Huntington Park Mayor Quits After Comments on Immigrants

Huntington Park’s mayor, whose anti-immigration comments touched off a firestorm in this heavily Latino community, stepped down from his mayoral post Monday night at the urging of his doctor and family.

Mayor Tom Jackson, the only white on a City Council representing a town that is 92% Latino, also apologized, saying, “I should never have made those statements.”

A member of the council for 32 years, Jackson said he is recovering from quadruple heart bypass surgery and is stepping down as mayor at the urging of his doctor and his wife.

By a 3-2 vote, the council choose Jessica Maes to take over the ceremonial post.

Before Jackson stepped down, more than a dozen of his supporters defended the longtime councilman, insisting that he has been a steadfast supporter of the city’s immigrant community.

“This guy is not a racist,” said resident Valerie Slaughter-Vejarano. “Maybe he just needs a good scriptwriter.”

Jackson said he was overwhelmed by the show of support and was expecting to be harshly criticized by his constituents.

“I came tonight thinking everyone was really going to give it to me,” he said.

The controversy began last month when Jackson criticized Mexican immigration during a public discussion about a state bill that would make it easier for immigrants to get driver’s licenses.

According to a tape recording, Jackson said that while he is happy that Mexican immigrants shop in the city’s thriving business district, “we have to come to the realization that the entire country of Mexico cannot come to California, and if we make it tough for them to come here, they won’t come. . . . They have their country, and we have our country and we cannot constantly be doing something to make their life easier.”

Jackson said afterward that he was referring only to illegal immigration and that he was not criticizing Mexicans in general.

The bill Jackson was referring to, AB 1463 by Assemblyman Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles), would allow immigrants to apply for driver’s licenses while legalizing their immigration status.

The City Council meeting attracted about 130 residents, many of whom learned of Jackson’s comments from the 10,000 fliers mailed last week by council members Rosario Marin and Rick Loya, urging residents to attend.

When he made his comments, the council chambers were nearly empty. But the meeting was recorded, and Marin and Loya circulated audiotape copies and transcripts among residents and other Latino elected officials.

In a letter sent last week, Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Assn. of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, urged Jackson to resign from his post as mayor.

State Sen. Martha Escutia (D-Whittier), whose district includes Huntington Park, wrote to Jackson on Friday, calling his comments “unacceptable and offensive.”

“I encourage you to learn and understand the benefits and contributions that an immigrant community has to offer to your city,” she wrote.

But Rudy Griego, the owner of an immigration consultant business in Huntington Park, told the council Monday that Jackson was the first city official to welcome him to the city when he started his business in 1970.

“I support you, Tom,” Griego said.

Jackson said he had sought the mayoral post only so he could say he was mayor in five decades.

A former flower shop owner, Jackson has held the mayoral post 10 times since 1968.