DREAM Act could generate $1.6 trillion

November 30, 2010 By 6 Comments


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The DREAM Act applies only to those who came to the United States under the age of 16 and plan to pursue at least two years of higher education or military service.

Dr. Raul Hinojosa, a University of California, Los Angeles professor and director of the North American Integration and Development Center, found that the estimated 825,000 legalized youths would generate between $1.4 trillion and $1.6 triillion in income over a work life of 40 years.

Dr. Raul Hinojosa: We took a conservative estimate of what they would likely achieve in terms of education and then after that, what type of jobs could they be getting and what that would contribute to the economy over the next 40 years. On that basis, we calculated income taxes, sales taxes, all types of financial benefits, without taking into account the fact that many of them are also probably going to end up buying houses, businesses and creating more jobs for the rest of society. This is simply a very conservative version of what their income will be over the next 40 years.

Madeleine Scinto: I was reading some arguments by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington DC, that basically says the DREAM Act is actually going to give broader amnesty than the 2 million that are estimated as a possibility because it’s going to be used as a back-door avenue by some students who get legal status and try to bring more people.

Dr. Hinojosa: I don’t believe that this is going to be a big back door. On the contrary, what we have seen from these legalization programs in the past, is that they end up having a lot less people actually apply, that could apply. The key thing we need to understand is that these are people who have already gone through the educational system. They want to contribute to society. Many of them are already in colleges, paying their own tuition, working very hard to be able to make something of their lives. It’s logical, a no brainer, that we would want as many people as possible to be able to pay in to the social security and the tax system and pay back, and if we keep them in the shadows right now, they will graduate, and they will not be able to work. That entire contribution will not be able to benefit the whole society and the fiscal benefit of our budget deficits at the moment.

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Friends and students rally for the DREAM Act

November 30, 2010 By 4 Comments


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According to opinion polls, the DREAM Act may be one of the least controversial measures that has come before Congress in a very long time. A June Opinion Research poll found 70 percent of Americans are in favor of providing a path to citizenship for kids who grew up here.

And so is Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff. In fact, he is a co-sponsor of the bill. So why were Samantha Contreras and other DREAM Act supporters rallying in front of his Pasadena office?

“We’ve been working with him for many years, and he’s been on the fence,” Contreras said. “We want to make sure he keeps his word to us and votes yes.”

Schiff’s communications director, Maureen Shanahan, says he is not on the fence; he remains a co-sponsor of the bill. But activists are not taking any yes vote for granted. This will be the last chance to pass the DREAM Act before Republicans unfriendly to the bill take back the House in January.

The DREAM Act would affect up to 65,000 young men and women a year who graduate from American high schools after growing up in the here.

Those are young women and men like Felip Escobar. He is a student at Rio Hondo with a 3.0 grade point average; he is transferring to Cal State Northridge to study political science, and he was 12 years old when he came here illegally from Guatemala 10 years ago. He says he is a full citizen now. And he would like the same privileges for those who have come after him.

Escobar met with Schiff’s district director, while his fellow protesters held their banner for the few passing cars on Raymond Avenue. It was a much nicer reception than they got at Republican Congressman David Dreier’s San Dimas office just a couple of hours before.

“They told us they were too busy answering phone calls,” Contreras said.

Can you hear them now?

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Jury finds in favor of police officer in South L.A. wrongful death case

November 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment


After two hours of deliberation, a jury found in favor of a Los Angeles police officer in a wrongful death case brought by the wife of a man killed in the Crenshaw area Monday.

Laura Michelle Cox, a Woodland Hills resident, sued Officer Jose Campos for excessive force in the shooting of her husband Maurice Cox on March 1, 2008.

“I’m in total shock,” Cox said of the verdict and how quickly it was reached, according to City News Service.

Cox argued that the 13 shots fired at her husband were excessive because the object in his hand that the officers perceived to be a weapon was, in fact, a cell phone.

But the 9-3 verdict found against her.

“I’m totally relieved,’” said Campos, a 10-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, according to City News Service. “We’re out there to protect the public and to do the right thing.”

Cox said she and her lawyers are investigating a possible appeal.

Maurice Cox was killed after crashing his truck near Crenshaw Boulevard on a night his wife said he had been playing dominoes with friends. Believing Maurice Cox was armed, several officers fired nearly 50 rounds at Maurice Cox, the fatal wound coming from a Los Angeles Police Department officer who was no longer in the case when it went to a jury.

The shooting was captured on film by Alex Alonso of streetgangs.com and a service station security camera.

The District Attorney’s office investigated the shooting but decided against prosecuting the officers involved.

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons

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Students experiment with photography at Foshay Learning Center

November 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment


As part of an Intersections photography workshop, students at Foshay Learning Center experimented with cameras on campus.

Interested in hosting a workshop at your school? Contact our mentoring team at [email protected] for more information.

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Healthcare in South Los Angeles means fewer services and longer waits

November 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment


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Tom LaBonge says he wants to save the city’s arts programs

November 23, 2010 By 3 Comments


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The chair of the committee, Councilman Tom LaBonge, said the committee will save the city and programs about $2 million.

Madeleine Scinto: $2 million?

Tom LaBonge: But compared to no dollars, meaning the dollars are being erased because of the difficult times that we’re in. And so we need to reach to partners in order to keep these places open.

Scinto: Is there any fear that if you contracted out or leased out these programs that these partnerships won’t be able to execute these programs as well as the city has been doing?

LaBonge: Well, I think they can do… they’re seen around the country, these relationships that have grown and even in other cities and other countries as well, where there’s this relationship that enhances it, blossoms it. It makes things more creative, so I’m not afraid of this opportunity.

Scinto: Would this be the first public-private partnership in Los Angeles, if this went through?

LaBonge: In the early 90s, the cultural affairs partnered out with community groups to do the public-private partnership. But there were public-private partnerships from a long, long time ago. The Grand Theatre in San Pedro is a public-private partnership for many years.

Scinto: What kind of organizations would you foresee coming in to participate in this?

LaBonge: People who have a love of arts, a love of people and a skill to raise revenue.

Scinto: But you don’t have any specific organizations in mind?

LaBonge: No, I don’t know. That’s up to those who choose to bid on it. I hope people step up who have a value and a love for the city’s opportunity to continue art-community programs.

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Angelenos celebrate different Thanksgiving traditions

November 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment


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Read what different people had to say about their traditions:

My thanksgiving celebration is a fairly traditional one.

I celebrate for a long, long, time.

In Taiwan, we didn’t consider Thanksgiving as a very meaningful holiday, but we do celebrate it.

When I was young, we had kind of a different Thanksgiving. There’d be a lot of American traditional food but also Korean food. But nowadays, we celebrate it more traditional American style, with turkey and mashed potatoes.

Chicken, fruit, salad, everything vegetable.

Maple syrup for salads and stuff, and also they like the cranberries with flavoring.

Sometimes, we just buy chicken from Costco, and enjoy the chicken.

I’m not a good cooker, so I don’t really do anything.

Basically, we just wait for family to come over, or we go to my mom’s house.

The whole family gets together. Each member of the family bakes or cooks something, and brings it to the table, and we prepare the food together, we laugh, we make jokes, we watch football on TV and basically have time to spend together with family members.

Photo courtesy of The Boston Globe

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Local company hosts annual Thanksgiving giveaway

November 23, 2010 By 1 Comment


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Thousands of people from across the city came for the Thanksgiving turkey giveaway. The music was cranked up loud; most people were dancing and clapping, even those in wheelchairs.

Everyone had a reason to be there. Some were there because times have been hard, and they needed to make a Thanksgiving dinner for their families. Others were there to get a turkey dinner and give it away to those who need it.

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Compton ranks eighth most dangerous city in nation, residents disagree

November 23, 2010 By 1 Comment


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CQ Press’s new rankings are out for the nation’s most dangerous cities. Compton ranks eighth in the nation, based on rates of murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft.

But a lot of Compton residents disagree. Paula Parker was waiting for a bus. She has lived in Compton since 1968, and cites the toy drives and the turkey giveaways, the great churches, and a mayor and city council she heartily approves of.

“We just have a lot of good things people don’t come and see in Compton!” Parker said. “All they want to come see is the bad stuff!”

Compton City Manager Willie Norfleet noted the city’s high unemployment rate, at more than 20 percent, and he quoted Aristotle, saying when there is poverty, there will be crime or revolution. He also said new jobs provided by a Burlington Coat Factory might help, in addition to the new Gateway Plaza.

But while most people thought Compton was a fine city to buy a home and raise kids, Lisa in the Sheriff’s Department substation showed up to report a crime. She did not want to say what it was regarding, but she looked tired and sad. She worries every day about her kids, she said, and if she could, she would move out of Compton. She has family in Virginia.

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Local high school student shares Thanksgiving recipe

November 23, 2010 By 1 Comment


By: Tracy Rivera
If you’re one of those people who don’t like the taste of turkey, you may be looking for a different way to cook the big bird. Tracy Rivera, a student in the culinary arts program at Dorsey High School, has a recipe that uses unusual ingredients to add some flavor. Hear her tell the recipe for Pavo en Especias, or Spiced Turkey, from her classroom at the Dorsey culinary kitchen.

Listen to the audio story:

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Here is Tracy Rivera’s recipe:

Pavo en Especias
“Spiced Turkey”

Ingredients:
1) 16 to 18 lb turkey
2) 4 tbs (tablespoons) of sesame seeds
3) 3 tbs of pumpkin seeds
4) 1 can (326 g) of Planters Mixed Nuts or nuts of your choice
5) 2 oz (ounces) of chocolate
6) 6 garlic cloves
7) 6 black peppercorns
8) 2 large tomatoes
9) 1 large onions
10) 4 dried plums

Directions:
1) Fabricate the turkey into 10 pieces (or however many you desire), cutting the breast in half.
2) Put the turkey into a heavy duty pot. Cover it with water, salt to taste and simmer.
3) While the turkey is simmering, toast the sesame and pumpkin seeds in a skillet over low heat.
4) Put the seeds, nuts, chocolate, garlic, tomatoes, onions and dried plums in a blender with some of the cooking water. Blend until smooth.
5) Add the mixture to the pot when the turkey is half way cooked. Then, finish cooking until fully cooked.

**You may serve the turkey with fried rice, or tear the turkey into pieces and put the meat between two pieces of bread.

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