Pledge Partnership in Building “A California for All”
Sacramento, CA – The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California today announced its 700,000 frontline members in California have endorsed Governor Gavin Newsom for reelection this November.
“After leading California through the pandemic, SEIU members in California are determined to fundamentally change the conditions of poverty and racism that put frontline workers and our communities in the virus’ crosshairs. Gavin Newsom is the partner we need in the Governor’s office as workers fight to create our California for All,” said David Huerta, President of SEIU California and SEIU United Service Workers West.
Members of SEIU local unions in California come together with one voice to make endorsements for state offices after members meet with candidates and make their recommendations. SEIU local unions in California are made up of workers in frontline, essential roles across the state: nurses, healthcare workers, janitors, social workers, security officers, in-home caregivers, school and university employees, court workers, and city, county, and state employees.
“With the leadership of California workers, our growing Fight for 15 movement, and a Governor committed to having our backs, California has an opportunity to show the nation what it means to upend poverty and racism,” said Crystal Orozco, a fast-food worker from Carmichael. “I know Governor Newsom will stand with us to make California a state that does more than say we value essential workers, but actually rewrites the rules to give those workers the power to transform our economy and society.”
Jesus Figueroa Cacho, a Certified Nursing Assistant from Auburn, was among the SEIU members who met with Governor Newsom as part of the endorsement process. “There are so many things that are going wrong in our nursing homes, and workers need to be valued and respected so that we can make things right. Governor Newsom took the time to listen to workers about what we need to do our jobs safely, care for our residents, and provide for our families. We need a Governor who really hears us.”
“Gavin Newsom will be the Governor who makes good on California’s promise of Health for All when he signs into the law the nation’s first policy to extend our Medi-Cal health care safety net to all, regardless of immigration status,” said Anselmo Espinoza, who works at a community health clinic in Los Angeles. “Governor Newsom understands that being a part of a union is about workers AND our power to advocate for our patients. I can’t wait to vote for Gavin Newsom’s re-election so California can keep making real progress on health equity.”
Throughout his first term as Governor, Gavin Newsom has partnered with working people on substantive measures that improve the well-being of workers and families and empower them to grow strength through their unions. Governor Newsom signed a law that offered child care providers the freedom to form a union, which they did – boosting opportunities for tens of thousands of child care workers, mostly women of color, to rise out of poverty. They also gained the strength to win an expansion of child care in California that will benefit hundreds of thousands of working families every year. Workers, in partnership with Governor Newsom, have also successfully fought to expand the safety net and healthcare to include more and more Californians, regardless of immigration status.
During the pandemic, Governor Newsom listened to frontline workers sounding the alarm on the life-and-death issues they faced. Together, they ensured that essential workers had early access to protection through vaccination, protected renters from eviction, and provided critical financial support to working families.
