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Our monthly newsletter brings you the latest news on all things MICOP in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.
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On Saturday, September 28, 2024, California Governor Newsom signed SB 1016 (Gonzalez) the Latine and Indigenous Disparities Reduction Act into law! This is a historic moment for the state of California. This bill will require the Department of Public Health (CDPH) to collect anonymous demographic data on the ancestry or ethnic origin of specified Latino groups, Mesoamerican nations, and Indigenous Mesoamerican languages whenever collecting data. This bill aims to realign the current data disparities faced by Latino and Mesoamerican Indigenous nations.
More specifically, SB 1016 will require CDPH to collect and release disaggregated data for the additional Latine and Mesoamerican Indigenous nations listed below, on or after January 1, 2028;
Latine subgroups: Mexican, Guatemalan, Salvadoran, Honduran, Nicaraguan, Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cuban, Colombian, and Peruvian, followed by a blank space to fill in additional groups.
Each major Mesoamerican Indigenous nation, including, but not limited to:
- Mixteco,
- Zapoteco,
- Mayan,
- Triqui,
- and Aztec,
- followed by a blank space to fill in additional nations.
And each major Mesoamerican Indigenous language, including, but not limited to:
- Mixteco,
- Zapoteco,
- Triqui,
- K'iche,
- Mam,
- and Kanjobal (Q'anjob'al),
- followed by a blank space to fill in additional languages.
We would like to recognize that this bill represents a significant milestone, made possible through the tireless efforts and dedication of the AAPI community who paved the way before us. Their success with AB 1726 Bonta, Chapter 607, Statutes of 2016), the Accounting for Health and Education in API Demographics Act, has laid the groundwork for other communities of color, including ours, to advance in the vital fields of data justice and health equity. This progress helps uncover disparities by disaggregating broad categories into more specific ethnic subgroups.
SB 1016 will require the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to collect anonymous race/ethnicity and language data for Mesoamerican nations and provide a comprehensive report (published or released on or after July 1, 2029) that includes rates for major diseases, leading causes of death, pregnancy, housing, and mental health, categorized by demographic subgroups and overall trends in California.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported us throughout this journey—whether through letters of support, signing petitions, postcards, sharing personal testimonies, or advocating for the bill. We are deeply grateful to our Latinx and Indigenous leaders, our co-sponsors Latino Coalition for a Healthy California (LCHC), Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indígena Oxaqueño (CBDIO), and Comunidades Indigenas en Liderazgo (CIELO), and all those who contributed over the past two years to make data justice a reality for Indigenous and Latine communities and families across California.
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October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). MICOP’s longstanding program, Voz de La Mujer Indigena (Voice of the Indigenous Woman), was launched in 2010 to destigmatize domestic violence in our communities and provide survivors with resources and tools. This has helped them become leaders in our community.
Voz works with MICOP’s Wellness Programs to address and reduce domestic violence while providing support to survivors. Voz focuses on outreach, offering culturally and linguistically relevant education for Indigenous survivors, creating safe peer support spaces, and delivering case management and referrals to local resources. The dedicated team at Voz de La Mujer has helped thousands of families in our community find security and recover from domestic violence situations.
This year, we are proud to announce the expansion of our Voz program to Santa Barbara County. For the first time, MICOP has been able to bring support groups and system navigation to Indigenous domestic violence survivors in nearby Santa Maria areas.
An estimated 10 million individuals in the United States are affected by domestic violence every year. Roughly 20 individuals per minute endure physical abuse from an intimate partner, and around 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men suffer from severe intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and/or partner stalking, leading to injuries, PTSD, and other harmful effects.
Voz de la Mujer Indigena, along with the MICOP team, invites you to wear purple every Friday to commemorate Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Together, by raising awareness and supporting one another, we can break the cycle of violence in our communities.
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To MICOP's Radio Indigena 94.1 FM team for receiving El Concilio's 34th Annual Latino Leadership Award! We are grateful for this award and honored to have been around the wonderful recipients during the reception!
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MICOP will be honored as a recipient of the Michael McGuire Award for Excellence in Community Partnership at this year's Ventura County Community Development Corporation (VCCDC) 4th Annual Award Ceremony, "Leading People Home," on Oct. 10, 2024!
This celebration honors five leaders who are making significant contributions to the community. We are honored to receive the Michael McGuire Award for Excellence in Community Partnership!
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As part of the Safety Net for All Coalition, we regret to inform you that Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed SB 227 (Durazo), the Safety Net for All Workers Act. This bill aimed to require the Employment Development Department (EDD) to create a detailed plan for establishing a permanent Excluded Workers Program, which would provide unemployment-like benefits to workers in California who are ineligible due to their immigration status.
While we are deeply disappointed by this decision, which leaves over a million hardworking immigrant workers without access to unemployment benefits despite their significant contributions to our economy, we remain steadfast in our commitment to advocating for all workers. The fight for a #SafetyNetForAll continues, and we will remain united in our efforts to bring this critical support to our communities. Please stay tuned for updates on our next steps as we move forward together.
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As part of the Food for All Coalition, we wanted to update you on the 2024-2025 state budget, signed on June 29, 2024. Unfortunately, the budget passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor included a two-year delay in the expansion of the California Food Assistance Program (CFAP) to adults 55 and over, regardless of immigration status, moving the implementation date from October 1, 2025, to October 1, 2027.
However, there is some positive news: the budget reallocates unused funds for planning and automation activities from 2023-24 to 2024-25 and beyond, which we hope will support a smoother integration of the CFAP expansion in the future. We are currently working to better understand the impact this will have on the ongoing CFAP expansion efforts.
In a very challenging budget year for California, with many essential programs facing cuts, particularly in health and human services, we appreciate the continued commitment to Food4All. Still, we are saddened by the delay, knowing the harm it will continue to cause in immigrant communities. We remain steadfast in our efforts to make Food4All a reality and will not give up this fight.
Additionally, both of the bills we strongly support (SB 245 and AB 311) were heard in the opposite house's policy committees in June but were held in Appropriations and did not advance to a final floor vote. We are immensely grateful to everyone who called or wrote in support of these bills.
Next steps: We will gather as a coalition in November to reflect on the past year, strengthen relationships, and strategize for the coming year. With an upcoming election and the two-year delay, we have much to discuss in terms of strategy and how we will continue fighting for Food4All. If you're interested in joining us in this effort, please reach out to Vanessa Terán, Policy Director, at vanessa.teran@mixteco.org.
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MICOP offers a fast-paced, multilingual, and multicultural work environment dedicated to carrying out our mission. We are currently recruiting for the following positions:
Oxnard
Santa Maria
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