Domestic Partner Benefits

Two summers ago, Steve, Beto and I went to vist with young people enrolled in a program called Youth Build at Centro Salud Familiar La Fe. The program's aim is to teach young people who have dropped out of school a building trade and to work with them to get their G.E.D. We talked to them about El Paso, about our jobs and why we got involved in politics. We asked them to talk to us about their concerns, what they liked about El Paso, what they would like to see changed. A young man stood up and said he was in love with another young man and he wanted to know that they would have a welcome place in El Paso, in our commmunity. He wanted to know what we were doing to make El Paso a welcoming environment for gays and lesbians in our commmunity.

As a result of that young man's questions, Beto suggested that the City Council authorize domestic partner benefits for city employees. Essentially if a long time committed gay or lesbian couple can provide proof of that long time relationship, we would extend benefits to the partner in the same way that we would extend benefits for a spouse. Nothing more. Nothing less. Since gays and lesbians cannot consecrate their union by a legal marriage, domestic partner benefits would provide equal access to health insurance for committed partnerships. The City Council authorized the domestic partner benefits in a vote of 7 to 1.

There were many who came in support. There were also many who came and spoke out against this action of City Council. The people who came to speak out against it pounded bibles and quoted scripture and told us that homosexuals were immoral. Homosexuals could not claim love or commitment, only lust and deviance, they said. They told us that homosexuals were rapists and pedophiles. Some referenced domestic partner benefits as a subplot in a larger plot to legalize sex with children. They wanted us to know that homosexuals were "less than" and because of this should be treated as "less than." Barney Fields, an El Paso preacher, recently said that a vote in favor of domestic partner benefits was an open invitation to God for the violence in Juarez to spillover. The opponents said they would not stand for any measure by the City that would value the commitment of lesbians or gays in loving long term relationships.

To be clear, I do not think that everyone who opposes providing domestic partner benefits is led by the same hate and fear and hysteria that I illustrated above. For example, I heard from a city employee that he was concerned about adding additional people to the City's plan in a tough economic environment. Because we have to provide equal protection under the law, straight couples who meet the same criteria of domestic partners are also eligible for this benefit. Some people did not think it was right to provide these straight couples with benefits since they have legal access to the benefits of marriage.

But it was the people who dedicated themselves to this issue, the ones whose voices led the charge against domestic partner benefits, who seemed less concerned with "family values" and more concerned with tearing down people who live in our community and work for the City that brought this issue to the voters. They were so enraged when we passed the domestic partner benefits that they did the hard work of putting an item on the ballot to overturn the council's initiative. This is no small task. You have to collect thousands and thousands of signatures. Twice.

On November 2, 2010, 39,016 El Pasoans voted to "endorse traditional family values by making health benefits available only to city employees and their legal spouse and dependent children." 31,892 people voted against it. 10,931 people undervoted, which means they went to the polls but didn't vote on this measure either because they didn't understand the referendum or didn't care to weigh in on this particular issue.

On Tuesday, I voted to repeal this vote of a majority of El Pasoans. I also voted to introduce a city charter ammendment that stated, "The City shall afford equal employment and benefit opportunities to all qualified individuals in compliance with all applicable laws, without regard to their race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, color, religion, ethnic background or national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristic or status that is protected by federal, state, or local law."

I lost on both points.

The ordinance will stand as written by the petitioners and adopted by the voters of El Paso.

I've received emails and calls asking me to explain myself, asking why I would vote against the will of the people.

I'll do my best to explain.

We have been asked by the voters through iniatitive petitions before to change our minds. Most recently, a group of citizens asked voters to transfer the ratemaking authority for the stormwater system from the Public Service Board to the City Council. That vote failed but had it passed, I would have had no argument with implementing it as directed by the voters. It was a matter of policy, a matter of how best to run the stormwater system.

It is a different matter though when you are asked to change your vote on a matter of conscience, a basic principle, a fundamental of who you are that guides the way you live your life and treat other people, a value that you work hard everyday to instill in your own children.

Domestic partner benefits obviously is about more than access to health care. It is about how we treat people who are perceived to be different and whether we welcome everyone despite their differences. Gay and lesbian men and women in our community have enduring committed relationships. Why should we not honor and value those committed relationships as we honor and value the committed relationships of straight people? Like the young gay man said at La Fe, he wanted to know he had a place here. Not just to be tolerated but to be recognized and valued equally as part of his community.

There have been moments in our history when the majority wished to withhold the benefits of citizenship and employment and fair pay and benefits and dignity and liberty from any number of groups of people including women, black people, Catholics, Jews. But relentless and vocal advocates willing to speak to the best in all of us were able re-shape and change the landscape of those fears and hatreds and make our cities and our nation stronger because of it.

I did not do this lightly. It was an unsettling choice to make: to vote to upend the will of El Pasoans who I asked to represent or to vote against the very deepest values that shape who I am. And honestly, no matter what choice I made, I knew it would not feel exactly right. I also knew that my vote would put me at odds with many voters in my district and make me a legitimate target of a recall campaign.

All of this was further complicated by the language that was approved by the voters. The petitioners were against domestic partners benefits and wanted them repealed but instead of asking the voters to repeal the domestic partner benefits, they asked the voters to "endorse traditional family values by making health benefits available only to city employees and their legal spouse and dependent children." Because of the phrase, "only to city employees," the petitioners left out any number of people who are currently covered by our health plan. Retirees are not city employees. Luckily, there is a provision in state law that requires us to cover retirees unless they have access to health care through another source. So there may be some retirees who lose their coverage. There are many agencies of the city, like the Public Service Board and the Metropolitan Planning Organization, where the employees are not technically city employees. These employees will likely lose their health benefits under the language approved by the voters.

The petitioners were advised in November of last year that the language that they presented on the petition had significant problems that would cause more harm to more people than they intended. They could have started over, presented more clear ballot language but they refused to do so. "You know what we mean," they said. I understand that the intent of the petitioners was deny health care coverage to the partners of gay and lesbians who are employees of the City. But I cannot say that that was the intent of every voter. There was a lot of media coverage about the many people beyond domestic partners who would lose coverage. Some of the emails I received from voters said that they voted for the measure because they agreed that these other affected parties should not receive coverage. For example, I received this note from a voter, "Most of the citizens of El Paso do not even have the option of getting health insurance through their employers. The citizens that do get health insurance usually have to pay the full cost to cover their families. They do not want the city to tax them to provide benefits to city employees that far exceed what the tax payers have available."

I understand the intent of the petitioners. I've understood it all too well from having sat through hours and hours of meetings where they visciously tore down people in our community who do not conform to their view of "right" and "normal." But I can't say with certainty what the intent of the 39,016 people who voted in favor of the measure was. This was another reason that I felt that it would be important to put the measure back to the voters and why I proposed the non-discrimination city charter ammendment.

My colleagues did not accept the more general anti-discrimination language I proposed for a city charter ammendment but instead asked that we craft specific language and put the question to the voters more plainly. Should the City provide domestic partner benefits? Yes or no.

The Bulldozers are Coming

The City of El Paso doesn't have a loop. Dallas has one. Austin has one. San Antonio has one. We have got to get us one of those. We are the only major Texas city without one. Shameful. Really shameful.

Although I have yet to have one constituent come knocking on my door demanding that we get us a loop right away, transportation planners, engineers and politicians are pretty sure that is exactly what we want, despite the costs and despite the consequences. Complete the loop has been the mantra of the transportation planners for the last decade.

Just what is a loop, you might ask. It is a freeway that rings your city, allowing you to travel at high speeds around your city in a circle without ever having to stop once. Which is exactly what I did once in Atlanta. Just went round and round the city unable to distinguish one towering office park strung together with chain restaurants and big boxes from the next and therefore unable to figure out just where to get off.

So what exactly do the fortunate cities with the loops get? Urban legend has it that these loops make you more competitive but if you take a look at Austin, Dallas, San Antonio you will see that loops induce more suburban sprawl, more traffic congestion, more development that is built for the car only at the expense of other modes of transportation, more air pollution and more fatal traffic accidents. Oooh, I can't wait to get us some of that.

You might have thought that Transmountain Road was only a scenic corridor, but it is in fact the skeleton of a freeway loop in the making. Thirty years ago, we hatched the plan. Got to get us a loop. Despite mounting evidence that freeways come with consequences, we have stayed on task without questioning some of the fundamental assumptions that build freeways.

I've been a part of that. In 2008, the City Council approved the Comprehensive Mobility Plan, a billion plan that completes the loop, or so they said. But as I recently learned, it turns out a billion dollars completes the loop, sort of, but not quite. When we approved the Mobility Plan, there was $17 million planned to add another lane to the westside of Transmountain from I10 to the Franklin State Park, an investment of about $5 million a mile. Makes sense. If you are heading west down the mountain on Transmountain, it all of sudden converts from two lanes to one lane. That one lane can't handle all the traffic we have on it now at rush hour. Turns out that adding the additional lanes was only the interim plan, the we're-only-half-way-there-with-a-billion-dollars plan. The real plan was to convert this 3.89 mile section into a full fledged freeway: two travel lanes in each direction with enough right-of-way to add another lane in each direction, four overpasses climbing up the side of the mountain to leap over current and planned aerterials, two frontage lanes on each side and a hike/bike lane on each side. The current road takes up about 42 feet. The planned freeway will consume 387 feet of right of way, almost 9 times the width of the current road. Approximately 187 acres of land running upside the mountain will have to be scraped and graded and turned to accomododate the new freeway. So much for scenic corridors.

Last year, El Paso was awarded $85 million to build the road that the traffic engineers had been dreaming about all along. On August 10 of this year, TXDOT and the property owners came to the City and asked us to change some of the zoning conditions on the property. If we change the zoning conditions, then the property owners will give TXDOT the right of way that it needs to finish the freeway in this section.

We went from a $5 million-a-mile project to a $28 million-a-mile project. All the extra money goes into frontage roads and making sure you don't have to stop your car, building grade seperated overpasses where there would normally be traffic lights. I asked Chuck Berry, the TXDOT chief engineer for this region, what that would mean for a driver. He estimated that going from the $17 million project to the $85 million project will mean a time savings of about 2 minutes for people traveling in their car. Wow. That sure is a lot of bucks spent and a lot of mountain consumed to save people 2 minutes.

But the trick of it is that the City Council and the public doesn't really have much in the way of options. TXDOT has let us know that we either approve the zoning conditions and wholeheartedly support the freeway design as proposed or we kiss $85 million good bye. No chance to weigh in with other options for accomodating growing traffic in the area. There are other ways and other road types that we can build to accomodate growing traffic but TXDOT tells us we don't have the time to consider these other options.

I say we call it a bluff and ask for real options, options that will help us build the city that we want, not the one that traffic engineers dreamed up stooped over a computer screen with the single goal of trying to move as many cars as possible in as little time as possible. I think we ask for an option that consumes less of the mountain, that preserves the character of Transmountain as a scenic corridor, that encourages something other than freeway pattern development, and that assumes that it is okay to slow traffic down a little, especially when traveling down one of our most precious assets, our mountain. Because you know what, everyone has a loop, but few can boast a mountain running through the center of their town.

Comments by Dr. Oscar J. Martínez at PRESS CONFERENCE IN SUPPORT OF CIUDAD JUÁREZ, EL PASO, MAY 17, 2010

We are here to express our unity with, and our sympathy and commitment to the people of Ciudad Juárez. We support them as they seek to free themselves from the terror that has plagued their city for the last several years. We who live north of the Rio Grande in El Paso and Las Cruces and other communities in the United States say to the people of Juárez: “Nosotros tambien somos juarenses.” (“We too are juarenses.”) We stand with you. Your fight is our fight. We recognize our role in creating the human catastrophe in your city and join you as you seek to restore order and bring life back to normal.


That is the essence of our DECLARATION IN SUPPORT OF THE EFFORTS OF CIUDAD JUÁREZ TO REDUCE THE VIOLENCE RELATED TO DRUG TRAFFICKING that appeared in the El Paso, Inc., on May 16, 2010.

I wish to thank the members of the committee with whom I worked to put together that DECLARATION: UTEP Professor Dr. Kathy Staudt and the very courageous El Paso City Council Representatives Beto O’Rourke, Susie Byrd, and Steve Ortega. I also want to thank the other members of the Ciudad Juárez Support Network and all the people who signed the DECLARATION. The list of names includes many leaders in our community, including another member of the El Paso City Council, Ann Morgan Lilly, State Representative Marissa Márquez, and County Commissioner Verónica Escobar.

We have many more folks who have endorsed the DECLARATION, but because of the deadline to get it published in the newspaper, we could not include them all at this time. We will keep adding names as they come in and I am sure the list of endorsers will grow by leaps and bounds.
We want to state our conviction emphatically that the only way to bring down the violence significantly in Juárez is by legalizing drugs in the United States, especially marijuana, whose sale, mostly in our country, provides 50 to 70 percent of the revenues received by the Mexican cartels.

The evidence is now overwhelming that the U.S. War on Drugs has not achieved its goals, but rather has been extremely costly financially and has very harmful to our society in many ways. The War on Drugs has been a complete failure in reducing consumption of drugs among Americans. And let’s be very clear about this: the zero tolerance policy and emphasis on enforcement in the United States bear most of the responsibility for the horrible violence that has turned Juárez into the deadliest city in the world and has raised the possibility that Mexico could become a failed state.

Those who are not convinced that this is the honest truth need to do more homework and at the same time connect dots that are bigger than elephants. Some critical thinking is required here, although not that much, because the information is readily available and this is not that difficult to figure out.

Those who think they have the moral high ground by supporting drug prohibition are not giving proper attention to the disastrous consequences of that tragically misguided policy. The cure has been much more deadly than the disease itself. The price of drug prohibition—turning cities like Juárez into killing fields of massive proportions—is totally unacceptable and morally repugnant.

The moral high ground is really with those who have thoughtfully and honestly analyzed the drug problem, who have informed themselves well, who have come to understand the calamitous outcomes of rigid and unjust drug policies, and who realize that these policies are doomed to failure. The fundamental problem with the War on Drugs is that it seeks to transform an unchangeable aspect of human nature and attempts to change the unchangeable law of supply and demand. You stand on higher moral ground when you work to end the violence than when you defend a failed policy that brings massive destruction and suffering to your neighbors.

The primary concern of the supporters of the DECLARATION is eliminating the drug trade-fomented climate of lawlessness in Juárez, ending the massacres, ending the femicides, ending the kidnappings, ending the extortions, ending the arsons, and stopping the precipitous decline of a beautiful and proud city.

We have a crisis here, and we need more people to join us in demanding change from Washington. We need Congressman Silvestre Reyes to take some leadership on this issue. This is a moral imperative. This is a matter of conscience. Our neighbors are in deep trouble and we know why. We must help them.

We especially need more pillars of the community to step forward and openly express their opposition to current drug policies. We need corporate CEO’s, business people, attorneys, judges, and religious leaders to take a stand with us. It does no good to agree with the DECLARATION and continue to stay in the closet. Your open support of the cause will encourage more people to join us and will speed up the process of diminishing the violence.

We also need some in the media to stop trivializing our call for drug reform by calling it an effort to “legalize pot.” The people who have signed the DECLARATION are not potheads or hippies. They are respectable, responsible, and moral leaders in the community.

I personally am not here to encourage the use of drugs. Just the opposite—I am against the use of drugs and desperately want to see a well funded, aggressive program to discourage our citizens, especially the youth, from using drugs. Using drugs is a bad choice. I have never used drugs myself. But I make no moral judgment regarding drug use.

We badly need a comprehensive government and societal crusade against the use of narcotics similar to what we have had since the 1960s regarding the use of tobacco. Our many anti-smoking campaigns over the decades have been extremely successful, bringing down adult smoking rates in the United States from over 50 percent half a century ago to less than 20 percent today.

I just want a sensible and workable policy regarding drugs that gets us back to 1933, when a previous generation of Americans came to understand the deadly consequences of liquor prohibition and overwhelmingly repealed the eighteenth amendment to the U.S. Constitution. That amendment, which outlawed liquor beginning in 1920, had not succeeded in stopping Americans from drinking and instead had given rise to massive violation of the law, gang warfare, uncontrolled violence, widespread corruption, and disrespect for authority.

Let’s not ignore the lesson that liquor prohibition taught us. Let’s use reason, common sense, and pragmatism to find a way out of the horrible mess that drug prohibition has created. Let’s bring an end to the War on Drugs in favor of a system that makes drugs legal but strictly controls, regulates, and taxes their production, distribution, and sale. And let’s start with the most widely used drug out there, marijuana. That is what the anti-prohibitionists of the 1920s and 1930s would do. Surely we are as smart as they were. We need to follow their example.

***

To sign onto the DECLARATION, go to: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/13/declaration-in-support-of-cuidad-juarez

Dia De Los Niños

Washington Park

200 Washington St.

11:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m.

Admission is free!

For more information call 543-5433 or visit the link below.

Dia de los Ninos/Dia de los Libros is this weekend at Washington Park. Great way to spend a Saturday with your kids. Dora the Explorer. Free books. Music. Fun. And Sun Metro is giving free rides to all kids headed out to the park.

http://www.elpasotexas.gov/library/archive/2010/news042410.asp

FUTURE OF TRANSPORTATION IN EL PASO

Date:	Saturday, April 17, 2010
Time:	10:00am
Location:	Memorial Park Library, 3900 Copper Ave.

Our next District 2 community meeting will focus on the future of transportation in El Paso. Commissioner Veronica Escobar will be the guest host.

The speakers will be Mr. Jay Banasiak, Director of Sun Metro, who will update us on the City's Bus Rapit Transit plans and Mr. Edgar Fino, Transportation Engineer Supervisor at the Texas Department of Transportation, who will talk about TXDOT projects in the city.

Come learn about the exciting new transit plans for our community!

WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE (CELL PHONE) ORDINANCE

FACT LIST

This fact sheet is meant to clarify any confusion regarding the recent passing of and enforcement of the Wireless Communication Device Ordinance.

QUICK REVIEW

• If you hold your cell phone while driving OR use a hands-free device in an unsafe manner you may receive a citation under this ordinance.
  
  

BACKGROUND

The wireless communication device ordinance was passed on March 9, 2010 by City Council.

INTENT

The intent is to promote traffic safety by reducing driver distractions while using a cell phone.

WHEN CAN YOU USE YOUR WIRELESS COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• While stopped AND off of the roadway.
• When the device is a part of the vehicle or affixed to the vehicle.
• All wireless communication devices must be used solely in a voice-activated or other hands-free mode SAFELY while operating on a public roadway at all times.

CANNOT USE A WIRELESS COMMUNICTION DEVICE

• Even the temporary or brief use of a hand-held wireless communication device is generally unacceptable and can result in a citation.
• The use of a hands-free device can still result in a citation if it is used in an unsafe manner which results in driver distraction or unsafe vehicle operation.

IN AN EMERGENCY YOU CAN USE YOUR DEVICE

• Request emergency assistance to report a traffic accident, medical emergency, or serious traffic hazard, or to prevent a crime about to be committed or other life threatening event or danger.

Midnight Basketball: Need Volunteer Coaches

I’m proud to announce the third year of Midnight Basketball at Nolan Richardson Recreation Center. Midnight Basketball is a basketball program designed to give youth something fun and safe to do on summer nights. Everyone between the ages of 13 and 18 can participate. Every year, we have improved the program to better suit the needs of youth in our community, particularly those that live the surrounding neighborhood. Depending on who you talk to, the surrounding neighborhood is called the Angel's Triangle or the Devil's Triangle. There is some drug dealing in this neighborhood and the youth often don't feel safe and have lots of temptations waiting on street corners. The youth in this area have asked me for more recreational facilities and more things to do.

Last year over 100 youth participated in the Midnight Basketball program.

The one thing that would really take the program to the next level is to have volunteer coaches who are there to mentor and to help build up teamwork and cooperation. The budget we have only provides for staffing of the center and for referees.

This year’s program will be on Thursday and Friday nights from 9 PM until midnight. The program will run from June 10 until August 13. It is a ten week program.

We would love to have coaches who could make a commitment for the full length of the program but are also glad to have coaches who may only be able to make it for a couple of nights throughout the length of the program.

Please let me know if you are interested in helping out. I can be reached at 915-541-4416 or at byrdsm@elpasotexas.gov.

Higher Internet Speeds for EP

Cities around the country are vying to host Google's experimental fiber-optic network, which will be more than 100 times faster than the Internet connections we have today.

We were made aware of this by El Pasoan Ruben Quintana who spoke at last Tuesday's "Call to the Public" portion of the City Council meeting. He pointed out that if we truly want to be a competitive city, then we need to go after opportunities like this one.

The City's Information Technology Department has completed the application to Google on behalf of the City Government, and now we need to get El Pasoans to complete the citizen participation portion of the agreement if we're going to have a shot at winning this.

So if you're interested, please go to the following link and fill out the survey found on "Nominate Your Community":

http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi/public/options

More information on the project can be found at:

http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi

Some Notes on Bicycling

I can feel it. The weather is about to turn. Warm spring days are fast upon us. Time to get out the bikes.

Green Leaf Pedicab has noticed it too. I met with the owner Charles Lauser this week and he let me know that Green Leaf Pedicab will start up again on March 1. They are the bicycle cabs, mostly seen Downtown. It is a great, fun and easy way to get around Downtown. If you see them on the street, ask for a ride and don't forget to tip!

Charles is also offering a Bicycling Course at the Valle Verde EPCC Campus. The course will cover the practice of the correct use of gears, proper brake usage and balance techniques, basic bicycle maintenance and bicycle traffic laws. To sign up, call Charles at 422-0866.

As you know, we've been trying to make it easier for people to choose bicycling as a commuter option, which means making sure that all the infrastructure is there to support that choice. Bike lanes, bike parking, bike signage...

A couple months ago, a friend of mine who is an avid cyclist came up to me with a bunch of ideas about how we could improve cycling conditions in El Paso. He suggested that we require bicycle parking at all new commercial properties. I was excited to report to him that we already required this in the new zoning code that we passed in November of 2007. He didn’t believe it. He said he had not seen any new bicycle parking in the city and asked that I confirm that we were actually doing this.

I asked City Staff to review whether or not we were in fact requiring bicycle parking per our code. He provided me with a list of all the detailed site plans passed since then and whether or not they required bike parking. This is only a small portion of permits where we would require bike parking. He sent out inspectors to review whether or not there was actually bike parking at those locations.

Based on that initial audit, they were only able to find bike parking at 10 locations. My assistant Judy also went and randomly looked at 8 locations where bike parking was required and did not find bike parking at any of these locations.

So lesson learned is that policy is only as good as its implementation. Staff has now changed up the process to ensure that bike parking is in place before we issue certificates of occupancy. They are continuing their audit of all new construction done since 2007 to make sure that it has adequate bike parking.

A Call to Action. For Juarez. For our Region.

The resolution below will be considered on tomorrow's (February 9, 2010) City Council agenda.

As you know, the Juarez violence is the issue of the day for our region. History will judge our actions regarding the bloodshed across the border and will judge our resolve in addressing the issue. Inaction by the El Paso City Council in the midst of thousands of murders in our region is simply unacceptable.

The resolution, its language, and its proposals are imperfect – but they contain requests and ideas to improve a situation that is unsustainable.

If you have additional ideas that you would like considered or included, please let me know. We can make ammendments to the document tomorrow or in future council meetings as we all learn more about what our path towards a safer Juarez and a safer region should be.

RESOLUTION

Whereas, an unprecedented tragedy has been unfolding in our community, and our entire region is in immediate risk of further violence, devastation and chaos; and

Whereas, over 1,600 people in our community were killed in Juárez in 2008; over 2,650 in 2009; and over 250 killed so far this year; and

Whereas, nearly 150 children have been killed, and just within these past two weeks fifteen people were brutally murdered while attending family parties in private homes – most were high school-aged students and the youngest was a thirteen-year old girl; and

Whereas, in the past two years the violence in Juárez has led to the closing of over 10,000 businesses, has left over 100,000 homes vacant and over 100,000 Juarenses having already fled their city -- including at least 30,000 who have moved to El Paso; and

Whereas, El Paso and Juárez maintain a unique and unbreakable historical, familial and economic connection that has resulted in a rich culture and vibrant economy. In 2008 alone, the economies of U.S. and Mexico were bolstered by $51.1 billion in trade which passed through our ports of entry, accounting for 18% of all trade between these two countries.

Whereas, Juarenses annually spend over $1.2 billion in the El Paso economy, and over 60,000 jobs in El Paso are dependent upon economic activity in Juárez, contributing to an overall economic impact of well over $2 billion in El Paso; and
Whereas, Juárez is the deadliest city in the world. The absence of public safety and the rule of law are devastating the lives of our sister citizens and endangering the future peace and prosperity of this entire region, including El Paso, TX; and

Whereas, the terror taking place in Juárez is of human origin and therefore can be remedied through a human solution; and

Whereas, it is incumbent upon us to work towards a solution that restores justice and ends the violence, no matter how difficult or unpleasant, as lives and the future of our community and region are at stake; and

Whereas, it is understood that much of the violence is fueled by the various drug wars – those between cartels, those within cartels, and those between cartels and the governments of the U.S. and Mexico – wars that take the lives of members of drug trafficking organizations and those innocent of any involvement; and

Whereas, black market drug sales in the U.S. and Mexico fund the operations of the cartels, with marijuana comprising at least 50% of their revenues; and

Whereas, our country’s forty year War on Drugs has been a dismal social, economic and policy failure. It has not achieved any of its goals and narco-related violence along the U.S.-Mexico border is raging at unprecedented levels with no end in sight; and

Whereas, this Council urges citizens on both sides of the border to refrain from buying and consuming illegal drugs that fund the cartel terrorism in our community; and
Whereas, important changes need to take place in Juárez and Mexico, including the restoration of public safety and the creation of a true respect for law. But there are ways we can help on this side of the border, and we must act now – people are dying, the future of our community is at stake, and enough is enough.

Now, therefore be it proclaimed that the beginning of a solution to regional drug violence will involve a bi-national effort centered on the following action statements:

· We request that Mayor John Cook invite United States President Barack Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon here to the largest bi-national community in the world to develop a coordinated strategy to bring an immediate end to the drug violence in our community.

· We urge comprehensive re-examination of our country’s failed War on Drugs and we support drug policy initiatives that do not result in wasting government funds and empowering criminal gangs and trafficking organizations.

· We advocate the repeal of ineffective marijuana drug laws in favor of regulating, controlling and taxing the production, sale and consumption of marijuana by adults – a drug whose sale in the black market contributes to at least 50% of cartel revenues.

· We support a national campaign to encourage people to refrain from the use of illegal drugs by connecting their use to cartel-related terror.

· We oppose unsuccessful militaristic approaches like Plan Mérida, and demand that any future aid, whether tied to Plan Mérida or otherwise, involve a rigorous accounting of allegations of human rights abuses and have strict performance metrics.

· We support U.S. aid that is tied to social, educational and economic development in Mexico and support that country’s fight to establish effective and just rule of law.

· We oppose current U.S. policy that deports Mexican nationals directly to Juárez instead of to their state and city of origin, a practice that is unjust and also serves to supply potential recruits and victims to the criminal organizations operating in Juárez.

· We support opening all potential humanitarian and asylum opportunities for individuals and families in Juárez who are threatened and live in fear for their safety.

· We ask that Mexico be made the number one foreign policy priority for the United States.

By adoption of this resolution the above stated proposals are hereby included in the City of El Paso’s federal and state legislative agendas.

Women's Spring Soccer Season Starting

It's that time again. Spring soccer is starting. The Azteca Women's Soccer League is looking for new players and new teams. If you want to put a team together or if you want in on one of the existing teams, contact Cecy Rodriguez at cecyt1111@aol.com. If you are in great shape or you just want to get in shape, if you have never played before or if you are a seasoned veteran, we'll find a spot for you.

ASARCO Update

I had a meeting this morning with the trustee who has been appointed to implement the remediation of the ASARCO site. His name is Roberto E. Puga, R.G from Project Navigator, LTD in Brea, California. His charge is to use the $52 million from the bankruptcy settlement with ASARCO to clean up the now abandoned ASARCO site and then to sell the site for redevelopment.

Right now, Mr. Puga is in the process of meeting with various stakeholders and beginning the detailed evaluation of the site and the implementation plan. He wants to include the public in some of the decisionmaking about the ultimate use of the site, and he wants to make sure that the public is kept apprised of all progress on the remediation. Towards that end, he is developing a website that will go live at the end of the month. The website will provide information on progress, tools for providing input and a portal for contractors to find out about bids.

Once he has a solid lay of the land, we will host a community meeting sometime in late March or early April to provide information about the remediation plan, to answer questions about the plan and to solicit input on uses for the site that the community would like to see or uses the community might be opposed to. One of the questions he asked in the meeting was whether we wanted to see the ASARCO stacks demolished or to remain as part of the redevelopment of the site. Much of this will be determined by the buyer of the site, but Mr. Puga wants to work to the extent possible to make sure that the ultimate use is a good fit for the community. The City, including our Economic Development team, will work with him closely to find a good fit.

The other thing that he is mindful about is making sure that most of the work stays here in El Paso. Towards that end, he said he has two incentives to encourage El Paso contractors to bid on work. One, he is going to make sure that there is additional preference given to local bidders. For very small contractors who have not worked with hazardous materials, he will help to train their workers as an incentive to encourage them to compete for work.

I will keep you posted as I hear more but wanted to give you a quick update on what I know.

Red Mesa

Seems like the film scene is hopping in El Paso these days. Great new film festivals popping up. I received a notice from my friend Eric Pearson about an El Paso made film called "Red Mesa." Eric and Charles Horack organize the great Classic Film Series at the Plaza Theatre. They showed the film, "Red Mesa" this past year. "Red Mesa" has won Best Short Film at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival. Good news, but the great news is that the win at this festival qualifies it to submit to the Academy Awards for 2010.

To do that, the filmmakers need to make a film print, get a few more festivals under their belt and make a whole lot of DVDs. To get all this done, they will need to raise about $25,000. The El Paso Community Foundation is acting as their fiscal sponsor. Let's help them get to the Academy Awards. All contributions are tax deductible.

You can give by going to the Community Foundation's website and typing in "Red Mesa" on the subject.