EDWARD SIFUENTES

Staff Writer

VISTA -- The first meeting of the year for the Latino leadership group, El Grupo Sin Nombre, may have been short on attendance, but it was not short of ideas.

At Thursday's meeting, attended by about a dozen people, the group decided to plan a "parent college education program," a half-day seminar for future Latino leaders, review a proposal for a new Vista charter school aimed at Latino students, and follow up on the police investigation of a Latino killed in an officer-involved shooting last month.

Rocky Chavez, one of the group's members, said he would coordinate the college education program to help Spanish-speaking Latino parents learn how to help their children attend college.

"It would be a quick program, 90 minutes tops, where we would have someone talk to them about the economics of getting a college degree, someone talking about funding, and students who are going to college, so that they can say, 'That could be my son or daughter up there,' " Chavez said.

The program would be held at three separate locations in North County, in Oceanside, San Marcos and Escondido. The times and location of the programs are still to be determined.

The group also is planning to create a half-day seminar to promote leadership in the Latino community by encouraging young people to look at elected office as a career option.

"That's what this group was founded on," said Joe Cordero, president of El Grupo Sin Nombre. "That's what Vince (Andrade) wanted,"

The late Vince Andrade, a former San Marcos City Council member, was one of the group's founders and continues to inspire the group's members, many of whom are now county, city and community leaders.

At the meeting, the group also decided to seek the advice of Cal State San Marcos faculty to decide whether to back a controversial charter school proposal in the Vista Unified School District that initially targeted Latino children for enrollment.

One of the main concerns of the group's members is that the backers of the charter school, including Allen Ratta and Sherrie Scott Ratta of Oceanside, only recently approached Latino leaders to consult about the school.

Members of El Grupo also opposed the charter school's focus on Latino students, saying they viewed the enrollment policy as segregationist.

"We are very concerned about the fact that (the charter school) is being sold to parents who care very much about their children's education, as something that is going to be good for their children," Cordero said. "I don't like it."

A revised proposal for the Vista Literacy Academy was submitted to the Vista Unified School District board Feb. 8. The school board will hold a public hearing on the charter school March 8.

The group also decided to follow up on the investigation of an Escondido man who was shot by police Jan. 26. Police say 26-year-old Arturo Diaz pulled a gun on officers who were questioning Diaz and another man for suspicious behavior outside an Escondido apartment building.

Witnesses gave varying accounts of what happened. Police are still investigating the incident.

Luis Gonzalez, a member of El Grupo and an Escondido activist, said he was concerned because the police have refused to release the names of the officers involved in the shooting. He also said he was upset that Latino leaders have not been more vocal about the incident.

"These are things that can't happen if police want to have better relations with the Latino community," Gonzalez said. "I feel that El Grupo needs to ask the questions."

Contact staff writer Edward Sifuentes at (760) 740-5426 or esifuentes@nctimes.com.

2/24/01