Articles by Javier Gonzalez

Katherine Welles / Shutterstock.com It seems like it was just yesterday President Obama won re-election helped in no small part by one of the widest margins of victories ever among Latino voters. Soon after, many Republicans began to openly pose concerns about Latinos not just voting Democrat, but voting overwhelmingly Democrat.As Obama moved on immigration reform, right wing stalwarts like Grover Norquist and Karl Rove began to warn Republicans of the need to address immigration reform for pra...

Ryan Rodrick Beiler / Shutterstock.com Optimism in Washington, D.C. over the prospects of passing immigration reform remains high. Last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-N.V.) announced debate on Senate Bill 744 will begin on June 10. With surprisingly little clamor from either side of Congress, immigration reform advocates believe that partisan bickering could be overcome in passing immigration reform this year. Many Republicans have long opposed any comprehensive immigration reform,...

spirit of america / Shutterstock.com On May 21, the U.S Senate Judiciary Committee passed a much anticipated immigration reform measure known as S. 744. Led by the bipartisan “Gang of Eight,” the measure passed the committee with a surprising 13-5 vote. It is that surprisingly strong majority, plus the lack of acrimonious public debate, that has many immigration reform advocates excited about the prospects for comprehensive immigration reform. However, major hurdles remain. According to Senat...

spirit of america / Shutterstock.com Last week, President Obama took to Spanish-language airwaves to reinforce both his commitment to immigration reform and enforcement. Simultaneously, the now famous “Gang of Eight” in the U.S. Senate released their own “Bipartisan Framework for Comprehensive Immigration Reform.” The “Four basic pillars” laid out by the senators include making a path to citizenship “contingent” on border security (which is not defined), connecting legal migration to economic ...

The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) recently released a report, "Managing California's Water: From Crisis to Conflict." The report overviews the major issues facing California water supply, safety, environmental impacts, as well as regulatory and management issues. With continued water demands from residents and business interests, water in California continues to be an issue. In fact, the PPIC report labels the last 40 years of water management in the state as the "era of conflict...

For the first time in 130 years, both legislative bodies in California and the state's executive branch will be fully controlled by one party. Democrats in the State Assembly and Senate now have the two-thirds majority needed to pass the budget they want, and raise taxes without a single Republican vote. Getting to a Democratic supermajority has been a talking point within the party's leadership for years. Yet, it had always been just talk. Both parties have spent more time protecting incumbent...