WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.920 --> 00:00:04.040 This is Latino USA, the Radio Journal of News and 2 00:00:04.160 --> 00:00:09.320 Kurturre Latino US. Latin Latino USA. I'm Maria Inojosa. We 3 00:00:09.400 --> 00:00:13.000 bring you stories that are underreported but that mattered to you, 4 00:00:13.160 --> 00:00:15.040 overlooked by the wrest of the media, and while the 5 00:00:15.040 --> 00:00:17.360 country is struggling to deal with these, we listen to 6 00:00:17.400 --> 00:00:20.960 the stories of Black and Latino Studio United Latino Front, 7 00:00:21.200 --> 00:00:25.520 a cultural renaissance organizing at the forefront of the movement. 8 00:00:26.239 --> 00:00:34.720 I'm Maria ino jossa Ola Latino USA. Listener, comstas, here's 9 00:00:34.720 --> 00:00:36.440 an episode the Los Atchivos. 10 00:00:37.240 --> 00:00:43.280 It was a physical, palpable observation of people power and 11 00:00:43.400 --> 00:00:46.120 so for me and a lot of people in my generation, 12 00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:49.400 you at that moment, I had no choice. I had 13 00:00:49.400 --> 00:00:51.239 to engage. I had to get involved. 14 00:00:55.760 --> 00:00:59.880 From Fudura Media and RX It's Latino USA. I'm Maria 15 00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:11.440 Today a conversation with California's first Latino senator, Alex Badiya. 16 00:01:13.120 --> 00:01:18.360 You know, anti immigrant hate can sometimes be productive. In 17 00:01:18.360 --> 00:01:22.720 this case, Alex Badilla might not have become a politician 18 00:01:23.120 --> 00:01:25.760 had it not been for anti immigrant hate in the 19 00:01:25.800 --> 00:01:28.240 state where he was born and where he was raised 20 00:01:28.280 --> 00:01:33.480 by Mexican immigrant parents. But Badiya took that hatred and 21 00:01:33.600 --> 00:01:38.040 transformed it into action, and in the process made history. 22 00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:42.760 On January twentieth, twenty twenty one, Vice President Kamala Harris 23 00:01:43.040 --> 00:01:46.559 swore Alex Badilla in to fill the vacancy she left 24 00:01:46.600 --> 00:01:50.280 in the Senate, and on that day, Badiya became the 25 00:01:50.360 --> 00:01:54.680 first Latino senator ever to represent the state of California, 26 00:01:55.040 --> 00:01:58.240 which is home to over thirty percent of all the 27 00:01:58.280 --> 00:02:07.160 Latinos and Latinas who live in the United States. Alex 28 00:02:07.200 --> 00:02:10.960 Badiyat was born and raised in the working class, largely 29 00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:15.560 immigrant community of Pacoima, California, which is not far from 30 00:02:15.560 --> 00:02:19.120 Los Angeles. His mother was a housekeeper and his dad 31 00:02:19.240 --> 00:02:22.720 was a short bordered cook, both Mexican immigrants who arrived 32 00:02:22.800 --> 00:02:26.720 in the US in the nineteen sixties. After attending Los 33 00:02:26.760 --> 00:02:31.920 Angeles public schools, Alex Badiat earned a scholarship to attend MIT, 34 00:02:32.440 --> 00:02:36.959 where he studied to become an engineer. His future seemed clear, 35 00:02:37.560 --> 00:02:41.360 but in nineteen ninety four, the year he graduated from college, 36 00:02:41.520 --> 00:02:43.680 his life would take a different turn. 37 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:47.440 California's Proposition one eighty seven attempts to solve the state's 38 00:02:47.480 --> 00:02:52.239 illegal immigration problem by denying services like education and non 39 00:02:52.240 --> 00:02:54.880 emergency healthcare to illegal immigrants. 40 00:02:54.919 --> 00:02:59.480 Proposition one eighty seven the very controversial one in California, which. 41 00:02:59.360 --> 00:03:02.560 Would virtually cut off all public services except the emergency 42 00:03:02.639 --> 00:03:04.760 medical care to illegal immigrants. 43 00:03:05.760 --> 00:03:09.720 Proposition one eighty seven, a measure that sought to prohibit 44 00:03:09.800 --> 00:03:15.200 undocumented immigrants from using healthcare, public education, and other services 45 00:03:15.200 --> 00:03:19.440 in California, was on the ballot. By the YEP, along 46 00:03:19.480 --> 00:03:23.600 with thousands of other young Latinos and Latinas in California 47 00:03:24.160 --> 00:03:27.399 rose up in protest. It was a moment which would 48 00:03:27.480 --> 00:03:30.839 drive by the YEPP and an entire generation of Latinos 49 00:03:31.280 --> 00:03:37.560 to run for public office. Only four years later, in 50 00:03:37.640 --> 00:03:40.080 nineteen ninety nine, by the v was elected to the 51 00:03:40.120 --> 00:03:44.040 Los Angeles City Council and then became its youngest and 52 00:03:44.200 --> 00:03:48.280 first Latino president. In two thousand and six, he won 53 00:03:48.320 --> 00:03:51.080 a seat in the state Senate, where he served for 54 00:03:51.160 --> 00:03:55.800 two terms until twenty fourteen. While in California's Senate, his 55 00:03:55.920 --> 00:04:00.680 focus included clean energy, voting rights, and increased access to 56 00:04:00.760 --> 00:04:06.200 higher education. In twenty fourteen, Badiya was elected Secretary of State, 57 00:04:06.640 --> 00:04:09.720 a role he kept until December of twenty twenty, when 58 00:04:09.760 --> 00:04:14.240 Governor Gavin Newsom appointed him to fill Kamala Harris's seat 59 00:04:14.280 --> 00:04:14.880 in the Senate. 60 00:04:15.760 --> 00:04:18.640 The chair lays before the Senate two certificates of election 61 00:04:18.960 --> 00:04:22.839 for the state of Georgia and a certificate of appointment 62 00:04:22.880 --> 00:04:27.440 to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of former 63 00:04:28.200 --> 00:04:34.640 Senator Kamala D. Harris of California. 64 00:04:36.080 --> 00:04:39.680 Today, in our extended conversation with Alex Badiya, we look 65 00:04:39.720 --> 00:04:43.320 at why, among other things, it's taken so long for 66 00:04:43.480 --> 00:04:48.800 Latino to represent California in the Senate. Senator Alex Badiya, 67 00:04:48.920 --> 00:04:50.479 Welcome to Latino, USA. 68 00:04:50.960 --> 00:04:52.240 Thank you so much for having me. 69 00:04:52.800 --> 00:04:53.760 So where are you right now? 70 00:04:53.800 --> 00:04:54.160 Actually? 71 00:04:54.320 --> 00:04:56.599 Can you just kind of tell me describe to me 72 00:04:57.240 --> 00:04:58.200 what you see around you? 73 00:04:58.279 --> 00:05:02.880 Where are you sure? I am sitting at my desk 74 00:05:03.200 --> 00:05:06.880 in the Heart Senate office building, and the space I'm 75 00:05:06.920 --> 00:05:10.960 sitting in was previously occupied by our now Vice President 76 00:05:11.040 --> 00:05:15.680 Kamala Harris. So it's a tradition for California to be 77 00:05:15.720 --> 00:05:16.279 in the space. 78 00:05:17.400 --> 00:05:20.640 After what we've just lived through on January sixth, I 79 00:05:20.720 --> 00:05:23.760 have to ask you, so are you feeling safe? 80 00:05:24.160 --> 00:05:27.600 Do I feel safe? The answer is yes. I was 81 00:05:28.080 --> 00:05:31.880 not torn in until January twentieth, So, like millions of Americans. 82 00:05:31.960 --> 00:05:35.560 I saw the events unfolding in real time on television 83 00:05:35.600 --> 00:05:50.440 from home in Los Angeles. You can imagine the number 84 00:05:50.440 --> 00:05:53.000 of phone calls, a number of text messages I got 85 00:05:53.000 --> 00:05:57.120 from friends and family, asking are you sure you want 86 00:05:57.160 --> 00:06:00.159 to do this, knowing full well that there's people who 87 00:06:00.160 --> 00:06:04.200 do not like the fact that Latin, the first Latino 88 00:06:04.320 --> 00:06:07.000 to represent California and the United States Senate, proud sent 89 00:06:07.040 --> 00:06:10.120 of immigrants, is sitting in this office and has an 90 00:06:10.200 --> 00:06:13.680 equal vote. You know, I think about it, but at 91 00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:16.160 the end of the day, my dad, there's two options. 92 00:06:16.839 --> 00:06:20.320 We either say, oh that's too much, I give up, 93 00:06:20.560 --> 00:06:23.880 I quit, I go home, or you know, I have 94 00:06:24.000 --> 00:06:28.040 the resolve, the strength of flortitude to say no, We're 95 00:06:28.080 --> 00:06:30.960 not going to let them win. My experience in my 96 00:06:31.040 --> 00:06:35.000 family's journey is just representative of so many others, millions 97 00:06:35.040 --> 00:06:38.680 to throughout California, millions of families across the country. I have 98 00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:42.360 to be here for them. 99 00:06:42.400 --> 00:06:45.400 Well, Senator, I'm actually going to ask you if you 100 00:06:45.440 --> 00:06:48.880 wouldn't mind, if you can go back to the young 101 00:06:48.920 --> 00:06:52.920 person that you were in college when Prop one eighty 102 00:06:52.960 --> 00:06:57.000 seven was happening in California in the early nineteen nineties. 103 00:06:57.640 --> 00:07:01.039 I remember proposition by eighty seven, you know, pretty damn well, 104 00:07:01.360 --> 00:07:04.560 and here's the stage for it. You know, growing up 105 00:07:04.600 --> 00:07:08.320 in Paquoima, California, you know, a proud working class community 106 00:07:08.360 --> 00:07:11.640 in the northeast San Fernando Valley, watching my father work 107 00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:15.520 what seem like every single day as a cook, watching 108 00:07:15.560 --> 00:07:19.120 my mom work cleaning houses. Why it was important to 109 00:07:19.120 --> 00:07:21.000 them that my brother, my sister, and I get a 110 00:07:21.040 --> 00:07:23.560 good education. That was the key to a better future, 111 00:07:23.880 --> 00:07:26.040 you know, attending what many people would consider not the 112 00:07:26.080 --> 00:07:31.040 best of schools, earning admission to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 113 00:07:32.160 --> 00:07:34.960 And then I get home because I graduated from college 114 00:07:35.000 --> 00:07:39.360 in nineteen ninety four. So I get home that summer, 115 00:07:39.440 --> 00:07:42.560 trying to figure out my career path that fall, and 116 00:07:42.640 --> 00:07:47.240 what do I see on television? I see ads featuring 117 00:07:47.360 --> 00:07:54.080 the then governor of California basically saying California is going downhill, 118 00:07:54.560 --> 00:07:58.080 and it's the fault of families like yours, and it's 119 00:07:58.120 --> 00:08:01.440 the fault of people like your parents. They keep coming. 120 00:08:01.760 --> 00:08:04.440 Two million illegal immigrants in California. 121 00:08:04.600 --> 00:08:07.240 The federal government won't stop them at the border, yet 122 00:08:07.320 --> 00:08:10.000 requires us to pay billions to take care of them. 123 00:08:10.600 --> 00:08:13.520 For people who were in California at the time, they 124 00:08:13.560 --> 00:08:16.480 remember the ads. They keep coming the grainy images of 125 00:08:17.240 --> 00:08:21.040 people crossing the border in San Diego and just coming 126 00:08:21.040 --> 00:08:23.760 home from college having earned my degree, paying tribute to 127 00:08:23.760 --> 00:08:27.720 my parents, their struggle, their sacrifices, their hard work. They're 128 00:08:27.760 --> 00:08:30.440 paying taxes and buying a home, trying to live the 129 00:08:30.480 --> 00:08:34.800 American dream, and they're being escapegoaded. No way. And I'll 130 00:08:34.800 --> 00:08:37.640 tell you one of the moment that the light bulb 131 00:08:37.679 --> 00:08:41.360 went off in my mind. Participating in that historic march 132 00:08:41.800 --> 00:08:46.119 from the east side of Los Angeles Quadrupuntos to downtown 133 00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:53.840 Los Angeles, seeing hundreds of thousands of primarily Latinos march 134 00:08:54.120 --> 00:09:03.760 against Prop One eighty seven. It was a physical, palpable 135 00:09:04.320 --> 00:09:08.520 observation of people power. And so for me and a 136 00:09:08.600 --> 00:09:11.600 lot of people in my generation that I knew at 137 00:09:11.600 --> 00:09:14.720 that moment I had no choice. I had to engage, 138 00:09:14.800 --> 00:09:17.079 I had to get involved. And that's how I turned 139 00:09:17.120 --> 00:09:20.760 from what might have been a lengthy engineering career to 140 00:09:23.120 --> 00:09:27.120 decades on career now in public service, registering voters, getting 141 00:09:27.120 --> 00:09:30.720 people to turn out and vote, volunteering on campaigns years 142 00:09:30.760 --> 00:09:32.320 before I ever ran for office. 143 00:09:33.000 --> 00:09:36.880 You should know that my own mother and sister in 144 00:09:37.000 --> 00:09:41.040 Chicago choose to become American citizens because of what was 145 00:09:41.080 --> 00:09:45.880 happening in California, because of Prop One eighty seven. 146 00:09:46.080 --> 00:09:48.640 And that moment changed me and so many others of 147 00:09:48.679 --> 00:09:53.520 my generation, And it changed my parents and the millions 148 00:09:54.160 --> 00:09:57.680 of people like them who had come to United States 149 00:09:57.679 --> 00:10:02.360 in pursuit of the American dream with no urgency of 150 00:10:02.400 --> 00:10:05.840 becoming citizens. But it took a Prop. One eighty seven 151 00:10:06.000 --> 00:10:10.920 moment to have them realize they had to take the 152 00:10:10.960 --> 00:10:13.640 next step. If this is not just home, it's the future, 153 00:10:13.960 --> 00:10:17.480 you have to commit completely becoming citizens. And my parents 154 00:10:17.480 --> 00:10:20.120 are very clear it wasn't just to protect themselves from 155 00:10:20.120 --> 00:10:23.600 fear of deportation. It was so that they could register 156 00:10:23.640 --> 00:10:26.080 the vote and they could vote. And I knew the 157 00:10:26.160 --> 00:10:30.080 demographics and the trends of California at the time, but 158 00:10:30.160 --> 00:10:32.840 the reality of a lot of people like my parents 159 00:10:32.960 --> 00:10:35.640 not eligible to register the vote, and maybe a lot 160 00:10:35.640 --> 00:10:38.760 of people like my friends eligible but not yet registered, 161 00:10:38.960 --> 00:10:42.640 And so we weren't realizing our political power at that time. 162 00:10:43.120 --> 00:10:46.360 And I knew that engaging in the political process, we 163 00:10:46.400 --> 00:10:49.280 could move the needle, and that's what we've seen happen 164 00:10:49.320 --> 00:10:50.440 over the last couple of decades. 165 00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:55.480 All right, so it's nineteen ninety nine. You became the 166 00:10:55.520 --> 00:10:59.480 youngest person to become the president of the La City 167 00:10:59.559 --> 00:11:02.080 Council in Los Angeles. 168 00:11:01.640 --> 00:11:03.920 History, and the first Latino, the first Latino. 169 00:11:04.559 --> 00:11:08.559 But you know there were people like Antonio vier Ragosa, Gilsevillo. 170 00:11:09.160 --> 00:11:12.640 It was a moment of a lot of hope for 171 00:11:12.880 --> 00:11:16.319 Latinos in politics in the state of California. And I'm 172 00:11:16.320 --> 00:11:19.320 wondering if you can take us to that, that moment 173 00:11:19.320 --> 00:11:22.920 of hope that was also coupled with your rage. 174 00:11:22.920 --> 00:11:27.079 Still yeah, no. And when I first ran for city council, 175 00:11:27.880 --> 00:11:30.600 you know, I was twenty five at the time. I 176 00:11:30.640 --> 00:11:32.640 decided to throw my head in the ring. Of course, 177 00:11:32.640 --> 00:11:35.000 the first people I talked to is my family to 178 00:11:35.000 --> 00:11:36.920 get there, but I'm still living at home with my parents. 179 00:11:37.280 --> 00:11:40.040 Get their blessing. Then I went to go see my Paderno, 180 00:11:40.640 --> 00:11:42.679 one of my dad's brothers, is my Patarino, to get 181 00:11:42.679 --> 00:11:48.040 his blessing. Tells me two words, It tells me balle gas. 182 00:11:48.800 --> 00:11:50.880 So for nine months I'm out there knocking on doors. 183 00:11:50.920 --> 00:11:52.800 I'm making the phone calls or putting the signs in 184 00:11:52.840 --> 00:11:58.679 the yards, or registering voters and we're seeking election. On 185 00:11:58.840 --> 00:12:02.200 election night, my father, you know, had the flu, so 186 00:12:02.240 --> 00:12:04.120 he didn't come to the election night party where the 187 00:12:04.200 --> 00:12:06.600 votes were coming in and announced and we're celebrating. So 188 00:12:06.600 --> 00:12:10.600 I went to see him the next morning. Nino Nino ganamos, 189 00:12:10.640 --> 00:12:15.680 we want we won. My father, you know, still very cool, 190 00:12:15.760 --> 00:12:20.400 comic collected. All he tells me is fels equal a 191 00:12:20.520 --> 00:12:25.040 would I could complete it. So he was all for 192 00:12:25.160 --> 00:12:28.199 acknowledging my first election to the city council. But he 193 00:12:28.360 --> 00:12:33.480 was also the first to remind me an election that 194 00:12:33.600 --> 00:12:36.199 doesn't help improve anybody's lives. It's what you do with 195 00:12:36.320 --> 00:12:39.559 the opportunity. So for all the things you ran on, 196 00:12:39.640 --> 00:12:41.320 all the things you promise, all the things you want 197 00:12:41.360 --> 00:12:44.120 to work on, time to get to work, time to deliver. 198 00:12:45.200 --> 00:12:49.160 And so I felt the responsibility to make sure that 199 00:12:49.320 --> 00:12:51.480 we did good because if I were to become council 200 00:12:51.559 --> 00:12:54.800 president and screwed it up, it would have given people 201 00:12:54.880 --> 00:12:57.959 excuses to say, see, that's why we can't elevate Latinos 202 00:12:58.000 --> 00:12:59.760 to more significant leadership. 203 00:13:01.080 --> 00:13:04.680 We're going to fast forward to twenty fourteen, and that's 204 00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:08.560 when you're sworn in as California's first Latino Secretary of state. 205 00:13:09.000 --> 00:13:13.320 So during this time, actually the state of California adds 206 00:13:13.480 --> 00:13:16.560 more than four million voters. And this is a result 207 00:13:16.840 --> 00:13:20.920 of legislation that you backed that registers Californians to vote 208 00:13:21.200 --> 00:13:22.640 when they get their driver's license. 209 00:13:22.960 --> 00:13:26.480 Vote registration as a process, far too often in our 210 00:13:26.600 --> 00:13:32.080 nation's history, has served as a barrier to participation because 211 00:13:32.520 --> 00:13:37.240 the burden is on the citizen to register and to vote. Well, again, 212 00:13:37.520 --> 00:13:39.839 it kind of goes back to those observations during that 213 00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:44.280 march badly against Proposition of one eighty seven. I knew 214 00:13:44.400 --> 00:13:48.199 the power our community had that wasn't realized either because 215 00:13:48.280 --> 00:13:51.160 folks had not become citizens. A lot of people who 216 00:13:51.200 --> 00:13:53.439 are eligible were just not registered. So when I was 217 00:13:54.000 --> 00:13:56.719 sworn in a Secretary of State, Oregon beat us to 218 00:13:56.760 --> 00:13:59.160 the punch. California was the second state in the nation 219 00:13:59.320 --> 00:14:03.439 to adopt we referred to as automatic voter registration. Now, 220 00:14:03.800 --> 00:14:07.040 I was in a position to utilize the power and 221 00:14:07.120 --> 00:14:11.319 the resources of government to advance that. And you know, 222 00:14:11.640 --> 00:14:16.679 flash forward to twenty twenty, record registration record turnout, very 223 00:14:17.040 --> 00:14:19.200 very few issues and problems. 224 00:14:24.600 --> 00:14:28.880 Coming up on Latino USA. We asked Senator Pavilla about 225 00:14:29.000 --> 00:14:34.120 voter access and his track record on immigration, stay with us, 226 00:14:34.440 --> 00:15:24.240 not yes. Hey, we're back and we're going to continue 227 00:15:24.360 --> 00:15:27.960 our conversation with Alex by the Yeah, the first Latino 228 00:15:28.160 --> 00:15:31.200 to represent the state of California in the US Senate. 229 00:15:33.480 --> 00:15:35.520 Let's talk about where you are right now, which is 230 00:15:35.560 --> 00:15:39.960 in the Senate. You are appointed to your position. 231 00:15:40.640 --> 00:15:43.680 Can you imagine what the mom would be thinking now? 232 00:15:43.760 --> 00:15:45.120 As I ask you if you want to be the 233 00:15:45.160 --> 00:15:48.400 next US center of the United States, the great state 234 00:15:48.440 --> 00:15:49.160 of California. 235 00:15:50.480 --> 00:15:55.280 You, sirius, this is the official, this is the ass brother, 236 00:15:57.080 --> 00:16:00.400 I'm honored. Manhumboldt. 237 00:16:00.920 --> 00:16:04.080 Ken tell you how many pancakes my dad clipped or 238 00:16:04.520 --> 00:16:09.280 legacy scrambled trying to provide for us, or into the 239 00:16:09.320 --> 00:16:11.440 many many years of my mom cleaning house was doing 240 00:16:11.480 --> 00:16:11.920 the same. 241 00:16:11.840 --> 00:16:14.120 Thing you want. You got to say yes though, muh, 242 00:16:15.600 --> 00:16:17.920 absolutely absolutely so. 243 00:16:18.160 --> 00:16:22.360 In two thousand and nine, Gavin Newsom was the mayor 244 00:16:22.400 --> 00:16:25.400 of San Francisco and he names you as the chairman 245 00:16:25.440 --> 00:16:29.560 of his campaign for governor. And then when Newsom runs again, 246 00:16:30.320 --> 00:16:34.160 you actually endorse him over your old buddy Los Angeles 247 00:16:34.200 --> 00:16:38.120 mayor Antonio Vierragosa. And there was a lot of criticism 248 00:16:38.200 --> 00:16:42.600 around that at this point. As you know, the criticism 249 00:16:42.960 --> 00:16:45.880 for you being put into this position held by Kamala Harris, 250 00:16:46.040 --> 00:16:48.520 is that there was a moment for black women in 251 00:16:48.600 --> 00:16:52.360 this country. I mean an extraordinary moment for black women. Frankly, 252 00:16:52.800 --> 00:16:55.880 you know, had it not been for black women mobilizing 253 00:16:56.040 --> 00:16:59.640 voters across the country, maybe Donald Trump would still be president. 254 00:17:00.280 --> 00:17:04.240 And so there was a concern about this seat not 255 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:08.720 going to another African American woman. San Francisco Mayor London 256 00:17:08.800 --> 00:17:10.760 Breed said it was a real blow to the African 257 00:17:10.800 --> 00:17:14.679 American community. And there's a lot of conversation right now 258 00:17:14.800 --> 00:17:20.040 about how do Latino support African Americans and the movement 259 00:17:20.119 --> 00:17:24.160 for Black lives And I'm wondering your thoughts specifically about 260 00:17:24.880 --> 00:17:26.720 kind of the blowback that you had to go through 261 00:17:26.800 --> 00:17:30.240 and how you think about that question of allyship between 262 00:17:30.320 --> 00:17:32.560 African Americans and Latinos. 263 00:17:33.080 --> 00:17:35.960 Yeah. No, look, I appreciate the question. I agree we 264 00:17:36.160 --> 00:17:41.840 need more Black women voices in all levels of leadership, 265 00:17:41.880 --> 00:17:45.480 including the United States Senate, and I'm a committed partner 266 00:17:45.560 --> 00:17:50.639 in that. Number. Two, we also need more Latino voices 267 00:17:50.680 --> 00:17:54.879 in all levels of leadership. In California's population, nearly forty 268 00:17:55.040 --> 00:17:58.840 percent Latino has never had a Latino representative in the 269 00:17:59.000 --> 00:18:02.880 United States Senate. If you look at California's collective leadership 270 00:18:03.040 --> 00:18:07.000 or two United States Senators, all the constitutional officers, even 271 00:18:07.280 --> 00:18:10.520 the legislative leaders, the Speaker of the Assembly, the ProTem 272 00:18:10.560 --> 00:18:13.880 of the Senate, it does reflect California's diversity. I wish 273 00:18:14.119 --> 00:18:17.359 every state in the nation could say that. And so, 274 00:18:18.040 --> 00:18:20.480 you know, we have to look at multiple opportunities across 275 00:18:20.520 --> 00:18:23.120 the country to elevate the black community and black women 276 00:18:23.840 --> 00:18:28.600 in particular. Before the Governor May announced his appointment, there 277 00:18:28.640 --> 00:18:31.040 were several people under consideration. There was a lot of 278 00:18:31.080 --> 00:18:37.439 conversation about potentially Congressman Barbera Le, potentially congress Member Karen Bass, 279 00:18:37.720 --> 00:18:40.479 both of whom I've known for years, and we had 280 00:18:40.600 --> 00:18:44.840 talked about, Look, if it's you, I'm all in with 281 00:18:45.040 --> 00:18:49.240 you immediately on day one, because if you're selected, we 282 00:18:49.320 --> 00:18:52.040 need you to be as successful as possible because that's 283 00:18:52.080 --> 00:18:54.680 how we help California. You know, I shared that with 284 00:18:55.119 --> 00:18:58.440 congress Memberly, I share that with congress Remember Bass, and 285 00:18:58.480 --> 00:19:01.200 they shared the same with me. So you talk about 286 00:19:01.280 --> 00:19:06.480 the relationship, building the ally ship, and how we help 287 00:19:06.600 --> 00:19:09.680 each other, you know, build political power and influence policy. 288 00:19:10.560 --> 00:19:13.879 It's making sure that those relationships are built and then 289 00:19:13.960 --> 00:19:16.879 stay tight at what can be a trying moment for 290 00:19:17.480 --> 00:19:20.120 the general public when it looks like it's an either 291 00:19:20.240 --> 00:19:22.399 or a question, and it shouldn't be an either or 292 00:19:22.400 --> 00:19:22.800 a question. 293 00:19:24.160 --> 00:19:28.639 Considering the power of Latino and Latina voters in the 294 00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:32.200 state of California, there is a question as to why 295 00:19:32.800 --> 00:19:36.560 it's December of twenty twenty when you become the first 296 00:19:36.680 --> 00:19:40.959 Latino to represent California in the US Senate. And I'm wondering, 297 00:19:41.280 --> 00:19:43.639 why do you think it's taken this long to have 298 00:19:43.760 --> 00:19:47.680 a Latino representing California or thirty person of Latinos and 299 00:19:47.720 --> 00:19:51.080 Latinas in this country live in the US Senate? And 300 00:19:51.200 --> 00:19:53.480 do you believe you know when you are up for 301 00:19:53.560 --> 00:19:59.159 reelection or for election, I mean, will the Latino and 302 00:19:59.240 --> 00:20:01.080 Latina voters mobilized to come out for you? 303 00:20:02.040 --> 00:20:05.080 Now, that's a big question. Is probably multiple reasons for 304 00:20:05.200 --> 00:20:08.440 why it took as long as it did. It was 305 00:20:08.520 --> 00:20:11.680 in twenty fourteen that I was elected California Secretary of 306 00:20:11.760 --> 00:20:16.600 State twenty fourteen, just seven years ago. Listen that I 307 00:20:16.800 --> 00:20:20.800 was at that point only the second Latino elected to 308 00:20:20.960 --> 00:20:27.080 any statewide office in the history of California, the first 309 00:20:27.160 --> 00:20:31.280 being Cruz Bustamante, who was elected lieutenant governor in nineteen 310 00:20:31.320 --> 00:20:33.960 ninety eight and went on to serve two terms. And 311 00:20:34.040 --> 00:20:37.800 I'm only the second in the entire history of the 312 00:20:37.920 --> 00:20:41.520 state of California. So why did it take so long? 313 00:20:42.320 --> 00:20:44.200 In many ways, you go back to the one eighty 314 00:20:44.240 --> 00:20:48.639 seventh experience and what it did to mobilize, to catalyze 315 00:20:48.720 --> 00:20:53.520 so many people of my generation to get engaged number one, 316 00:20:53.640 --> 00:20:57.040 my parents' generation, to become citizens and then voters number two, 317 00:20:57.080 --> 00:21:02.320 to significantly change what the electorate looks like in California. 318 00:21:02.920 --> 00:21:05.800 So maybe the decade of the nineties, it's what mobilized us. 319 00:21:05.840 --> 00:21:08.399 In the year two thousands is when we started to 320 00:21:08.440 --> 00:21:11.399 see change, you know. So it's just the beginning. 321 00:21:12.200 --> 00:21:17.440 A lot of people don't realize thirty percent of Latinos 322 00:21:17.480 --> 00:21:19.600 in the United States live in the state of California. 323 00:21:20.720 --> 00:21:24.640 You're pushing for voter access and registration, but you're having 324 00:21:24.680 --> 00:21:27.640 a large part of the population, the second largest voting 325 00:21:27.680 --> 00:21:31.200 block in the United States, Latinos and Latinas, who are saying, 326 00:21:33.040 --> 00:21:38.080 we're not feeling seen yet again. So what do you 327 00:21:38.160 --> 00:21:38.800 do with this moment? 328 00:21:40.200 --> 00:21:44.240 We stand up, We speak up in the context also 329 00:21:44.480 --> 00:21:46.760 of how do we devan some of the changes to 330 00:21:46.840 --> 00:21:52.320 immigration policy and law that's long overdue. So, you know, 331 00:21:52.440 --> 00:21:54.040 we go to the border and acknowledge it for what 332 00:21:54.160 --> 00:21:58.000 it is. These are a lot of unaccompanied minor it's 333 00:21:58.080 --> 00:22:03.280 families seeking US asylum. Right, let's recognize why they are 334 00:22:03.359 --> 00:22:06.840 coming here to United States. Yes, it's in pursuit, like 335 00:22:06.920 --> 00:22:10.399 my parents, of a better future, opportunity, the American dream. 336 00:22:10.520 --> 00:22:14.439 But they're fleeing hometowns that have either been devastated by 337 00:22:14.560 --> 00:22:20.120 natural disasters, poverty, violence, threats against their life. They're literally 338 00:22:20.160 --> 00:22:23.000 fleeing for their lives. They have to be recognized and 339 00:22:23.280 --> 00:22:26.080 treated as such. Part of what we're seeing at the 340 00:22:26.119 --> 00:22:29.919 border is, frankly, the results of the prior administration starving 341 00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:33.200 the very agencies that are supposed to do the job 342 00:22:33.320 --> 00:22:36.200 of intake and processing. You know, we need to keep 343 00:22:36.240 --> 00:22:38.800 the time and attention to a minimum and improve the 344 00:22:38.920 --> 00:22:44.240 conditions of that detention. But I also remind my colleagues, 345 00:22:44.280 --> 00:22:48.000 both Republican and a Democrat, that, well, we need to 346 00:22:48.080 --> 00:22:52.200 address that in a whole the administration accountable. We cannot 347 00:22:52.400 --> 00:22:56.440 let that be the reason we don't move towards justice 348 00:22:56.520 --> 00:23:00.920 for the more than eleven million immigrants to our undocumented 349 00:23:01.000 --> 00:23:05.000 that are already here, have been living here, mostly working here, 350 00:23:05.119 --> 00:23:09.520 paying taxes here, and in my opinion, have earned security 351 00:23:09.960 --> 00:23:13.600 and a pathway to citizenship. And it's in that second group, 352 00:23:13.680 --> 00:23:17.200 the people that are already here, given the urgency of 353 00:23:17.320 --> 00:23:19.800 the COVID pandemic, and we've seen both the health and 354 00:23:19.920 --> 00:23:23.440 the economic impacts of COVID that inspired my first bill 355 00:23:23.880 --> 00:23:27.800 as a United States Senator, the Citizenship for Essential Workers Act, 356 00:23:28.480 --> 00:23:32.720 which would provide a well earned pathway to citizenship for 357 00:23:32.960 --> 00:23:38.200 undocumented immigrants who have risked their health as essential workers. 358 00:23:39.359 --> 00:23:43.440 We cannot in good conscience praise them as essential workers 359 00:23:43.480 --> 00:23:48.920 in one breath while denying them the essential human dignity 360 00:23:49.000 --> 00:23:53.040 they deserve. What the next The federal government has acknowledged 361 00:23:53.960 --> 00:23:56.320 essential workers, people that have been on the front lines 362 00:23:56.440 --> 00:24:00.639 in healthcare and construction and transportation and agriculture. A lot 363 00:24:00.680 --> 00:24:02.840 of people are shot to hear that more than five 364 00:24:03.280 --> 00:24:08.960 million federally recognized essential workers are undocumented immigrants, you know, 365 00:24:09.040 --> 00:24:11.560 but they've been serving the rest of us. They've been sacrificing, 366 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:14.440 risking their health in their lives to keep the rest 367 00:24:14.480 --> 00:24:16.960 of us safe and to keep the economy moving. In 368 00:24:17.080 --> 00:24:22.200 my opinion, they've earned security and a pathway to citizenship. 369 00:24:23.520 --> 00:24:25.800 As a senator, you did sponsor this bill that is 370 00:24:25.880 --> 00:24:31.520 pretty extraordinary, specifically granting essential workers a path to citizenship. 371 00:24:32.080 --> 00:24:34.199 But you know, the criticism is that in your eight 372 00:24:34.320 --> 00:24:38.320 years as a state senator from California, you weren't known 373 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:42.680 for really sponsoring any immigration legislation. And so what's that 374 00:24:42.800 --> 00:24:45.320 turn about since immigration was a central part of your 375 00:24:45.920 --> 00:24:48.520 kind of jumping into politics, but you didn't do anything 376 00:24:48.880 --> 00:24:52.600 specifically in your eight years as a California state senator. 377 00:24:53.000 --> 00:24:57.160 Yeah, well, I think it's a pretty straightforward answer. Immigration 378 00:24:57.440 --> 00:25:01.720 policy is clearly the preview of the federal government, not 379 00:25:01.880 --> 00:25:04.600 state government. Doesn't mean I didn't use my platform as 380 00:25:04.640 --> 00:25:07.960 a state official to speak up about issues, whether it 381 00:25:08.080 --> 00:25:11.439 was the need for immigration reform. Plenty of resolutions passed 382 00:25:12.240 --> 00:25:15.359 in defense of dreamers, you know, when DACCA was first 383 00:25:15.800 --> 00:25:19.920 proposed and then when Trump sought to take it away. 384 00:25:20.240 --> 00:25:24.200 We do have a long track record of advocacy on 385 00:25:24.359 --> 00:25:28.440 behalf of smarter immigration policy and supporting immigrant families and 386 00:25:28.480 --> 00:25:31.040 immigrant communities, and I'm just blessed now to be in 387 00:25:31.119 --> 00:25:36.240 a position to advance formal changes to those policies and 388 00:25:36.359 --> 00:25:40.159 those laws by introducing bills and working to line up 389 00:25:40.160 --> 00:25:41.520 the votes in the United States Senate. 390 00:25:42.320 --> 00:25:44.719 Given that you have spent so much time in your 391 00:25:44.800 --> 00:25:49.920 career Senator to the issue of voting rights and voting access. 392 00:25:50.800 --> 00:25:53.280 So I'm wondering what happens when you see Governor Brian 393 00:25:53.400 --> 00:25:59.439 Kemp of Georgia signing into state law really a series 394 00:25:59.480 --> 00:26:01.440 of attack on voting rights. 395 00:26:01.920 --> 00:26:06.400 Georgia's Republican Governor, Brian camp has signed a sweeping elections 396 00:26:06.440 --> 00:26:09.119 bill that civil rights groups are blasting as the worst 397 00:26:09.240 --> 00:26:12.960 voter suppression legislation since the Jim Crow era. This comes 398 00:26:13.119 --> 00:26:16.920 just months after Democrats won two Senate seats in Georgia. 399 00:26:17.320 --> 00:26:21.280 It's enraging the Latino community today. Would not be where 400 00:26:21.320 --> 00:26:25.880 we are politically if it wasn't for the civil rights 401 00:26:25.960 --> 00:26:30.880