The battle to replace Labor Secretary Hilda Solis in the designated majority minority Latino Congressional District 32 in Los Angeles is over. The Latino district district was lost to ambition and personal vendettas where the people became a pawn to the despicable practice of capitalist power politics. The awaited election had become an important development of local and national significance. It implicated the rising Latino political class and its different camps, the direction of Latino progressive politics, adding a more dynamic and receptive voice for Angelinos in Washington, especially on the future of immigration reform, a genuine independent representation and empowerment in the nation’s capitol for the people in the East North East LA and San Gabriel Valley areas of Southern California, a divided and embattled labor movement and finally, it was and still is a referendum on Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
State Equalization Board Member Judy Chou won the May 19 election with 15,338 votes, 32% to State Senator Gil Cedillo’s 11,244, 23%. It was obvious from the start that it was going to be a long night when early on the absentee ballot count came in with 6,000 for Chou and 2,000 for Cedillo. The lead was insurmountable. Then Emanuel Pleitez, the Trojan Horse candidate in the race, snatched 6,509 for 14% of the vote. In short, the Villaraigosa machine won, but the divisions in the midst of the Latino political class have deepened dramatically.
The demographics. The district’s profile consists of over 225,000 residents and it has been a Latino district, redesigned and protected under the Civil Rights Voting Act since 1982. There are 126,000 registered voters of which 51% are Latino and of those, 30,000 are considered newly immigrant voters, a product of the struggle against Republican Governor Pete Wilson and Proposition 187, and for 75% these households, Spanish is the first language. The district has also 15 to 18% voters that are of Chinese, Vietnamese and other Asian descent with the rest white and other ethnicities.
The political blocks were divided behind Cedillo and Chou, the two principal candidates, and early in the race, on one side you could feel and discern the machiavelian politics of divide and conquer. On the other, the cry against machine politics that unified a sector of the Latino voting block with the more progressive and/or independent sector of the Latino Establishment and allies.
Cedillo had the largest endorsement list of local, state and national Latino politicians consisting of the highly influential LA County Supervisor Molina, Sheriff Lee Baca, the biggest share of congressional endorsements led by fifth ranking House Democrat Xavier Becerra, Hispanic Caucus Chair Nydia Velazquez and the intrepid and progressive Maxine Waters. On the State level, amongst others, there was Senator Ron Calderon, Latina Senate Majority leader and feminist Gloria Romero, leading a broad group of women elected leaders in support of Cedillo. From labor, the major split in the LA County Federation of Labor came with the powerhouse endorsement of SEIU with Bigoton Mike Garcia leading the charge of the activist Janitor and Home Care Worker locals in California. There were also former state representatives but still influential Richard Polanco and Richard Alatorre.
For Judy Chou, aside from an array of local small town endorsements and funds from all over the country, the only significant players were the County Federation of Labor, with no troops allotted, the simpatico LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the well known, behind the scenes support of Hilda Solis. In this juncture, the major question comes to the fore: District 32 has been a Latino congressional enclave for years and growing, then why did Maria Elena Durazo and Villaraigosa endorsed Chou? Especially with Cedillo holding the moral and historical upper hand. Three years ago, Judy as a member of the Assembly Appropriations Committee held the License Bill back and although a former leftist, she is no fire ball. The answer lies in a history of personal agendas and personal politics. First and foremost the rightful heir to Hilda Solis was Senator Romero, whose district represents 95%, but the long term personal conflict on the part of LA Labor Chief Maria Elena Durazo, prompted the senator to avoid the hassle and backed away, bidding her time. Then, the other family feud surges forth between the mayor and Cedillo, but the latter took the bull by the horns. He wasn’t intimidated and it is not only the Cedillo endorsement* of Ken Hahn* against Antonio, it involves long term major and highly symbolical differences such as the Grey Davis endorsement for governor*. Gilbert then endorsed and campaigned for the victorious and labor backed Davis while Antonio chose Millionaire Checci. This is followed by the never ending license bill for California’s undocumented drivers* and the suspension of the towing of vehicles in LA which Chief Bratton endorsed and the mayor then vetoed*. More, then comes the giant mass demonstrations of 2006, where Cedillo and Romero marched and assisted, lending political legitimacy to the historical efforts in defense of immigrants, our people. And this is the banger, along with then Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, unequivocally they led the closing of the State Capitol in support of the “May 1st 2006 Great American Boycott-A Day Without an Immigrant”, which astonishingly the mayor and the County FED director furiously opposed and scabbed on. It’s amazing because all five were initially schooled in the immigrant rights movement, not the UFW.
On Judy’s endorsement, the mayor’s history is relevant. This is the third time he forsakes Latino districts and positions, although Jackie Goldberg was a tiger*. So why this time? Lore says it’s campaign donations for his upcoming governor’s race. Apparently he believes he will have the Latino vote in his pocket and with Chou being a prolific fundraiser, Antonio will also have access to the nation’s vast Chinese Asian community, which in California numbers over 4.5 million. He made the same move with the powerful Jewish community, as the Israel armed forces were shockingly massacring defenseless Palestinians, he dishonorably endorsed the Israel government. He’s killing several birds with the same stone. Then the old stand by tactic, with the Ivy League graduate and newcomer Emanuel Pleitez of El Sereno, who ran as a favorite son. From the start of his candidacy, the move was obvious and the rumor mill en un secreto a voces whispered it loudly. His candidacy was suspect, playing the role of the spoiler, dividing the Latino vote. This tactic of bankrolling a candidate as a diversion is as old as capitalist politics and Latino’s were sacrificed by the most well known Latino politician in the country.
In this election, we lost a good public servant. Cedillo is a progressive and we have observed and lived his trajectory since his days as a student leader at UCLA and in law school. His travels through Mexico, Central and Latin America. As an early immigrant rights leader and member of CASA*. Then he began his trek upward as a union organizer and becoming the most dynamic leader that LA’s Conty Workers SEIU 660 -now 721- has ever had. Back then, his leadership was fervently displayed in the fight against Proposition 187* and his leading the 20,000 unionist contingent in the historic march of October 16, 1994*. His election as a State Assemblyman and Senator is not only exemplary in defense of immigrants on the license bills and the Dream Act, but also passing and getting 80 bills signed into law during his tenure as a legislator, which all together earned him the chair of the Senate Latino Caucus. As an elected leader, he has been both an independent thinker and a team player, always representing the interests of all working people, unionists, the middle class, the underdogs. And lastly, he was an early leading voice and a risk taker against the right wing Republican Bush administration -this when it wasn’t highly popular- and again, in the company of Senator Gloria Romero and Congressman Xavier Becerra, they campaigned hard for the change the country wanted in 2008 and the election of Barack Obama.
“President Barack Obama has said he won’t tackle comprehensive immigration reform this year”. Julie Mason Examiner White House Correspondent 05/09/09.
The Obama administration has called Senators and members of Congress for a meeting at the White House on June 8, 2009 to begin discussions on the awaited immigration reform. La Opinion 05/ 20/09.
A Cedillo victory would have been a plus for immigrant rights leaders and organizations nationally. It’s a setback because his kind of leadership would have given Los Angeles closer access to developments in Washington. Especially now that mixed messages are emanating from Washington. On one hand, it has been reported President Obama, unfortunately, has taken immigration reform off the priority list for this year and on the other, a meeting in Washington has been scheduled for June 8 to begin discussion on comprehensive immigration reform. Yes, by all indicators, in the last stretch of the struggle for progressive immigration reform, humanitarian legalization, an official stop to the infamous ICE raids and the separation of our families, he would been the an excellent ally. However, there is life after immigration reform gets approved and if Cedillo and the people want it bad enough, as in the past after other setbacks, there will be a come back. It’s only two years from now and the formula is to maintain and increase the base in the district.
It doesn’t stop there, as Latino progressives have learned, so have all progressives in the LA basin, that our once charismatic mayor, who in his first try to gain the mayoralty of the city lost to Ken Hahn, he then took refuge in the movement, spoke at all anti war rallies, marches and other mass gatherings, then got his second win, and after, with all progressives closing ranks in support of the man who loved LA, he was elected and made history as the first Latino Mayor of Los Angeles. But in real politic, as a mayor, he never really represented progressives, nor did he ever speak for the issues that are close to the left. As a matter of fact, from the moment he took the reins of the city, he couched his negation to left oriented demands, alluding that he “was elected to represent all the people of LA”, except of course, the left and progressives, who by the droves believed and campaigned for him. So the struggle continues to revert the devastating effects of the economy, jobs and foreclosures for this district and the nation, ending US intervention and the wars of occupation, the infamous torture being applied by US forces on prisoners of war, pushing for universal health care reform, and more. Then the California governor’s race is around the corner.
Javier Rodriguez, a Media-Political Strategist, is also a progressive journalist and for years published in the LA Times, La Opinion, Eastern Group Publications, Uno Mas Uno-Mexico, was syndicated nationally with Hispanic Link , and recently publishes in ZNET.org, Newtorkaztlan.com and STN’s Portaluno.com. He is now writing his experiences and perspective as a leading activist in the Immigrant rights movement, including the making of 25 March 2006. Email [email protected]
*Judy Chou, formerly a California State Assemblywoman, was also bred in California left circles allegedly with the October League and the CWP.
* in 2002, Ken Hahn defeated Villariagosa in the first of two encounters for the LA mayoralty. In that race, Senator Gil Cedillo endorsed Hahn. The next time around, Antonio was elected and made history for Latino representation which catapulted him as the most popular Latino figure in the US.
*The vehicle towing tactic has become an intrusive and corrupting maneuver and part of the anti immigrant arsenal in many cities throughout the nation. The Latino community has suffered the loss of thousands of vehicles and hundreds of millions in values and monies spent in the questionable confiscations and towing costs.
*The California License Bills have been a staple of Senator Gil Cedillo’s tenure in the California legislature who has introduced them a record 11 times to allow undocumented drivers the necessary documentation to drive legally in California. It was approved and signed once into law in 2002 by former Governor Grey Davis, however it was rescinded months after Davis was recalled and Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected.
*The Villaraigosa reputation to forsake Latinos when legislative seats are to be filled, stems from his own replacement as a state assembly man and when he left the post as speaker of the California assembly. In both instances he anointed two white legislators and this moves were made in spite of the fact that he has been popularly elected as a Latino legislator to represent Latinos.
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