OXNARD : Filipino-Americans Endorse Candidates

The Filipino-American community in Oxnard is flexing its political muscles for the first time by endorsing candidates in this year’s mayoral and City Council races.

The community’s political arm, the Filipino-American Political Action Committee, endorsed candidates in both races after a four-hour candidates’ forum Sunday, said Sid Cabran, the committee’s co-chairman.

The endorsements were voted on by the audience of about 100 attending the forum at the Eagles Club on Saviers Road.

After questioning candidates on such issues as development and crime, the audience voted for Councilman Manuel Lopez in his bid for mayor and Bedford Pinkard and Andres Herrera in the two council races, Cabran said.

Lopez “has more concern with our ethnic group than anybody else” in the mayor’s race, Cabran said.

The audience felt that Lopez, Pinkard and Herrera have more knowledge about the city and city government than the other candidates, he said.

All the candidates in the mayoral and council races attended the forum except mayoral candidate Anthony de la Cerda and Councilwoman Dorothy Maron, Cabran said.

Although the committee, which has about 25 members, has existed for more than five years, “this is the first time they really carried out what they were supposed to do” by endorsing candidates, he said.

The group was motivated to jump into the political fray by the council’s decision in February not to appoint Tony Grey, a Filipino-American, to a second term as planning commissioner, he said.

Council members Geraldine Furr and Michael Plisky were both questioned at Sunday’s forum about their voting not to reappoint Grey.

About 8,000 of Oxnard’s 146,000 residents are Filipino-American, city planners said.

Cabran said the community can amass political clout if it votes as a bloc and aligns with other ethnic groups, such as Latinos.