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Immigration Bills Increasing In Sacramento
Friday, March 31, 2006 - 07:20 AM

Sacramento, CA — Immigration reform is definitely on the front burner these days … especially in California.

Sacramento legislators have now introduced 25 immigration bills. One Republican sponsored bill would deny state-funded health care, welfare and unemployment benefits to illegal immigrants while still another would require illegals to pay higher college tuition fees.

Senator Dennis Mountjoy of Monrovia has commented, “We don’t need more laws … we just need to enforce the laws we already have.”

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What’s Cooking: A calendar of food & wine events
Sacramento Bee - CA, USA

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Xochimilco, Celebrating Culinary Culture

Written By: Darren Bocksnick © 2006

The term, “Mexican Food” is about as generalized a topic as saying pizza and hamburgers are the all-encompassing definition that constitutes “American food”. Mexican Food however, just as its American counterpart, comes in many different genres, varieties and flavors, each in its own way characterizing the culture and locale from which it originated.

Xochimilco is one of those cultural locales where just about every detail is abundant in exotic beauty, vivid colors and rich history, from the brightly covered boats called trajineras to the fusion of multi-hued flora growing naturally in this tranquil piece of paradise known as the “Venice of Mexico”. In Xochimilco, the network of canals connect more than ageless waterways, they connect historical infancy with modern, coming-of-age prosperity; Aztec essence with Spanish influence and the resulting, lively culture where flavorful food and festivity are commonplace.

Just as Xochimilco is an ecological center in the heart of Mexico replete with canals, raised gardens and plush vegetation, which combine to create an ambiance of cultural charm- Frank Leyva’s restaurant, appropriately named: “Xochimilco” is also a place where culture, charm and cuisine are celebrated in CalMex style.

With a menu as flavorful as the Xochimilco region’s character that inspired the name, the food, décor, and dining experience seem to transport the connoisseur to another time and place where seemingly, enchanted gardens still flourish and history unfolds each mystical moment. Here at Xochimilco, one can nearly sense the spirit of the region from its infancy as the source of sustenance for the early Aztec empire to being the serene corner of a sprawling metropolis it now represents.

Frank Leyva has revitalized the quiet calm, cultural vibrancy and exotic character of Xochimilco right here in our own sprawling Metropolis of Sacramento. With two locations to serve the curious, adventurous or just plain, hungry among us, Xochimilco will satisfy the senses for a completely gratifying dining experience.

Come join Frank and the Xochimilco staff at either location:

1901 El Camino Avenue, (916) 923-1411; and 4904 Auburn Boulevard, (916) 349-9495.

website: http://mexicanzest.com/

Nation20-20Immigration20bill20expands20-20sacbee.com

Immigration bill expands

Senate panel OKs measure; two weeks of debate follow

By Michael Doyle — Bee Washington Bureau
Published 2:15 am PST Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Story appeared on Page A1 of The Bee

WASHINGTON - The Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday approved a comprehensive immigration overhaul that includes new guest-worker programs and the prospect of legal status for up to 12 million illegal immigrants already in this country.By emphatic bipartisan margins, the committee went way beyond the border-security priorities favored by hard-line conservatives. The bill calls for more fences and Border Patrol agents - but also opens the door for hundreds of thousands of foreign guest workers. Those guest workers, as well as illegal immigrants already in the United States, eventually could find the path to U.S. citizenship under the bill approved Monday.

“I think, considering all of the hurdles and pitfalls, that it’s a good result,” said Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., chairman of the Judiciary Committee. “I think we’re making the best of a difficult situation.”

The political difficulties will continue this week as the full Senate kicks off a two-week immigration debate. The bill will change. It also faces a very difficult confrontation with a competing House bill, which focuses solely on border protections and stringent law-and-order measures.

The Senate bill, by contrast, represents a triumph for Democrats, big-business Republicans and self-styled compassionate conservatives including President Bush, who spent Monday presiding over a naturalization ceremony.

Senators removed provisions making “illegal presence” a new misdemeanor. They added provisions allowing 400,000 non-farm guest workers a year to enter the United States, and during a six-year stay, to apply for permanent residency. Most dramatically, the committee would permit the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants now here to secure permanent residency after jumping through some hurdles that don’t include returning to their native country.

“I have grave concerns,” Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn said. “I have a concern that this will be interpreted by my constituents as an amnesty program.”

“Some folks should be able to stay here,” said Arizona Republican Sen. John Kyl, “and others should not.”

California agribusiness and farmworkers alike hailed the committee’s approval of the immigration bill on a 12-6 vote, with four Republicans supporting it. In particular, the strange-bedfellows alliance rallied behind an agricultural worker provision offered by Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

Once a skeptic, Feinstein on Monday won committee approval for a provision offering legal status to up to 1.5 million agricultural workers. Illegal immigrants who could prove they had worked in agriculture at least 150 days in the past two years could obtain a new blue card permitting U.S. residency.

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SACRAMENTO - A 27-year-old Sacramento man remained in critical condition Saturday after he was shot during an apparent drug-related fight in Oak Park, police said.

Kings - Kings grind out this one - sacbee.com
Kings grind out this one
Mike Bibby scores 24 points, and Bonzi Wells has 23 in his first start since Feb. 3.

So it is, for the Kings’ sake, a good sign that Brad Miller had the positive-spin approach to the Kings’ 91-89 win over Utah on Saturday night.

SACRAMENTO - An envelope containing a suspicious white powder was found Friday morning at The Bee, forcing the evacuation of the newspaper’s mailroom.

Don’t hold your breath waiting for the reopening of Joe Marty’s, the longtime Broadway sports bar and restaurant damaged in a fire last summer.