San Diego Co Library :: VC Man Celebrates Becoming a US Citizen

VC man celebrates becoming a US citizen

Valley Roadrunner: 5.19.2016 by David Ross

It was an all-American celebration, complete with small American flags, a big cake, congratulations and lots of smiles. And a few tears.

In a few days, on May 25 Leonardo Zuniga will join hundreds of men and women in San Diego’s Golden Hall in repeating this oath

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Zuniga, who recently changed his last name from Zuñiga in order to make it easier to pronounce— following a grand tradition established by countless millions who landed at Ellis Island in New York City over many decades— celebrated his pending U.S. citizenship Tuesday night at a reception hosted for him by the Valley Center Library.

The event celebrated his graduation from the San Diego County Library (SDCL) Citizenship Program, passing his United States Citizenship Interview, and being scheduled to take the oath on May 25.

With tears in his eyes Zuniga accepted the praise of his teacher, Citizenship Instructor, Graciela Schneider, a native of Argentina, who has lived in the United States for many years, and who teaches the weekly Citizenship classes every Tuesday night.

“He finished the program in six months, not knowing a word of English when he started,” she said. Zuniga was the first student to complete the program at VC Library.

She noted that during her classes she doesn’t let the student speak at all in Spanish, and with a twinkle in her eyes added, “If I slipped into Spanish Leonardo would say, ‘Say in English!’ ”

Mrs. Schneider was also recognized for her dedication to the program by VC branch manager Laura Zuckerman and Susan Moore, San Diego County Library Deputy Director, who was once a literacy tutor, and currently directs the library system’s “Learn program.”   READ MORE @

Library To Host Citizenship Workshops

Imperial Beach News: 5.27.2016

San Diego County Library (SDCL) will present a free Citizenship Workshop every Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m. through 2016 at the Imperial Library Branch, 847 Encina Avenue. Participants will learn about the eligibility requirements for becoming United States citizens, and receive legal assistance with the citizenship application process. All are welcome to attend, but a limited number of seats are available; call the Imperial Beach Library at 619-424-6981 to check for availability.

The workshop will supplement an ongoing series of weekly citizenship classes held at the El Cajon Library. Coordinated by SDCL’s L.E.A.R.N. adult literacy program, these classes help immigrants prepare for their naturalization exams by providing assistance with the 100 civics questions and English language skills.

Kevin Vigil, L.E.A.R.N. coordinator, says, “The purpose of the San Diego County Library’s Citizenship Class Program is to help prepare immigrants to pass their naturalization exam. L.E.A.R.N. completes our program and allows us to offer free legal assistance for the naturalization application process.”

The San Diego County Library is dedicating to serve all members of our community, and to ensuring that San Diego is a safe and welcoming environment for everyone. It is our goal to provide information to those in need so that they can be certain that they are well-informed about topics relevant to them.

For more information about the workshop or citizenship classes at the Imperial Beach Library, please call (619) 424-6981. For information about San Diego County Library, visit www.sdcl.org.

Easy Voter Guide :: June 7 :: Presidential Primary Election

@cavotes

Easy Voter Guide

California Presidential Primary Election

Easy Voter Guide

YOUR VOTE. YOUR VOICE.

Presidential Primary Election

June 7, 2016

Sign up to vote

May 23: Last day to register to vote in this election.

May 31: Last day to request a “vote by mail” ballot.

Jun  07: ELECTION DAY  Your polling place is open from 7:00 am - 8:00 pm

~ President

~ Representatives in U.S. Congress and the California State Legislature

~ A proposed law for California, Proposition 50: Suspension of Legislators

~ Other candidates and proposed laws depending on where you live

Voting for President

The political party you choose will determine which candidates for President appear on your ballot.

If you register without choosing a political party, there is still a way you can vote for a candidate for President:

Three of the political parties, American Independent, Democratic, and Libertarian, will allow voters with “no party preference” to ask for their ballots in the June 7 election.

But if you want to vote on presidential candidates for the Green, Peace & Freedom, or Republican Party then you must re-register and select that party. Just make sure you re-register by the May 23 deadline.

You can sign up to vote if you are:

•   18 years or older by Election Day

•   a U.S. citizen

•   not in prison or on parole for a felony To sign up to vote, get a registration form:

•   Fill out the form online at REGISTER TO VOTE

     in English, Spanish, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, or Vietnamese.

•   Or call 1-800-345-8683 to have the form sent to you.

•   Or pick one up at the library, post office, or DMV.

There is no cost to register.

Fill out the form completely and mail it in. You will be asked to include your driver’s license number or other identification.

When should I sign up?

•   Sign up (register) by May 23, 2016, to vote in the June 7, 2016, election.

•   If you are already registered, you need to fill out a new form only if you move, change your name, or want to change your choice of political party.

Produced for statewide elections in California since 1994, the Easy Voter Guide is a collaboration of the League of Women Voters® ofCalifornia Education Fund and the California State Library.

Latest Estimated Value of Volunteer Time – 2014 :: $26.87 California

Actual Size

National Value of Volunteer Time

Independent Sector: 2015

Latest Estimated Value of Volunteer Time – 2014

National:   $23.07 per hour

California: $26.87 per hour

The estimate helps acknowledge the millions of individuals who dedicate their time, talents, and energy to making a difference. Charitable organizations can use this estimate to quantify the enormous value volunteers provide.

According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, about 62.6 million Americans, or 25.4 percent of the adult population, gave 7.7 billion hours of volunteer service worth $173 billion in 2013.2 For the latest information, please see Volunteering and Civic Life in America 2015

The value of volunteer time is based on the hourly earnings (approximated from yearly values) of all production and non-supervisory workers on private non-farm payrolls average (based on yearly earnings provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics) for the national average. Independent Sector indexes this figure to determine state values and increases it by 12 percent to estimate for fringe benefits.

Charitable organizations most frequently use the value of volunteer time for recognition events or communications to show the amount of community support an organization receives from its volunteers.  READ MORE @

Los Angeles Public Library :: National Voter Registration Day | September 22

National Voter Registration Day

September 22

Register To Vote At Your Library

Los Angeles Public Library

National Voter Registration Day is a huge national effort to get as many people to register to vote as possible. The goal is not to advocate on behalf of a candidate or party, but to make sure that people have access to voting.

Have you've moved since the last election? Have you've recently turned 18? Not sure if you are registered to vote? Drop by any time between 1:00 to 4:30 pm, and volunteers from the League of Women Voters will help you register to vote on the spot, verify your voter registration status, or help answer your questions.

Alma Reaves Woods - Watts Branch  September 24, 2015 3:00PM to 5:00PM

Canoga Park Branch  September 22, 2015 3:00PM to 5:00PM

Chatsworth Branch  September 22, 2015 3:00PM to 5:00PM

Donald Bruce Kaufman - Brentwood Branch September 24, 2015 3:30PM to 5:30PM

Eagle Rock Branch September 22, 2015 1:30PM to 3:30PM

John Muir Branch  September 23, 2015 3:00PM to 5:00PM

Little Tokyo Branch September 22, 2015 3:00PM to 5:00PM

Los Feliz Branch  September 22, 2015 3:00PM to 5:00PM

Memorial Branch  September 24, 2015 1:00PM to 3:00PM

Northridge Branch  September 24, 2015 3:00PM to 5:00PM

Panorama City Branch  September 22, 2015 3:00PM to 5:00PM

Robertson Branch  September 21, 2015 3:00PM to 5:00PM

Sherman Oaks Martin Pollard Branch  September 21, 2015 3:00PM to 4:30PM

Studio City Branch  September 24, 2015 3:00PM to 5:00PM

Sylmar Branch  September 24, 2015 3:00PM to 5:00PM

Venice - Abbot Kinney Memorial Branch  September 25, 2015 3:30PM to 5:30PM

Azusa Library : : Inspired Citizenship Presented with Certificate of Recognition

Inspired Citizenship is Presented with Certificate of Recognition

Literacy Update: 4.2015

On Tuesday, April 7 Field Representative Nichol Delgado from the office of Assembly member Roger Hernandez presented the library with a Certificate of Recognition to honor its Inspired Citizenship program. Ms. Delgado congratulated the Literacy Program team, the citizenship coaches, and the students on the success of the program.

As of April 20, 2015, 22 Inspired Citizenship students have taken the U.S. naturalization exam; and 22 have passed.

To learn how you can volunteer as a “citizenship coach” for Inspired Citizenship, call Efrain Villa, Citizenship Specialist at (626) 812-5273.

To learn more about how to become a U.S. Citizen, come to the next Citizenship Information Session on Saturday, June 6, 11:00 a.m. in the Azusa Civic Auditorium.

Translation will be provided in Spanish and Mandarin.