Latino Leader Blasts Voter Investigation

Saying that “Latino-bashing is alive and well in Orange County,” a community leader Wednesday told a group of politically active women that he believes Latino voters have been attacked by the media and government investigators because Latino power is increasing.

“The day will come when we manage the Southwest,” said Amin David, leader of the Latino advocacy group Los Amigos. “Help us prepare for this. Don’t keep bucking us down.”

David spoke to about 50 members of Women For: Orange County, a 13-year-old volunteer organization that supports civil rights, quality education and environmental preservation. His comments focused on the publicity surrounding state and local investigations into Hermandad Mexicana Nacional, a Latino rights organization that has helped thousands of immigrants become citizens and register to vote.

More than 200 clients of Hermandad allegedly registered to vote while they were still in the process of applying for citizenship, according to court documents filed by the Orange County district attorney’s office.

Last month, files and computer tapes were seized by investigators during a raid that closed down the Hermandad offices in Santa Ana for a day.

David said he and other members of Los Amigos have complained to Secretary of State Bill Jones and Dist. Atty. Michael R. Capizzi over the “denigrating manner” in which the search warrant was served.

The newspaper articles concerning the voter investigation have been “spitting in the face of the spirit of our laws,” said Jeanie Berstein, a member of Women For: Orange County.

Others said the numbers of voters suspected of casting ballots improperly appear to be small compared to the thousands of new citizens who voted properly.