1981_11 The Daily Collegian November 1981

              Debate grows over bilingual ballot
Staff Writer
Norma Logan, Fresno County's
election manager, said she has already
received her regular batch of "half*
sample ballots in the mail—the Spanish
half that is.
"We have people that take the scissors
and cut the portion that is in Spanish
and send it back (to the elections of¬
fice),* she said.
The bilingual ballot has been evoking
this type of response since it was in¬
stituted in the election process in 1976,
and Tuesday's municipal election . was
The bilingual ballot was the result of
an attachment to the Voting Rights Act
of 1965, which states that any commun¬
ity with a minority population of more
than five percent must have voting
materials in that minority language This
was supposed to bring the community
together, but instead is tearing it apart.
There is a growing trend to abolish
the bilingual practice, as evident in
Madera County and in Fresno County.
On May 18 a resolution was unanimously
passed by the Fresno County Board of
Supervisors demanding a repeal of the
bilingual ballot However, the resolu¬
tion must be accepted by the Federal
government before it can be enforced
The ejections of the ballot cited by
the supervisors were, "considerable
costs born by the taxpayer, only to be
met with insignificant demand for these
materials (bilingual ballot)."
However Logan said that the
Trend builds to rid of two-ballot
election regulation in Fresno area
Per
'articipating in government is im-
ant," she said."How is it uniting us
e are not permitted to vote?" said.
•z, referring to the language bar-
lots were removed.
"Just because half of the ballot is in
Spanish doesn't mean you would save
half if you cut the Spanish out," she
said. "Outof a 20-page ballot, you might
save five pages.*
She said the reason for this is the fact
that the candidates and issues are hot
placed on the ballot according to the
page; they are placed according to a
code mandated by the state.
For example, in the 1980 primary elec¬
tion, the presidential candidates were
placed first, followed by the vice-
presidential contenders, on down to the
local officials and finally the state
propositions and local measures.
She said there are actually two pages
on one page, thanks to the new system of
listing candidates She said that in¬
stead of using one page for ap¬
proximately five candidates as they used
in the last (one side English, the other
side Spanish), they simply put the names
on one side, with their occupation trans¬
lated into the two languages. This al¬
lowed them to continue the process on
the other half of the page, which would
normally have been page two.
Or Theresa Perez, a professor of edu-
it CSU, .
dispu
s the Si
e30p<
iting if the Spanish pi
3f the a
:>f the bal-
that there i<
for the bilingual ballots
She said that in 1980. 59 pero
registered
in 1960.
It is because of this apparent ignor¬
ance of voting registration, said Perez,
that she and others organized the
Citizens Organized For Fair Elections
(C.O.F.FE ), of which she is chair-
Perez said that her organization tried
to propose different means of ad¬
ministering the ballots, but that the
supervisors would not listen to the group
at the board meetings.
None of the supervisors could be
reached for comment.
However, supervisor Jeff Reich wrote
his opposition to the bilingual ballot in
a statement to the Fresno Bee, saying it
philosophy
"Different cultures and different
languages are fine," he said. "But, at
least in this one act of voting we should
do it the same There is a group of
separatists who don' t seem to want that
They apparently want to create a county
within a county," said Reich.
Perez, however, disagrees. She said
that hispanics are not discouraging the
use of English, and in tact are strong
supporters of learning it. She said that
they also feel their culture, which in¬
cludes their language, must also be
learned.
Perez suggested that the ballots
should be distributed to target areas
where there is a^high concentration of
hispanics. She said the people who
wanted their ballots in Spanish could
check a card or a box at the polling site
or elections office requesting the Span¬
ish ballots.
However, Logan said that would be
more costly than the ballot system cur¬
rently being used.
She said that it would be impossible
to focus on one area in Fresno that had
all or a majority of Spanish speaking
people because the population is so
spread out.
The cost for the 1980 general elec¬
tion was $44,806, with $14,393 for the
Spanish section. She said the primary
election costs totaled $96,200, with
$28,860 going toward the Spanish
translation Total cost for the entire
election was $137,700.
"Instead of one bill," Logan said of the
present ballots, "there would be the
t in English and one in
lid   that   |
iting   i
Spanish "
Perez said that the n
that keeps getting lost  in  the contro¬
versy is the right for everyone to vote.
"The challenge is, can we really be
democratic?" she said, referring to the
controversy "What is the price of ignor¬
ing and keeping the people in the dark—
what is the price to pay?"
I	
Student fees
hiked $46
campus   late   Thursday   afternoon.
See Monday issue for details.
LONG BEACH - The California
State University and College system
imposed a new $46-per-student sur¬
charge Thursday to offset the effects
of Gov Edmund Brown Jr 's two
percent budget reduction order for
Water tower provides
boost for entire campus!
The orange and white checkerboan
CSUF water tower looks like it coul<
belong to a complete city or  suburb
stood at 50 feet That was when
pus was surrounded by farm lai
south as Gettysburg Avenue
When Safley began working at CSUF
19 years ago the level was still around 60
feet "That'show fast it's dropping," he
"Peopledon't realize how much water
Three pumps working at the same
time will pull 2,500 to 3,000 gallons per
minute Last month, according to Chief
Engineer Mike Cuneo. the campus used
Currently some of the taller bi
ings on campus, the industrial arts tc
and the Henry Madden Library,
pressure at the top
"If they build anything higher v,
have to use booster pumps."
plumber Ernie Safley said
Five wells serve the campus, exc
ing agricultural irrigation Each are
tween 200 to 500 feet deep and tl
is at least one well in service at
times Other pumps run as the r
demands.
The underground water table carved
out beneath the campus stands between
175 and 250 feet, depending on the time
of year. The table has been dropping.
though
When the campys was built the table
it ?3m
The latest
(before the *
Safley said
Each of tl
total campus
sand filters.
on the pressu
"We have
Safley said,
hooked up t(
been used oi
on gallon
a city," he said  The cost to
is last month was $3,540.
well and pump installation
M-sity about $77,000
be good for 10 to 15 years
<ater table drops too low)."
le wells is connected to a
system connected with the
Water first goes through
which have to be cleaned
Then it either goes directly
or to the tower, depending
a real good water system,"
The   system   has   been
o a Fresno city emergency
past 12 years   The line has
ily twice, he said
InnnT      am
K^eWi,    !
/JnTlr^ntnW^nnl
Going once, going twia
Stan Todd auctions off lost and found Ite
menl   Wednesday   afternoon   for   the
scholarship fund.
Mark Teague/Daily Collegian
3...
ims from the campus police deoarv
Disabled   Students   Association
Off The Cuff
Dally Collegian-November 6,1981 /Page 9
What do you look for in the opposite sex?
By Cindy Guerra and Mike Penn
WiHreoo Rodriguez, agricultural ed¬
ucation, sophomore - The first thing
would be the way a person looks, not
beauty, but something that attracts me
to them. Must have a hell of a per¬
sonality and sense of humor. Everyone
that bases it on beauty can be a very
lonely person One last thing, in¬
telligence.
Christcila Cavazos, criminology, fresh¬
man — Good personality, doing well in
life. Good looking, nice and tall, good
physique.
First thing I  look for, of 	
physical. Height is very important
about six foot. Tien I look at how they
are doing in school or work, because if
they're goof-offs that's how they will
be later on in life. I 'm really easy to
please.
Gordon Moore, political science,
sophomore - Quiet, I don't like loud
and boisterous people. Good sense of
humor, quiet sense of humor. Attrac¬
tive, usually, by my experience, girls
from smaller towns are more quiet, nice
and polite.
Valley Women's Service
A Family Planning Service
125 E. Barstow, Suite 135   Fresno, CA.   93710
offers. . .
Confidential Family Planning Services
RREE
« • PREGNANCY TESTING
0      (early pregnancy screening)
• Problem or Unplanned Pregnancy
*'"*   Counseling and Alternatives
• Birth Control Information
PREGNANCY TERMINATION
General (asleep) or Local Anesthetic
Medi-Cal and other insurance accepted
Confidential-Personal care
For further information call Valley Women's Service
or the Student Health Center
225-5180