Noticiero Summer 1994, Vol.3, No.1 - CRLA

SUMMER
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Ill
;
1994
\II
I
The State's New Migrants
NATIVE POPULATION LABOR
IN FIELDS OF CALIFORNIA
INVOL VEMENli
CRLA Undertakes Indigenous Project
Cambodian fami ly in Stockton celebrates the
sign ing ove r of complex to tena nts.
5
CAMP.ESINAS
A
migrant camp of primarily indigenous farmworkers is located in a
deep canyon at the edge
of Camp Pendleton, the large Marine
base in north San Diego County. To
get there , one must walk over a dirt
path crossing the fields about a half
mile up , and then down a large hill.
Along the way, row upon row of
strawberry and raspberry plants jut
outward from the path. The muffled
sound of explosions from marine maneuvers echo in the crisp air. As the
descent continues, it becomes harder
to breathe as the thick odor of pesticides grows stronger. The camp sits
just above the trees, bmsh and small
stream, which lay at the bottom of
the canyon. Shacks, constmcted with
pieces of discarded wood and cardboard covered by plastic, line the
banks of the hills which dip into the
stream.
On this early evening, men huddle
around small fires warming tortillas
in preparation for their dinners .
They speak in their native language,
Mixteco Bajo , of problems in the
fields and their mistreatment by
the growers and foremen who push
them to work longer, harder and
faster, many times, almost beyond
endurance, say the men.
It is in this reality, fraught with viola-
tions of wage, health and safety laws,
that CRLA launched a project to address the problems of indigenous
Mixteco children a t a workers' ca mp near
Mexican-US bord er.
farmworkers. The Indigenous
Project, supervised by CRLA regional
counsel Claudia Smith, is based in the
Oceanside office in San Diego County
where an estimated seven out of 10
migrant farmworkers are Mixteco.
In fact, the native languages now
spoken in our state's fields-from
San Diego to Sonoma-include
pre-Columbian languages such as
Mixteco, Triqui, Zapoteco, Kanjobal,
Mam and Quiche.
Since the late 1970s, California's farm
labor force has undergone profound
demographic changes. Increasingly,
it is composed of indigenous people
from underdeveloped and poor
regions in southern Mexico and
Guatemala. CRLA, which is used to
the "traditional" farmworker profile-primarily Mexican, Spanishspeakers with a higher literacy rate
than their new counterparts-faces
a challenging set of linguistic and
cultural obstacles with the arrival of
indigenous farmworkers to the fields
of California.
A recent study estimates that between 20,000 and 30,000 Mixtecos
live in California, representing at
least 140 Indian villages in Oaxaca,
Mexico. The study, conducted by the
California Institute of Rural Studies
(CIRS), also found that thousands of
other indigenous people from
Mexico and Guatemala are doing
farm work here as well.
CONTINUES ON PAGE
4
Photo
courtesy of
by
Colixtro Romios ,
The Stockton Record
A home of their o w n
Tenants Buy
Complex
from HUD
I
n what has been called the first
transaction of its kind in the
nation, ofhcials of the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have sold a Stockton
apartment complex to the tenants for
one dollar. Negotiating for the tenants
was Randy Boyle, staff attorney in
CRLA's Stockton office. "I was interested in the ability to empower these
tenants through ownership," he says.
For many years , the tenants-mostly
Cambodian refugees-watched helplessly as their Park Village complex
deteriorated. After surviving years of
terror under the Khmer Rouge in
Cambodia and refugee camps in Thailand, the refugees feared losing their
new homes and what had become
their refuge from a cold, new and incomprehensible world. In answer to
their fears , a tenants ' association , the
Asian Pacific Self-Development and
Residential Association (APSARA )
was formed.
CONTINUES ON BACK PAGE
NOTDCDERO
FROM
THE
EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR
The Opportunity of Justice on the Eighth Day
On the eighth day God made ;ustice
on the eighth day God sent the rains
to the other America
to drown the birds and give us
a fighting chance.
-Barbara Kingsolver from
ANOTHER AMERICA
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On March 10, Senor Noel Juarez Chavez jo ined
me at the table before the Legal Services Corporation Board of Directors meeting in San Francisco. Our purpose was to bring a voice, an
image of poverty to the new leaders of the LSC.
It was their request that we educate them about
farmworker poverty. We brought them multiple images of the poor on the
most extreme margin of poverty: the enslavement of Oaxaqueno farm laborers who worked, incarcerated, in a Ventura County ranch; the outhouse
shacks and cave-like holes laborers must call "home" in Monterey County;
the ravine living of workers who tend to the needs of the affluent in north
San Diego suburbia .
Mr. Juarez, a Zapotec Indian from Sana Ana Yereni, Oaxaca, explained
in his few minutes what he encountered in abuse and impoverishment as
he labored in these counties to whom his indigenous existence is still
invisible. And we ended with the stories of hope documented in Organizing For Our Lives, presenting each board member with a copy so they might
remember that their task is to impact with significance, the lives of these
families who, despite poverty, toil and hope that this country offers better.
With an almost reserved hope, the national legal services community calls
this opportunity to influence the caretakers of Federal legal services a "new
day." But will it be a day of basic change in the way we do business, an
"eighth day of Justice?" How reserved to controversy must we be? In listening to some LSC board members, it is as if they carry forward more hope
than we do. It is as if the fear consciously and politically instilled by the
eighties' war on the poor left us the victims who no longer believe that addressing all aspects of poverty caused by the economics of our democracy
is in the mission of our mandate. Some members in our community believe
that justice must be selective, available to only those whom the public sees
as deserving poor, and that the delivery of justice can only be pursued in
ways that are apolitical and non-controversial.
But poverty is the product of a political and economic compromise where
some end up advantaged and millions of others unable to live in even minimum security that their basic needs will be met. A lack of remedy to some
poor, in the end, undermines the opportunity for all to be free of poverty.
The ability to freely violate the rights of a part of the community creates a
pool of labor in the underground economy ready to work for less than
miminum wage, to live in spider holes, to remain quiet when sexually
harrassed. Justice cannont be so selective. It must not be so easily negotiable. Nor can it be "color blind" to a point where we become color
insensitive, where we, to avoid "controversy," exclude remedies most
impactful to clients of color.
This Noticiero issue contains stories of the diverse communities that struggle
to overcome rural poverty in our state: Southeast Asians securing basic
shelter; Zapotec and Mixtec workers securing basic labor rights in agriculture; Latina farmworker women developing the skill of leadership so they
can speak with one political voice around issues of health and employment.
The issue of "diversity in legal services" is not only whether the advocates
who serve the poor mirror the color of the poor client, but also whether
the needs of impovershed communities of color are addressed equitably
and in a manner where their eighth day of Justice is a full day, with the
opportunities of light fully surfacing as we fight the disempowerments of
the night.
Adelante y hacia Ia fulgente luz
PRIVATE ATTORNEY INVOLVEMENT
Lawyers in Private Practice Help CRLA Litigate
With the shortfall in funding, legal advocates are finding
it more difficult to help the disadvantaged and underrepresented. To supplement its resources, CRLA is embarking on an effort to work with private practitioners
locally, statewide and nationally, and to incorporate private attorney involvement (PAl) into a service delivery
system. In this issue we take a look at Paul Strauss, of
Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland; and solo practitioner
Robert De Vries. They both made a significant contribution to the quality ofjustice in our client communities.
And to all the private attorneys who find time to assist
us in often long and difficult cases, thank you.
Attorney Targets Wage and Sex Discrimination
The citrus-packing industry in California has been put on
alert. Female employees within the industry are coming
forward with tales of unfair treatment and bias. Working
with CRLA as a private attorney was Paul L Strauss, of
Chicago's Davis, Miner, Barnhill and Galland. Strauss was
lead counsel in three lawsuits addressing this issue.
Two class-action sex discrimination cases, Sandoval v.
Saticoy Lemon Association and Guzman v. Oxnard
Lemon have been settled, giving the women new rights
and money settlements. The third class action case,
Quezada v. Dole Food Company, is expected to go to
court in early 1995. Strauss estimates that 98 percent of
the packing houses in California could be sued. He adds,
"Those cases show an overwhelming need of both CRLA
and private attorneys to enforce the basic employment
laws going unenforced in California."
Lee Pliscou, former CRLA co-counsel for the Oxnard and
Dole cases, says having the same lead counsel in both cases
~as
important to_successc "B~cause of Paul's exP.erience,
we had a really clear idea of what evidence and what
expert testimony we needed," Pliscou told legal affairs
writer Josh Chetwynd in a story which ran in ABA publication Human Rights.
Strauss, an attorney for more than 10 years, recently
opened the Visalia office of Davis, Miner. "Paul started
looking at California cases and saw a gap and opportunity
for the private sector to get involved in farmworker litigation of sex discrimination wage and hour cases," says
Valeriano Saucedo, formerly statewide director of CRLA's
Migrant Farmworker Project and now an attorney with the
flrm. "[He's] really the architect of [private sector] efforts
here ," adds Saucedo.
"It's always important for the women who work at these
plants to realize that if they take the risk, they can win
these cases and get into the jobs the men have traditionally
held," says Strauss.
Attorney Shepherds CRLA Through Complex Case
Robert De Vries, a San Francisco solo practitioner, helped
CRLA litigate its case against the Department of Motor
Vehicles (see story on page 7). Although new to the fleld
of immigration law, De Vries, a practicing attorney for
14 years whose specialty is landlord-tenant law, brought
experience as a civil litigator and familiarity with the
San Francisco courts.
While its central office is based in San Francisco, most of
CRLA's state court cases are ftled elsewhere. Says CRLA
Acting Litigation Director Tony White, who has worked
with De Vries on housing matters, "Robert is a very creative guy. If there is a legal theory to pursue, he'll fmd it."
Says De Vries, "(People) don't need unnecessary grief.
I think the DMV was wrong. Usually, when government
agencies are wrong, the courts let them get away with it
but in this case, the judge recognized it and saw the effect
it would have on the lives of many. "
Steve Rosenbaum, co-counsel on the DMV case says,
"Robert was very helpful in shepherding us through the
maze of the San Francisco Superior Court. He knows the
judges, the clerks, and the bailiffs. One cannot overestimate the importance of that knowledge. " 0
2
SUMMER
1994
NEWS BRIEFS
NETWORK NEWS
CENTRAL
COSMETIC CHANGES?
Steve Rosenbaum and Aileen Alfandary announced the birth
of Natalie Renee, their third child, in November 1993. Best
wishes! Steve, with Regional Counsel Pauline Gee, continues
to teach a course on public interest and legal services
practice at UC Berkeley, School of Law (Boalt Hall).
A citizen's advisory panel is being formed by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The panel
will review complaints fLied against Border Patrol agents and other INS officials. Last year the American Friends Service Committee logged 48 allegations of abuse by agents. "The cynical view is that
[the panel] is window dressing. The more charitable view is that it's a good step but not enough, "
says Steve Rosenbaum of CRLA's central office, who last fall submitted testimony to a congressional
committee which was considering a bill to establish an independent oversight body.
Luke Cole is co-teaching a course at Boalt Hall on environmental justice this semester.
Kathy Gillespie (Central) and Cynthia Rice (Santa Rosa) testified before the Unemployment Insurance Advisory Committee. The committee's final report adopted recommendations
by Gillespie and Rice which would result in a greater number of people being eligible for benefits, and a potentially
higher rate of benefits for the unemployed. The committee's
report will be presented to the Department of Labor and
recommendations will then be sent to Congress.
BATTLE OVER TOXIC PESTICIDE WARNINGS
Farmers won a legal challenge that would have forced them to warn the public when they use
a common pesticide that may cause birth defects. A San Francisco Superior Court judge upheld
Gov. Pete Wilson's decision to exempt farmers from issuing warnings when using methyl bromide
in their fields. Environmental groups and CRLA General Counsel Ralph Abascal charged that
Gov. Wilson and state officials are violating the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act
of 1986-known as Proposition 65-that requires businesses to post warnings for people exposed
to chemicals that cause birth defects or cancer.
DELANO
Catherine Flores Hallinan, a law graduate of McGeorge
University in Sacramento, is volunteering her time here
assisting with intake and unemployment insurance hearings.
Thank you, Catherine.
LABOR PRACTICES CHEAT STATE, FARMWORKERS
Millions of dollars are being deducted from farmworkers checks and never being forwarded to state
and federal tax agencies, according to Arturo Rodriguez, president of the United Farmworkers Union.
Authorities on the subject say that fake documents, questionable labor contractors and compliant
growers are cheating the state of $111 million in annual income from the agricultural industry.
EL CENTRO
Sue Caspari, staff attorney, was just installed as a member of
the Imperial County Bar Association's Board of Directors.
Congratulations, Sue!
In testimony late last year at a State Assembly Committee hearing, experts pointed to farm labor
contractors who are commissioned by growers to fmd workers for the harvests. According to CRLA's
Mark Schacht, as well as others, these contractors often operate without licenses and pay substandard
wages in cash, steal state and federal deductions from wages and fraudulently list two or three workers
on one Social Security number. Assemblymember Phil Isenberg, D-Sacramento, criticized growers
impunity from abuses caused by contracters they hire. "If you remove responsibilities from farmers
and property owners, it is easier for problems to happen. And when a contractor cheats a worker,
the grower says 'Geez, that's not my problem.' Well, I understand that that may be legal, but it's
not moral. " 0
Acting directing legal secretary Rosa Maduefi.o was recognized in September 1993 from the Legal Services Corporation for her more than 25 years of commitment to providing
civil legal services. Rosa has been a CRLA employee since
September 1966. Congratulations, Rosa!
Much thanks and best wishes to Rita Figueroa, former
directing legal secretary. She has left to become the executive secretary to the principal of a high school in El Centro.
-
Receptionist Veronica Sanchez, an4,hq; husband, Daniel,
are expecting their first child in September. Best wishes
to them.
FRESNO
1994 will be another benchmark year in the legislative process regarding the education and
civil rights of our community and our children. Below are major legislative measures which will
occupy much of our time. The following bills have either been drafted, supported or
sponsored by CRLA.
Suspensions and Expulsions
Suspensions and expulsions of ethnic, language and immigrant pupils have soared through the
roof during the past five years. For instance, the rate of African American males suspended and
expelled is 250 percent higher than that of anglo students. For Latinos and recent immigrants,
the rate is 200 percent higher.
AB 1620 would require that school districts keep a public record of each suspension and expulsion and that the record for each includes: the cause for disciplinary action; the specific terms of
the action including the penalty and conditions for readmission; and the gender, age and race or
ethnicity of the pupil.
Status: Cleared Assembly pending in Senate Education Committee
Bilingual Education
Rebecca Connolly Dlott, staff attorney, has just had a baby
girl. It is her first child. Congratulations!
After 11 formal settlement conferences, three lawsuits ftled
by 49 individually named plaintiffs against Gerawan Ranches
were settled. Meanwhile, the uncertified class action lawsuit
is on appeal in the 9th Circuit. Settlement discussions in the
case continue.
MARYSVILLE
CRLA welcomes Barbara Coney, the new directing legal
secretary.
Directing Attorney Ilene Jacobs reports that CRLA is challenging a Yuba County housing plan for a development that
doesn't include provisions for affordable housing.
Also of note, Ilene, along with Richard Kohn (Central), Ellen
Braff-Guarjardo (Fresno), and Michael Meuter (Salinas) were
invited to the National Migrants Conference in Texas to give
training in several areas around worker protection.
SB 33 (Mello) California Language Minority Education Act
Staff attorney Julise Johanson argued a case in the 9th circuit
Court of Appeals which challenges an illegal eviction by the
Sutter County sheriff's department.
Comprehensive statewide bilingual education bill that has been developed over the past three
years by a broad coalition to consolidate and codify the major patterns of practice in bilingual
education programs presently in operation throughout the state.
Currently, the office is looking for volunteers. Students are
particularly welcomed.
Status: Bill was passed through the State Senate last year. Will reopen negotiations with the
MADERA
Governor's office and simultaneously move the bill through the assembly. Plans are underway
to put the bill on the Governor's desk by summer.
Plans are underway to develop a children's breakfast
program in six elementary and junior high schools in the
Madera District.
AB 3556 (Escutia) Teacher Pipeline-Bilingual Education
This bill would establish a program to identify, support and help high school and college students
develop skills to become bilingual teachers.
Status: Assembly Education Committee
SB 1850 (Greene) State Board of Education
A bill that would ensure that the primary goal of bilingual programs is to develop fluency in
English in pupils who are English Learners (EL); that the programs provide an equal opportunity
for academic achievement; promote cross-cultural understanding; and that pupil participation
is voluntary. 0
MODESTO
Welcome to Solange Goncalves Altman-again. Solange
worked at the office three years ago as a staff attorney but
left to spend some time on the CRLA Board of Trustees.
She's back now and working with the Senior Citizen's
Law Project
Attorneys here are trying to gain approval for a low-income
housing project in Waterford. After protracted litigation,.in
February, the Court of Appeals ordered the city to review the
project. It has been sent to the local planning commission. 0
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NOTICIERO
THE STATE'S NEW MIGRANTS
CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE
A disproportionate number are caught
up in California's notorious farm labor
contracting system. It is fairly routine
for indigenous farmworkers to earn
less than the minimum wage, most
notably when piece-rate is involved.
Illegal deductions are commonly taken
from their pay. Forced patronage for
transportation is the norm. And their
low pay often violates minimum wage
standards.
According to the CIRS survey, 47
percent of the Mixteco farmworker
population had at least one job that
paid less than the minimum wage
during the previous season. More
troubling yet, on at least one occasion, more than a quarter of the
The Indigenous Project's community
workers provide basic information in
wage, hour and working condition
standards and landlord/tenant and
migrant education laws. Attorneys
involved with the project often visit
camp sites, document reports of
abuse and monitor conditions. The
new client community is encouraged
to seek legal redress when its rights
are violated. However, it will not
be easy.
Community worker Rufino
Dominguez works out of CRLA's
Modesto office. Dominguez, a
Mixteco, says he believes that past
experiences of discrimination and
exploitation haunt the indigenous
of Oppressed and Exploited People,
one of the most active Mixteco organizations in California.
Morales, on the other hand, is hopeful. Already, he says, the project has
produced inroads, and walls of
mistrust among Mixtecos are slowly
wearing down . Morales points to the
case of Rancho Kelly in Carlsbad,
California, where with the help of
Mixteco Alto translator Arturo
Gonzalez, a working relationship
between the Oceanside office and
area Mix:tecos has developed.
Says Soto, "The indigenous groups
are beginning to see that CRLA takes
them seriously. People recognize
"They have few champions .... They are all too frequently derided by even other
Mexican workers because of their darker skin and supposed "backward" culture."
interviewees had been refused payment of any wages by a west coast
agricultural employer. Moreover, this
latest wave of farm workers is largely
homeless, living in hundreds of
encampments in the brush.
Elder Mixteco stands in Ventura fields where he
weeds with knife. l ong frowned upon by worker
rights advocates , the use of a knife to weed
often leads to health problems later in life.
This indigenous population faces
many problems, according to several
major studies and service agencies.
Large numbers are illiterate and many
do not speak Spanish or English.
They are also a very rural people.
As an example, Ricardo Soto, staff
attorney in CRLA's Oceanside office,
recounted the story told to him by a
health worker. According to the
worker, among the top health and
safety hazards of indigenous
farmworkers are injuries caused by
motor vehicle accidents. "Not so
much as drivers, " says Soto, "but as
pedestrians unfamiliar with the meaning of street signs and traffic signals."
Although most of the workers
are documented, their rights are
continuosly violated, says Soto.
"They are especially open to abuse
in the state 's fields ... and are concentrated in the most seasonal, lowpaying and back-breaking work such
as strawberry and tomato harvesting."
Frequently, indigenous farmworkers
lack drinking water, toilet and handwashing facilities in the fields. The
lack of hygiene and heavy exposure
to pesticide-intensive crops make
them much more susceptible to
toxic-related illnesses.
4
SUMMER
1994
"They have few champions," wrote
Smith in a recent report. "Not only
have they entered the agriculture
market at a time of a substantial labor
surplus, but they are all too frequently
derided by even other Mexican workers because of their darker skin and
supposed 'backward' culture."
The Reasons
There are several reasons for the
growing indigenous native population, says Algimiro Morales, the north
San Diego county coordinator of the
Mixteco-Zapoteco Binational Front
(FMZB), an organization comprised of
several Mixteco and Zapoteco groups
from throughout the state of California and Mexico.
He says that in the villages of Oaxaca,
there is no industry, thus, no work.
Nor are there any irrigation systems
that could keep the native indigenous
population living and working off
land in the regions .
"They have no alternative but to
leave in order to survive," Morales
says in Spanish, adding, "Mixtecos
[and Zapotecos] only began to come
to the United States in the late 70s,
when they couldn't find sustainable
work in other regions of Mexico."
Finally, as the CIRS report also noted,
while indigenous people "are deeply
integrated into our agriculture, they
are also quite apart from mainstream
California society."
Young Mixteco ba lances his sister on bike at
labor camp near US-Mexican border.
Photo by Marco Antonio Abarca
Claudia Smith, CRIA regional counsel
farmworker population, making it
more difficult to serve. "Indigenous
people are discriminated against in
Mexico and here in the U.S. Indigenous people don 't trust others
because of this ... " says Dominguez,
fo under of the Mixteco Organization
something very important is going on
here that will benefit them in terms
of making a better livelihood in the
fields of California." 0
Campesina Proiect Holds HIV/AIDS Conference
Farmworker Women Take on Taboo Subject
Immigration Consultant Ordered to Pay Up
L
ittle if any attention is placed on
the needs of rural Latina campesinas and their knowledge about the
HIV/AIDS epidemic. Few doctors
serve rural areas, and the ones available are often inaccessible or unaffordable for many campesinas. As a result,
says Dr. Laura Solorio, there are more
cases of AIDS in rural communities.
To address this problem, campesina
leaders gathered in San Juan Bautista
in early February for a three-day statewide Farmworker Women's Health
Conference on HIV/AIDS. The conference was sponsored by the
Farmworker Justice Fund, Collier
Health Services, CRLA's Campesina
Project, and several other agencies.
The project is composed of active
farmworker women leaders who
have built a statewide network of
20 committees from rural California
communities having the highest
concentrations of farmworkers.
At the conference Dr. Solorio,
health workers and the campesinas
talked about issues regarding HIV
infection and AIDS among the state's
farmworker communities. They
discussed and developed a plan of
action to combat the problems in
these commonties. Together, they
sought to determine the kind of
access to comprehensive health
services available to campesinas.
For campesinas, the discussion of
AIDS in their rural areas can be
taboo. Community AIDS educator
Guillerrnina Porras spoke of her expe-
LITIGATION HIGHLIGHTS
An immigration consultant and notary public has to pay $12,480 in damages
for misleading two men, both permanent residents, into thinking they could
get their relatives into the U.S.
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Diana T. Avila claimed she had special clout with the Immigration and Naturalization Service, had a relative in a high government office, and assured the
two men that she could help their relatives. The men, both minimum wage
workers, said they paid Avila's Notary Service a total of $1,620 to gain entry
to the U.S. for a brother, two sisters and two parents. They were unsuccessful. INS rules say only citizens, not permanent residents may petition to
immigrate their family relatives. The judge ordered Avila to stop misleading
clients, limit her fees, drop the state seal from her stationery and offer clients
a contract in a language they can read.
Conference participant Eva Espinola of
Yuba City (Colusa).
Ricardo Cordova, of CRLA and one of the attorneys who brought the lawsuit
last March, said the case represents a tiny fraction of an industry that preys
on immigrants. "Many immigrants are unaware of their rights or afraid to
come forward when victimized and so unethical counselors go undetected,"
said Cordova. INS officials say there is no need to pay a high price for advice.
Immigrants can go to the INS or a low-cost, non-profit community agency
for help.
rience educating people in the fields
and in schools about safe sex. Porras,
who works at Clinica de Salud Para
La Gente, said that often people
ignore her when she begins to talk of
AIDS and safe sex. "People are scared
of AIDS, and for this reason they
don't want to know," Porras added.
Cordova's co-counsel, Steve Rosenbaum, has worked with Assemblymember
Grace Napolitano to amend California law to make it more difficult for consultants to defraud clients. Under A.B. 2520, consultants would be have to
register with the Department of Consumer Mfairs, and enroll in an immigration course or training workshop. Under the bill, consultants would have to
tell clients that they are not attorneys. Civil damages would be increased
from $350 to $1,000 per violation. Assisting Rosenbaum on behalf of CRLA
Foundation is Mark Silverman of The Immigrant Legal Resource Center.
A typical response from the women
when asked why they attended the
conference, was, "to protect ourselves, to teach our children, to teach
our communities." Maria "Cuca"
Carmona, a conference participant
said, "Now we have a consciousness
about how rampant the disease is and
that there 's much danger not only for
the young but for adults also ," She
added, "The conference helped us
think (about AIDs). In fact, we are
planning another community conference, this time in Coachella,"
she added.
Civil Rights Suit Brought Against INS, Farmersville Police
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Initially, many of the women did not
know how AIDS is transmitted or
how to prevent infection. "These
same women left the conference
educated and understanding what
the risks were and how to protect
themselves , and ready to teach
others about what they had learned,"
says Jessica Silverman, administrative
assistant at CRLA in San Francisco.
During the final phase of the conference, participants discussed ways to
support and care for people in rural
communities who have AIDS , and
how to assist their families . Although
few of the conference participants
had friends or family with AIDS,
many understand the process of grief
because of cancer's prevalence in
their communities. 0
Several officers of the Farmersville police department and the U.S. Border
Patrol are being sued for violations of civil rights. The case stems from an
early morning raid in November 1992 on several homes in the city. According to witnesses, Farmersville police officers and border agents forced entry
into some 20 homes, and demanded immigration papers from the startled
residents.
CRLA and Fresno private attorney Victor Chaves, ftled a lawsuit in November
1993 on behalf of 50 individuals against the City of Farmersville and against
several law enforcement officers from the Farmersville Police Department,
the INS, and the U.S. Border Patrol.
According to CRLA attorney Ellen Braff-Guajardo, the City of Farmersville and
the police have initiated settlement discussions. The border patrol has not yet
ftled an answer to the lawsuit.
The raids were conducted without search or arrest warrants, without probable cause or special circumstances, and in violation of the residents' federal
and state constitutional rights to due process, equal protection, privacy and
to be free from unreasonable search and seizure, says Braff-Guajardo.
"Through this lawsuit we intend to send out the message loud and clear: lowincome, Latino farmworkers and their families have the same constitutional
rights as you, me, and the Mayor of Farmersville," said Braff-Guajardo.
Local Law Enforcement Officers Challenged in Residential Raid
CRLA is also representing plaintiffs in a suit ftled last September, following a
similar residential raid in St. Helena, Napa County in 1992 where local police
and county deputy sheriffs joined the Border Patrol in an early-morning raid
of homes occupied by areas farmworkers in 1992. Attorneys Steve Rosenbaum (Central), Arturo Ocampo (Stockton), and Lou Flores (Marysville), are
co-counseling with Manuel Romero of the Mexican American Legal Defense
and Education Fund and are awaiting a ruling on the officers' request to have
the case dismissed.
CONTINUES ON PAGE 8
IN THE WORDS OF THE CAMPESINAS
he conference ended with recommendations by campesinas at the state and federal level, and for a plan of
action and educational responsibility among themselves, to battle AIDS within their families and communities.
Among the suggestions, in their own words:
'That we set aside the embarrassment and the myths from our culture and speak more openly with our children and
companions about AIDS; that more funds be set aside to establish more AIDS prevention programs in Spanish and
other languages needed in rural areas; that an AIDS Support Center be formed for survivors, family and friends
(farmwarkers}; that teachers give courses on AIDS and the effect of drugs; that alcohol companies, "X" movies,
video games, latex condom companies, bars, hotels and other businesses put aside funds for AIDS prevention
programs because in the long run, prevention is more economic, less painful and causes less deaths . 0
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NOTICIERO
FLOWING AWAY
Rural People Face Uphill Battle Over Water Transfers
C
RLA attorneys Bill
Hoerger and Ralph
Abascal are trying to prevent a potentially disastrous
increase in unemployment
among farmworkers in the Central Valley. These changes, the
result of federal and state water
policy, would allow the transfer
of water from agricultural to
urban uses. Now, a passionate
debate between growers, environmentalists and urban developers is taking place over the
future of California-and farmworkers could be the biggest
losers of all.
districts in the California Legislature, any regulation of water
transfers that would favor farm
communities faces an uphill
struggle.
Hoerger and Abascal are attempting to fund a program of
water policy education which
would be administered through
the CRLA Foundation. At stake
is the future of Central Valley
Farmworker picks radishes from Ve ntu ra field .
farmworkers and the communities which they support, in a situais a potentially attractive option for
tion which some fear could result in
growers, who could realize large
a repeat of the Owens Valley tragedy.
profits without the capital outlay
The fate of the Owens Valley is one
or risk involved in producing crops.
of the best-known stories in the
The economics of water may make
complex history of California water
it more profitable for farmers to sell
politics. Once a lovely stretch of
Fallowing a field is the rural equivalent of a
factory closure, meaning widespread unemployment
offarmworkers and economic ruin for the
communities which support them.
prosperous farms and communities,
the valley was devastated when
agents of the Metropolitan Water
District of Los Angeles eased their
way into ownership of the valley's
water rights, then constructed a
223-mile aqueduct to carry the water
to Los Angeles County.
Valley residents put up a determined
campaign of resistance, but couldn't
match the political and economic
muscle of the district. With virtually
all their water appropriated, farmers
and ranchers sold out or were ruined,
the life of the valley vanished, and
today, the once green land below
Mt. Whitney is a windy alkali desert.
The specter of Owens Valley is now
threatening the San Joaquin Valley
with Congress' passage of the Central
Valley Project Improvement Act in
1992. This legislation allows water
transfers from agricultural users of
Central Valley Project Water to
"other entities" -especially urban
water users. While prices and conditions vary, most analysts agree that
selling farm water to urban agencies
6
SUMMER
1994
their water to cities like Los Angeles
rather than grow crops with it. This
incentive, which so far is subject only
to vague and debatable regulatory
guidelines, could result in large-scale
fallowing of productive farmland .
Fallowing a field is the rural equivalent of a factory closure, meaning
widespread unemployment of farmworkers and economic ruin for the
communities which support them.
A preview of what could happen is
being played out in the community
of Mendota and the surrounding area
west of Fresno. In 1991, 125,000
acres of farmland in the Westlands
water district was fallowed as a result
of water cutoffs by the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation in emergency response
to the drought. Since that time, the
Bureau has kept water deliveries to
the district at 50 percent of their
former levels, despite heavy rainfalls
last year.
The consequences have been disastrous, with unemployment shooting
up 50 percent, according to the state
Employment Development Depart-
The Central Valley Project Act
does not require the state to
regulate water sales. One attempt to do so is Assembly Bill
97, which stipulates some controls of water sales. CRLA contends, however, that estimates
show a likely loss of $71 million
to the rural economy even before unemployment and local
business losses are figured in. In
addition, none of the money
generated by water sales is mandated to make community
losses less severe.
CRLA is now working together
with other concerned groups,
Photo by Moree Antonio Abarca
especially the newly-formed Rural Water Impact Network, to orgament (EDD). Local businesses are
nize and educate communities and
struggling or going out of business.
advocate legislative solutions to help
The regi n lacks the political clout
relieve the potential for di ast~t' 'from
of urban areas and environmental
water transfers out of agriculture.
groups, and the estimated 30,000 to
With a concerted grassroots coalition
50,000 people in the region affected
and CRLA advocacy, there is a fighting chance for rural people to keep
by the water cutbacks are suffering
heavily for the designs of faraway
their future from flowing away. 0
policy-makers.
The personal devastation in Mendota
is witnessed every day by Lupe
Flores, an outreach worker for the
EDD. As unemployed workers and
owners of failed business require increasing assistance, Flores can offer
them few alternatives. "The farmworker will become extinct if this
keeps going," says Flores. "Mendota
lives off the revenue of the farmworkers. They are our business and
our future, so we have to look out for
them. If they go , Mendota will be a
ghost town."
"Nobody cares about the people who
are being hurt by the water delivery
cutbacks and transfers because
they're Hispanic farmworkers ," says
farm manager and community activist
Alex Ramos. "These people are here
legally and have their own homes and
pay taxes, but they can't vote."
Water transfers are now a fact of life.
The pressures from both urban users
and some environmental groups to
transfer water at the expense of agriculture are enormous. In a little more
than 20 years, the state's population
will increase by three million. This
means approximately 50 million
people will live in the state-all
without any additional sources of
water, according to statistics from
the California Department of Finance.
In addition, there will be increased
urbanization. Since there are more
legislators from the populated urban
UPDATE
CRLA Wins
Back Wages for
Ranch Workers
You may remember the story
about the Petaluma ranch
hand who was forced to live in
extremely poor conditions on a
poultry farm. In a further development, the man and 10 other
ranch mangers at 12 poultry
operations in Petaluma and Santa
Rosa will receive approximately
$144,000 in settlement money
in a case, Soto V. Lakeville
Growers, ftled by CRLA attorney
Cynthia Rice , under the California Unfair Business Practices
Act. The settlement sought to
recover unpaid minimum wages
and overtime for four years. The
ranch managers were required
to remain on the premises 24
hours a day, seven days a week
except for six weeks a year. In
addition, the poultry company,
under a separate agreement,
prompted by the lawsuit, paid
out an extra $130,000 in back
wages to 15 other workers.
"Total payout as a result of this,
including $40,000 for attorneys,
is $316,970," says Rice . 0
COURT HALTS DMV REQUIREMENT THAT
APPLICANTS PROVIDE SOCIAL SECURITY CARD
LIFOR
DRIVER UCENSE
FROM
THE
San Francisco Superior
Court judge ruled in February that the Department of Motor
Vehicles cannot refuse a driver's
license, identification card or car
registration just because the
driver or owner does not have a
social security number.
The Zolin plaintiffs were also represented by the National Immigration
Law Center; ACLU; Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights of the San
Francisco Bay Area; and private
lawyers Robert De Vries and
Angela Bean.
DIRECTOR
One attorney friend I have said to me, "Thanks for asking for my
support. Sure, I' ll g ive, but I receive dozens of solicitations . I' m
swamped by worthy causes."
Donor fatigue . It describes perfectly
how we feel when we tally up the solicitation letters, the marathon campaigns for public television, the stack
of event invitations, the mega-concerts
for charitable aid, the billboards and
magazines ads. And let's not forget the
Plexiglas container at the supermarket
counter asking for your change, the
cause-related marketing opportunities
such as: if you buy this, then a percentage will go to ... , and most of all, when
we pass up the dozens of homeless
people on our way to work or home .
No wonder we're emotionally exhausted, filled with guilt and hopeless
about making a difference.
CI.ASS·c
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DEVELOPMENT
I think we might sometimes give up too
soon in this day and age when the need is so great and we feel
so powerless in the grand total of problem-solving. Here are some
words of support and encouragement.
The permanent injunction
bars the DMV from continuing with their policy,
which they began after the
state Legislature mandated
that applicants must supply their social security
numbers The ruling stems
from a case brought
against the DMV by several
clients of Tulare and
Fresno County which
were represented by
CRLA, among others.
• Review your most compelling non-profit solicitations . Are they
asking for the first time? Budget yourself. Your non-profits depend
on you.
In Lauderbach v. Zolin ,
• Getting organized and getting informed will help tremendously
with your personal decisions, but the most renewable source of
inspiration is remembering what made you give in the first place.
• Now, ask yourself, am I sharing alii want to give? To rural families? To environmental justice in rural areas? To rural legal services? How much do I want to give? Do I have unanswered
q~estions?
• Then call those non-profits. Any organization welcomes calls
from donors. Make your decision and follow through with your
donation. All the compelling requests you see, whether in the
mail, on TV or on billboards, are simply doing their job. It's every
non-profit's job to ask .
rural Californians represented by CRLA and cocounsel Robert De Vries,
joined with inner-city residents and a taxpayer to
challenge the DMV's
policy.
CRLA staff attorney Steve
Rosenbaum, who works
out of the Central office,
argued that the Legislature did not intend to use
the information to penalize people in the process
of obtaining legal immigration status. The judge
agreed and the injunction
was issued. The Attorney
General has asked the
Court of Appeal to "stay"
the injunction while the
appeal is pending.
For me, at CRLA, it's the the rural family that never leaves my
memory; the picture of having no drinking water in 100-plus degree weather while working the fields; long lines at the county
hospital with no interpreters to help get you and your children a
doctor's attention; the worker exposed to deadly pesticides who
is later devastated when her children are born missing limbs.
It is for us to witness and remember, as well as for us to respond.
Rest up from your donor fatigue, because our communities need
you. Feel your own power in doing something about it now. I have
complete faith in you. 0
Steve Rosenbau m, C RLA a ttorney, examines more cases.
Rosenbaum was co-cou nsel in the DMV case .
Photo by Moria Gonzales
The Social Security number
requirement was originally
enacted to improve collection
of delinquent child support payments and parking and traffic
fines. "We don't oppose steps to
recover revenues, p articularly
the child support, but w hat the
Department has opted fo r is a
'lose-lose' p olicy, " says
Rosenbaum. "In the end , many
p eople would have been on the
roads w ithout passing safety exams or carrying liability insurance," says Rosenbaum.
New DMV and ID Requirement
Raises Questions
In a related issue, a new California
law went into effect March 1. It explicitly restricts new licenses and ID
cards to p ersons lawfully present. Unlike the social security amendments,
the statutory changes are clearly designed to deter access to documents
by undocumented immigrants. But,
whether the n ew law p asses constitutional muster remains to be seen .
Lawyers at CRLA and elsewhere are
weighing a challenge to this statute
as well. 0
CRLA welcomes Luis Jaramillo
as the new Migrant Unit Director.
Luis works out of our Salinas
office. He was regional counsel
and directing attorney for the
same office during a seven year
practice with CRLA. He returns to
the CRLA family after serving as
director of El Paso Legal Aid.
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A HOME OF THEIR OWN
CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE
APSARA's plan was to provide low-cost housing to its members and create a
better life for the tenants. Eventually, the association came to represent more
than 80 percent of the tenants of Park Village. For the ftrst ftve years APSARA
will co-own the complex with Rural California Housing Corporation (RCHC).
Ownership will then be transferred to the tenant's association.
Over the next few years Park Village will undergo extensive renovations. Every
apartment will be gutted and renovated with new materials, new appliances , ftre
protection, and new roofs. The grounds will be landscaped, and a new community center within the complex will be built for classes, children's programs and
for events such as the Cambodian New Year's celebration.
"The tenants feel glad," says Nim Ros, Program Director of APSARA. "They have
a positive feeling inside and they feel safer," he added.
The steps which led to the unique partnership began in May 1991, when the
property owner defaulted on payments on the federally subsidized loan and HUD
foreclosed on the property. As has often happened in other areas of the country,
HUD reluctantly became the owner of a run-down, overcrowded apartment
complex.
Although the department could have sold the apartments to the lowest bidder,
instead, it agreed that if APSARA found a non-proftt partner with experience fl.
low-income housing, HUD would sell the complex to the tenants for one dollar.
For the ftrst time, the department proposed to sell low-income housing directly
to a project's tenants. "This is the only on~ in the country that's come this far, "
says William F. Bolton, director of housing development for the HUD office
in Sacramento.
Boyle and APSARA searched for a suitable partner and a future management
company. Eventually, APSARA chose RCHC, a non-proftt housing developer
specializing in low-income housing . Along the way, Boyle, who helped APSARA
put the deal together, trained the association on how to run board meetings and
conduct business as a non-proftt. Boyle prepared documents to create a corporation: Park Village Apartments, Inc., the entity which would ultimately purchase
the complex.
During the ftrst few years, while APSARA learns the ropes as owners and managers from RCHC, each organization will appoint half of the board of directors.
After ftve years, APSARA will take full control of the corporation and the apartment complex.
Twenty-two 4-bedroom units will be created to accommodate some of the larger
families . More than 1,200 residents fill the 207 units. A few larger families have
already moved into larger housing with specially issued HUD "Section 8 " vouchers. Those low-income tenants who remain will all be eligible for the Section 8
8
SUMMER
1994
assistance, which comes with each apartment for the next 15 years and allows
each tenant family to pay no more than 30 percent of its income for rent.
The socio-economic plan administered by the new owners will provide social
assistance for families and the elderly and after-school and anti-gang activities
for teens, as well as job training and micro-enterprise development for adult residents. Boyle will continue to work with APSARA on the plan 's implementation.
Savanna Koeurt, past Program Director of APSARA and present Residents' Initiatives Coordinator, marvels at the success of Park Village and the hope and determination which ownership has given to the tenants. At last, she tells a visitor,
her people who barely survived the genocide and dislocations of Cambodia have
found a new village in which they can take hold of their destinies.
Perhaps the most exciting result of the ownership venture is the trust that has
been built between CRLA and Stockton's Southeast Asian community. "They've
opened up their hearts and homes to me and made me feel like I can be part of
their inner circle, " says Boyle. "Because they trust me and I appreciate their
trust, they feel they can bring legal problems to our office and get help. " 0
LITIGATION HIGHLIGHTS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
Housing Rights Recognized for Spouses, Children
In February, the U.S. District court in San Jose granted ftnal approval of a class
action settlement reached between CRLA and Benech Farms. Distribution of the
confidential settlement sum will occur in May or early June . According to CRLA
attorney Ellen Braff-Guajardo, the case is significant in that the settlement recognizes the rights of non-employed spouses and children to the housing protections guaranteed farmworkers under the federal Migrant and Seasonal
Agricultural Worker Protection Act. (AWPA). 0
California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (CRLA) is a non-profit legal services program that
provides legal and legislative representation for poor, rural Californians.
NOTICIERO is published by CRLA, 2111 Mission Street, Suite 401 , San Francisco, CA 94 110;
( 415) 864-3405
Coordinator/ Editor: Rose Arrieta
Editing team: Maria Gonzales, Jose Padilla, Steve Rosenbaum , Jessica Silverman
Contributors: Ralph Abascal, Adrienne Alvord , Marco Antonio Barca, Luke Cole, Ellen
Guajardo-Braff, Gladys Briscoe, Randy Boyle, Maria Gonzales, Ralph Lightstone, Ben Lopez,
Baldwin Moy, Jose Padilla, Lee Pliscou, Steve Rosenbaum , Gloria Sanchez, jessica Silverman,
Claudia Smith, Ricardo Soto
Graphic Production: La Raza Graphics, San Francisco
Printing: Alonzo Printing Co., Inc., Hayward , California
~"'"
*
FOR YOUR LIBRARY
ORGANIZING FOR OUR LIVES
NEW VOICES FROM RURAL COMMUNITIES
by Richard Steven Street and Samuel Orozco • Foreword by Cesar Chavez
wenty years ago, Cesar Chavez alerted the people of the
United States to the dire poverty of America's farm workers.
Since then, profound changes have occurred in rural North
America, changes brought on largely by an influx of new immigrants and refugees from Mexico, Central America and Southeast Asia. Organiz ing for Our Lives: New Voices from Rural
Communities acknowledges and celebrates the accomplishments
of California's rural people, in particular the diversity and courage
of our nation's most forgotten, the rural poor. These are people
engaged in grassroots efforts to build a new leadership and overcome the cultural isolation and poverty that has traditionally kept
them from effectively participating in public life.
T
Told in the words of rural people, Organizing for Our Lives offers six inspiring stories of struggle and empowerment. The individuals in this book have organized to change both the cultural
and political landscape of their communities. Their stories include
those of East Indian and Mexican parents cooperating to improve
their children's education; farm workers and farmers forming a
coalition to fight a toxic waste incinerator; a Mexican women's
group focused on the concerns of campesinas and their families ;
Asian refugees establishing a new life in California through their
art and farming skills; farm workers struggling to rise above the
poverty of shanty towns in the canyons of San Diego County.
Organizing for Our Lives is a tribute to these people and their accomplishments, and an inspiration for anyone who seeks change.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Richard Steven Street and Samuel Orozco traveled together to six
diverse areas of rural California while working on Organiz ing for
Our Lives. For nearly six months they gathered photographs and
oral testimony from the people portrayed in this book. Richard
Steven Street is a photographer and writer who specializes in California agriculture. Samuel Orozco is the news director for Radio
Bilingiie in Fresno, California.
To order, send $25 plus $2 for postage and handling to:
CRLA, 2111 Mission St., Suite 401, San Francisco, CA 94110.
Co-published by NewSage Press and
California Rural Legal Assistance.
''II you take it slowly, this book will lind a pla'e in your heart and your head, moving you to
a dearer vision of your own transformations. It is in this pla'e that we all glimpse another life,
a life of hope and equality lor all. In this pla,e, together we 'an say, 'Si, se puede'."
-Cesar Chavez
THANK YOU • GRACIAS
n behalf of CRLA and our rural communities in California, thank you. Please, read the names of our supporters and share in the pride. You are
in good company! Some of you gave in honor of a loved one, a friend, or an associate. Others gave anonymously. And still others purchased a
t-shirt or a book. In total, we know all of you gave with your heart.
O
If we received your donation later than February 28, 1994, your name will appear in the next issue.
Please call Maria Gonzales or Jessica Silverman if your name was left out or misspelled .
Sandra & Gregory Abernathy • Helen Oda Abe •
Ron Abraham • john E. Adams, M.D. • janet
Adelman • Nicholas & Patricia Aguilar • Salvador
Alcala • Nicholas R. Allis • Margarita Altamirano •
Fred Althshuler • Gilberto Amador • Marta Ames,
In honor of Betty Ames, the Matt & Paula Ames
family, Deb Romero, Linda Roman, Mary & Bev,
joyce & jim Pullan, jon Daniels • Regina Aragon
& Larry Levitt • Thomas A. Arciniega, Cal State
Bakersfield Foundation • Ramon Arias & Rebecca
Codekas • Pauline Armstrong • Lila Arnold •
Robert L. Arnold • Judith Arrigo • Robert M.
Ashen & Ann Garry • Brian) . Back • Rosemary
Bacy • Law Offices of Alan C. Bail • Lawrence H.
Bakken • Morris). Baller & Christine Brigagliano •
James Edward Barela • Amii Larkin Barnard •
William B. Barnett • Bonnie Baron • Suzanne A.
Barr • Ignatius Bau , Lawyers' Committee for Civil
Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area • PaulL.
Beeman , Inc . • Avery S. Beer • David H. Behar •
Aaron Belansky • Carol Belcher, In honor of the
Belcher family • jeanette & Myer Bello • Kurt
Bergel, M.D. & Alice Berge!, M.D. • Mitchell
Berkowitz • Bev Berliner • Law Office of Marcie Ia
Bermudez • Iris Esta Biblowitz • john S. Birke , In
honor of joanne Bloch • K. Bolanis • Michael G.
Bosko • Karen & Stephen Bovarnick • Nan Boyd •
Lawrence Bragman , Esq. • Joyce E. Breiman •
Lauren Brener & Jeffrey Demain • Richard
Brennen • Collette A. Brooks, In honor of
Harrison Brooks • James D. Bruce • Blair H.
Brumley • Scott & Mavis Buginas • Berge
Bulbulian • Cecilia Preciado Burciaga & jose
Antonio Burciaga • june C. Burke • Betty Cain •
Dennis Calabi • David & Susann Calkins , In
memory of Alma Dameral • Yvonne E. Campos &
Tomas Morales • Raymond E. Cannon • Ruth
Harmer Carew • Gary Owen Caris , Frandzel &
Share • Fanya Carter • Sue E. Caspari • Lydia
Castaneda & Terry E. Stanger • Linda & Michael
Caudell-Feagan • Alfonso M. Cedillo • Sylvia C.
Cedillo • Louis Cella , Jr., M.D. • Darlene M.
Ceremello • David L. Chambers • Patricia W.
Chang & Ascanio A. Piomelli • Rafael Chase •
Fernando Chavez • Edward M. Chen • Ralph
Chernoff • Chicano Studies Library, University of
California, Berkeley • Michael A. Chodos, Esq. •
Yvonne E. Chotzen • Evelyn Ciapponi , In memory
of Alma Dameral • Louis & Bernadette Ciapponi,
In memory of Alma Dameral • Dorothy
Cinquemani, In memory of Cesar Chavez •
Sanford M. Cipinko • Amy Clampitt • Bob Clark,
)r. • Dorothy B. Clarke • Carnzu A. Clark • john &
Suzanne Clark • Wendy Cleveland , Cleveland Law
Offices • Lisa A. Clifford • Linda D. Clingan •
Medora C. Coar • William K. Coblentz • Abby J.
Cohen • Abraham & Patricia Cohen • Renee
Coleman • G. Alison Colgan & Darryl Katz, In
honor of Erika Katz • Tom Collins • Maurice).
Colwell • Eric & Louise Conn • Cook & Gushi •
Myron Cook • Bessie Cooper • Dale & Elsie
Cooper • Carlos A. Cordova • Tona Cornette •
Paul & Mary Cosper • Betsy L. Cotton • Leah A.
Creighton • Sonia Crommie • Elsa M. Crumpley •
Clifton E. Davenport • john J . Davis , Jr. • Virginia
A. Davis • Leon Dayan • Paul & Anne De Carli •
Law Offices of Carlos De Ia Fuente • Annette
Deandreis • Rosylin Dean & Alan Traugott • Bob
De Bolt • Karen F. Dega • West C. Delton •
Humberto Diaz • Kathryn Burkett Dickson • Ann
Donaldson • Martin). Dreyfuss • Alex M. Duarte •
Lisa A. Duarte • joan P. Dufault • Harrison C.
Dunning • Vincent Dureau • Pedro Echeverria •
Karin A. Eckelmeyer • jack & Dorothy Edelman •
John & Julie Edmond • Keith & Alison Eilerman •
Monika Elgert • Erasmo & Rochelle Elias • Arnold
C. Ellis, In honor of jose Padilla • Mary )o
Engesser • John & Mary joy Entwistle • Pierre
Epstein • Robert Erickson • Lloyd Erickstad •
Albert Escobedo • Kathleen M. Esfahani • Caryn S.
Espo • Carmen Estrada • Douglas). Farmer, Esq.
Ralph Faust, Jr. • Robert & Gail Feenstra • Law
Offices of Sergio Feria • Bettina M. Fernandez •
Francis E. Fernandez • Debra Ferreira & Randolph
Badler, In honor of jeanine Ferreira • Robert
Finkelstein • Nancy Fink • Charlotte Fishman •
Law Offices of Stuart M. Flashman • Meta Fleisher
• Steven Fleisher • Stephen F. Foland • James R.
Forbes • Pat Ford , United Service Employees •
Judith R. Forman • William & Susan Forthman •
James & Louise Frankel • Steven A. Freeman •
Robert & Linda Fries • Mary Gaffney • Maria E.
Gallo • Claudia F. Galvez • Clayton B. Gantz, In
honor of Luz Buitrago • Miguel F. Garcia , Esq. •
Patricia Garcia, In honor ofjestls Garcia • Susan
Guberman Garcia • Darlene D. Gartrell, In honor
of Alicia Montoya • Ronald R. Gastelum, In
honor of Sunny Gastelum • Caroline B. Gay •
Melissa K. Gee • Roy Geiger & Beth Kelly •
Marjorie Gelb & Mark Aaronson • Dan & Frances
Genung • Carol Georges, In honor of Priscilla
Burton • Ellen S. George • Paul R. Gibson • Ruth
A. Gibson • Luanne E. Gilbert • Paul & Hazel
Gilbert • Michael Gill & Barbara Butterworth • )on
L. Ginoli • Winnifred Gin • Roy & Jeanne
Giordano • Raymond & Lise Giraud • Bill Girdner
• Janet Glenny • Martin Glick, Howard Rice
Nemerovski Canady Robertson & Falk • Robert
Gnaizda & Ellen Eatough • Charles Goetz! & Eric
Fine • Norman B. Goldberg, Esq. • Lisa] . Gold •
Solange Goncalves-Altman • James E. Gonzales , II
• Louis Gonzales • Maria M. Gonzales, In honor of
Gregorio Hernandez Rubio, Chela Bitt, Kit
Durgin & Elaine McKinley, & jessica Silverman •
John Good • Jules & Gretchen Gordon • Lily R.
Gordon • Heidi B. Gotlieb • Ira L. Gottlieb •
Arthur Gray, Jr. • Peter Del Greco • Oliver F.
Green, Esq. • Alfred W . Griffith • Douglas Cole
Grijalva & Beth Grijalva • Lisa L. Halko • Timothy
H. Hallahan • Christopher Hamilton & Donna
DeDiemar • Leone S. Hankey • Law Offices of
Marc B. Hankin • David B. Harrison • Virginia L.
Harris • Dennis Hartmann • Charles & Mary Ellen
Heineman • Harold & Lilo Heller • Ruth Heller •
Rachel B. Helstein • Esteban & Elia Hernandez •
Gabriel). Hernandez • Irma Herrera & Mark
Levine • Rina Hirai • Gertrude & Rubin Hodess •
William Hoerger & Ellen Lake • Mary Anne Hoover
• Edward & Ann Howden • Susan Bade Hull •
Simeon & Ann Hyde • Norma M. lsacc , In memory
of Cesar Chavez • Rachel lskow • Clarence A.
jackson • llene ) . jacobs • Alejandro Jacome •
Sally A. James • Casey Jarman • Alan jaroslovsky •
Ronald & Nancy Javor • David & johanna jensen,
In honor of Marfa Gonzales • Rafael & Lidia
Jimenez • Julise johanson • Carolyn E. johnson,
Crailjohnson Foundation, Matching Grants
Program • Catherine A. johnson • Drew & Pamela
Johnson • Jeffrey P. Johnson • Kevin R. Johnson &
Virginia Salazar • Patrick L. Johnston • Law Offices
of Charles A. jonas • Michael joseph • Nancy Judd
• joe & Shirley Juvera • Law Offices of Harold E.
Kahn • Richard Gonzalo Katerndahl • Kenneth &
Ruth Katten • llene Sakheim & Gary L. Katz •
Stephanie Westen.& Larry Katz • Michael Kaufman
• john & Lilli Kautsky • jennifer M. Kawamura, In
honor of janis Shimizu • Ronald Kaye • Kathleen
A. Keber • joe & Mary Jane Keep • Julian &
jeanette Keiser • Donald Kelley, Jr. & Susan
Getman • William & Ruby Kennedy, In honor of
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Law Offices of Daniel Kristensen, In honor of
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Scott Kruse & Ruth Cohnen • Annette R. Kulik •
jeffrey B. Kupers • David L. Lambert • Louise A.
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• John A. Lawson • Derek Ledda • Wolfgang &
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Lee • Leon Lefson • Jonathon Lehrer-Graiwer, Esq.
• Suzanne Leibowitz • Robert Leidigh • Rosemary
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Lew • Leo Liederman • David Lillback • joanN.
Lindgren • Daniel & Hadassah Lipsig • Edward
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• Oscar & Evelyn Lundstrom • ancy M. Lutz •
Leslie & Michael Macchiarella • Patricia MacGiHis
• Susan]. Machtinger • Rosa Madueno • Ronna )o
Magy • Muriel L. Malley • Robert W . Mann • Joan
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• A. Howard Matz • jay R. Mayhall • Juliane &
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& james McCulla ugh , Nina Stern Public
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Nayfach • Miguel A. Neri • K. William Neuman ,
Heller Ehrman White & McAucliffe • Richard] .
ewberger • Noble Niles • Michael imkoff •
Michael O 'Donnell , Law Offices of Geary Shea
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Offices of)ose H. Razo • Charles Redfield •
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Mayeda & Goldstein • Lauren K. Saunders •
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john W . Semion • John Thomas Seyman & MaDel
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Display & Allied Crafts Union Local #51 0 •
Bernard & Bernice Silber, M.D. • Barbra Silver, In
honor of Marfa Gonzales & Gregorio Hernandez
Rubio • ]on C. Silver • Emily & Ralph Simon •
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• Richard & Ina Sinsheimer • Golda Sirota, In
honor of Alice & Harper Poulson • Michael
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• Will iam Tucker • David Turner • Sandy Turner •
joyce & Francis Turney • Hurd W . Twombly •
Samuel R. Tyson • Tom Unterman • Law Offices of
jeannette Valdivia • Marc Van Der Hout, Esq. •
jenny Van Le • Law Offices of Marcus Vanderlaan
• Augustine H. Vargas • Hector Va rgas • Gloria
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h onor of Amy Crelly • Mary Ellen Waters •
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Barbara M. White • Matthew N. White • Robert A.
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• Andy Wing • Bernard & Alba Witkin • Michael
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Wolpert • Michael). Woo • Seiko Yakahi •
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• 36 anonymous donors .