Greetings All,
My name is Xavier Miranda, and I am the new Chair of the DSA of El Chuco Electoral Committee. I am reaching out to folks considering political office or affecting change through legislation.
While many of us are justifiably disillusioned with the electoral process, given the manner in which the Bernie campaign was undercut from within the Democrat Party, we recognize the importance of remaining engaged in the process.
The role of our Electoral Committee is to continue organizing candidate and issue forums in order to educate our community, as well as hold elected officials accountable.
Our forums typically consist of panelists from community organizations that seek to educate on issues that have local and national implications. We are currently addressing the following:
- Staving off displacement and gentrification (Durangito, Segundo Barrio, and Sunset Heights)
- Defunding the police (Annual budget: $157.6 million)
- Abolishing the City Manager type of government
- Promoting environmental stewardship and renewable energy (Newman 6 opposition, and JPMorgan Chase ownership of El Paso Electric Company)
- Demanding healthcare reform and Medicare for All
- Calling for equitable economic reform and livable wages
- Demanding Immigration reform, and ending family separations
- Defending our public education system and restoring its integrity
Consider the impact of our local progressive bloc during the 2020 Primary, evident by the 24,851 votes for Bernie Sanders, and the 47,299 votes for Veronica Carbajal.
Rather than sit idly by, we plan on engaging these voters in pushing for a more progressive Congressional agenda from US House of Representative Veronica Escobar, e.g., demanding significant reform of immigration policy, authentic support of Medicare for All, and promoting a $15 an-hour wage.
At the State level, we will actively urge our Texas State delegation to support issues such as equitable school funding, decriminalization of cannabis, and divestment from petroleum in order to promote renewable energy.
At the municipal level, we will continue to advocate for the reduction of the $157.6 million El Paso Police Department annual budget, in order to re-appropriate funds to much needed social services.
Of urgency is the El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees elections scheduled for May 2021. The Board of Trustees currently oversees one of the largest operating annual budgets in El Paso County, at $595.8 million. They are currently deliberating whether to select a replacement for disgraced Superintendent Juan Cabrera, or to delay the process until the new trustees are seated in May 2021.
El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees seats are up in May 2021 for the following seats:
- District 1, currently held by Board of Trustees President Bob Geske in the El Paso High and Bowie feeder patterns.
- District 3, currently held by Josh Acevedo, in the Austin High School and CCTE feeder patterns.
- District 4, currently held by Diane Dye, in the Chapin High School and Irvin High School feeder patterns.
- District 5, currently held by Chuck Taylor, in the Andress High School and Transmountain Early College High School feeder patterns.
We are also seeking candidates with integrity to support, of whom plan to run for County and Municipal positions .
El Paso City Council seats are up in November 2022 for the following districts:
- District 1, currently held by Peter Svarzbein
- District 5, currently held by Isabel Salcido
- District 6, currently held by Claudia Rodriguez
- District 8, currently held by Cissy Lizaraga
Link to City District gerrymandered map: https://epcountyvotes.com/maps/city_representatives
El Paso County Commissioner seats are up in November 2022 for the following seats:
- Commissioners Court Judge, currently held by Ricardo Samaniego
- Commissioner Precinct 2, currently held by David Stout
- Commissioner Precinct 4, currently held by Carl Robinson
Link to County Commissioners Court map: https://epcountyvotes.com/maps/county_commissioner_districts
Keep in mind that local oligarchs Paul Foster, Woody Hunt, and their ilk are funding candidates that will perpetuate a neoliberal system resulting in austerity, privatization, and de-regulation. Therefore, we implore our folks to engage in the electoral process in order to promote social justice in our community.
Please forward your contact information to the email address below to receive notification of upcoming organizational meetings.
Best Regards,
Xavier Miranda
Member of Democratic Socialists of America of El Chuco
Member El Paso Grassroots
PS: For current updates and developments, please visit the following social media pages:
Another correction, the current EpCounty Judge’s name is Ricardo Samaniego.
Humbly,
Xavier Miranda
Gee. If you are really serious move to Cuba, and promote your socialist agenda. I bet my golf clubs, and golf shoes you will quickly return to our USA. Also, are you related to Joseph Stalin, or Bernie Sanders?
So, El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees seats are up in May 2021 for the following seats: District 1. How might that look?
Priority #1 Your main job is NOT the Supt’s compensation package and how much more you can give him/her. $250K per year and a car, health insurance and 401K are good enough, take it or leave it. No pay-for-performance kickers, either; you do your job, you get to keep it. This is the public sector not Wall Street.
Priority#2 Education. Screw the tests that GWB, not the sharpest pencil in the box, gave us. No Child Left Behind has left every child behind. Let’s go back to deciding our own local curriculum and let the teachers teach it. Also, kids should know more about the three Rs than about sex. The alphabet is ABCDE…not LBGTQ (and heading to P).
Priority#3 Curriculum. Where is Nature in the curriculum? Concrete doesn’t teach much about how the real world feeds us. Let’s create a curriculum that includes Nature where we find chemistry, biology, math, landscape, agriculture soil-to-table, art and poetry. Green kids are what I want to see no matter their skin color.
Priority#4 Transparency. This is where the Wilsons of the world cringe. WTF are you doing with the $600M and how will you show the taxpayers (who mainly don’t give a shit) that it’s not being shoveled out to Usual Suspects who paid to get it passed? How about an, if-you-made-a-PAC-contribution-you-are-not-eligible-to-bid policy?
Slight correction: TMECHS is a districtwide high school in EPISD and as such does not have a “feeder pattern” per se (Chuck Taylor District 5).