Latino Action Network Joins with Over 100 Organization's to Call on Christie to Include Lead Prevention Funding in State Budget Proposal

https://www.tapinto.net/towns/piscataway/articles/over-100-organizations-call-on-christie-to-includ-1

Over 100 Organizations Call on Christie to Include Lead Prevention Funding in State Budget Proposal

By TAP INTO PISCATAWAY STAFF

TRENTON, NJ - Housing and community advocates along with parents and concerned residents, urged Governor Christie and the State Legislature to include $10 million for lead prevention in the upcoming state budget. In a letter sent to State leaders today, advocates say the number of children exposed to toxic lead warrants full funding of the Lead Hazard Control Assistance Fund (LHCAF).

“Thousands of New Jersey children are being exposed to lead because this administration has failed to fund even the paltry amount that is dedicated, by law, to solve our childhood lead poisoning crisis,” said Staci Berger, president and chief executive officer of the Network. “We are glad the governor has now said he’ll keep lead prevention in the budget if it’s a priority for our residents. More than 100 community leaders from around the state are writing to the governor and legislative leaders to make clear that protecting our children from a known, entirely preventable but permanent and devastating poison, is all of our priority.”

Created in 2004, the Lead Hazard Assistance Control Fund was created by the State of New Jersey to remediate older homes that contained lead paint. However, more than $50 million has been steered into the general treasury since 2009, instead of the LHCAF as required. State law mandates that fifty cents per gallon from the retail sale of paint must go towards the LHCAF.

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"By diverting funds for six years, Governor Christie has allowed thousands of NJ children to be needlessly poisoned by lead,” said Ann Vardeman, program director for New Jersey Citizen Action. “We hope there will be a renewed focus to take the opportunity to right a wrong and include funding for lead poisoning prevention in the budget he proposes to the Legislature on Tuesday."

Recent data from Isles, Inc. has found that children in eleven New Jersey communities have higher incidences of children affected by lead compared to Flint, MI. Those communities include Atlantic City, Irvington, Newark, East Orange, Trenton, Paterson, Plainfield, Jersey City, Elizabeth, Passaic, and Cumberland County.

“Water is not the only way children are lead poisoned,” said Elyse Pivnick, director of environmental health for Isles, Inc. “In NJ, our primary source of lead poisoning is chipping and peeling lead paint applied many years ago in homes that are not well maintained. The best way to prevent lead poisoning is to remove the source of lead exposure, so the lead hazard control fund is an important resource to make homes lead safe.”

In executing weatherization for energy conservation measures, we encounter lead in many of the older homes throughout Metro Newark,” said Raymond Ocasio, executive director of La Casa de Don Pedro. “The program funding and the applicable health and safety standards allow us to only remediate a limited portion of the lead contamination conditions that families might face. For instance we might only replacing windows with lead using lead safety measures.  However, more often than not, lead still remains in other areas of the home because program constraints prevent us from addressing them.

In the letter to state leaders, advocates also urged support for legislation sponsored by Senator Shirley Turner (D-Hunterdon/Mercer) that would enable municipalities to inspect one and two bedroom family rentals for lead. Combined, with the LHCAF, the two measures would expand prevention efforts in New Jersey.

“The communities in which childhood lead levels rival those in Flint are home to thousands of Latino families.  Lead poisoning is an epidemic for Latino children and their parents in these neighborhoods,” said Christian Estevez, president of the Latino Action Network. “We need the Governor and our elected officials to ensure that all of our children are protected from lead poisoning and that our communities have the resources to address this crisis.”

 “Access to homes that are safe and affordable for families, especially in our urban areas, has always been part of the fight for civil rights,” said Richard T. Smith, president of the NAACP New Jersey State Conference. “Funding for lead prevention helps ensure that African-American kids can grow up without the threat of toxic poisoning from their own homes.  There is no greater priority than the healthy future of our children.”

"The job of keeping these children safe is a responsibility that lies on all of us – not on the thousands of mothers whom I know would do ANYTHING in their power to keep their kids safe,” said Serena Rice, executive director of the Anti-Poverty Network of New Jersey. “But the tragic reality is that it’s not in their power. They need our help.”

To view the letter and for more information on the Lead Hazard Assistance Control Fund including data from Isles, Inc., visit www.hcdnnj.org/lead.

About the Housing and Community Development Network of NJ
The Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey is the statewide association of more than 250 community development corporations, individuals and other organizations that support the creation of affordable homes, economic opportunities, and strong communities. 

For more information on the Network, visit www.hcdnnj.org.

FIVE NOMINATIONS, NO LATINOS: CHRISTIE SHUTS OUT ONE-THIRD OF NJ FROM COURT REPRESENTATION

FIVE NOMINATIONS, NO LATINOS: CHRISTIE SHUTS OUT ONE-THIRD OF NJ FROM COURT REPRESENTATION

For Immediate Release: December 10, 2012
Contacts:
Frank Argote-Freyre, President – 908-670-0552
Christian Estevez, Executive Vice President – 973-418-7012

The Latino Action Network today announced its opposition to Governor Chris Christie's plan to leave the Supreme Court without either an African-American or Latino member for the first time since 1994, and asked the State Senate to reject the nominations.

“New Jersey’s Supreme Court should represent everyone. One third of New Jersey residents are Latinos or African-Americans,” said Frank Argote-Freyre, President of the Latino Action Network. “Yet Governor Christie's nominations would reduce the diversity of the New Jersey Supreme Court for the next decade or more - during which time New Jersey will become a majority-minority state.”

New Jersey, according to the 2010 Census, has the twelfth-highest percentage of people of color of any state, with Latinos, African-Americans, and Asian-Americans making up 40.7 percent of the state's population. Latinos are the largest minority group in New Jersey and accounted for the vast majority of population growth in New Jersey over the last decade.

"With this move, New Jersey would go backwards, not forwards in judicial diversity," Argote-Freyre said. "We urge the Senate to reject these nominations and instead work with Governor Christie to ensure that any one of a number of well qualified Latinos have a place on the Court. Five nominations without one Latino is enough."

The Latino Action Network was part of an alliance of Latino and African-American groups that asked Governor Christie and Senate leadership to respect basic principles for the Supreme Court (included in full below). In addition to diversity, our groups asked for partisan balance: at least three justices representing each political party, as has been the case for the entire history of the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, Gov. Christie's nominations repeat the nominations in the spring where nominations are used to try to gain an unfair partisan advantage.

"If there is any message that came out of the recent Presidential election, it is that diversity matters in America," Argote-Freyre added. "Now is not the time to turn back the clock in New Jersey."

The Latino Action Network is a broad, statewide coalition of Latino organizations devoted to civil rights and political empowerment.


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ATTACHMENT: SEPTEMBER 2011 LETTER FROM LATINO AND AFRICAN-AMERICAN ORGANIZATIONS

Association of Black Women Lawyers of New Jersey • Black Issues Convention • Garden State Bar Association • La Causa NJ • Latino Action Network • Latino Coalition • Latino Institute, Inc. • NAACP, New Jersey State Conference

September 12, 2011

Dear Senate President Stephen Sweeney, Majority Leader Barbara Buono, Minority LeaderThomas Kean, Chair Nicholas Scutari, Vice-Chair John Girgenti, and Honorable Members of the Judiciary Committee:

As New Jersey's State Supreme Court convenes for its 2011-12 court year, we write to remind you that the court is respected for both its diversity and its independence.  Indeed, some have noted that the court’s diversity, which includes both ethnic diversity and diversity of thought, contributes inextricably to the court’s national reputation for judicial independence.  It should be no surprise, therefore, that we, the undersigned, express our concern with the recent confirmation of of Anne Patterson without demanding an unequivocal, public statement from Governor Chris Christie that he will reflect the court’s history of diversity and judicial independence in each of his future nominations.  Moreover, it is our view that these twin hallmarks of justice – diversity and independence -- must be reflected not only in the Governor’s appointments to the State Supreme Court, but also in his appointments to our State’s appellate, superior and municipal courts.

We urge you, as the branch of government with the Constitutional duty to review court nominations, to only advance any further candidate to our State’s highest court if the Governor nominates justices for the two more seats on the Court becoming vacant over the next six months that maintain the diversity and independence of the Court.

With respect to ethnic diversity, the clarion call of the 2010 Census data could not be clearer: New Jersey is one of the most diverse states in the country.  Latinos, African-Americans and Asians comprise in excess of 40% New Jersey's population and there is little question that our state, like our country, will become decidedly more diverse over the next decade.  Notwithstanding this fact, as a result of the Governor’s nomination of Anne Patterson to fill the vacancy created by Justice Rivera-Soto’s resignation, the State Supreme Court convening today has not a single justice of color, for the first time in decades.  Significantly, of the 11 other states with population demographics similar to New Jersey’s, only one has a State Supreme Court without any minority jurists: Arizona. With Arizona’s notorious reputation for racial and ethnic division, we need leadership that refuses to emulate this model.  Governor Christie’s promise to the citizens of New Jersey was to move this state forward.  His policies not only belie his promises, but they also threaten to move our State’s judicial system backwards.

With respect to judicial independence, the intent of the framers of our State Constitution is clear. The framers intended to hardwire judicial independence in the judicial nomination process.  In response to rampant corruption in the courts that made the reputation of New Jersey’s judiciary among the worst in the nation, the framers put into place two basic mechanisms to safeguard the integrity of the courts: first, appointment of judges by the Governor for a seven-year term with reappointment unless the judge had acted unethically; and second, partisan balance on the Court — no matter who serves as Governor, court appointments would ensure representation of both parties.

Admirably, the foregoing principles have led governors to respect the independence of the Court across party lines — reflected in moments such as Governor Thomas Kean's reappointment of Chief Justice Robert Wilentz and Governor Jon Corzine's appointment of Justice Helen Hoens.  Indeed, it is a testament to New Jersey’s independent judiciary that the two dissenting justices in the recent Abbott decision were both Republican justices appointed by Democratic governors.

Governor Christie’s actions and statements to date give cause for alarm as to his willingness to maintain traditional appointment principles and brazenly ignore the intent of the framers of our State Constitution.  While we applaud Senate President Sweeney for standing up for the citizens of New Jersey in leaving Justice Wallace's seat vacant, we now ask the Senate to make its commitment to diverse and independent courts clear.  The Governor's actions have made it clear that he does not support the court’s history of judicial independence, which he mis-characterizes as “judicial activism.” Indeed, the Governor has stated that he intends to make appointments that reflect his own partisan ideology.  This is precisely the result that the framers of our State Constitution not only wanted to avoid, but put forth measures to avoid.

If Governor Christie remains unwilling to embrace his constitutional duty to respect the intent of the framers, as Constitutional officers, your duty is to stand up for that which is fair.  We ask that you lead where the Governor will not, and demand that he publically articulate his respect for the intent of the framers. We ask the Senate not to move forward with any further Supreme Court nomination unless it is part of a package of nominees with the Governor that addresses all of these issues. This package should result in a continued balance between political backgrounds, continue the tradition of representation of each of the state’s two largest groups of people of color, and promise judges that if they do their job ethically they will not face a partisan review of their decisions.

Otherwise, the fair and impartial judiciary, which has served New Jersey well for over 60 years, will be eradicated.  While we have not agreed with every decision rendered by the judiciary, we have never doubted either its integrity or its fundamental bent toward fairness and justice.

We ask that you to act immediately to ensure the continued trust of the citizens of New Jersey in our State’s judiciary. We thank you for your leadership and your support for an independent and representative judiciary, and we look forward to working with you throughout the judicial nomination process.

Sincerely,

Association of Black Women Lawyers of New Jersey

Black Issues Convention

Garden State Bar Association

La Causa NJ

Latino Action Network

Latino Coalition

Latino Institute, Inc.

NAACP, New Jersey State Conference

Latino Action Network: Governor Christie’s Budget Not Fair to Latino Families

The Op-Ed below recently appeared in the Asbury Park Press.  It was written on behalf of the Latino Action Network by LAN Policy Committee Chair, Daniel Santo Pietro.  Daniel will be speaking on this topic as a panelist at a Budget Forum on Thursday, June 14th at 6 PM at CWA Local 1032, 67 Scotch Road in Ewing, New Jersey.  The budget forum entitled “How Christie’s Budget Threatens New Jersey’s Future: And How Working Families Are Paying the Price” is being hosted by the Latino Action Network, the New Jersey Working Families Alliance and CWA Local 1032. For more information, please contact Omar Perez at 201-448-7832 or Omar@NJWorkingFamilies.org.  

SANTO PIETRO: Nothing fair about state budget: Working class victimized by Christie's misguided policies

Asbury Park Press Op-Ed - 5:50 PM, Jun 7, 2012

The Latino Action Network has watched Gov. Christie’s approach to “fairness” with great concern for the last three years. We get a queasy feeling in our stomachs whenever Christie mentions fairness because we know that is bad news for the most vulnerable in our society.

His definition of fairness always hurts the working poor the most. Latinos are spread over the economic spectrum, but most are modest working families who ask nothing more than fairness from their governmental leaders.

The centerpiece of the governor’s latest “fair” budget is a 10 percent across-the-board income tax cut. Most of the benefits go to those who earn more than $400,000, the very people who most in New Jersey think need to pay more to have a better society. But Christie can never be fair enough when it comes to the wealthy.

During the budget process, we hear about a compromise with Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, another overrated friend of the poor, that leaves most of the savings for the wealthy in place and proposes to restore a state Earned Income Tax Credit and deliver some property tax relief. The compromise fell apart recently when the latest state revenue figures fell short of projections and raised questions about whether we can afford a broad tax cut.

Even before the budget projection debacle, Christie found another way to hurt the poor by cutting state aid to the poorest school districts. School funding is one of the most contentious issues because the state Supreme Court has forced successive governors to find more money for the poorer districts.

Christie thinks he has found a way around fairness in our school aid formula by changing the school funding formula through budget language. The language changes the weights that determine how much aid each district should receive. The governor wants to lower the relative weight given to children who live in poverty, and those who need help to learn English. Many school districts who have large numbers of these children will receive millions less and districts with higher enrollments will receive more no matter the needs of their children.

Since many of these children are Hispanic, the Latino Action Network demands that this language be removed from the budget and we follow the school funding formula that is already law.

Last month, in lockstep with the national Republican Party’s blind opposition to health care reforms that move us toward universal coverage — the most important pillar of social fairness — the governor vetoed the creation of a Health Care Exchange.

The legislation, in line with national health care reform, was intended to create a competitive marketplace for health insurance plans by 2014. The exchange would have channeled millions in federal subsidies to 800,000 people in New Jersey who work, own small businesses and hold down more than one job to survive, but cannot afford health care coverage.

The governor has the audacity to say we should do nothing until the U.S. Supreme Court renders its decision because it may cost the taxpayer some unnecessary expense. In fact, the federal government has funded nearly all the start-up costs of the proposed health care exchanges. Fifteen states have already put exchanges in place.

Finally, of particular importance to Hispanics is Christie’s history of cutting modest programs that focused on the needs of working-class Hispanics. Hearing him say that now that the economy is improving, we can help those who sacrificed during the bad years, again makes us queasy. His plan is to reward high-end earners with a generous tax cut while denying working families any restoration of programs intended to help them cope with the poor economy.

In the past two years, Christie has thrown 13,000 legal immigrants off FamilyCare, dismantled Hispanic Women Resource Centers, slashed Division of Youth and Family Services cooperative programs with community organizations, gutted the Center for Hispanic Policy and Research Development, which funded many useful community programs, and denied staff support to the Commission on New Americans. The total of these programs is less than 5 percent of the proposed tax cuts.

It is not too late to return New Jersey toward fairness. A few courageous politicians could turn the tide and end the unfair, unaffordable tax cuts, re-establish the school funding formula, move ahead on the health exchange and still have enough left over to restore programs to working families and pass a balanced budget. Not only would Hispanics benefit, but all of New Jersey wins when fairness rules.