Supervisor elected vice president of Latino caucus
CHICO » Butte County Supervisor Debra Lucero of Chico has been elected vice president of the Latino Caucus of California Counties, an affiliate of the California State Association of Counties.
Lucero has been involved in the caucus for some time, and she joins Riverside County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez who was elected president last week.
Lucero, who says she is the first Latina to serve as supervisor in Butte County, indicated that the role is significant to her.
“It’s important work for 15 million residents in our state, many of whom are frontline workers in this time of COVID,” she told this publication.
In a statement, she said, “I look forward to working with V. Manuel Perez and our incredible Latino Caucus members on important issues facing California residents.”
Lucero, who was elected to the Butte County Board of Supervisors in 2018, has served on the caucus’ executive board.
The Latino caucus is a statewide association of Latino county supervisors across California, which encourages the engagement and involvement of Latino and Latina leaders in developing solutions to statewide issues and concerns, according to a press release announcing the election results.
Perez, who says he is Riverside County’s first Latino county supervisor as well, said, “The Latino Caucus of California Counties is a voice on many key issues important to the Latino community, from the 2020 Census, policies affecting immigrant communities such as (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and public charge … and our current effort for California to have Latino representation in the U. S. Senate, which is long overdue,”
Perez said the caucus’ priorities include “… advancing broadband infrastructure to improve education access and close the digital divide. We will work on policy that tackles income inequality, advances gender equity and support women and the LGBTQ community for positions in higher office. This position includes being on the CSAC kitchen cabinet, in which we will have a voice working with the state on issues to suppress the pandemic and
ensure equity in administering the vaccine,” referencing the California State Association of Counties.
As president of the caucus, Perez will be part of the Association of Counties’ kitchen cabinet that works with the state and county governments on the pandemic response.
The other supervisors elected Friday are Secretary/ Parliamentarian James Gore of Sonoma County, and Treasurer Chris Lopez of Monterey County.