Tulare County supervisor’s ‘tortilla’ comment was racist. Apology to community is needed

It was a shocking comment for all who heard it: When a Tulare County supervisor who is Latino asked for more information during a discussion at last Tuesday’s board meeting, the chairman said “Supervisor Valero wants another bite of the tortilla.”

Yes, you read that correctly. “Another bite of the tortilla.” Said to a Latino elected official. In the year 2020. In California.

That board chairman Pete Vander Poel III could be so clueless is an explanation that lets him off too easily. As Latino elected officials in Tulare County and beyond noted, the comment was pure racism.

Vander Poel apologized later to his colleague, but only after “it was brought to my attention” that what he had said was out of bounds. That it had to be pointed out to him is, in itself, completely disappointing and perhaps disqualifying for Vander Poel as an elected official. After all, Tulare County’s population is 65 percent Latino.

Words matter

The “bite of the tortilla” comment reduced Supervisor Eddie Valero to a stereotype while ignoring his skills, talents and character.

Never mind that Valero was asking a legitimate question in seeking more information. He wanted to know if county health officials could break down data about the COVID-19 pandemic by community.

That is a question health officials throughout California are getting. Far from belittling Valero, Vander Poel should have used his bully pulpit as board chair to support the request in the effort to make more information public.

Instead, he chose to go low.

Watchdog at work

The reason the statement became public was because the Fresno-based Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability lived up to its name and got the meeting’s audio recording posted online, then put it out on social media.

This is the same organization that Fresno County Supervisor Steve Brandau once derided as “poverty pimps” when he was on the Fresno City Council because Leadership Counsel was standing up for poor residents living near where a city-backed industrial park was intended to go. The group’s involvement led to an investigation by the state attorney general.

What’s next

Clearly, Vander Poel has a lot of learning still to do.

For starters, he might try to be as gracious as Valero. After receiving Vander Poel’s apology, Valero said he accepted it “and know he will learn from this mistake.”

Second, Vander Poel needs to formally apologize to the Tulare County community. His own district consists of the city of Tulare and towns such as Earlimart, Tipton and Allensworth, each having Latino populations of 61 percent or more. A good place to say he is sorry is the next Board of Supervisors’ meeting.

Third, Vander Poel needs formal sensitivity training. The fact that the bad judgment his comment represents had to be pointed out to him shows his understanding is lacking.

For Vander Poel’s information, no one ethnic group is a majority in California any longer. The Golden State is a minority-majority state. So all people deserve respect and accommodation. Everyone is needed to tackle the state’s sizable problems — together.

Here’s hoping Vander Poel can use this teaching moment to transform himself into a champion for all the members of his community. That is what he is elected to be.

This story was originally published April 17, 2020 at 9:30 AM.