Peggy Saika To Receive Asian American Justice Center Award
The Asian American Justice Center will honor Peggy Saika at the 11th annual American Courage Awards on October 10 in Washington D.C. Saika, chair of TCWF’s Board of Directors, will receive the Distinguished Service Award for her contributions on behalf of Asian Americans. She is president and executive director of Asian American/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy, a national membership association dedicated to building bridges between the philanthropic and Asian Pacific American communities. Saika was founding director of the Asian Pacific Environmental Network, and has served as executive director of the Asian Law Caucus. She has been a TCWF Board member since 1997. read more
Los Angeles Times Op-Eds Address Hospital Closure
Two TCWF grantees’ Op-Eds about the closure of Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital in South Los Angeles appeared in the September 9 editions of the Los Angeles Times. “King Harbor—CPR from UC?” by Dr. Hector Flores, medical director of the Family Care Specialists Medical Group in East Los Angeles, proposes that the University of California health system take over the hospital. In “A Hospital Isn't A Cure,” E. Richard Brown, director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, writes that South L.A.’s needs also include basic medical care, better access to nutritious food and more effective community policing. read more
Cristina M. Regalado Joins Two Nonprofit Boards
Cristina M. Regalado, TCWF vice president of programs, has been appointed to the board of directors of the Women’s Funding Network, an international association that helps women and girls prosper by supporting women’s funds. She was also recently appointed to the board of advisors of the Edmund G. “Pat” Brown Institute of Public Affairs, a Los Angeles-based nonpartisan public policy center. Regalado, who joined TCWF in 2000, also serves as vice chair of the board of Grantmakers In Health, and as a member of the boards of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy and Southern California Grantmakers. read more
California Voters Support Greater Diversity of Health Professionals
A new poll, funded by a grant from TCWF to Field Research Corporation, finds that most California voters believe there are not enough health professionals, especially in predominantly ethnic communities. According to the survey, 60 percent of voters believe it is important for California to have enough health professionals who reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of the patients they serve. To achieve this goal, two out of three voters support increased state government funding of public medical schools, universities and community colleges. read more
Gov. Schwarzenegger Signs Major Juvenile Justice Reform Bill
On August 24, Gov. Schwarzenegger signed a major juvenile justice reform bill that shifts non-violent juvenile offenders from state-operated Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) facilities into county facilities and programs. SB 81 will cut the population of DJJ (formerly, the California Youth Authority) from 2,500 to about 1,500 within two years. Effective immediately, the custody and care of juvenile offenders will be the responsibility of counties, which will be provided with block grant funds to pay for local alternatives to state commitment. David Steinhart, executive director of the Juvenile Justice Program of Commonweal, a TCWF grantee, played a key negotiating role. read more
Documentary Chronicles Women’s Struggle for Factory Workers’ Rights
“Made in L.A.,” a new PBS documentary, follows three immigrant Latinas who work in Los Angeles garment factories. The women— Maura Colorado from El Salvador; Lupe Hernandez and María Pineda from Mexico—become activists with the Garment Workers Center, a TCWF grantee, and embark on a three-year odyssey to win basic labor protections from clothing retailer Forever 21. Sweatshop Watch, a TCWF grantee, was instrumental in the making of the documentary, produced by award-winning filmmakers Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar. The film premiered on PBS September 4. read more
Report Shares Best Practices of Health Organizations Serving Farmworkers
Farmworker Health Services, a TCWF grantee, has released its annual “Innovative Outreach Practices Report,” which showcases best practices of health organizations nationwide that serve farmworkers. More than two dozen areas are covered, including cultural competency, community, government, grower and university collaboration; health screening; needs assessments; and professional development. Among the featured organizations is TCWF grantee Clinica Sierra Vista, a comprehensive migrant/community health center system serving Kern and Inyo counties. read more
