Author Archives: Jose Calderon

About Jose Calderon

Jose Zapata Calderon is Emeritus Professor in Sociology and Chicano/a Latino/a Studies at Pitzer College and President of the Latino and Latina Roundtable of the Pomona Valley and San Gabriel Valley.

Remembering Roberto Cintli Rodriguez

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A memory today from 2012 – when I ran alongside writer, professor, community organizer Roberto Cintli Rodriguez at a “Cross-Cultural Festival to Save Ethnic Studies” in Panorama City. As in this run, he was always there giving of his life to the future of our communities. His contributions will live on as examples for others and especially those younger generations who are picking up the baton. Roberto Cintli Rodriguez- Presente!

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annual Gathering of the Latino and Latina Sociology section at the American Sociological Association

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One of the reasons we cherish the annual gathering of the Latino and Latina Sociology section at the American Sociological Association is meeting up with long-time friends and colleagues! Here with Professors Rogelio Saenz, Vilma Ortiz, Teresa Cordova, Marta Lopez-Garza, Manuel Pastor, and Gilbert Cadena.

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Farmworkers Across The State Are Still Getting Sick and Sometimes Dying from Preventable Heat

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Unconscionable! … “20 years after California enacted a landmark heat safety law, farmworkers across the state are still getting sick and sometimes dying from preventable heat illness.
The law “is failing because of a lack of enforcement. It’s not doing what it was intended to do,” said state Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), a former farmworker who carried legislation last year that would have made it easier for farmworkers to receive workers’ compensation if they were stricken by heat illness on the job. The measure was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. “It is the kind of thing that should be keeping legislators up at night. People are dying.”
The enforcement lapses come at a time when farmworkers — many of whom lack legal status and fear deportation — are already hesitant to voice complaints about working conditions, fearful that employers could retaliate by reporting them to immigration authorities. It is estimated that more than half of California’s approximately 350,000 farmworkers are undocumented.
A 2022 study by the UC Merced Community and Labor Center found that many farmworkers were still laboring without the protections. Of more than 1,200 workers surveyed, 43% reported that their employers had not provided a heat illness prevention plan and 15% said they had not received heat illness prevention training.”

 Let’s Build An Equitable, Thriving Pomona Together!

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 Let’s build an equitable, thriving Pomona together!

 
 
 
About this event

Join us for a community meeting where we’ll share updates on the Pomona ACTS plan, talk about what’s happening next, and hear your ideas to guide implementation. This is your chance to get involved and make your voice heard!

Pomona Activated for Community Transformation and Sustainability (Pomona ACTS) is a comprehensive community-driven effort to address local needs around transportation, renewable energy, workforce development, and health. Projects include free transit passes, new public EV chargers, free e-bike lending, home energy upgrades such as solar and battery storage, a community resilience center, tree planting, and even upgrades to our community urban farm.

 

All Pomona residents are welcome!

Refreshments, Kid zone, and Spanish interpretation will be provided.

✅Learn about upcoming projects and plans

✅Share your feedback

✅Connect with your neighbors

 

Location, Date and Time

📅Date: Wednesday, August 20, 2025

🕓Time: 5:30 – 7:00 pm

📌Location: Day One Office, 175 E 2nd St, Pomona, CA 91766

Parking: Lot 12 – 132 E W 1st St, Pomona, CA 91766

Disclaimer: Street parking is free in any city lot for 2 hours; longer than 2 hours is $2

 

Please RSVP by August 19th.

Questions? Contact us at hello@pomonaacts.org

To learn more about Pomona ACTS, visit: www.pomonaacts.org

—

Lina Mira

Executive Director 

(909) 480-6267
 

A Result Of Consistent And Unwavering Organizing

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Once in awhile … A result of consistent and unwavering organizing: “In a key win for immigrant rights organizations, a California Court of Appeal ruled that the University of California has not provided sufficient legal grounds to justify its “discriminatory policy” barring the hiring of undocumented students from on-campus jobs.”

California’s Economy Getting Hit By Immigration Raids

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A June report from the Bay Area Council Economic Institute found that, based on their wage contributions to the economy alone, undocumented workers generate nearly 5% of California’s gross domestic product. That proportion rises to 9% when ripple effects of their labor are added.
With 2.28 million undocumented immigrants living in California, they represent 8% of workers in the state. And the population has deep roots, with nearly two-thirds having lived in the state for over a decade. Their total contribution in local, state and federal taxes is $23 billion annually, according to the Bay Area Council Economic Institute.

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If You Want To Protect Democracy, You Protect The Most Vulnerable

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Alvarado, from the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, was grateful for their presence. “The way we view it is that you stop fascism, you stop authoritarianism by protecting those that are at the end of the whip,” he said. “If you want to protect democracy, you protect the most vulnerable. That’s what we want people from all walks of life to understand. That’s why it’s beautiful to see the soccer moms, the teachers, getting it.”

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