the leak in-depth.
Posted inOpinion
COLUMN: Hate has no place on LA City Council or in our Latino Communities
Many of us in the Latino community have heard friends and family members use racist language. We also have been the victims of racist language- anti-Black, anti-Brown and anti-Indigebous – and sometimes from those within our own community.
Posted inOpinion
COMMENTARY: Nury Martinez should embrace Oaxacan culture
In this current political scandal, we have five prominent Mexican-Americans in positions of influence nearly unprecedented historically, given the racist legacy of a past LA dominated by Anglo Americans. If those present did not directly insult the Oaxacans, they at the very least entertained language disparaging them. Such Oaxacan peoples are among the most culturally resilient in world history – and yet intrinsically linked to the national identities of modern Mexican people and their American counterparts. This is the historic legacy bestowed upon those officials, too.
Posted inOpinion
COMMENTARY: On Nury Martinez saga, Last Days and Lasting Daze
To Nury: I don’t know why you felt the need to disparage a defenseless little 8-year-old Black boy. You were in a position to truly help your people and mine. The allyship between Black and Brown Angelinos was growing. But once you indicated that only white kids are entitled to do what children do, a lot of doors were being slammed from View Park to East LA.