Raúl Grijalva

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Raul M.Grijalva is a Communist Party USA affiliated Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the 7th district of Arizona.

Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva has been a stalwart advocate for economic justice the environment, civil liberties and universal health care. He serves a district in Arizona that is the only one in Congress representing seven separate Native American Tribes; he is a strong advocate of Native American sovereignty. He also supports humane, comprehensive immigration reform; his father was a migrant worker from Mexico who entered the U.S. through the Bracero Program. Before coming to Congress in 2003, he’d held public office for decades -- on the Tucson school board and as a member and chairman of the Pima County Board of Supervisors.

He is a co-chair on the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Background

Raúl Grijalva's father was a migrant worker from Mexico who entered the United States in 1945 through the Bracero Program and labored on southern Arizona ranches. Grijalva was born in Tucson, Arizona, in 1948 and graduated from Sunnyside Magnet High School in 1967. He attended the University of Arizona and earned a bachelor's degree in Sociology.

"Community organizer"

Writing in the Huffington Post of September 8, 2008, in an article entitled "From Organizer To Elected Official" Democratic Socialists of America member Peter Dreier listed several serving US politicians who had begun their careers as "community organizers". They were US Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, Representatives John Lewis of Georgia, Jan Schakowsky and Danny Davis of Illinois, Raul Grijalva of Arizona, Linda Sanchez of California, and Donna Edwards of Maryland, Washington House of Representatives Speaker Frank Chopp, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, state legislators Beth Low of Missouri, Michael Foley of Ohio, Gilbert Cedillo of California, Tom Hucker of Maryland, Tony Hill of Florida, and Crystal Peoples of New York, Alameda County (California) Supervisor Nate Miley, City Council members Jay Westbrook of Cleveland, Chuck Turner and Sam Yoon of Boston, and Melvin Carter of St. Paul, and San Francisco School Board member Jane Kim. ^[1]

Career/political beginnings

In 1974, Grijalva was elected to the Tucson Unified School District board and served as a school board member until 1986. Grijalva Elementary School in Tucson was named for him in 1987. From 1975 to 1986, Grijalva was the director of the El Pueblo Neighborhood Center, and in 1987 he was Assistant Dean for Hispanic Student Affairs at the University of Arizona. Grijalva was a member of the Pima County Board of Supervisors from 1989 to 2002, and served as chairman from 2000 to 2002.^[2]

While on the Board of Supervisors, Grijalva managed a $1 billion budget and "ensured that the county was at the forefront of issues such as domestic partner benefits, labor rights, and transparent government. Additionally, he was a staunch advocate for balanced planning and fairness in land-use decisions". His leadership led to the creation of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, an "innovative approach to species and habitat protection in concert with land-use planning in the community". As a Supervisor, Raúl also "continued his advocacy for working families through passage of a bond package that contained a $10 million commitment to reinvest in older, poorer neighborhoods and to fund a county housing trust".^[3]

MEChA

The Arizona Wildcat, the University of Arizona's daily newspaper, confirmed Grijalva's past membership of the radical separatist group MEChA in a story it ran Nov. 10, 1997, about a "MEChA reunion."

They had long hair, wore military fatigues and brown berets and were angry and confrontational," the paper said. "Fists in the air, Chicano student activists in the late 1960s marched on high-school and college campuses throughout the American Southwest with voices so loud it was impossible for history to forget them. This is what alumni of Movimiento Estudiantil de Chicanos de Atzl?n told their younger brethren at MEChA's 30th anniversary celebration. …

Anti NAFTA article in Communist paper

In 1993 Raul Grijalva, identified as a member of the County Board of Supervisors for Pima County Arizona, wrote an anti NAFTA article "North America needs 'fair' trade" for the November 13 edition of the Communist Party USA's People's Weekly World.^[4]

Communists paved the way

Arizona Communist Party USA chair Lorenzo Torrez was a pioneer in the struggle for Mexican American political representation. According to fellow party member Steve Valencia. "I always say: Before Ed Pastor and Raul Grijalva, there was Lorenzo Torrez."

Pastor and Grijalva are Arizona's first two Mexican Americans members of the U.S. Congress. But Torrez ran for Congress before they ran, and also boldly ran against Republican Senator Barry Goldwater.

"Lorenzo told us it is time for these majority Latino districts to be represented by a Mexican American," said Valencia. "He wanted voters to see a Latino name on the ballot."

When Pastor declared his candidacy, Torrez rallied the Tucson CP club to join in the effort. Pastor's victory in 1991 set the stage for Grijalva's election in 2002. Ed Pastor and Raul Grijalva both became members of the far left Congressional Progressive Caucus.^[5]

"People gain in Arizona primaries"

The Communist Party USA paper Peoples World, September 21, 2002 issue carried an article on page 8 "People gain in Arizona primaries." The article by local Party leader Joe Bernick dealt mainly with Raul Grijalva's victory in the recent Democratic Party primary.

The tireless efforts of hundreds of grassroots volunteers dealt a blow to the corporate establishment here and their attempt to dominate Southern Arizona politics in the Sept. 10 primary election.

Long-time progressive Raul Grijalva routed seven other candidates to win the Democratic nomination for CD-7, one of Arizona’s two new Congressional seats.

Facing weak opposition, in a district where Democrats outnumber Republicans by almost three to one, Grijalva expects to become only the second Mexican American ever elected to Congress from Arizona, and the first from Southern Arizona. As a Pima County Supervisor and Tucson School Board member Grijalva consistently fought for working peoples’ interests.

The Grijalva campaign was a textbook example of how to conduct a peoples’ campaign, beginning with its name: “A whole lot of people for Grijalva.” Hundreds of people came out seven days a week, sometimes twice on Saturday, to wear out tons of shoe leather.

Starting in early summer, when temperatures routinely exceed 100 degrees, volunteers knocked on every door, conducted voter registration, signed people up to vote by mail and most importantly, they talked to people about the issues and Grijalva’s track record. Campaigners canvassed voters, often two or three times, at their homes.

Carloads of volunteers visited rural communities. Many more volunteered thousands of hours doing office time, phone work and preparing bulk mailings.

Campaigners reflected the racial and national diversity of the district, which is more than half Mexican American, includes three Native American nations and most of Tucson’s African-American voters. The labor movement and environmental activists played an important and visible role.

The big business establishment tried to derail Grijalva by bankrolling the campaign of State Sen. Elaine Richardson, and encouraging several popular Latino candidates, so as to split the Chicano vote. Richardson was widely seen as pro-developer.

Grijalva thanked labor for its key support and for “putting the union label on me.” He promised the Southern Arizona Central Labor Council, at its Sept. 12 meeting, to become “an extension of the voice of labor in the U.S. Congress.”

Sharing a victory and campaign headquarters with Grijalva was Pima County Supervisor Richard Elias. Elias ran to complete the office vacated by Grijalva. The developers and other corporate interests wanted to gain complete control of the five-member County Board, which has two Republican members, by supporting Elias’ opponent in the Democratic primary. Elias won decisively.

Bernick wrote a follow up article "Peoples campaign is a winning strategy" for the November 16, 2002 edition of People's World

A model peoples’ campaign in Southern Arizona swept Raul Grijalva into Congress and helped elect Democrats Janet Napolitano as governor and Terry Goddard as attorney general.

Beginning in early summer, volunteers spread out through the neighborhoods, knocking on doors, registering new voters and talking about the importance of electing candidates who will represent the interests of working people.

The campaign for one of Arizona’s two new congressional seats concentrated on the section of the district inside metropolitan Tucson consisting of the city’s predominantly Chicano South and West sides and the predominantly white neighborhoods surrounding the University of Arizona.

Grijalva had represented much of this area for 10 years as County Supervisor, and for 12 years as member of the School Board. This area is home to a majority of the voters in the new district.

The local business establishment knew they couldn’t defeat Grijalva in the general elections, so they encouraged a whole slew of candidates in the September primary. His main opposition was State Sen. Elaine Richardson.

Richardson, amply financed by business interests, raised three times as much money, and had the support of the local daily papers and Emily’s List. Emily’s List is an organization committed to funding women candidates who support women’s issues and have a good chance of winning. In response to the group’s support of Richardson, 200 women attended a press conference to announce the formation of 'Adelita’s List,' committed to electing Raul Grijalva and pointing to his 30 years of commitment to the fight for equality.

As soon as Grijalva’s campaigners began knocking on doors, they found that Grijalva’s uncompromising support for working people, for better schools, against racism and as a lifelong environmentalist were well known and respected. The AFL-CIO also played a major role in the campaign walking, staffing phone banks and helping with resources.

The Grijalva campaign energized volunteers and led to a much higher than usual voter turnout in minority neighborhoods. Arizona’s newly elected Governor, Janet Napolitano, squeaked through on the strength of these new voters. She is the first Democrat elected as Governor of Arizona since Bruce Babbitt won 20 years ago. The campaign helped many other progressive candidates get elected. Richard Elias, who ran a joint campaign with Grijalva, managed a good primary victory to succeed Grijalva as a progressive County Supervisor. Elias faced no opposition in the general election.

Adelita Grijalva, Raul’s daughter, was one of two new labor-endorsed candidates for School Board in the Tucson Unified School District. She and lawyer Bruce Burke ousted right winger Rosalie Lopez, who had been the Republican candidate against Raul Grijalva in the last County Supervisor race.

In the Sunnyside School District, another large south side district, Eva Carrillo Dong and Tony Silvain were swept into office with the support of labor and the Grijalva campaign.

Communist report on Grijalva victory

At a meeting of the National Board of the Communist Party USA in South Chicago, on the last weekend of January, 2003, an Arizona AFSCME activist stated "Using street heat tactics, all of labor worked to back one candidate Raul Grijalva in Tuscon...And we won!.^[6]

Thorpe on Grijalva campaign

Tuscon Communist Party USA supporter Susan Thorpe wrote an article covering the 2002 Grijalva campaign for the People's World, November 8, 2003, page 5 entitled "Arizona: Grassroots can beat big bucks"

Nevertheless, here in Tucson, we are gearing up for local elections in 2003 and the presidential election ahead in 2004 by using the same tactics we did in 2002 to get Raul Grijalva elected to Congress.

Pima County, which contains most of Grijalva’s district, had a 67 percent voter turnout for the November 2002 election – the second highest in the entire United States. This is mainly because for months on end, teams of volunteers, every Saturday and Sunday – and weekdays as well – walked all the precincts three to five times in the sweltering 105-plus degree heat all summer long, getting vote-by-mail requests signed, registering voters, and dropping information brochures behind screen doors and hanging on doorknobs. We tracked the reception from each household, refreshed information over and over again in computers to generate the next walking lists, had art sales and house parties to fundraise. We followed up on election day by walking all the precincts twice more that day, making phone calls to remind folks to vote, driving people to the polls, manning all the voting locations – whatever it took. Massive effort from many folks for maximum payoff: That is what it takes.

The election night party was incredible, with folks trailing back to Grijalva campaign headquarters wet and windblown after a raging storm in the late afternoon soaked the volunteers walking precincts and manning voting locations.

Like the media is doing to Dennis Kucinich right now, halfway through the campaign, local papers said that Raul Grijalva was not going to make it. He was not deemed to be even among the top five and had less than half the money of Elaine Richardson (who was heavily supported by Republican car dealers, developers, and Emily’s List). His rag-tag band of volunteers were just a pathetic joke to the pundits...

Congressman Raul Grijalva is proving to be a wonderful voice for the people of Arizona. And our movement and those important connections made during his campaign are still alive in Tucson.

Grijalva's daughter mixes with communists

On Wednesday, 15 September 2010, a reception in support of Eva Carrillo Dong was held Rigo's Mexican Restaurant 2527 South 4th Avenue Tucson, AZ.

Key attendess included Salvador Barajas, Sunnyside School Board Member Magdalena Barajas, Rolande Baker, Joe Bernick, Mary Carmen Donaldson, Hon. Dan Eckstrom, County Supervisor Richard Elias, Tucson City Council Member Richard Fimbres, TUSD Board Member, and daughter of Raul Grijalva, Adelita Grijalva, James Hannley, Rigoberto Lopez, Raul Nido, Laura Portillo, Manuel E. Portillo, Tucson City Council Member Regina Romero, Albert Siqueiros, Janet L. Valencia and Steve Valencia. Baker, Bernick, Hannley and both Valencias were all affiliated with the Arizona District Communist Party USA.^[7]

Cesar Chavez Day Marches and Rallies

Over 200 people turned out on Sept. 27 2001 for an interfaith service here honoring Cesar Chavez. Participants pointed out that the Sept. 11 tragedy highlights the need to learn from Cesar Chavez, who "struggled for justice and dignity while practicing nonviolence".

A march was held the next day, which was addressed by Pima County Supervisor Raul Grijalva. Two of the five supervisors, Grijalva and Dan Eckstrom are strong supporters of the campaign.^[8]

On March 29, 2003, Raul Grijalva sponsored and addressed the Third Annual Cesar Chavez Day March and Rally for Peace.

Over 650 marchers, many carrying signs that read, “Peace is Patriotic,” celebrated the Third Annual Cesar Chavez Day March and Rally for Peace.

University of Arizona Women’s Studies professor, Raquel Rubio Goldsmith, opened the day’s festivities which brought together a "historic coalition for peace and justice". Endorsed by 48 community groups and by Congressman Raul Grijalva , the event provided a "spirited challenge not only to war, but to all attacks on people of color and working families everywhere".

Julian Kunnie, Director of Africana Studies at the University of Arizona, declared, “We are going to resist this war. We have mobilized a diverse group of organizations—labor, peace, women’s, civil rights, Chicano groups—to celebrate Cesar Chavez and to send a very strong message against this war! We are not going to take this sitting down!”

Cami Juarez, who grew up in a family of farmworkers, was one of many in the crowd who had met Chavez, whose mother was a Tucson native. Juarez noted that, “A lot of people involved in the peace movement are workers. They understand the needs of the disenfranchised.”

Juarez reported his experience the previous day when he and rally organizer, Ray Siqueiros, spoke at an assembly at Cesar Chavez Middle School. “I asked the students if they knew what was going on in Iraq. They did. I asked them if they knew what was going on in North Korea. They did. Then, I asked them why we were going to war with Iraq, but not North Korea. The kids said, ‘It’s the oil! There’s no oil involved in North Korea.’ These are disenfranchised youth. They know about oppression and they know about greed. They know what’s going on.”

Rep. Grijalva, whose 7th Congressional District includes Yuma, Chavez’s birthplace, told the rally, “these are troubling and saddening times.” He called on the crowd to exercise their responsibility and rights as Americans to change the country by voicing their opinions in a non-violent way.^[9]

Anti "PAN"

In 2004, the Arizona Secretary of State accepted petitions, signed by over 190,000 voters, to place a "right-wing initiative" on the November ballot. The proposition "uses racism and immigrant bashing in an attempt to restrict the right to vote and to divide the working class".

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) "summed up the Act well" at an anti-PAN press conference: “This (PAN) is motivated by hate. Immigrants are not the root cause of why our country went to war, why millions are denied medical coverage, why too many remain unemployed or why we face so many other problems. This initiative is a mean- spirited effort to deny people their civil and human rights.” Grijalva promised an aggressive campaign to defeat PAN if it made it on the November ballot.^[10]

Arizona Together

Arizona made history Nov. 7 2006, when its voters became the first in the nation to reject a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Wrote Arizona Communist Party USA leader and Arizona Together activist Joe Bernick;^[11]

Why Arizona? How come voters in more liberal states have voted for similar hateful laws while conservative Arizona voted no?

If you were to believe the pundits in the corporate-owned press, our rejection of Prop. 107 was due to the western libertarian traditions, the spirit of Barry Goldwater — you know them, those right-wing Republicans who are against government interference in our personal business and our bedroom...

But a quick check of election returns would have demonstrated to these so-called pundits that Prop. 107 was defeated in working-class and liberal university precincts while passing in Goldwater Republican precincts. In suburban Tucson precincts, the vote for 107 corresponded closely with the vote for the ultra-right, anti-immigrant GOP congressional candidate Randy Graf.

So how did we do it? The answer is: educating, organizing and mobilizing.

As soon as proponents started circulating petitions to put 107 on the ballot, opponents brought out their own clipboards, signing up thousands of volunteers. Arizona Together emerged as the campaign committee, chaired by progressive state Rep. Kyrsten Sinema.

If passed, Prop. 107 proposed to outlaw same-sex marriage as well as nullify domestic partnership laws and registries which covered a majority of Arizona municipal and county workers. Since same-sex marriages are already not legal in Arizona, Arizona Together organizers realized that this was a stealth campaign to play on peoples’ prejudices and turn out Republican voters, and before anybody noticed thousands of unmarried couples would lose their health and other benefits.

Arizona Together called their bluff. It concentrated its educational campaign on the harm 107 would unleash on tens of thousands of working families.

The campaign enlisted the support of Mayors Phil Gordon of Phoenix and Bob Walkup of Tucson. These are Arizona’s two biggest cities, both of which have domestic partnership provisions for their employees. The state AFL-CIO joined the campaign with especially strong support from public employee unions. Tireless educational work eventually won the editorial support of all major Arizona newspapers.

Most important was the grassroots work. More than 18,000 volunteers spent countless hours on education and outreach. Volunteers mailed out over 1 million pieces of literature, more than 100,000 pieces were distributed door to door and tens of thousands of phone calls were made to voters. Money left over was used for three weeks of TV educational ads.

Congressman Raul Grijalva appeared on radio ads calling Prop. 107 an attack on working families. The Grijalva campaign worked closely with Arizona Together, using its literature in their extensive door-to-door canvassing. Also collaborating was the campaign of Gabrielle Gifford, who defeated Graf for an open congressional seat. I didn’t see any of those Goldwater Republicans handing out “No on 107” literature.

Arizona Together lived up to its name. It was able to defeat 107 because its educational campaign showed working-class Arizonans that this was an attack on working people. Almost every working person knows — or is him- or herself one-half of — an unmarried couple, often with children. They are our friends, co-workers, relatives, and they are us. When working people learned that 107 was an attack on all working people, they responded with a resounding “no.”

Assisting CODEPINK's "Fallujah Aid"

In December 2004, US Senators Barbara Boxer of California, Raul Grijalva of Arizona and Congressmen Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and Henry Waxman of California provided diplomatic courtesy letters to a contingent of anti-war groups and individuals desiring to Fallujah, Iraq. Among those travelling in the contingent were: Rosa Suarez del Solar and her husband Fernando Suarez del Solar; Jeffrey Ritterman, Physicians for Social Responsibility; Jodie Evans, co-founder of CodePink: Women for Peace; Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Global Exchange and CodePink; Hany Khalil, national organizer, United for Peace and Justice. The organizations sponsoring the tour were CodePink, Project Guerrero Azteca for peace, Global Exchange, the Middle East Children's Alliance, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Peace Action, United for Peace and Justice, and Voices in the Wilderness.^[12]

Fernando Suarez del Solar stated that had it not been for the help of the two congressmen, the tour would have not seen the light due to obstacles laid by the Pentagon. The contingent traveled from December 27, 2004 through January 8, 2005.

The contingent delivered $100,000 in cash and and $500,000 in humanitarian aid. At the time the diplomatic courtesy letters were issued, Medea Benjamin had stated that the aid was intended for families of the “other side” in Fallujah.^[13]

Obama's Latino Advisory Council

In August 2008 the Obama Campaign announced^[14]the formation of its National Latino Advisory Council, highlighting the continued growth of support Senator Obama is receiving in the Latino community nationwide.

According to the campaign, the advisory council is made up of key labor, faith, community leaders, and elected officials from across the country and will serve as an advisory council for the campaign on issues important to the Latino community as well as play an active role reaching out and organizing Latinos in their communities and across the country.

Its members included;

Federico Pena, Chair, National Hispanic Advisory Council, Former Mayor of Denver and Former Secretary of Transportation, National Obama Campaign Co-Chair; 
Geoconda Arguello-Kline, President, Nevada Culinary Workers Union
; Congressman Xavier Becerra; Adolfo Carrion, Bronx Borough President; 
Henry Cisneros, Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; 
Bishop Wilfredo De Jesus, Vice President of Social Justice, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; 
Congressman Charlie Gonzalez;
 Congressman Raul Grijalva
 ; Congressman Luis Gutierrez; 
Ambassador Luis Lauredo, Former Ambassador to the Organization of American States; 
Patricia Madrid, Former Attorney General of New Mexico; 
Eliseo Medina, Executive Vice President, SEIU 
; Congresswoman Linda Sanchez; Congresswoman Hilda Solis; 
 Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez

Progressive Democrats of America

In 2009, Raul Grijalva served on the Advisory Board of Progressive Democrats of America.^[15]

PDA claimed successes

Tim Carpenter claimed that Progressive Democrats of America had chalked up several achievements in its short life, successfully promoting initiatives by PDA board members John Conyers and James McGovern.

PDA was the driving force in the passage of resolutions opposing the war in Iraq by eight state Democratic Party meetings. The organization also was instrumental in the passage of resolutions in 10 states calling for the impeachment of President Bush.

PDA is often referred to by Congressional Progressive Caucus Executive Director Bill Goold as the CPC’s field operation, because PDA has built relationships with members of Congress by delivering grassroots support for their initiatives – from Rep. John Conyers’ investigation of the 2004 Ohio voting fraud to Rep. Jim McGovern’s bill to cut off funding for the war in Iraq, a current priority effort.

The organization worked hard for Marcy Winograd against Jane Harman and for other "progressive " Democrats including Donna Edwards, Christine Cegelis, Jerry McNerney, Tony Trupiano, John Hall, Jeff Latas, Gabby Giffords and Herb Paine.

While PDA is still only a progressive “pup” compared with big liberal dogs like MoveOn, PDA-backed candidates have taken some big bites out of conventional wisdom and centrist Democratic complacency. In Los Angeles, local PDA leader Marcy Winograd won 37 percent of the primary vote against entrenched pro-war Democrat Rep. Jane Harman with only two months of lead time. In Maryland, the dynamic Donna Edwards appears to have come only a few hundred votes short of toppling the multi-term Rep. Al Wynn in her first bid for public office, and she is seen as well-positioned to prevail in 2008. And in Illinois, with strong PDA support, Christine Cegelis, though outspent 8 to 1, nearly beat the candidate of the inside-the- Beltway Party leadership and Illinois party machine, Tammy Duckworth, to vie for the seat being vacated by Rep. Henry Hyde.

This fall, in the House, PDA is focusing attention and effort on several strong progressives worthy of note and support in hopes of flipping several seats from red to blue. In California, Jerry McNerny is running a strong race against an incumbent Republican. In Michigan, Tony Trupiano, with one of the nation’s strongest grassroots efforts, has his sights on an open seat in a Republican-leaning district. And in New York, anti-nuclear activist John Hall has won the Democratic nomination to challenge a four-term incumbent Republican. In Arizona, while the local PDA primary candidate, Jeff Latas, did not prevail, PDA will now enthusiastically join forces with PDA Board Member Rep. Raul Grijalva and support the nominee, the equally progressive Gabby Gifford, as well as PDA-backed Herb Paine, who won a razor-thin primary victory in a neighboring district.

In the United States Senate primary races PDA unsuccessfully backed Jonathan Tasini against Hillary Clinton in New York, In Ohio, PDA backed successful candidate Sherrod Brown. In Connecticut, PDA campaigned to replace pro Iraq War Senator Joe Lieberman with Ned Lamont.^[16]

"Progressives' on "Ways & Means" committee

In 2008, the U.S. Congress' most powerful committee, "Ways & Means" was heavily influenced by members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus including Chairman Charles Rangel, Pete Stark, John Lewis, Xavier Becerra and Jim McDermott.

Congressional Progressive Caucus Vice Chairman Raul Grijalva and Danny Davis, joined "Ways & Means" late in the year.

Congressional Progressive Caucus

On November 19 2008 the Congressional Progressive Caucus announced^[17]its elected leadership for the 111th Congress.

Co-Chairs are Congressman Raul Grijalva (AZ) and Lynn Woolsey (CA)

Whip Diane Watson

Vice-Chair Liaison to Black Caucus Sheila Jackson-Lee

Vice-Chair Liaison to Women's Caucus Hilda Solis

Vice-Chair Liaison to Asian Pacific American Caucus Mazie Hirono

Vice-Chair Liaison to LGBT Equality Caucus, Dennis Kucinich

As of February 20 2009 Raul Grijalva was listed as Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.^[18]

According to Raul Grijalva's official Congressional bio, accessed September 2011;

As Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), Raúl has championed affordable health care for every American and has pushed for job creation measures that focus on improving America's infrastructure and economic base. He has announced his support in the 112th Congress for the Fairness in Taxation Act, which would create new tax brackets for millionaires and billionaires who currently enjoy generous loopholes that prevent them from contributing a proportionate amount to our economic recovery. He is a co-sponsor of the Fair Employment Act of 2011 to outlaw discrimination against the unemployed in hiring decisions, and wrote an op-ed in mid-March to explain his reasons.

Hispanic Caucus

Grijalva is chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Education Task Force.^[19]

Campaign to Make Immigration Reform a Top Issue in 2010

On October 13 2010 , immigration activists from around the country gathered to join in a vigil and rally in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC., where Congressman Luis V. Gutierrez and other elected officials launched a new push for comprehensive immigration reform, building to the opening months of 2010. their banners read “Reform Immigration FOR Families” and “Family Unity Cannot Wait.”

More than 750 people traveled to Washington on buses from up and down the Eastern seaboard and as far away as Texas, Florida, Ohio, Minnesota, and Michigan. They spent Tuesday morning meeting with Congressional offices before being joined by thousands of people from the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area, who gathered on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol to listen to testimonies from families, veterans, and children who face family disintegration because of immigration laws and deportation.

Religious leaders from a diverse array of faith traditions around the country, some organized through Familias Unidas, added their voices.

At the event Congressman Gutierrez outlined a set of principles for progressive immigration reform that needs to include a rational and humane approach to legalize the undocumented population, to protect workers’ rights, to allocate sufficient visas, to establish a smarter and more humane border enforcement policy, to promote integration of immigrant communities, to include the DREAM Act and AgJOBS bills, to protect rights guaranteed by the Constitution, and to keep families together.

The lawmakers who joined Rep. Gutierrez on stage, and addressed the gathering included Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairwoman Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chairman Rep. Michael Honda (D-CA), Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairs Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), Congressional Black Caucus Member, Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Jared Polis (D-CO), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Michael Quigley (D-IL), and Delegate Gregorio Sablan (Northern Mariana Islands).^[20]

Boycott call

Rep. Raul Grijalva, on the day of the signing of SB 1070, called for a national boycott of Arizona- and in so doing, opened "one of the greatest opportunities to influence Arizona politics, to repeal SB 1070 and strike a blow against racism and change Arizona's legislature".^[21]

Calling on Israeli Govt. to lift Gaza Travel Ban

On Dec. 22, 2009, thirty-three U.S. Representatives wrote to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, calling on her to request that the Israeli Government end the ban on student travel from Gaza to the West Bank. Raúl Grijalva was one of the signatories of the letter.^[22] The entire letter together with a complete list of signatories can be read by clicking here.

Supported Lifting the Gaza Blockade

On Jan. 27, 2010, U.S. Representatives Keith Ellison and Jim McDermott led 52 other members of Congress in signing a letter addressed to President Barack Obama, calling for him to use diplomatic pressure to resolve the blockade affecting Gaza. Raúl Grijalva was one of the signatories of the letter. ^[23] The entire letter together with a complete list of signatories can be read by clicking here.

Council for a Livable World

The Council for a Livable World, founded in 1962 by long-time socialist activist and alleged Soviet agent, Leo Szilard, is a non-profit advocacy organization that seeks to "reduce the danger of nuclear weapons and increase national security", primarily through supporting progressive, congressional candidates who support their policies. The Council supported Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) in his 2010 Congressional election campaign.^[24]

Committee to Stop FBI Repression delegation

In mid November 2010, a delegation from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression returned home from several days of bringing the "issue of the FBI raids and grand jury subpoenas of people doing international solidarity work and anti-war organizing to the U.S. Capitol". Three supporters of the Marxist-Leninist Freedom Road Socialist Organization/FightBack!, Deb Konechne of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, Anh Pham, who is facing a reactivation of her subpoena and Joe Iosbaker, whose home was raided, spent two days meeting with U.S. Representatives on the issue. The delegation asked each Congressperson to sponsor a “Dear Colleague” letter condemning the raids and grand jury subpoenas. In the two days, the delegation met with either the Congressional Representative’s staff or the Representative themselves from the following 16 offices: Tammy Baldwin (WI), John Conyers (MI), Danny Davis (IL), Keith Ellison (MN), Raul Grijalva (AZ), Luis Gutierrez (IL), Mike Honda (CA), Jesse Jackson, Jr. (IL), Dennis Kucinich (OH), Barbara Lee (CA), Jim McDermott (WA), Jim McGovern (MA), Bobby Rush (IL), Linda Sanchez (CA), Jan Schakowsky (IL), Maxine Waters (CA). The "meetings were positive, with all the offices expressing genuine concern about the situation. In some cases, because of the outpouring of calls from around the country, the U.S. Representatives were aware that the delegation was in Washington D.C. and the offices made time on their schedules to meet with the delegation. This reinforces the continuing importance of the solidarity work taking place around the country."

Rep. Conyers (MI), chair of the Judiciary Committee, directed the Counsel of the Judiciary Committee to meet with the delegation. Also, Rep. Ellison (MN) and his Congressional staff met directly with the delegation for a significant amount of time. rep. Ellison sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, expressing concern over the situation and is continuing to work on options to support his constituents affected. The delegation also received face-to-face meetings with Rep Gutierrez and Rep Davis from Chicago. Rep. Grijalva’s (AZ) office set up a meeting between the delegation and the Executive Director of the Congressional Progressive Caucus in the Congress of which rep. Grijalva is the chair. In addition, the office of Jan Schakowsky (IL) and Maxine Waters (CA) gave the delegation significant time and attention.

“It was clear that progressive Representatives of the Congress are very concerned about the FBI investigation. Overall, they were very thankful for our visit and for the information and analysis given to them The level of awareness about the raids and grand jury was varied, from little to full awareness, but the delegation certainly changed that. After the two days, our presence and purpose definitely created a stir in the halls of Congress. “The fact that we were able to interact with 16 legislative aides or Congress people themselves, during an extremely busy time of restructuring leadership in the Congress, exemplifies the attention this matter is receiving”, stated Joe Iosbaker.^[25]

CPC San Francisco Jobs forum

After weeks of Republican attacks on President Obama in rural Iowa, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Barbara Lee on Tuesday August 17, 2011, took to the pulpit of an African American church in Oakland to hear directly from voters and defend the president and Democrats on the most critical issue of the 2012 presidential race - jobs.

"It is a time in our country when the American people know ... that serious job creation must take place," said Pelosi, speaking to reporters before addressing a supportive crowd of hundreds at the Acts Full Gospel Church in East Oakland, one of California's staunchest Democratic strongholds.

Dozens filed up to mikes to tell their stories of unemployment. The session, organized by the Congressional Progressive Caucus, was at times raucous, with some heckling or angrily chanting that it is time to "tax the rich."

Barbara Lee, who leads the Congressional Black Caucus, charged that Republicans, on the 224th day of their leadership in the House, had failed to produce a jobs bill or to deliver any solid proposals.

But both Pelosi and Lee, accompanied by Rep. Mike Honda of San Jose and Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, also aimed to draw sharp contrasts between Republican and Democratic agendas on jobs.

One participant in Tuesday's forum, Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, CEO of Green For All, an Oakland nonprofit that works for green jobs, said clean energy has the potential to alleviate poverty by bringing high-quality jobs to urban communities. 'The green economy'

"What's most exciting about the green economy is that it offers the possibility to have manufacturing again, to actually create things ... in both the private and the public sector," she said. "And the greatest growth sector right now is clean energy."

Ellis-Lamkins drew applause when she said that, too often, the focus of politicians is "about who is in the back of the room yelling the loudest."

"What the folks in Washington, D.C., would have us do is fight each other," she said. "I want to make sure the story of tonight is that people of color need jobs ... solutions and jobs."^[26]

Restore the American Dream for the 99 Percent Act

"Responding directly to national demand for a massive jobs program", members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, December 13, 2011, introduced the Restore the American Dream for the 99 Percent Act into the House of Representatives.

The bill would create more than 4 million jobs and reduce the deficit by more than $2 trillion over the next 10 years, making it the biggest government effort thus far to marshal the resources needed to address the economic crisis.

While no one expects the bill to pass in the Republican-controlled House, it is viewed by many as outlining what really must be done if the economy is to be restarted in a way that benefits the overwhelming majority of the population.

Progressive Caucus Co-Chairmen Reps. Keith Ellison, D-Minn. and Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., presented the legislation at a news conference in the Capitol.

The bill would create several "corps" that will offer government jobs to the unemployed doing essential work including repairing school buildings, maintaining public parks, building neighborhood energy efficiency and conservation projects, and providing health care and other public services in underserved areas. One of the corps would be specifically devoted to re-hiring teachers and first responders laid off by cash-strapped state and local governments .

There are provisions in the bill that require 75 percent of the goods and services purchased by the federal government to be made in America, provisions designed to help small businesses get federal contracts, and allocation of $50 billion alone for highway, public transportation and electrical grid improvement projects.

The bill provides for tariffs in cases where what the lawmakers called "currency manipulation by China" results in "artificially driving down the cost of Chinese imports."

One clause in the bill protects both the long-term unemployed and wounded veterans from hiring discrimination.

The bill includes provisions that would raise $800 billion through a surcharge on millionaires and billionaires, end tax subsidies for oil companies, and impose a tiny financial transactions tax on Wall Street.

There would be other budget savings through ending the war in Afghanistan and slashing $200 billion from the defense budget by eliminating unneeded weapons systems and cutting in half the military forces currently stationed in Europe.

The bill also strengthens health care reform by creating a public health insurance option that would be available through health care exchanges. That measure alone, the lawmakers say, would drive down spending federal health care spending by $90 billion.

The bill would allow Medicare to bargain with pharmaceutical companies to get bulk discounts, a move blocked by Republicans in the past. Supporters say it would help save more than $150 billion.

To save Social Security benefits and trust fund, the legislation would raise the cap on earnings taxed by Social Security above its current $106,800.

"The Republicans want the people to think about how bad things are and to focus their anger on the president," said Grijalva "They don't want people to count the things the Republicans voted down that would have helped this country."

"This bill," said Ellison, "shows we can put people to work today by building for tomorrow."^[27]

House Committeess

As of September 2011;^[28]

• Committee on Natural Resources
• Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands -- Ranking Member
• Subcommittee on Water and Power

• Committee on Education and The Workforce
• Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training
• Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education

Task Forces/Coalitions

As of September 2011;^[29]

• Children & Families Task Force
• Education & Job Training Task Force (chair, part of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus)
• Health & Medicare Task Force
• Homeland Security Task Force
• Immigration Task Force (part of the Congressional Progressive Caucus)
• Jobs & the Economy Task Force
• Social Security Task Force
• Rural Health Care Coalition
• Sustainable Energy & Environment Coalition

Boards

• Arizona List, Honorary Board Member, Tucson, AZ
• National Student Leadership Foundation, Honorary Board of Advisors
• Climate Law Institute, Advisory Board, Tucson, AZ
• Humpty Dumpty Institute, New York, NY
• Borderlinks, Honorary Board Member, Tucson, AZ
• U.S. Mexico-Border Health Commission, Honorary Member
• Progressive Kick, Board of Directors, Berkley, CA
• Mexican-American Studies and Research Center, Board Member, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
• Mexican-American Raza Studies, Tucson Unified School District, Tucson, AZ
• Hispanic Leadership Forum, Board Member
• Hispanic Family Literacy Institute, Member, Louisville, KY
• Southwest Arizona Futures Forum, Yuma AZ
• Yuma County Farmworker Services Coalition, Yuma, AZ
• Dr. Cesar E. Chavez Monument Coalition, San Luis, AZ^[30]

Staff

The following have worked as staff members for Raúl Grijalva:^[31]

External links

• Grijalva's website with the House of Representatives

References