[su_label]BAY AREA[/su_label]
Mexican restaurateur gives ex-cons an opportunity
The upscale Hayes Valley eatery Cala has an unusual hiring policy: it’s staffed mostly with employees who have criminal records. Mexican-born chef and restaurateur, Gabriela Cámera, who opened Cala in October of 2015, believes in second chances, especially since the food industry in San Francisco has a labor crisis. “On one hand, you can’t find people to work in restaurants because they can’t afford to live here,” said Cala General Manager Emma Rosenbush. “But there’s a whole population of people who can’t get work because—what—they have a record?”
Supervisors reject plan for new jail
San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously against a plan to build a new jail in the city. The construction would have cost an estimated $300 million, funded with an $80 million grant from the state and $215 million in bonds. Supervisors felt the money would be better spent on alternative solutions including more resources for mental health and other rehabilitation services. District 5 Supervisor London Breed said the new jail would have been “a return to an era of mass incarceration, an era San Francisco is trying to leave behind.”
[su_label]INTERNATIONAL[/su_label]
Mexico census recognizes Afro-Mexicans
For the first time ever Mexico’s national census included an “Afro” category. According to the 2015 census, released Dec. 8, 1.2 percent or 1.38 million Mexicans are of African descent. Mexico had been one of two Latin American countries (Chile being the other) that didn’t recognize its citizens of African descent as being from Africa. The inclusion is seen as a major victory for Afro-Mexican activists who have sought official recognition for years.