UPDATES

Our documentary was completed at the end of March 2020. As time goes on, events keep unfolding and we will use this page to update information on what’s going on in Latino Wisconsin.   

New Assembly member in District 8 

Milwaukee County Board Sup. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez was elected to the State Assembly District 8 in the November 2020 election. She succeeds outgoing State Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa who decided not to seek another term. Earlier in the year she was elected to the Milwaukee Common Council. 

In April Ortiz-Velez was re-elected to a second term on the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors from District 12. She intends to keep the seat on the County Board, while serving in the Assembly, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She defeated former Milwaukee alderman Angel Sanchez, a Republican, in the Assembly race. 

Báez Won’t Run for School Board Again

Milwaukee School Board Director Luis Antonio “Tony” Báez has announced he will not seek another term on the board from District 6 on the city’s south side.

In a Facebook post, he said he’s stepping down to concentrate on national and international education issues, including bilingual and multilingualism. 

He’s endorsing Marcela “Xela” Garcia for the District 6 seat. Garcia is the executive director of the Walker’s Point Center for the Arts. An MPS alum, she was born in Guadalajara and raised on the city’s south side. She has a bachelor’s degree in English literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

No other candidates have announced for this seat.