Supporters Rally Around Sanchez on ‘Loretta Day’

Latino activists rallied Wednesday in a dozen cities across the nation, including several in Southern California, echoing the months-long call by Democrats on Capitol Hill for an end to a House committee’s investigation of last fall’s upset win by Democrat Loretta Sanchez in Orange County’s 46th Congressional District.

In an orchestrated event dubbed “Loretta Day,” simultaneous protests occurred outside the local offices of several House Republicans whose districts have significant Hispanic voting-age populations. Regionally, those targeted for such demonstrations were Reps. James E. Rogan of Pasadena, Stephen Horn of Long Beach, Brian P. Bilbray of San Diego and William M. Thomas of Bakersfield. A rally also was held in Sanchez’s district.

“It is of great support and comfort to me that so many of my colleagues in the House want to stand up for what is right--stand up for me and my . . . constituents,” Sanchez said in a prepared statement. “It is time that the Republican majority let the sunshine in, and stop the secrecy and political gamesmanship that has characterized this election from day one.”

In Washington, meanwhile, a phalanx of congressional Democratic leaders gathered on the Capitol steps to reiterate their demand for a dismissal of the election probe, wearing orange “Free Loretta” ribbons in what has become a political fashion statement.

Whether in English or Spanish, the message to the House Republican leadership was the same: Produce evidence that voting by noncitizens was widespread enough to overturn Sanchez’s 984-vote victory, or drop the case filed 11 months ago by Republican Robert K. Dornan, the longtime incumbent Sanchez unseated.

“Ya basta [Enough is enough],” activist Amin David said on the steps of the Old Orange County Courthouse in Santa Ana, surrounded by 30 Sanchez supporters in the heart of her district. “Now is tiempo [time].”

A continent away, Rep. Darlene Hooley of Oregon spoke for her fellow first-term Democrats in similar terms at the Washington protest.

“Even Inspector Gadget would have [the investigation] wrapped up by now,” said Hooley, one of eight leaders of Democratic caucuses who have filed resolutions that will be brought to the House floor today to officially demand its dismissal. “Please call off the political bloodhounds. Enough is enough is enough.”

Though the rhetoric was time-worn, the venues were new Wednesday. From the City Hall steps in New York City to a park in downtown Miami to a candlelight vigil outside state Republican headquarters in Pueblo, Colo., Democrats attempted to take their case far outside the Beltway.

The implied threat was not subtle: by continuing to pursue the investigation, Republicans risk a backlash at the polls.

“The Dornan-Sanchez investigation is not just a California issue, but it concerns all Americans across the country,” said Bernedette Medrano of the Mexican-American National Women’s Assn., who was at the Santa Ana rally. “This investigation suppresses the participation not just of Latinos, but all voting and emerging populations.”

Democrat Mannie Costales held aloft a sign depicting a painter in overalls, carrying a ladder, who was meant to represented Dornan. “He could be doing some other things--carpentry, picking tomatoes,” Costales said. “Just get a job, Bob.”

Up the freeway in Old Town Pasadena, a small but noisy demonstration stormed the sidewalk outside Rogan’s district office with the chant, “Hey hey, ho ho! Let Loretta go!” Rogan, who joined fellow Republicans in defeating a Democratic motion last week to end the investigation, represents an affluent San Gabriel Valley area whose voting-age residents are 18% Latino.

Carrying signs that said “Stop Harassing Latinos,” and “End the Investigation,” the 25 protesters called Dornan a “sore loser” and described Sanchez as the victim of a “witch hunt.”

“It’s discrimination against this lady because she is a Latina,” said Yuny Parada, a member of the Pasadena Human Relations Commission.

“We are just starting to get Latinos elected,” said Luis Valenzuela, a district resident. “Now Latinos may become afraid to vote.”

In a written statement, Rogan defended the investigation, and said Sanchez was not the issue. “What is at issue is the integrity of the American electoral process.”

Horn, whose Long Beach-based district’s voting-age population is 22% Latino, brushed off suggestions that he could lose Latino support because of the Sanchez probe.

“The Hispanic people in my district happen to be sensible, carefully thinking people,” he said in Washington. “I think they will see the games being played--[Democrats] play the class warfare card, they play the racial card, they play the ethnic card. I’ve had to deal with that for years.”

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Cuban-born Republican from Florida, responded to the protests by resigning from the National Assn. of Latino Elected Officials, which helped organize the rallies along with several other activist groups.

“She doesn’t care about the protests--she fled a country that doesn’t allow protests and demonstrations,” said Ros-Lehtinen spokesman Juan Cortinas. “But she thinks it’s unfortunate that NALEO, which portrays itself as nonpartisan . . . has allowed itself to become an instrument of the Democratic Party.”

On the floor of the House, Republicans stood firm, voting 218 to 200 to table a motion introduced by Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) that called on the House Oversight Committee to report its findings on the election contest by Friday or drop it.

House Republican leaders allowed an hour of debate on a similar motion last week, but said they would likely not do so again. The eight similar motions that will surface today will likely hold up business for about four hours but have no substantive impact.

Gephardt vowed Wednesday to continue the symbolic protest, asking each of the 204 Democrats to introduce similar resolutions. But Thomas, the Bakersfield Republican who heads the probe, said neither the protest outside his district office Wednesday nor the barrage of resolutions would stop him.

“If their cause is to shut down an investigation, I just have a hard time understanding why they think people will rally around it,” Thomas said. “We didn’t duck [last week’s motion to end the probe]. We brought it out, we had a debate, and we prevailed as we knew we would. They’re no need to debate it again.”

As for the ongoing probe, California Secretary of State Bill Jones agreed this week to help analyze a list of suspected illegal voters, and has received an electronic database from Thomas’ committee.

“We haven’t finished the investigation,” Thomas said. “Nothing has changed.”

Wilgoren reported from Washington, Martin from Pasadena. Times correspondent Jeff Kass in Orange County also contributed to this story.