Advocacy

 MANA empowers Latinas through leadership development, community service and advocacy.

MANA is committed to educating elected and appointed officials on issues affecting the lives of Latinas, on a local and national level.

MANA encourages VOTER REGISTRATION and social responsibility.

MANA is a non-partisan organization advocating for issues impacting our community.

THE GREAT AMERICAN WRITE IN - The 26th Annual Great American Write-In, was held on SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2011, at the Lakeview Senior Center.  Thank you to Gloria DeLaTorre-Wycoff and Yvonne Duncan for making it a MANA success!

This was the Issue chosen:

TO:  Board of Supervisors, County of Orange                                          April  9, 2007

    Redistricting is one of the most important events in our democracy.  Officials too often fail to draw lines which adequately protect minority voting strength and recognize increasing levels of diversity throughout our nation.  Efforts must be made to prepare communities to play a meaningful role in the redistricting process.

  Thus, as a resident/constituent of Orange County, I respectfully urge the Board of Supervisor s to:

1.  Provide information to all community constituents regarding redrawing of district boundaries;

2.  Ensure political lines are redrawn so each district is as closely equal in population size based on recent Census data;

3.  Support and encourage the importance of the participation of and collaboration between minority communities in all redistricting efforts.

Respectfully submitted:

Name: (signature)________________________________________________________________

Address/City/Zip___________________________________________________

District #/Supervisor     ________________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release   Contact: 714-605-2544

WHY: Latino organizations ask the Orange County Grand Jury to investigate abuses by top Santa Ana city officials.

WHO:Amin David, President  Los Amigos of Orange County   714-758-8090

Dr. Alfonso Alvarez  Rudy Escalante Chapter of  American GI Forum of the US  714-309-4072

Francisco Barragan  United Mexican-American Veterans Association  714-605-2544

Zeke Hernandez  LULAC Santa Ana  714-661-4428

Nellie Kaniski  MANA de Orange County

Dr. Arturo Lomeli  Santa Ana Coalition for Better Government

•Mayor Miguel Pulido was set to receive a $500,000 finder’s fee after using his clout as mayor to link developers, who have already paid him consulting fees, to the sale of state-owned property. Bringing buyers to the table to purchase property requires a real estate broker’s or agent’s license. Using the mayor’s office for personal gain violates the city’s code of ethics ordinance.

MANA de Orange County advocates for issues impacting our Latino community.  Please take the time to e-sign this petition, and take a stand with us against those that would REPEAL the health care reform we have fought so hard for!

Now is the time for us to send this Congress a message.  We will not go back.  We will not let them play partisan political games with our rights as consumers or with the lives of our families.

***URGENT HEALTH CARE ACTION ALERT***

The wealthy insurance industry fought tooth & nail to oppose Federal health care reform legislation in 2009 and 2010…even going as far as threatening to stop selling child-only policies to families with children with “pre-existing conditions” in order to weasel their way out of complying with provisions under the Affordable Care Act.

But thanks to the thousands of calls, e-mails, faxes and letters from dedicated health care supporters like you– California has gone above & beyond the Federal health care law by passing AB2244, which went into effect on January 1^st! 

The new state law, sponsored by HCAN-CA’s lead state partner, Health Access California, “bars insurers that refuse to sell policies exclusively for children from the broader individual market for five years. It also limits the amount insurers can charge for covering children with serious health conditions to no more than twice what they would charge healthier children.” (San Francisco Chronicle)

Now, as a result of this new law, “all insurers have notified the state Department of Insurance of their intention to resume sales.” (Los Angeles Times)

But this is just the beginning! Many other key provisions from the new health law are already going into effect this month, and that’s why it’s so imperative that we keep up the pressure and oppose efforts by Congressional Republicans and insurance industry lobbyists to repeal the Federal health care law!

Today marks the first day of the 112^th Congress with its Republican majority bought and paid for by Wall Street-run corporations and their shill groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It comes as no surprise that one of the Republicans’ first items is to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and all the benefits and consumer protections that we’ve fought so hard to achieve.¹ And what are they replacing it with? NOTHING.

Click here to automatically sign the petition that says: "Republicans in Congress shouldn't give our health care back to the insurance companies and sentence more than 30000 Americans a year to death because they can't afford health insurance." 

Everyone already knows that the Republican Party is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the health insurance industry² and other profit-hungry corporations. In case there was any doubt, the Republicans have hired insurance and health care industry lobbyists for key positions on committees and members’ staffs.³ So far, two health care industry lobbyists have joined the powerful House Energy & Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over health care legislation. One of them was named staff director. In addition, a top lobbyist from the medical device industry has joined Boehner’s staff as policy director.⁴ 

When you cut through the political hyperbole, the GOP’s search-and-destroy mission is serious business. Thankfully we have a strong Democratic caucus in the House and a majority in the Senate to fight back.  The repeal vote in the House scheduled for next week is part of an all-out assault on the new law in the Congress, the courts and state legislatures.  And it’s an assault with well-funded corporate sponsors. 

After a century of legislative and political combat over health care, working families and small businesses and ended the insurance companies’ stranglehold on our health care. Naturally, Boehner wants to roll back the new health care law and let the health insurance companies resume their reign of terror. That’s why Boehner and his band of corporate shills, including House Majority Leader Eric Cantor⁵, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell⁶ and a raft of presidential wannabes⁷, have made repealing the health care law the top priority for 2011 for the Republican Party.

Your dedication and support helped pass AB2244, and several other essential laws that have gone a long way towards implementing and improving upon Federal health reform here in California! 

Now is the time for us to send this Congress a message.  We will not go back.  We will not let them play partisan political games with our rights as consumers or with the lives of our families.

MANA de Orange County Supported the Confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor