In response to growing concerns that many local residents lack access to vital health services, my office, along with SF Supervisor Eric Mar, Kaiser Permanente and several other local health organizations have once again partnered to organize the 2011 Richmond District Community Health Fair.
The Health Fair, which will be held on Saturday, May 14, will feature a host of free clinical health services, including consultations, blood pressure tests, allergy advice, hearing tests, dental screening, bone density tests, Hep. B screening and medical reviews. More than just medical, our free event is designed as a day of family fun and participants are invited to enjoy free giveaways, food, health education offered by more than 40 community health organizations, children's activities, music and more.
Health care access for all our residents continues to be one of biggest challenges facing California. While we fight to keep funding available in Sacramento for statewide care, we must continue to educate and bring vital health resources to our diverse communities at home.
In addition to Mar and Kaiser, we are grateful for the continued support and dedication of our other health fair partners, including Compassionate Community Care, Self-Help for the Elderly and Richmond Area Multi-Services, Inc. (RAMS).
The Richmond District Community Health Festival will take place at the Richmond Community Recreation Center, 251 18th Ave., on May 14, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Landmark Anti-Discrimination Legislation
No one should be turned away or denied service from a restaurant or business just because of the language they speak. Unfortunately, this sort of discrimination is regrettably, and surprisingly, common even in our melting pot of a community.
I am proud to take a stand against this kind of mistreatment by introducing SB 111, legislation that would add language protections to the state's Unruh Civil Rights Act by prohibiting discrimination based on language or ethnicity within business establishments. While speaking one's native language is generally protected under state law in cases of employment and housing, such protections are not currently extended to consumers.
All patrons, English speaking and non-English speaking alike, deserve to be
served and SB 111 will rightfully add language to the list of protected classes
under our civil rights law.
The genesis of this legislation stems from a policy proposed in 2008 by the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) to suspend players who do not speak English. Despite the lack of relevance to the sport, the LPGA claimed that it was important for players to be able to interact with American media and event sponsors. Thankfully, and following the objections of myself and more than 50 other civil rights organizations, LPGA reconsidered its policy.
Unfortunately the issue has persisted. Filipino nurses at Delano Regional Medical Center recently filed a lawsuit after they were prohibited from speaking Tagalog during break and rest periods. SB 111 will strengthen their case as it would ensure such protections be covered by the Unruh Civil Rights Act.
I introduced a similar piece of legislation in 2008, which was later vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. So far, SB 111 has already passed in the Senate Judiciary Committee, and I am optimistic that this year our state's leadership will do right by ensuring that discriminatory practices are not only unfair, but illegal.