October 7, 2005 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E2069 Mr. Speaker, in closing, our thoughts and Working with Barrios Unidos Hoy gramming to over 1,900 affiliated radio sta- prayers are with Bill’s friends and family as Organizados (BUHO), Mondragon was a key tions; , the leading Inter- they remember the loss of such a great man. organizer for a public meeting that brought to- net provider of Christian content and online His contributions to Delaware will live on, as gether 300 community residents to address streaming; and Salem Publishing, a leading will his memory. issues of concern such as affordable housing publisher of Christian themed magazines. f and adequate street lighting. Those who I congratulate all the listeners and employ- worked with him on the community meeting ees of KKLA-FM, who should be extremely HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH describe Mondragon as ‘‘a true role model.’’ proud of the station they have helped to build. Mondragon is currently Commissioner of I ask this Congress to join me in wishing the HON. SUSAN A. DAVIS Community Service for the Associated Student KKLA–FM family a happy 20th anniversary. OF Body at High School. Despite all of f IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES his extracurricular activities, Jose has main- AZERBAIJAN tained a 3.81 GPA and hopes to attend Stan- Friday, October 7, 2005 ford University after high school. Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise I hope you, Mr. Speaker, and all of my col- HON. TED POE OF TEXAS today in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, leagues will join me in honoring these extraor- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES which commemorates the numerous contribu- dinary individuals and their accomplishments tions that Latinos make to our country. for the Latino community. Friday, October 7, 2005 I am proud, honored and privileged to rep- f Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, Azerbaijan is an im- resent California’s 53rd District in Congress. portant strategic ally for the United States. The The district’s rich diversity embodies the vi- COMMEMORATING THE TWEN- Country is located in a region that can brant cultural fabric of our country. TIETH ANNIVERSARY OF KKLA– produce and transport energy products to the During this month of celebration, I would like FM West. As well as provide military and intel- to recognize the efforts of some ordinary indi- ligence capabilities to the United States. viduals who are doing extraordinary things in HON. GARY G. MILLER Azerbaijan is an emerging major non-OPEC San Diego. OF CALIFORNIA oil producer and transit country (i.e, Baku- GUS CHAVEZ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Ceyhan pipeline), which will supply 1.6 million barrels a day after being operational Decem- For thirty years, Gus Chavez helped make Friday, October 7, 2005 the dream of a college degree possible for ber 2005. This will stabilize the other energy Mr. GARY G. MILLER of California. Mr. countless students. Chavez is widely recog- producing countries (oil and gas) in the region Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 99.5 nized as the heart and soul of the Education and their ability to get their product to the mar- KKLA–FM, , California’s leading Opportunity Program (EOP) at San Diego ketplace without the dependency of Russia or Christian-teaching radio station, as it cele- State University. He transformed a pilot pro- Iran. brates 20 years of community-oriented broad- gram to attract low-income students into one Azerbaijan is a front line positioned state for casting. military and intelligence access to Iran. This of the most successful programs in the state’s And what an amazing twenty years it has will act as a stabilizing effect for the region history. been. From its humble beginnings in a small and fight off the aggressive position of Iran. It Chavez turned the department into a com- studio in Hollywood to the multimedia power- will also work against terrorist activities spread prehensive admissions outreach and retention house it is today, KKLA–FM has always striv- by fundamental terrorist who have the support program. He expanded services to include en to engage listeners of Iran. pre-collegiate recruiting and pre-admission ad- with thought-provoking discussions and family Azerbaijan is the first Muslim state to pro- vising, academic orientation, tutoring, skills de- friendly programming. In an age when our vide troops to the U.S. backed coalitions in velopment and test preparation, summer media increasingly focuses on violent and of- Iraq., Afghanistan and Kosovo. To date, they bridge programs for freshmen and transfer fensive material, KKLA–FM has consistently are the only Shiite Muslim state to provide students, career counseling and grants. remained committed to providing quality mate- troops. At his retirement words like ‘‘activist’’ ‘‘lead- rial for listeners of all ages. Azerbaijan is in the vanguard of the emerg- er’’ ‘‘mentor’’ and ‘‘advocate’’, easily rolled off Since October 15, 1985, KKLA–FM’s first ing democracies from the former Soviet Union. tongues. Indeed, many alumni cite Chavez as day on the air, the station has been dedicated Azerbaijan has parliamentary elections sched- the person who had the most impact on their to its mission of beaming the Lord’s word and uled November 6, 2005, and is moving for- educations. teachings to Southern California. But it wasn’t ward with international support to assure free ´ ALBERTO R. CORTES until 1986, with the debut of ‘‘Live from LA,’’ and fair elections. Azerbaijan has allowed op- For nearly 18 years, Alberto Corte´s has that the station moved to the national forefront position parties the right to organize, protest, been dedicated to educating people of color as the voice of Southern California’s Christian and access public television. about HIV and AIDS. He has worked as a bi- community. Today, KKLA–FM is unquestion- Azerbaijan maintains excellent relations with lingual information specialist and health edu- ably the leader of Christian-themed radio in the State of Israel, both, diplomatically and cator for the San Diego AIDS Project and vol- Southern California. economically including providing crude oil. Azerbaijan is a strong strategic partner with unteered for the San Diego AIDS Information KKLA–FM’s success was twenty years in the United States and is cooperating in United Line. Corte´s has also been active with the the making. It was the first Los Angeles radio States activities regarding Caspian regional Council of Community Clinics where he helped station and second in the nation to stream security overseeing Iran (e.g., Caspian Guards build HIV awareness and counseled individ- their programming on the Internet. And the program, radar system, fly-over rights and re- uals. station was quick to develop other radio out- fueling capacity). Presently, Corte´s serves as executive direc- lets, including News/Talk 870 KRLA–AM, 95.9 tor of Mama’s Kitchen, a nonprofit organization Azerbaijan is a strategic asset given its KFSH–FM (The Fish), News/Talk 590 KTIE– presence as a strong United States-Israel ally that prepares and delivers food to people af- AM and 1190 KXMX–AM. The development of fected by AIDS. Last year, Mama’s Kitchen next to Iran. Azerbaijan welcomes trade with these technologies has helped to grow KKLA– Israel and stronger ties between the two coun- provided more than 316,000 meals to commu- FM’s listener base and spread its message of nity members in need. tries. peace, tolerance, and love to listeners around Iran has threatened Azerbaijan due to co- This year, Corte´s was one of five San the world. operation with Israel and the United States Diegans honored as a local hero as part of the Much of KKLA–FM’s accomplishments can Iran continues to inform Azerbaijan that their Union Bank of California and KPBS Hispanic be attributed to the dedication and passion of strong relations with the United States and Heritage Month Local Heroes Awards. Award- its owner, Salem Communications Corpora- Israel will not be beneficial, as Iran is their ees are chosen for demonstrating a high level tion, the leading U.S. radio broadcaster fo- neighbor. of commitment and community participation. cused on Christian and family themes pro- The Iran military enters Azerbaijan airspace JOSE MONDRAGON gramming. The company will soon own 106 weekly and Iran has made claims on Azer- While some high school students view sum- radio stations, including 67 stations in 24 of baijan’s offshore oil and gas exploration. mer vacation as a time to relax, this 17-year- the top 25 markets. In addition to its radio Iran has attempted to spread Madrassas old used it to coordinate a community meeting properties, Salem owns , schools in Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan has re- with city council members. which syndicates talk, news and music pro- sisted.

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