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Hispanic and Latino unemployment remained essentially unchanged at 11.0 percent, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics report released Friday. It remains at sky-high May levels, which further complicates things for President Barack Obama heading into November.

That's down from 11.6 percent last June, but the rate has gone steadily up for much of the calendar year at a seasonally adjusted rate.

Despite the popularity of Obama's shift in immigration policy, most Latino voters place it well behind the economy in terms of issue importance to them heading into the November election between Obama and presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney.

A recent Gallup poll put unemployment second on the Hispanic voters' issue list. Overall, health care, unemployment, economic growth and "the gap between the rich and poor" are higher priorities to the majority of Latino voters than immigration. READ MORE

They once were hawked on street corners, displayed like the finest artwork with their images of Aztec warriors, Virgin Marys, lions, pandas and unicorns.

Laura Genao saw them growing up but never pictured herself owning one.

"Too tacky," she thought.

Years later, her mother slyly left one on her couch: a blanket with a giant tiger woven in shades of gray, black and white.

It was then Genao learned what most Latinos in Los Angeles come to understand as children: Love it or hate it, chances are you're going to forge a bond with a San Marcos.

The thick, plush Mexican blankets with designs of everything under the sun, including the San Francisco 49ers logo, Strawberry Shortcake, peacocks and geishas, have kept Latinos warm for nearly 40 years.

They're so popular they double as bedspreads, sofa slipcovers, car seat covers, wall art, curtains, rugs and even ponchos. They're a gift often given for Christmas, birthdays and baby showers. When a grown child is ready to leave home, a San Marcos usually goes along. READ MORE

Snacking is about to get a bit more picante. Convenience retail giant 7-Eleven Inc. added Mini Tacos to its vast inventory of items to munch on to appeal to the growing Latino population and the grazers who snack all day.

More than 500 of the chain’s Southland stores will feature the diminutive snacks, selling four for $1, which add to the growing trend of Latin-inspired foods, said Margaret Chabris, director of corporate communications for 7-Eleven.

“We’ve been in the fresh and hot food business for several years, and we’ve learned that there is a trend towards snacking, up to six to eight times a day,” Chabris said.

Nearly half of the population snacks at least twice a day, according to a report by Food Technology magazine, published by the Institute of Food Technologists.

Ethnic street-food-inspired appetizers, such as tacos, topped the magazine’s list of trendy appetizers in 2012.

The new menu item consists of petite corn tortillas filled with a shredded beef filling, green chilies, jalapeno peppers, cilantro, spices and other flavorings heated in rapid-cook ovens at the stores. Other varieties are in the works. READ MORE

Pizza Patron Inc., a Dallas-based pizza chain largely geared toward the Hispanic market, has given the green light to a group of investors who want to open 10 new locations in the Rio Grande Valley.

Pete Donbavand, a partner with Valley PP Partners LLC, said the plan is for two new stores in Brownsville, one in San Benito and the rest elsewhere in the Valley. Harlingen probably won't get a new store, due to the company's two-mile "radius requirement" mandating at least two miles between locations, he said. That's unless the partnership can acquire Harlingen's existing Pizza Patron or get a waiver on the two-mile rule, which Donbavand admits "might be a stretch."

The Harlingen store, two in Brownsville and two Pizza Patrons in Edinburg and McAllen are not Valley PP Partners franchises, though Valley PP Partners now has exclusive rights to the Valley region from Brownsville to Del Rio, excluding Laredo.

"Nobody else can come into the market or open additional stores besides us," Donbavand said.

He described Pizza Patron as "a good concept" based on a very affordable product. READ MORE

McDonald's announced today the latest extension to its national Hispanic education program with the launch of Latinos Rumbo al College, a free webinar series developed in conjunction with non-profit organization Latinos in College (LIC) and LULAC National Educational Service Centers (LNESC). The new webinar series was created to make the college process simple and attainable for both Hispanic students and their parents by leveraging LIC's expertise in developing interactive content that will be delivered in a culturally sensitive way through a trusted community partner and premier educational service organization, LNESC. The first of the bilingual webinars, titled "On the Track to College," was broadcasted live today from the LULAC National Convention in Orlando, Fla., in front of an audience of students, parents, educators and community stakeholders.

"As a long-standing partner of Hispanic education, McDonald's understands that some of the main barriers preventing Hispanic students from obtaining a college degree are misconceptions about financing a college education and unfamiliarity with the college application process," said Cristina Vilella, U.S. marketing director for McDonald's USA. "Through the new Latinos Rumbo al College webinar series we will reach thousands of Hispanic students and parents with an interactive resource, in English and Spanish, to help them navigate their way to college."

Today's webinar featured 2009 RMHC/HACER National Scholarship recipient Luis Duran, the son of Salvadoran immigrants who just finished his junior year at Arizona State University where he is studying to become an architect. Luis talked about his experience attending college despite financial difficulty and lack of familiarity with the college application process. The webinar also offered practical tips for parents and students to get on the track to college – including the importance of building a support network of other college-bound students.

"College starts as an almost unreachable dream for many Latino students," said webinar host and designer Mariela Dabbah, who founded Latinos in College to help students find the resources, tools and connections they need to successfully graduate. "There's nothing wrong with dreaming. But if you want to make it to college, you need to connect your dreams with actions. You need to find the right people and resources to support that dream so it becomes a reality." READ MORE

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AMERICAN voters are getting an earful these days about how decisive the Latino vote will be in the presidential election. Let's remember the high stakes for communities of color in state and local elections. Local leaders make most of the crucial decisions that affect our daily lives.

Washington state is doing a dismal job of electing Latinos that represent their rapidly growing populations in many parts of our state. We can, and should, enact state voting reforms to change that.

At Whitman College, students conducted intensive studies of Latino political representation through our community-based research program on "The State of the State for Washington Latinos" (www.walatinos.org). From out in the wheat fields and vineyards of Eastern Washington, their findings paint a devastating picture of racial and ethnic inequality.

Whitman researchers examined political representation in local government in the 10 counties where Latinos make up the highest percentages of county population: Skagit, Yakima, Walla Walla, Chelan, Grant, Adams, Okanogan, Franklin, Benton and Douglas counties.

In 2009, Latinos occupied barely 4 percent of local offices in a region where they accounted for nearly 33 percent of the population. Even worse, in the great majority of local offices there were no Latinos serving at all — no Latino hospital commissioners, fire commissioners or port commissioners. Not one Latino was serving in countywide office. READ MORE

Both political parties agree that the country's 21.3 million registered Latino voters could make a crucial difference in this year's presidential election.

Yet in a race defined by massive spending on television ads, fast-response Internet videos and sophisticated social media efforts, both President Obama and challenger Mitt Romney have fallen short thus far when it comes to targeting Latino voters electronically, according to some Spanish-language media experts.

Republican candidate Romney trails Obama badly among Latinos, according to polls released last week, and isn't counting on them to propel him to victory. Even so, his Spanish-language advertising has been minimal and clumsy, the experts said. Some of his ads are simply translated versions of his English-language commercials — a particular no-no when trying to reach Latino consumers.

Obama has spent more heavily, and created more effective ads than his rival, but some experts said that so far he has failed to craft a campaign that keeps pace with the rapidly increasing size and sophistication of the Latino population, which climbed to 50.5 million in the 2010 census, from 35.3 million a decade earlier. READ MORE

The latest census numbers tell a surprising story of how the racial makeup of Chicago’s suburbs has changed over the past 20 years. In many places, Latinos now outnumber whites. West suburban Elgin is one of those places. But as the population in Elgin has taken off, Latino representation at all levels of local government has not kept up.

“Just look at this stuff, the ethnicities represented here,” said Gil Feliciano, standing in the lobby of Elgin’s Gail Borden Library. On a summer afternoon, the lobby is filled with children of all backgrounds: white, black, Hispanic, Asian. It’s common to see them dragging their parents across the main floor to the children’s room in the back.

Feliciano was born and raised here in Elgin. His parents came from Puerto Rico. Feliciano was also Elgin’s Hispanic Outreach Coordinator for ten years. He was the glue that connected Elgin’s Latinos with city functions.

“A gentleman one time came to see me,” recounted Feliciano. “When I approached him at the counter, he throws down two photographs, both of his porch. One where his porch is a disaster, and one where his porch looks gorgeous.” The renovation had been the man’s own handiwork, Feliciano said. “I go, ‘Well, that’s wonderful work.’ And he goes, ‘Well, not according to you guys.’” READ MORE

It's been a few years since the big collapse and slowly the economy is starting to recover. Now that a few more companies are hiring and banks are lending again, it's a perfect time to play the blame game. Every week it seems as though there's a new study pointing the finger at someone else for the collapsed housing market.

This one's interesting. According to the Center for American Progress, Latinos are bearing the brunt of mortgage foreclosures. Nearly 12 percent compared to 9.8 for African Americans and 5 percent for whites.

That is troubling. So who's to blame? The greedy money-grubbing banks of course.

According to the report, Latinos and other people of color were, "disproportionately targeted for risky subprime loans and were victims of predatory lending practices."

And while that may be true, you could argue that the banks would have been just as "discriminating" had they denied risky mortgages for the same people altogether.

We may never know who's truly to blame for the recession, or if anyone is to blame at all. But one thing's for sure: when the economy goes south, everyone feels it, and when it comes to the banks, there's no way around it. You're damned if you do, damned if you don't. READ MORE

If the importance of the Latino vote in this year's presidential election weren't already clear, two major events last week made sure to drive that point home: first, President Obama announced that he would defer deportations for some, younger undocumented immigrants; then, just days later, both the President and Mitt Romney made sure to show up to address the largest gathering of Latinos in the country: the 29th Annual NALEO conference in Florida.

NALEO stands for the National Association of Latino Elected and appointed Officials, so both Governor Romney and President Obama didn't miss the chance to be in a room of very influential Latinos and try to rally voters to their side.

The President's immigration announcement last week left Mr. Romney--who has touted self-deportation for illegal immigrants, and said in Republican debates that Arizona's harsh immigration enforcement law, SB 1070, should be a model for the nation--with some ground to make up with Latino Americans. Hispanics wanted to hear from Romney about, among other things, whether he would leave Mr. Obama's new policy in place, or if he would rescind it once he were in office. (Romney did address the subject, but with very few details, and no straight answer on the question). From President Obama, they wanted to hear if he would continue to support that issue, and others important to the Latino community. I was in the room during the President's speech, and I could see that he enjoyed more support from the attendees than his opponent. READ MORE

MundoFox, the new Spanish-language broadcast network, slated to launch in August, announced today that it has already secured

“It furthers our strategy of reaching Hispanic consumers while providing us with a new platform on which to share relevant content that resonates with this important group.”

L’Oréal USA, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. and T-Mobile USA as major advertisers and charter sponsors for the network’s debut.

MundoFox plans to go above and beyond for its advertisers. For all three consumer product giants, L’Oréal USA, which includes Garnier and Maybelline New York, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. and T-Mobile USA, MundoFox will create custom capsules, host exclusive web chats with talent, include integration around hosted movie blocks, as well as integration within primetime on such shows as, “Minuto Para Ganar.” Additionally, advertisers will benefit through the network’s digital and social media extensions.

“MundoFox wants to challenge and revolutionize the status quo by giving media buyers and advertisers more innovative options,” said Tom Maney, Senior Vice President of Advertising Sales, Fox Hispanic Media. “Smart marketers believe there is a new Latino mindset. They are asking for more choices and they will be given just that from MundoFox.”

Advertisers with MundoFox will also enjoy the benefits of cross-promotion with the other networks within the Fox Hispanic Media portfolio, such as Utilísima, Nat Geo Mundo and FOX Deportes.

“This exclusive partnership with MundoFox is extremely important for our consumer products brands,” stated Marc Speichert, Chief Marketing Officer, L’Oréal USA. “It furthers our strategy of reaching Hispanic consumers while providing us with a new platform on which to share relevant content that resonates with this important group.”

Likewise, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. and T-Mobile USA seized this new opportunity to partner with a game changer like MundoFox. “The launch of MundoFox greatly expands the options for consumers to experience quality Spanish content and represents a tremendous opportunity for marketers to take part in delivering that content,” said Brett Dennis, Chief Media Communications Officer of Conill, the multicultural advertising agency representing Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. and

T-Mobile USA. “Our clients compete in fiercely aggressive categories and we are constantly looking for ways to engage people that go beyond simple air-time. MundoFox's programming strategy, innovative approach to creating advertising within that content and geographic penetration at launch were the overarching factors in bringing our clients on board as charter partners."

MundoFox’s first paid spot will go to yet another of its charter sponsors - 20th Century Fox - who will air the trailer of their upcoming September release “Won't Back Down.”

To date, MundoFox has secured affiliates in over 40 DMAs, and is in advanced negotiations in an additional 10 DMAs, which collectively represent nearly 70% of U.S. Hispanic households. It is expected to exceed its original goal of securing distribution in 75 percent of U.S. Hispanic households by its August launch. READ MORE

Alberto Perez started out as a street performer and then an aerobics teacher in Colombia, making extra cash on the side teaching the wives of businessmen how to dance in nightclubs in his hometown, Cali. Today, he stands at the center of the Zumba exercise craze, having helped transform Zumba Fitness, a private company, into a rapidly growing fitness empire with heavyweight investor backing. “I’m not a businessman, but I knew this had the potential to be something special,” said Perez, who along with two Colombian associates founded the Miami-based company.

Zumba, a Latin dance-inspired aerobic workout, has exploded from a Miami gym phenomenon to infomercial and DVD smash hit into a global craze with some 12 million people taking classes every week in at least 125 countries. Zumba Fitness now boasts being the largest branded fitness program in the world. Started on a shoestring budget in a Miami garage nearly 11 years ago, Zumba Fitness now has more than 200 employees, and a pair of New York investment firms is betting the craze has staying power. What began as a company focused on fitness has evolved into a lifestyle and entertainment brand combining e-commerce, apparel and music, and a sought-after outlet for stars like hip-hop artists Pitbull and Wyclef Jean and reggaeton singer Don Omar who have turned to Zumba to promote their music. READ MORE

Vocalo acquiring Radio Arte (WRTE 90.5FM) license
to expand community programming

(June 22, 2012) Chicago Public Media (CPM) is partnering with the National Museum of Mexican
Art to expand community programming. CPM is purchasing the community signal of WRTE 90.5 FM
(Radio Arte), the Museum’s youth-driven Latino public radio station. As part of the partnership, CPM is
also pursuing options to purchase key programs from the Radio Arte line-up to expand programming of
WBEW 89.5 FM (Vocalo), sister station of WBEZ. This partnership between two youth-driven public
radio stations builds on a collaborative history and their complementary community missions.
“This is a natural partnership,” said Silvia Rivera, Vocalo’s managing director, whose career in public
media began in 1998 as a result of Radio Arte’s media training program. “Radio Arte has been a trailblazer
in representing marginalized communities and showcasing the diversity of Latino culture. We are going to
honor this legacy and pair up Radio Arte and Vocalo programming to create a format that connects
culturally diverse communities to one another. We are excited by the opportunity to partner with the
National Museum of Mexican Art as the institution continues its commitment to training young people in
media making."

“It is important to our community to be able to continue to tell our stories,” agrees Carlos Tortolero,
founder and president of the National Museum of Mexican Art. “I am pleased to partner with Vocalo and
Chicago Public Media to broaden the audience for these stories and welcome the opportunity to work with
a partner who shares our commitment to the community programming Radio Arte made possible.”
Under the partnership, the National Museum of Mexican Art will receive $450,000 in cash and in-kind
services for the purchase of the WRTE community license. This includes Chicago Public Media’s
commitment to broad media sponsorship of future Museum activities and events.
Jorge Valdivia, general manager of Radio Arte, says the partnership will continue the Radio Arte legacy,
building on the Latino media community that his program has worked to establish. “Vocalo will be able to
tap the Museum’s network of students for potential internships, continuing their media training and giving
them an expanded audience for their work through Chicago Public Media.”

"I am honored to work in partnership with National Museum of Mexican Art to preserve an important
community asset,” said Torey Malatia, Chief Executive Officer of Chicago Public Media. “CPM believes
strongly in the power of public media to shape and strengthen a community. In acquiring this frequency
we are taking responsibility of this asset to serve the communities currently served by Radio Arte. With
that in mind, we will develop programs inspired by the history and legacy of Radio Arte. "

Vocalo.org 89.5 FM was established in June 2007 as an initiative of Chicago Public Media to make public radio more open to the public at large. The website and radio station – committed to fostering conversation between diverse constituents – is a next-generation public media service that connects with younger, culturally diverse audiences through music and stories.

Chicago Public Media is an institution that creates award-winning content for people seeking to learn more about the issues and ideas that affect our community, our nation and our world. Chicago Public Media produces programs such as This American Life, Sound Opinions, Wait, Wait...Don’t Tell Me! (a co-production with NPR), Eight Forty- Eight, The Afternoon Shift with Steve Edwards, Worldview and Radio M. It operates WBEZ 91.5 FM, one of the country’s premiere public radio stations, along with Vocalo 89.5 FM.

The National Museum of Mexican Art showcases 3,000 years of creativity from both sides of the Mexican
border, connecting visitors to the diversity of authentic Mexican art and culture. Works from the museum’s 7,000-piece permanent collection are exhibited in four warm and welcoming bilingual galleries, and the museum’s location in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood—the nation’s third-largest Mexican community—allows for a total immersion in the richness of Mexico’s culture. Admission is always free at the National Museum of Mexican Art, the only nationally accredited Latino museum in the U.S. To learn more, visit www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org. The National Museum of Mexican Art acquired its Class D radio station in 1996 from the Boys & Girls Club of Chicago, and has since supported the various initiatives that catapulted Radio Arte into a national award-winning institution. Since 1997, Radio Arte has offered a comprehensive bilingual one-year media-training program to hundreds of youth, ages 15-21. Radio Arte’s public affairs programming is driven by young people who consider the airwaves a tool of empowerment for themselves and their communities.

###

Contact: Rob. Walton/Beth Silverman
The Silverman Group, Inc.
312.932.9950
rob@silvermangroupchicago.com

Michelle Damico
Marj Halperin Consulting

312.423.6627
michelle@marjhalperin.com

Millward Brown, in conjunction with BrandAnalytics and WPP, today announce the inaugural BrandZ Top 50 Most Valuable Latin American Brands.

The value of the BrandZ Latam Top 50 is dominated by retail, financial, communication, beer and energy brands.

Petrobras, the Brazilian energy giant, topped the ranking with a brand value of $10.6 billion. The remainder of the Top 5 consists of brands from the financial and communications categories.

Brazil, the world's sixth largest economy, is the most dominant country in the rankings, accounting for one third of the $136 billion total value. However, it's not all about Brazil. Mexican brands are in close pursuit and together are worth $37 billion - 27 percent of the total value of the BrandZ Latam Top 50. Brands from Chile, Colombia and Argentina also made it into the ranking and together constitute almost 40 percent of the total value.

Going global

The BrandZ Latam Top 50 brands are not only leaders in their own countries; many also have a regional presence across South America. The Chilean retailer Falabella operates stores throughout South America, and the Mexican telecom company, America Móvil, serves much of Latin America through its Claro brand. Of the brands in the BrandZ Latam Top 50 ranking, eight also ranked in the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands 2012 in the following categories: energy, communication, retail, beer and personal care.

Many of the BrandZ Latam Top 50 brands have a global footprint including Petrobras, Cemex, which is a global supplier of building materials, Sadia and Perdigão - both Brazilian food processors that export worldwide. When Chile's LAN Airlines completes it merger with Brazil's TAM Airlines, it will become one of the world's largest carriers.

The importance of brand

Despite being hit by the slowdown in the Latin American economy, the value of the BrandZ Latam Portfolio has outperformed the MSCI Emerging Market Latin America Index by over 7 percent over the last 12 months. This demonstrates that a strong brand not only maximizes the potential of a business when times are good, but also helps to minimize the impact of poor economic conditions on a business.

Fabian Hernandez, Latin American CEO, Millward Brown, says: "The BrandZ Top 50 Most Valuable Latin American Brands ranking corroborates the increasing importance of emerging markets in the world. It is fascinating to know in which industries the Latin American brands are competing with the global brands; Financial Institutions, Communications, and Retail." READ MORE

The Castilla-La Mancha US Tour will stop in San Francisco, San Diego, and Seattle in July
Featuring Tasting Seminars and a Walk-Around Grand Tasting in Each City

New York, June 21, 2012 – After a well-received tour through Atlanta, Chicago and New York in May, the wineries of Castilla-La Mancha look forward to bringing their distinctive wines to the West Coast during the week of July 9th. Just as local ‘celebrity’, Don Quixote, traveled through his region seeking adventure and noble experiences, guests at the Castilla-La Mancha US tastings will do the same as they discover the wines of 26 participating producers. Each of these events will offer opportunities to experience the wines, foods, music and traditions of this distinctive region. The events will welcome members of US wine and food trade and press.

Castilla-La Mancha is the most expansive wine-producing region in the world. It is a land of fascinating foods and cultural traditions and, naturally, a wide variety of wines. The land, composed of limestone clay and a great variety of subsoils, makes the region ideal for growing grape vines. Within the Castilla-La Mancha area, there are nine appellations of origin, four estates with their own appellations and many ‘Geographical Indication Wines’.

“After years of focus and investment in quality wine production and a very successful reception of our wines by industry professionals on the East Coast this past spring, we are excited to bring our distinctive traditions to new consumers along the West Coast and throughout the US. There is much for the US trade to discover about the quality and diversity of our wines and we hope to begin sharing our history and tradition through these tastings,” said Paloma Juncos of the Foreign Trade Institute of Castilla-La Mancha, which is organizing the US program.

Each event will commence with a seminar conducted by Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible. MacNeil will share the winemaking history of the region of Castilla-La Mancha, the technical qualities of its wines, and the sales opportunity for these wines in the US market with the trade and press. Each seminar will be followed by an afternoon walk-around tasting enhanced by regional foods and live entertainment.

The participating wineries include Bodegas Alcardet, Bodegas del Saz, Bodegas Villavid, Viña Cerrón, Aurum Red, Vinícola de Castilla, Bodegas Centro Españolas, Manuel Manzaneque, Castillo de Consuegra, Finca Los Alijares, Dominio de Baco, Bodegas Soledad, Bodegas Vitivinos, Vinos & Bodegas, Bodegas la Tercia, Encomienda de Cervera, Bodegas Finca La Estacada, Cooperativa Virgen de las Nieves, Bodegas Romero de Ávila, Vinícola de Tomelloso, Bodegas Piqueras, Dominio de Punctum, Finca Los Aljibes, Finca El Refugio, Altolandon, and Arrayán.

To register for the events please visit:

San Diego, Monday, July 9th, 2012
http://castillalamanchasandiego.eventbrite.com/

San Francisco, Tuesday, July 10th, 2012
http://castillalamanchasanfrancisco.eventbrite.com/

Seattle, Thursday, July 12th, 2012
http://castillalamanchaseattle.eventbrite.com/

If you are unable to attend, but would like to receive samples of Castilla-La Mancha wines with US distribution, please contact: Alice Franceschi (afranceschi@colangelopr.com).

Contact:
Erica Nonni
Colangelo & Partners Public Relations
646.624.2885 ext. 112
enonni@colangelopr.com

Alice Franceschi
Colangelo & Partners PR
646.624.2885 ext. 107
afranceschi@colangelopr.com

The rise in the influence of the Hispanic business community has not gone unnoticed in the tourism industry.

Latinos are gaining footholds in a variety of industries in Southern Nevada, and airlines are creating connections to the south to help foster those growing business relationships.

While the population centers of Mexico have always been fertile ground for direct flights, big plans are on the horizon to reach into Central and South America with connecting service that should open new markets.

Since May 2011, the number of seats from Mexican markets has grown 38 percent to 4,838 a week — and that’s with a decrease in seats from AeroMexico, the nation’s major air carrier.

AeroMexico flies nonstop between Las Vegas and Mexico City and Monterrey. Discounter VivaAerobus links Las Vegas with Monterrey. And upstart discounter, Volaris, which has a partnership with Southwest Airlines, flies to Mexico City and Guadalajara.

Southwest and Volaris have hinted at a desire to grow the partnership, and Southwest has even said it eventually plans to fly its own planes to Mexico, although that won’t likely happen any time soon from McCarran International Airport. READ MORE

The Houston piñata controversy started with a few signs.

At parks in the northwestern reaches of Houston's Harris County, alongside the "Leash law will be enforced" and "No littering" warnings, authorities have posted signs saying, "No piñatas allowed" and "No confetti eggs."

Recently, Latino activists took issue with the signs, which they insist unfairly target Mexican Americans, because piñatas and confetti eggs, or cascarones, are popular Mexican party favors.

" ‘Piñatas prohibited' is not a synonym for ‘Do not litter’; it’s a synonym for ‘No Mexicans allowed,’ " Tony Diaz, founder of Houston-based El Librotraficante, told KHOU-TV News. "It’s almost as if all the signs that talk about the speed limit were to say ‘20 mph for your low-riders.’"

"If you condone this, it’s condoning a lot of negative stereotypes about Mexican Americans," Diaz said.

The county adopted the piñata policy six years ago, and officials noted that it covers a wide variety of party accessories. It reads: "All party favors containing paper, confetti, rice, silly string, glitter, or other filling which is designed to pop/break/shatter or otherwise burst and litter our parks are prohibited. This shall include but is not limited to: poppers, piñatas, confetti eggs, and silly string."

The policy only applies to Precinct 4, the largest precinct in the county -- one that includes more than two dozen parks and is at least 26% Latino. READ MORE

The importance of the Hispanic vote to President Barack Obama’s re-election chances is practically impossible to overstate. Yet the significance of the Hispanic vote to the long-term prospects of the Republican Party is arguably greater still.

A Latino Decisions poll of 5 swing states released June 17 revealed that Obama’s executive action to ease the pressure on young illegal immigrants, enabling them to avoid deportation and apply for work permits, has resonated with Hispanic voters.

A previous Latino Decisions poll had found widespread discontentment with Obama’s record 1 million deportations; in January, 41 percent of Hispanic voters said they had grown less enthusiastic about the president as a result. In the swing state poll released Sunday, however, 49 percent of Hispanics surveyed in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Nevada and Virginia said the president’s halt on youth deportations would make them more enthusiastic about Obama, with only 14 percent saying it would make them less so.

If a rise in “enthusiasm” leads to a rise in Hispanic turnout to close to 2008 levels, it could make the difference for Obama in some or all of those five states -- and possibly others besides -- in November. Colorado, for example, has 455,000 eligible Hispanic voters. In 2010, Democrat Michael Bennet won a U.S. Senate seat there by a margin of about 29,000 votes. READ MORE

President Obama has new campaign ads on health care, and they're in Spanish.

The new spots, featuring Hispanic television host Cristina Saralegui, are airing in three states where the Latino could make the difference for Obama's re-election: Florida, Colorado and Nevada.

"President Obama's new health care law guarantees that by 2014 the vast majority of Hispanics will have access to quality, affordable health insurance," Saralegui says in the new ads.

That assumes, of course, that the Supreme Court doesn't strike down the law that Obama signed in 2010.

The justices are expected to issue their ruling sometime over the next 10 days.

The new Spanish-language ads come less than a week after Obama announced a new plan to stop deportations of the children of illegal immigrants and offer them a chance to obtain work permits.

Later this week, Obama and Republican opponent Mitt Romney have separate speeches to a convention of Hispanic lawmakers. READ MORE