Posted on 08/03/2015 5:49:51 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Huntington Park may become the first city in California to appoint two undocumented immigrants as commissioners on city advisory boards, a lawmaker confirms.
City Councilman Jhonny Pineda has picked Francisco Medina to join the health and education commission and Julian Zatarain for the parks and recreation commission.
The 32-year-old lawmaker told CBSLA online producer Deborah Meron that he promised voters while running for office that he would create more opportunities for undocumented residents.
“Huntington Park is a city of opportunity and a city of hope for all individuals regardless of socioeconomic status, race, creed, or in this case, citizenship,” the councilman said in a statement. “Both these gentlemen have accomplished a great deal for the city. For that, on behalf of the city council, mayor, and our city, I want to say thank you to them both and I am confident they will do an excellent job on their commission posts.”
Pineda says he cleared the appointments with the city attorney, who confirmed there’s nothing that requires a commissioner to be a registered voter, a documented citizen or even a resident, which technically means someone here without legal residency can serve.
Appointees first pass a LifeScan background check.
Medina and Zatarain would not be paid for the volunteer positions and would not have a direct hand in constructing policy but would help advise the council on legislation. Other commissioners receive a $75 monthly stipend on months when they hold meetings.
Coming the same year that California allowed residents to apply for a driver’s license, regardless of immigration status, this move is the latest in an effort to recognize an increasingly sizable demographic in the state.
Pineda says at 13 years old he emigrated alone to the United States. He established legal residency and told Meron he feels blessed to have been able to come here and work. He’s served as a district representative on the California State Senate and legislative assistant for the U.S. House of Representatives. He currently is president of the California Latino Leadership Institute, an organization designed for young professionals interested in leadership development and serving their community.
This is Pineda’s first year on the Huntington Park City Council.
The councilman touched on his childhood in Central America and says there would be nights he’d come home to a house with no food.
He says the criticism of people who emigrate illegally often comes without understanding the hardship they leave behind.
When asked whether he expected any reaction to his commissioner selections, Pineda said: “Having worked at the federal level, I understand that not everything that you do reflects good on the entire nation. Of course, we’re going to have people who disagree with me, but I’m fine with that.”
Pineda says he selected Medina and Zatarain primarily for their contributions to the city.
A graduate from Cal State Dominguez Hills with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and Chicano studies, Medina interned for then-Assemblyman Gil Cedillo, who now serves on the Los Angeles City Council, Pineda says. Medina also organizes immigration forums aimed a helping working-class communities.
Zatarain is a student at Santa Monica Community College who came to the U.S. in 2007, according to Pineda. At Huntington Park High School, he served as ASB president and graduated with the highest GPA in his class. He acted as campus representative for English as a Second Language program and created a club to help ESL students prepare for college. Pineda says he created a local chapter of the Red Cross and organized several blood drives. Zatarain wants to attend law school.
Pineda says the decision will be announced at the City Council meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday and will become official after being processed by the council.
Arrest him.
Isn’t it illegal to employ illegal aliens? Oh wait, laws don’t apply to liberal municipalities.
Huntington Park is 100 percent Mexican, so yeah makes sense, a city full of illegals now being represented by illegals
Other states should just do likewise if they wish.
so the islamic state can come to a city, overwhelm it with illegal aliens then take control of govt...a bloodless coup
Rather remarkable, in an incompetent sort of way.
Most of my working life I spent on a variety of appointed commissions and Boards, and I never ran across a city Council within 100 miles of San Francisco that did not require an appointee to be a resident of the city they serve.
As I understand it, in this neverneverland, an illegal Mexican serving on their board could theoretically commute from Mexico to attend their meetings?
What's wrong with that picture?
This council was elected to run a private playground?
REALLY?
A friend of mine has lived there his whole life. I used to go see him there in the 1980s. His sister was a police dispatcher who went and joined the LAPD at that time. Last time I spoke to him about five years ago, she had made Detective.
Although my first experience with that part of town was when I had a date with a Costa Rican girl who lived near Disneyland, but told me to meet her at her cousin’s house just off Indiana Street at the border of East LA and Boyle Heights. I recall that I could not find the street, which was a cul de sac next to I-5, so I had to use a payphone to call her and have her come and get me. A true cross-cultural experience.
I spent a few hours in Huntington Park approximately 15 years ago. It was work related, I had to visit a customer site.
You are correct. The city of Huntington Park appeared exactly like downtown Tijuana. All the business signs in spanish, the appearance of all the people, the trash and litter on the streets, the overcrowded buses, the large crowds of people hanging out on the sidewalks.
A friend of mine many years ago decided to take me around the city, wanted to show me “The Ghetto” we went to this street called Apple Street, its near the freeway, Im not sure if it was Huntington Park but I saw my very first crime scene, I locked the door and said “Get me the hell outta here” and this was 11am in the morning, you couldn’t get me into these areas in the evening, heck no..Downtown LA for a Laker game, absolutely(As long as you park near Staples Center..always would park on Blane, free parking) other than that, I prefer to stay on the Westside
Heck unfortunately most of LA is like that..they don’t call Los Angeles “Mexico Jr” for nothing..California is unfortunately Mexico, you can come and go whenever you please, but the ones coming here don’t leave
We can only hope Huntington Park will get what they asked for.
Can’t wait for California to roll into the sea.
“Undocumented immigrants” is DemocRAT PIG latin for illegal alien foreigners.
Begs the question is Huntington Park as you describe it the future of the entire nation, I would say yes if we the people fail to do our job and exercise our constitutional authority to DEPOSE our current tyrannical gov’t, remove the head of the beast and sever all it’s entangled tentacles.
To be ruled by foreigners is to be conquered.
Living in the shadows???
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