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ProEnglish Helps Arizona City Determine City Council Candidate's Eligibility for Office

Thursday, 12 January 2012 14:24

ProEnglish assisted the City Attorney of San Luis, Arizona this week in a controversial English language matter. City Attorney Glenn Gimbut was asked by San Luis Mayor Juan Carlos Escamilla to determine the level of English language proficiency that a candidate for elected office in Arizona must have to effectively carry out their duties.

Former San Luis mayor Guillermina Fuentes, who initially raised concerns about city council candidate Alejandrina Cabrera’s English language abilities, told the Los Angeles Times, “I interpreted everything to Alejandrina because in many cases she did not understand what was being said.”

ProEnglish pointed to Arizona’s 2006 law which made English the official language of the state, in addition to the Arizona’s Enabling Act. The Enabling Act, passed by Congress in 1910, allowed Arizona to become a state under certain requirements. The act states, “the ability to read, write, speak, and understand the English languagesufficiently well to conduct the duties of the office without aid of aninterpreter shall be a necessary qualification for all state officers and members of the state legislature.” (Emphasis added).

The city has filed an action within the Yuma County Superior Court, requesting the candidate be required to prove she has sufficient English language abilities. A hearing is set for this coming Friday, January 13^th. ProEnglish will continue to keep you informed as this matter develops.

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ProEnglish on The Dave Merlino Show

On December 19th, ProEnglish Executive Director Robert Vandervoort was a guest on the The Dave Merlino Show on 640 WGST in Atlanta, GA. They spoke at length about how our common language of English is under attack in this country.

Click the microphone to hear the interview.

Dave discussed ProEnglish's Official English Map which breaks down which states have official English laws on the books and those that do not.

Robert mentioned a few of the federal bills in Congress that would make English our official language; for example: Representative Peter King's H.R. 1164, the National Language Act of 2011, on which ProEnglish is helping to accumulate co-sponsors.

They also discussed the volatile Puerto Rican Statehood issue which carries serious implications for English language unity in the U.S.

Lastly, Dave and Robert talked about the 2012 Presidential race. ProEnglish recently finished grading the candidates on their level of public support for official English and related issues, such as English-on-the-job policies and repealing bilingual ballots. The results might surprise a lot of voters!

You can listen to the entire interview on www.youtube.com by clicking on the microphone above or here.

2012 Presidential Debate Question Suggestions

gop-debate-2012

1. Would you sign a bill passed by Congress to make English the official language of the United States?

2. The Census Bureau just released its list of 248 jurisdictions in 25 states that must provide bilingual ballots and interpreter services for the 2012 Presidential Election. Do you oppose or support this unfunded, federal mandate?

3. Would you rescind Bill Clinton's Executive Order 13166 that forces taxpayer dollars be used to provide government services in an unlimited number of languages via costly translated documents, websites, and interpreters?

4. Should private employers have the right to require employees to speak English on the job?

5. Do you oppose legislation, such as the DREAM Act, that would grant amnesty to illegal aliens without requiring specific steps for them to learn English as a prerequisite for legalization?

6. Should Puerto Rico be required to make English its only official language in the event that the people of Puerto Rico vote to become the 51^st U.S. state?

ProEnglish Helps Arizona City Determine City Council Candidate's Eligibility for Office

ProEnglish on The Dave Merlino Show

2012 Presidential Debate Question Suggestions

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