For Immediate Release
Bakersfield, Calif. – SEIU 521 releases the following statement that may be attributed to Socorro Velandria, Kern County Behavioral Health Care Office Services Technician, and SEIU 521 Committee on Political Education Recorder:
“We are proud of Fix Kern’s effort in supporting Ana Palacio’s campaign for the State Assembly. Union members don’t often run for office, but Ana showed why they should – because every day, working people like Emergency Room nurses are more qualified to lead than they may have thought. We’ve shown that thousands of voters are ready to support grassroots leaders in our communities and workplaces when they run for elective office.
Ana began her campaign with almost no name recognition, competing against career politicians. It’s remarkable that despite the millions of corporate interest dollars spent against her, so many voters supported her vision of change in Kern, more than any polling would have predicted.
During this campaign, SEIU members and the Fix Kern coalition knocked on over 69,000 doors and put in hundreds of volunteer hours to rally underserved and disenfranchised communities against a broken political system that leaves behind working families struggling to make ends meet. The corporate elite in Kern County, as well as executives at some of the richest corporations on the planet, now know grassroots power is on the rise and our votes will never be for sale.
Fix Kern is just getting started in the fight for accountability, transparency, and results in local government. In this next chapter, we’re dedicated to building a movement to have a county that truly works for everyone. This campaign proved that when working people organize, we can take on even the most powerful interests.”
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Service Employees International Union, Local 521 represents 72,000 public- and nonprofit, private-sector workers in California’s Bay Area, the Central Coast, and in the Central Valley. Under a Community First vision, we are committed to making sure the needs of our community, and the vital services we provide our community, come first. We believe our communities thrive when residents, leaders, and workers recognize that we are all in this together when it comes to our safety, health, and well-being.
