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.
When an elected official forgets that he REPRESENTS his district, ALL in his district, it’s time to question his qualifications.
Asking for an apology is far too generous a gesture.
Vanderpoel should be asked to step down. He, no longer, exhibits the levelheaded, even division making skills required of a public servant in times of distress.
Gregario Gomez is being generous to Vanderpoel and exhibiting true representation to the people by asking for an apology in this trying time, instead of a heavier, deserved outcome.
Make no mistake, he does this act of kindness for the people. Vanderpoel should take note on how a leader responds.
Has Greg Gomez stopped beating his wife?
hard times I needed some laughs to cheer me up that day I put the fb on and when I read this tortilla comment I started laughing and now I’m sure some people were offended but it just got me hungry. Lighten up people.
NASCAR’s Kyle Larson was fired by his sponsors for using the “N” word during a virtual race this past week. Should Vanderpoel get away with such a despicable slur thrown at Supervisor Valero?
Do you think that Hispanics equate the N word with “want another bite of the tortilla?”
It is this publication that chose to go with the headline that screams “racial slur”. If that headline was part of the press release, you should have chosen another headline. Because it is bad judgement to call what happened “Hurls a racial slur”.
I agree it was a bad choice of words. In reshaping a common idiom (another bite at the apple” it places Supervisor Valero outside the mainstream and casts him as “the other”. That is an aggression that Vanderpoel rightfully apologized for.
But it is far worse to start segregating language based on racial identity. Are Hebrews now going to gasp when someone uses the “another bite at the apple” phrase? And what if someone talks about “the whole enchilada”.
Vanderpoel apologized. Move on. The real story is this Gomez trying to stoke noise to suit his political ambition.
Booooooo! A bunch of coconuts, acting better yet overreacting to nothing. What is gonna happen with speech, or communication or words that come from our mouths will be over analysed and it will be like a Trump briefing or campaign. Its happening all over, ignorant people being enabled to speak on matters that matter to no one. Tortilla isnt offensive, taking a bite of tortilla isnt offensive, making a big shit out of taking a bit of the tortilla ond being offended by words in in a city meeting and making comment is offensive. Now I’m thinking Audits. Investigate the Board members on conduct.