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By Michael Lopez

Something tells us that Jerry Brown will get a lot more Latino votes if he decides to run for office again. The California governor signed his state's DREAM Act into law this past weekend, which means that undocumented immigrants can now get financial aid from local public universities.

Granted, the California DREAM Act is a far cry from its national counterpart. The U.S. Dream Act (which has yet to pass) would actually award citizenship to undocumented students in college. California's law make no such promise, but it is encouraging for immigrants seeking higher education.

Governor Brown signed the first part of the legislative movement back in July and, with his second signature now in place, the DREAM is officially moving forward. He spoke up after signing the dotted line, praising everyone who works to pursue their education.

"Going to college is a dream that promises intellectual excitement and creative thinking," Brown said. "The DREAM Act benefits us all by giving top students a chance to improve their lives and the lives of all of us."

But not everyone in the state is happy about the bill. To help balance the budgets, money allocated to the DREAM Act may be taken away from grants given to low-income students. That has many citizens up-in-arms, particularly because poorer American academics may no longer be eligible for financial aid.

Republican Assemblyman Tim Donnelly has called California's DREAM Act a "colossal mistake."

"It is absolutely, fundamentally wrong and unfair,” he said. "And it is an insult to people who have worked and played by the rules, including those who have come to this country legally."

As expected, many anti-immigrant groups are also upset with the measure. But the bill's author, Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, believes that the California DREAM Act will greatly benefit the state and could be a turning point for the rights of undocumented citizens in the U.S.

"The signing of now both parts of the California Dream Act will send a message across the country that California is prepared to lead the country with a positive and productive vision for how we approach challenging issues related to immigration," he said. "It's the smartest thing for us to do to permit these students to get scholarships and be treated like every other student."

The California DREAM Act will officially take effect in 2013.

Do you think the California DREAM Act is a step in the right direction? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, California, California DREAM Act, DREAM ACt, Gil Cedillo, Immigration, Jerry Brown, Politics, Tim Donnelly

By Michael Lopez

It's hard to believe that racism towards Latinos still exists in this day and age. But the sad truth is, it does and California's Attorney General, Kamala Harris, released some alarming statistics that prove it. Apparently, the state's anti-Hispanic hate crimes have increased by nearly 50 percent within the past two years.

That number is quite shocking, especially when you consider that the same report showed a major decline in the number of hate crimes against other prominent minority groups. So why have Latinos suddenly become the new target?

Many are saying it has to do with the anti-immigration movement and certain rhetoric coming from the mainstream media. The Huffington Post listed off names like CNN's Lou Dobbs and former Congressman Tom Tancredo as examples of well-known personalities who have helped fuel the hate.

Of course, none of the TV commentators have ever advocated violence against Latinos. In fact, it's still rather dumbfounding to hear how many California Hispanics were targeted in 2010 alone. The statistics showed that 199 Latinos were the victims of hate crimes that year (compared to 81 in 2009).

Attorney General Harris was adamant about prosecuting those responsible and making sure anyone caught committing such an act was severely punished.

"A crime that is motivated by hate is a crime against all people," she said. "We will monitor and prosecute these cases to the fullest extent of the law."

And don't think California is the only culprit. In Boston, a local pub is being sued by the Attorney General's Office for refusing to serve Latino customers. Though a bar spokesperson has denied the charges, the case states that Hispanic and African-American patrons were asked to leave because they didn't "look like the type of people" the owners would know.

Amazingly, even a Virginia State Senate candidate is being accused of racism toward Latinos. Democrat Barbara Favola reportedly told her Hispanic opponent that he had "no base" in the primarily Anglo district where the race was being held.

Even though a lot of these anti-Latino stories can be overblown by the media, they pose an interesting question. Is there still a lot of racist sentiments toward the modern Hispanic community? And if so, what can be done to reverse it?

Have you ever been the victim of racism? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Barbara Favola, Blogger: Michael Lopez, California, Cultura, Hate Crimes, Kamala Harris, Politics, Racism

By Michael Lopez

As you know, we've covered aspects of the DREAM Act initiative for quite some time. On the national level, it offered a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants seeking to attend college or join the military. And though the federal DREAM legislation failed to pass, governor Jerry Brown has enacted an alternate version of the bill in his state of California.

"I'm committed to expanding opportunity wherever I can find it," Brown said during Monday's bill-signing ceremony. "And certainly these kinds of bills promote a goal of a more inclusive California and a more educated California."

Democratic Assemblyman Gil Cedillo authored the California bill, which has quite a few differences from its national DREAM counterpart. For one thing, this version would give undocumented students privately funded college scholarships and would not allow them to secure citizenship.

Those who receive money to attend college will still keep their illegal immigrant status, which, we imagine, would make it pretty difficult to secure work after graduation. But an education is an education, and the measure does provide plenty of incentives to work hard and focus on school.

Brown, who received a good deal of Latino votes in last year's gubernatorial election, has stated that this bill was a "gesture of goodwill" towards the people who helped get him into office. But, as expected, the California DREAM Act is not without its critics.

Several high-profile Republicans have spoken out against the measure, saying that U.S. citizens may now be denied entrance into schools because of increased competition. They also find it unfair that undocumented immigrants will be getting financial assistance.

The fact that the money will be privately funded helps trump that argument. No taxpayer dollars will be covering the undocumented students' tuition. Though if Cedillo has his way, that may not always be the case. He is currently pushing for a variation of the bill, which would allow public money to be incorporated into the Cali DREAM Act too.

Perhaps one of the DREAM students themselves, best summarized the measure. Speaking to Reuters, undocumented UC Berkeley undergrad Julian Rivera said,

"It doesn't matter where you come from, it doesn't matter what your background is, it just matters that you have passion for something and you want to do it. This is a country that has given us that freedom."

What do you think about California's DREAM Act? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, California, California DREAM Act, DREAM ACt, Education, Gil Cedillo, Immigration, Jerry Brown, Politics

By Michael Lopez

The race to replace California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, got a little more heated on Wednesday when Republican candidate Meg Whitman was hit with accusations that she employed an “undocumented” woman. And this wasn’t through her corporation or for a brief stint, Nicky Diaz is claiming she was Whitman’s personal housekeeper for over nine years.

Image: Getty Images

Part of what makes this news so interesting, is that Whitman’s running on a conservative campaign and asking for stricter sanctions on people who hire illegal immigrants. And as with any breaking story, responses began flying back and forth throughout the day.

Almost immediately after Nicky Diaz held her press conference (alongside high profile attorney Gloria Allred), Whitman’s camp issued a statement denying she had any knowledge that she had hired an illegal immigrant.

"Nicky had falsified the hiring documents and personal information she provided to the employment agency that brought her to us in 2000.”

Yet interestingly enough, Whitman fired Diaz right before her announcement that she was running for governor. So the question is, did Whitman drop her because she knew of her status and did not want to be associated with any immigration controversies? Or was it a coincidence that after nine years, a firing was in order right before a gubernatorial run. We’re sure plenty of more details will emerge before we see election day.

Source: [ABC News]

What do you think of the latest drama to hit the California governor's race? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3!

Tags California, Chisme, Immigration, Meg Whitman, Nicky Diaz, Politics

We're hoping that Jenni Rivera's nuevo sencillo "Ovarios" shows the regional Mexican cantante that it's always darkest before the dawn.  Rivera, who is currently coping with the death of her ex-husband, has blown away the Billboard competition with her new, eggcentric ballad.

"Ovarios" jumped the regional Mexican airplay chart from 29 to 13 en una sola semana! This marks Rivera's 13th song to reach the Top 20 on Billboard's regional Mexican chart, a feat only one other female artist has accomplished, nuestra querida "Reina del Tex Mex," Selena.

"Ovarios" has not only brought career success to the singer, but it's unleashed un montón de drama in the Mexican music circuit.  In "Ovarios" Rivera habla de dos cantantes regionales de México with whom she's feuded, Alicia Villarreal and Graciela Beltrán, respectively referring to them as "la Jefa" y "la Reina:"

...dicen que viene la Jefa, miren cómo estoy temblando, no sé de quién serán jefas si nadie les hace caso, y las que dicen ser Reinas son de un pueblo abandonado.

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Tags billboard top 20, California, cantante, carta, charts, Drama, Jenni Rivera, La Esquina, letter, long beachm, new single, nuevo sencillo, ovaries, Ovarios, People En Espanol, Radio, regional mexican musica regional mexicana, Selena, singer, Telenovela

When Wisin y Yandel have noticias, they know who to come to first...

MTV Tr3s! Extra Extra!  El Dúo Dinámico have given only us the first four dates para su primera gira nacional, 'La Revolución Tour 2009'  The best part about this tour? YOU helped decide in which cities W&Y would perform by entering tu ciudad preferida on the Wisin y Yandel tour widget.  Wisin y Yandel need YOU, the crazed fans de la música, seguidores leales to reggaeton, to bring 'em to the right stage!

Snag the widget otra vez para unirte a La Revolución!

October 2nd - Madison Square Garden in New York, NY

October 8th - The Warfield in San Francisco, CA

October 10th - Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA

October 24th - Nokia Theater in Dallas, TX

Tickets go on sale at 10AM Friday June 5th via Ticketmaster; stay plugged into Blogamole this week for more tour dates.

No olvides, the last installment of Wisin y Yandel's guest blog for Blogamole is posting on Friday, May 22nd. Pero, no es todo!  Los reggaetoneros will be hosting ¡Yo-Yo! this Saturday, May 23rd at 3PM EST.

Tags California, dallas, duo dinamico, fechas, gira, Los-Angeles, Madison Square Garden, new york, nokia theater, Regional Mexican, San Francisco, staples center, Texas, Tour Dates, warfield, Wisin y Yandel

LaLa started-out "Sprung on a Thug," but her love jones has proven to be more than skin deep with her debut album, "Love and Respect." The curvaceous dama is switching her game up by representing for the ladies in her new single "Homegurlz." The vibrant track features fast-paced melodies that disses haters and honors las amigas de verdad. "That Pretty Brown Sound" took over the Mi TRL studios last week, and we are wrapping-up the block party by talking exclusively with our Cali homegirl right below the hood!

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Tags Artistas Latinas, California, Chisme, LaLa, Latin Music, Mi TRL, MTV TRes, Musica Latina, Tr3s