Latinos For Texas Blog

LFT PAC’s first official financial contribution was to Juan Garcia, State Rep candidate for HD 32. and we went to blockwalk and do voter reg in San Patricio county because this guy is a natural leader and will make a great State Rep and beyond. Juan Garcia, his credentials, and his campaign really is the model by which candidates can inspire voters to become active, and everyday folks to become voters, or as Alfred Stanleys says in his annoucnement of a fundraiser:

Juan Garcia is one of our brightest hopes for beating an incumbent Republican legislator this fall. With dazzling credentials that give him almost instant credibility, he’s hard at work reaching out to fellow veterans and inspiring voters in and around Corpus Christi.

So if you are in Austin, make some time to support Juan Garcia:
WHO: Lt. Cmdr. Juan Garcia
WHAT: Fund-raiser for his campaign vs five-term Republican Rep. Gene Seaman
WHERE: Home of Liz and Kirk Watson, 2301 Woodlawn Blvd, Austin (directions below)
WHEN: Tuesday, September 26, 5:30-7:30 PM

Suggested Donation: $100 (all contributions welcome!)
Sponsorships: $250, $500, $1,000

ps. check out his commercial.

Amber Goodwin of the Justice for Janitors campaign of the SEIU sends in an update on their great work fighting for SEIU union janitors’ living wage and health benefits:

The Houston area’s five-largest cleaning companies and the Service Employees International Union are entering into the final stages of negotiations over a contract that will cover 5,300 commercial office janitors. Currently, janitors in Houston make $5.30 per hour, have no health insurance, and on average work four hour shifts, leaving them deep in poverty and forcing them to make nearly impossible choices between food, rent, medicine, and other basic necessities.

Attached you will find a one page document called “Why Not Houston?” [download pdf] detailing clearly what the janitors are fighting for in their efforts to achieve the American Dream. This details the wages and benefits proposal that they shared with their employers in hopes that they can come to an agreement. Janitors believe that after so many years of going backwards, this is what it is will take to win a fair contract for the janitors .

As many of you know, this weekend’s Contract Convention for the American Dream is a critical event for the Justice for Janitors Campaign, and along with hundreds of community, elected and faith supporters we will be gathering to talk about what it will take to win for the janitors.

Please come out and join us this Saturday!

Janitors Contract Convention Details
What: Contract Convention for the American Dream
When: 2PM Saturday, September 23, 2006
Where: Hilton Hotel, 1600 Lamar

All Houstonians need access to quality health care and wages and benefits that support a family—that’s why it’s critical that we take a stand with janitors in their historic campaign for justice.
–
Amber Goodwin
Houston Justice for Janitors
www.houstonjanitors.org
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
4299 San Felipe Suite 200
Houston, Texas 77027
(713) 907-0008

Tommy Tynes (volunteer@valindabolton.org) writes in to find some extra firepower for Valinda Bolton’s campaign. Valinda is an excellent candidate, LFT endorsed, and when we put her in the Lege, it will be a clean blue sweep for Travis county. So, set them priorities, and please find some time to help out:

We know that we have more Democrats in the district than Republicans based upon previous election numbers, we just have to figure out exactly who those Democrats are and mobilize them to vote. The best way to do that is through phone banking. We need phone bankers all the time. In the office [at 505 Willow] we’ll make senior calls in the day and in the evenings we’ll call everyone else (6 - 9 pm). Calls can also be made from the comfort of your home, you just need internet and a telephone. The online phone bank for Valinda can be accessed from her website: www.valindabolton.com. Just register a name and start making calls.

We’re also out block walking and need people to join our precinct chairs every weekend on large organized walks or to come by the coordinated campaign office and pick up packs to walk on their own time schedules.

We’re also putting up our large signs out in the district. So if you’ve got a truck and feel like going out and putting up some signs, come by the Coordinated Office and let’s cover the town with Valinda Bolton’s name!

Thanks,
Tommy