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TOO HOT TO WORK. Three California farm workers died in the last month while working in a stifling heat wave that reached triple digits for several days in a row. Juan Ochoa died while checking irrigation equipment on Etchegaray Farms in the San Joaquin Valley. The farm was briefly shut down when state officials found that the farm was not complying with heat-stress laws, but is now back open. California passed progressive laws to prevent heat illness in the fields. Why do farm laborers continue dying? What needs to happen to ensure no more deaths under the California sun? Guests: Alejandro Ochoa, Farm worker and brother of Juan Ochoa, Delano, CA; Erika Monterroza, Spokesperson, Cal-OSHA, Oakland, CA, www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/; Erika Oropeza, Vice President, United Farm Workers (UFW), Madera, CA, www.ufw.org

MEXICO EDITION. Mexico's economy is sick, because despite its large oil reserves, the country spends on maintaining an extensive political bureaucracy, it collects low taxes from big companies and affects the salary of the population, hurting the internal market, according to an expert guest. This edition also includes reports about the controversy around water distribution in Hermosillo, Sonora, and about forced expulsion by organized crime in communities in Guerrero. Martha Elena Ramírez hosts Voz Pública from Mexico City. Guest: Dr. Abel Pérez Zamorano, Agronomist Engineer, with studies at the Autonomous University of Sinaloa, and a Ph.D. in Economic Development from the London School of Economics, Director of the Mexican Review of Agricultural Economy and Natural Resources, a scientific journal edited by Chapingo University, Mexico City, Mexico.

FUROR OVER TRAYVON MARTIN. The verdict finding George Zimmerman not guilty in the death of young African American Martin Trayvon has sparked protests around the country. This program offers news on the public reactions in Florida and the repercussions on issues such as the “Stand your Ground” law and the legal system. Guests: Arelis Hernández, Reporter, Orlando Sentinel, Orlando, FL; María Villalobos, Organizer, Dream Defenders, Director, Unión Estudiantil Hispana Latina de la Universidad Estatal de la Florida, Tallahasee, FL; Arturo Carmona, President, Presente.org, Los Angeles, CA. ALSO, STUDENT LOAN RELIEF? A group of senators reached a deal that would provide college students better interest rates in their loans. Congress has been reluctant to extend low interest rates for federal loans for low- and middle-income students, resulting in the interest rate doubling to 6.8 percent. A student advocate joins this edition to discuss the future of student loans. Guest: Laura Maristany Martinelli, Executive Director of Legislative Affairs, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, Washington, DC, www.hacu.net

MONEY INTO “THE HOLE.” Tens of thousands of inmates across California have refused to eat in what could become the largest hunger strike in state history, protesting aggressive solitary confinement practices, including decades-long confinement without time outdoors or phone calls. California faces the threat of being charged with contempt of court after the Supreme Court ordered the state to reduce the prison population by 10,000 inmates this year, because of what the court characterized as inhumane conditions. How much of the state budget is being thrown into this prison system and practices such as “the hole?” Guests: Julissa Muñiz, Relative of two prisoners on hunger strike in Pelican Bay and Student at UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA; Manuel La Fontaine, Organizer, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, Oakland, CA, www.prisonerswithchildren.org ; Margaret Mims, Sheriff, Fresno County, Fresno, CA.

STRIKE IN THE FIELDS. Close to 200 farm workers went on strike last week in Washington State to protest working conditions at Sakuma Brothers Farm. The workers, many of them indigenous migrants from Oaxaca, Mexico, are calling for better wages, housing conditions, sick leave, and a stop to discrimination. The move is unprecedented in the state. This program also includes comments on the H2A or guest worker programs included in the immigration reform plans in the nation's Capitol Hill. Guest: Rosalinda Guillén, Director, Community to Community Development, Bellingham, WA, http://foodjustice.org ALSO, NAPOLITANO AT UC. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano has announced she will leave the position in September to become president of the University of California system. UC students and pro-immigrant rights leaders have raised concerns about what this could mean for undocumented students. This program also includes comments on the impact of current deportation policies among immigrant families and communities and on the TRUST Act in California. Guest: Edna Monroy, Southern California Regional Coordinator, California Immigrant Youth Justice Alliance, Los Angeles, CA.

SCRAPPING WILLFUL DEFIANCE. California schools suspend thousands of students every day, mostly African American and Latino students, and largely for minor behavior issues. The Los Angeles Unified School District recently adopted a rule that students can no longer be suspended for what is known as “willful defiance,” refusing to comply with a teacher’s direction. A similar bill is pending in the state Senate. This edition takes a look at how these measures could benefit Latino students. Ruth Cusick, Staff Attorney, Children’s rights Project, Public Counsel Law Center, Los Angeles, CA. http://www.publiccounsel.org ; Silvia Méndez, Core Parent, CADRE (Community Asset Development Re-defining Education), Los Angeles, CA. www.cadre-la.org ; Luis Alejo, Assemblymember, Representing 30th District, California Assembly, Sacramento, CA. ALSO, NOT GUILTY. A jury in Florida declared George Zimmerman not guilty for second degree murder or manslaughter in the killing of the unarmed African-American youth Trayvon Martin. The verdict has sparked protests and demonstrations in multiple cities. A reporter joins this edition to give an update on the aftermath. Guest: Migdalia Fernández, Reporter, La Prensa, Orlando, FL, http://www.laprensafl.com

MEXICO EDITION. At least 1700 children and adolescents are estimated to have been killed in actions related to organized crime, according to the Network for Children's Rights in Mexico, a group of 77 organizations around the country. The network also reports new forms of exploitation of minors. In addition to being victims of trafficking and being put to work in processing information and drugs, children are also being used to execute revenge killings, in which police and mafia kill each other's children in revenge. The governmnet has not created an official register of children's deaths nor has it attended to the petition of the U.N. to create and coordinate instiutions to protect minors. Martha Elena Ramírez hosts Voz Pública from Mexico City. Guest: Juan Martín Pérez, Director, Network for Children's Rights in Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico.

OHLONES AND MAYAS SHARED HOME. When the first Europeans arrived to the continent, the Ohlone people’s territory covered California’s Northern and Central coast. Since then, this territory has become one of the most populous and urbanized in the country, and many of today’s Ohlone live side-to-side with diverse ethnic groups. The San Francisco Bay area is now the home to one of the largest Mayan communities outside Yucatan, in Southern Mexico. Mayans and Ohlones share some ancestral roots as well as similar modern challenges to preserve their culture and language. This program is part of a special series on indigenous communities in North America. Guests: Rosario Chacón, Board member, Asociacion Mayab (Asociación Maya Yucateca del Area de la Bahia), San Francisco, CA, http://www.asociacionmayab.org ; Ana Patricia Martínez Huchim, Maya language Professor and writer, Anthropologist, Asociacion Mayab, San Francisco, CA, http://www.asociacionmayab.org ; Antonio Moreno, Representative, Ohlone Profiles Project, http://ohloneprofiles.org

CALIFORNIA AT THE FOREFRONT OF HEALTH REFORM. Covered California, the state’s health benefit exchange, will open for business to the public on October 1st. A Covered California representative joins the edition to discuss the new health insurance plans available to consumers through this online marketplace, and the efforts underway to inform Latinos and other ethnic groups about federal subsidies to purchase health insurance. Consumers polled on the street also share hopes and concerns about the health care reform. Guest: Santiago Lucero, Spokesperson, Covered California, http://www.coveredca.com

IMMIGRATION EDITION. After the Senate’s historic approval of the S.744 immigration reform bill, the epicenter of the debate now moves to the House of Representatives. Pro- immigrant advocates agree that the fight for a path to citizenship that benefits more than 11 million undocumented immigrants will be a tough one. Others now oppose the Senate bill over its border security costs. Attorney Rosalba Piña also answers listeners’ immigration questions. Guests: Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC, http://gutierrez.house.gov/ ; Attorney Rosalba Piña, Immigration law expert, Chicago, IL, www.rosalbapina.com ; Congressman David Valadao (R-CA); Congressman Jim Costa (D-CA).

NEW GAY MARRIAGES. This program explores the ramifications of the recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings overturning the Defense of Marriage Act and California's Proposition 8. This program includes interviews recorded during the first same-sex weddings since 2008 in the City Hall of Oakland, California, the lesbian capital of the U.S. This edition also includes calls from listeners about other current affairs. Guests: Jean Quan, Mayor, Oakland, CA, http://www2.oaklandnet.com/; Debra Espinosa-Jones, married resident, Oakland, CA; Cora García, married resident, Oakland, CA.

MEXICO EDITION. When he was returning from the Forum of Gas Exporting Countries in Russia, the President of Bolivia, Evo Morales, found that France, Italy, Portugal and Spain refused permission for him to fly over their airspace, because they suspected Edward Snowden was on board. The Bolivian airplane had to return to Moscow, and then to Vienna, Austria, before Morales could return to his country. Mexican activists condemned the diplomatic block the United States has placed against Snowden, after he revealed part of Washington’s intelligence system. Guests: Jorge Mansilla, Former Ambassador of Bolivia in Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico; Héctor de la Cueva, Centro de Investigación Laboral y Asesoría Sindical, Mexico City, Mexico (pretaped audio)

FREEDOM OF LITERATURE. In honor of Independence Day, a holiday when many celebrate free speech, this edition offers a one-on-one interview with the leader of the Librotraficante Movement. The so-called “book smugglers” protested Arizona’s ban of Mexican-American and ethnic studies by creating a chain of “underground” libraries to bring Chicano and Latino books to people across the nation. Guest: Tony Díaz, El Librotraficante, Interviewed in San Francisco, CA, www.librotraficante.com

MIDNIGHT IN MEXICO. More than 80,000 people are estimated to have been killed or disappeared in Mexico’s drug war in the past six years. The violence has taken a harsh toll on journalists, with many dead, disappeared, or exiled in the United States. Mexican-American journalist Alfredo Corchado sheds light on what it is like to report in his parents’ home country, in a memoir called Midnight in Mexico about his experiences reporting on drug cartels, organized crime, and government corruption. Guest: Alfredo Corchado, Journalist and Author, Midnight in Mexico, El Paso, TX, www.alfredocorchado.com

TOWNHALL ON REFORM: A REPEAT. HOUR 2. This is a repeat of a recorded and edited version of the live town hall meeting on immigration reform held in Fresno City Hall, in California's San Joaquin Valley. Guests: Rep. David Valadao, CA-21, R-Hanford; Rep. Jim Costa, CA-16, D-Fresno; Manuel Cunha, President, Nisei Farmers League; Rev. Dina Gonzalez Pina, Fresno Pacific University; Lazaro Salazar, immigration attorney; Yenedit Valencia, Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indigena Oaxaqueno; Maria Rocio Scamio, Mother of deported teen; Luis Ojeda, young immigrant.