In the News
Axios: Lawmakers Question CEOs on Spanish-language Misinformation
About two dozen Democratic lawmakers are sending letters to the CEOs of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Nextdoor requesting details about what resources the social networks are putting toward rooting out misinformation in Spanish and other non-English content in the U.S. Why it matters: The letters follow the introduction last week of the Health Misinformation Act, which seeks to hold social media companies more accountable for misinformation on their sites. Led by Sens. Ben Ray … Continue Reading
July 16, 2021
Bloomberg: Facebook’s Frustrated Critics Take Their Fight to Washington
After years of directly pressuring Facebook Inc. and other social media companies to rid their platforms of hate speech-with limited success-civil rights groups are shifting tack: They're taking their fight to Washington. Organizations such as Color of Change, the Anti-Defamation League and Common Sense Media are increasingly pushing Congress and the Biden administration to force tech companies to take more aggressive steps to moderate their sites for bigotry, misinformation, voter … Continue Reading
July 15, 2021
LA Times: California’s Immigrant Crackdown Propelled Latinos to Washington. After Trump, Could It Happen Again?
Businessman Lou Correa abandoned plans to join the Republican Party. Raul Ruiz, a UCLA student on the cusp of medical school, discovered a passion for public policy. Juan Vargas, who had weighed the seminary, finally found his calling - getting more Latinos to vote and run for office. The spark behind the seismic shift in each man's life: California's infamous Proposition 187, the initiative voters overwhelmingly approved in 1994 to deny services to those residing in the country illegally. … Continue Reading
July 14, 2021
The San Fernando Sun: Cárdenas Announces Appointments of Three Valley Area Students to Military Service Academies
Rep. Tony Cárdenas (CA-29) has announced the appointment of three San Fernando Valley high school student applicants to attend US Military Service academies this fall. Kalen Alejandro of Sylmar and Kyle Alfred Wynn of Mission Hills were both accepted at the Army's military academy West Point, and Gabriel James Garcia of North Hollywood was accepted to the US Naval Academy. Each year, the Congressman and a committee select student applicants from his district to receive Congressional … Continue Reading
July 11, 2021
LA Daily News: House Approves $19.1 Million for San Fernando Valley Transportation Projects
Several San Fernando Valley transit projects will receive federal funding following the U.S. House passage of the five-year $715 billion "New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America" measure, known as the INVEST in America Act. The bill sets aside $19.1 million for California's 29th Congressional District investing in the region's aging infrastructure. "The INVEST in America Act will give us an opportunity to build back better and use federal dollars on projects that … Continue Reading
July 08, 2021
The Valley Post: $19 Million Secured for San Fernando Valley Transportation Projects
Over $19 million has been secured for transportation projects in the San Fernando Valley after the passage of a bill in the House of Representatives this month. On July 1, the House passed the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America) Act, which includes $19.1 million for California's 29th Congressional District, according to Congressman Tony Cárdenas. "Fully recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic requires us to meet the … Continue Reading
July 06, 2021
POLITICO: Wildfires Threaten All of the West — and One Group More Than Others
And so-called "natural amenity" communities built around winter sports, resorts and second homes began attracting Latino residents in the early 2000s to work service industry jobs that supported those burgeoning towns, said Richelle Winkler, a sociology and demography professor at Michigan Technological University who has studied migration, residential segregation and the environment. But Latino residents tended to settle in less expensive, wildfire-prone rural areas far from those towns - and … Continue Reading
June 30, 2021
Al Día: Smithsonian Latino Museum Announces Board of Trustees with Many Familiar Faces
The Smithsonian recently announced 17 new appointments to serve on the Board of Trustees of the future National Museum of the American Latino, and among them are various familiar faces. The 17 trustees will help bolster the process of the museum's development by overseeing the administration and formation of the museum's future collections during the development of the first national Smithsonian museum dedicated to the history and culture of American Latinos. The board of trustees will … Continue Reading
June 29, 2021
The Washington Post: Sofia Vergara, Eva Longoria and Chef José Andrés Named to Latino Museum Board
Actresses Sofía Vergara and Eva Longoria, musician and producer Emilio Estefan, and chef-activist José Andrés have been appointed to the board of trustees of the planned National Museum of the American Latino, the Smithsonian Board of Regents announced Tuesday. Also named are Alberto Ibargüen, chief executive of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and former publisher of the Miami Herald; Henry R. Muñoz III, who served as chairman of the commission … Continue Reading
June 29, 2021
The Hill: Smithsonian Names National Museum of the American Latino Board of Trustees
The Smithsonian on Tuesday announced the members of the board of trustees of the National Museum of the American Latino, following passage of the bill that created the museum in December. Naming the trustees is the next step toward construction of the physical museum, which supporters hope will be built on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. "At the heart of the American story are Latino stories, those of individuals, many of them immigrants, who encompass an unwavering spirit of … Continue Reading
June 24, 2021
The Hill: Senate Democrats Call for FDA Action on High Levels of Heavy Metals in Some Baby Food
A group of Democratic senators led by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) is calling on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to step up efforts to eliminate toxic heavy metals that have been reported in some baby foods. Klobuchar, along with Democratic Sens. Tammy Duckworth (Ill.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Cory Booker (N.J.) and Patrick Leahy (Vt.), made the request in a Thursday letter to acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock that was shared with The Hill. The lawmakers wrote that it is … Continue Reading
June 06, 2021
The New York Times: Democratic Report Raises 2022 Alarms on Messaging and Voter Outreach
Democrats defeated President Donald J. Trump and captured the Senate last year with a racially diverse coalition that delivered victories by tiny margins in key states like Georgia, Arizona and Wisconsin. In the next election, they cannot count on repeating that feat, a new report warns. A review of the 2020 election, conducted by several prominent Democratic advocacy groups, has concluded that the party is at risk of losing ground with Black, Hispanic and Asian American voters unless it … Continue Reading
June 02, 2021
Consumer Reports: Product Safety Agency Approves Rule Preventing Sale of Dangerous Baby Sleep Products
The Consumer Product Safety Commission, the federal agency that oversees thousands of household products, voted today to stop manufacturers from selling dangerous infant sleepers and other products that do not align with expert medical recommendations for safe sleep. These include inclined sleepers (which position babies at an angle of greater than 10 degrees), in-bed sleepers (which are meant for parents who want to share their bed with their babies), baby boxes (cardboard boxes with a thin … Continue Reading
May 13, 2021
$196 million in federal ‘rescue’ funding going to 4 San Fernando Valley colleges
LOS ANGELES - More than $196 million in emergency funding will be made available to four San Fernando Valley colleges under the American Rescue Plan, Reps. Tony Cardenas and Brad Sherman announced Thursday in a joint statement. The funding is ticketed for Cal State Northridge, Los Angeles Pierce College, Los Angeles Valley College and Los Angeles Mission College, the congressmen said. The money is intended to help the institutions cope with the severe financial fallout from the COVID-19 … Continue Reading
April 28, 2021
Trabajadora esencial es invitada a ver mensaje de Biden
April 23, 2021
Lawmakers Introduce the Clean Commute for Kids Act to Electrify U.S. Bus Fleet
Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and Rep. Tony Cárdenas, D-Calif., and Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Conn., have introduced the Clean Commute for Kids Act to transition the nation's school bus fleet to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) and protect children's health. The bicameral legislation would invest $25 billion to replace existing diesel buses with electric buses. On a typical day before the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 25 million American children are exposed to air … Continue Reading
April 23, 2021
U.S. lawmaker introduces bill to restore FTC ability to get money back from scammers
Representative Tony Cardenas, along with other Democrats, has introduced a bill that would restore the Federal Trade Commission's ability to force scam artists and deceptive companies to return ill-gotten gains. The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday made it more difficult for the FTC to win back lost funds, ruling 9-0 that the Federal Trade Commission Act allows it to ask a judge for injunctions to stop bad behavior but not to claw back money. Cardenas' bill, which was introduced on Tuesday, … Continue Reading
February 04, 2021
A law cleared the way for a national Latino museum. What happens now?
The push for a national Latino museum was decades in the making, but a recent law making it a reality just jumpstarted what will be a lengthy - and costly - process. The next steps for building a Latino museum as part of the Smithsonian Institution are being taken in the midst of a pandemic, which could affect spending as well as planning that largely has to be done virtually. "We have gotten to the first plateau of a mountain. We've taken the first steps in this movement, but the real … Continue Reading
February 01, 2021
Cárdenas to address racial inequities in COVID-19 Relief Package
Growing up as the youngest of 11 children in an immigrant family, Rep. Tony Cárdenas often didn't have access to health care services. Now, the California Democrat is calling for a wide-ranging legislative package to address concerns about equity and mental health heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The $1 billion, nine-bill package, shared first exclusively with CQ Roll Call, aims to capitalize on Democratic control of both chambers and the White House. "What's happened is like when … Continue Reading
January 11, 2021
Rep. Cárdenas raised alarms on staff diversity in Congress. Now there are permanent changes
The 117th Congress is the most diverse class of legislators ever, but diversity among staff members on Capitol Hill has historically not seen the same levels of progress, even now. Last Summer, Rep. Tony Cárdenas called-out the longstanding issue in Congress, saying "we are failing" on staff diversity, and that the diversity of staff among representatives and senators is not reflective of their staff members. Cárdenas first wrote a letter to House Democrats in the height of … Continue Reading