Linea Abierta Programming: WEEK OF APRIL 22, 2024

MONDAY, APRIL 22
PROGRAM #10350 12:00 PM PT

Targeting Funders of Fossil Fuel. On Earth Day, environmental leaders from the Amazon, the Gulf South, and other communities come together in New York City, holding Citigroup, the world’s second-largest funder of coal, oil and gas, responsible for environmental racism. The female president of the indigenous Chapra Nation talks about the death threats she is facing for opposing oil extraction in Peru.

Guest: Olivia Bisa, President, Autonomous Territorial Government, Chapra Nation, Peru.

The PFAS Pollution Crisis. The chemical substances known as PFAS or “forever chemicals” because they never fully degrade, can be found in the blood of almost every person in the United States. Since these substances are linked to cancer, the United Nations called PFAS water pollution in some communities a human rights violation. Environmental advocates talk about the communities heavily hit by this contamination, the extent of the crisis and the meaning of the new federal requirement to reduce and get rid of “forever chemicals.”

Guest: Erick Orellana, Senior Policy Advocate, Community Water Center, Visalia, CA; Others TBA.

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TUESDAY, APRIL 23
PROGRAM #10351 11:00 AM PT

Extra Edition: Alcohol Awareness Month. Latinos are more likely to engage in heavy drinking and suffer alcohol-related problems, but less likely to seek treatment. On Alcohol Awareness Month, substance use counselors join this program to talk about the risks of excessive alcohol drinking, and discuss the causes, symptoms, and treatment for alcohol addiction.

Guests: Dr. Nancy Diazgranados, Deputy Clinical Director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD; Luis Moncada, Program Director, Outpatient and Residential Step-Down Services, The Latino Commission, San Bruno, CA.

PROGRAM #10352 12:00 PM PT

Immigration Edition. Are noncitizens voting in federal or state elections? A recent report shows that every legitimate study conducted on this topic demonstrates that non-citizen voting in federal and state elections is imperceptibly rare. An expert dispels rumors and disinformation on the elections process. Also, an immigration law expert comments about the prospects for the new initiative for expanded work permits for long-term undocumented residents and gives advice to immigrants who are interested in becoming US citizens.

Guests: Ricardo Ramírez, Advisor, Brennan Center for Justice, NYU School of Law, Orange County, CA; Rosalba Piña, Immigration Attorney, Chicago, IL.

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24
PROGRAM #10353 12:00 PM PT

Colorado: Fighting Climate Change. On the heels of Earth Day, community activists in Colorado meet to explore the role Latinos can play in the fight against climate change. They discuss the disproportionate impact the pandemic had on Latino frontline, essential workers and what health care professionals can do to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis in the most vulnerable communities.

Guest: Juan Roberto Madrid, Colorado Clean Transportation and Energy Policy Advocate, GreenLatinos, Gunnison, CO.

25 Years After Columbine. Twenty-five years after the first mass shooting at a school in the US, the community of Columbine (Colorado) and the entire country remember its victims at the same time that a law against semi-automatic weapons is advancing in this state Legislature. The law seeks to prohibit the production, sale or transfer of semi-automatic weapons. A journalist/analyst explains the details of this law.

Guest: Jesús Sánchez Melean, Executive Director, El Comercio de Colorado Newspaper, Denver, CO.

Latino-Serving Educational Institutions On the Rise. The recently reported 5% increase in the number of colleges and institutions approaching the 25% threshold of Latino student enrollment emphasizes the importance of these schools to the communities they serve as engines of upward mobility and a backbone of educational opportunity for millions of students across the nation. What factors are driving this increase? What impact do these institutions have in the local communities by dedicating part of their recruitment and support efforts to serving Latinos?

Guest: Dr. Abel Chávez, President, Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio, TX.

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THURSDAY, APRIL 25
PROGRAM #10354 11:00 AM PT

Extra Edition: Anti-Union Ads in the Farmlands. Powerful ag groups are spending millions on Spanish-language radio ads criticizing California’s card check law, in an effort to discourage farm workers from voting in union elections. How accurate is the content of those messages? Who is behind this campaign? What’s its impact in the fields? A reporter who investigated the story shares her findings.

Guest: Melissa Montalvo, Reporter, Fresno Bee, Fresno, CA.

Planada Flood Recovery Aid. The deadline for Planada flood victims to apply for recovery relief has expired. And even though 80 percent of the community property was damaged, only half of the residents submitted applications. More than a year after the floods, how is the community struggling to get back on their feet?

Guest: Christian De Jesús Betancourt, Reporter, The Merced Focus/El Enfoque de Merced, Merced, CA.

Crime Suppression Effort in Bakersfield. With growing concern in several California localities about the increase in assaults, auto thefts, vandalism, and small business and retail burglaries, California Gov. Newsom launched a coordinated effort to crack down on crime in the Central Valley, and specifically, in Kern County, which has high rates of property crime, violent crime, and arrests compared to the statewide average. What are the details of this joint effort? What concrete measures and actions are on the horizon? And who will be in charge of implementing them?

Guests: Gerardo Guzmán, Journalist and Radio Producer, Atlanta, GA; Diana Crofts-Pelayo, Deputy Director of Communications, Office of California Governor Gavin Newsom, Sacramento, CA; Eulogio Ceja, California Highway Patrol Officer, Central Division, El Protector Program, Bakersfield, CA.

PROGRAM #10355 12:00 PM PT

Plastics in the Oceans. On the heels of Earth Day, ocean conservation activists are participating this week in negotiations convened by the United Nations in Ottawa, Canada, to agree on measures to curb plastic pollution, including in the oceans. Representatives of civil society organizations from the US, Chile and Mexico join this program to discuss plastic pollution in the oceans: how massive is the problem? How is this contamination impacting vulnerable populations? How is it hitting the fishing industry? What are the consequences on public health? How abundant are microplastics in the food chain?

Guests: Marce Gutiérrez-Graudiņš, Founder and Executive Director, Azul, San Francisco, CA; Alberto Quesada, Regional Coordinator, Marine Pollution, MarViva Foundation, San Jose, Costa Rica; Alejandra Parra Muñoz, Co-founder, Environmental Rights Action Network-RADA, Chile.

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FRIDAY, APRIL 26
PROGRAM #10356 12:00 PM PT

Mexico Edition. The three candidates in Mexico’s presidential race will face off this weekend to debate “the route to Mexico’s development.” Issues in this second debate include economic growth, employment, infrastructure, inequality and climate change. Questions from rural and indigenous communities and Mexicans living abroad will be part of the program. Political analysts examine the road to Palacio Nacional.

Guests: Gerardo Guzmán, Journalist and Radio Producer, Atlanta, GA; Alicia Bárcena, Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Mexico City, MX; Victor Bárcenas, News Reporter, Radio Educacion, Mexico City, MX;  this includes excerpts from recent statements by the three presidential candidates: Claudia Sheinbaum, Xóchitl Gálvez and Jorge Alvarez Máynez.