Press Release

Friday, July 31, 2020

SACRAMENTO, CA— Assemblymember Jose Medina (D-Riverside) released the following statement regarding the California Department of Education’s release of its new draft Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum:

Monday, July 20, 2020

SACRAMENTO, CA— Assemblymember Jose Medina (D-Riverside) released the following statement on the California Community College Board of Governor’s recognition of Madera Community College as the 116th college in California:

Monday, July 20, 2020

California has its newest college: Madera Community College. 

The college, located in California’s Central Valley north of Fresno, was recognized Monday by the California community college system’s Board of Governors as the 116th college in the system. Previously, the campus was Madera Community College Center and operated as a satellite campus of Reedley College. 

“This accomplishment is something that our community has been waiting for a long time and much needed,” Angel Reyna, president of the college, said in a statement. The new college’s goals include becoming “student and community centered,” and providing “equitable outcomes for each of our students, and to that end we commit towards transforming ourselves into an anti-racist institution while producing the future workforce our community needs,” Reyna added.

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Thursday, July 16, 2020

In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement – when police have come under heavy criticism; statues viewed as celebrating racists have been toppled or destroyed; and, millions have taken to the streets to protest racism, white supremacy, white privilege and injustices to people of color – could ethnic studies in schools help diminish or solve racism in the country?

Assemblymember José Medina, who drafted legislation to make ethnic studies a high school graduation requirement; and, Dolores Huerta, a civil rights activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers, think it can definitely make a difference in the right direction.

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Thursday, July 16, 2020

The Santa Maria Joint Union High School District Board of Education is making ethnic and gender studies a requirement for graduation, starting with the class of 2025.

Last year, the district offered eight courses in the subject area across all high schools in the district.

The board now plans to develop a five-year plan to continue to expand course offerings and ensure the successful implementation of the new requirement.

California Assemblymember Jose Medina, who spoke to the board Tuesday, is working to get a bill passed that would make ethnic studies a graduation requirement for all high schools in the state.

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Thursday, July 9, 2020

SACRAMENTO, CA— Assemblymember Jose Medina (D-Riverside) released the following statement on the lack of Latinos selected thus far to be members of the 2020 Citizens Redistricting Commission:

Tuesday, July 7, 2020

SACRAMENTO, CA— Assemblymember Jose Medina (D-Riverside), Chair of the Assembly Higher Education Committee, released the following statement on the announcement that Michael Drake will succeed Janet Napolitano as president of the University of California: