Merced Fair Elections Act Signed into Law
Assembly Member Esmeralda Soria’s Merced Fair Elections Act (AB 1441) was signed into law in October by Governor Newsom—a law that will ensure fair, equitable elections for Merced County.
AB 1441 directs the County of Merced to establish an independent citizens redistricting commission (CRC) to ensure fairly drawn districts that consider demographics and communities of interests.
“This commission will be made up of voters across the political spectrum,” Soria said. “Merced County will now have an independent citizens redistricting commission that is chosen by their own community members—not chosen by elected politicians who are already in power.
“This bill will allow the residents of Merced to ensure their communities and interests are reflected in the districts used for their elections.”
HOPE Releases Status of Latinas Report
HOPE (Hispanas Organized for Political Equality) in October released its first National Economic Status of Latinas Report, providing an in-depth analysis of the economic, educational and leadership progress of Latinas across the United States. The report combines rigorous national data with focus groups in California, Texas, Florida, New York and Illinois—the five states with the largest Latina populations.
With 7.98 million Latinas making up more than 20% of California’s population, the state stands out as both a hub of Latina entrepreneurship and as the home of the widest wage gap in the nation.
“California Latinas are innovators and business leaders, yet they continue to face the steepest wage inequality in the country,” said Helen Iris Torres, CEO of HOPE.
“Closing this wage gap is about unlocking California’s full economic potential. Latinas’ success is central to the future of our state.”
Key findings for California:
- 18.6% of Latinas hold a college degree or higher.
- The average income for Latinas is $79,187, yet they earn just 41 cents for every dollar earned by white, non-Hispanic men, representing a $2.18 million lifetime earnings loss.
- Latinas’ labor force participation is 54%, with an unemployment rate of 6.2%.
- 13.3% of all women-owned small businesses in California are Latina-owned, reflecting one of the strongest rates of Latina entrepreneurship nationwide.
The full report is available at latinas.org/eslrnational.
LIUNA Statement on Shutdown
Brent Booker, general president of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA), made the following statement on the federal government shutdown:
“The White House and Congress are practicing the politics of chaos and division and getting it dead wrong on jobs and our economy. Leaders failed to meet their deadline and are causing the government to shut down for the first time since 2019. Let’s call this what it really is—a lockout.
“Hundreds of thousands of federal workers and contractors now face an uncertain future because the White House and Republican members of Congress failed to negotiate in good faith. Sidelining the federal workforce will have far-reaching consequences, as a shutdown harms people and weakens our economy.
“From food safety inspections being cut back, to contractor payments grinding to a halt, to OSHA enforcement slowing down, the impacts directly affect the essential services Americans rely on daily, putting families, workers and local communities at risk.
“Make no mistake, LIUNA will fight like hell in order to end this lockout, but we should not have to do so.”
