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CONTACT: SHERI ANNIS
November 13, 1997. Los Angeles, CA---The "English for the Children" campaign today held a press conference announcing that they were submitting over 700,000 signatures for their initiative against "bilingual education," far more than the 433,000 signatures required to qualify for the June 1998 election ballot. The press conference was held at the Las Familias del Pueblo community center in Downtown Los Angeles, site of the 1996 Latino Boycott against "bilingual education" which had inspired the initiative campaign. Attending were Chairman Ron Unz, Co-Chair Gloria Matta Tuchman, and Regional Honorary Chairman Fernando Vega, as well as several parents who had participated in the 1996 boycott. Recent polls have indicated overwhelming support for the initiative, especially among Latinos, who want their children to be taught English when they begin school, and most observers believe that the measure will have national implications. "Half of all bilingual programs are in California," says Chairman Unz, "and if our initiative ends them here, they'll probably be gone nationwide within a year or two after that." |