Republican Commissioner from Central Oregon County Makes Public Commitment to CAUSA and Recursos Latinos

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 29, 2010

Contact:
Francisco Lopez, Executive Director: (503) 269-5694
Erik Sorensen, Communications Director: (503) 488-0263

Republican Commissioner from Central Oregon County Makes Public Commitment to CAUSA and Recursos Latinos
 
Redmond, Ore--On Thursday, Recursos Latinos, a central Oregon based Latino lead organization, and CAUSA held a Leaders' Assembly in Redmond. Deschutes County Commissioner Tammy Baney was invited to attend as a special guest.

During the assembly, members of the Latino community gave personal testimony to an auditorium filled with 200 people about the pain and struggle they themselves and their families face. The poor economic situation in Central Oregon, the nation's broken immigration system, and their lack of access to affordable healthcare and quality education were just some of the issues discussed during the evening--moving several people to tears.

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Are you going to Vote on November 2nd?

These people are expecting you to stay home. They've even tried to convince you to do so. On November 2nd, we will show them our power. Our vote is our voice!


If your state has Vote-by-Mail like Oregon, be sure to take your ballot to the drop box in your county.

Video by Reform Immigration FOR America

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Vote YES for Voter-Owned Elections

Let’s keep Portland elections fair, open, and accountable. In November, vote YES for Voter-Owned Elections 26-108.




Community.
Under Portlandʼs Voter-Owned Elections program, candidates run based on community support rather than fundraising ability. This means candidates who are accessible to the community, not big campaign donors and special interests.

Fairness.
Candidates who use the Voter-Owned Elections program can spend their time talking directly with voters instead of raising money from big donors. This means that candidates are accessible to voters, not special interests.

Accountability.
Voter-Owned Elections candidates have to follow strict rules about how money can be spent and must spend it only on legitimate campaign expenses. This brings accountability and transparency to our elections.

Find out more about 26-108 and how you can get involved by visiting http://www.yesforportland.org/

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Leaders' Assembly with Deschutes County Commissioner Baney to be held in Redmond

MEDIA ADVISORY
October 26, 2010

Contact:
Francisco Lopez, Executive Director: (503) 269-5694
Erik Sorensen, Communications Director: (503) 488-0263

Local organization to hold assembly with Deschutes County Commissioner Baney in Redmond this Thursday

Redmond, Ore--This Thursday, CAUSA will participate in a Leaders' Assembly in Redmond hosted by Recursos Latinos. Recursos Latinos is a Latino lead organization based in Deschutes County. Deschutes County Commissioner Tammy Baney will attend as a special guest of the assembly.

The purpose of this assembly is to bring the community together to discuss immigration reform, driver's license restoration, affordable housing for Farmworkers, quality education, access to affordable health care services and economic recovery for Central Oregon.

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DeFazio responds to questions about DREAM Act, Immigration Reform and Tuition Equality

Earlier today, CAUSA's Eugene staff member, Ranfis Villatoro received a response from Congressman Peter DeFazio (OR-D) regarding questions he had about the Congressman's position on the DREAM Act, Immigration Reform, and Tuition Equity. Here is a copy of that response letter from Representative DeFazio:

Dear Mr. Villatoro:

Thank you for contacting me in favor of the DREAM Act. I appreciate hearing from you.

As you may know, the Senate recently failed to find the votes to even take up the Department of Defense Authorization bill, which some Senators had hoped to attach the DREAM act to. Given that the Senate has been a perennial grave yard for legislation, the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, has stated unequivocally that the House of Representatives will not act on immigration reform until the Senate is able to pass their version. With that in mind, it is highly unlikely that the House of Representatives will be voting on immigration issues in the near future. If we are going to make any sort of legislative progress the Senate is going to have to quit its bloviating and dithering, and instead actually pass more than a handful of bills every year.

Currently 12 states are exercising their existing right to offer undocumented immigrants in-state tuition. These states are making it easier for all residents of their states to obtain a higher education. California and Texas, two of the states with the largest immigrant populations, are among these 12 states. I support these states' right to determine their own guidelines for in-state tuition requirements, and would not want the federal government to get in the way of that right. The DREAM Act would simplify the process for other states to follow suit.

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IPC: The Non-Existent Problem of Non-Citizen “Voter Fraud”

The following report comes from the Immigration Policy Center.  The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) is the research and policy arm of the American Immigration Council. IPC's mission is to shape a rational national conversation on immigration and immigrant integration.

In Oregon,  anti-immigrant hardliners like to make ludicrous claims that there is widespread voter fraud by non-citizens.  The following report shows that their claims are just fear-mongering and nothing more.

Chicken Little in the Voting Booth: The Non-Existent Problem of Non-Citizen “Voter Fraud”

Election experts tend to agree that modern-day voter fraud is a very rare occurrence in the United States, primarily because it is so irrational. The potential payoff (a vote) is not worth the risk of jail time, thousands of dollars in fines, and—in the case of non-citizens—possibly deportation. The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law succinctly summarizes this point in a 2006 fact sheet: “Each act of voter fraud risks five years in prison and a $10,000 fine—but yields at most one incremental vote. The single vote is simply not worth the price. Because voter fraud is essentially irrational, it is not surprising that no credible evidence suggests a voter fraud epidemic.” As an October 18, 2010, story in the National Journal points out, “a five-year investigation by the Bush Justice Department…turned up virtually no evidence of widespread voter fraud.” Nevertheless, anti-immigrant activists are fond of pretending that fraudulent voting by non-citizens is a national epidemic.

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PHOTOS: Dr. Goldberg honored for advocating prenatal care for Latinas and health services for Latino Children

Salem, Ore--Last night, 100 people including CAUSA, the Oregon Latino Health Coalition, Mujeres Luchadoras Progresistas, and residents of Colonia Libertad Farmworker Housing held a dinner and award ceremony in honor of Dr. Bruce Goldberg, Director of the Oregon Department of Human Services and Director-Designee Oregon Health Authority.

Dr. Goldberg was honored for his leadership in supporting and advocating for prenatal care services for Latinas and health services for our Latino Children in Oregon. More than fifty percent of Latinos in Oregon are uninsured.

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CAUSA's 2010 Oregon Ballot Measure Recommendations

This is CAUSA's 2010 Oregon Statewide Ballot Measure recommendations for next month's election. To view the full size flyer, click on the image below or link here to download a .pdf copy.

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VIDEO: Children's March & Rally at the Oregon State Capitol

On Sunday, children held a march and rally calling for the protection of the 14th Amendment and passage of Immigration Reform. They said no to racial profiling laws like SB1070, called for an end to deportations and the separation of their families.

Watch in HD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfIH7TdvhPQ

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Children Rally for Civil Rights and Immigration Reform at State Capitol

On Saturday, 268 people gathered at the Oregon State Capitol to participate in a Children's March & Rally for Immigration Reform. The children with their adult supporters joined together to call on Federal and State Legislators to:

• Respect the 14th Amendment. Do not take away our children's citizenship.
• Stop dividing families
• Keep racial profiling laws like SB1070 out of Oregon
• Stop local law enforcement from doing the job of ICE. Our State Police, County Sheriff and City Police belong to our communities, not the federal government.
• Pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform NOW!

Here is a selection of photos from the event:

Over the last several months, immigration restrictionists and right-wing extremist politicians in Congress have been calling for a change in the 14th Amendment eliminating citizenship to babies born on United States soil. Instead of promoting immigration reform that would overhaul a severely flawed and broken system, they see it politically opportune to deny citizenship and promote deportation of infants and children.

This is just one of the latest stunts being promoted by extremists to avoid dealing with an important national issue that needs a federal response. Much like passage of Arizona's Racial Profiling Law SB1070, the build-up of troops on the U.S.-Mexico border and the variety of failed enforcement-only policies promoted by the far-right, these wrong headed and misguided schemes are just dividing families and delaying the benefit real reform would bring to our country.

There is currently legislation in both houses of Congress that would overhaul the nation’s broken immigration system.

News Coverage:
Video: Children march for citizenship rights

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Children's March and Rally for Immigration Reform this Saturday in Salem

MEDIA ADVISORY
October 6, 2010

Contact:
Francisco Lopez, Executive Director: (503) 269-5694
Erik Sorensen, Communications Director: (503) 488-0263

Children's March and Rally for Immigration Reform this Saturday in Salem

Salem, Ore.--Over the last several months, immigration restrictionists and right-wing politicians in Congress have been calling for a change in the 14th Amendment eliminating citizenship to babies born on United States soil. Instead of promoting immigration reform that would overhaul a severely flawed and broken system, they see it politically opportune to deny citizenship and promote deportation of infants and children.

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Oregon Nonprofit Groups are Smart Investments

Report: OR Nonprofit Groups are Smart Investments

Chris Thomas, Public News Service - OR
September 30, 2010

PORTLAND, Ore. - Nonprofit groups can have a tough time raising money in any economy, but a new report says they are worth every penny of the donation dollars they receive from charitable foundations for the causes they support. The study of 20 nonprofit groups in the Northwest included seven in Oregon, working on advocacy issues ranging from farm workers' and renters' rights to criminal justice reform. It tracked all the foundation money they received and how it was used.

Aaron Dorfman, executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, says the results were impressive.

"When foundations invest in advocacy and community organizing and civic engagement, does it matter - does it make a difference? What we found was an incredible return on investment of 150-to-1."

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One Nation Working Together March in Washington D.C. Today

One Nation Working Together is a new alliance of groups working across movements to make sure the progressive majority in this country is heard before the election. Watch the live broadcast:

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