By: Adán Chávez Perez
On Thursday, January 25, 2018, the Latino Community Foundation and Univision hosted the 2018 Gubernatorial Forum at UCLA. I first found out about it when I was in Washington, D.C. where I was interning in Congress. This is where I learned that politics are local. Right away—I knew I had to attend.
I had to attend for my family, for the Latino community, and for generations of Californians to come.
This was the first time—ever—in the history in our state that the leading Gubernatorial candidates would come together to discuss issues that matter most to Latinos. Especially now that Latinos are the largest ethnic group in California, any California issue is a Latino issue, and vice-versa.
What would be the Latino agenda of California’s next governor? I knew I could not miss it.
During the Gubernatorial Forum, I learned what the Gubernatorial candidates would do—and would not do—for millions of Latinos across the state. One of the things I looked out for the most was how each of the Gubernatorial candidates would enact policies that benefit working and migrant families, just like mine. Since my father is a construction worker, my mother a homemaker and given that I have a brother in community college and another two in the public education system, I knew I was not just there for me—but I was there for us. I was there for Latinos with a common story.
But although Latinos are strong in numbers, we are weak to the polls. We still struggle to get good-paying jobs, a quality education, and access to healthcare from San Diego into the Inland Empire, through the Central Valley and in San Francisco.
That is why this upcoming election season, we have the opportunity to better the outcomes for Latinos, hard-working families, and all Californians. With less than a couple of months until the Primary election, we have a lot of work ahead of us.
I commit to be engaged, to be informed, and to act. I commit to register people to vote, inform them on the issues, and ultimately, encourage them to vote.
Come June, I will do the same as I did at the 2018 Gubernatorial Forum. I will show up for those who can’t. Those who have been disenfranchised because of the justice system and those who have been disenfranchised because of their immigration status. In an election like this one, it is important to know that the fight is far from over and I will continue to fight for all. I’m in — are you?
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