Dolores Huerta: Recall of Newsom would be bad news for farmworkers, undocumented

Undeterred by some polls showing lackluster support for Gov. Gavin Newsom among Latino voters, civil rights leader Dolores Huerta made a case for keeping the Democrat in office one week before the recall election ballots are counted.

“I imagine that someone might be misinformed and does not realize how important this recall election is, especially for the Latino community,” said the 91-year-old Huerta during a Tuesday morning press conference organized by the Dolores Huerta Action Fund.

Huerta, who was joined by political and union supporters at Mariposa Mall near the State building, praised the governor for taking care of farmworkers and undocumented residents during the pandemic by expanding health care and benefits for them.

“We are the only state that has this kind of support for our undocumented population, for a farmworker population,” said Huerta, whose press conference took place about the same time that radio talk show host Larry Elder, a Republican, held a rally in Clovis in his bid to replace Newsom.

An Emerson College/Nexstar poll in July showed Latinos favored a recall, 48% to 44%. However, a Public Policy Institute of California poll released last week showed 66% of likely Latino voters oppose a recall of Newsom.

Huerta is taking nothing for granted. Her action fund is on target to reach 172,000 voters by phone and has 350 paid canvassers throughout the state. It will target 700,000 voters through emails.

The fund hopes to reach 10,000 voters in Fresno and Kern counties by the Sept. 14 election recall date.

“We never know until the votes are counted. We have to take that personal responsibility and make sure.”

Latinos, said Huerta, should realize that Newsom has supported health care expansion to take care of undocumented residents and provided benefits to farmworkers during the pandemic.

If Latino voters favor the recall, “they are probably misinformed,” she said.

“Newsom went far beyond that in using state funding to bring stimulus money to many of our people who would not be eligible otherwise,” said Huerta.

The recall, she said, is a ploy by Republicans “to do something they couldn’t do in the general election.”

“Newsom is important because we know what we do in California translates to policies or procedures all over the United States,” said Huerta. “So, we’re fortunate in California that we have a leader like the governor.”

Former Assemblymember Juan Arámbula and Kingsburg City Councilmember Jewel Hurtado supported Huerta in encouraging a no vote on the recall.

A successful recall will only move California back in time, said Arámbula.

“If you look back, it’s not pleasant because I remember when we worked so hard to make sure that farmworkers were given basic decency in terms of toilets in the field, and clean drinking water,” said Arámbula. “As well as the trust in treating people with dignity and humanity instead of just like a hoe or an implement out on the farm.”

Arámbula said a recall of Newsom will erase farmworker gains.

“I remember when my family came from Texas to the Central Valley and what the conditions were, what the pay was out in the fields. We don’t want to go back to that. We want our kids to do much better,” he said.

“The recall will set us back.”

Hurtado, who is facing her own recall, said Newsom has delivered on his campaign promise to visit the Valley. Plus, she added, he has appointed Valley residents to make sure the region has a place at the table when decisions are made.

“It’s quite absurd, actually, that we have to be standing here and opposing this recall in the middle of an ongoing pandemic while we are facing wildfires,” said Hurtado, who touted Newsom’s leadership during the pandemic.

Eva Ruiz, a Fresno teacher and leadership member of the California Teachers Association, labeled the recall “costly, unneeded, unnecessary and undemocratic.”

“This was launched by people who couldn’t win at the ballot box in November of 2018,” said Ruiz. “CTA strongly opposes this recall because we understand that the recall was pushed by the same people who are suing to stop rules requiring masks, testing and other safety measures in schools.”

Recalls, she said, should be used only if an elected official has committed a crime or a major ethical abuse, “not because some are unable to accept their election losses.”

Arámbula explained what the recall would do using driving terms.

“When you want to go forward and you have an automatic transmission, you put it on D for Democrats,” he said. “If you want to go backwards, put it on the R and look in the rearview mirror. We don’t want to go back.”

Ballots have been mailed out to all registered voters, and more than 5 million of 22 million ballots have been returned as of late last week. Newsom needs to win a majority of the no votes on the recall, otherwise voters will determine which of the 46 candidates on the recall ballot will replace him.

Esta historia fue publicada originalmente el 7 de septiembre de 2021, 4:11 p. m..