*** No candidate for Lt. Governor has been endorsed by the CDP ***
I will never forget the day I came home from elementary school with an assignment about heroes.
I asked my father, “Who is your hero, Dad?”
He said, “Cesar Chavez, of course.” We sat in our living room in Sacramento, in comfortable chairs, eating dinner. But life for my father had not always been so comfortable.
My father came to America from Greece when he was just 14 years old – alone with no money. He started out as a farmworker in the fields of Lodi, California. And although he never met him, my father knew all about Cesar Chavez – and Dolores Huerta.
“They demanded better conditions for us – better tools, and places for us to wash our hands and go to the bathroom. Eleni, I was amazed – what power did they have to get these things for us?”
It was my father’s first lesson in America: the power of organizing.
Organizing is a deep-rooted value in my family and underpins the work I have done my entire life – in public service and activism. I believe that working people must always have the right to organize, collectively bargain, and earn living wages.
I’ve stood with the United Farm Workers and I am so proud that President Arturo Rodriguez recognized my contributions by presenting me with the UFW flag in 2005. It now hangs in our campaign office as a reminder of Cesar Chavez’s legacy and that we must fight for what is right each and every day.
My campaign for Lt. Governor is built on the same principles.
I am the only candidate campaigning in all 58 counties, meeting Californians throughout the state and listening to their concerns and priorities. We launched a County Captain program to activate the supporters we’ve met throughout the campaign to organize their communities.
It’s because of the work of fearless leaders like Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta that our state continues to be a beacon of hope for so many in this country – and in the world.
With the political assaults coming from Washington, we need leaders at the top with a backbone to protect our immigrants, values, and diversity.
That’s why I’m running for Lt. Governor, and I am deeply thankful for your ongoing support. Please sign up to be an active member on this team and organize your community.
Sincerely,
Eleni
