THE DOLORES HUERTA VIRTUAL SPIRIT AWARDS
SEPTEMBER 25, 2021
In January of 2020, no one had any idea of what was about to happen. We had heard of a flu-like virus originating somewhere overseas, but we knew little more. What unfolded was a once in a century pandemic. This is not an event you can plan for. On March 17, 2020, two days before the governor declared a statewide lockdown, LCS conducted our first pandemic food distribution as Los Angeles was beginning to feel the economic impact of the Corona virus. Since then, LCS has distributed food to over 597,000 individuals in Los Angeles County and provided over 10,000 vaccines for essential workers. It was something that no one anticipated, but as Labor Community Services has done since 1948, we answered the call when the need arose. As the pandemic swept through our community, we realized that our food distribution would have to include all of Los Angeles County. I called Michael Flood, president, LA Regional Food Bank and informed him we were going to need a lot of food. Without hesitation, he started working out the details to help us distribute food to thousands of families. We distributed food to 7,500 families in just one day at the Inglewood Forum. Together with Labor Community Services, we’ve delivered more than 2.2 million pounds of food. When the COVID 19 vaccines became available, LCS contacted our long-time partner Jim Mangia at St John’s Well Child and Family Center. We partnered with them to get essential workers vaccinated at the LA County Federation of Labor. Since then, St John’s Well Child and Family Center has distributed more than 285,000 does of covid vaccines to date! And finally, the Los Angeles Labor movement is built on history and traditions. With a long list of leaders from Jim Wood, Miguel Contreras, and now President Ron Herrera who has taken LCS into the next level by creating a vigorous LCS program that serves all our communities. The labor movement in Los Angeles has been the voice of the workers. It is appropriate then, to honor Mike Garcia, who led the Justice for Janitors campaign and while he is no longer with us, his work continues today, leading to the first defined pension for private sector custodians, building on what Mike started with SEIU. These are the heroes we are honoring today for their tireless work for service. They, along with thousands of volunteers, made our work during the pandemic possible. I am also reminded that our work, the work of Labor Community Services encompasses more than food distribution. Since 1948, we’ve provided the safety net to union members and their families. As we enjoy this moment to recognize our work done during this pandemic, Labor Community Services continues to serve people with utilities, rent, funereal expenses and all the services that we have provided for decades. That work never stops. As we move forward, this pandemic will come to an end. Labor Community Services is already looking ahead, to transition out of our crisis management of a community scale, to the individual crisis that people face. I want to thank you all for being there for us during the pandemic, and for being here today to support our work. We honestly could not have done this work without your help.
Sincerely,
Armando Olivas
Executive Director Labor Community Services
EVENT PROGRAM
Virtual Happy Hour Introduction by Hosts Armando Olivas and Sandra Hernandez Video Presentation: Labor Community Services 1st Musical Interlude: Mariachi Las Colibrí Award Ceremonies: Los Angeles Regional Food Bank St. John’s Well Child and Family Center Labor Leader Mike Garcia (†) Speakers: Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez California State Senator María Elena Durazo United States Senator Alex Padilla Dolores Huerta LA Fed President Ron Herrera CLOSING REMARKS
2nd Musical Interlude: Cold Duck
OUR EVENT HOSTS
ARMANDO OLIVAS
SANDRA HERNANDEZ
For over 14 years, Armando Olivas represented the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFLCIO, with an affiliation of over 300 unions, representing approximately 800,000 union members throughout the greater Los Angeles area. Mr. Olivas served as the Federation’s Community Services Director and was on staff at the United Way of Greater Los Angeles.
Sandra has been a union member for over 35 years with CSEA, the California School Employees Association. She started out as a rank-and-file member, she has also served as the chief shop steward and for 16 years, served as the president of CSEA Chapter 477 at Rio Hon-do College.
During his first assignment to LCS, he led the LA County Federation’s crisis response efforts assisting union and community members impacted by the Northridge earth-quake of 1994. In 2002, he was appointed as the Western Regional Director in the Labor Participation Department of United Way World Wide responsible for all community service offices in the western United States. When the current LA County Federation president took office in 2019, he said his first priority was to ensure adequate capacity of Labor Community Services to meet the needs of union members and their families in time of need. Armando was appointed as the Executive Director and returned to where he started: Los Angeles Federation of Labor. Since then, Labor Community Services has distributed food and services to more than 600,000 individuals in response to the Corona virus pandemic.
Mr. Olivas is frequently requested to speak on the AFL-CIO Community Services Program and the Labor / United Way’s partnership. He was invited to Tokyo, Japan to provide a keynote address to personnel in the United States Armed Forces.
Sandra is a current Vice President and Executive Board Member of the LA County Federation of Labor and a Board Member of Labor Community Services. She is also the Personnel Commissioner at Hacienda La Puente Unified School District’s Personnel Com-mission. Sandra is a tireless activist, present at most labor actions, Letter Carriers’ Food Drive team captain since 2010 and has been a consistent volunteer for LCS food distributions throughout Los Angeles County. In 2015, Sandra was the recipient of the Miguel Contreras Leadership Award, has been twice awarded CSEA Activist of the Year Award and has been key in bringing CSEA chapters into affiliation with the LA County Federation of Labor.
EVENT SPEAKERS
ALEX PADILLA UNITED STATES SENATOR
Senator Alex Padilla is the proud son of immigrants from Mexico, his father a short-order cook and his mother a housekeeper. Padilla attended Los Angeles public schools and is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. After graduating from MIT, Padilla was elected to the Los Angeles City Council where he served as the youngest Council President in Los Angeles history and provided citywide leadership at critical times, including serving as acting Mayor during the tragedy of September 11, 2001. He was elected to the State Senate in 2006 to represent the more than 1.1 million people in the San Fernando Valley. As a State Senator, Padilla passed more than 70 bills, including landmark legislation to combat climate change, and was named as one of Sacramento’s "most effective legislators." Padilla served as California’s first Latino Secretary of State starting on January 5, 2015 and was reelected in 2018, receiving the most votes of any Latino elected official in the United States. As Secretary of State, Padilla worked to make our elections more accessible and inclusive, while fighting to protect the integrity of our voting systems. As California's Junior U.S. Senator, Padilla serves as Chair-man of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizen-ship, and Border Safety. He also serves as a member of the Senate Committees on Budget, Environment and Public Works, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Judiciary, and Rules.
Senator Padilla lives in the San Fernando Valley with his wife Angela and their three sons: Roman, Alex and Diego.
EVENT SPEAKERS
MARÍA ELENA DURAZO CALIFORNIA STATE SENATOR María Elena was born the seventh child in a family of eleven children to migrant worker parents. Growing up, María Elena traveled with her family, following the crops throughout California and Oregon, and experiencing the exploitative conditions and hardships that migrant laborers suffer. In spite of these obstacles, María Elena attended St. Mary’s College in Moraga, California, and graduated in 1975. In college she became involved in the Chicano Movement at the urging of her older brother. Then she entered the labor movement as an organizer for the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (later called UNITE, the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees). While working as a union organizer, she pursued an education in law at the People’s College of Law and earned her degree in 1985. By 1987, María Elena was ready to lead a drive by the rank and file of HERE Local 11 to make the union more responsive to its majority-Latino membership. The organizing drive successfully instituted a shop steward system that educated the rank and file on their rights, workers were now able to participate in negotiating their union contracts and all meetings and publications were from then on bilingual. In 2004, she became the Executive Vice President of UNITE-HERE International, the organization made up of the UNITE and HERE unions which had merged. In 2008, María Elena Durazo served as the Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee and as National Co-Chair of the Barack Obama Presidential Campaign. From 2006 through 2014, she was the first woman Secretary-Treasurer of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, the second largest labor council in the country and served on the National AFL-CIO Executive Council. Besides her union work, María Elena has served on many civic commissions and boards. Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley appointed her to the Los Angeles Commission on Airports, Mayor Richard Riordan appointed her to the Los Angeles Parks and Recreation Committee and she has also served on the California State Coastal Commission.
María Elena was married to the late union leader Miguel Contreras, who served as Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Los Angeles Federation of Labor from 1996 until his untimely death on May 6, 2005. She has two children with Miguel Contreras, Mario and Michael Contreras.
NURY MARTINEZ LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT City Council President Nury Martinez is a glass-ceiling shattering leader who brings profound life experience as the proud daughter of working-class immigrants, as well as years of legislative and community advocacy expertise, to the forefront of her work fighting for the families of the City of Los Angeles and the Sixth Council District in the Northeast San Fernando Valley. In January 2020, Nury Martinez became the first Latina City Council President in the City Council's 170-year history. When elected to the City Council in 2013, Martinez was the only female elected official in the City of Los Angeles. Today, as one of just three women on the City Council, Councilwoman Martinez is a groundbreaking leader who champions families first and women’s rights issues. Martinez is also dedicated to doing more to address homelessness, while also ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our local communities. Council District 6 is home to the most supportive housing for those experiencing homelessness in the San Fernando Valley, and Martinez is committed to building more while also advocating for a Citywide commitment to share the responsibility of housing the homeless equally. Councilwoman Martinez has dedicated her life to the San Fernando Valley where she was born and raised. The product of public schools, and the first in her family to graduate from college, she proudly served her community on the L.A. Unified School District Board from 2009-2013. Before that, Martinez served on the City of San Fernando Council from 2003-2009. To encourage more young women to enter public service and become the next generation of leaders, Councilwoman Martinez created the “Ready for Women” Fellowship program, where highly motivated female college students are selected to intern at the Council District 6 offices. Since its launch in 2014, 23 young women have successfully completed the fellowship and three graduates of the program earned full-time jobs with Councilwoman Martinez!
Council President Nury Martinez is a graduate of San Fernando High School and California State University at Northridge. She and her husband, Gerry, live in Sun Valley with their young daughter, Isabelle.
EVENT SPEAKERS
EVENT SPEAKERS
RON HERRERA LOS ANGELES COUNTY FEDERATION OF LABOR PRESIDENT Ron Herrera has been a member of the Teamsters Union for over 45 years. Ron’s loyalty and dedication to the Labor Movement was a result of his Father’s example. Ron’s father was a staunch Union man who worked the Ports of Long Beach, Los Angeles, and Oakland as a member of the Longshoremen’s Union. Ron’s Father taught him a deep and abiding respect for worker rights, social justice, and the critical role of Labor Unions in advancing these interests. Ron started his Union career in 1975 as a UPS package car driver. Ron was one of a handful of Latino drivers employed by UPS at the time. Motivated by the teachings and legacy of his Father, Ron quickly volunteered to help the Union in his workplace. During his 24 years as a rank and file Teamster member, Ron represented his fellow members as a UPS Shop Steward. In 2000, Ron was hired as a Teamsters Local 396 Business Representative and in 2001 he became the President of Local 396. In 2002, Ron was elected to the Local 396 Principal Officer position. Ron was subsequently elected as an International Brotherhood of Teamsters Executive Board Trustee in 2011. In 2015, Ron was appointed to fill an open Teamsters Western Region Vice President position on the General Executive Board. His appointment was then confirmed by the membership in the 2016 International election. In 2019, Ron was elected President of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. The LA Fed is the second largest labor council in the United States. It has over 300 affiliates that represent over 800,000 working men and women in the Los Angeles County area. Ron also serves as the International Director of the Teamsters Port Division, Chairman of the UPS/ Teamsters Article 43 National Committee, Executive Assistant to the Teamsters National Hispanic Caucus, and Teamsters Joint Council 42 Recording Secretary.
Ron believes in increasing the diversity in the leadership of the Teamsters and has dedicated his career to bettering the lives of workers through organizing. He has led many successful organizing campaigns and has successfully passed groundbreaking legislation at the city and state level that has helped sanitation workers to become members of the Teamsters Union and provide a better life for their families.
EVENT SPEAKERS
DOLORES HUERTA CO-FOUNDER, UNITED FARM WORKERS Co-founder of the United Farm Workers, Dolores Clara Fernandez Huerta is one of the most influential labor activists of the 20th century and a leader of the Chicano civil rights movement. Born on April 10, 1930 in Dawson, New Mexico, Huerta was the second of three children of Alicia and Juan Fernandez, a farm worker and min-er who became a state legislator in 1938. Her parents divorced when Huerta was three years old, and her mother moved to Stockton, California with her children. Alicia’s community activism and compassion-ate treatment of workers greatly influenced her daughter. Discrimination also helped shape Huerta. A schoolteacher, prejudiced against Hispanics, accused Huerta of cheating because her papers were too wellwritten. In 1945 at the end of World War II, white men brutally beat her brother for wearing a Zoot-Suit, a popular Latino fashion. In 1955 Huerta began her career as an activist when she co-founded the Stockton chapter of the Community Service Organization (CSO), which led voter registration drives and fought for economic improvements for Hispanics. She also founded the Agricultural Workers Association. Through a CSO associate, Huerta met activist César Chávez, with whom she shared an interest in organizing farm workers. In 1962, Huerta and Chávez founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), the predecessor of the United Farm Workers’ Union (UFW), which formed three year later. Huerta served as UFW vice president until 1999. Despite ethnic and gender bias, Huerta helped organize the 1965 Delano strike of 5,000 grape workers and was the lead negotiator in the workers’ contract that followed. Throughout her work with the UFW, Huerta organized workers, negotiated contracts, advocated for safer working conditions including the elimination of harmful pesticides. She also fought for unemployment and healthcare benefits for agricultural workers. Huerta was the driving force behind the nationwide table grape boycotts in the late 1960s that led to a successful union contract by 1970. In 1973, Huerta led another consumer boycott of grapes that resulted in the ground-breaking California Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975, which allowed farm workers to form unions and bargain for better wages and conditions.
The recipient of many honors, Huerta received the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award in 1998 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. As of 2015, she was a board member of the Feminist Majority Foundation, the Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus of the United Farm Workers of America, and the President of the Dolores Huerta Foundation.
EVENT HONOREES
LOS ANGELES REGIONAL FOOD BANK
MISSION STATEMENT To mobilize resources to fight hunger in our community.
• Source and acquire food and other products and distribute to needy people through charitable agencies or directly through programs;
• Energize the community to get involved and support hunger relief; • Conduct hunger education and awareness campaigns and advocate for public policies that alleviate hunger.
VISION STATEMENT No one goes hungry in Los Angeles County. The Los Angeles Regional Food Bank has been mobilizing resources to fight hunger in Los Angeles County since 1973. To support the Food Bank's vision that no one goes hungry in Los Angeles County, food and grocery products are distributed through a network of 700 partner agencies and directly to those in need through Food Bank programs. The Food Bank has distributed more than 1.7 billion pounds of food, the equivalent of 1.35 billion meals, since 1973. The total value of food and grocery product distributed since the Food Bank's inception is $2.3 billion. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Food Bank tripled the number of people helped and now reaches 900,000 people every month.
The Food Bank is a 4-star rated charity by Charity Navigator.
EVENT HONOREES ST. JOHN’S WELL CHILD & FAMILY CENTER
St. John’s strives for health equity by addressing the health care needs of low-income, uninsured, and under-insured people in Central/South Los Angeles and Compton. As a first-responder in the communities hardest-hit COVID-19, St. John’s launched a massive testing and contact tracing program in areas that had no access to testing and was the first community health center in the country to provide monoclonal anti-body infusion treatments for symptomatic COVID patients. In 2021, the agency opened 26 vaccination sites and launched the largest vaccination campaign by a community health center in the country. To date, St. John’s has administered 275,000 doses and counting. 94% of those vaccinated are low-income people of color. St. John’s clinics are situated in stand-alone, school-based, mobile, and affordable housing sites. The diversity and expanse of our network enables us to reach those who most need our services: 83% of patients live in households with incomes at or below the Federal Poverty Level; 74% are enrolled in Medi-Cal; and 26% are uninsured. In addition to providing medical, dental, and behavioral health services, St. John’s goes beyond the traditional health care model by providing support services tailored to patients’ socio-economic needs and engaging the social determinants of health.
Our partnerships with agencies working in health, education, social services, child welfare, legal assistance, reentry/anti-recidivism, and community/economic development complement and deepen the impact of our work on residents and our advocacy for systemic improvement.
EVENT HONOREES
LABOR LEADER MIKE GARCIA (†) Fearless. That was Mike Garcia. In his nearly 40 years with the labor movement, Mike never backed down from a fight. He was fierce, passionate and unwaveringly committed to social and economic justice, especially for low-wage workers most in need of a voice on the job. Mike’s career in labor began in 1980, organizing janitors in multiple cities. To Mike, organizing wasn’t a job; it was a calling. Immigrant janitors are among the workers most in danger of exploitation. Giving those workers a voice was the driving force of his career. As the leader of SEIU local 1877, Mike led success organizing campaigns for janitors at tech behemoths like Oracle and Apple. In 2000, Mike led a three-week strike of janitors in Los Angeles, a bold action that led to dramatic gains for those workers and was the impetus for a powerful movement of low-wage workers in LA that continues to this day. Mike didn’t organize from behind a desk. He organized in the streets. At the worksite. At the homes of his members. It was a 24-hour, 365-day job. That’s what his members loved about him. He wasn’t just their leader. He was their friend. He was one of them. His fierce commitment to worker justice led to the expansion of Local 1877, and in 2010, Mike became the leader of a new 40,000-member strong statewide union representing property service workers, SEIU-USWW. Mike was also a powerful voice for all workers through his role on the Labor Federation’s executive council. Mike would challenge us to be bolder, to take risks and to never forget that at the core, we’re all organizers. His leadership helped unions lead the fight to defeat Meg Whitman in 2010, electing Jerry Brown as Governor. While there were many things to admire about Mike – his tenacity, his drive, his strategic mind, his compassion – his legacy is grounded in his ability to get his members to believe that anything is possible when they stand together to take on powerful forces aligned against them. Under Mike’s leadership, a union of immigrants rose to become one of the strongest voices for worker rights and social justice in the state of California. Those members believed in Mike, and Mike got them to believe in themselves, no matter the odds.
Mike was a friend. He was a brother. And he was one hell of an organizer. While we mourn his passing, we know his spirit lives on in the hearts of every immigrant and worker who organized for justice. It lives on with every family lifted out of poverty because they got a union on the job. It lives on through the social justice movements Mike helped build, that gave voice to the voiceless and power to the exploited and vulnerable.
EVENT’S PERFORMERS
LAS COLIBRÍ or “The Hummingbirds,” have a passion for music, beauty, and girl power. These women are flying into new territory as one of the most unique ensembles of its genre by returning to the allstring instrumentation of the early 20th century mariachi tradition and the colorful, feminine costumes of the Mexican cinematic divas of the 40’s and 50’s. After years of achieving much success individually as instrumentalists and vocalists in various professional arenas, these women have come together to form a stringed ensemble that is like no other in its genre. Aside from their unique interpretation of traditional sones, huapangos, and rancheras, audiences will also recognize sounds of jazz, rock, oldies, and R&B through their innovative arrangements. With a lovely blend of vocal harmonies, beautiful smiles, and traditional mariachi instrumentation consisting of a Guitarrón (Bass),
In 1969, trumpet player and vocalist Jose Cuadra assembled a group of musicians to form an eightpiece band known today as Cold Duck. Before long, Cold Duck was performing its way into the Southern California music scene, establishing itself as the premier dance band. Cold Duck continues its tradition of excellent musicianship and groovin' rhythms. The list of credentials of individual band members includes extensive experience with a wide array of celebrities. W
Since Cold Duck's inception over four decades ago, an underlying philosophy has been directly responsible for the band's continued success to this day, "Give the people what they want to hear and have a good time delivering it!"
EVENT SPONSORS PLATINUM
DIAMOND
EVENT SPONSORS GOLD
SILVER PepsiCo SoCalGas Company Kaiser Permanente AFSCME 3299 721 Retiree Committee Kaufman Legal Group Librarians' Guild AFSCME Local 2626 IATSE Local 705 MP Costumers UFCW Local 1428 AFSCME Local 685 Probation UA Local 761 Plumbers & Fitters
UAW Region Local 8 CWA District 9 Richard Bloom for Assembly California Association of Professional Employees (CAPE) Congressmen Ted Lieu Roofers Local 36 Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, City of Los Angeles California Labor Federation UnitedHealthcare - Public Sector, Labor & Trust
BRONZE
AFGE District 12 AFGE Local 1061 AFGE Local 2429 AFSCME Local 3090 AFSCME Local 3672 AFSCME Local 3672 L.A. City Executive AFT Local 1521A College Staff Guild AFT Local 6041 Hawthorne Federation American Fed. of Musicians Local 47 Assemblywoman Luz Rivas Congressmember Karen Bass CSEA 477 FORUM IATSE Local 839, The Animation Guild IBEW Local 45 Lisa Calderon For Assembly
EVENT SPONSORS
MAPA AFSCME Local 1001 Marine Engineer's Beneficial Association PCD-1 AFL-CIO NALC BR 24 Teamsters Local 2010 Teamsters Local 911 Teamsters Joint Council 42 Teamsters Local 1932 Teamsters Local 2010 Teamsters Local 63 Teamsters Local 630 Teamsters Local 848 Teamsters Local 911 Teamsters Local Union No.542 WSRJB Workers United SEIU
SPECIAL RECOGNITION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Lawrence Brown, Jr.
Vice President Kathleen Yasuda
Secretary Nancy Oshima
Treasurer Justin Wesson
National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 24
Los Angeles College Faculty Guild
LA County Fed (Retired)
LA County Fed
Dooner
Deliana Speights UFWC 1428
The Salvation Army
David Greene
Martorell Chanchanti
Sandra Hernandez
Art Directors Guild IATSE 800
SEIU 721
Thai Community Development Center
Tom Csekey
Pilar Buelna
CSEA 477
Rex Pritchard
SEIU 2015
Long Beach Fire Fighters IAFF Local 372
STAFF
Sara Roschdi Program Manager
Armando Olivas Executive Director
Pilar Arrellano Pantry Coordinator
Ron Herrera LA County Fed
Myisha Cayro Bridge Street Inc.
Michael Flood LA Regional Food Bank
Denise Gonzales LA County Fed
Jim Mangia St. John’s Well Child & Family Center
Rosie Cruz LA County Fed
David Huerta SEIU-USWW David May LA Regional Food Bank Mario Chavez St. John’s Well Child & Family Center Karla Vasquez LA County Fed Martin Ludlow Bridge Street Inc.
Monica Hijar Bridge Street Inc.
A SPECIAL THANK YOU…
Santos Leon LA County Fed Laborers Local 300 Taro O’Sullivan Armando Arorezo Ulisses Sanchez Centro Strategies Susie Garcia Mariachi Las Colibrí Jose Cuadra Cold Duck
THE DOLORES HUERTA VIRTUAL SPIRIT AWARDS
WE THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR EFFORTS TO SERVE THE NEEDS OF OUR LOCAL FAMILIES THROUGHOUT LOS ANGELES COUNTY AND BEYOND.