Tulare official apologizes after saying Latino colleague ‘wants another bite of the tortilla’

When Tulare County Supervisor Eddie Valero asked for a quick, follow-up question of a county health official at Tuesday’s meeting, board chair Pete Vander Poel acknowledged him by saying, “Supervisor Valero wants another bite of the tortilla.”

Valero sounded unperturbed when he asked Elliott how soon her department would list COVID-19 statistics by cities or communities.

Vander Poel’s comment, however, raised plenty of noise on social media when the Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability posted an audio of the remark.

Fresno City Councilmember Esmeralda Soria, who grew up in the Tulare County city of Lindsay, has demanded an apology from Vander Poel.

“This is kind of typical, which is sad,” said Soria. “I’m from Tulare County. It’s a little personal.

“It’s not just about Eddie. It’s about a community that is 65 percent Latino. It’s not just a saying. It was intentionally crafted in that way to make fun of his background, that he’s Hispanic.”

Vander Poel, in a Tuesday evening email, said he apologized to Valero.

Valero, in a Facebook post Wednesday afternoon, accepted the apology.

“I am aware that what I said today was not appropriate. Once it was brought to my attention I did reach out to Eddie and apologize to him,” said Vander Poel in an email statement.

“I never would say anything hurtful intentionally to any of my colleagues or anyone.”

Valero acknowledged that Vander Poel “reached out to me to sincerely apologize for his comment.”

“Although his comment was in bad taste and shouldn’t be reflective of our conduct in board chambers, I accept his apology and know that he will learn from this mistake,” said Valero. “I hope he is committed to educating himself on implicit bias, and the affects it has on members of our community.”

Soria, in a Facebook post, said, “We will call out these racist remarks and demand an apology. Otherwise, he should be removed from office.”

Soria, one of three daughters of Mexican immigrants who serve in elected office, called Vander Poel’s comment “insulting.”

“To be 2020 and still have this type of hate, it just opens the door for hate in the community as a whole,” said Soria during a telephone interview.

No elected leader should be making such comments, she said.

Vander Poel was first elected to represent District 2 in 2008 and re-elected in 2016. The district includes the city of Tulare and unincorporated communities like Earlimart, Tipton, and Allensworth. All have a Latino population of more than 61 percent.

Valero was elected in 2018. He is the third Latino to serve on the board: Lali Moheno was appointed to fill a vacancy in 2003 but lost her election bid the following year; current board member Kuyler Crocker, whose mother is Latina, was first elected in 2016 and is in a November runoff in his re-election bid.

At the meeting, Valero asked a health official about the county’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, and specifically asked if the county could break down coronavirus cases by communities.

A few minutes later, after the official answered other questions, Valero signaled he wanted to ask another question.

That’s when Vander Poel made his remark.

Valero then asked Elliott if there was a timetable for when cases by community could be expected.

Earlier in the meeting, Vander Poel referred to Valero, a resident of Orosi, as “Eduardo.”

Valero represents a portion of Visalia and the cities of Dinuba and Woodlake. His district includes the unincorporated communities of Orosi, Cutler, Goshen, Traver, Ivanhoe and Traver.

Farmersville City Councilmember Greg Gómez wasn’t pleased. In a press statement Tuesday evening, he said he was “shocked and dismayed.”

“I and my community demand that he immediately issue a public apology to Supervisor Valero and to the Tulare County community at-large,” said Gómez.

He also asked District 1 supervisorial candidate Larry Micari to “denounce the comment” and renounce any endorsement or support from Vander Poel.

“It is incomprehensible that during this stressful time that should otherwise serve to bring our community together across any racial, ethnic or socio-economic divides, someone of Supervisor Vanderpoel’s stature - a Chairman of the Board, no less - would speak to anyone in this manner.

“He has shamed himself and the County of Tulare as a whole.”

On Facebook, Tulare Mayor José Sigala complained Vander Poel has yet to schedule a meeting with him.

“I have been the mayor of the only city in his district for 483 days and still refuses to meet with me,” Sigala wrote. “Says a lot about him.”

Porterville City Councilmember Daniel Peñaloza expressed his support for Valero.

“You shouldn’t have to endure racism on the dais especially from the chairperson,” said Peñaloza. “Mr. Pete Vander Poel should be ashamed of himself and offer a public apology to you and his constituents.”

Soria, in an interview, said Valero is in a tough situation as the only progressive on the board and might not want to ruffle feathers.

This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 8:02 PM with the headline "Tulare official apologizes after saying Latino colleague ‘wants another bite of the tortilla’."