Working Californians Launches Spanish Language Television Campaign, Calling Whitman “Two-faced”

Gubernatorial candidate called out for using different positions before English and Spanish speaking audiences

(Los Angeles) - Working Californians, an independent expenditure committee, that includes electrical workers, health care employees and educators, launched a statewide Spanish language TV ad campaign today. The ad calls Meg Whitman “two-faced” for changing her message depending on the audience she is speaking to. The ad will run on Spanish language TV in Southern California and the Central Valley.
“Latinos, like all Californians, are worried about putting food on the table, saving their homes and whether or not they will be able to send their kids to college,” said Eliseo Medina, International Executive Vice President of the Service Employees International Union. “What they want is a Governor who will be honest with them and have real discussions about what it takes to rebuild our state. What they don’t want is a candidate who will say whatever it takes to get elected by saying one thing in English and another in Spanish.”

“I have never seen such a malicious and blatant attempt to mislead the Latino voters of this state. Whitman has been less than truthful in her recent Spanish language ads and this campaign is designed to effectively expose that fact,” said Marvin Kropke, Business Manager of IBEW Local 11 and co-chair of Working Californians.

Whitman's campaign Chairman is former Governor Pete Wilson. Wilson's signature accomplishment while in office was passing Proposition 187, which would have denied many health and social benefits, including access to public schools and colleges, to undocumented immigrants in California. It was later struck down by the courts. Whitman has said she opposed Proposition 187, though she wasn’t even living in California during that time.

“Whitman’s economic policies will devastate California’s working families and children, especially those in the Latino community. She claims to want Latino children to succeed in school, but her agenda would ban immigrant children from having the same opportunity to attend college while rewarding her corporate friends with huge tax breaks that would further devastate California's public schools," said David A. Sanchez, president of the 325,000-member California Teachers Association. “Jerry Brown is the education candidate for governor. He understands that California’s future depends on every child having access to a quality public education.”

Working Californians represents a coalition that includes the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the Service Employees International Union and the California Teachers Association. Working Californians was formed in 2006 to support causes and candidates that improved the quality of life for average Californians.

“Everywhere we look in this state, people are struggling – to pay the rent, the bills and to hold on to their jobs, if they are lucky enough to have one in this economy,” said Brian D'Arcy, IBEW Local 18 Business Manager and Working Californians co-chair. “To know that a candidate is out there changing her tune at every turn is insulting and doesn’t inspire any confidence in her ability to lead this state.”

The ad can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEwgpqs_hWc