Rep. Baca (D-CA)
Posted on 04/07/2007 9:31:50 PM PDT by Dacb
There is no affection between Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Joe Baca (D-Calif.) and the Sanchez sisters — as the recent attempted coup against him made plain.
And Baca burned his bridges yet further on Monday by declaring that lawmakers should not take off work in honor of Cesar Chavez’s birthday, which was last Saturday. Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) was the only member of the caucus to close her office Monday in honor of the Hispanic civil rights leader.
Baca had these choice words for her decision.
“Cesar Chavez worked his whole life toward achieving equality and fair labor rights. I believe the best way to observe Cesar E. Chavez Day is not by taking the day off from work or school, but by having our children learn about his struggles and his victories on behalf of all Americans,” said Baca.
“That is why I have introduced a resolution, H. Res. 76, to encourage teachers to teach our children about the life and work of Cesar Chavez, and urge the president to issue an executive order creating a public holiday for Cesar Chavez.”
Linda Sanchez’s chief of staff, Michael Torra, remarked, “For several years, the California Legislature has closed for a day in honor of the March 31 … Congresswoman Sánchez is co-sponsoring legislation in the House to make March 31 a national holiday. When Congresswoman Sánchez was first elected … five years ago, she decided to use her discretion to promote a national Cesar Chavez holiday by closing her office for a day in honor of the late labor and civil rights leader.”
Baca has been on the outs with the Sanchez sisters ever since he (allegedly) referred to Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) as a “whore.” She has dropped out of the caucus altogether; little sister Linda has also threatened to leave and is only participating from a distance.
Loretta celebrated Cesar Chavez Day with a celebration the week before in a local park. Rep. Grace Napolitano’s (D-Calif.) spokesman said, “It’s just one of those things that everyone observed in their own way,” although his boss did nothing special.
Others did not do much out of the ordinary, either. Rep. Solomon Ortiz’s (D-Texas) spokeswoman, Cathy Travis, said, “He is traveling with the Armed Services committee. The office didn’t close since it isn’t a federal holiday and people expect us to be working.” And Bob Sanders, spokesman for Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.), said of his boss, “He is out of the country, but because of security I can’t say why, where or for how long.”
Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) had special plans, but they didn’t involve shutting his office. “He was in San Luis, Arizona, unveiling the statue of Cesar Chavez,” said spokeswoman Natalie Luna.
Perhaps they could put a few more statues of Chavez on the border in remembrence of him trying to prevent illegals from entering the country.
1969
Chavez organized a march from the Coachella and Imperial Valleys to the United States-Mexico border to protest the use of undocumented immigrants from Mexico as strike breakers. He is joined along the way by the Rev. Ralph Abernathy and Senator Walter Mondale.
http://boxer.senate.gov/chavez/timeline.cfm
And Chavez was pro-life, too.
maybe with little cameras and sensor equipment in them? :)
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