Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Immigration reform on the table at A Better San Diego breakfast forum

A Better San Diego, a collection of community and faith groups largely backed by local labor unions, held the latest in its series of ongoing monthly breakfast forums on Friday (March 15), inviting three pro-immigration reform speakers to comprise a panel of speakers on the issue.

Before convening the panel, San Diego city councilman David Alvarez appeared to publicize a resolution he intends to present to the council’s Rules Committee at a Wednesday morning meeting calling for a federal immigration initiative.

“We want comprehensive immigration reform that leads to a pathway to citizenship. That should be the goal of reform,” Alvarez said, calling on community members to contact their council representatives to voice support for such a measure.

“When folks who don’t have proper documentation, they’re less likely to be able to assert their rights at work, they’re more likely to be subject to wage theft, they’re more likely to be employed by people who don’t have [worker’s compensation insurance], they’re more likely to not have health insurance, and they’re less likely to be able to express their desire or their right to collectively bargain in the workplace,” said San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council secretary-treasurer and candidate for the 80th district state Assembly seat, who seeks to replace Ben Hueso, winner of a special election to fill Juan Vargas’s state Senate seat.

Pedro Rios, chair of the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium, was the first panel member to present.

“San Diego plays a key role in the perspective that it offers, and we need to ensure that we bring forward all of our qualities, and our diverse society, as we move toward efficient policies and accountable policies that provide dignity for all of our communities,” said Rios, urging San Diego and the region’s national representatives to weigh in vocally on the shaping of any nationally proposed or adopted policy.

Yohanna White, a recent UCSD grad with a science major who emigrated from the Philippines at age four without her parents obtaining proper documentation, was next to speak.

“I never thought about my immigration status, because I never knew about it, and my parents never told me,” White says about growing up in Southern California. “But later I realized there were a lot of things I couldn’t do, such as get my driver’s license, do an internship, get a bank account, or apply for financial aid.”

White says that “suddenly everything changed” after she was able to obtain legal residency.

“I could see job prospects, and the possibility of giving back to the community through science,” she says. “Every time I apply for an interview I’m really grateful that I have this opportunity.”

Norma Chavez-Peterson, associate director of the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties, was last to present.

Chavez-Peterson says she emigrated from Michoacán, Mexico at age four or five illegally and had her immigration status normalized through amnesty in 1986.

“There’s a ‘conservative pac’ convention [the Conservative Political Action Conference] in DC, an they’re being told to change their language,” Chavez-Peterson said, speaking of the GOP’s softening stance on immigration issues. “This whole thing is politics, it’s political. This has to do with their perspective about how to continue to be viable with Latinos or other ethnic voters.”

She continued, suggesting a “brass tacks coalition” consisting of “unusual suspects” is emerging in support of revised immigration policy.

“When have you seen the farm bureau and labor stand at a press conference” backing the same side of an issue, Chavez Peterson asked, speaking of the broad coalition of immigration reform supporters that has coalesced recently.

“There has been a shift in the country, and there are all sorts of different reasons for it.”

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Undocumented workers break for Trump in 2024

Illegals Vote for Felon
Next Article

Syrian treat maker Hakmi Sweets makes Dubai chocolate bars

Look for the counter shop inside a Mediterranean grill in El Cajon

A Better San Diego, a collection of community and faith groups largely backed by local labor unions, held the latest in its series of ongoing monthly breakfast forums on Friday (March 15), inviting three pro-immigration reform speakers to comprise a panel of speakers on the issue.

Before convening the panel, San Diego city councilman David Alvarez appeared to publicize a resolution he intends to present to the council’s Rules Committee at a Wednesday morning meeting calling for a federal immigration initiative.

“We want comprehensive immigration reform that leads to a pathway to citizenship. That should be the goal of reform,” Alvarez said, calling on community members to contact their council representatives to voice support for such a measure.

“When folks who don’t have proper documentation, they’re less likely to be able to assert their rights at work, they’re more likely to be subject to wage theft, they’re more likely to be employed by people who don’t have [worker’s compensation insurance], they’re more likely to not have health insurance, and they’re less likely to be able to express their desire or their right to collectively bargain in the workplace,” said San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council secretary-treasurer and candidate for the 80th district state Assembly seat, who seeks to replace Ben Hueso, winner of a special election to fill Juan Vargas’s state Senate seat.

Pedro Rios, chair of the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium, was the first panel member to present.

“San Diego plays a key role in the perspective that it offers, and we need to ensure that we bring forward all of our qualities, and our diverse society, as we move toward efficient policies and accountable policies that provide dignity for all of our communities,” said Rios, urging San Diego and the region’s national representatives to weigh in vocally on the shaping of any nationally proposed or adopted policy.

Yohanna White, a recent UCSD grad with a science major who emigrated from the Philippines at age four without her parents obtaining proper documentation, was next to speak.

“I never thought about my immigration status, because I never knew about it, and my parents never told me,” White says about growing up in Southern California. “But later I realized there were a lot of things I couldn’t do, such as get my driver’s license, do an internship, get a bank account, or apply for financial aid.”

White says that “suddenly everything changed” after she was able to obtain legal residency.

“I could see job prospects, and the possibility of giving back to the community through science,” she says. “Every time I apply for an interview I’m really grateful that I have this opportunity.”

Norma Chavez-Peterson, associate director of the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties, was last to present.

Chavez-Peterson says she emigrated from Michoacán, Mexico at age four or five illegally and had her immigration status normalized through amnesty in 1986.

“There’s a ‘conservative pac’ convention [the Conservative Political Action Conference] in DC, an they’re being told to change their language,” Chavez-Peterson said, speaking of the GOP’s softening stance on immigration issues. “This whole thing is politics, it’s political. This has to do with their perspective about how to continue to be viable with Latinos or other ethnic voters.”

She continued, suggesting a “brass tacks coalition” consisting of “unusual suspects” is emerging in support of revised immigration policy.

“When have you seen the farm bureau and labor stand at a press conference” backing the same side of an issue, Chavez Peterson asked, speaking of the broad coalition of immigration reform supporters that has coalesced recently.

“There has been a shift in the country, and there are all sorts of different reasons for it.”

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Local LGBT Republican Group Doesn’t Endorse DeMaio or Dumanis for Mayor

Next Article

"I feel like I'm forced to use my car."

San Diego Association of Governments loves them some freeway
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader