As part of its Latino Heritage Month celebration, Foothill College has scheduled a panel discussion, Latinas in Politics: How to Get Involved, noon to 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, in Room 3102.

A panel of Latinas who serve in government positions will share information on how to get involved with the community in a political setting and make a difference. This event offers the opportunity to network with individuals for future endeavors.

Guest panelists include Mountain View City Councilwoman Laura Macias, Cupertino City Councilwoman Dolly Sandoval and Elmy Bermejo, special assistant to President pro tem Sen. Don Perata of the California Senate. Bermejo is also the statewide president of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE) and president of the California Commission on the Status of Women. Macias is the first Mexican-American woman elected to the Mountain View City Council and only the second Mexican-American to be elected in the city’s history.

In addition to discussing the most important issues facing women today, panelists will discuss their backgrounds, education, leadership skills and the political issues of special interest to them. They will also discuss their historical and personal heroes as well as the gender and cross-cultural barriers they have encountered.

Macias and Sandoval, who were elected in their districts by a majority of non-Latino constituents, will discuss their successful political campaigns and winning strategies.

Admission is free and the public is invited. Visitors must

purchase a required campus parking permit for $2 (eight quarters). Foothill College is located on El Monte Road off Interstate 280.

For more information, contact Laura Casas Frier, legislative liaison for the Foothill-De Anza Community College District, at 949-6111 or lauracasasfrier@aol.com, or log on to www.foothill.edu.