Anaheim : Latino Convention Could Draw Thousands

Thousands of delegates are expected to converge on Orange County for the national convention of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), scheduled June 26-30 at two Anaheim hotels.

The five-day convention at the Hilton Towers and Marriott hotels will feature symposiums on education, politics, economics, civil rights, immigration and communications, LULAC officials said at a press conference Friday.

Among the scheduled speakers are Lt. Gov. Leo McCarthy, Orange County Supervisor Thomas Riley, labor leader Cesar Chavez and New Mexico Gov. Toney Anaya. Also on the program is Sen. Alan K. Simpson (R-Wyo.), co-author of the Simpson-Mazzoli bill, a controversial immigration reform package that failed to pass.

“Immigration reform is here to stay,” said Anita Del Rio, a national vice president of LULAC. She said she expected it to be one of the convention’s major topics. “LULAC favors a humanistic, compassionate reform,” she said.

LULAC is the nation’s largest Latino organization, with more than 100,000 members and chapters in 45 states. It was founded in Corpus Christi, Tex., in 1929. California and Texas have the most members.