NOMINATIONS DEADLINE: JANUARY 25, 2012

California State Assemblymember Henry T. Perea invites you to submit a nomination to honor a distinguished African-American leader in your community for the 31st Assembly District’s 2011 African-American Heritage Awards.

Each nominee should be a person who has, over the past year, made a significant contribution to his/her community with notable accomplishment and has not previously been recognized for their contribution. Nominees will be honored at a ceremony in February and one will be named African-American Leader of the Year.

Please feel free include letters of recommendation and/or newspaper articles that support your nominee.

We are seeking nominees from the following categories:

Medical Field
Legal/Law Enforcement
Education
Youth
Volunteer

The criteria for the nominees is as follows:

• Must live in the 31st district communities of Cutler-Orosi, Dinuba, Firebaugh, Fowler, Kerman, Mendota, Parlier, Reedley, Sanger, San Joaquin, Selma and the city of Fresno
• Not previously honored for their contribution to the community
• Shown a strong track record of volunteerism or, if a paid employee, gone above and beyond their regular duties

Completed nomination forms and attachments can be mailed to:

Assemblymember Henry T. Perea
African-American Heritage Awards
2550 Mariposa Mall, Suite 5031
Fresno, CA 93721

Or emailed to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Questions about the award may be directed to Nia Sibley at the email above or 559-445-5532.

» Nomination Form

Recently, I joined Assembly Member Henry T. Perea and local leaders on a visit to the Tulare County communities of Cutler, Orosi and East Orosi - communities that are struggling to provide safe, clean drinking water to the region.

As the newly appointed state public health officer, I wanted to hear first-hand from the individuals and families who have deep concerns about the availability of clean drinking water and the impact on their health.

Read more...

Unemployment isn't just a buzz word for people in the Central Valley. It is the reality for too many of our neighbors, friends and loved ones who are out of work and searching for hope.

It's time for the state legislature to ignore partisan bickering and make job creation its primary focus. Governor Brow wants to get America to think big again, and I know many of my fellow legislators agree. In order to foster job creation, we must provide an environment that encourages business growth.

Green jobs like those within the solar industry represent one sector with huge potential for job growth. Technical advances in the solar energy industry mean companies are looking to expand but we must make the changes they are crying out for. A study by a Bay Area solar provider shows 4,000 new green jobs could be created statewide over the next ten years in the solar energy industry, but only if outdated regulations are changed.

An alternative conveyance system to deliver water across our state would not only provide much needed water infrastructure, but would provide nearly 130,000 full-time jobs over the years.

As a member of the Select Committee on Job Creation for the New Economy, I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure our legislature does everything in its power to encourage companies to put Californians back to work.

JOB RESOURCES

• Green Jobs Resources
• Career Exploration Tools
• Employment Development Department: Labor Market Info

UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

• State Unemployment Benefits/Claims
• One-Stop Career Centers, locations/hours

JOB-HUNTING ADVICE

• About.com: Job searching
• Resume-Help.org

JOB SITES

• Cal Jobs
• CalOpps.org
• USA Jobs

Because of state law, for-profit job websites cannot be listed.

FINANCIAL

• Loan Modification / Foreclosure Counseling
• Bankruptcy Basics

OTHER RESOURCES

• How to file a complaint with the Dept of Financial Institutions
• Workers Compensation
• State Disability Insurance
• Paid Family Leave

The results of a state audit I requested of child protective services departments in Fresno, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Alameda counties in 2011 turned up unsettling results in need of immediate attention and legislative changes.

California child welfare agencies must use all the tools available to them to keep children safe. Read this brochure to find out what needs to change and how you can help.

State Licensed Child Care Facilities Not Checked Against Sex Offender Registry

Even after a serious advisement by the state auditor in 2008, The Department of Social Services still does not use the Department of Justice's sex offender registry to identify sex offenders living or working in licensed state facilities or in the homes of foster children. The audit found one thousand address matches of sex offenders living or working at licensed facilities or foster homes across the state. While many of these addresses were outdated, further investigation led to the closure of eight facilities where sex offenders were living and nearly 40 exclusion orders were issued banning sex offenders from the location.

While current state law prohibits registered sex offenders from receiving foster child placements and running a foster or group home, they are not "expressly prohibited" from living in those same facilities. A sex offender can visit a friend or family member who operates a foster home and stay there for up to a month without legally having to submit a criminal record review.

We need to take a long hard look at tightening the law so our children are safe from child molesters!

Formal Child Death Reviews Not Done Consistently

Current state law does not require counties to review the deaths of all children they monitor who are killed as a result of abuse or neglect that have been in the foster care system. The audit showed counties are missing opportunities to learn from mistakes made prior to a child's death from abuse or neglect by not completing a child death review for every child that dies that has been in the county's custody. The audit also shows some counties have improved systems thanks to past child death reviews and recommendations, but many of the recommendations are not put into action.

If a child involved in the welfare system dies as a result of abuse or neglect a death review must be done. The number one goal of our child welfare agencies is to protect our children. If a child dies as the result of abuse or neglect we must do everything in our power to discover how it happened and find a way to fix the problem.

CPS Audit in the News

• CPS is being put under the microscope
• Bill seeks review in foster-child deaths
• Child Safety Bill Proposed
• Fresno Bee: Editorial: Deaths of foster children need to be reviewed
• 2 Valley foster homes, day-care home shut down - Fresno Bee
• California auditor criticizes agencies for failing to check sex offender registry - LA Times
• CPS Audit Finds Cracks in the System – CBS 47

Get Involved

Use the information below to report suspected abuse or concerns:

Child Abuse (559) 255-8320

24 Hour Domestic Violence Help (559) 233-HELP (4357)

Report concerns about possible inappropriate actions of county employees and requests to change assigned social workers.

Report concerns about the care, services or placement of children or youth in foster care, by calling 1-877-846-1602. You can also file a written complaint using the Complaint Form.