Learn How You Can Apply to Serve on the Commission and Ensure the Commission Reflects the Diversity of Our State

In 2008, California voters passed Proposition 11, creating California’s first-ever citizens redistricting commission. The 14-member commission is responsible for drawing the state Senate, Assembly and Board of Equalization districts. The legislative lines drawn by the commission will determine political representation in California for the next decade.

Online applications are due on February 12, 2010. Please join us to discuss the role of the California Citizens Redistricting Commission and how to apply to serve on it. Learn more at WeDrawTheLines.ca.gov or RedistrictingCA.org.

See details for forums in San Francisco and Sacramento below:

SAN FRANCISCO
Monday, January 25, 2010
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Bingham McCutchen LLP
3 Embarcadero Center Promenade, 28th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94111
On Facebook

Panelists include:
Thomas A. Saenz, President & General Counsel, MALDEF
Janis Hirohama, President, League of Women Voters of California
Nancy Ramirez, Western Regional Counsel, MALDEF
Sharon Reilly, Chief Legal Counsel, California Bureau of State Audits
Eva Paterson, President, Equal Justice Society (Moderator)

SACRAMENTO
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Auditorium
1500 Capitol Mall
Sacramento, CA 95814
On Facebook

Panelists include:
Thomas A. Saenz, President & General Counsel, MALDEF
Elaine Howle, California State Auditor
Nancy Ramirez, Western Regional Counsel, MALDEF
Trudy Schafer, Senior Program Director, League of Women Voters of CA
Samuel E. Walton, Redistricting Consultant, California NAACP (Moderator)

For more information, please contact Nancy Ramirez
at 213-629-2512 x121 or at nramirez@maldef.org.

Space is limited. Please confirm your attendance for these events to Martin Muñoz at 213-629-2512 x143 or at mmunoz@maldef.org by Friday, January 22, 2010.

We are happy to report there is much going on with the California Coalition for Civil Rights:

• The CaCCR Steering Committee and others have been working hard to take CaCCR to the next level. In particular, we wish to acknowledge Jamie Studley, Malcolm Yeung, Ellen Buchman, Tom Layton and Tim Silard for their support.
• The CaCCR Steering Committee has elected new Co-Chairs! Amy Everitt, State Director of NARAL Pro-Choice California (http://bit.ly/6tFbMU), will serve one year, and Thomas A. Saenz, President and General Counsel of MALDEF (http://bit.ly/6zJzrd), will serve two.
• Expansion of Steering Committee and CaCCR Membership: The Steering Committee will soon be expanded to 15 members. A committee has been tasked with recruitment and is looking to increase in size by five members. CaCCR is also looking to expand its general membership particularly in other geographic areas of the state such as the Central Valley, San Diego/Imperial County, Inland Empire and the Sacramento, North Coast and Los Angeles areas.
• Equal Justice Society as Project Manager: EJS has been contracted as project manager to help build the capacity of CaCCR. This contract was made possible by the Rosenberg Foundation, Public Interest Projects, Gerbode Foundation and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. CaCCR has contracted Mike Allison to facilitate discussions on governance and building infrastructure.
• CaCCR Project Coordinator: EJS has hired Claudia Peña to serve as a full-time CaCCR Project Coordinator.
• CaCCR Letter to UC President Mark Yudoff: CaCCR sent a letter to UC Regents and President Mark Yudoff criticizing the new freshman admission policy. Research conducted by the UC itself showed the policy would very likely have a negative impact on the admission of students of color yet the latest summary from UCOP attempted to diminish this fact. Working in collaboration with Henry Der and Vincent Pan, the letter was sent to Yudoff and copied to the ethnic legislative caucuses with 41 signatories!
• Next Full CaCCR Membership Meeting: To be announced, but coming soon.

The Equal Justice Society (EJS), a civil rights strategy group dedicated to removing barriers to equal opportunity, is looking for a project coordinator to assist the implementation of a joint workplan with the California Coalition for Civil Rights (CaCCR).

The position is a one-year, temporary staff position at EJS. The coordinator will receive the same benefits as other EJS employees, including health and dental coverage, sick leave, accrued vacation and other benefits. The position will report directly to EJS President Eva Paterson or her designee.

EJS has created this position in order to provide certain services to the coalition. The project coordinator will be expected to assist EJS and CaCCR to: 1) understand, through comprehensive, state-wide scanning and/or mapping, the capacity of CACCR and its member organizations within the coalition; 2) determine priority areas in which to focus the coalition through the results of the mapping; 3) contribute to the ongoing development of a workplan for addressing the agreed upon priority areas; and 4) help sustain and further develop mechanisms for providing coordination and technical assistance to CaCCR.

The coordinator will be expected to work independently, travel extensively within the State of California and possess good organizational and relationship skills.

Candidates should demonstrate a familiarity with the California civil rights community through past experience and should be an experienced project coordinator. Computer and technical literacy regarding the web, database management and office systems are required.

EJS is an equal opportunity employer. We are located in San Francisco and can be found on the web at http://www.equaljusticesociety.org. The coalition’s website is http://www.caccr.org.

Interested candidates should submit a resume and letter of interest to info@equaljusticesociety.org before close of business on Monday, September 14, 2009.

The California Coalition for Civil Rights (CaCCR or Coalition) seeks a Civil Rights Convening Manager to plan and implement a California civil rights convening in 2009 on behalf of CaCCR. Despite years of erosion of civil rights gains at federal, regional, and local levels, civil rights advocates in California have weathered the storm, achieved gains, and are now uniquely positioned to take advantage of the upcoming opportunities with the potential change in administration.  CaCCR seeks to capitalize on this pivotal moment by organizing a meaningful forum for the California civil rights community to build connections with one another, clarify our collective goals, and establish a plan for future coordination. Click here to check out the invitation to apply.

The following article by Kim Minugh of the Sacramento Bee was published on Wednesday, April 23, 2008, on Page B4.

A San Francisco law firm focused on equality in schools has filed two legal complaints alleging that staffing issues and inappropriate class placements at Hiram Johnson High School have denied equal access for some of the school’s neediest teens.

Lawyers with Public Advocates say Hiram Johnson administrators violated federal law when they moved at least two dozen English-language learners out of an intensive English class and into seemingly random classes such as landscaping and French. Read the rest of this entry »