Latino Group Backs Probe of Sanchez Win Over Dornan

Conservative Latinos launched a political group Thursday to support the federal and state investigations of vote fraud in the Robert K. Dornan/Loretta Sanchez congressional race and attacked critics who say the inquiry is racially motivated.

Art Pedroza Jr., chairman of Hispanics for Fair Elections, defended the investigations as “an attempt to protect the integrity of our voting system” and criticized Democrats and others for suggesting that authorities have unfairly targeted Latino voters for investigation.

“I am so tired of people playing the race card when it furthers their agenda,” Pedroza said in a written statement.

Asked if former GOP Rep. Dornan played the race card when he blamed his November defeat in the 46th District on hundreds of alleged undocumented immigrants who voted illegally, Pedroza said:

“I don’t remember reading that.”

Dornan lost to Democrat Sanchez, a former Republican, by 984 votes. No charges have been filed in the continuing, nearly yearlong inquiry by the House Oversight Committee.

Pedroza, 29, said that he is a Dornan supporter but that the new group is “bipartisan and nonpartisan.” However, when a reporter questioned them, all of the estimated 20 members of the group who attended the press conference at the Santa Ana Civic Center plaza said they are Republicans.

The unveiling of Pedroza’s group turned into an attack against Sanchez, Democrats, labor groups and Hermandad Mexicana Nacional, the Latino civil rights group that is the focus of investigations into alleged registration of noncitizens to vote.

Last month, several Latino congressmen and advocacy groups called for an end to the House inquiry into the Sanchez-Dornan race, label it a “biased political witch hunt” designed to discourage Orange County’s growing number of Latinos from registering to vote.

At the time, Dornan’s attorney, Michael Schroeder, who is also chairman of the California Republican Party, charged that Democrats were turning the investigation into a race issue.

Pedroza and other group members continued that line of attack Thursday.

“This investigation is not racially motivated,” Pedroza said. “Are people trying to hide something [by calling for an end to the investigation]? The true issue to us has been numerous instances when something [illegal] happened in the election. But the majority of Hispanic voters voted legitimately.”

Hispanics for Fair Elections is the second Latino political group formed in Orange County this week. Tuesday, labor and Latino leaders announced the creation of the Orange County Community Forum. They said the group was formed to encourage new citizens to participate in the political process.

Members include representatives of the League of United Latin American Citizens, Los Amigos of Orange County and other well-established Latino organizations.

* BATTLE MOVES TO COURT: Lawyers for Sanchez attack law giving Dornan subpoena powers in dispute. B4