17 Million Voters Have Had Registration Canceled Since 2016 Election: Report

Talk about the disenfranchisement of U.S. voters!

When we speak of being "minorities," this is what we refer to. Minority status is not about numbers, but power.  Economic, social, cultural, and political power. Discrimination is alive and well today in order to perpetuate the status quo today of unequal power relations.

-Angela Valenzuela

William C. Velasquez Institute 17 Million Voters Have Had Registration Canceled Since 2016 Election: Report Places that were subject to federal supervision in the past still appear to be removing voters more aggressively today. By Sam Levine 08/02/2019 04:50 pm ET At least 17 million people were removed from the voter rolls between the 2016 election and the 2018 midterms, according to a new reportpublished by the Brennan Center for Justice this week.  The study updated an in-depth 2018 analysis on voter purges and offered further evidence that certain places continued to more aggressively remove people from the voting rolls following the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder in 2013. In that decision, the Supreme Court essentially gutted Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, which required jurisdictions with a history of racial discrimination at the polls to clear their voting changes with the federal government before those changes went into effect. The number of voters removed from the rolls between 2016 and 2018 was similar to the number removed between 2014 and 2016, researchers found. But between 2006 and 2008, prior to the Supreme Court decision, roughly 4 million fewer voters were removed from the rolls.  The Brennan Center researchers also found that jurisdictions previously subject to Section 5 removed voters from the rolls at a median rate of 40% higher than other jurisdictions. If those places had removed voters at the same rate as other places, about 1.1 million fewer people would have been removed from the rolls.  The Supreme Court argued in 2013 that racial discrimination in those areas had abated and that the Voting Rights Act formula was therefore outdated, but the higher removal rate suggests past discrimination still has a “stickiness” in those jurisdictions, said Myrna Pérez, director of voting rights and elections programs at the Brennan Center.   “There is something to their shared history that made sense for them to be covered back then that is still durable, that still exists,” Pérez said in an interview. “It’s not random, it’s not haphazard. It’s not happenstance. There’s something to their history and their institutional and structural barriers that [they] still have that today.” "It’s not random, it’s not haphazard. It’s not happenstance. There’s something to their history and their institutional and structural barriers that [they] still have that today. Myrna Pérez, director of voting rights and elections programs at the Brennan Center Voters may be removed from the rolls for a number of legitimate reasons, such as death or new addresses. The federal data the Brennan Center used for its analysis didn’t make it clear how many removals were accurate. “We’re not in a position to know how many of them were legitimate, how many of them we would contest,” Pérez said. The Brennan Center researchers also noted that not every jurisdiction had reported its voter removals, but said they were working off the best available data. Federal law sets out specific procedures that states have to follow if they want to remove someone for the rolls. The law explicitly prohibits a state from removing someone from the rolls “solely” because they don’t vote. But last year, the U.S. Supreme Court approved an Ohio process in which people were removed if they didn’t vote for two years, didn’t respond to a voter confirmation notice and then subsequently didn’t vote again for another four years. The plaintiffs in the suit argued that Ohio was essentially removing voters because they weren’t voting.  Before the Shelby decision, places covered by Section 5 that wanted to change their processes for removing voters from the rolls would have to get that change cleared by the federal government. Under that supervision, the counties had voter removal rates that were in line with the rest of the country, the Brennan Center analysis notes. But since 2014, after the Supreme Court’s decision, there has been a clear gap in removal rates. “This is of particular interest because this continued — and even widening — gap debunks possible claims that certain states would experience a one-time jump when free of federal oversight, but then return to rates in line with the rest of the country,” Kevin Morris, a Brennan Center researcher, wrote in the report. “They haven’t.” RELATED COVERAGE Supreme Court Gives Green Light To Ohio’s Voter Purges Texas Agrees To Halt Botched Effort To Find Noncitizens On Its Voter Rolls

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There’s An Environmental Disaster Unfolding In The Gulf of Mexico

Oh dear!  I'm still trying to shovel myself out of the avalanche of emails I received while out of pocket in China.  Check out this horrific story that came out as Hurricane Barry did its damage to the Louisiana coast and beyond.

This story shows how us humans are killing the ocean and how dolphins, full of painful lesions from fresh water exposure, are dying in great numbers, as a consequence.  This year alone, nearly 300 dolphins have died.  Plus, due to the BP spill that occurred on April 20, 2010 that you can read about here, their reproductive capacities have still not recovered.  Here's the dire scientific prediction:

"Scientists predict the annual dead zone — a giant blob of polluted, deoxygenated water linked to algae blooms — will grow to the size of Massachusetts and suffocate even more marine life later in the Gulf this summer."

This report tells me that we really do need to listen to the fishermen and shrimpers whose lives are not only directly impacted by climate change,  but whose knowledge and experience stand to fully illuminate, and optimally responsive to, the senseless politics related to Louisiana’s rapidly sinking coastline.

-Angela Valenzuela

@algore #TxEd #climatechange #ClimateAction #ClimateDenial 
#InconvenientTruth @EnvironmentTex @SierraClub @TexasSierraClub  @TXWaterFuture #OneWaterTexas  #SustainabilityTexas #SomosMAS

William C. Velasquez Institute There’s An Environmental Disaster Unfolding In The Gulf of Mexico A slow-moving flood of polluted Mississippi River water is causing serious damage to Gulf species, and a major storm threatens to make it worse. Rocky Kistner Guest Writer 07/11/2019 05:45 am ET Updated 1 day ago As fishermen deep in the Louisiana bayou, Kindra Arnesen and her family have faced their share of life-altering challenges in recent years. First came Hurricane Katrina, the 2005 monster storm that devastated her small fishing community in Plaquemines Parish before roaring up the Gulf Coast, killing more than 1,800 people and destroying $125 billion in property. Five years later, BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded 40 miles offshore, spewing nearly 200 million gallons of crude. The fisheries have not fully recovered more than nine years later, nor has her family. But this year may be worse. A historic slow-moving flood of polluted Mississippi River water loaded with chemicals, pesticides and human waste from 31 states and two Canadian provinces is draining straight into the marshes and bayous of the Gulf of Mexico — the nurseries of Arnesen’s fishing grounds — upsetting the delicate balance of salinity and destroying the fragile ecosystem in the process. As the Gulf waters warm this summer, algae feed on the freshwater brew, smothering oxygen-starved marine life.  And as of Wednesday, an advancing storm looks likely to turn into a tropical storm or hurricane by the weekend, with the potential to bring torrential downpours and more freshwater flooding. COURTESY OF THE INSTITUTE FOR MARINE MAMMAL STUDIES Dolphins have been dying in huge numbers across the Gulf Coast region — nearly 300 this year already. Fishermen and state government officials agree this long, hot summer may go down in history as one of the most destructive years for Gulf fisheries. The torrent of river water pushing into Gulf estuaries is decimating crab, oyster and shrimp populations. The brown shrimp catch this spring in Louisiana and Mississippi is already down by an estimated 80%, and oysters are completely wiped out in some of the most productive fishing grounds in the country, according to state and industry officials. The polluted freshwater has also triggered algae blooms, which have led to beach closures across Mississippi.  “The Army Corps of Engineers says we had the most rainfall in 124 years,” said Joe Spraggins, executive director of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources. “Shrimpers and crabbers are struggling. Oystermen are almost nonexistent. … It’s not going to get better soon.” “I’ve had grown men call me on the phone and cry,” said Arnesen, who serves on the board of the Louisiana Shrimp Association and works on state coastal management issues. “This feels like the height of the BP oil spill.” Mississippi and Louisiana have already started the process of requesting federal disaster assistance for damaged fisheries. But it will likely be a long while before any money reaches the fishermen whose nets are coming up empty. To officially apply for disaster relief, Louisiana state officials say they need more data, which will take months to compile. “We are seeing impacts across the coast in all sectors of the fishing communities,” said Patrick Banks, assistant secretary for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. “We will continue to collect data to support a disaster declaration.”  It’s not just fisheries that are suffering. Dolphins have been dying in huge numbers across the region — nearly 300 this year already, which is three times the number in a normal year, according to federal and state officials. Fishermen report finding dead dolphins floating in water near shore or beached in the marshes, covered in painful skin lesions that scientists have linked to freshwater exposure. One fisherman reported finding a mother dolphin pushing her dead baby along in the water.  “Their skin looks like a Brillo pad,” said Louisiana charter boat captain George Ricks, who heads the Save Louisiana Coalition, a coastal management advocacy organization. Ricks and many other fishermen blame the unprecedented deluge of freshwater pouring into the Gulf. The Bonnet Carre, a huge spillway that protects New Orleans, has already opened an unprecedented two times this year to divert surging Mississippi River water and is currently pouring more than 100,000 cubic feet per second into Lake Pontchartrain. Being able to close the spillway again depends on rainfall upriver. The Army Corps of Engineers operates the spillway and says it has no choice but to keep it open to protect property upstream. The Corps argues that some of this flooding can be beneficial to the ecosystem. “The introduction of fresh water during leakage events simulates the natural cycle of overbank flooding and provides numerous ecosystem benefits to the aquatic and terrestrial resources in the spillway,” theagency notes on its website.  But some marine biologists say the flood of freshwater can be catastrophic for species such as bottlenose dolphins, which are very territorial and are reluctant to leave their spawning grounds even when salinity levels become toxic. Endangered species like Kemp’s ridley turtles are also threatened by river water exposure, since they depend on rich Gulf marshlands to grow and develop.  “We are experiencing a Cat 5 aquatic hurricane,” said Dr. Moby Solangi, director of the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Mississippi. Dolphins are particularly vulnerable to incursions of river water, he said. “Every time they open the Bonnet Carre spillway, we see a spike in deaths.” Solangi’s team recently found a stranded dolphin on a Gulfport beach, breathing slowly and covered in freshwater lesions. It died a short time later.  “Dolphins are like the black box found on airplanes,” Solangi said. “They tell you what’s happening in the environment. When dolphins are doing well, the environment is doing well.” COURTESY OF CAPT. GEORGE RICKS Fishermen report finding some dead dolphins covered in painful skin lesions that scientists have linked to freshwater exposure. By all accounts, the Gulf marine environment is not well. Scientists predict the annual dead zone — a giant blob of polluted, deoxygenated water linked to algae blooms — will grow to the size of Massachusetts and suffocate even more marine life later in the Gulf this summer. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared the bottlenose dolphin deaths an “Unusual Mortality Event” in February, and its investigation is ongoing. Officials say higher-than-normal dolphin strandings spiked in May, when there were 88 discovered along the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama coasts. That’s nearly eight times the average monthly number of dolphin mortalities during the BP spill from 2010 to 2014. Total dolphin strandings have not reached the levels seen at the height of the BP spill, and there were fewer in June. Dr. Teri Rowles, NOAA’s marine mammal health and stranding program coordinator, said that researchers know freshwater exposure could be contributing to the health concerns, but that it’s too early in their investigation to pinpoint an exact cause. “We do see dolphins with freshwater lesions, but not all the animals have skin lesions,” said Rowles.  Some dolphin populations have yet to recover from the BP oil spill, Rowles said, mainly due to reproductive problems. NOAA reports dolphins in heavily oiled areas are still suffering from chronic health problems and higher rates of failed pregnancies and mortalities. But many fishermen who have worked in these areas for generations suspect something else is threatening their future: politics. As part of a plan to save Louisiana’s rapidly sinking coastline, state agencies want to pump in more sediment-heavy river water to help rebuild the disappearing land. Fishermen question the efficacy of freshwater diversions and worry about the dangers to fisheries and marine life posed by these projects. They question why NOAA would grant waivers to Louisiana last year to bypass the Marine Mammal Protection Act and allow the freshwater diversion construction to proceed. Meanwhile, fishermen know a changing climate is not working in their favor. Scientists say the Mississippi River is expected to continue to flood in future years as the atmosphere heats up and produces stronger storms and more rainfall. Barry, the storm heading for the coast right now, is the latest to threaten the Gulf ecosystem, but certainly not the last. All of this worries Acy Cooper, a fourth-generation fisherman and president of the Louisiana Shrimp Association who is leading a delegation of fishermen to Washington this month to plead their case for disaster assistance. He blames the Army Corps for not adequately managing the river and controlling and dredging the river passes that empty into the Gulf, making the effects of freshwater worse.  But his biggest worry is for his family and future generations. He comes from a long line of fishing families who have prospered and persevered in one of the most bountiful fisheries in the world, and he doesn’t want to be the last. “My sons can’t make enough to feed their families,” he said. “What’s going to happen to them?”  Arnesen worries about this as well. “If we keep operating like this, we’re going to kill the estuaries and the oceans, yet they still dismiss us,” she said. “Our fish feed America. That should matter to everyone.”

California Latin@ Water Summit Resolution: Pls Endorse Resolution

Powerful resolution.  Water is life. This is and should be a top issue in California.  Folks can click HERE to endorse this resolution.
Angela

 
Mindful of the fact that Latin@s as California's emerging majority need to play a prominent role in California's water policy debates, the California Latin@ Water Summit of 2016 gathered on December 9, 2016 at the La Kretz Innovation Campus and developed the following resolution.  As Latin@ leaders we endorse this resolution and urge your approval as well.

Endorsed By:
Ivan Enriquez, Santa Ana
Antonio González, William C. Velásquez Institute, Los Angeles
Jose Gonzalez, LatinoCare, South Gate
Howard Hernandez, 1st Vice Commander California State American GI Forum, Montebello
Nativo Lopez, Hermandad Mexicana, Los Angeles
Ellen Lubic, Joining Forces for Education, Los Angeles
Raul Macias, Anahuak Youth Soccer Association
Jesse Marez, Los Angeles
Alfredo Nuño, Planning Commissioner, City of El Monte
Mayor Sam Pedroza, City of Claremont
Richard Ramirez, Fullerton
Maria Riojas, Los Angeles
Carson Mayor Albert Robles, Director, Water Replenishment District of Southern California, Lakewood
David Rodriguez, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Camarillo
Javier Rodriguez, Director, ZAZ Communications, Los Angeles
Jorge H. Rodriguez, Rodriguez Group, Pasadena
Angela Sanbrano, Mexican Network of Migrant Leaders and Organizations, La Verne
Jose Solorio, Assembly Member Emeritus
Maria Elena Yepes, Monterey Park


Whereas persistent climate change has altered the way Californians must approach water management;

Whereas California is in the fifth year of its worst drought on record;

Whereas in September 2016 100% percent of California was in drought with 62.27 % in severe drought;

Whereas climate scientists are predicting a decades-long drought for California, especially southern California;

Whereas Southern California is dependent on imported water deliveries from the Sierra Snowpack and the Colorado River, two increasingly unreliable and contested sources;

Whereas the Sierra Snowpack, was the lowest ever recorded in 2015;

Whereas about two thirds of all Californians and millions of acres of irrigated farmland rely on Bay Delta water;

Whereas Bay Delta water is increasingly contested by environmental, farming and urban needs;

Whereas the Colorado River provides water to over 40 million people in multiple states and Mexico including 15 Native American tribes, is used to irrigate nearly 4 million acres, supplies water to 7 National Wildlife Refuges, 4 National Recreation Areas, and 11 National Parks;

Whereas the Colorado River is the most contested river in the Country and is at its lowest deliveries in history;

Whereas the California drought has caused the death of 100 million trees since 2012;
Whereas California's population is expected to grow to 50 million by 2049, a near-majority (48%) of whom will be Latin@;

Whereas nothing is more important to the Latino community than clean safe drinking water;

Whereas for the millions of Latinos living in California securing water supply is a matter of environmental justice, human, and civil rights;

Whereas Latino voices have not been paramount in the California dialogue over how best to ensure adequate water supplies for all Californians even though when asked in surveys demonstrate substantial concern about drought issues and support for conservation and developing diverse new sources of water;

Whereas California is in the process of developing polices, rules and regulations on how to create new local water for communities throughout the state;

Whereas Governor Brown's California Water Action Plan calls for regional water supply self-reliance through the development of new drinking water supplies including waste water recycling, storm water capture and desalination;

Whereas in responding to the drought, communities throughout California have institutionalized such conservation & efficiency measures as: installing water conservation appliances, using drip irrigation, watering lawns in early morning or after sunset, landscaping with drought proof plants, washing with full loads, using a broom instead of water to clean sidewalks and driveways;

Whereas water districts throughout California are recycling wastewater as a source of new local water;

Whereas desalination is the only drought-proof source of new local water not dependent on rain or snow-pack and seawater and brackish groundwater desalination plants now exist or are being planned in 36 California jurisdictions, and water produced by new desalination plants are increasingly cost competitive;

Whereas California jurisdictions are moving away from simply diverting stormwater to capturing and purifying the water;

Whereas protecting California's public and economy from the devastating effects of long term drought will require substantial public and private investment that if done improperly could lead to inequitable access due to high water costs;

1. Therefore, be it resolved that the California Latin@ Water Summit supports an "all-of-the-above" strategy for drought resiliency that develops conservation & efficiency, wastewater recycling & recharge; stormwater capture; and both seawater and brackish water desalination;

2. Be it further resolved that the California Latin@ Water Summit supports   policies that lead to a near future of non-dependence in Southern California on expensive and increasingly unreliable imported water from Northern California and the Colorado River;

3. Be it further resolved that the California Latin@ Water Summit supports policies that restore adequate access to clean and reliable water for residents and agriculture in the Central Valley of California;

4. Be it further resolved that the California Latin@ Water Summit supports policies that stabilize and restore the Salton Sea, whose decimation comprises a danger to regional air quality and public health;

5. Be it further resolved that the California Latin@ Water Summit supports policies such as the California WaterFix that would upgrade the 50-year-old infrastructure in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to protect this major source of clean water for two thirds of the state, and programs to restore the habitat and ecosystem in and around the Delta;

6. Be it further resolved that the California Latin@ Water Summit calls for the legislature and the 2018 state water bond to invest tens of billions of public dollars in multi-benefit projects that guarantees reliable quality water supplies that enable quality of life and economic development consistent with the best traditions of California society, especially now that California is an emerging Latino majority society;

7. Be it further resolved that the California Latin@ Water Summit calls for California's regulatory and water agencies to balance and calibrate the costs of water production, so that economic inequality does not manifest itself in substantially greater access to water for the comparatively affluent.