Government

Sheroes at Doyle’s: Ayanna, Rollins, Nika, Malia, Chang-Diaz on Dec. 12

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The JP Progressives are hosting their annual fundraiser on Dec. 12 and it's going to feature several newly elected sheroes. "Our work this year was extensive, and we are proud of both the results that we helped achieve and the effort we put forward. We gathered signatures for ballot questions and candidates. We organized phone and text banks to elect progressive candidates to state and federal offices across the nation.

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Elections

Jamaica Plain Election Info: Candidates, Ballot Questions, Where to Vote and More

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Tuesday's Election Day is going to be extremely tame, at least in Massachusetts, compared to the fireworks of September's primaries, which already decided all of the major races. Not sure where you vote? Click here to find out where to vote. Races Already Decided

Jamaica Plain encompasses two congressional districts and there is only one candidate in the final of each. At-Large Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley is headed to Washington, DC after defeating 10-time incumbent Michael Capuano in the Democratic primary for the 7th District.

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From the Community

Malia & O’Malley: Thank You for South Street Summer Hot Dog Nights

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State Rep. Liz Malia (D-11th Suffolk) and District 6 City Councilor Matt O’Malley would like to thank the generous community partners who made the 24th Annual South Street Summer Hotdog Nights possible and successful. The community partners included Roche Bros., Fernandez Spa, Il Panino Cafe & Grill, Read Boston, Boston Police Department’s District E-13 Community Service officers, Boston Tenant Coalition, many loyal volunteers like Bette Jo Green and Jo Ann Whitehead, summer interns, and the managers, residents and neighbors of the Boston Housing Authority’s South Street Family Development. The cookouts were held at 5:30 pm every Tuesday (weather permitting) June through August. The event builds community by bringing residents, neighbors, and public safety officials together, and helps to provide a safe and healthy space for all attendees to interact one hot dog at a time.

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Elections

Election Results: Ayanna Pressley Wins! Nika Elugardo Wins! Rachael Rollins Wins!

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Massachusetts politics just got shook up! Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley defeated 1o-time incumbent Congressman Michael Capuano. Nika Elugardo has defeated state Rep. Jeffrey Sánchez, taking down the chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means. But wait -- there's more! Rachael Rollins has won the Democratic Party nomination for the Suffolk County District Attorney seat.

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Elections

Poll: Malia vs. Muhammad vs. Turnbull — Who Are You Voting For?

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Longtime state Rep. Liz Malia has two challengers this Election Day, one who has run for several positions in the last few years, and another running for elected office for the first time. Malia (D-11th Suffolk) was first elected to the Massachusetts in House of Representatives in 1998, and she remains very active in the community and the State House. She hosts things such as hot dog nights at the Boston Housing Authority's South Street apartments, and co-sponsoring and participating on a panel at the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers annual Legislative Education and Advocacy Day. As the assistant vice chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means she is also part of the House leadership. That led to her recently being criticized for not forcing a public vote on immigration protections in the House budget. Not having those provisions included greatly disappointed Malia, as she fought to include them in the budget.

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Government

Malia, Like Fellow JP Rep. Sánchez, Couldn’t Force Public Vote on Immigration Protections

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Jamaica Plain state representatives Jeffrey Sánchez and Liz Malia both supported immigration provisions as a rider in the state budget. But neither demanded a public roll call from their colleagues—despite being chair and assistant vice chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means—because they say they didn't have the numbers to support it. As previously reported in Jamaica Plain News, Sánchez was disappointed the immigration provisions were stripped from the state budget during House-Senate negotiations. The provisions, which among other things would have prohibited police from asking people their immigration status unless required by federal or state law, ultimately did not appear in the approved state budget. Malia said she is also disappointed the legislature didn't have enough votes to override Governor Charlie Baker's veto. As for why a public vote wasn't taken, she told Jamaica Plain News, "It appears many of my colleagues didn’t want to take the vote, especially in certain purple and red districts of our commonwealth.

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Opinion

Letter: Rep. Malia Fails to Save the Safe Communities Act

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When I was in high school, I became close friends with a girl who came from a family of proud immigrants. As we became closer, she shared with me the stories of family members who were undocumented and how they feared being stripped from their loved ones and the life they built here in America. Ever since then, I have become invested in the policies that affect the immigrants of our country. I have been heartbroken seeing the DREAM Act die in Congress while also feeling the growing presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in our state. This explains as to why I was incredibly disappointed when the news broke earlier this month that the Safe Communities Act policy rider was stripped from the MA FY19 budget.

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From the Community

JP’s Gavin Smith Honored as Finalist for Massachusetts Teacher of the Year by Rep. Malia

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During a State House ceremony on June 21, state Rep. Liz Malia (D-11th Suffolk) honored three Bostonians for excellence in teaching. The ceremony honored Jamaica Plain's Gavin Smith, Roslindale's Aaron Osowiecki and Andrew Manning of Roxbury, for their excellence in teaching as members of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Aaron Osowiecki of Roslindale received the 2017 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Since 1999, Osowiecki has been teaching physics at Boston Latin School. Intent on shifting the classroom towards the students, Osowiecki led the development on Energizing Physics, a progressive physics curriculum used at BLS and other schools throughout the country.

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