César Chávez: A man familiar to me

I remember when I was five-years-old, my parents drove 500 miles from South Texas to Dallas to take my brothers and me to Six Flags, a well-known amusement park. It was a financial sacrifice for them, but they were not going to let summer go by without a vacation for their kids.

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Inmates denied the #Right2Pray

By Marcus Benigno

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Sheriff’s Department a step backward in review of Pasadena police-involved shootings

Last week, Pasadena Police Chief Phillip Sanchez announced that shootings involving officers of the Pasadena Police Department will be investigated by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department from now on, rather than by PPD’s own investigators. This move was hailed in some quarters as an improvement in oversight of the department. Sadly, it is a step backward.

By Marcus Benigno

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Accountability for local school funding

Earlier this week, more than two dozen parent, student, policy, and legal advocacy organizations urged the California Board of Education to strengthen the rules that will govern the new Local Control Funding Formula to ensure that school districts spend the additional funding they will receive on the students it was intended to help.

By Marcus Benigno

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L.A. cops argue all cars in L.A. are under investigation

Do you drive a car in the greater Los Angeles Metropolitan area? According to the L.A. Police Department and L.A. Sheriff’s Department, your car is part of a vast criminal investigation.

By Marcus Benigno

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Not only women: The State of Women's Rights (Part 3)

Tonight at 7 p.m, the ACLU of Southern California will host its Women’s Rights Forum at the Hollywood United Methodist Church. The forum will feature a diverse panel of issue experts working to solve gender inequality. Speakers will include Patty Bellasalma, president of California NOW; Laphonza Butler, president of SEIU ULTCW; and Sandra Fluke, attorney and advocate. 

By Marcus Benigno

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Lt Gov. Gavin Newsom “steps up and steps in” for criminal justice reform, marijuana legalization

If you missed the rousing speech delivered by California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom over the weekend at the state’s Democratic Party convention in Los Angeles, do yourself a favor and take 10 minutes to give it a watch.

By Marcus Benigno

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Nowhere near enough: The State of Women's Rights (Part 2)

On Tuesday, March 11 at 7 p.m, the ACLU of Southern California will host its Women’s Rights Forum at the Hollywood United Methodist Church. The forum will feature a diverse panel of issue experts working to solve gender inequality. Speakerswill include Patty Bellasalma, president of California NOW; Laphonza Butler, president of SEIU ULTCW; and Sandra Fluke, attorney and advocate. The panel will be moderated by Thalia Gonzalez, professor of politics at Occidental College.

By Marcus Benigno

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Hope and pause: The State of Women's Rights (Part 1)

On Tuesday, March 11 at 7 p.m, the ACLU of Southern California will host its Women’s Rights Forum at the Hollywood United Methodist Church. The forum will feature a diverse panel of issue experts working to solve gender inequality. Speakers will include Patty Bellasalma, president of California NOW; Laphonza Butler, president of SEIU ULTCW; and Sandra Fluke, attorney and advocate. The panel will be moderated by Thalia Gonzalez, professor of politics at Occidental College.

By Marcus Benigno

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