Phoenix Human Relations Commission

What a surprise to discover that at least two members of the Phoenix Human Relations Commission are directly involved with Randy Parraz.

Well, not really.

They have recently called to have the 17 member commission force Joe Arpaio to step down.  Thirteen voted for the measure.  What happened to the other 4?

This is probably what Carlos Galindo meant when he said, "working their way AROUND the electoral process" .

Gilbert Watch has exposed who some of these Commissioners really are.  Of course, knowing that they are appointed by the Phoenix Mayor and City Council will give you an idea about how far left they might lean.


The Co-chair of the PHRC is Dan Martinez.  We remember Dan from his visit to the Mesa City Council meeting when he tried to push for the Mesa Compact.  Dan Martinez started the East Valley Patriots for American Values along with Randy Parraz in the fall 2010.

                                              (Saul Solis -L, Dan Martinez - C, Brian Barabe - R)

Lilia Alvarez is Parraz's "left" hand gal and apparently, the two are married to each other.  She also graduated in 2010 from the Emerge Arizona Leadership training program designed to create "women leaders for a democratic future."  In 2011, she attended the Center for Progressive Leadership Fellowship program.

Also in her 2010 Emerge Arizona class was a Janice Blackmon who, coincidentally, is ALSO a member of the PHRC.  She is currently serving as the LD13 Democrat District Chairman.  Blackmon also "recently completed the Planned Parenthood's Local Progressive Candidate Leadership Program" which is another course organized by the Center for Progressive Leadership. 

This will need to be addressed in a blog entry all its own. 

Yet another graduate from the same Emerge Arizona class was Wenona Benally.  She is married to Sal Baldenegro who is running for the State House in LD2.  Wenona, on the other hand, has her sites on DC and is currently running for US Congress in CD1.  She is endorsed by the Progressive Democrats of America. 

(Carolyn Cooper - L, Virginia Haufflaire- AZ PDA leader-R)

Other members of the

Phoenix Human Relations Commission include:

Diane D'Angelo, Chair   political writer,  helps the commission get the word out to the leftist organizations of Commission meetings like the most recent regarding Arpaio.

Terry Gunnell  Arizona State leader for AmeriCorp

Mel Hannah   Director of Community Outreach for the Urban League, Co-chair of Protect Arizona's Freedom  (other members include: Former U.S. Senator Dennis DeConcini, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon, Daniel R. Ortega, Jr., Kyrsten Sinema, Alessandra Soler Meetze- ACLU, Bill Straus, Anti-Defamation League and fellow PHRC member, Lindsey Walker- SEIU)

Isaac Hernandez   One of the lawyers in a lawsuit in 2008 against Joe Arpaio whose plaintiffs included Somos America, ACLU, Arizona ACLU,  MALDEF, Steptoe and Johnson.  The lawsuit was over alleged "racial profiling".  Co-chair Hispanic Law Students assoc/La Raza, expertise in counseling employers regarding discrimination, harassment, retaliation, medical leave, disability, wage and hour, wrongful termination, and non-compete issues and representing employers in state and federal court and before the National Labor Relations Board.

Nikki Hicks   community volunteer coordinator for the Cesar Chavez Foundation, Save the Family Foundation

LaShawn Jenkins   lawyer, Phoenix Urban League

Laurie Provost  Facilitator for the Anti-defamation League, GLBT educator

Bill Straus   Arizona regional director of the Anti-defamation League, called on an investigation of Arpaio back in 2008, see Mel Hannah above.


Suppose with all of these "coincidences" that there MIGHT be a conflict of interest on the Commission's part?

The Parraz Parade

See Mr. Parraz and his ilk at the Mesa City Council Meeting held on December 5, 2011.
The exchange can be seen around 19 minutes in...


A few observations:

1.  Why was Mr. Parraz, who admittingly lives in Scottsdale, allowed to take up time from those who actually LIVE in Mesa?

2.  Notice how "civil" and calm Mr. Parraz acted throughout his speech in order to give credibility to his cause.  It was as though he was on some anxiety medication because he wasn't NEARLY as fired up as we've seen in the past.  His attempt at comedy regarding his previous time spent in Mesa during the recall and the "signs" that have finally been taken down, obviously fell flat.  His performance continued with statements regarding the Mesa Compact,

Again, it's just an idea.  It's not a legal binding contract.  It doesn't tie your hands.  It's really just a statement of values....So tonight, I don't think it's whether you support or do not support the Mesa Compact, it's whether you do support the right for this issue to come from the bottom up from actual citizens who would like you to consider it.  And if you all on an up or down vote don't believe the values that are laid out very simply do not resonate with your values or your constituents that you represent, I think these adults could accept a "no" vote on it.

How very PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE.


3.  East Valley Patriots for American Values is a "faith-based" organization?  I wonder why most of the articles written about this organization don't mention they are "faith-based".

Except for an article on AZ Central back in January. Of course, it mentions a few other interesting facts and insights into their group as well.

 
Ready for some more BUZZWORD BINGO?

In a quest to soften the tone of Arizona's immigration debate,

an East Valley group is targeting the home turf of Arizona's fiercest immigration hawk.

"Mesa is a test case because that's where Russell Pearce is from," said
  Daniel Martinez, a retired educator who has asked the Mesa City Council to endorse an immigration-policy statement adopted
by political, business and religious leaders in Utah.

The faith-based group recently changed its name from the

Coalition for Immigration Reform-East Valley. Martinez said

 the name change was a deliberate reaction to "tea party" groups that use "patriots" in their names.

"They have no monopoly on those terms," Martinez said.

"We feel we are just as entitled to espouse those kinds of values in our own way."

The group has changed its tack from last summer,

 when it asked the Chandler City Council to directly oppose SB 1070.

That request went nowhere. But Martinez said he thinks that asking

Mesa to endorse the so-called Utah Compact may get a little more traction.

Martinez said that some phrasing needs to be tweaked to make it applicable

 to Arizona but that he wants its five main points to remain intact.

Mesa Mayor Scott Smith said he will meet with Martinez this month.

An AZ Central article written back in June 2010 discusses how the Coalition for Immigration Reform - East Valley approached the Chandler City Council in an attempt to get the council to pass a resolution opposing Senate Bill SB1070 and vowed to take the campaign to Mesa, Tempe and Gilbert. Remember, these groups like to change their names either to confuse or reinvent themselves.  No where in the article does it state they were a "faith-based" group.  In fact, it says,

Barabe said his organization is an informal group of about

30 longtime friends and many are supporters of local Latino arts and culture.

Apparently, they weren't very well received. 

Keep in mind, the Utah Compact made headlines in November, 2010.

This group reorganized and reinvented themselves around the same time only this time, they learned from their past mistakes.  They needed to take a softer tone and approach and cloak themselves as "faith-based" in order to shame others into accepting their cause.  By early December 2010, they had the Mesa Compact prepared, modeled after the recently signed Utah Compact, and paraded it in front of the Mesa City Council.

Clever.

4.  Dr. Carolyn O'Connor from the EVPAV claims "severe immigration laws have tarnished the image of Mesa and also the state of Arizona" yet these same members acknowledged in the article above that "they'll face a tough battle on some issues, especially since polls show Arizonans broadly support SB 1070".  I would love to know what circles she is hanging out with seeing that the reality is quite the opposite.

Poll: Support for Arizona Immigration Law Hits 57 Percent (another 17% think itdoesn’t go far enough)

Legal Immigrants Take a Stand on SB 1070

81% of Arizona voters support SB1070-New Poll reveals over 50%of SB1070 supporters are Democrats.

We know that Dennis Kavanaugh was not in attendance at the Council meeting.  We're curious to know how Kavanaugh feels about the Compact coming to his town.

Oh wait.  I think we already know.

..."if groups around Arizona supported something like the Utah Compact,

lawmakers would likely reconsider how they speak about immigration

and even which laws they would try to pass,"

 Mesa Councilman Dennis Kavanaugh said.

"Quite honestly, if local communities step up to the plate

and endorse the compact, that's an important statement for

policymakers to consider," Kavanaugh said.

 "I understand that often municipal governments don't

 find a lot of friends in the Legislature,

but when it's your

businesses groups, your faith communities, your neighborhood groups, your educational groups -

that's an important coalition that's difficult to ignore."

So, it's true that getting other policymakers to change their tone and laws in favor of illegals using the Compact as a stepping stone is really the end-game, isn't it?