County Democrats meet, discuss retaking assembly district... and Trump

EL CENTRO — Democrats from all over the Imperial County met Thursday evening at the El Centro Police Athletic League to discuss several issues, including retaking the assembly district. Some of them also spoke about incoming President Donald Trump and his policies less than a week in office. The meeting, named New Year Post-Election Reception, included honoring Democratic candidates who ran for office last year.

The reception, held by the Democratic Central Committee Executive Officers, included as well statements of unity and solidarity from elected officials to those who plan to run or run again for elected office in the coming years. Democratic Chair Bryan Vega — one of those who unsuccessfully ran in November — opened the program with an acknowledgement, followed by an introduction by Vice-Chair Pat Ureña. Several officials came next, including Bethamee Garcia, Esther Sanchez-Banda, Maria Peinado, Isabel Solis, Bea Mora, Lewis Pacheco, Michael Luellen, Terry Partida, and a few others.



Diahna Garcia-Ruiz, former Central Union High School Board Trustee and County Board of Supervisors District 2 candidate, told fellow Democrats her father was once an undocumented immigrant who eventually became a U.S. citizen raising a family in Heber.

She said the U.S. government should not keep immigrant children in cages once again.

“We must protect our heritage, our culture,” Garcia-Ruiz said. “If our parents fought for our future, so must we. We must fight the good fight.

Go, Democrats.” “We need to clean up that nastiness and get our people back on board here,” Vice-Chairwoman Ureña continued, calling fellow Democrats to get the Assembly seat back while keeping all Democrats elected to legislative and local offices. Chairman Vega, who said the Imperial County Democratic Central Committee multi-generational constitution represents the ecosystem of the Imperial County, added that the committee includes people from labor, education, government, and average people.

“I'm really grateful that you guys are all really stepping into this,” Vega said, who assured the committee invited a lot people than those who showed up. “We can have an idea of what to expect over the next four years with the Trump administration. But one of the things that is a little bit more unprecedented for us is this assembly district turning Republican.

This really, I think, should be a point of reflection for Imperial County.” Without disrespecting Democrats from Eastern Coachella Valley, the chairman considered that if Imperial County was its own Assembly District it would have been Democrat. The issue here, he said, lies in the fact that Imperial County Democrats did not have the vehicle to carry a local candidate all the way to the Assembly — a fact he acknowledged has not occurred in a very long time, leaving local Democrats at the mercy of Coachella Valley Democrats.

“What we realized is that when you get caught up in polarizing politics and you have a very little stake in backing, you get the shortest end of the stake,” Vega said. “Now we are left with the reality, which is what are we going to do about that.” Chairman Vega, who was elected for four years, said he plans to rebuild the party unlike anything the Valley has not seen in a really long time.

He also recalled that the Imperial County Democratic Committee used to raise a significant amount of funds from different organizations in years past but those donations have declined. “There's a reason why people are embarrassed to be a Democrat these days,” he said. “We have to remind them that Democrats are the people that show up.

The Democrats are the party that keeps families together, while what we're about to see from the Republican administration is that they're the party that tears families apart.” Vega called fellow Democrats to, more than ever to band together and fix a lot of differences within the Democratic community, understanding that these times require unity in general and solidarity. “Solidarity enough to know that even if you and I look at things at the end of the day we have some sort of overarching grounding principles that keep us in place,” Vega said.

“We have to make sure that even if we aren't predominantly affected by whatever changes are to come that we are the first advocates. So, I think today is a great testament of our renewal and our commitment to our community, not just to Democrats, but to all of Imperial County.” Trump effect CUHSD Board Trustee Bea Mora said she expects from President Trump’s policies a list of not positive changes.

“Unfortunately, we're trying to build communities. We're trying to build unity, empowerment, and I don't believe he is an asset to our county or our area because we believe strongly and families in close communities,” Mora said in an interview with the Imperial Valley Press. “All he's doing now is separating them, breaking our families apart, breaking our communities apart, and that's not what we believe in.

” Trustee Mora also said the El Centro high schools might see students turning absent due to the new White House policies against undocumented immigrants. She said one of her grandchildren, although being an American citizen is now afraid to get his driver’s license. “He was feeling afraid,” she said of her grandchild.

“He scares our children. He empowers the people to come forward with being prejudiced, and it's scaring our kids.” Mora, who after 27 years and a half worked for the school district until happily retiring, told the Press family members are afraid of traveling outside the county as they don’t know what to expect.

“It's breaking our hearts and it's breaking us apart,” she considered. Speaking about Thursday’s Democratic conclave, Trustee Mora said, “It makes you feel like we can do this. It's like coming together as a family, as a community, and it may it makes you feel that we can do it.

We can unite and we can do this and turn again into Democrat. We can work locally and then we can make a difference.” Isabel Solis, a Brawley educator at Phil D.

Swing Elementary School and Imperial Valley College Board Trustee, coincided with Mora regarding the impact of Trump’s policies at local schools. “As an educator, I am very worried. We've had many students absent.

Today, we had a meeting because we're trying to figure out what we can do to bring them in because we don't know what's happening,” Solis told the Press. “Parents are not telling us. And so we're thinking about starting doing incentives because we want to find out what is happening to our students.

” Solis explained that attendance at the school she grew up has worsened in the last week. School officials are now planning new strategies to make students return to the campus, including incentives. “We need to do something,” she noted.

We’re going to start calling parents for the kids that we see that are not coming in.” “We know our children. We know our community,” Solis continued.

“We do know that some of them fall in that category.” A similar impact is expected at the local community college, where the spring session is about to begin. “We are vigilantly looking at that and so is our president,” Solis said, adding that trustees plan to hold a conference in Sacramento today to gather more guidance.

“But as you know, there are protections in schools, but it's a little difficult because we are a community college and it's open. And so we want to just make sure that if anything were to happen, it is required that our president is informed.” Regardless of the potential immigrant raids at schools and other venues where the public gathers, Trustee Solis said IVC wants to make sure the community feels safe, especially students so they can continue with their education.

Asked about what she has seen from incoming President Trump’s first days in office, Solis said, “It's been horrific because we see everything that's coming out, all the different media, all the different information, which once again, is always not very clear. They spin it, and so we need to be very proactive in knowing our rights, knowing where we stand, making sure that others who are in fear, that we give them that information that they need and that we haven't. Because if we don't inform ourselves, then, we are at a loss.

” Solis considered vulnerable people within the community require to get informed. “Unfortunately, many people are now feeling okay about voicing their hatred, about being okay with being rude and disrespectful, and that can be very alarming, and it's spreading like fire. Just like we have in LA, it's spreading like fire,” she said.

“We need to be able to bring that calm, and we bring that calm by informing and by helping others.” One hundred days District 1 County Supervisor Jesus Eduardo Escobar, whose district borders with Mexico, was asked about the new federal administration’s policies impact here. He answered highlighting first there has been a lot of rhetoric and talk.

The supervisor said he has requested the county’s federal lobbyist a report about the first hundred days of the Trump administration, which he thinks will be key for the next future. “What is actually rhetoric and what is actually going to become law? What there is support for and what is there no support for?” he asked. “What is California going to allow and what is California going to sue on.

” Supervisor Escobar said at this moment there are a lot of question marks regarding the border or security, so “I think we need to let things play out for the first hundred days of the presidency and then go from there.” The supervisor considered a lot of information about the implementation of the White House’s policies is based on social media and media outlets. “I think we really need the voice of our lobbyists,” he said, adding that that 100-day report will include what bills have been signed, which ones have been enacted, and what Congress will support.

“This is what to expect in the first six months, in the next six months, in the next year, etcetera.” Escobar acknowledged that right now everything has polarized, with a lot of talk to a certain extent. “We want to see action.

What is the action actually going to take place? What is going to happen? And how is California going to act?” he asked. The county supervisor included other questions regarding how the White House will protect California, if Sacramento will follow Washington direction, as well as what’s perception and what’s reality of the Executive Orders signed and how can California move forward from there. “It's all about the executive orders.

What has been enforced? What is being delayed because of lawsuits? And what is go how is that how are the executive orders actually going to apply to our county, to our state?” Asked if White House policies would be positive or negative for Imperial County, Supervisor Escobar said there is reason for concern, but there is also reason for hope. “At this point, what we need to do is take a step back. Let's see what the first hundred days say.

” Supervisor Escobar said he is bullish on economic development, especially on Lithium Valley. “I think that is priority for our valley along with public safety, public health, empathy, communication, etcetera. But at the end of the day, I think it's way too early to start opening as to what are we doing (and) what are we not doing.

” The supervisor expressed that the county must first wait, see, and then fight. Asked about Thursday’s meeting outcome, the supervisor said he is very proud of the fact that the meeting was held. “I'm very honored, by the recognition that was given to me”, he said.

“At the same time, I do think it's important that we act at the local level with the best interest of what we need to do in Imperial County, what our short-, medium-, and long-term goals are, and how we can work together to get those done.”.