PORT HUENEME : Garamendi Visits Port for a Day of Work

John Garamendi moved 2,200 pounds of bananas on a forklift at the Port of Hueneme without a hitch Tuesday.

And, as a phalanx of reporters and photographers recorded his every move, the would-be California governor also pitched in as longshoremen measured bananas and loaded them onto pallets.

It was all in a day’s work for Garamendi, who is laboring very hard these days to persuade voters that he should be the Democratic contender for the governor’s seat.

As part of his “Make California Work” campaign, Garamendi, 48, has sacked groceries, pumped gas, taught seventh-grade government class and flipped burgers at a small cafe. And that’s just in the past three months when his campaign for the June Democratic primary kicked into full swing.

Garamendi said he came to Port Hueneme because international trade will be a key point in the economic rebound he envisions for the state.

“It’s clear that California’s future lies in trade,” he said, stopping for a brief chat with reporters after working alongside dock workers for about three hours on a 400-foot-long cargo vessel.

Pitching in on real-life jobs gives the former rancher and state legislator a good idea of the issues that concern people most, Garamendi said.

“When you’re working side-by-side with people, you hear things you’ll never hear from a lobbyist,” he said. “You learn right from the people who are doing the job.”

He said he supports the tiny port’s goal to eventually reclaim Navy land from the adjacent Seabee base to expand its operations, and will lobby for state funds to see that happen if elected governor.

But getting to the state’s Capitol might be an uphill battle. Polls show Garamendi running behind Democratic front-runner Kathleen Brown.

“I didn’t even realize he was running for governor until today,” said longshoreman Mark Pro. Even after working alongside Garamendi, Pro, a Democrat, remained uncommitted about whose name he will punch in the June primary.

“I’m going to study the issues some more,” he said.