Farber: Dornan Wants to Cut Latino Vote : Politics: Latino activists back the Democratic candidate’s assertion against congressman. The incumbent emphatically denies the accusation.

Flanked by Latino community leaders, Democratic congressional candidate Mike Farber contended on Friday that incumbent Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove) is behind an effort to discourage Latinos from voting in the Nov. 8 election.

Farber and the Latino leaders also accused Dornan of ignoring the needs of his 46th Congressional District--particularly the Latino community--and called him an “embarrassment” to Orange County.

During a news conference at his campaign headquarters in downtown Santa Ana, Farber charged that Dornan was trying to thwart Latino voter participation. As his only evidence, Farber offered the assertion that Dornan has “worked closely in the past” with Assemblyman Mickey Conroy (R-Orange), who plans to place “poll watchers” at central Orange County voting precincts on Election Day to watch for possible voter fraud.

Democrats maintain that Conroy’s plan is an effort to intimidate Latino voters since those precincts have large ethnic communities.

“It’s our belief that this is coming directly from Bob Dornan,” Farber said, lobbing a political grenade at the eight-term incumbent “because he knows he’s in trouble and he wants to dissuade the Latino population from participating in, really, what I think is one of the greatest honors of any American, and that’s voting in this country.”

Dornan roared back: “What’s the evidence? There is none, absolutely none. Guilt by association.”

The congressman issued a 10-point list of his accomplishments on behalf of minorities, ranging from participating 30 years ago in a civil rights march with the late Rev. Martin Luther King to obtaining federal funds for redevelopment, housing and anti-gang programs in his district.

The gathering of the Latino political leaders at Farber’s headquarters was touted as the first time in 10 years that they have united behind one candidate to defeat Dornan. They included attorney Alfredo Amezcua, the president of the Hispanic Bar Assn. of Orange County; Amin David, president of Los Amigos of Orange County; Dorianne Garcia, Orange County Democratic Party chairwoman; Nativo Lopez, national co-director of Hermandad Mexicana Nacional; Santa Ana Councilman Ted R. Moreno, and Stanton Mayor Sal Sapien.

Until this week, David and Lopez were backing the write-in candidacy of Democrat Robert J. Banuelos, who ran unsuccessfully against Dornan two years ago and then lost the June primary to Farber.

In a statement released earlier this week, Banuelos said he was ending his short-lived write-in campaign because his higher priority is the defeat of Proposition 187, the immigration initiative. Banuelos’ statement did not support Farber, nor did Banuelos attend Friday’s news conference.

Farber downplayed the lack of an endorsement from Banuelos and instead highlighted his hope for local Democratic Party unity after months of discord.

Banuelos’ withdrawal from the race “will allow the united front to come together. I think Bob Banuelos is very supportive of the race; he just has his eyes on a much bigger target,” Farber said, referring to Proposition 187.

In exchange for the support from David and Lopez, Farber said he pledged to help with voter registration and turnout, as well as a year-round citizenship drive in the 46th Congressional District, which is largely made up of immigrants. He estimated that while more than half of the district’s population is Latino, only about one in five is registered to vote.

Almost all of the Latino leaders who stood at the podium agreed that Dornan has ignored the needs of the Latino community.

“(Dornan) does do damage because he brings intolerance and hate into our community, not just by his actions but by the people he associates with and the things he says about the people in the community,” said Garcia, the Democratic chairwoman.

Dornan described most of those gathered as liberals who “do not have any clout in the county because the county is basically conservative.” He conceded that Lopez’s endorsement of Farber was “a shock” because he has worked with Lopez’s immigrant-rights group in the past.

The incumbent has been endorsed by the 200-member Latino Peace Officers Assn., the Hispanic Business Assn., and Anaheim City School District Board President Lou Lopez.

“I can tell you, Bob Dornan is a supporter of law enforcement, he’s a supporter of education, and he’s a supporter of the Hispanic community,” the school board president said.