SWOPblogger

From the NY Times:

...aides to [Obama and McCain] said Latino voters would be central to victory in a swath of Western states now viewed as prime battlefields, including Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico.

See the map.

Labels: 2008 Elections, 2008 Presidential Election, Campaign for a Better New Mexico, Civic Engagement, New Mexico, NM Politics, SWOP

Real Change Hondo slate goes 3 for 3 in a landslide.

The numbers reported by text from Hondo:

• Chavel Lopez won with 902 votes compared to 720 votes for his opponent.
• Lucio Torrez won with 840 compared to 181 votes for his opponent.
• And Virginia Gonzalez won 865 votes compared to 607 votes for her opponent.

Some more numbers:

• Over 50% turnout of registered voters.
• 35% turnout was early, absentee or by mail.
• 50 car caravan through the streets of Hondo after results announced.

Labels: 2008 Elections, Civic Engagement, SWU, voting

5:45pm - Real Change slate is up 237 to 196... into the last hour. From this point out, every additional voter could be the tie breaker. We are pulling them out of their homes one at a time and driving them to the polls...

Battle for Hondo - Dispatch 2
May 10, 2008

Pull quote that says reams about Hondo, Texas...

Voting ... is to decide to keep their current council members, who by all reports and indications have been very productive, or to replace one, two or all three of them with their challengers.

emphasis mine...

Record turnout reported during city's early voting
By William Hoover

May 8, 2008

Hondo Anvil Herald Correspondent

Mirroring national trends in this year’s presidential primaries, interest in the Hondo city elections is at an all time high, according to City Secretary Yolanda Benitez. This is the first council election to be held since the city adopted a Home Rule Charter, providing council members with three-year terms of office.
Benitez said more early votes were cast in this year’s municipal elections than in any election in the city’s history. At the close of early voting Tuesday, 949 early votes had been cast at City Hall and 171 mail-in ballots had been received, which means 1,120 Hondo residents cast ballots during just the early voting period. Hondo has 3,304 registered voters and over one third, or 1,120, decided to vote early. Saturday, May 10, is the official election day.
The early vote total alone exceeds past election vote totals, with early voting and Election Day voting combined. A stunning 131 people voted in the four-hour span on Saturday, which was more than any eight-hour day in the early voting period, according to the City Secretary.
“We worked our tails off Saturday,” said Benitez, who served as the Early Voting Clerk. Benitez received help with the throngs of voters from Sandy Rodriguez and Erica Rios, who both served as Deputy Early Voting Clerks.
To participate in the record setting election, and voice your opinion on how the city is being run, be sure to drop by Hondo City Hall on election day, Saturday, May 10. Ballots can be cast for the council candidate of your choice in city council chambers from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.
Voting in the election, which has had a record breaking early vote, is crucial if a fair representation of the city’s electorate is to decide to keep their current council members, who by all reports and indications have been very productive, or to replace one, two or all three of them with their challengers. The council members elected this Saturday will be the first elected to the three-year terms provided by the city’s year old Home Rule Charter.
In Place 3, Terry Teague is the incumbent, and he faces both Chris Stiegler, a former councilman, and Virginia Gonzales.
The Place 4 incumbent, Sammy Nooner, is in a three-person race with Lucio Torrez and former city secretary, Bea Cervantez.
Two are seeking election to Place 5, where Mayor Pro Tem Ann-Michelle Long faces a challenge from Chavel Lopez.

The Battle for Hondo, Texas is ON!
Dispatch 1

8:30am – Rendón Informal Polling Services of Hondo, Texas sez that the early election day turnout is running 7 to 2 in favor of the Real Change Campaign community slate. Genaro Rendón passes out sample ballots that list the names Chavel López, Lucio Torrez, and Virginia Gonzales. They are going for a majority on the five member Hondo City Council, putting everything up for grabs here in this town of 8,000 located about 45 minutes west of San Antonio on highway 90.

Molestoso is here to help out, act as an international observer, and figure out a way that he can put in a full day and get done to make it back to Rosedale Park on San Antonio’s west side in enough time to catch Mingo Saldívar y sus Cuatro Espadas during the last evening of the annual Tejano Conjunto Festival. Mole wants to dance his ass off later – but only if it’s a victory celebration.

“We have already had a record number of people coming out to vote early and by mail. Election officials are telling us that they have been overwhelmed by over 250 newly registered voters. The high level of pre-election day participation is an indicator of the desire for Real Change,” says campaign volunteer Lara.

The total early vote was over 900. The Real Change Campaign figures that they came out ahead in the early voting by a slim margin, but what has caused the turnout is the Campaign itself.

There’s a lot of talk nationally these days about “transcending race” but I don’t think people pushing that line have spent much time in Hondo. Most of the anglos headed to the City Hall polling place go out of their way to avoid the Real Change flatbed truck full of campaign workers and volunteers. One guy drives by in his truck “Thanks for blocking the street!”

“And thank you for voting!” says a campaign volunteer cheerily in response.

They’re not happy because they figure to lose today. State power comes crashing down hard in Hondo, Texas.

The police on the other hand are all smiles and waves if only because they can smell a new employer a mile away.

8:55am – the count is at 20 to 10 in favor of the Real Change slate

An election inspector is here from the Secretary of State’s office, following a request from the Real Change Campaign and a petition signed by 15 registered voters. Irregularities in the campaign have included folks being turned away from early voting, identification not being accepted, voter registration status not being honored.

So far this morning, county staff seem to be spending most of their time keeping an animated Rendón behind the sign saying “Prohibition of Certain Devices within 100 feet of Voting Station.”

9:27am – vote running 41-20. The 2-1 margin is holds steady.

“I told my kids if it weren’t for these folks, we would still be getting all that air pollution from the grain silos,” says a woman as she picks up a sample ballot with the Real Change candidates highlighted.

The Hondo Empowerment Committee, initiated by the Southwest Workers Union nearly twenty years ago, has a long track of work on environmental justice issues. The HEC has mobilized residents of this town to shut down polluting grain silos, granaries, and a fertilizer warehouse. United action by the community is what has made the Campaign for Real Change possible.

According to candidate Chavel Lopez, “We’re going to win this campaign. The people are more united than ever, stronger than ever. We’re knocking on doors right now and we’ll be celebraing with a victory party tonight.”

11:45am – vote running 85-70. The other side is catching up. What’s the profile of the average Saturday morning Hondo voter versus the average Saturday afternoon Hondo voter? We’ll find out, there’s a lot more work to do today.

20 years in the struggle for dignity and justice.

Labels: SWU

We just recently came back from a trip to the Bay Area! It was hella fun! Mónica, Emma, and I went out there for the FCYO’s Convening of the ReGenerations-Environmental Justice Cohort. There we got to meet new people, organizations, and we also heard about environmental struggles across the nation. It ranged from air pollutants to not having a high school in their community.

One story was that in the San Joaquin Valley in California their water is highly contaminated. This contamination is due to fertilizers, animal factory waste, and leaky septic systems. All of these contain nitrate, which is the contaminant. The young women who were representing Community Water Center were telling us that they don’t even have water to drink at their schools. They are being denied something that all humans need to live. To me that is outrageous. This contamination doesn’t only deny the people drinking water, but also causes cancer in adults and can also cause the death of an infant. It was overwhelming hearing these heartbreaking stories, but the fact that we had all come together and the fact that we built the unity that we did, was very empowering and inspiring.

Also that we were in an intergenerational setting was great, because although we have our differences in age, we are all on the same page and are fighting for the same things. We did a workshop on working intergenerational. We talked about all the stereotypes each generation had about the others. For example, the group 18 & under thought that the older generations see them as immature and incapable of handling leadership roles, which wasn’t entirely true in the eyes of the older generations. Breaking down the stereotypes and seeing what everyone thinks you think of them really helped us work together more comfortably.

We also got to have a media training, presented by the Center for Media Justice, which was very useful. The most useful piece for me was when Karlos had a script you could follow if you were to be interviewed by a reporter. That’s a big help to me, because when it comes to being interviewed I have a real hard time saying exactly what I want to say. It always helps me when I have an outline to work with.

We all made new relationships. By the second day it felt like we were all one big family, because of the environment we were put in. We stayed at the CTWO mansion and shared rooms with 4 or 5 other people. We also had to share four showers with 30 people! It was a pain at times, but it only made it easier for us to get to know everyone in the house.

Overall it was a great experience and hopefully we'll all be able to keep in touch and continue to build relationships and movement we have created together.

Labels: Envirionmental Justice, youth

Laurie Weakhee, our great friend and NM's newest Democratic super delegate, cast her support to Obama today.

We recommend you read her interview with the New Mexico Independent in its entirety...here is a highlight:

NMI: Did you ever feel any sense of obligation to go for Clinton since she narrowly won the popular vote here in New Mexico?

LW: Actually, (long pause) for me, I was selected to be a super delegate. Because as a native woman I'm representative of a voice that rarely gets heard. I truly believe that part of my responsibility is to give voice to the overlooked concerns of disenfranchised people. For someone who's from small native communities, we usually lose to majority rules and often times our communities get overrun and have to go with the majority when it's not good for the community. So I don't really feel like that was an argument as to why I was selected as a superdelegate.

Still, Laurie also recognized Hillary Clinton in her remarks:

"I’d like to recognize Senator Clinton for her many years of service to this country, and for laying the groundwork for women across this country to run for office..."

Labels: 2008 Presidential Election, Barack Obama, Civic Engagement, Hilary Clinton, New Mexico

In honor of Mothers Day, which is Sunday, I would like to recognize a few of the Mamaistas;

MAY 8 - 11 (THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY): 3:45, 6:00, 8:15

This new documentary is a poetic glance at a community’s creative response to a series of teacher firings, taking place in the context of police brutality and restrictive free speech zones - a nation at war abroad and with its people. When the bombs began to fall on Iraq in 2003, Albuquerque Youth Poetry Slam Team Coach, Bill Nevins, was suspended and later fired from his teaching job, while his outspoken High School Poetry Team was silenced. Nevins was the last of seven area educators removed by fearful administrations seeking to quell debate and expression by students. Days after Nevins’ removal, brutal police tactics on anti-war protesters emerged as the latest attempt at silencing these voices. Yet out of this fire arose a committed community of courageous poets, and musicians. They came together across the country and was dubbed Poetic Justice.  It defied the fear tactics of the day to support and model freedom of speech and stand with the fired teacher. The voices from Poetic Justice, and the resulting film, stand as a testament to our creative spirit and an affirmation of the power of our words - a path toward transformation and hope in these troubling times.

THE GUILD CINEMA, 3405 Central NE (Tulane Dr)

Thanks to Charles for the heads up on this one. And thanks to Bill Nevins and the young poets for doing what they do...

Labels: Civic Engagement, Civil Rights, Intel, Iraq, POP Culture, war

See more on the song here.

Labels: Immigration, immigration reform, May 1st, May Day

Check out the environment champions and the not so champions in New Mexico. Are you surprised? CVNM_2008_Scorecard.pdf (click to download scorecard)

May 7, 2008
PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Sandy Buffett, CVNM Executive Director 505-992-8683(VOTE)

Conservation Voters NM Releases Annual Scorecard of NM Legislature
"Heroes" and "Zeros" of conservation highlighted

Santa Fe, NM. Conservation Voters New Mexico (CVNM) rolled out its annual Legislative Scorecard on Tuesday, assessing the impact of the 2008 New Mexico State Legislative Session on New Mexico's air, land, water and quality of life. The scorecard provides New Mexicans with the voting records of all legislators, as well as a description of the conservation performances of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor.

"Conservation Voters New Mexico works to turn environmental values into state priorities," stated Sandy Buffett, Executive Director of CVNM. "Our scorecard provides New Mexicans with critical information on whether their legislators voted for or against the protection of our air, land, and water. Using this Scorecard, citizens can determine for themselves if their legislators are representing their values in Santa Fe. "

CVNM's 100% Club, 2008 (p. 16):
These champion legislators earned a perfect (100%) conservation record for the 2008 session:
Representative Gail Chasey (HD 18, Bernalillo County)
Senator Dede Feldman (SD 13, Bernalillo County)
Senator John Grubesic (SD 25, Santa Fe County)
Senator Cisco McSorley, (SD 16, Bernalillo County)
Senator John Pinto (SD 3, McKinley and San Juan Counties)
Senator Michael Sanchez (SD 29, Valencia County)

"Conservation Offenders" - Lowest Scores in 2008 (p. 18):
These legislators all scored 0% in 2008:
Senator Vernon Asbill (SD 34, Eddy and Otero Counties)
Senator Kent Cravens (SD 21, Bernalillo and Sandoval Counties)
Senator Carroll Leavell (SD 41, Eddy and Lea Counties)
Senator William Sharer (SD 1, San Juan County)

The Scorecard highlights a successful struggle by CVNM to fight off a slew of attacks on New Mexico's regulatory process, including an attempt to slash the budget of the Environment Department. Also disappointing was the passage of SB487, a "Trojan horse" bill that would have encouraged new uranium mining in New Mexico by linking the cleanup of abandoned uranium mines to production from new uranium mines and mills. The bill was later vetoed by Governor Bill Richardson.

CVNM also successfully led the fight to defeat HB276, a Tax Increment Financing bill that would have provided a $629 million tax subsidy to SunCal Corporation on Albuquerque's West Side (pg. 19).

Other Highs & Lows:
Senator John Ryan (57%) and Representative Paul Bandy (63%) were the highest scoring Republicans.
The lowest scoring Democrats were Senator Tim Jennings (22%) and Representative Kiki Saavedra (25%).

Average 2008 Conservation Scores:
· House: 48%, Senate 48%
· House Democrats: 59%, House Republicans: 32%
· Senate Democrats: 69%, Senate Republicans: 22%

The CVNM Legislative scores reflect votes cast on the floor and in committee on the most important conservation issues facing the Legislature. Descriptions of the bills and the recommended pro-conservation position are included on pp. 8-9 of the Scorecard. CVNM scored legislators on the following bills:

Health and Environment
HB 583 (Chasey) TV and Video Game Excise Tax
SB 57 (B. Sanchez) Regulatory Process Task Force
HJR12 / SJR 7 (Foley/Ingle) Legislative Review of Regulatory Rules Constitutional Amendment

Land Use and Water
HB 276 (Silva) SunCal Tax Increment Project Bonds
HB 451 (Barela) Greenfield Tax Increment Districts
SB 434 (McSorley) Tax Increment Development District Moratorium
SJM 17 (Beffort) State Engineer Review of Water Exports
SM 49 (Lopez) Study Need for Agricultural Districts

Toxics
SB 487 (Ulibarri) Abandoned Uranium Mine Reclamation Fees
HJM 8 (Heaton) Change Waste Allowed in WIPP Site
SM 46 (Komadina) Defeat Federal Clean Water Restoration Act

Energy
HB 305 (B Lujan) Utility Customer Load Management
HJM 7 (Begaye) Study Coal Surtax

Wildlife and Wilderness
HJM 29/SJM 21 (Anderson / Carraro) Enact Federal Public Lands and Education Act
SJM 40 Study Off-Road Motorized Vehicle Use

An electronic pdf copy of the 2008 CVNM Legislative Scorecard can be accessed at http://www.cvnm.org/pdf/2008_Scorecard.pdf . CVNM is a nonpartisan, 501(c)4 nonprofit that works to make sensible conservation policies a top priority for elected officials, political candidates and voters across the state. For more information, please visit www.CVNM.org .

###

Labels: 2008 Scorecard, Conservation Voters New Mexico

From Fortune Magazine's Go West Blog: The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting interview with Intel (INTC) CEO Paul Otellini the other day. A few things stuck out. First, in the three years Otellini has run Intel its headcount has dropped from 103,300 to 84,600, according to the Journal.

Does anyone have an accurate count of layoffs in NM?

Labels: Intel, intel layoffs

The Political Winds of May
Frontera Norte-Sur
May 2, 2008

The turnouts might have been much smaller than in 2006 when perhaps millions participated in the Great American Boycott, but pro-immigrant and pro-labor actions yesterday still underscored how International Worker's Day is making a comeback in US political life. In dozens of communities across the US, immigrant advocates and their allies organized diverse actions.

Activists demanded that the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) stop raiding workplaces and deporting undocumented workers, and they urged the passage of a comprehensive immigration reform that legalizes workers without papers.

"We sent a letter to President Bush asking for a moratorium on the (ICE) raids while the future of our 12 million brothers and sisters is resolved," said Tedoro Aguiluz, executive director of Houston's Central American Resource Center.

Large marches drawing thousands were held in Los Angeles and Chicago, while smaller protests took place in Seattle, Tucson, Milwaukee, Miami, Houston, and Washington, D.C., where activists picketed the Supreme Cou rt and the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic parties. In El Paso, Texas, immigrant advocates staged a short hunger strike and a march, while in Albuquerque, New Mexico, community members braved the chilly winds to attend a "family day" celebration convened by the Center for Equality and Rights.

At least 30 US cities witnessed a May Day event. Unlike 2007, when Los Angeles police attacked demonstrators and journalists at a May Day rally, this year's demonstration in California's largest city proceeded peacefully.

In Santa Fe, New Mexico, a group of 9 women held a creative protest in front of the Santa Fe Hilton, where they were formerly employed as housekeepers. Taping their mouths shut with messages like "Fired" and "No rights," the women charged that they were unfairly dismissed because of worker complaints over hazardous and abusive labor conditions last March. The action by Latina and immigrant workers was supported the non-profit Somos Un Pueblo Unido organization and the Service Employees International Union.

In a phone interview with Frontera Norte Sur, Marcela Diaz, executive director for Somos, said the women approached her group for help after their firings. Complaining of being forced to clean with dangerous chemicals, the former housekeepers told Diaz and the media they were expected to clean 23 rooms during shifts averaging less than 7 hours each.

According to Diaz, the women averaged $9.50-10.50 per hour in a city known for its California-level cost of living The housekeepers' wages put them just slightly above Santa Fe's minimum wage of $9.50 per hour, which was achieved after a long struggle by Somos and other living wage advocates.

Diaz said the workers chose May 1 for their public protest to express "solidarity with workers around the world." Locally, the former Hilton employees "felt that Santa Fe should know that Hilton workers are treated that way, and that they are the backbone of the tourist economy in Santa Fe," she added.

Billed as a renovated, smoke-free hotel situated amid the marvels of culture and history, the Santa Fe Hilton advertises off-season rooms for between $159 and $209 per night. Quoted in the Santa Fe New Mexican, Michael Newbrand, Santa Fe Hilton manager, maintained that the company held "our employees' safety and satisfaction in the highest regard and encourages workers to effectively alert management of issues that may affect or have affected their work environment." Newbrand, however, did not address specific complaints by his ex-workers.

Diaz said her organization has assisted the onetime Hilton employees in filing complaints with the National Labor Relations Board, Employment Equal Opportunity Commission and Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Elsewhere, elected officials and other community leaders attended or endorsed different May 1 events. In Los Angeles, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa contended that stepped-up ICE raids not only threatened the livelihoods of 500,000 people employed in the food and other industries, but jeopardized the broader economy as well. Villaraigosa's stance was shared by Samuel Garrison, vice-president of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce.

"The raids are terrorizing the workers, and they are worrying businessmen. I think that it is going to cause many businesses to think twice before coming to Los Angeles," Garrison said.

Though May Day 2008 was barely a blip in the US English-language media, it clearly had an impact on the political scene. Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama both released statements in favor of immigration reform. Clinton pledged to present a legislative initiative within "100 days of my administration," while Obama committed to working for a comprehensive immigration law overhaul that would bring "order and compassion to a system that is broken." Republican presidential candidate John McCain had no immediate comment on the day's events.

In an election year, political power was on the minds of May 1 organizers.

"Besides demonstrating on this day, we are in a permanent campaign to have the people vote in November," said Emma Lozano of the May 1 International Coalition in Chicago. "May 1 is another step. I estimate we brought together 10,000 people in Chicago, but in November millions of us will march to the polls. I can be sure of this." For his part, Juan Jose Gutierrez of Latino Movement USA said activists are aiming to get the immigrant legalization issue onto the plank of the Democratic Party at this year's convention scheduled for Denver, Colorado.

Growing out of a 1886 Chicago strike and the police killing of workers, May Day was purposely downplayed for political reasons in the United States. Instead, the official Labor Day holiday was designated in September. But the 2006 revival of International Worker's Day as an international day of mass action by the immigrant rights movement set in motion a new political dynamic in the US that's now touching other sectors.

In another May 1 event that was largely glossed over by the US mass media, 25,000 West Coast longshoremen conducted day-long work stoppages at 29 ports from San Diego to Seattle, or "border-to-border" as one radio host described it, to protest the war in Iraq. Two years ago, business at West Coast docks was disrupted by truckers who refused deliveries to show their support for the surging immigrant rights movement at the time. Many of the participating truckers were immigrants.

Jack Heyman, an official with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union that sponsored the work stoppage in defiance of an arbitrator's ruling, said on Pacifica Radio's Democracy Now program that college students, teachers, truck drivers, postal workers and others in New York, North Carolina and California held small, quiet activities in support of the dock workers. But the "most stunning act of solidarity" came from Iraqi dock workers who also shut down ports, Heyman said. "We're hoping that these kinds of actions will resonate with other unions and workers," he said.

Santa Fe activist Diaz said smaller events commemorating May Day have taken place for years, but she credited the pro-immigrant movement for pumping new life into an international commemoration that, ironically, began in the US. "It has gotten more attention lately because of the immigrant rights movement.I hope we continue to bring light to it," Diaz said.

Additional sources: El Paso Times, May 2, 2008. Article by Louie Gilot.
Democracy Now, May 1 and 2, 2008. Univision and Univision Online, May 1 and
2, 2008. KLUZ (Albuquerque), May 1, 2008. La Jornada/AFP/DPA, May 1, 2008.
El Universal/Notimex, May 1, 2008. El Diario de Juarez, May 1, 2008. Santa
Fe New Mexican, May 1, 2008. Article by Kate Nash. Los Angeles Times, May 1,
2008. Article by Louis Sahagun. Ilwu.org

Frontera NorteSur (FNS): on-line, U.S.-Mexico border news Center for Latin
American and Border Studies New Mexico State University Las Cruces, New
Mexico
For a free electronic subscription email fnsnews@nmsu.edu

Labels: FNS, ICE, Immigration, Marcela Diaz, May 1st, May Day

Labels: Immigration, May 1st, May Day

Some say it could hit $7 in the next four years.

But yes, folks. I paid 4 bucks a gallon for the first time yesterday. It hurt. But it's only going to get worse, and maybe it'll get us off our addiction to oil - and all that comes with it.

A side note: I was "texting" my friends, whining about paying $4 per gallon... One of them reported from the US/Mexico border that Border Patrol, Police and other "officials" don't seem to be feeling a crunch yet.

"They're the only ones out driving around all day," my source said.

The rest of us? Some are resorting to prayer.

Labels: Gas Prices

Some more news from our friends at FNS. The first article is on a rice shortage near the border. The second is on migration demographics.

El Paso-Ciudad Juarez News

Living in the US-Mexico borderlands, residents grow up eating mouth-watering, inexpensive meals rounded off by beans and rice. At least that was the case until now. In El Paso, Texas, residents are stunned by sharp price increases that saw the wholesale value of a ton of Thai-produced rice shoot up by more than 100 percent since last January. At the retail level, rice prices increased by ten percent just last month, according to government reports. El Paso resident Estela Garcia is among locals who are expressing mounting concern about the availability and affordability of a culturally-defining food.

“But as we know everything goes up in this country, except wages. I hope that other grains don’t go up, like wheat, which is also a staple,” Garcia said.

In Garcia’s hometown, the international rice price crisis made local news last week when Sam’s Club, which is owned by Wal-Mart, announced it was limiting sales of jasmine, basmati and long grain white rice to four 20-lb. sacks per customer. Costco also reportedly instituted a similar local policy. According to a statement from Sam’s Club, the sales rationing was implemented in order to assure a steady supply of a basic product. In a place where enchiladas with beans and rice or burritos with beans and rice are daily vittles, the prospect of no rice was disturbing to some.

“I’ve never found myself in a situation where there is no rice,” said restaurant customer Arturo Duran.

Siria Rocha, however, is one person who is already looking at rice-free pantries. Rocha, marketing director for the West Texas Food Bank, which serves 100,000 needy people in 22 counties, said her organization has not received a new shipment of rice since last October.

; And in an increasingly multi-cultural city, the rice price hikes have jolted owners and workers at East Asian and Middle Eastern restaurants. The responses of restaurateurs have been mixed, with some trying to hold the line on prices while others are jacking up meal prices by a dollar or two, according to press accounts. “I cannot afford to run out of rice. Oh, my God. That’s like a Mexican restaurant without tortillas,” said Francisco Wong, the owner of three Chinese-style diners in El Paso.

Sam’s Club restrictions on local rice sales quickly became international news, with the online edition of the Mexico City-based La Jornada daily posting a story on its home page. Many analysts discount an actual rice shortage, attributing the sudden price increase to speculation in futures markets, where basic grains currently fetch hefty profits, as well as the strategic decision of countries like the United States to subsidize and promote the production of biofuels at the expense of crops produced for animal and human consumption.

Sources: El Diario de El Paso, April 24 and 25, 2008. Articles by Gustavo Cabullo. El Paso Times, April 25, 2008. Article by Doug Pullen and Maria Cortes Gonzalez. La Jornada/DPA/Notimex, April 25, 2008. KFOX News (El Paso), April 24, 2008. Pagina 24/Notimex, April 22, 2008.

***********************************************

Immigration News

Adios, Michoacan

In the southwestern Mexican state of Michoacan, the historic migration of entire communities continues to define the landscape. And increasingly, the feet on the move belong to women. In a report to State Migrant Secretary Alma Griselda Valencia Medina, three state legislators from the center-left Party of the Democratic Revolution ran down the latest migration trends. Of 100 migrants, 36 are women, according to the local congressional group, which consisted of state legislators Antonio Garcia Conejo, Gustavo Avila Vazquez and Sergio Solis Suarez. All three men serve on the Michoacan State Legislature’s Migrant Affairs Commission.

According to the legislators, the number of women entering the migrant stream is a steady increase from seven years ago when only one in five migrants was a woman. Sixty eight percent of the women from Michoacan who relocate to the United States are married and intend to rejoin their spouses, they said. The legislators expressed concerns to Secretary Valencia that the traditionally agricultural state is being depopulated, with the overall population decreasing by 400,000 people in the last six years. Their report identified 87 of Michoacan’s 113 municipalities as the areas most impacted by migration. In addition to the United States, a growing number of migrants are moving to cities in Mexico outside Michoacan.

The Bajio, Tierra Caliente and Costa areas of Michoacan were identified as the zones experiencing the greatest migration pressures. It was not immediately clear from the report if other motives apart from economic ones are compelling people to leave their homes. The Tierra Caliente and Costa regions, in particular, have been hit hard during the past few years by violence related to Michoacan’s deeply-entrenched illegal drug economy. Residents from other areas of Mexico afflicted with similar levels of narco-violence, such as Tijuana or Ciudad Juarez, sometimes cite insecurity as the primary reason for abandoning their hometowns.

Source: La Jornada, April 25, 2008. Article by Ernesto Martinez Elorriaga.

Frontera NorteSur (FNS): on-line, U.S.-Mexico border news
Center for Latin American and Border Studies
New Mexico State University
Las Cruces, New Mexico
For a free electronic subscription email
fnsnews@nmsu.edu

Labels: FNS, Immigration, US/Mexico Border