Blog #13

Although, my CP the Independent Police Auditor works for the government there is no direct interaction between my community partner and the governor. My CP the IPA works directly with the City of San Jose, the mayor, and the council members as opposed to working with the governor. I believe that the governor has the authority to make an impact on my CP's operations, but because it is about the city of San Jose's officer I doubt that the governor would go and make an impact. However, the IPA-TLC was invited last summer to the capitol and received an award for being the first in the nation to create a group like this  and for all the outstanding work we are doing in San Jose. Not only do we have the support from the residents in San Jose, but we also have the support from the workers in the capitol. 

Blog #12

My CP, the Independent Police Auditor- Teen Leadership council is not constitutionally mandated. It also does not seek any kind of protection to its existence or scope. It also does not under state constitution. However, they do report to local officials instead of state ones. The Office of the Independent Police Auditor (IPA) was established by the San José City Council in 1993 with the enactment of a City ordinance codified in the San José Municipal Code. Thereafter, on November 6, 1996 the voters of San José amended the City Charter to establish the Office of the Independent Police Auditor as a permanent arm of city government. In addition to the functions, powers and duties set forth elsewhere in this code, the Independent Police Auditor shall have the duties and responsibilities set forth in this section. The police auditor shall review police professional standards and conduct unit investigations of complaints against police officers to determine if the investigation was complete, thorough, objective and fair.The police auditor shall participate in the police department's review of officer involved shootings.The police auditor shall file annual public reports with the city clerk for transmittal to the city council. The police auditor shall comply with all state laws requiring the confidentiality of police department records and information as well as the privacy rights of all individuals involved in the process. No report to the city council shall contain the name of any individual police officer.

Blog 11

My CP the Independent Police Auditor Teen Leadership council does not have the authority to raise funds through taxations. However, we are funded and are apart of the city of San Jose. The city of San Jose receives part of their money through taxations so some of the money that is given to use is through taxations. Since we are apart of the City of San Jose we must have a budget submitted and approved by the city since we are funded by them. I believe that tax payers are putting their money to good use because the IPA-TLC is helping to create better streets for the youth in San Jose. They are opening up many opportunities not only for the people in the IPA-TLC but other people in the community. It is a great group and it blossomed into an amazing program over the last couple years. 

Blog #10

My CP, the Independent Police Auditor- Teen Leadership Council relies on money from public services to keep the program growing. We rely on the city to fund us. However, when we first started the IPA-TLC in 2011 there was very little funding for the IPA-TLC. The Castro family who won the lottery a couple years back agreed to donate five thousands dollars to the IPA-TLC if we could match them by fundraising the same amount. Judge Cordell the Independent Police Auditor had to go before the city council and the mayor and had to get this idea approved. Once it was approved Judge Cordell was able to meet the quota the Castro family provided. The IPA-TLC relies on a lot of funding to hold the month meetings, to go on retreats and to do the outreach. Each year Judge Cordell has to submit a proposal of the budget to the city and it has to be approved. Since the IPA-TLC has been created many people have been delighted to donate to this great organization that is making a difference in San Jose. With the help of city and private donations the IPA-TLC is now recruiting for their fourth year. 

Call of Action

For Call of Action the organization that I worked with was Collective Roots. Collective Roots is a nonprofit organization founded and based in East Palo Alto. They seek to educate and engage youth and communities in food system change through sustainable programs that impact health, education and the environment. Collective Roots achieves its mission through the innovative integration and implementation of two key programs areas: community based programs and school based programs.  When I signed up for collective roots I thought we were just going to be doing simple gardening. Boy, was I wrong. We spent the day picking out weeds, loosening the dirt in a blanket, covering it with new soil, and cutting trees. It was a lot harder than I expected. After a couple hours I was exhausted and so glad to be done. It made me think back to my grandparents and my uncles. My grandparents and uncles worked in the fields for long hours and little pay. It made me appreciate everything they sacrificed so we could have what we have today. Every time we pass by the fields my uncles always tell me that if I don’t get an education than I will end up in the fields. However, Collective Roots is a nonprofit organization that helps people with food situations. There are only four workers at the office and a lot of stuff that needs to be done. It makes participation from a community to keep collective roots running. Volunteering for Collective Roots was a great experience and I am glad that I participated in that event. 

Blog #9

My community partner,Indpendence Police Auditor- Teen Leadership council, does not have recourse to judicial processes as a way of resolving problems.  Also, my community partner does not involve the prison system in anyway. However, we do work with people who have been in the prison system. Many times people who have been in the prison system have had a been encounter with a police officer, because they were treated unfairly. Even though they have previously committed a crime it doesn’t mean it is okay to treat them unfairly. We also have had representatives from FLY come work with us. Fresh Lifelines for Youth (FLY) is an award winning non-profit dedicated to breaking the cycle of violence, crime and incarceration of teens. Through FLY’s unique and powerful combination of programs-legal education, leadership training, and one-on-one mentoring-youth get off probation, engaged in school, and back on track with their lives.Each year, FLY helps 2,000 youth who are either part of the Santa Clara and San Mateo juvenile justice system or are “at-risk” of entering the system, to develop important life skills like empathy, problem solving and anger management in order to gain an understanding and respect for a legal system that previously only seemed punitive. FLY youth are also connected with positive adult role models whose support and guidance help them realize their potential and set goals for their future.Improving the juvenile justice system requires trust and mutual respect. FLY programs are well-respected by juvenile justice system staff, including judges, district attorneys, probation officers and police.As a result, FLY and FLY youth are regularly invited to participate in conversations about how the system can become more effective and humane. One of our greatest accomplishments, in addition to helping youth transform their lives, is to have become an invited guest at the table to discuss issues of juvenile justice reform.

Blog #8

My CP is the Independent Police Auditor Teen Leadership Council which works with the Independent Police Auditor Judge Cordell. My CP interfaces with local governments units all the time, because they are a local government unit. Judge Cordell is a leader who has had a key impact on the success of their development. Judge Cordell has an incredible background. LaDoris Hazzard Cordell is a 1974 graduate of Stanford Law School.For five years, she practiced law in East Palo Alto, California, a predominately African American and Mexican American community, establishing herself as the first lawyer to open a private law practice there.In 1978, she was appointed Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at Stanford Law School, a job that she held in addition to her private law practice. Judge Cordell was the first African American Superior Court Judge in the county’s history, and the first African American woman to sit on the Superior Court in northern California. Judge Cordell has gone out of her way to make the Independent Police Auditor expand. She created the Independent Police Auditor Teen leadership Council.The IPA-TLC was the first in the nation to be created. It was created in order to make a better relationship between the SJPD and the teens in the city. Judge Cordell has done numerous things to help the teens in San Jose. She is an amazing leader and has inspired many. 

blog #7

My CP which is the Independent Police Auditor- Teen Leadership Council gets caught up in conflict relating to its various local and state relationships. The mostly get in conflicts with the Police of San Jose, because that is who they are directly targeting. The Independent Police Teen Leadership Council was created in order to make a better relationship with the Teens in San Jose and the Police of San Jose. The IPA was created in order to take complaints about the police in the city. Since many Teens do not know their rights the IPA-TLC was created. It was created in order for the teens in San Jose to have a voice. Many teens are treated unfairly by the cops, and most times they are to scared to say anything. Also most teenagers do not even know about the existence of the IPA. That is why the IPA-TLC goes out to the community and does outreach to let not only teens but adults know about the IPA and what they do. However, since we encourage people to come and take complaints about the Police it sometimes can come in conflict. Even though we work closely with the chief of police there is many conflicts that we still face with each other. For instance, one thing that we are trying to have changed is how when someone is pulled over an office will handcuff and make the person sit on the curb. However, the Police of San Jose believe that is something that should remain in tact. Even though we work closely with the Police of San Jose we still get caught up in many conflicts with them  over certain issues. 

Founders' Week

This week I participated in the Open Mic Night for students sponsored by the Bohemian club and the Center for Spirituality. At the Open Mic Night students presented whatever they wanted to share such as stories and poetry. They also posted a slideshow of pictures from the other events that occurred during Founders’s Week. It was nice to see all the activities that went on this week and how many people participated in these events.It was interesting to hear all the different variations of types of things that were being said. Someone people said their favorite poems, favorite passage from a book, and some people said an original piece. I was surprised by a couple people who presented an original piece of theirs, because I would have never expected them to write something so powerful. What I learned after attending this event during Founder’ Week was that Notre Dame promotes their students to be open with sharing their pieces. That we are comfortable enough to speak what we want to hear. Everyone that attended this event was very supportive of everyone who went up and presented something. This has influenced me to take on a career that will later help me voice my opinion. That I will be able to express whatever is my mind. To gain confidence when I want to present. This event inspired me to be able to create an event similar to this later in life. Where kids will be able to express what is on their mind without be judged. This is a good way for people to express themselves. It also builds a lot of courage to be able to go up and speak in front of people. 

A family of politicians

After hearing Debbie Bacigalupi speak friday, I started to think about my family and how many of them are engaged in politics. You could say that I am from a family of politicians. Two of my uncles have been elected school board members in the city of San Jose for over twenty years. My aunt Rose Herrera is currently running for Mayor of San Jose. She is also city council member for Evergreen district. Although, Debbie stated that we should be disappointed with democrats and republicans I find that statement to be false. Since my family is involved in local politics I believe they are doing the best job they can to make the City of San Jose a better place. As little grew I was exposed to many political events. Luckily, I have the chance to meet many important members of the community, including state of assembly Nora Campos. I have also included an add from my aunt's campaign. 

Rose Herrera for San Jose Mayor 2014 Dear Friends, After my re-election victory, I was looking forward to digging into issues like getting ballfields built for our kids and making it easier for businesses to create jobs in San Jose. The last thing on my mind was running another campaign. But people I met on the street and community leaders working in the trenches to solve real problems kept encouraging me to run for Mayor. As I watched candidates chase donors and play political games, I realized those encouraging me to run were right - San Jose needs is a Mayor focused on solving problems rather than playing politics. San Jose faces real challenges - making neighborhoods safer, attracting good paying jobs, improving schools, repairing roads, increasing city services like libraries and parks. These are real issues that can make people's lives better.  In Silicon Valley, challenges are opportunities to innovate, work hard and solve problems. We don't need political games or "made for TV" speeches. We don't need division or destructive rhetoric. We need a mayor who's focused on accomplishment, on working hard for real solutions. I'm committed to building on our strengths and bringing people together to make San Jose a better place to live, work and play. As Council Member, I stood up for fiscal reforms even before it was popular, worked hard to make our community safer, worked to bring new businesses and jobs to Evergreen and fought to save Lake Cunningham Skate Park. We have gotten things done by listening to and working with community members. I understand the challenges of this campaign. I'm not an insider who plays the political game. I don't have a posse of big donors or the backing of powerful special interests. But I do know how to get things done. I know I will need to listen even more and reach out to more people- because no one has all the answers and no one can do this alone. That's why I'm asking you to join me. I want your ideas, your advice and your support. I'm building a different kind of campaign because we are facing a new era and will need a new kind of Mayor. I was born and raised in San Jose, after college and serving my country in the Air Force, I returned here to raise my family. I'm committed to San Jose - and I am committed to this campaign. I'll be calling you in the coming days, but please don't wait - call me at (408) 274-6389 to share your ideas and concerns, or to join us in building a better future for San Jose. We're just setting up our website - but you can go to www.RoseHerrera.com now to make a contribution (or you can do an old-fashioned check). And visit often - we're building a campaign portal that will keep you informed and give you new ways to join our campaign! Warm regards,  Rose Herrera for Mayor 2014 -- ID #1362068 -- www.RoseHerrera.com Join Our Mailing List!

State Legislatures

The office of the Independent Police Auditor has not sought or encouraged any legislative changes. The IPA strives to ensure that all concerns reported by members of the public are classified and investigated at the appropriate level based upon the premise that any case brought forward containing misconduct issues will be classified as a complaint with associated allegations, findings, and officer names tracked.The IPA carefully considers aggregate data from complaints, community concerns, and public policy in crafting recommendations aimed toward improving the quality services of the San José Police Department. The IPA reaches out to inform the community about the complaint process and to listen and respond to broader community concerns.

Campaigns

My new CP is working with the Independent Police Auditor Teen Leadership Council also known as IPA-TLC. The IPA-TLC works closely with the Independent Police Auditor Judge Cordell and her staff.  The Independent Police Auditor (IPA) is to provide independent oversight of and instill confidence in the complaint process through objective review of police misconduct investigations. By providing outreach to the San José community and making thoughtful policy recommendations to the City Council, the IPA works to promote accountability and to strengthen the relationship between the San José Police Department and the community it serves. The IPA-TLC does work very similar to what the IPA does, but instead they focus on doing outreach to the youth to have them come and file complaints. The IPA-TLC was created to help create a better relationship with the police and teens in San Jose. The IPA-TLC in San Jose was the first in the nation to be created. Both the IPA and IPA-TLC work very closely with the mayor of San Jose, city council members, and chief of police. Since all of those candidates are elected they take elections very seriously. Even though they do not directly participate in political campaigns they encourage many people to go out and vote. They talk with people about who we should consider to be in office and they also inform people about what exactly they position they are running for does. As a group they do not back up any candidate, but individually they support a campaign and candidate based on their views. 

Citizen participation

Citizen participation is a necessary component for someone to be apart of community. As Spiegel notes, "Citizen participation is the process that can meaningfully tie programs to people" (1968). Citizen participation can be looked at as a volunteer community development groups, organized to provide the structure for citizens to become involved in community betterment activities.Volunteer citizen participation continues to be one of the key concepts in American society. My CP is the alternative spring break trip in Mulukuku, Nicaragua. The relationship between my CP and citizenship is that in order for the Sisters of Notre Dame to do their work they need help from the citizens in the community. The Sisters of Notre Dame help run programs with the communities help. The Sisters of Notre Dame could not run the programs with out the citizens help, because that is how it succeeds. They have programs that help disabled kids. In order for this program to keep running they need volunteers from the community to help. However, citizen participation does not mean that you need to help directly. Even donating money to community programs is considered citizen participation. The Sisters of Notre Dame work very closely with the community. If citizens were not willing to participate in these programs than they would not be able to run and the people who really need them would be at a disadvantage. This is why the Sisters of Notre Dame work very closely with the people living in the community. The people in the community help build better programs by supporting and participating in what they do. 

Martin Luther King Jr

Martin Luther King was an activist who fought for the rights of African Americans. He was the leader for the African American Civil Right Movement where he seek justice using nonviolent methods. Martin Luther King Junior believed in equality among all races. Martin Luther King Jr. stood for racial equality, which is the idea that any individual deserves to be judged on his or her own merits rather than being judged by his or her race.He believed that someday, the world would be different and everyone would love one another in our country. One thing that was accomplished during MLK time is the Voting Right Act. On August 6, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act  which stopped the prevention of African Americans from exercising their right to vote under the 15th Amendment. The act is considered among the most far-reaching pieces of civil rights legislation in U.S. history.

When I was doing some research on whether or not African Americans rights are still in danger I came across an article that talked about how African Americans feel as if their rights are still in danger. It was interesting to see the different responses between white and African American people. “If the civil rights movement has achieved its goals, why do so few African-Americans feel they do not have the same opportunities as Whites? An Associated Press poll conducted in 1998 showed that six out of ten White persons believed African-Americans have an equal opportunity. Seven of ten African-Americans polled did not agree. In the same poll, one of every three people thought the United States has not done enough since the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s.”

Community Partner

The community partner group that I hope to work with is the alternative spring break in Matagalpa and Mulukuku, Nicaragua. The Sisters of Notre Dame have been working to improve the lack of education for children in Nicaragua. Students will be visiting and staying with the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur who live and work there, volunteering at their ministry and service sites and also engaging education and reflection with local leaders and people in the Matagalpa community.Founded on St. Julie Billiart’s belief in the goodness of God, Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur bring to their lives and work a respect for the goodness and dignity of each person and a care for justice for all. The sisters of Notre Dame teach in schools and community education centers, and support and counsel people of all ages in pastoral ministries and social services. The focus of the Notre Dame mission has always been education. In fidelity to St. Julie Billiart’s vision, Sisters give particular attention to the needs of the poor throughout the world, serving and educating on their behalf. The sisters of Notre Dame are not only doing the work of God but they are fighting for those who do not have a voice. They are working hard to open up new opportunities for the poor such as being able to educate them. They are working to provide a better and brighter future for the kids. I want to go on the alternative spring break trip to Nicaragua not only because it will be a great experience, but because it will also teach me new insights on how to help people who are voiceless.