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I almost didn’t make it to this year’s march as I’m still recovering from the flu. I arrived an hour after the starting time. I didn’t expect it to be as large as last year, and I was surprised that I had to walk quite a few blocks to get to the end.
Many of the signs carried by the marches were very original. One that caught my attention had the words of a Mexican song, not inspired by a revolutionary period or from political struggles. It is not a protest or political song, in the way this genre of music is generally defined.
It is a popular tune among Latina women who may not be politically aware and who have had negative experiences with men. Don’t expect this song to be played in political events, as it paints men with broad brushes. The song is called “Rata de dos Patas,” and the singer goes by the name of Paquita la del Barrio.
The song’s message fits well with the #MeTooMovement. It also indicates the extent of the political reaction that the Trump phenomenon has created, as this tune is commonly heard in the barrios. When I saw the sign I thought that the Anna Drive’s contingent had shown up. But not, as Vern could’ve been hit with a pussycat hat. He is a Catherine Deneuve ’s fan.
I didn’t see one of the organizers of last year’s march, Julio Perez. It is alleged that he has sexually harassed women in his capacity as OC Labor Fed director. The pace of the investigation is not satisfying people who have had political grudges against him, and are now accusing individuals who they see close to Julio of having double standards (see here)
“Do you march for women in the #metoo movement? Your silence on the Julio Perez investigation diminishes this column’s importance. The march isn’t just about immigration. It’s about issues affecting women. Sexual harassment, sexual abuse and sexual assault are all part of this effort. Address that.”
This is another attempt by the “Liberal OC” faction to undermine their opponents in the county’s Dem party. Garden Grove council-member Kim Nguyen has called for Julio’s dismissal. Ms Nguyen worked for Lou Correa, and Lou’s staffer Claudio Gallegos managed Ms. Nguyen’s council campaign. I understand that Claudio facilitated the interview published by Dan C. with the Anaheim’s People map creator, which indicates that there is a long connection between Dan and Claudio. Are Correa and other so-called “moderate Dems” behind this campaign against Julio and his progressive allies?
I wonder what these people’s position was on Juanita Broaddrick’s allegation against Bill Clinton. Are they genuinely supporting the #MeTooMovement or is this another posture to gain political points? Remember how Chmielewski excused his Hillary-ally John Hannah’s attack against the 17-year old female Sanders supporter Shawnee Badger at the 2016 Dem convention? : a Vlade Divac type of flopping.
Politics can be a drama, often it is, at every level. The barrio politics can be as creative, or more, as the other places of the city.
The lyrics to the song are displayed in the video in both Spanish and English.
It has been three months………
Huh?
I’m all for #metoo and women’s rights, but there are folks that are riding off this #metoo campaign to gain political points and I am disgusted by it.
Well, like I said, I think it’s weird that so many people, mostly anonymous peckerwoods, have been bugging me and Greg to make SOME kinda statement, ANY kinda statement, about the allegations against Julio, BEFORE AN INVESTIGATION WAS EVEN COMPLETED. I mean, who jumps to conclusions about a person like that?
Now that it’s been done, and we can reasonably assume that the allegations were true, I can safely say that it was wrong to take sexual advantage of a position of power as he did. I hope that this sort of behavior soon becomes the mythology of a distant past, and applaud the victims who came forward to put a stop to it.
It’s an extra shame that the guy who did this was, politically, a progressive powerhouse who will be missed in the public arena. Why were Dan Chmielewski and his shabby nameless entourage so obsessed with the Julio allegations, more than any others? They have hated him since at least 2012, when he was the progressive candidate against their dear corporatist Tom Daly, for Santa Ana’s assembly district.
At the time, “enterprise zones” were one of the big campaign issues. Tom, obedient in all things to Disney, spoke in hushed reverent tones of the program; while labor progressive Julio fiercely opposed them. Even though Tom (mostly thanks to the multiple manipulations of his predecessor Solorio) won the election, he lost that war – Governor Brown and most of the legislature quickly came to admit that Julio was right and Enterprise Zones were a scam that helped nobody but economic giants like Disney and the Honda Center… and they were kicked to the curb! http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2012/04/a-natural-fit-tom-daly-backed-by-anaheims-coddled-hotel-industry/
The slightly more articulate Cunningham’s eulogy makes us miss and appreciate Julio more, and regret his personal failings. Pontificates the Wordsmith, “Perez is a leftist firebrand whose politics tended to blur the lines between being a union leader and a community organizer.” Oh, you say that like it’s a bad thing!
Wrapping up in the manner of someone who thinks any union would ever look to him for advice, Matt concludes, “Whomever [sic] is hired to replace Perez as executive director will say a lot about the director of the Orange County Labor Federation and whether it sees itself as a vehicle for organizing workers and bargaining on their behalf with employers – or as a platform for advocating for progressive social issues.”
Au contraire, I hope Julio’s replacement will be in his mold, EXCEPT for the taking sexual advantage of a position of authority!
Such nostalgia – that link above was not only one of my best stories, with a comment from Gus “Mayor Quimby” Ayer, but also included a link to the Liberal OC’s last good story, by Chris Prevatt!
http://www.theliberaloc.com/2012/01/30/correa-universal-single-payer-health-care-not-a-priority-for-his-district/
Ricardo suggested that the thread below be copied over into this post. I’m happy to oblige, but I’m doing so en masse. Vern can edit the format using his fancy editing tool knowledge if he wants proper indentation, but I don’t think it matters.
Greg Diamond
Posted January 26, 2018 at 6:35 PM
Just saw the headline for the story in the Weekly that Julio Perez has been fired.
http://www.ocweekly.com/news/oclfs-perez-ousted-8734120
I’m sorry that he apparently did these various things of which he was accused. (I am interested in his version of the events, which I presume is discrepant from that of the OCLF based on his being fired rather than having quietly resigned, but if he thinks that he’s been railroaded he can find good representation.)
I[m not sorry for my not having prejudged him based on the available evidence.
I suppose that I shouldn’t be sorry at these words celebrating Julio’s demise:
Andrew McKercher, lead organizer with IBEW Local 569 in San Diego, soon after the delegate vote confirmed Perez’s firing in a Facebook post. “Bye Bye Julio Perez of UFCW 324 / OC Labor Federation!” McKercher wrote. “After months of administrative leave and a thorough investigation, OC Labor Federation terminated Julio amongst sexual harassment allegations. #cleaninghouse.”
Instead, I choose by be inspired by the #cleaninghouse tag. If anyone thinks that they have a case of harassment, discrimination, or retaliation against any of the unions comprising the OC Labor Fed — and heck, in McKercher’s honor I’ll throw in IBEW Local 569 in San Diego — I will be happy to evaluate their case for free.
I expect that the Building Trades especially will appreciate my offer of help with their #cleaninghouse. You can contact me via mail2greg4-bernie at yahoo dot com. (I’ll make this its own post at some point — but not yet, because it would be unseemly.)
Reply
Vern Nelson
Posted January 27, 2018 at 1:13 PM
It’s weird that our political enemies have been frothing at the mouth (many in anonymous trashed comments over here) for us to make some kinda statement against Julio BEFORE THE INVESTIGATION WAS CONCLUDED. I guess I’ll do mine (much as I’m nobody’s “trained monkey”) on the more appropriate post that Ricardo wrote the other day.
Chemical Lewinsky has already graced us with his review of Greg’s statement, which he deems an example of “Whataboutism.” First of all, what a dopey neologism, but I guess I can see what it means. And I guess Greg’s last two paragraphs referencing the more conservative unions COULD be called “whataboutism.”
But once again, Dan’s blissful projection/unselfawareness continues to astound. He EXHALES “whataboutism” every five seconds. ANY criticism of anyone he likes – no matter how spot-on – is met with, “Well what about…?” If a Republican criticizes something a Democrat does he kneejerks, “Well, what about what such-and-such a Republican did? (Maybe ten years ago even.)” If one of his dear corporate Dems is criticized he kneejerks, “Well, what about what such-and-such a progressive did?” Whenever he himself is criticized for the trash he allows on his blog … up pops the big foot and it’s “Greg and Vern are worse!”
Dan C is the Reigning Douchebag of Whataboutism.
Reply
Greg Diamond
Posted January 29, 2018 at 10:37 PM
No, those last paragraphs are not “whataboutism.” Now that I know that the unions consider fighting sexual harassment among their ranks to be such a high priority, I will be GLAD to do my part to help them, and the union movement, in my capacity as a plaintiff’s employment lawyer. They can hardly complain, right?
While Chumley’s article is nominally about Julio Perez, it is mostly about me and Vern — because that, rather than sexual harassment, is his real target. I’m still waiting for Danielle Serbin to release details on the serious problems she reports there having been within OC Young Democrats; instead she has kept quiet about them despite having been entirely willing to go after Julio Perez. As a Democratic committee member, I want to see our dirt swept out as well — and not just selectively, solely against progressives.
With former DPOC Executive Director Mike Levin — whose campaign I understand to be managed by former DPOC Executive Director Nick Anas (whom I like, but who keeps some bad company) and my guess is supported by former DPOC Executive Director Melahat Rafiei — in the news, it’s a newsworthy time to ask Danielle Serbin what she knows but ain’t telling. Not having been an OC Young Democrat, I’ve been left out of the gossip, but I know from overheard conversations that there’s plenty of it.
Chumley also has this to say about me:
But let me take it back to Danielle for a minute and the abuse she suffered at the hands of OJ blogger Greg Diamond who refused to believe those accusing Perez of misconduct, and identified her employer and suggested people “not contact her employer” even though that was the implied message of this post. This is a guy who challenged the DPOPC’s e-board approved policies on sexual harassment at the January meeting and as he did, the eyeballs of women around me rolled back in their heads. Why was this so hard? I believe it’s because Diamond routinely dismisses the opinions of women. That’s just my opinion. One DPOC central committee member suggested she file a complaint against him for wasting her time and I said “don’t…it will go on for another half-hour if you do.” Northeast corner of the room Greg; I didn’t take names.
Note to DPOC Chair Fran Sdao — YOU know that there is one blog — ours — that does not violate confidentiality by spilling the secrets of DPOC Executive Board meetings and that there is another blog — Chumley’s — that does so whenever the mood strikes. You also know that I generally have not taken gratuitous pot shots at DPOC for what happens at its meetings — and that I have not written here about what happened at the last meeting, where DPOC adopted a policy on sexual harassment THAT WAS NOT LISTED AS AN ACTION ITEM ON THE AGENDA; WAS NOT ITSELF ATTACHED TO THE AGENDA; WAS NOT PASSED OUT TO THE DELEGATES BUT JUST PROJECTED ONTO A SCREEN, MAKING DISCUSSION ALL BUT IMPOSSIBLE; ETC.
Now, given the above, I have little choice but to defend myself and explain exactly why I opposed a policy coming to our body under the above circumstances. (Preview: the use of such a policy — where the DPOC itself for the first time becomes judge, jury, and executioner in overturning the results of a constitutionally protected election rather than merely removing its own officers — to oppress political dissenters with spurious complaints OF EXACTLY THE SORT THAT IS CELEBRATED ABOVE is a big reason why.
I’m sorry that it has come to this — I’ve tried to avoid it — but that’s the fruit of the sort of poisonous environment that DPOC leadership and its eye-rolling membership have allowed, while ignoring our former Communication Chair’s blog making common cause with literal white supremacists and the like. You don’t like to read the blogs — well, this is what happens when you don’t.
(I’ll make most of the above into its own post — or two, or more, of them — once work obligations settle down.)