Morgan Hill – Political activist Dolores Huerta came to Morgan Hill to stump for Democratic candidate Jerry McNerney at the South County Democratic Club’s “Fun Fiesta for Real Political Change” event Friday evening.
The 76-year-old woman, who worked closely with Cesar Chávez fighting for farm workers in the 1960s, told a crowd of about 50 people outside the club’s Main Street headquarters that Latino voters must support McNerney in his race against incumbent Rep. Richard Pombo, a Republican. McNerney is a better choice, she said, because he stands for human rights, improving public education, and dealing wisely with immigration issues.
Huerta described herself as “disgusted by how Pombo has failed to investigate alleged violations of human rights in the Northern Mariana Islands which are under United States jurisdiction. As the chair of the House Resources Committee, the Tracy-based congressman is responsible for overseeing this territory. Huerta said that many Filipino and Chinese workers are kept in “slavery conditions” and forced to go into prostitution and have abortions. Pombo has received thousands of dollars from sweatshop owners in the islands who are clients of disgraced Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff, she said.
“When I hear about these human rights violations, I get furious,” she said. “As a woman, I’m furious, and I think all women who hear about it would be furious. I think Pombo should have been voted out of office a long time ago, but the reason he wasn’t is because people don’t know about his misdeeds.”
Huerta also criticized Pombo for voting in favor of the proposed multi-billion dollar wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, a project she said will severely damage relations between the two nations. McNerney does not support the wall.
McNerney told the Morgan Hill fiesta goers that if elected, he wants to put immigration policies in place that would protect all American citizens as well as insure that Mexican-born workers can legally find jobs in the U.S. without fear of discrimination or abuse. He also wants to make certain the children of Mexican-Americans will receive a good education in public schools.
“I think one of the most important things for us to provide is the best possible education for the children of our country,” he said. “The children are this nation’s future.”
Morgan Hill resident Martin Mendoza, who helped organize Friday’s fiesta, said Huerta is an “icon” for Mexican-Americans and her support of McNerney will definitely gain him many Hispanic votes in November.
