Tulare County Board Of Supervisor Chairman Hurls Racial Slur at Colleague During Public Meeting

A press release from the Mayor of Farmersville Greg Gomez

I am shocked and dismayed that a Board of Supervisors Chairman would turn to his Latino colleague on the dais and say that he wanted, “another bite of the tortilla” in reference to Supervisor Eddie Valero wanting to ask another question on the topic being discussed. The audio was posted on Twitter by the Leadership Counsel – Justice and Accountability for All at this link: https://twitter.com/LCJandA/status/1250191885391421440

Supervisor Pete Vanderpoel represents a district that is 65% Latino. I represent a city outside of his district that is over 90% Latino. I and my community demand that he immediately issue a public apology to Supervisor Valero and to the Tulare County community at-large. I further call on Supervisorial Area 1 candidate, Larry Micari, to denounce the comment and to publicly renounce any endorsement and give back any support he has received from Supervisor Vanderpoel.

“It is incomprehensible that during this stressful time that should otherwise serve to bring our community together across any racial, ethnic or socio-economic divides, someone of Supervisor Vanderpoel’s stature – a Chairman of the Board, no less – would speak to anyone in this manner. He has shamed himself and the County of Tulare as a whole.”

Gregorio Gomez was elected to the Farmersville City Council in 2012 and is currently serving his second term as Mayor. Farmersville is a close-knit community of roughly 11,000 residents nestled near the Sierra Nevada foothills of California’s Central Valley.