New America Media

Cutting School Buses Would Spell Disaster for CA’s Desert Communities

2012-02-04T09:00:00Z

Governor Jerry Brown recently announced that midyear budget cuts could include a reduction of school transportation budgets by $1.5 million throughout California. The news was met with horror by students, parents and community members in the eastern Coachella Valley, an agricultural region overlapping Riverside and Imperial counties where small towns are separated by miles of highway and the oppressive heat of the desert sun can make walking or biking long distances feel like a death sentence.

“In this district, transportation is a must,” said Linda Aguirre, director of transportation for Coachella Valley Unified School District (CVUSD). “A lot of these kids would not be able to get to school without transportation, which means there will most likely be a higher drop-out rate.”

Although a final decision on the budget cut is still pending, many in the community have been left to wonder what the fallout would be for students and district staff.

“Rumors are flying,” said Steven Young, student transport specialist at Coachella Valley High School (CVHS), who explained that $1.5 million is equivalent to cutting 10 bus drivers. “This is going to affect us big time.”

Inland Congregations United for Change (ICUC), a community based advocacy group in the east valley, is representing local residents who are worried about these looming transportation cuts.

“(The cuts) would leave the youth stranded,” said Allex Luna, a community organizer for ICUC. “How’s this going to affect them academically?”

Transportation cuts could lead to a chain reaction that affects families and students, said Luna, ultimately leading to a drastic decline in school attendance and a vicious cycle that could lead to even more budget cuts.

“Every time [a student] is in that seat, the school gets paid,” said Luna, meaning that a decrease in school attendance will lead to even less funding for local schools.

According to Luna, more than three-fourths of the district’s student population currently takes the bus.

Some students, such as Yesenia Isidoro, say that even if transportation budgets are cut, they’ll do whatever it takes to graduate high school.

“I wouldn’t want to let my parents down,” said Isidoro, a senior at Coachella Valley High School (CVHS). “I think I would buy a bike so I could get to school every morning.”

Others, like Diana Reza, a sophomore at CVHS, said it’s hard to imagine making do with less, since the district’s school buses are already being stuffed to the max. “The bus already (has) three people per seat. I’m pretty sure all the bus doors would break because everyone just shoves and rushes in to find a good seat.”

The situation could be even worse for students living on the far eastern edge of the school district, in communities like Mecca and Thermal that tend to be poorer and more isolated.

“Transportation is already an issue. I couldn’t imagine how much more affected the students would be if bus routes were completely cut,” said Berenice Venegas, a junior at Desert Mirage High School. “I live in Mecca, [which] doesn’t have many resources.”

Safety is also a concern in east valley communities such as North Shore and Oasis, which do not have sidewalks or street lights, making it difficult and often dangerous for students to making the long walk to and from rural schools.

“It’s important to keep in mind that parents or guardians aren’t always going to have the opportunity to drive students to school every morning, due to their jobs or simply because they don’t own a vehicle,” added Venegas.

Despite the already challenging conditions faced by families in the east valley, district officials can only hope to maintain the status quo.

“Things are operating as normal, but for now we are just waiting for a decision,” said Linda Aguirre, director of transportation for CVUSD.

“Normal,” to some bus drivers already means carrying double loads and making several trips back and forth across the valley until every student arrives home.

“Buses have always been packed. In order to have one driver for one bus stop, we would have to hire more drivers, and unfortunately we don’t have that luxury,” said Aguirre.

As administrators await the official decision from the school board, ICUC has been proactive, researching the potential impact by having community organizers interview valley residents, and organizing group meetings with teachers and parents. They also plan to mobilize the community with press releases, phone calls and social media.

“In this district, transportation should be a right, not a privilege, because our district is very rural,” said Aguirre. “It is not safe to walk home.”

To join ICUC’s efforts, contact Allex Luna at (760) 398-0877 or at allex@icucpico.org.

Urban Youth Ask: Are We Married to Facebook for Life?

2012-02-04T09:00:00Z

Ed. Note: Low-income young people in the San Francisco Bay Area write about how they see their future with the regional Internet giant Facebook.

Molly Raynor, 27, Richmond

I am a 27-year-old transplant from Ann Arbor, Michigan. I run a creative arts program in Richmond, California, live with my best friend in Oakland and have a wonderful group of friends. I like to think that I have reached a point where I am super comfortable with myself and secure in who I am.

Despite all of this I find that I am obsessed with checking my Facebook. It’s like a sick addiction, this need to stay updated on everyone's lives, including people I barely know or care about. I get too excited when I see the little red pop up signaling new notifications and sadly depressed when I don't.

I often think about deleting my account, since I get sucked in for way too much time that I could be using for more productive things, but I can never bring myself to do it. I mean, what would the world come to if I didn't know what so-and-so was listening to on Spotify or what this person just ate for dinner?

Our generation is so "connected" by technology, yet so disconnected from each other and our former, more meaningful modes of communication. While I could go on all day about how stupid Facebook is, I am still a complete sucker for it.

Edgado-Cervano Soto, 22, Richmond

As an aspiring journalist, Facebook is my friend.

At my fingertips, I have a personal directory through which I can promote certain news articles, points of view and happenings, or ask for leads and recommendations for my own reports, and remain connected to dispersed communities.

I have used Facebook to fulfill my own belief that information is power, posting anything from Youtube videos of a San Antonio Chicana rock band to links supporting the California Domestic Workers Bill of Rights on my status updates. Facebook affords me a platform to promote my social justice views and see what other politics my circle of friends have swimming in their heads.

Alongside the politics, I post the personal. On some days I treat Facebook like a diary, typing nostalgic and very “emo” status updates when my world seems bleak, all for the public to see. When I enter these kinds of posts, I am reminded of Walt Whitman’s poem, “A Noiseless Patient Spider,” and I too am like the spider shooting strings of gossamer web into a digital world in need of human contact. I post remnants of the past, photographs of moments with my sisters, friends, grandparents and family -- as if by digitizing them I am vowing to never forget them.

With Facebook, I have a documented life. I am often shocked when I see my photographs, archived chronologically in my online account, describing my life back to me. Facebook reminds me of the friends I no longer have, the places I left, the many identities of me I have shed and left behind in cyber-space.

But Facebook and I shouldn’t be friends. We’re complete opposites.

In the physical world, I am silent. I tend not to make my politics clear through my exterior self, and I don’t always share my feelings with the people closest to me. And yet, I choose to participate in an online community that requires a loss of inhibition. It’s a contradiction, the way I function as a cyber-person and the form I live in the flesh. In sending my random thoughts out over the network, in the moments when I reflect on my personality and my desire to be connected, I see that the reason why I choose the Facebook way is because I lack an honesty and self-satisfaction in the physical.

I’d like to think I am using Facebook as my own training ground, where I practice being loud and present, until I can express the political and personal through my very real body and voice.

Sean Shavers, 20, Oakland

In September of 2010 I got involved with Facebook, which I thought was a cool site to meet women and chat with friends. But after using the site for a while, I realized it was actually just a gateway for other people to nose around in your personal business.

People I never used to communicate with were suddenly eager to chat and discuss issues regarding my personal life. Even the church folks got involved, chatting with me online and pretending to be genuinely concerned about my life, when we don't even speak at church.

After about a month, I deleted my Facebook account entirely and went back to my old life. I used the site for what it was worth but in my opinion, it wasn't worth much.
Maybe because it was my first time using any type of social media network. I never had a Myspace page, never used a chat room or even had a personal email before.

Regardless, I don't see Facebook leaving anytime soon, just because everyone I know uses it. From kids to teens to seniors, it’s all the same… There are just too many people involved, not to mention addicted, to Facebook.

Victor Petersen, 23, San Francisco

When I first created my Facebook profile over two years ago, I was sent dozens of friend requests and questions about how I’ve been and what I’ve been doing. Here I was in my private room, feeling as if I had just walked into a reunion attended by almost everyone I’d ever known. As much as I felt uncomfortable, I felt connected and found myself logging in daily, excited to discover who was sending me a friend request, message, or notification.

In 2011 I was isolated in the Central Valley, finishing up general education requirements to transfer into SF State. Being hundreds of miles away from all of my friends and family motivated me to log in to Facebook in the morning, noon and night. I remember chatting on Facebook one night with a friend, enjoying a glass of wine, while reminiscing about our past together.

Since I’ve moved back to San Francisco, however, I barely log in to my Facebook account. I haven’t posted anything in months and when I do log in, I check my messages then log out. Facebook was my connection to the world when I was isolated from friends and family. Now that I am back in The City, I can meet up with people and connect with people in person.

I believe Facebook is here to stay for a while, as is social networking in general, because many people may feel isolated and invisible without a Facebook profile. Be that as it may, I plan to use my Facebook profile as a tool to be useful and beneficial for the world surrounding me.

Taisa Grant, 25, Richmond

I’m a young black woman in her mid-20’s who enjoys writing, photography, music… I truly seek to live in a world that is better for all, so this desire is expressed in all that I do.

Facebook is something that I enjoy using. It allows me to share who I am with friends that aren’t presently in my life and it allows me to reconnect with people from my past whom I wish to be in contact with. Also, being young and single, it’s a nice place to stay in contact and learn more about potential love interests.

Still, I wouldn't say I'm married to Facebook -- if something better comes along I'd have no problem leaving it. For now, it is a place where I express my feelings and concerns through poetry or what I like to call “capturing thought” statements. I’m able to get feedback from people and this does give me a feeling of not being alone.

Komen Reversal a Victory for Latina Fight Against Breast Cancer

2012-02-04T01:00:00Z

NEW YORK--When I was 16, a health educator came to my high-school gym class, corralled the girls in the locker room and talked about breast health.

My experience that day proved fateful for me, and those memories came back this week with the unsettling news that the Susan G. Komen Foundation would end its support of Planned Parenthood clinics. The foundation then recanted that decision on Friday, a victory for thousands of women who rely on Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screenings.

The news of the Komen Foundation’s reversal draws attention to the underlying issue—the need for widespread access to breast cancer screening, especially by low-income women.

“My Heart Sank”

That day in school, we learned how to do a breast self-exam, and the health educator made us practice on the spot. When I asked about a hard knot I found in my right breast, she examined it briefly and said, “You should see a doctor.” My heart sank—could this be breast cancer? I am too young!

As a young Latina whose mother was a secretary with union benefits at a New York City hospital, I had access to premier health care. I quickly saw a doctor who was alarmed by the size of the lump, and before I knew it, I was laying on an operating table.

The surgeon removed a fibrocystic nodule from my right breast and, after a biopsy, I was relieved to learn it was benign. Thanks to very early detection, my breasts are healthy, and I am cancer-free.

As I look down on the scar on my right breast every day, I am thankful I had the education and the access to health care to remove the lump before it was too late. However, this is not the reality for most Latinas.

Latinas face some of the most serious challenges to accessing preventative health care, with potentially deadly results. Research conducted at the University of Louisville revealed that they are 20 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than white women, illustrating the dismaying health disparities that continue to plague Latinas.

Breast exams are therefore a particularly important aspect of preventative care for Latina women.

That's why we at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) were so alarmed to learn early this week that the Susan G. Komen Foundation had succumbed to anti-choice pressure and halted funding of Planned Parenthood’s breast-cancer prevention programs.

Free or low-cost clinical breast exams offered by providers such as Planned Parenthood are often the only health care services available to Latinas, and to low-income and ethnic women in general.

Latinas Twice as Likely to Die

Not only are Latinas more likely to die from breast cancer, but they are also twice as likely to be without health insurance. Nearly 40 percent of Latinas have no health insurance, while nearly 17 percent of white women are uninsured.

Breast-cancer screening rates for Hispanic women are also lower than for whites—69.7 percent compared to 72.7 percent—according to a recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That difference may seem small, but each percentage point represents many lives.
On Friday, the Komen Foundation rightly reversed course and announced it would continue to provide funds to Planned Parenthood health centers.

With Komen funds, those centers have provided more than 170,000 breast-cancer screenings in the past five years. These funds will continue to support preventative care for thousands of the most vulnerable women across the United States, offered through the health centers they trust.

While the rate of breast cancer among Latinas is alarming, we are not sitting idly by. NLIRH recently launched its “¡Soy Poderosa!/I am Powerful!” campaign, which provides opportunities for the Latina community to organize and amplify our voices through nationwide civic engagement in 2012.

All women deserve access to breast-cancer screening services, and collectively we must be proactive in tearing down the barriers to care.

NLIRH continues to encourage Latinas to be powerful, as well as to seek preventative care and regular cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood or other health centers. Taking those steps could be lifesaving--I can personally attest to that.

Jessica González-Rojas is the executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, based in New York City, the only national organization working on behalf of the reproductive health and justice of the 20 million Latinas, their families and communities in the United States.

Study: California Women “Falling Behind”—and Held Back by Budget Cuts

2012-02-03T17:00:00Z

SAN FRANCISCO--Women are recovering from the recession at a slower rate than men according to a new report by the California Budget Project (CBP) published in partnership with the Women’s Foundation of California.

The report, titled, “Falling Behind: The Impact of the Great Recession and the Budget Crisis on California’s Women and Their Families, " was released on Feb. 1.

In a telephone briefing with the media on Thursday, Jean Ross, CBP's executive director commented, “The Great Recession hit single mothers particularly hard and contributed to a sharp increase in poverty among female-headed families with children.”

Ross added, “Older women faced a rise in poverty, as well. The recession eroded women’s retirement savings, causing them to remain in the workforce to rebuild their savings.”

Slow to Share in Economic Recovery

As the economy gradually recovers in California, Ross noted, women have been slow to share in areas such as job growth.

“California’s job market is slowly recovering, but recent data suggest that women have not shared equally in the state’s modest employment gains,” said Ross during the briefing.

Ross emphasized in an interview with New America Media, “Single moms have not fared well in this struggling recovery. When people say you need to get a job faster and work more hours, that just doesn’t reflect what’s available in this labor market. Workweeks are shrinking and jobs are scarce.”

Judy Patrick, the president and CEO of the Women’s Foundation of California, commented during the briefing, “We have to have a public system for when the economy isn’t working well enough to support these populations.”

However, Governor Jerry Brown’s 2012-13 budget proposal outlined cuts to public programs that have alarmed advocates for children, elders, minorities and others vulnerable groups. Ross said women would also be among those most negatively impacted.

Reductions facing CalWorks, which assists economically struggling families, and childcare programs were among the budget cuts that concerned Ross the most.

Ross observed that the state has made cuts to CalWorks multiple times since 2008, reductions totaling $3.3 billion. Those include funding rollbacks for services meant to help parents find and keep jobs.

“These cuts mean that low-income families will have a harder time keeping a roof over their heads and making ends meet,” said Ross during the briefing. “Everybody understands that childcare is critical to a single parent’s ability to remain in the workforce, to be productive at the job, to know his or her children are well taken care of.”

Cuts Pull Rug From Under Families With Children

In an interview, Ross explained that federal and state welfare reform laws implemented in the mid-1990's limited the time people could receive benefits and required them to find work eventually.

But those laws also recognized that the jobs typically available for people on cash assistance programs usually don’t pay enough to support a family or enable them to afford childcare. So the state promised those parents a safe place for their children to go while they were at work

“When you cut those programs, you’re pulling the rug out from under families, who assumed that their part of the bargain was to get a job and in exchange they wouldn’t have to worry about where their kids were,” said Ross.

According to the “Falling Behind” report, cuts made in the 2011-12 budget are expected to eliminate care programs for over 35,000 children. Proposed cuts for 2012-13 would eliminate 62,000 more spaces in state-supported childcare programs.

Cuts to healthcare programs, such as Medi-Cal, will also disproportionately affect women, who make up two-thirds of those on the state’s Medicaid program.

Ross was particularly concerned with the impact of Medi-Cal cuts on women because more than half of the women in the program are in their peak reproductive years, and many others are seniors with very low income.

College Cuts Hit Women Hardest

During the media briefing, Ross noted that budget cuts to higher education have also affected women disproportionately.

“Higher education is critical to providing pathways to opportunity. In the past three decades, the hourly earnings of women with a B.A. or more have increased by 37 percent. Those women with just a high school degree have risen by 2 percent,” said Ross.

She pointed out that increasing student fees and declining course offerings haave caused the number of California high school graduates attending a college or university to decline, most significantly at community colleges.

The report found that from the 2007 to 2010 fiscal years, enrollment in community colleges dropped by approximately 130,000 students, and women accounted for 82 percent of that reduction. The most substantial drops were among young women, ages 19 or younger, and older women, 35 or older.

Asked who has been hardest hit by the recession, Ross responded, “Single mothers with children--in terms of everything, increased poverty, poor employment prospects.”

She also stressed that because ethnic women of color are more likely to go to community colleges and tend have low incomes, the education reductions especially affect them. For example, Ross said, half of the population served by CalWorks is Latino.

Patrick, of the Woman’s Foundation of California, also expressed her concern about older women because of steep reductions in the In-Home Supportive Services program and other services for seniors and people with disabilities.

When discussing possible solutions to avoid these cuts and improve the prospects for women, Ross affirmed the need for more revenue.

“We’ve encouraged lawmakers to look at ineffective tax breaks. There always are ways to do things differently,” she said.

Ross also mentioned the need to make choices based on what is happening in the economy at large and emphasized not placing unrealistic expectations on families.

“Budgets are always about values and choices, and these clearly are tough choices,” she declared. “The easy cuts have all been done.”

Filipino Veterans Got $214 Million from U.S. Last Year

2012-02-03T09:00:00Z

MANILA--Thousands of Filipino World War II veterans or their family members last year received $214.4 million in benefits and services from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), according to the U.S. Embassy.

More than 18,500 veterans or their survivors received pension payments ($186.5 million); one-time equity compensation payments ($15.07 million); medical services ($10.7 million), and education-related funds ($2.12 million), a VA report said.

For this year, the U.S. government has allocated $192 million (about P8.25 billion), or $16 million (about P688 million) per month, in disability payments to approximately15,000 beneficiaries.

“These monthly payments are in addition to the one-time lump sum payments made to Filipino World War II veterans or their dependents as part of the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Program (FVECP),” the report said.

Since 2009, the VA has released over $221 million in one-time FVECP payments to some 18,530 eligible veterans who served under U.S. command in World War II.

Ambassador Harry Thomas, Jr. cited the “unparalleled service and sacrifice” of both American and Philippine war veterans. Speaking at a Veterans Day rites at the American Cemetery in Taguig City, Thomas said, “We owe our service members and veterans a debt of gratitude.”

School Nurses Become Medical Safety Net

2012-02-03T08:35:00Z

NEWMAN, Calif.--When Bernice Arnett accepted a school nurse position with the Newman-Crows Landing Unified School District seven years ago, people suggested the job would entail little more than applying Band-Aids to boo-boos.

But as the sole medical provider for seven schools in the west Stanislaus County district--where about 70 percent of the 2,841 students are Latino and about 75 percent of students receive free or reduced-price meals--Arnett's job has been far from simple.

"It is a kaleidoscope," Arnett said one Tuesday afternoon in January, between providing ice packs to two boys injured on the basketball court and helping a girl with type 1 diabetes maintain her blood sugar.

"We can plan, but we just never know what the day is going to throw our way," Arnett added.

Today’s Nurses Spread Thin

Years ago, school nurses were stationed at a single school and were mainly responsible for monitoring student immunizations, screening students for scoliosis and vision and hearing problems, and providing students with first aid and medications.

Today's school nurses do that--and more.

Due to previous budget cuts, nurses in San Joaquín Valley school districts are spread thin. They oversee more schools and treat more students with severe health problems, at a time when struggling families have less ability to access medical care.

Now, school nurses--who earn significantly less than registered nurses at hospitals--visit multiple schools in one week--or even in one day. Beyond the typical headaches and bellyaches, they are also responding to an increase in students with chronic diseases that require regular care, such as diabetes, asthma, allergies and seizures.

In California’s Central Valley--a rural region marked by crippling poverty, unemployment levels above the state average and high levels of the medically uninsured--school nurses are also facing greater challenges in linking families with medical care.

Sometimes, nurses provide bus tokens--out of their own pockets--to ensure families reach doctors' offices. Other times, nurses will simply transport families themselves.

Too often, school nurses have become families' medical safety net.

"Things that should be easy to take care of have gotten much more complicated, and that is because families are losing their access to health insurance," said Aurora Licudine, who chairs the school nurses association for Modesto City Schools.

Often Students’ Only Health Provider

"Sometimes, we are the only health care providers that these students and their families see," Licudine observed.

 Although she had received an insulin injection after lunch, a young girl with type 1 diabetes--who sported a pink backpack and pink sneaker--returned in the afternoon to Arnett's office at Newman's Hurd Barrington Elementary School with complaints of shakiness.

The girl pricked her finger and then tested her blood sugar: Her monitor read 78, indicating her blood sugar was too low.

Arnett handed the girl an string cheese, a sugar-free cookie and apple juice, all of which would help raise her blood sugar.

About 15 minutes later, the girl tested her blood sugar again. It had returned to healthy levels, and the girl skipped back to class.

California schools do not keep a database of student health conditions, but Katy Waugh, president of the California School Nurses Organization, said diabetes--as well as asthma, allergies, seizures and obesity--are some of the biggest health challenges students currently face.

Nurses agree there are more students with these conditions than in years past.

"It just seems there are more in general--there are more kids that have more severe health problems," said nurse Linda Trujillo Cayabyab, who oversees licensed vocational nurses at 13 sites within Modesto City Schools.

But school nurses are unsure whether this is because students are less healthy now, or because more students with chronic conditions now attend school with their peers.

More with Chronic Illness

"We feel there are more students [with chronic illness,] but I don't know if it is because they didn't come to school in the past," said Patti Cassinerio, director of health services for Stanislaus County Office of Education. Her office employs 11 full-time equivalent school nurses to serve about 16,000 students in 15 schools.

"We just know that we need to make the accommodations" for students, she said.

Caring for students with health conditions also means working closely with families -- sometimes overcoming language barriers and cultural differences -- to ensure students are healthy, safe, and succeeding in school.

"When you see a child, you are not just seeing a child, you are seeing a whole family," said nurse Sandy Dutch, who works in seven schools in the Tulare County Office of Education, where 64 percent of district students are Latino, and 67 percent of kids receive free or reduced-price meals.

"You don't just take care of that child, you help the parent take care of that child, and you help the parent find resources," Dutch said.

That was evident early on a Tuesday morning in January, as Cayabyab analyzed the care plan for a student with seizures.

One to three times a day, the student closes his eyes, falls asleep and slumps in his chair, a licensed vocational nurse, stationed at a Modesto area elementary school, told Cayabyab. The seizures typically don't last more than three minutes, she said.

"We need to find out when mom wants us to call 911," Cayabyab said.

After speaking with the child's mother by phone, Cayabyab updated the child's care plan: The licensed vocational nurse would call 911 only if the student's seizure lasted longer than four or five minutes.

When young students complain of being tired or fall asleep in class, Arnett, the nurse at the Newman-Crows Landing Unified, occasionally provides them with a glass of milk, graham crackers and a pillow to cuddle with in her office.

The snack and rest, she said, often serve as a short-term solution to a deeper problem at home. Sometimes, children are not sleeping well due to living in an overcrowded home, domestic violence or the stress of living amidst a dysfunctional family.

But as she is providing students with some immediate comfort and care, Arnett is also collaborating with school officials, counselors and area nonprofit organizations to ensure the students and their families don't fall through the cracks.

Poverty Aggravates Existing Problems

Across the Valley, school nurses are attempting to keep students healthy, while battling the barriers posed by poverty, stress and limited access to medical care.

In some homes, poverty can aggravate existing health conditions. For example, in some families, a lack of transportation makes it difficult for children with poor vision to get the glasses they need.

"Because of limited economic resources, some of our families are burning wood in their homes to provide heat, and that makes many of these kids who have asthma have a flare up," said Licudine, of Modesto City Schools, which employs more than 16 full-time-equivalent school nurses to serve about 30,000 students across 34 schools.

Sometimes, poverty and stress create other health challenges. When parents lose their jobs and health insurance, and there is not enough food on the table, students manifest that stress-- maybe as stomach aches, headaches or general complaints, such as, "I'm not feeling well," Licudine said.

These conditions also makes it more difficult for families to access medical care.

"There are less resources in the home, because of a variety of reasons, and it is harder to get them into care, and harder to get the things they need," said Dutch, of the Tulare County Office of Education. Tulare employs five full-time and two part-time school nurses, who serve about 14,600 students across 35 rural school districts.

The increase in serious health issues, coupled with the tough economy, requires school nurses--more than ever--to act as community liaisons, connecting families with Medi-Cal or low-cost insurance, doctors and dentists and free backpacks and clothing.

As school nurses, "our common goal is to remove the barrier that is keeping these kids from being successful," Arnett said.

Call to End Budget Cuts for Nurses

These compounding challenges underscore the important role school nurses play in the lives of San Joaquín Valley students. For Licudine, of Modesto City Schools, they also emphasize why nurses should be protected from further budget cuts.

"I think that in general, school nurse shortages will only make the problem bigger," she said. "School absences will cause students to be less academically successful, and that limits the economic future of students, and limits their access to health insurance."

"By removing the health barriers that will make children academically successful, [nurses] can directly impact their academic future and their earning potential," she said.

Cassinerio, of the Stanislaus County Office of Education, summed up school nurses' responsibilities to students and their families.

School nurses, she said, "are really advocates for students, so they can succeed in school, and work in the community," she said. Nurses "have to work closely with their families and the community and all the health care providers in the community."

"Liaison,” said Cassinerio , “it is a small word, but it is a big job."

Send e-mail to: rplevin@vidaenelvalle.com

Arizona Bill Would Bar Shackling of Mothers Giving Birth

2012-02-03T08:15:00Z

PHOENIX --Lisa Marie Cookingham, an OBGYN doctor at several hospitals in Maricopa County, often sees cases of incarcerated patients being shackled to their beds during labor—a practice, she said, puts women and their unborn babies at risk.

“I experience first-hand the harmful practice of shackling prisoners,” she testified at Arizona’s Senate Public Safety and Human Services Committee in support of a bill to ban the practice statewide.

Mother’s, Baby’s Care Compromised

Cookingham testified that as recently as two weeks ago correctional officers refused to take the shackles off a woman in labor delaying the delivery of the baby by making it difficult for the mother to push.

“It was clear that the patient’s care and the care of the baby was being compromised,” she said. Eventually, the shackles were removed. “This, unfortunately, is not a unique situation, it has been repeated many times,” she added.

The physician said the use of restraint was “excessive” and didn’t take into consideration the “overall safety and health of the patients.”

Senate Bill 1184, sponsored by Arizona Sen. Linda Gray, a Republican, would prohibit correctional facilities from using restraints on a pregnant inmate in a baby’s final trimester (three months) of gestation or during labor, delivery and postpartum recovery.

The bill provides an exception for the use of restraints at the request of medical staff or if a correctional official believes the woman presents a flight risk. An amendment approved by the committee would still allow for the use of “tether chain” attached to the bed frame or a detainee’s ankle “during postpartum recovery,” if there are safety concerns. But Gray wants to ensure that the tether is long enough to ensure the woman can move.

SB 1184, which has the support of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), found a strong advocate in Gray who is known for her pro-life stance.

Gray said she became aware of the issue through the American Civil Liberties Union and read a story in the Arizona Republic about Miriam Mendiola, who was shackled before and after her Cesarean section, by detention personnel from the sheriff’s office.

“I want to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” said Gray.

She describes Mendiola’s treatment as “inhumane.”

Miriam Mendiola’s case came to notoriety first in 2009. But when she filed a lawsuit last December stating she was subjected to cruel and unusual punishment, the issue resurfaced in the public eye.

Support Across Political Spectrum

“Because this bill is trying to ensure safer delivery conditions for mother and baby, this is an issue that tends to appeal to people on all points of the political spectrum,” said Anjali Abraham, ACLU of Arizona’s public policy director.

Abraham said that pregnant inmates are a vulnerable population, and the current practice puts their children at risk.

“These inmates by and large are focused on delivering their child,” she said. “In order to ensure the safety of mothers and babies we want to have a statewide standard.”

Gray said she was glad to work together with the ACLU. “We have a couple of issues we have agreed upon,” she said.

A similar bill is moving through Arizona’s House of Representatives, sponsored by Republican Cecil Ash. That bill did not get a hearing last year.

The practice of shackling prisoners in Arizona, especially those in the custody of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office came into public scrutiny when 2008 media reports surfaced in Spanish about the case of Alma Chacon. She alleged that a sheriff’s officer shackled both her arms and legs during labor.

Chacon was an undocumented immigrant, who was pulled over during a traffic stop by sheriff’s deputies in the town of El Mirage.

Joy Bertrand, Mendiola’s attorney, said the use of shackling would affect any pregnant woman, but she believes undocumented women are more vulnerable to the practice because state law requires that undocumented immigrants be kept in the jail without bail.

Bertrand doesn’t think that they legislators are connecting immigration policy with women giving birth, but the public does. “People saw what happened to Miriam and said: ‘What if it was my daughter that was arrested? What if it was my wife?’

No Arizona Standard

At least 14 other states have legislation banning the practice of shackling. Arizona has no uniform standard on the use of shackles.

For example, The Arizona Department of Corrections, which oversees state prison inmates, initiated a policy in 2003 requiring that a pregnant woman will not be restrained in any manner while in labor, while giving birth, or during the postpartum recovery period.

In 2008, the Federal Bureau of Prisons barred the shackling of pregnant inmates in federal prisons except when it was necessary for security concerns.

Also, the practice of shackling women during childbirth is frowned upon by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

During the hearing, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office deputy chief Ray Churay--who is not opposing the bill--maintained that his agency only uses a long chain to restrain prisoners after a mother’s postpartum recovery. But Cookingham said she often sees instances of women’s ankles being restrained with a “short shackle” that would prevent them from moving.

There’s no data of how often the practice of shackling prisoners occurs in Arizona, but the bill would require correctional facilities to keep a publicly available record when they have to use shackles due to flight risk.

“One of the reasons we can’t say how often this happens is because there’s no reporting mechanism,” said the ACLU’s Abraham. But she said the multiple complaints her office has received show “it’s happened enough to be a real concern.”

Can Asians Save Classical Music?

2012-02-02T21:47:45Z

Michael Ahn Paarlberg of Slate.com posits that Asian and Asian Americans have now become the lifeblood of classical music. Himself a Korean American hapa, Paarlberg points out that fewer adults are attending classical concerts than before, and the median age of those who still attend the high culture affairs is constantly rising. The one demographic still injecting any youthful vigor into classical music is the Asian/Asian American population.

According to a survey by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2008, 14% of Asian Americans ages 18 – 24 reported attending a classical concert in the past year, more than any other demographic in the 18 – 24 age bracket. Furthermore, Paarlberg notes, while Asians make up just 4% of the total U.S. population, they constitute 7% of U.S. orchestra musicians and make up to 20% of top orchestras. One in five undergraduates and one in three PhD candidates at Julliard is Asian.

So why have Asians, most notably East Asians, been so embracing of this Occidental art form? Why do Asians extol the violinist, the bassist, and the pianist and shun the drummer and the trombonist? Why popularize the violin at the expense of the erhu or the biwa, also stringed instruments but Eastern in origin?

As our original Tiger Mom Amy Chua and Paarlberg both suggest, perhaps it’s because classical music and the piano especially have come to symbolize social mobility. Writes Paarlberg, “Classical music became an aspirational totem for both newly industrializing Asian countries, whose governments subsidized music schools and orchestras, and parents, for whom having a musician in the family was a marker of success.”

Iran Launches Spanish-Language Satellite TV

2012-02-02T17:45:00Z

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad officially launched HispanTV, a Spanish-language satellite TV network, on Tuesday, saying the station would help end the West's "hegemony" of the airwaves.

The launch of the station comes on the heels of Ahmadinejad's tour of Venezuela, Cuba and Ecuador in an attempt to build stronger ties in Latin America.

The station is available on satellite, the Internet and mobile devices. The Miami Herald reports that on Tuesday it ran programming reporting that U.S. citizens were not in favor of Iran sanctions, as well as content from TeleSur, the Latin American network launched in 2005 with the backing of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.

Komen Decision May Deny Care For Latinas

2012-02-02T17:21:48Z

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation’s decision to discontinue funds to Planned Parenthood health centers for breast cancer prevention, screenings and education is "potentially deadly for Latinas, the uninsured and low-income women across the country," according to Jessica González-Rojas, executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health.

"Latinas make up a substantial percentage of Planned Parenthood patients and often have no other health care options," she said. "We are incredibly saddened that the Komen Foundation buckled to political pressure rather than stand by the women most in need of services."

Planned Parenthood provided more than 170,000 breast cancer screenings in the past five years.

Hispanic women are 20 percent more likely to die from breast cancer when compared to non-Hispanic white women when diagnosed at a similar age and stage, according to recent research, and twice as likely to go without health insurance, according to U.S. Census data. Nearly forty percent have no health insurance, compared with just under 17 percent for white women. Screening rates for Hispanic women are also lower than for Caucasians – 69.7 percent compared to 72.7 percent – according to a study recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Innovative Latinos Showcased at SXSW: The Social Revolución

2012-02-02T17:00:00Z

This year at South By Southwest (SXSW) Latinos in the digital media space will have their very own lounge, party, and award ceremony highlighting their innovative work in social media and beyond. The events, wrapped into the name The Social Revolución, are being put together by Cultural Strategies, the communications firm in Austin, Texas.

The Revolucionario Awards, which will be awarded in three categories: The New Americano, The Mobilizer and The Innovator. The idea is to celebrate the work of Latinos online, whether they are independent or part of larger organizations, and consequently help open doors for even more Latinos in the digital space.

This event is important because, although Latinos are overpopulated on social networks and social media use, they are not always represented at conferences like SXSWi. Thus far several hundred people are expected to participate, and The Social Revolución has partnered with several other organizations, including News Taco.

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How Toxic is Black Hair Care?

2012-02-02T09:00:00Z

To reprint this story, please attribute to New America Media/SF Bay View.
“Take the kinks out of your mind,” intoned Marcus Garvey, founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), “instead of out of your hair.”

As founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), Garvey refused advertisements for products to lighten the skin and straighten the hair of African Americans in The Negro World, the UNIA’s newspaper. That was “back in the day” – between 1918 and 1933 – when the paper had a circulation estimated at close to 200,000 per week.

During the 1960s, Black Power and Black Pride proponents ushered in “naturals” and “afro” hairstyles. In between shouts of ‘Right On’ and ‘Power to the People,’ many of these proponents declared that the hair straightening process was damaging to the brains of African Americans. Though speaking figuratively, from a literal standpoint they may have actually been on to something.

Since the 1970s, when America’s environmental movement created unprecedented awareness of the damage humans were doing to planet Earth and to ourselves, there has been little if any media attention or research on the possible connections between African American beauty salons, the personal care products utilized primarily by Black women and adverse health outcomes, specifically in the area of reproductive health.

Fact Box
The chemicals found in common African-American hair products are known as estrogen and endocrine-disrupting chemicals or EDCs. Although comprehensive research is ongoing, many of these chemicals are believed to be linked to reproductive effects and birth defects, breast cancer, heart disease, cognitive disorders, premature puberty and altered immune function, to name a few. Chemicals found in Common African American Hair Products such as straighteners/relaxers (perms), detanglers, colorants, shampoos and conditioners (Estrogen and endocrine-disrupting chemicals or EDCs) Sodium Hydroxide (Lye) and Calcium Hydroxide (No Lye) Diazolidinyl Urea DMDM Hydantoin Propylene Glycol Diethanolamine Monoethanolamine Triethanolamine Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or Sodium Laureth Sulfate Hydroquinone Colorants and Synthetic Colors labeled as D&C and/or FD&C

But that has begun to change.

In May of 2011, Dr. Mary Beth Terry and others authored a study, the findings of which showed that African-American and African-Caribbean women were more likely to be exposed to hormonally-active chemicals in hair products.

Terry’s study, “Racial/Ethnic Differences in Hormonally-Active Hair Product Use: A Plausible Risk Factor for Health Disparities,” published in the Journal of Immigrant Health, found that the African-American African Caribbean women surveyed used products that contained chemicals -- commonly referred to as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) -- linked to various reproductive and birth defects, breast cancer and heart disease.

Most recently, a team of researchers led by Dr. Lauren Wise of Boston University’s Slone Epidemiology Center found strong evidence indicating that African-American women's hair relaxer use increases the risk for uterine fibroid tumors by exposing Black women to various chemicals through scalp lesions and burns from the products.

Fibroids are non-cancerous growths that develop in or just outside a woman’s uterus/womb from normal uterine cells that begin to grow abnormally. Although fibroids are fairly common, African-American women tend to get them two to three times as often as white women and experience more symptoms from them, such as prolonged and heavy menstrual flow, difficulty conceiving a child, and instances of pain during menses and intercourse.

Wise’s team also found that women who got their first menstrual period before the age of 10 were more likely to have uterine fibroids. The researchers followed more than 23,000 pre-menopausal African-American women from 1997 to 2009 and published their study, “Hair Relaxer Use and Risk of Uterine Leiomyomata in African-American Women,” online in the Jan. 10, 2012 edition of the Journal of American Epidemiology.

Researchers have also posited that a link exists between the early onset of puberty in Black girls and Black hair care products. In a study of 300 African-American, African-Caribbean, Hispanic and white women in New York City, the reported age when these women experienced their first menstrual period (menarche) varied from age 8 to age 19. However, the African-Americans were more likely to use hair products and reached menarche earlier than other racial/ethnic groups.

Dr. Tamarra James-Todd of Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital is the lead author of “Childhood Hair Product Use and Earlier Age at Menarche in a Racially Diverse Study Population,” published online in the June, 2011 Annals of Epidemiology. The study specifically sighted the use of hair oils and hair straightening (‘perm’) products and the onset of early menarche in the women.

According to figures from the Black-Owned Beauty Supply Association, African-Americans are estimated to spend between $7 billion and $9 billion dollars per year on hair and beauty products. The potential costs to our health, however, have yet to be adequately quantified.

Natural Beauty and Calls for Regulation

Black women today who strive to take Marcus Garvey’s admonition to heart are in a better position than their sisters of the past. Research focusing on the products used in African-American beauty salons (and homes) is increasing; and while the findings are showing links to adverse health outcomes primarily amongst Black women, there exists an increased motivation for natural, less toxic beauty products, as well as calls to more stringently regulate the personal care product industry.

In Los Angeles, Black Women for Wellness (BWW), a Leimert Park-based, grassroots health and wellness advocacy organization, has produced a ‘green chemistry’ booklet entitled “Black Going Green,” which is a part of their “Green Chemistry Initiative.”

The 28-page booklet, geared toward African American women and girls, lists the chemical ingredients and possible health risks of everyday household and personal beauty products, and provides many healthy and environmentally-friendly alternatives.

Readers will find information on products and chemicals such as relaxers, detanglers, shampoo and conditioner; nail polish and lipstick.

“In order to make better choices and be more critical consumers, we understood that arming Black women - the primary caretakers in our communities - with reliable information was key,” said Nourbese Flint, Program Director at Black Women for Wellness (BWW) and project coordinator for the booklet. “This is one small step to help Black women make the kinds of choices that are critical to increasing our communities’ health and well-being,” said Flint.

Also as part of its Green Chemistry Initiative, the organization has organized a “Beauty Salon Campaign” to conduct research among African American beauty salons that explores possible connections between products utilized primarily by Black women and possible reproductive health disparities.

According to BWW Executive Director Jan Robinson-Flint, the project, still in the data-gathering stage, is doing a survey of beauty supply stores, beauty salons, barber shops and wig shops within a one-mile radius of the organization’s Leimert Park-based headquarters – approximately 60 stores in all.

“We asked the owners and the stylists what were the products that they were using? And from those products what we did was create a list of the top ten chemicals … and then looked at the impact of those chemicals because they’re toxins on our health and well-being. Anytime you look at any statistics for Black women, you’ll find that we are at the top,” said Robinson-Flint.

BWW plans to rate the chemicals in terms of how toxic they are once the results of their research are made public.

Another component of BWW’s Green Chemistry Initiative is an Activist and Advocate Academy organized with the goal of “developing a cadre of women and youth working with the African American and Black community to increase information and education on Green Chemistry issues… [and to] increase the voices of African American women and girls with environmental justice issues as they impact our health and well being.”

Dera Baskin, a midwife and health educator, attended the academy in 2011 with the purpose of learning how reproductive and environmental justice intersect and to find out what the common citizen can do to change the situation.

As a ‘birth worker,’ Baskin said many of the families she works with are not aware of the exposure to chemicals in their home environments and how they can reduce or remove them. “All in the name of beauty and looking cute … we are damaging our bodies and [our] ability to bring forth healthy babies … we often buy products because of the brand, smell, what it will do aesthetically without thinking about what it will do long term. I wanted to be able to learn and share accurate information with people who look like me,” she said.

Black Women for Wellness is a member of the National Healthy Nail And
Beauty Salon Alliance, which works to raise the profile of salon worker health and safety issues primarily in the Asian/Pacific Islander community. Along with the Bay Area-based California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative, the group has provided testimony before congressional committees in Washington, DC, regarding concerns of African-American salons and their clients.

Saffiyah Edley, the owner of Los Angeles-based Luv Mi Kinks told the ‘Salon Worker Health and Safety Congressional Briefing’ in Washington, DC, last May that a truly ‘natural hair care industry’ is needed “where hair product manufacturers can’t hide behind harmful ingredients.” Edley said that “… Awareness is needed for stylists and clients around the harm that may be caused by using certain products. But what’s needed the most is that manufacturers must take responsibility for products on the market today that they are making and take out harmful chemicals.”

In addition to helping to organize the Congressional Briefing, the Oakland, CA-based California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative, along with the Environmental Finance Center (EFC), has also produced a “Naturally Healthy Hair Guide” to highlight sustainable alternatives for hair care.

The multicultural/multiethnic publication gives an explanation of five basic hair textures: wavy, tightly coiled, straight, very curly, and grey hair, which is included because of its different growth pattern and occasional difficulty in managing.

The guide also provides tips on natural hairstyles for men, women and children such as braids and pony tails, natural curls and crimps, and the use of a flat iron for straightening. Natural care techniques mentioned in the guide include Avocado or Olive Oil hair conditioners, using Witch Hazel for dandruff and Sunflower Oil for moisturizing and tips for “greening” hair salons.

A project of the Environmental Protection Agency, the EFC seeks to build green economies and foster sustainable communities in the U.S. by working with government and industry, communities, and Native American Tribes.

The partnership between grassroots groups, business and government will be necessary for success.

Says Saffiyah Edley, “There are safer alternatives, but we need regulation in order to really push them forward.”

Thandisizwe Chimurenga is a Los Angeles-based writer and a 2011-2012 New America Media Environmental Health Justice Fellow. Thandi is also the conductor of the CyberGround Railroad, “Black Los Angeles’ News and Views Source,” a community journalist and a founder and host of Some of Us Are Brave, a Black women’s public affairs show on KPFK-Pacifica Los Angeles.

L.A. Hispanics Say Local Gym Conditions Discriminatory

2012-02-02T09:00:00Z

MONTEBELLO, Calif. - Hispanic gym goers in Los Angeles are about to flex their legal muscle against a nationwide fitness chain they claim deliberately failed to maintain proper health standards in clubs where a majority of members are Latino.

“The health conditions in this place are terrible,” says Abraham Mendoza, who since 1989 has been a member of the L.A. Fitness gym in Montebello, a mostly Latino neighborhood. “There is no soap, there is no toilet paper, machines are all dirty… an activity that should be healthy has turned hazardous.”

Mendoza and about half-a-dozen others stood outside the entrance to the gym, owned by the Irvine-based Fitness International LLC, gathering signatures for a petition to be used as part of the suit. He says some 200 disgruntled L.A. Fitness members have already signed.

The move comes on the heels of several similar suits filed in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Chicago, claiming that Fitness International violated consumer fraud regulations by not recognizing lifetime membership contracts with the Chicago-based Bally Fitness, also named in the suit and which late last year sold 171 of its gyms to the California company for $153 million.

L.A. Fitness is the second-highest grossing fitness center in the country, according to Club Industry’s “Top 100 Clubs” list, with annual revenues topping $1 billion. A discrimination suit was filed in 2010 against top-grossing 24 Hour Fitness by a Hispanic employee who claimed he was passed over for promotions because of his ethnicity.

The attorney representing plaintiffs in the L.A. Fitness case in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, Mark Guralnick, was quoted in media reports last week saying that he has received additional inquiries for possible lawsuits from California, Texas, Minnesota and Illinois.

“We have people coming to us from all over the country,” Guralnick said, anticipating several hundred more customers will add their names to the complaints that contend L.A. Fitness “failed to accommodate Bally members at their clubs” and that some L.A. Fitness clubs now are so crowded “as to deprive Bally members of the…benefits of their memberships.”

Some of those members, who paid upwards of $1200 for lifetime contracts, were informed after the deal with Fitness International that they would now face renewal fees and be limited to a single gym. Others say they were encouraged to sign contracts just days ahead of the sale and were told not to expect any change in the conditions.

The Los Angeles suit would add charges of racial discrimination to a list that in addition to consumer fraud also includes breach of contract and violation of the state health club services act.

“I am sure this wouldn’t happen in Irvine, or higher income areas,” says Guillermina Yakimowich, who has been a member of Montebello’s L.A. Fitness gym for the past 17 years. The Mexico native joined Mendoza outside the Montebello gym, which she says is just a five-minute drive from her house. “I know they have better gyms, but I can’t afford the time and the driving expense to go to a better area,” she said.

Others have complained of being turned away for membership, of a failure to give notice of pending rate increases, and a gradual decline in the number of trainers available.

“In this gym, water leaks in the steam room and overall sanitary conditions are terrible,’’ says Tony Marquez, who pays $100 a month to use the facilities at the Montebello center. “We report the problems but nothing happens,” he adds.

Calls to Fitness International for comment on the pending litigation went unreturned, though the company recently provided a membership status update on its website saying it has simplified access rules, including allowing Bally “local” members access to L.A. Fitness clubs and acquired Bally clubs.

With the November deal, L.A. Fitness now owns some 500 centers nationwide, including 40 former Bally centers in Southern California.

And while the decision to ease access rules may go some way in addressing earlier complaints, Hispanic members in Los Angeles say the problem runs much deeper.

Rosario Vigil attends the L.A. Fitness gym in the city of Alhambra, west of Los Angeles. She says the facilities at her gym are new and that the “services are good,” though she acknowledges there “may be some truth” to the complaints lodged against other centers. As an example, she notes that the gym nearer to her home in Pasadena lacks many of the features found at the Alhambra gym, including a pool.

According to members from the Latino community, the reason has to do with demographics.

“We contacted gym goers in different areas,” says Javier Rodriguez, a Bally Fitness member since 1987 and one of those filing the suit. He says based on the information gathered, “the quality of service and maintenance of the installations had much to do with the income level of the people who live in those areas.”

“This,” he added, “is why we believe there is racial profiling involved.”

Rodriguez and the others say they plan to continue with the signature gathering campaign, adding they are also hoping to bring pressure on the Los Angeles County Health Department, which they say should be responsible for enforcing hygienic and sanitary conditions at local gyms.

No date has been set for when they will file the suit.

Correction: An earlier version of this story mistated the cost of gym membership at the Montebello center as $100 a year. The correct figure is $100 a month.

The Rise of the Hispanic Super-PAC

2012-02-02T05:00:00Z

There’s a new phenomenon in Washington: the Hispanic super-PAC, which aims to give political voice to the nation’s fastest-growing demographic.

Two have cropped up since the beginning of the year. Another that formed as a regular PAC in 2010 has relaunched as a super-PAC, expanding its efforts from a single House district to 15. And at least one other Hispanic PAC is considering making the leap to super-PAC status.

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East L.A. Cityhood in Limbo

2012-02-02T04:00:00Z

Backers of a four-year campaign to gain cityhood status for unincorporated East Los Angeles were left in limbo Wednesday, when the Los Angeles Local Agency Formation Commission (LA LAFCO) voted in favor of closing public participation and tabling the matter for two weeks.

Incorporation of the 7.4 miles area bounded by the cities of Los Angeles, Commerce, Montebello and Monterey Park, and home to approximately 126,000 residents, most of them Latino, would make East Los Angeles the 10th largest city in LA County.

LA LAFCO’s executive officer recommended that the commission reject the incorporation request on the grounds that financial studies concluded East Los Angeles does not have “sufficient revenues to provide public services and facilities and a reasonable reserve during the first three years of incorporation,” as required by state law.

“East Los Angeles does not generate enough revenue to sustain a healthy and financially sound city,” wrote Paul Novak in his Executive Officer’s Report.

Three previous incorporation attempts —1961, 1963 and 1974 — failed. If the commission rejects the proposal for incorporation, proponents can submit another proposal after one year.

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