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County to be Hispanic majority by 2030
Monday, July 23, 2007
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By DAVID RYAN
Register Staff Writer
3 p.m.Napa will become mostly Hispanic by 2030 — sooner than six other Bay Area counties — as whites decline in numbers and Hispanics multiply. In fact, by 2040 every Bay Area county except San Francisco will be populated mostly by Hispanics, according to recently released numbers from the California Department of Finance

The state Department of Finance used things like racial fertility rates, mortality rates and statistical models to come up with population projections of how the state will change through 2050 — county by county.
Starting from a population of 125,146 in 2000, the state estimates Napa County will more than double to 251,630 people by 2050.

But the real news is what will happen racially by 2030. That year, the state estimates 91,896 Hispanics will eclipse 77,037 Caucasians to become the majority race in Napa County. The Hispanic lead will increase each year thereafter. By 2050, they will become more than 60 percent of the county, 152,455 compared to 68,358 white residents.
At the same time, whites will decline in numbers, going from 80,342 in 2020 to 68,358 in 2050.

Mary Heim, a demographic researcher for the state, said it’s all due to the birth rate, not white flight.
“Right now, today, whites are experiencing natural decrease,” she said. “In other words the number of deaths are outpacing the number of births.”

State-measured fertility and mortality rates show that Hispanics are having more children than whites and they are living longer than whites. While whites are having an average of 1.83 children per couple — not enough to keep the population steady — Hispanics are having 2.33 children per couple.

Then there’s the other end of life. While the state estimate white males can expect to live to 76.8 years old, their Hispanic counterparts are estimated to live to 79.3 years of age. The difference was even more pronounced for women. Hispanic women are on average estimated to live to 84.2 years of age while white women are estimated to die after 81.1 years on average.

Marisa Loza, an immigration consultant working in Napa, said she sees new Hispanics coming to Napa all the time, and not just at her business.

“Even when you go to church you see new people,” she said. “We have people moving from Southern California and from other states, but especially from the Los Angeles area.”

Loza remembers when she came to Napa 16 years ago she could count maybe 30 Hispanic students with her at Vintage High School. District enrollment figures from the 2005-06 school year show Hispanic students made up 24.1 percent of 2,423 students.

The owners of the Napa Food Center on Kilburn Avenue in west Napa first noticed changes in their customers about a decade ago. More and more, local Hispanics were cruising the aisles looking for the bargains that Napa Food Center bases its livelihood on.

At first, the owners decided it was time to stock an entire aisle dedicated to Hispanic foods, then, a few years ago, they went for it.

“Five years ago we decided to go full-blown,” said co-owner Eric Obranovich, 24. Since then, the Anglo family-owned market on Kilburn Avenue has been stocked in every aisle with a combination of standard supermarket fare and ethnic foods from Mexico.

Shoppers cruise the aisles while cumbias — upbeat Spanish-language songs — play over the store’s sound system. Checkers deal with customers in either English or Spanish. The message: If you’re from south of the border, you’ll feel comfortable spending your money here.

“We see a double-digit increase in business every year,” Obranovich said. With the state numbers, that business stands to keep increasing.
139 comment(s)

Joe wrote on Jul 23, 2007 4:21 PM:

" Good for San Fran. Looks like they will continue to capitalize from expensive rentals, small unit sizes and expensive real estate. This may be the next Pleasantville. "

No!!!!! wrote on Jul 23, 2007 4:45 PM:

" This is the worst news ever!!!! I don't mind the hispanics in the community, in fact, I have a lot of friends that are hispanic. What I do mind is the fact that we live in America... This is not Mexico!!! I find myself places were there are instructions in spanish but not english. I call business and it is press "2" for english. English speakers shouldn't even have to press anything and if they do it should be "1". I don't like the way that most hispanic women treat other women (not of their culture) really bad. I can speak a little bit of spanish (which you have to in order to live California now) and I can tell when I walk by a group of them and they are talking about me in spanish or whatever. Most crime commmitted in Napa is the hispanic community. This is bad bad news. Most of them live 30 people in a 3 bedroom house making it impossible to find affordable housing in Napa. They cheat the system making it hard for people who need help to get it and most of them drive bad! I guess California has been reclaimed. "

Leaving for Real America wrote on Jul 23, 2007 4:49 PM:

" This only confirms why leaving Napa for better digs is now a confirmed reality for many families. Let the degradation begin despite the multi millions they are spending to upgrade the town. California will be Third World by 2030 and this will affect Napa and we will have no one to blame but our selves and our liberal politicians. "

Sandy wrote on Jul 23, 2007 5:11 PM:

" Ms Loza sees new hispanics every week? More than likely new illegal aliens. I seriously doubt that it will take until 2030 for them to become the majority. Most like me will have left Napa well before then. I'm sorry but look at Mexico, do you really have to ask why we don't want a hispanic majority? "

Ramon wrote on Jul 23, 2007 6:10 PM:

" All of those comments are far too ignorant....I'm willing to bet that all of you have at one time taken advantage of the services provided by Hispanics in the community, for example a house cleaner,gardener,construction worker, or nanny. The wine indusrtry also benefits from Hispanic labor.We do all the work that no other Race will do for the amount of money we get payed so dont complain that "We" come and take all your jobs....cause I'd like to see you Pick grapes.... "

Uncle Ramon wrote on Jul 23, 2007 7:24 PM:

" Mexico has no safety nets for it's people, no social security, no unemployment benefits but it does have a lot of oil. Once they get the right president in Mexico who gives the Mexican people the monies that are rightfully theirs, instead of sending it to their Swiss bank accts, then this prediction that our dear Napa will be mostly Hispanic by 2030 will not come true. Mexicans will go back home to enjoy the benefits that are rightfully theirs and our city will be saved. "

M.G. wrote on Jul 23, 2007 7:30 PM:

" All we have to do, white people, is have .7 more kids per couple to keep up. Or do 1.8 kids really cramp up the SUV as it is? Plus that would mean a whole new soccer schedule to keep track of. Screw it, let's just move to Utah. "

Really wrote on Jul 23, 2007 7:32 PM:

" I thought it was already. "

Sandra wrote on Jul 23, 2007 7:42 PM:

" Here we go again..."We do all the work that no other Race will do for the amount of money we get payed so dont complain that "We" come and take all your jobs....cause I'd like to see you Pick grapes.... "... My husband is white. He picked grapes in the early 70's. I am white. I cleaned hotel rooms in the 70's. I picked prunes as a child. People come illegally from Mexico to this country and undercut wages, and make it impossible for any citizen to do the jobs they take. They burden our emergency rooms, have children paid for by our social services, burden out school systems, and do not assimilate into our culture. I have NEVER hired any illegal worker to do anything for me, and I never would. If you are illegal, go home. If you hire illegal workers you are distroying our middle class all because you are greedy and selfish. Big business only wants the money they can make off this serf class of people thay have created. IT IS SHAMEFUL!!!!! "

We are all HUMANS wrote on Jul 23, 2007 8:28 PM:

" I think you guys need to be more "Human" all you guys do is talk bad about Mexicans & Latinos but you guys dont know the reasons they came here in the first place I think if you would put yourself in their shoes you might understand just a bit(you know instead of judging)& if you dont remember this was MEXICO It was their land before it was ours "

Good News wrote on Jul 23, 2007 8:35 PM:

" I guess theirs going to be more wine more money for you guys........right! Thats what you guys are thinking & thats what MOST of you really care about. "

ridiculous wrote on Jul 23, 2007 8:57 PM:

" wow! sounds like some people need some serious history lessons. If you're so upset about the Hispanic influence in Napa, or California in general, then honestly, you should have left ages ago! "Their" culture and influence has always been present- so where have ya'll been? Don't be threatened because people are trying to create better lives for themselves and their families... afterall, isn't that what YOUR ancestors wanted? I just don't understand why people are acting like this is an outbreak of a plague...they're people. Besides, I don't see you all complaining when your sharing a pitcher of margaritas on Cinco De Mayo- claiming to be celebrating "Mexican independence"- Whatever!! "

B-low ... A mexican... wrote on Jul 23, 2007 9:37 PM:

" Lets think back in history people. Less than 200 hundred years ago california use to be mexico.In America we are the "land of the free and the home of the brave". The majority of the people inlisted in army/navy/airforce are from the latin community. We are dieing for this country in the current war we are in,but for what, to be humilitated and disrespected still? Why do you do the immagration law still has not gotten passed? Because not only California but also America will suffer financially. California would not be what it is today if it werent for us hispanics. "

disgusted in Cali wrote on Jul 23, 2007 9:38 PM:

" Seriously, this is getting out of hand and obviously our govt refuses to do anything about it. All of us LEGAL AMERICANS need to unite and push our congressmen to enforce the laws already on the books instead of putting their heads in the sand. Most of the Hispanic people I know, agree with me. They came here legally and honor and respect our laws. What are all of these illegals teaching their children.....that it is ok to steal,break the law and spit on America. "

Do your research wrote on Jul 23, 2007 9:49 PM:

" Fact: The average illegal immigrant family COSTS the tax payer approximately $22k a year more in social services than they contribute economically. Fact: Hispanics on average are having 4 - 5 times as many children, usually at the expense of the tax payer. Fact: over 55% of these second and third generation Hispanic students drop out of school before graduating, thus keeping this growing underclass flourishing. Fact: wherever you have high Hispanic demographics, you have higher crime rates, because of the above mentioned conditions and many others too numerous to list on this post. Fact: there is a legitimate reason why stats like Arizona are now declaring a State of Emergency because of illegal immigration. I encourage anyone to do their own research and then argue the facts about this matter factually and those of you who say this is a good thing, please convince me otherwise. "

Really? wrote on Jul 23, 2007 10:02 PM:

" And this is breaking news? "

Reality check wrote on Jul 23, 2007 10:08 PM:

" I guess that most of the people posting comments are not reading the article. By the year 2030. That means most if not all "Latinos" here will be American citizens. They will vote, they will elect the mayor, the council members, the superintendents, etc...etc... So if it means that close minded people are going to run then oh well. It is not that they are taking over this land, they are just reclaiming what was once theirs. Before the American-Mexican war this was a bilingual state. So California is just going full circle. "

Disgusted wrote on Jul 23, 2007 10:19 PM:

" I am so happy to read all these comments and see that there are still a lot of people out there who feel the same as me. "No!!" you said it best for me. I do not want to live in little Mexico. I wouldnt mind the majority shifting if these people could come here and learn how to assimilate. There is no Press 1 for Italian or Press 2 for Portuguese, etc. Why? Because those people came here and wanted to become Americans, not just take advantage of what America had to offer. They learned the language & taught it to their children (not expecting the schools to do it for them). They waved the flag of this country outside their home, not their native flag. And I dont recall ever hearing of gang issues and violence coming with them to Napa. And they were doing the grunt work before the Mexicans were; I get so tired of hearing people say "no one else will do the hard labor".... please, who do you think was doing it before you came in droves? "Uncle Ramon", I hope you are right.. that once Mexico gets a decent President, they will go back to their roots and the desire to come here wont be the same. "

National Suicide wrote on Jul 24, 2007 8:25 AM:

" Ours is a nation committing suicide. We saved a buck on lettuce and bottles of cabernet by using illegal aliens from Mexico but we lost our country county by county. Fools. Make no mistake, by 2040 California will no longer be recognizable as the United States. "

mike wrote on Jul 24, 2007 9:36 AM:

" Rather than rant and rave like so many others on here, I'm looking at the silver lining - the end of liberal reign in CA. CA's legal resident hispanic community is religious, family oriented and hard working. They are anti gay marriage and anti abortion. Other than social entitlement bribes, the liberals have nothing to offer the hispanic community. And once the hispanic community is majority they can vote themselves the entitlements without having to support candidates who promote social issues they abhore. Look back at that time line lib's, your day in the sun is near its end. "

Courtney wrote on Jul 24, 2007 9:53 AM:

" To: No!!!!! I am sure all of your hispanic friends would love to hear all of your gross sterotypes regarding Mexicans, you know, about how they live 30 to a house and are bad drivers. What paranoia to think that someone would stop a conversation and talk about you as you walk by it must make it very difficult for you to go anywhere attracting all of that attention. It must be so difficult to push "2" or "1" or what ever button you have to push for English, honeslty out of all the gripes I have read about Hispanics that has got to be the most petty. It's funny how "knowing" a Mexican gives you free reign to bash them, under the guise "I dont mind if they live in the community", as if that disclaimer makes your comments any less ignorant. The fact of the matter is, you do mind. Apparently a lot of people mind or there wouldn't be all of these ridiculous comments written by people who feel more comfortable bashing hispanics while hiding behind screen names. You people act like a disease is making its way to Napa, get real, we are talking about people. To see all of the intollerance that makes it way from our community through these comments is truly the saddest part of this article. "

Sandra wrote on Jul 24, 2007 10:10 AM:

" It is interesting to me how the supporters of Illegal Aliens keep trying to make this into a racial issue. I guess the best defense is a good offense. In this case the offense is so off base it is laughable. The vast majority of people against illegal aliens have nothing against Latinos. I grew up in Napa. There has always been a good sized LEGAL Latino population. I count many of them as friends. The argumant is against ILLEGAL ALIENS. They could be from Mars for all I care. They have no right to be here. They are cheap labor for big business. Period. They are a drain on the middle class. They take jobs that used to be done by LEGAL workers. Reality Check...you are right. They will be legal, because they will be the legal children of ILLEGAL ALIENS!!! Get a clue...This is a really bad loophole in our laws, and it is a loophole, that as far as I know, only exists in America. "

To Sandra wrote on Jul 24, 2007 11:18 AM:

" The comments made ARE racial! As with past articles the Register has run regarding Hispanics everyone comes out of the woodworks and asserts their own sterotypes. Read below in No!!!!!'s comment, let's see 30 people to a house, bad driving, apparently the whole female hispanic population is talking about them. Or was this person just refering to the illegal hispanics instead of the hispanic population as a whole in that comment? Or the comments about how this isn't Mexico, how does refer to just the illegal population? Wake up Sandra, it is a racial issue so have your good laugh, they say "ignorance is bliss". "

To Courtney wrote on Jul 24, 2007 11:39 AM:

" Yes alot of us do mind that hispanics are becoming the majority on the basis that they are coming here ILLEGALY. You can moan and groan about racism all you want. That's the arguement people use when they have no legitimate one. And please answer me this question. If illegal aliens save us so much money, please tell me with probably the largest illegal population in the country why California is the most expensive state to live in????? "

To: To Courtney wrote on Jul 24, 2007 12:19 PM:

" Again, the comments made are racist, that is a valid argument. Just in case you haven't read some of the comments made below, take the time to do so now (No!!!!!, Disgusted). They have nothing to do with illegal immigration, but more a commentary on the hispanic population. If you want to debate about immigration then just stick to that, don't make asserations regarding race. Also, I dont see anyone below arguing for the money saving qualities of illegal immigration. "

Racists wrote on Jul 24, 2007 12:35 PM:

" Let me see if I understand this. All Bay Area counties except SF will have a majority population of Hispanics by 2040. People scratch their heads and say: 'hang on, is this right?' Those same people are called racists. I find that astonishing. The only reason Latinos will outnumber non-latinos in the near future is illegal entry in America by foreign nationals. Its not about race folks. Its about the loss of one's culture and national identity through illegal activity. "

Disgusted to to: courtney wrote on Jul 24, 2007 12:38 PM:

" Please explain how my comments are racist? I made no references to their driving, how many live in one house, who they are talking about in their conversations, etc. I simply stated the facts. There have been many cultures to migrate to the USA throughout history.. Why is it that when you call a business the only option is Press 1 or 2 for English or Spanish? Why not Irish, Italian, Portuguese, etc? The answer simple, those people learned the language and taught it to their children, not forcing the schools to spend billions on ESL type classes. These are facts, not racist remarks. The Hispanic population wants to come here and benefit from this country, but not become a part of it. They want to create Mexico here. If this werent true, why dont they learn English? Why does everyone else have to learn Spanish? Like someone mentioned in any earlier post, playing the race card is the best scapegoat you've got when you have nothing else to use. By the way, learn what it means to be racist. My husband happens to have been born in Mexico. If I were truly racist, I wouldnt have married him. However, he didnt cut in line.. he went through all the red tape, filed all the necessary paperwork, came here legally & learned the language within 1 year. These are things I highly respect about him. Dont be so quick to call people racist. This is about legal vs. illegal, not begrudging hard working people who want a better life for themselves. "

TO TO COURTNEY wrote on Jul 24, 2007 12:55 PM:

" For the pro illegal alien side it is always about race, well sorry it's about FACT and the fact is the majority of illegal aliens are hispanic. That's just the way it is. Also I dont agree with stereotypes. There are many hardworking, legal hispanics that contribute to our society. But there are also those, like NO !!!!!! said that live 30 to a house. I had a family like that live across the street from me and I could easily show you that all over neighborhoods in Napa. If you want to argue that, you aren't going to win. "

View from Afar wrote on Jul 24, 2007 1:13 PM:

" Who cares if someone wants to label comments here as "racist?" So what? So, if a population tends to act in a certain way..and it is predictable, is recognizing ths fact racist? If so, then everyone and anyone who blogs here is racist, in one way or another. Stereotypes are not created of dust and sheer imagination. They are the result of observation and repeated patterns of behavior. We all know that the illegals live large #'s of people to a single house. We know they drive without a license, are not insured, do use the ER more than taxpaying, legitimate workers. We know hispanics have more kids than whites, heck, this article even says so. Is the author of this piece racist? or is he just recognizing a repeating fact about latinos? And, too much of one ingredient ruins the 'melting pot,' folks. And there is WAY TOO many mexicans coming into this area and the US. Those pointing out that other cultures, other nationalities are not being given the same recognition (Italians, Greeks, Scots, etc.) are making a valid point. Why isn't this being addressed? Why? Because those people are not invading this country in huge, illegal numbers. Stop apologizing and defending the ruination of this country, folks. You'll be sorry. "

Suze wrote on Jul 24, 2007 1:19 PM:

" Does that means there will be even more abandoned cars littering our highways and trash in the creeks left behind by our 'guest workers' and others who do not want to spring the bucks for honest disposal. Does anyone know how much it costs Napa County to clear the cars from Napa County Roads? I heard a rumour that it was approaching half a million dollars annually. Perhaps the next generation will actually be putting something back into the system, unless they continue to have large families they cannot support without my taxes and health premiums, in which case, the Californian economy will nosedive. Most of the so called prejudice toward our Hispanic friends is based on resentment, some of it well founded. Nonetheless, the best of them are good hard working family oriented people who truly contribute. I live in hope, and try to be kind. "

To Disgusted wrote on Jul 24, 2007 1:35 PM:

" There is no press "1" for Portugese because we dont have a large Portugese population, to assert that all other races know English is absurd. Whether or not someone speaks English has nothing to do with being legal or illegal. By the way, learn to draw realistic parrallels, no one is trying to turn California into Mexico, if your husband is from Mexico than he should be able to tell you how our affluent community in no way even resembles impoverished Mexico. When my stepmother learned to speak English in the school system there was no ESL, if you were caught speaking English you got a good whack! ESL is designed to teach students English, which apparently your main gripe about immigrants is how they don't speak English. So how do you want it, make up your mind. "

Tom wrote on Jul 24, 2007 2:04 PM:

" If you keep building it they will come. Who do you think all this "affordable housing" the County keeps trying to build is for? If you think Napa is too crowded now, just wait till there are 250k residents. You don't want Napa to boast a popultion of a quarter milliom? You thikn that's too large a population for this small valley? STOP BUILDING IT, or they will come! "

Disgusted wrote on Jul 24, 2007 2:21 PM:

" Yes, ESL is designed to teach them English, at who’s cost? Ours. Funny how all the other migrant populations learned without these programs which now cost our state billions every year. And as a matter of fact, there is a huge Portuguese and Italian population in Napa now, it just so happens that they are recognized by surname only because they have ASSIMILATED. Which is what the Mexicans should learn to do. If you have been in Napa for a while, you will remember that down from the fairgrounds, through First St. and Soscol Ave. was all “Little Italy” at one time.. remember the Rossi’s, Tamborelli’s, Ratto’s Ruffino’s, etc. However, is that Little Italy now? Do those people get to go to a local business and be served in their native language? No. Why, they learned English and became part of American society. And what were those people doing to make money? Picking prunes, walnuts, restaurant work, pretty much everything the Mexicans claim they are the only ones willing to do. The difference is they did this without burdening the city with crime and the schools with all these extra programs costing billions. By the way, these are factual and realistic parallels, people need to quit burying their heads behind the race card and wake up and see it. "

Jen wrote on Jul 24, 2007 4:23 PM:

" I agree with NO!!! We are in America, the language is ENGLISH. I should not have to press 1 or anything and I should not have to sit through a second round of instructions in Spanish. If I moved to another country, I would learn the language. The ones that don't think we owe them. I find it very irritating when I have to wait at the pharmacy or other places because the person at the counter has to help the other counter person translate. Get over it, learn the language or get out. By the way, my son's father is from Mexico and came here illegally (which he never told me untill my son was 9) and I have many friends that are from Mexico and other countries. If you don't want to participate by working and learning to live here, you should not live here. And I am also tired of spending tax dollars on their kids to learn English in our schools. They should have to pay for that service, NOT US. "

IRRITATED AMERICAN wrote on Jul 24, 2007 4:27 PM:

" B-Low, we are not talking about the Hispanic people that come here legally and work, we are talking about the lazy ones that milk the system and think we owe them. We don't owe them, we bought California from Mexico so if you want to blame someone, blame the Mexican government who sold California. California is apart of the United States and it is the land of the free and the home of the brave, who come here LEGALLY. Illegal is illegal and they should go home. If you want to be here, come in legally and WORK AND LEARN THE LANGUAGE AND STOP THINKING WE SHOULD SPEAK SPANISH BECAUSE YOU ARE TO LAZY TO LEARN TO SPEAK ENGLISH. "

Sandra wrote on Jul 24, 2007 4:47 PM:

" It is not racist to state a fact. If you look at the number of illegal aliens to a household, you will see that it is common for more people to live under one roof than a legal household of people. Most of the illegal aliens just happen to be from south of the border. Why is this racist to point this out. Why is it racist to point out that Mexico's government is a mess, and we do not want our country to become like Mexico? If all of the illegal aliens were from mars, and the reality of having martians invade was similar, would it then be racist to point out the problems the martians add to our lives? Should we say "these people"? Should we just use the term "illegal alien" and ignore the truth? The truth of the matter is that the majority come from MEXICO. Is it racist to point that out? It digresses from the reality of what is happening. I think the people who yell racist the loudest are probably the same people who hire and take advantage of this serf class of people. The same class of people they have created out of their greed. "

To Sandra wrote on Jul 24, 2007 5:51 PM:

" AMEN. Couldn't have said it better myself "

JJ wrote on Jul 25, 2007 8:09 AM:

" To Disgusted: I agree with you totally, I remember the Little Italy and how hard working they were and how succesful they became from hard work and not sucking off the government. I just wonder if in the future, If Napa turns into little Mexico will The Tourist come to spend their Money In( Napa-Mexico) Do the wine owners ever look in that future? "

Pedro wrote on Jul 25, 2007 12:33 PM:

" Napexico... Don't drink the water. "

Old Timer wrote on Jul 25, 2007 3:04 PM:

" Glad I won't be alive to see it. "

Thomas wrote on Jul 25, 2007 3:34 PM:

" Is this what all our soldiers have died for over the last two hundred plus years? To carelessly give our country over to Hispanics who came here illegally? Our generation is a disgrace for allowing this to happen. If this tidal wave was the result of legal immigration it would be one thing but we all know the truth. "

... wrote on Jul 25, 2007 4:22 PM:

" hispanics are the largest minority here, therefore we are an easy target to you all. You'd talk about whoever was different if you felt they were "taking over" your county, state, whatever. Throughout history somebody has always provided the cheap labor--unfortunatley for all you "hispanic" haters, Mexico is just next door. It's not as easy for anyone else to get come here in large numbers, otherwise they would have shown up here a long time ago. I know it's been said, but blame yourselves. STOP SUPPORTING THE BUSINESS WHO ARE BENEFITING FROM CHEAP LABOR. How hard is it for the government to actually start going through each business and physically checking paperwork? It could be done, but the business owners don't want that. Let's try it just for fun--give the California business owners one free pass--check their employees' legal status without any consequences (to the owners) and start sending everyone back. Line the border with soldiers to keep everyone out and lets see what happens... "

D* wrote on Jul 25, 2007 7:55 PM:

" Im white, I only speak english and have lived here all my life. I am a bad driver, have a large family of 6 who all live under the same roof, and yes, I have littered in the "creek." My highschool had a creek going right through it. I don't do it everyday but I have done it. Get over it, not only hispanics do it. It's not an inconvience to push "1" and yes while some are illegal please keep in mind that not all of them are. If you don't like the ways things are here then leave the Bay Area. No one is stopping you. "

To ... wrote on Jul 25, 2007 10:20 PM:

" Please don't take the racist drivel pushed here as the only opinion that Caucasians have of Hispanics. I like my Hispanic neighbors, I love Mexican food and I am trying to learn the language. In fact my advice to those who are so afraid of losing dominance is that there is nothing to fear from honest hardworking families of any race. And for god's sake Mexicans are a mix of European Spain and Native Tribes who were organized and civilized well before their nations were ended by the invasion of Cortez. This is one middle-aged white man who is disgusted by these racist bigots, too. "

TO TO: wrote on Jul 26, 2007 7:50 AM:

" Racist, racist, racist. How original of you ! Can't you come up with something better? There is nothing wrong with wanting people who come here illegaly to not be the majority. Do you think if millions and millions of Americans flooded into Mexico, took over neighborhoods, filled the schools and hospitals and didn't pay, refused to learn the language, waved our US Flag in their faces and made demands, do you think Mexicans would accept us with open arms and not mind one teeny bit? Oh wait a minute this would never happen because Mexico ENFORCES it's immigration laws. We are to respect their border but they feel free to traipse across ours whenever they please. "

Sandra wrote on Jul 26, 2007 8:56 AM:

" This isn't about RACE. This is about a large group of illegal non-english speaking people invading our country to take sub-wage jobs created by the greed of big business. These sub-wage jobs were done by a variety of RACES 30 years ago, at wages that allowed people to make a living. This is no longer true. Add to that the drain on the middle class in higher taxes, the over use of emergency rooms for primary medical care, the burden on our schools....30 years ago California was one of the top states in education, this is no longer true. Connect the dots and figure out why....Add all of that together, and we have a HUGE PROBLEM created by ILLEGAL WORKERS and the GREEDY PEOPLE who hire them. This is not about race, and anyone who says it is has a few cards missing from their deck...is not the brightest bulb in the house, or the sharpest tool in the shed. AND FYI HISPANICS ARE CAUCASION!!!! "

Not a race issue wrote on Jul 26, 2007 9:35 AM:

" I am white and my husband is Latino. Our children are fluent in both English and Spanish. We are opposed to illegal immigration. People that play the race card on this issue are trying to stop a real discussion from taking place. The illegals make it hard for those that are here legally. "

Wow! wrote on Jul 26, 2007 10:15 AM:

" Theres a lotta angry people in this little garden of eden! We are good!they are bad! look out the sky is falling! In most of calif. anyone who buys food enlists a service or does anything else contributes to "illegal" labor. We as a nation created that problem, if it is a problem. And "history" is usually told from the view of someone who highlights a particular time in history press a point home. Point: California was Mexico! sure after mexico invaded and subdued by force all the indians they came across. Mexico was invaded by the spanish who subdued by force all the indians they came across.the native americans have a different view of history. What about he who is without sin cast the first stone and judge not lest ye be judged and dont forget do unto others as you would have them do and so on. We are all Illegal to the native people of this land so how far back should the evictions go? And bigotry is bigotry no matter how you wrap it up. The same rants have been going on all over the USA when any non white population grows, be they vietnamese, african american, latino or any other race. where do you think the term white flight comes from? Scared white people leaving an area that has seen an influx of usually non white people who want a better life for thier children. We are all here for life try to make it better for all. "

To WOW wrote on Jul 26, 2007 11:24 AM:

" Try real hard to comprehend this. This issue is not about RACE for the millionth time. These people are criminals, period.Come here illegal is a crime. You can put your fingers in your ears and cry racism over and over it's still a crime. It's not the color of their skin that makes people so angry. It's their actions. They have no respect for this country or it's laws. "

Sandra wrote on Jul 26, 2007 11:39 AM:

" It appears some tools still need sharpening....We have an established government, with laws, as does Mexico, and any other legal government that you can name. Our laws are being broken. Do I blame the illegal immigrants for breaking the law? Yes, but even more than them, it is the greed of the people who hire them that are ultimately to blame. I do not blame illegal immigrants for wanting a better life, I blame big business for creating this mess. I blame our government for the handouts they give illegals instead of making the businesses who hire them take care of them. These people are the "SERFS" of these businesses. The only difference between big business and a feudal lord is that the feudal lord provided land and housing for their serfs. These businesses expect the middle class to foot the bill for their greed. And so far it is working. Jobs that the young people of our country used to do, are gone. Jobs that the UFW used to do are dissapearing. Look at the situation at Krug Winery. The UFW was broken. Hard working LEGAL workers are now out of jobs. Wages were undercut, and illegals moved in. Who ruled this land 200, 300, or 400 years ago is not the issue. It has nothing to do with the color of someones skin. It has to do with economics. It has to do with greed. If all of the people who are crying RACE, BIGOTRY, DISCRIMINATION really cared then they would be protesting the sub-wages farm workers are being paid. They would be standing up for the legal workers who no longer can make a living as farm workers. They tell themselves it is about race, so they can justify being more enlightened then the rest of society, as they hire illegal people at sub-wages and feed their greed. "

already feels taken over wrote on Jul 26, 2007 12:04 PM:

" We have only lived in Napa 10 years and we see the difference.. Why don’t we just pull the boarder down now.. They seam to be getting over here just fine with it up, and give them more aid to raise there many kids, I know we wont be staying in Napa to see this event and its sad that the people who grew up in Napa and California have to put up or shut up about this situation.....and again I'm talking abut the people who come here and don’t care to speak our language and just live off the great benefits we give to them... I had lost my job 3 months ago Right now I cant get health insurance for my kids and I because we make just a little to much to go on any health benefits and not enough to afford to pay out for them I only have 2 kids so I have no choice but to wait for my new benefits to start with a new job. "

Re-Thomas wrote on Jul 26, 2007 12:57 PM:

" My uncle Pedro gave his life for this country in the Vietnam war. I'm sure he would be proud to see that more immigrants are coming to the country that he fought and died for. "

Re-No!!! wrote on Jul 26, 2007 1:02 PM:

" No!!! Please correct me if I'm wrong. are Randy Weeks, Eric Copple, The Dentist that murdered his wife, and the person who murdered the guy by Skyway park Hispanic? I don't think so. Also, you claim that most hipanic households have 30 people living in them. What part of town do you live in? If you don't like the Napa Valley and what it's becoming then move. Adios! "

TO Re No wrote on Jul 26, 2007 2:13 PM:

" What do non hispanics committing crimes have to do with illegal aliens? So by your logic, since Americans commit crimes we should allow all illegal aliens to come to our country and do as they wish? Uh... don't think so. Google "illegal alien crime" you could read for days. "

I wonder wrote on Jul 26, 2007 3:10 PM:

" Sandra, you are dead to center RIGHT!!! I agree with you as so many others also agree with you. To anyone who thinks that nothing is 'goin' on,' open your eyes. You can't see the forrest for the trees. You're so immersed in the BS that you don't even realize what is happening. I went away for a while and returned and my eyes were wide open. What I saw disgusted me then as now. Napa is an angry, crowded, road raged, gang banging, drive by, stabbing, illeterate haven. Up valley is still doing 'ok' but, for how long? Money is the only barrier there and that won't keep the wolves at bay for very much longer. Just keep on turning a blind eye to the degradation of Napa. It is now an over developed, over populated nightmare. No longer charming, no longer 'classy,' no longer unique. Just crowded, angry and ugly. And you can thank your elected representatives for letting it get this bad. No one is standing up for the working and middle class American in fact, it is almost unpopular to proclaim your nationality as American and your identity as middle class. you don't fall into the politically correct segments of society. You are now just a 'necessary evil' in the scheme of things; which is the whine industry overtaking the entire valley using cheap illegal labor at your -middle class- expense while you -middle class- foot the bill. "

wow again wrote on Jul 26, 2007 7:03 PM:

" where in the article do you see the term illegal aliens used? or even the word mexican? Hispanic is a word describing many different latino peoples from many different countries and by turning this into a discussion about illegal aliens and making this a n us and them discussion you make it about race. Either the discussion is about the growing hispanic population which means the subject is about race or its about illegal immigration which means the discussion has drifted off track. Or its about both and then the statements "them" and "they", since the article is referring to the Hipanic population, are statements of bigotry whether the intent is or not.Its easy to type something without careful consideration of the words we choose. Napexico, little mexico, illegals from mexico ... tell me those arent bigoted statements. My point is an article about population growth and diversity has been hijacked into an anti-mexican rant under the guise of illegal immigration. A sad and scarey view of what passes for a nice family values sort of place "

Sandra wrote on Jul 26, 2007 7:45 PM:

" Wow, why is the latino population growing? Yes, a small percentage is legal immigration, and I say hooray for them. My coworker just became a citizen. She's from Mexico. I think it's great. We had a party. It was wonderful. She is happy, and we are happy. She immigrated legally. She learned the language, and she took the test. It was not easy, but she is now part of our great country. I am proud to work with her. But why is the population growing so quickly? Certainly NOT because of LEGAL IMMIGRATION. It is growing because illegal immigrants are flocking to this country, and having lots of children. I am paying for their children. I do not like it. I can barely pay for my own. This is NOT AN ANTI MEXICAN RANT. IT is an ANTI ILLEGAL RANT!!!! IT IS A RANT AGAINST THE PEOPLE WHO HIRE THEM!!!! IT IS A RANT AGAINST THE FOOLS WHO CANNOT GRASP THAT OUR COUNTRY IS IN TROUBLE. The discussion is not off base if you can wrap your mind around cause and effect. Illegal immigrants and the people who hire them are causing undue burden on the middle class. The people who hire them are getting rich off their sweat and toil. Our education system is in the toilet, crime is on the rise due to poverty of this serf class of people, who must work hard all day to survive while some of their kids join gangs. Drug cartels are crossing the borders illegally,selling drugs and growing pot. Legal latino citizens are having their identities stolen to provide covers for illegal immigrants. But this is all OK with you as long as we aren't racist. Can you grasp how idiotic that is? Can you wrap your mind around the fact that it has nothing to do with race, and everything to do with greed? "

Mike W wrote on Jul 26, 2007 7:46 PM:

" So many comments to reply to and not enough space. In a nutshell these statistics reported in the article are with regards to legal immigrants. Although I strongly doubt the folks behind the numbers actually proved that those they studied are in fact here legally. B Low you need to get your facts straight. The majority of the Armed Forces are "white" or black. Having served for a number of years and being stationed all over the world, I am speaking of personal observance. Yes California used to be part of Mexico before it became a state. Which is why there is a rich Mexican culture embedded in California. Does that bother me? Heck no. What bothers me are the illegal immigrants that will bump the Latino population into the majority race in the next 40 years or so. The core issue behind the anger and frustration about having to press 1 for English is due to the following (in a nutshell). In order to become a US citizen you must demonstrate that you comprehend, speak, read, and write the English language. Therefore there should be absolutely no reason to have anything published in any language other than English. By catering to those that only comprehend Spanish we as a society are destroying America. "

To Wow Again wrote on Jul 26, 2007 9:36 PM:

" You actually want to dispute that there are many illegal aliens included in the hispanic population of Napa? Please do tell, since the amount of legal immigration hasn't been expanded how do you explain the explosion of the hispanic population across our country? Saying "illegals from Mexico" isn't a bigoted statement, it's reality it's FACT. You use alot of words but don't say much. You use the race card because you can't win the arguement based on fact. Illegal is illegal and the majority of illegal aliens are from Latin America and the majority of those are from Mexico. "

Misfit wrote on Jul 26, 2007 10:33 PM:

" It's amazing how many of these people who write to complain about illegal immigrants or "Mexicans" taking over "Their" town, write as if English is their second language. Some of these postings are hilarious with the run on sentances, lack of proper grammar, no punctuation, etc. And they come off as somehow being superior to anyone??? The reality is, if every illegal immigrant were to become English speaking, American citizens, these people would still find a reason to hate them. It is racism, pure and simple. "

TO MISFIT wrote on Jul 27, 2007 7:26 AM:

" GET A CLUE... IF these illegals became citizens legally, first they would have to go home. Then they could apply for a visa to come here and apply for citizenship. Why in the world would anyone object to that? That is how you legally become a citizen. That way you do not become any more of a burden than any other citizen. You also have to have an understanding of english. People who are willing to work at becoming a citizen, are the kind of people I admire. In order to believe this is racism, pure and simple...well you said it.... SIMPLE, is the key word here. BLIND, would be another word....GREEDY is a third word. Look them up....oh sorry, have someone who can see, look them up for you. "

RMB wrote on Jul 27, 2007 7:49 AM:

" American workers are proected on the job. Their rights to equal pay, a minimum wage, safe working conditions, and a host of other labor laws are enforced; if an employer is not in compliance, the employee can take action. An illegal worker has none of these protections. They can be underpaid and overworked, and they have no recourse because of the threat of being exposed to the immigration authorities. The employer effectively owns them. In the meantime, Americans are being put out of their jobs because there are enough underhanded, greedy business people who want to make more, more, more. How can anyone believe this is good? "

Almost retired wrote on Jul 27, 2007 8:45 AM:

" Well this just confirms why Oregon is looking so nice. Good thing I am close to retirement and will be able to move so very soon. "

To Almost Retired wrote on Jul 27, 2007 10:44 AM:

" We are heading that way too. Hopefully now you are living in an nice neighborhood that is not trashed. Otherwise you will never sell your home! "

wow wow wow wrote on Jul 27, 2007 10:53 AM:

" Look, I'm not saying there isnt an illegal immigration problem. I'm not saying we shouldn't have tougher laws that are actually enforced by our lawmakers. What I'm saying is any article that mentions hispanic, latino or mexican american gets turned into an illegal immigration rant. This article in particular does not mention immigration, legal or illegal, it mentions two races ie. hispanic and white and many of the posters have turned that into a rant on illegal immigration and many of those use harsh bigoted statements and slurs directed solely at mexicans. How do we have a discussion on population growth turn so confrontaional? Its because the article mentioned two races. Assumptions are being made and opinions are drawn from those assumptions and then stated here as if they were fact. you are saying that the majority of hispanics in napa are illegal and I didn't see that in the article and I am unwilling to draw conclusions and make broad statements about a whole race of people (ie the hispanic population mentioned in the article) that are derogatory and imflammitory without facts. Mob mentality, us and them, will not give us solutions but more problems. "

TO Wow Wow Wow wrote on Jul 27, 2007 11:06 AM:

" Did you read this article? The article is about Hispanics becoming the majority of Napa. The reason they are becoming a majority is because of illegal immigration. Do we really have to play dumb and not use common sense? I know it's not PC but it is correct. "

over population wrote on Jul 27, 2007 11:43 AM:

" I don't care if someone is white, brown, or green for that matter. We have a global population problem. Those countries with slower population growth and greater economic status attract those who continue to reproduce irresponsibly without any consideration for our limited global resources (I would also like to go after SUV drivers but this is not the focus here). It's no different than putting sugar in a petri dish with bacteria whose growth becomes exponential as a result. I just watched a program last night which addressed the problem of diminishing fossil fuels and the inevitable impact on humans. Within ten to twenty years, we are going to live in a 'dog eat dog', 'bully rules' society due to our fossil fuel addiction unless we act NOW. Forcing people to reproduce responsibly or better yet, not at all through economic incentives, is a first step. Closing our borders to other countries who do not have such a policy (we cannot fix our own problem if we continue allowing others to cross our borders from countries unwilling to fix their own), is another solution. Yeah, perhaps we will suffer economically for awhile. Grocery prices will increase etc. But this is NOTHING compared to the discomfort we face if we do not act NOW to slow population growth and dependency on fossil fuels. We are passing down a very scary future to upcoming generations. We should not allow ANYONE to cross a border from a country unable to control it's population growth and provide social security and health benefits to it's own people. To do so encourages dysfunctional countries to remain dysfunctional. I am a liberal BTW, but I prioritize environmental issues over social ones because poor social policies lead to environmental degradation which then lead to greater social ills. It's a big connected circle. And no matter what people think, this issue IS about open borders. I'm also annoyed by garbage being thrown out of cars from upvalley vineyard workers. We are inheriting way too many problems as a result of open borders. "

Yes!!!!! wrote on Jul 27, 2007 12:44 PM:

" Thank you 'overpopulation' for stating it so clearly. I agree with you. And for those who keep race baiting; well, you might just be onto something. There are certain predictable behaviors which can be directly attributed to particular cultures. This isn't necessarily "racist," per se, but is a result of observation. And, doesn't the term "culture" connotate an identifiable, recognizable mode of behavior? lifestyle? The mexican/latino culture promotes childbirth greater than does north American culture. Mexicans or latinos or hispanics tend to be conservative religiously which also encourages childbirth and discourages the use of contraceptives. (note earlier register articles regarding Catholicism and Mexicans). Some of the traits of the culture south of our border does not work well with environmentalism however, it seems to breed socialism; at least when members of that culture migrate north into the U.S. Additionally, you can bet that the census data which is quoted in the article may be just about those legal Napa residents who participated or allowed themselves to be counted. How about the COUNTLESS, unknown numbers of illegals here who hid from such a count? My guess is that there are FAR MORE people of Mexican/hispanic/latino descent here than the article states...many many more in the shadows and in hiding as they ARE illegal. One only has to drive by Napa High or anywhere in Old Town or Fuller Park to determine this fact for themselves. There is far too much immigration/legal or not/coming into the US from our southern border. It is an imbalanced influx and is changing our society; and not for the better. This is not fear talking, it is disappointment and sadness. There is nothing wrong with our American/U.S. history and we should NEVER apologize for being Americans, first. "

Half and Half wrote on Jul 27, 2007 2:01 PM:

" I am a Napkin, born and raised, now am 33 years old with 2 beautiful kids who are half mexican. My wife's parents came here illegally in the 60's, had eight kids, have 22 grandkids, and 2 great grandchildren, ALL OF WHOM LIVE IN NAPA. These illegals were here long before now, and will be here long after we are all gone. There is a difference in all types of society.. I don't hear anyone trashing our local "white trash" (go look in WALMART)... there is plenty of it... The legal/illegal Mexican families who live by the dozens in one house are the same...just a different skin color. Look behind the Factory Stores.. that IS LITTLE MEXICO, for those of you who are unaware.. Napa used to have Little Italy, Chinatown and the like... Learn to live with it.... Go take a Spanish course or two at the college, being bi-lingual pays more!!!. My kids can now get into college easier (with a GPA of 3.17 than if they were "Anglo-Saxon" as the college applications say, jsut by using my wife's maiden name and heritage.... GET USED TO IT... No matter how much we complain or letter write, the deed is done.... Se habla espanol? Si....... "

Who Cares wrote on Jul 27, 2007 2:18 PM:

" Why is this only an issue in Napa County? Everyone in California knew this was coming years ago, the point of the article was about San Francisco, how is not coming to be majority Hispanics. This is last page news everywhere else, but front page here. Napa Register needs to get better editors. Please give up real news Napa Register!!!!!!!!!! "

Mike W wrote on Jul 27, 2007 4:40 PM:

" To half and half Why should I be forced to learn another language? In America we speak English (but only because we anihlated the natives :( )and it's in fact up to anyone wishing to live here to learn the language. Not the other way around. It's a tad ironic that your blog fits in line with so many of the other "racists" that say illegal immigrants have no respect for our laws and reproduce at an astounding rate. "

Knows History wrote on Jul 27, 2007 5:52 PM:

" Dear White Napa Residents, This land before it was US territory was Native American land (that is where the names comes from). The Mexican government was here 300 years before the 1st white Anglo Saxon immigrant from the east came to this land; the people that lived here were called Californianos. Napa Valley was mainly owed by Vallejo and he sold it to a californiano called Nicolas Higurera (Mexican) and about later, he sold it to an Anglo Immigrant from the east called Nathan Coombs and the new history of Napa started. So I am not sure, if is not racism based, why the postings and opinions about this article?, it does make it sound like this is a new factor. Learn History and know that any occupied territory will eventually develop to create an equal demographical sharing of the population that was left behind in the occupation. Besides, how many whites work in your dollar making tax revenue wineries that is the number one industry in your county? The money of tourism that the winery industry brings is based on the backs of mainly Latino immigrant farm workers... so all I asked is for some prospective on the issue. Latinos had been here for over 400 years, Latinos are here supporting your economy and Latinos will be here to continue making this land thrive... and yes in less than 10 years your mayors, your council members, your teachers, your politician will slowly will learn to speak Spanish and soon enough their peer and power sharing stakeholders will be Latinos. It is the way history and human kind develops. Adapt and survived! Thank you for all those incredible hard working Latinos that contribute with their work to the local economy. "

Sandra wrote on Jul 27, 2007 7:58 PM:

" To Knows history...Your point about early California history is not the issue. Do you know the law? The law states that people have to follow the rules to immigrate legally. This article spurred this discussion because those who look at the big picture know that the population of hispanics is increasing due to ILLEGAL activity. We understand that in todays current employment field that the grapes are harvested by hispanics. Mainly ILLEGAL hispanics. Do you know your more current history? Do you know about Cesar Chavez? He was a legal citizen who was against ILLEGAL immigration. He worked hard to establish the UFW, to make sure legal farm worker's rights would be protected. The UFW has mostly been broken in the last 20 years due to the influx of ILLEGAL workers. The wineries hire them at subwages. They do not have to follow the UFW rules, as these ILLEGAL scabs have undercut the legal workers wages. The UFW was broken just recently at Krug winery. There was very little reaction by those who claim to care about farm workers. Who benifits from breaking the UFW??? BIG BUSINESS. Who pays??? Legal farm workers, and the middle class. This is not right. I may feel sympathy for illegal immigrants and the plight they face in their country, but I am not responsible for them. They need to stay home and fix their own country. We used to have plenty of legal farm workers to work the fields. Farmworkers who, because of the UFW had rights, and decent wages. This is no more. It is a travesty. There were more than just hispanics who wotrked in the fields. Many students worked in the fields, also. I am tired of the selfish greed, and excuses made by people who use ILLEGAL workers. I am tired of ignorant people saying anyone who is against ILLEGAL workers is racist. I am not against Hispanics. I am against ILLEGAL workers. Cesar Chavez understood this. He knew that legal farmworker deserved a decent wage and protection. Are all you Illegal apologists really that clueless? "

HUH?! wrote on Jul 27, 2007 8:47 PM:

" To Knows History... Its easy to say that our state was once a part of Mexico, key word is WAS. Why in 10 years, should everyone else have learned Spanish? Why shouldnt those who are coming here, field laborers or not, have to learn English? It makes no sense to me at all when people try to use that justification. This is now America. We speak English in this country. If you want to come here and benefit... great, but do it legally and learn the language of this great country. Dont come here and think that because you work hard in the field all day and that we get our veggies a little cheaper, that entitles you to break the law. It is absolutely absurd that we have made everyone else in this state feel like they need to "go to the college and take a Spanish class" as opposed to making the immigrants feel like they need to respect the laws and language of the US and go take English classes (which, by the way, are of course offered to them for free at the Napa Valley Adult School)...just one of the MANY freebies they get here. "

Walker wrote on Jul 28, 2007 7:57 AM:

" We will cash out of CA within 5-10 years. Hopefully, we will do so before the huge anticipated white flight movement occurs and drops real estate prices. When we cash out, we will research the whitest area at that time and that will be our retirement area -- even if outside of the country. I'm tired of having to write policies at work mandating that Hispanics must speak in English, being scared that crime will continue to increase as there is a direct correlation of racial census with crime, etc. It is unfortunate as Napa Valley is ideal. I'm not a racist -- I PREFER to be around my own kind. It is natural and I'm honest about it. "

Remember Krug Workers wrote on Jul 28, 2007 10:28 AM:

" One needs only to re-read the Napa Valley Register article about the Ruiz family (NVR, December 5, 2006)to understand the devastating effects of illegal immigration. Here was a guy, Ruiz, who was here legally, supporting his wife and three kids on $11.20/hour. But Krug knew it could boost profits by finding people willing to work for even less than that -- illegal workers. So Ruiz is out of a job, his family goes without medical care to avoid incurring more bills, and they're not eating well. I wonder what Mr. Ruiz thinks of the alliance between illegal workers and big business? "

? wrote on Jul 28, 2007 10:16 PM:

" all i got to say is TRY to STOP it....WAIT....YOU CANT! "

Lifetime LOCAL wrote on Jul 29, 2007 8:50 AM:

" I don't have a problem with the mexicans moving here, as long as they treat me and everyone else that lived here before them with RESPECT, and I am not seeing a whole lot of that. "

To Half and Half wrote on Jul 29, 2007 11:02 AM:

" Your arrogance speaks loud and clear and further creates division. A statement such as,"My kids can now get into college easier (with a GPA of 3.17 than if they were "Anglo-Saxon" as the college applications say, just by using my wife's maiden name and heritage" proves how discriminatory and "in your face" you really are. If white skinned people are becoming the minority, the reverse may someday take effect BTW. People should NOT be admitted into college based on a last name, skin color, or heritage but rather on an ability to use their brains in a scholastic setting. A few years ago I did a genealogy study on my family and discovered that my husband's side were once black. The line has been white for four generations now. Should I pull the photo out to prove my children's heritage so that they can lower their performance at an educational institution? About 10% of U.S. whites have black heritage. Why aren't citizens required to speak an African,Italian or German language? Learning about different cultures is required general education today in our college system, but one type of cultural study should not take precedence over another. The Spanish language (and culture) should not be held in any higher esteem than any other language and culture. And we do need ONE primary language in our country in order to function adequately. People should be required to exhibit competency in the English language before being admitted as U.S. citizens. "

Bird Feeder wrote on Jul 29, 2007 11:26 AM:

" A funny parallel... I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with seed. Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous flow of free and easily accessible food. But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the patio, above the table, and next to the barbecue. Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs, the table...everywhere. Then some of the birds turned mean: they would dive bomb me and try to peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket. And others birds were boisterous and loud: they sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food. After a while, I couldn't even sit on my own back porch anymore. I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone. I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all over the patio. Soon, the back yard was like it used to be...quiet, serene and no one demanding their rights to a free meal. Now let's see . . . our government gives out free food, subsidized housing, free medical care, free education and allows anyone born here to be a automatic citizen. Then the illegals came by the tens of thousands. Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services; small apartments are housing 5 families: you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor: your child's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the class doesn't speak English. Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box; I have to press "one" to hear my bank talk to me in English, and people waving flags other than "Old Glory" are squawking and screaming in the streets, demanding more rights and free liberties. Maybe it's time for the government to take down the bird feeder. "

Dude... wrote on Jul 29, 2007 12:37 PM:

" Come on... I cannot believe that this is still going on... everytime that I read an article of this nature there is always people who are complaining.. 'hispanics take this, hispanics do that..' how come you dont notice what anglos do? how about the majority of homeless people in america are white? how about people on welfare? its not all hispanics. or how about the the majority of serial killers are white? yea y'all didnt point that out huh? Why you guys always gotta look at the negative side of this?? think about it... the more hispanics in the community, the more that the majority of anglos will benefit. why you ask? You guys wont have to go and clean your own toilets, or cut your own grass or clean up after your award winning horses, you will have good wine that you all brag about. granted im not saying that all anglos arent doing SOME of the work, but thats only like 5% of the whites in the comunity. Like it or not, hispanics do alot for this community, and its about time that you realize it too. "

Charles wrote on Jul 29, 2007 4:03 PM:

" The only solution for California is for caucasian people to have more kids.... "

Maria wrote on Jul 30, 2007 8:01 AM:

" Truth be told, that majority will be of mixed heritage, because America is a melting pot. I am a second generation hispanic but my kids are a mixture. Their children will then be even more mixed and so on. What customs they will cling to will depend on what they are taught. I can't imagine that those satistics are counting only pureblood hispanics. "

To Charles wrote on Jul 30, 2007 10:43 AM:

" "Population" is the problem, not the color of a person's skin. I really hope people do not take your advice. We have global overpopulation combined with diminishing resources, and the U.S. is not interested in policies which reduce either. We can voluntarily reduce our reproduction as well as closing our borders to countries who won't. And when resources become further depleted in the future, those borders better be tightly secured. It will be one of the most important factors to our own survival. But if our own country continues with irresponsible reproduction policies such as tax breaks and higher welfare for families with more than a replacement number of children (which is two), we are begging for an uncomfortable future. "

To Maria wrote on Jul 30, 2007 10:50 AM:

" You are so right. I'm of Northern European descent, my husband is Latino. (His family immigrated legally in the 1930s.) Our children have Spanish surnames and they have blonde hair and blue eyes. This is truly the wave of the future. "

To Birdfeeder wrote on Jul 30, 2007 11:53 AM:

" AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "

To The Libs wrote on Jul 30, 2007 12:24 PM:

" It's not about color, it's about social values. Look around your neighborhood. See how your kids are being dumbed-down in school. Count the latino names on the DUI arrest reports. Wake up. "

Sandra wrote on Jul 31, 2007 8:38 AM:

" Dude....oh please.....Obviously you have NOT READ the whole blog....I know, it is probably too long, and gee dude, why bother? Obviously you have your set, albiet ignorant, view on this matter. And I use ignorant as defined by websters, meaning lacking knowledge....."You guys wont have to go and clean your own toilets, or cut your own grass or clean up after your award winning horses, you will have good wine that you all brag about. granted im not saying that all anglos arent doing SOME of the work, but thats only like 5% of the whites in the comunity." .... Dude, you come from that economic background? Because I sure don't. I have never been able to afford to have anyone do any of those things even once. But I will point out that I think many of the apoligists for illegal workers do come from that type of background. The only way they can sleep at night, and justify their use of illegals is to cry rascist, and make statements like yours. "

scared? wrote on Jul 31, 2007 10:56 AM:

" the only thing I read here is fear... "

To Walker wrote on Jul 31, 2007 11:51 AM:

" I hear the cabin that the unibomber was occupying is now on the market. It's perfect, completely isolated from all of those who are "not your kind". "

To Scared wrote on Jul 31, 2007 12:02 PM:

" Yeah I do fear becoming Mexico, look at it. These people cannot leave it fast enough and yet they create it here within the United States. "

lori wrote on Jul 31, 2007 2:36 PM:

" wow is all i have to say. "

Dear Sandra wrote on Jul 31, 2007 4:13 PM:

" Go buy this two books: 1. 500 years of chicano history. Yes Cesar Cahvez is mentioned there, he was born here, you are right, he was not not illegal due to that he was a US CITIZEN! but his mom and dad were not!!!! Dad was a bracero and mom ran the border. Hmmm interesting that you mentioned him, he made changes for the industry to be fair and more humanitarian. the #2. book, is the US economy now! - The wall street growth! and how corporate america counts on Illegal imigration for their profits. FYI, it takes 10 to 15 years for a person from Mexico, China or third world country to legally obtain a visa. If the US Imigration system was not broken, you might not see so many undocument aliens here. Dear Sandra, there are always two sides to any problem... one is a broken, corrupt goverment from the south that does not serve well to their people and the second side of the problem is corporate america that makes millions of dollars in cheap labor and DO NOT WANT TO PAY FAIR MARKET VALUE FOR WORK. Together we can solved the problem, hold your politicians accuntable for enforcing labor laws in this country and force US goverment to stop trade with Mexico until they help to reinforced the border from their side, then it is not about race, it is about the root of the problem... CORPORATIONS THAT ARE SELLING YOUR AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE VALUES FOR CHEAP LABOR AND OPEN TRADE!!! By the way... no one person is illegal, they are undocumented. Hmmm reminds me of the Nazi years and the jews need it to have papers... OMG history does repeat itself. "

To Dear Sandra wrote on Jul 31, 2007 7:18 PM:

" "Undocumented immigrant " is PC nonsense. If you come here illegaly you are an illegal alien. Next thing you know bank robbers are going to want to be called "unauthorized money takers" If you do the crime you will be called what you are. Enough coddling of these people. They aren't the victims. "

notyet wrote on Jul 31, 2007 7:31 PM:

" Illegal is a law term defining status of presence and entry not the person, stop the spin! "

Sandra wrote on Jul 31, 2007 7:50 PM:

" To Dear Sandra, if you had bothered to read my comments, you would know I hold big business accountable for creating the problem of illegals finding jobs here. If big business was not so greedy, then we would have for the most part, our own citizens doing these jobs, as they did 30 years ago. You may try to change the language, and call them "Undocumented", but in reality, they are here ILLEGALLY. My lifestyle in no way benefits from ILLEGAL workers. In fact it is just the opposite. I have held my politicians accountable for allowing this influx of illegal workers and for not holding big business accountable. It was interesting the disingenous reply I got from Ms. Boxer. She must think we are all a bunch of idiots. So get off your high horse. This has nothing to do with history repeating itself like Nazi Germany. The Jewish people living in Germany were legal citizens. The only way it would compare is if we rounded up legal Hispanic citizens, put them in camps,starved them, and gassed them. "

State of Emergency wrote on Aug 1, 2007 12:31 AM:

" All I can say is, there is good reason why states like Arizona are declaring a "State of Emergency" to cope with the influx of illegal immigrants coming to their state. Why is this? I thought that illegal immigrants "contributed" to the local and state economies? Can someone give me actual statistical figures to convince me and others on this post otherwise? Has anyone stopped by the Napa Jail lately? I heard that most of the inmates only speak Spanish, and yet Hispanics are still the minority. Is this a indication of things to come? "

To Sandra... wrote on Aug 1, 2007 10:13 AM:

" Ok... Yea i did read the whole blog, its the way I get through a 12 hour shift at work. You think I lack knowledge? on what matter? Immigration? Sorry mi'ja i dont think so. I am Mexican American. So no I do not come from that economic background, I was on the other side. Im the one who used to clean those dirty toilets, im the one who helped my dad to clean after those horses. I never said that ALL anglos have that luxury of having a house cleaner, a gardener or someone of that nature. What I said was that the MAJORITY of the anglos would benefit. And its true! look at this county, the majority about 75% (and im just eyeballin' here, it could be more it could be less) are wealthy people. they CAN affford such things. I never said that everyone can afford that. Im not the one who read the entire blog? I think that you didnt read mine the right way. (check it out though... you thought i might of been anglo.. como la vez desde ahi... I AM American though, MEXICAN American.=]) "

To State of Emergency wrote on Aug 1, 2007 10:21 AM:

" It isn't only Arizona. There are hundreds of towns in states all across the country trying to enact laws to protect citizens from the effects of illegal immigration. Of course illegal aliens and their supporters don't like the facts, they just scream racism as loud as they can. "

To the one who commented on State of Emergency wrote on Aug 1, 2007 11:26 AM:

" What are the effects of Illegal Immigration?? "

To State of the Emergency wrote on Aug 1, 2007 11:59 AM:

" Gee let's see where to begin. Billions of dollars of tax payer money spent on social services for ilegal aliens, hospitals closing, schools overcrowded with non English speaking kids, 25 Americans killed per day on average by illegal aliens through violent crime and DUI, jails, especially in CA,FL,TX with high numbers of illegal aliens. Gangs from south of the border, drugs being grown in our National Parks, Americans losing jobs and wages being lowered. Shall I go on or is that enough for you? "

one of the effects wrote on Aug 1, 2007 12:15 PM:

" Illegal immigrants are setting up pot farms in our federal parks. Check this out on the internet. They are warning people who camp at these places to be careful. Check out the Burney Falls area news. "

Sandra wrote on Aug 1, 2007 12:18 PM:

" TO TO Sandra, Your 75% of the people are rich figure is certainly eyeballing. Have you ever heard the expression, my eyes were bigger than my stomach? The MAJORITY of people are in the MIDDLE CLASS. We are the tax base that supports all of the social programs. We are the ones struggling to afford our medical insurance. We are the ones whose children's education has dropped from 2nd place in the country to in the bottom half. If you connect the dots, the burden of support for the social sevices granted to illegal workers come from us. Big Business does not support them. They do not provide medical, housing, education for their illegal workers and their children. The MIDDLE CLASS does. I object to the lower salaries payed to illegal workers. I object to these jobs no longer being viable to our own citizens because of the low wage. I object that big business does not take responsibility for taking care of the SERFS they hire illegally to work their fields. I have empathy for any person struggling for a better life, but I am not RESPONSIBLE for taking care of them. I object to the criminality that goes hand in hand with the influx of illegal workers. Where do you think the false papers come from? Whose idenity is stolen to provide these false papers? What about the people whose identity has been stolen and their credit is ruined as a result? What about the criminals from Mexico who cross our border illegally and sell drugs? We have enough problems of our own without this influx of Illegal people from Mexico. It is wrong on so many levels that there isn't enough room here to list every affront. I object to the idiots that excuse this and call me racist because I am sick of it. And to the other poster, " What are the effects of Illegal Immigration?? " How's that list for you? "

Bianca wrote on Aug 1, 2007 12:47 PM:

" " Illegal immigrants are setting up pot farms in our federal parks. Check this out on the internet. They are warning people who camp at these places to be careful. Check out the Burney Falls area news. " So do whites.... nuff said. " Gee let's see where to begin. Billions of dollars of tax payer money spent on social services for ilegal aliens, hospitals closing, schools overcrowded with non English speaking kids, 25 Americans killed per day on average by illegal aliens through violent crime and DUI, jails, especially in CA,FL,TX with high numbers of illegal aliens. Gangs from south of the border, drugs being grown in our National Parks, Americans losing jobs and wages being lowered. Shall I go on or is that enough for you? " 1. Of those billions of dollars, you know as well as I do that not all goes to 'illegal aliens' they go to blacks and whites too... poverty does not have a color. 2. schools overcrowding, and hospitals closing, is not an immigrants fault, well kinda... see Arnie S. for that one. 3. My favorite... Americans loosing jobs... ha. good one. who is taking those jobs from them? pedro and juan? to my understanding, they're out in the fields, or in the cellar, or cleaning. not in the cozy offices. Wages are being lowered because of the economy. not because of immigrants. 4. Its funny how all the drugs, crime and other illegal stuff are all pinned on "illegals" sure, i know that they do commit those crimes, but also not just them, whites, blacks, and other races... I mean just look at what happened at VTU, come to oakland, african americans are above latinos in crime rates. nah.. dont need more. "

Sandra wrote on Aug 1, 2007 2:01 PM:

" To Bianca, in your post you left out one fact....These Illegal workers, and drug sellers from Mexico have NO RIGHT TO BE HERE!!! You are totally right, we have our own poor that need and use our social sevices. We have enough of our own criminals and drug sellers. THEY ARE CITIZENS. Illegal workers and Mexican drug cartels should be MEXICO'S PROBLEMS, NOT OURS. You want to help the whole world Bianca? Then I suggest you open your doors and invite these ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS to live with you. THEY ARE NOT MY RESPONSIBILITY. "

To Bianca wrote on Aug 1, 2007 2:11 PM:

" No one ever said illegal aliens were the only ones that commit crimes. So what? This discussion is about the effects of illegal immigration. That's what makes alot of Americans angry is their unbelievable sense of entitlement to our country. This country survived just fine before the invasion began and we will again once it's over. Oh and the bogus illegals are only doing the jobs Americans won't do. Why don't you have a chat with construction workers, landscapers, poultry plant workers and YES EVEN FIELD WORKERS? My mother who is as white as white can be picked fruit in Fairfield .There is NO EXCUSE for violating American immigration laws. Enough is enough, Americans are not responsible for supporting the world's poor. Latin America, especially Mexico needs to take care of it's own people. Mexico is a wealthy country, corrupt to it's core and refuses to take responsibility for it's poor. We are tired of being their dumping ground. "

Conspiracy Theorist wrote on Aug 1, 2007 3:03 PM:

" If the-powers-that-be can keep a large portion of the population hungry, scared, tired, sick or uneducated . . . while feeding them a little hope with a few goodies . . . then their power will not be threatened; because people will be too busy surviving, or hiding. Open your minds! This is not about you or me or left or right or white or brown or any other color. This is about a government, democrates and republicans, that is ruled by money and power and they'll do ANYTHING to keep that. Who do you think encourages drug trafficing, for example (remember Iran-Contra)? Why does the US have such a poor educational system? Why does the US have more hungry people than any other developed country in the world? Poor people are the reserve labor force for war time. Most Bush supporters want to tighten the borders while Bush wants to open them! The "Progressives" fight for rights, humanity, and freedom but have no agenda or goal and no backbone to develop one. Racism is only one of the great tools that keep the people fighting each other instead of the real problem, if you get my drift. "

To To Bianca and Sandrita wrote on Aug 1, 2007 3:42 PM:

" Why does almost everyone think that all latinos/hispanics are from MEXICO. You know there are more countries south of the border.... I dunno about you, but. there are more people, and not just mexicans, (im going to call them latinos) that are in the drug business. Hey i know you know as well as i do that there are some corrupt pharmacists around. just since they use 'legal' drugs, they dont get caught so easily, but this does go on. It is Mexico's problem, and they are trying to deal with it just as much as the US is trying to deal with it. You think that if it was soo easy to get rid of all the drugs, gangs and violence we'd be having this discussion? I dont believe so because then there wouldnt be anyone to point fingers at. Sandra, no one is making them your responsibility.. hows this, i take all the illegal immigrants, and you take all the junkies & homeless. Yea i know that this country was better before the invasion, because as i recall, the americans kicked us out of this country, if it all would of stayed the way it was in the first place, we wouldnt be having this problem in the first place. don you think? "

Sandra wrote on Aug 1, 2007 5:48 PM:

" I do not think all hispanics come from Mexico. Many come from all over the world. The majority of Illegal workers happen to come from Mexico. Illegals who come here as workers or to engage in other criminal type behavior, add to the already existing problems this country is trying to get under control. Why should we add this to an already overburdened situation? Are you really that clueless? My taxes, my medical insurance premiums, my car insurance rates are all higher due to influx of Illegals from south of the border. My kids education suffered. So do not try to tell me I am not being forced into taking responsibility for Illegals, because every time I pay for these things this invasion costs me, while big business prospers. And if this country still belonged to Mexico are you reall so clueless as to think we would be better off????? I can only shake my head at your flawed logic... "

To "To Sandra" wrote on Aug 1, 2007 10:25 PM:

" My (white) mother cleaned houses for a living. There is no dishonor in honest work. I now hire a woman who cleans my home (Yes, toilets, too) and I pay her $20 an hour. Most people I know pay this much or more to their housecleaners. Granted, there are no health benefits or pension plans when one works for only a few hours for an employer, but the pay rate isn't bad. Should I fire her because she is Latina and hire a German woman? "

OK! ENOUGH ALREADY! wrote on Aug 2, 2007 8:14 AM:

" I live in another state. Here, we have middle aged, middle class white folks working the cash registers, serving the food, greeting the shopper, driving the tractor which plows the fields, tending the fields of crops, answering the telephones, working the gas station pumps, etc. We have friendly, hard working, proud Americans; white Americans working right along with Black Americans. I see Black Americans ringing the sales at shop, fixing the tire flat, doing the figures for tax returns, waving the planes into their proper spot at airport, depositing my check at the local bank, taking my ad in the local newspaper. WHOEVER SAYS WHITE AND BLACK AMERICANS, NATIVES OF THIS GREAT COUNTRY, DO NOT OR WILL NOT WORK IS A LIAR AND IS MISREPRESENTING REALITY AND TRUTH. This argument MUST be put to rest. If there is ANY truth to it, then it is merely there, in California, where you have a great polarization of the classes that you brought on yourself by allowing a single crop agriculture in your area. The big mega wine industry is ruining your area. California's politics have brought on the horrible circumstances you all write about. Liberalism has allowed illegal entry into Ca., allowed dumbing down of schools, allowed abuse of social services, allowed, even encouraged an illegal labor force. YOU, Napans, HAVE ALLOWED YOURSELVES TO BE DIVIDED AND NOW, CONQUERED. It isn't like that in my state and all the states which abut my state. California DOES NOT represent the rest of the country. Indeed, it is disdained, laughed at and pitied for it's failing, destructive policies, it's unwillingness to stand up for it's citizens. California, Napa in particular, IS NOT AT ALL like the rest of America. Don't kid yourselves. "

Sandra wrote on Aug 2, 2007 8:44 AM:

" TO "To Sandra... wrote on Aug 1, 2007 10:13 AM:", Never gave any thought to what ethnicity you are/were. If you could get past skin color yourself, you would understand I do not care what ethnicity Illegal workers are. All that I care about is they are illegal. That most happen to come from Mexico just happens to be who they are. This is only important in relation to Mexico taking care of its own, and not sending them up to us, the lack of language skills, and not trying to assimilate more into our culture. Oh, and lastly, being here ILLEGALLY. And to the person who has a Latina maid, and wants to know if the Latina should be fired to hire a German...well, my question to you would be, do either of them have a green card, or citizenship? If so, why in the world would it matter what ethnicity either of them is? I think I am beginning to see a pattern here. Maybe you are the racist ones, since you cannot seem to get past ethnicity, and realize this is about economics, and Big Business making a profit off desperate people and forcing the middle class to foot the bill. "

napa born wrote on Aug 2, 2007 10:17 AM:

" I am sick of looking around, and what do I see 10 to 30 mexicans living in one home this is wrong. I have so many cars around my block I cant stnd it any more someone needs to start making these homes one familey homes as they should be. Also look at the trash I see it every where pick up your homes my god this is not mexico yet. people talk about the schools they arer alredy gone to mexico tech these kids english I dont care about well they keep there mexican identity you are now in the u.s.a. put away your mexican flags!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "

*Clueless* wrote on Aug 2, 2007 10:20 AM:

" Our family of 5 makes approximatly 112,000 per year and we barely scrap by.....how are these people working for such "cheep" labor and still affording to live in Napa, I just don't get it! How do they afford all these children. We had to stop after 3 because at the time we just couldn't afford another child...isn't that the responsible thing to do? "

To Ok Enough Already wrote on Aug 2, 2007 10:35 AM:

" Right on! I come from the Midwest and you have said everything I have always wanted to say!!! I have done "work Americans won't do". Wished I would have never moved to California! "

To: To Ok enough Already wrote on Aug 2, 2007 1:48 PM:

" Don't worry about having moved to California, even the mid-west is now multi-racial. Just look at the news cast last evening on the bridge collapse; many different colors of folks there. People, regardless of color will go where the work is. There are many factory jobs in the mid-west and primarily Hispanics and newer Asian and African immigrants are taking those jobs. "

Sandra wrote on Aug 2, 2007 10:47 PM:

" To Clueless, You ask, "how are these people working for such "cheep" labor and still affording to live in Napa, I just don't get it! How do they afford all these children." Social services obtained after having children (who automtically are citizens), emergency room medical treatment, housing allotments obtained after they have children here, food stamps for the same aformentioned children, etc, etc. Paid for by you and me. Also, false identity papers obtained for a price, which are used to collect welfare,and/or obtain jobs illegally, and it is not uncommen for many families to share one house.....free college for their kids, because they are minorities....Who wouldn't want to come here withh all the freebies we give away, especially when faced with the reality of their own country? Who wouldn't be willing to work for subwages when their home back in Mexico was a shack, many times made of cardboard, and scraps? They are desperate and want better lives, but they are mostly the poorest people from Mexico, uneducated, and unable to assimilate into our society. Their government is corrupt, and just wants to get rid of them. Corporate America is greedy and sees these people as something to be used for profit, and you and I foot the bill for them. Their own country needs to take care of them. Big Businees needs to be legally prosecuted, fined, jailed, or whatever it takes to make it stop. "

RB wrote on Aug 3, 2007 9:06 AM:

" Another poster wrote about the changing face of the mid-west: "There are many factory jobs in the mid-west and primarily Hispanics and newer Asian and African immigrants are taking those jobs." This couldn't possibly be related to the union-busting tactics of big business that have erroded wages, benefits, and safety standards, could it? Once again, if American jobs are not being outsourced to cheap labor in other countries, they're being filled by a domestic underclass that is driven by desperation to take even the lowest wage to survive. And big business laughs all the way to their Swiss or Caymen Island bank. I remember when a man could work at one of those factory jobs and own a house and a car, support his family, and send his kids to college. My dad did, but it couldn't happen now because that would cut into company profits, and the company is answerable only to its shareholders. What a shame. "

Right On! Sandra wrote on Aug 3, 2007 9:10 AM:

" Sandra, I have read your posts in this and other articles. You ALWAYS make sense but, unfortunately, you will ALWAYS get the negative, braindead responses by ignorant people. Your last post (Sandra wrote on Aug 2, 2007 10:47 PM...) is perfectly understandable as well as factual. There is NO argument against these truths. Anyone who chooses to continue to argue - for arguments sake, I suspect - against your reasonable words is doing it just to get your ire or is an instigator (maybe on purpose) to stimulate the conversation. I can think of no other reason for some of the replys you have received. You are truthful and honest; you aren't hiding behind any kind of social/political/acceptable mask. You have my support and, I bet, that of many many others who read this and other items in the Register. Don't back down; you've been speaking very well for all of us; those who can and those who cannot post here. Thank you, Sandra "

who's fault? wrote on Aug 3, 2007 11:34 AM:

" When I read this blog, I read RACISM all over and ignorance. The debate should not be about illegal imigration or hispanics or mexicans. The debate should be about tax payers middle class paying for corporate making profits from cheap labor and open trade with Mexico. The debate is that politicians have sell the "american way of life and the American dream" to corporate america. The debate should be about holding our goverment responsible for spending our tax dollars, keeping our schools working and our streets safe. Napa folks don't you see the spin? if you think that hispanics are the problem and this is a race/imigration problem, then the accuntability to the people that hold the power is not there. We went to fight in IRAQ to protect our country, and 5 years later I do not feel any safer, my troops are no being supported and only mega oil industries are winning the war. In the meantime, bridges are falling down, there is not health care policy that makes sense and our middle class tax money is not serving our needs... and the only clear message is: Blame it on the people that can't vote and work in the lowest paying undesireble jobs. Imigration is a partial problem, lets fix the laws, lets pay for our border patrole, let's build better schools, lets pay our teachers, firemen, and police well, let's be sure that our social security funds are being protected, let us invest in our infrastructure and for all this work... WE MUST KEEP OUR LEADERS ACCOUNTABLE!The problem is not the color of the skin,or where people comes from, we are a country build in immigration from italy, ireland, russia, poland, china and latino american (200 years if imigration history) the problem is a system that is not listening to the middle class!! Wake up and vote for change and accountability. "

To NVR wrote on Aug 3, 2007 12:17 PM:

" Why is my post not being published!!!!! "

Sandra wrote on Aug 3, 2007 12:30 PM:

" To right on Sandra, well thanks for the support. I have a tendency to be tenacious, and I should probably remember Ron White's words, "You can't fix stupid." I do realize that it is a futile effort to change many of these posters views, but hope that I am shedding a bit of light on the subject for some. "

To "who's fault?" wrote on Aug 3, 2007 12:37 PM:

" I agree that some of the postings have a racist tone (such as "Half and Half"); however, I find that the majority in this discussion are talking about many of your points. This discussion tends to focus on illegal immigration vs legal immigration, the gutting of the American middle class by big business and the government that allows it to happen. Some of the posts here are from Latinos opposed to illegal immigration. Are they also racist? If a label is required, I'd say this is a class issue, rather than a race issue. "

NVR Moderator wrote on Aug 3, 2007 12:39 PM:

" To: TO NVR: You need to give me the name you used for me to find your post and them be able to answer why it is not on the site. "

Sandra wrote on Aug 3, 2007 12:44 PM:

" To who's fault, you are correct in that our representitives and enforcement agencies need to be held accountable for allowing this to go on. Not only do our elected officials not care, but when questioned on this, in the form of Email, disingenous replies follow. They obviously think we are a bunch of idiots. We recieved the following Email from Ms. Boxer: "Dear Friend: Thank you for contacting me to express your views on immigration reform. I appreciate hearing from you. As you may know, the Senate recently considered S.1639, a bill that would reform our immigration system. On June 28, 2007, after weeks of negotiations and debate, the Senate voted against moving the bill forward. I believe our immigration problems will only get worse unless we work together to resolve them. Be assured that I will continue to fight to strengthen our border security and improve our immigration system in a manner that protects American workers and reduces illegal immigration. Again, thank you for writing to me. Please feel free to contact me again about this or any other issue of concern to you. Barbara Boxer, United States Senator" Now what she failed to mention in this letter, was that her vote was a Yes vote. It is bad enough that she voted yes, but to then send a letter out this disingenous just reflects the contempt she must feel for her constituancy. I sent her another email pointing this out, and received the SAME EXACT REPLY.... And this is who was elected to represent us. I am glad I cannot claim any credit, since she never got my vote. But I do have to say, I do not find it racist to talk about the the problems that come along with the huge influx of the Illegals from Mexico. This is the reality of what we deal with on a daily basis. The illegal border crossers are also a slap in the face of the many fine people from Mexico who have come here legally. "

notyet wrote on Aug 4, 2007 9:03 AM:

" the outrage should be directed as well to politicians and enforcement agency managers who lead this window dressing at the taxpayers expense by deception and fraud, this calls for more than a vote for change , preferably congressional hearings and indictments to change the culture at the top, zero tolerance. "

Ed West wrote on Aug 4, 2007 10:09 AM:

" The county will be American in 2030. "

Maria wrote on Aug 4, 2007 1:03 PM:

" I agree with you Mr West. No where does the article state the immigration status of the people counted. It just talks about what customs they may have and what background they may claim. It is counting Americans. "

TO Maria and Ed West wrote on Aug 4, 2007 10:53 PM:

" The hispanic population is becoming the majority because of rampant illegal immigration. It's not like this is a big secret, everyone knows it and yet you must play these PC games. Sneaking across the border and living here does not make you an American. "

Sandra wrote on Aug 5, 2007 8:42 AM:

" to Maria, Absolutely right, it is counting Americans. There are reasons why the Hispanic population will grow to reach those numbers. It is a legitimate discussion to discuss why this is so. That is why the blog has mainly been about Illegal Immigration. Illegal immigration is the main contributing factor to why the hispanic population will reach those numbers. All the children the illegal immigrants have while on U.S. soil are automatically citizens of this country. This is a loophole in our laws that needs to be fixed. I am not going to repeat why the huge influx of Illegals is a problem, as it has been pointed out here already in every way, shape, or form. I will point out that the impact on our country is a legitimate concern for people to have. And yes, I will agree that there are racists in our society who come in every color. But, for anyone to say that the people who are concerned over this are racist, is for the most part just dead wrong and digresses from the core issue. It also insults everyone's intelligence. Your post seems to be acting as if you don't understand why this discussion is taking place and makes me wonder about you. I am not sure what Mr. West's comment means, and if he would care to expand on it, I would love to read his reply. "

AO wrote on Aug 7, 2007 3:14 PM:

" This is a "free country" and everyone is invited. We ALL descended from immigration, lets be thankful that we are all here and lets learn from eachother and accept eachother. If you can't, then move elsewhere. On the other hand, if it wasn't for the hispanic farmworkers this town of Napa would be nothing. Keep that in mind when you're strolling up the Trail or Hwy 29 and you cant help but admire how beautiful it is here. Its because of the hispanics who in a sense made this town. "

To AO wrote on Aug 7, 2007 4:05 PM:

" That is where the problem lies--you think this is a "free" country "

Mike W wrote on Aug 7, 2007 4:05 PM:

" I forgot all about this. To whoever this is... "To "To Sandra" wrote on Aug 1, 2007 10:25 PM: " My (white) mother cleaned houses for a living. There is no dishonor in honest work. I now hire a woman who cleans my home (Yes, toilets, too) and I pay her $20 an hour. Most people I know pay this much or more to their housecleaners. Granted, there are no health benefits or pension plans when one works for only a few hours for an employer, but the pay rate isn't bad. Should I fire her because she is Latina and hire a German woman? " No but if she's here illegally you should fire her. "

Angela wrote on Aug 7, 2007 5:41 PM:

" Can we please stop saying Hispanic. I do not mean any disrespect. Use the word Mexican. Not in a derogatory fashion but in stating the truth, if you bother to have a real conversation with someone from Mexico they will tell you that they are Mexican not a Hispanic. "

To Angela wrote on Aug 7, 2007 7:34 PM:

" The reason people are using the word "Hispanic" is because they are being told they are being racist if they are using the word Mexican. "

Angela wrote on Aug 8, 2007 6:14 AM:

" Yes, I understand that's why people are using the word Hispanic. That's the point. People are spouting off with opinions and comments with ignorance. That's the tragedy about racism is it's based on stupidity and false information. "

To AO, don't you know wrote on Aug 8, 2007 8:27 AM:

" that this country is not free? People died to create and protect this country, our Constitution, our rights as AMERICAN citizens. And NO, not everyone is welcome here. THAT is an archiac concept which no longer works. We are overcrowded, over supplied with unskilled labor and cannot afford, in any way, to continue allowing law breakers, illegals and felons to enter this country. You are completely incorrect that this is a free country. We pay taxes for the privilege of living here and maintaining our quality of life. We do not expect, as citizens, to break laws, get away with it and be given free bennies for breaking those laws. Not real American citizens. Now, those who come here in a sneaky fashion, who demand entitlements they never paid for, who demand rights they never earned, who are in your face about age old history that no longer applies are NOT WELCOME here. And, NO, AO, the mexicans did NOT make this town. What an absurd idea. The Chinese, the Italians, Oaklahomans and other AMERICANS made this town. And, yes, Chinese and Italians became citizens, they did not sneak in and expect everything to be handed to them. WE ALL WORK! White, black, brown, yellow...all people WORK; not one segment "made this town." "

TO AO wrote on Aug 8, 2007 9:49 AM:

" So your definition of a "free country" is for millions to break our immigration laws? I don't think so. Citizens are tired of illegal aliens, we do not have to accept them or move elsewhere. This is OUR country not theirs. Do it legally and you will be accepted, if you are illegal you need to go home. We've really had enough of the arrogance, demands and sense of entitlement. "

Ain't_There_Yet wrote on Aug 8, 2007 5:43 PM:

" This article is about the impact on Napa County. But the projections do not equal certainty. We have the power to change what happens. I am not implying it will be easy to influence the future, but I am saying it is possible. I think it may be time for the community to embrace the motto of the environmental lobby, "Think Global ... Act Local." It is time to stop worrying about being politically correct. It is time to stop accepting watered down terminology like "undocumented worker." The term implies all of these individuals are working. The correct term is "illegal alien." Out of respect for all of the people who have immigrated here legally we need to stop embracing apathy and change the future. "

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