Tag: David Valadao

Little else is sweet in Huron, where jobs not displaced by automation in farming are mostly done by hand, and residents struggle to scrape by. The Central Valley has long been short on resources no matter which political party is in power. Democratic and Republican candidates for Congress have blamed incumbents for doing little to create higher-paying jobs, curb homelessness, clean up blight or solve disparities in health care and access to good schools. Despite a big voter-registration advantage for Democrats in the district that includes Huron, they have struggled to unseat a three-term GOP congressman. Despite Democrats' 16-point registration advantage, Rep. David Valadao easily won re-election with the third-lowest vote count of any member of Congress in 2016. The national average is 12.3 percent. Picking or packing crops pays about $11 to 12.50 an hour, but jobs are seasonal, and many people go months without work. "There's nothing for the kids to do," said Espinoza, who grew up in Huron. "Orchards ... give a lot to the owner, but not the people," Leon said. Woolf said he employs about 450 locals, mostly full time, noting that whatever criticisms there are about farm work, "it's better than not having a farm job."

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Three Democratic candidates running in top-tier House races in 2018 landed highly coveted endorsements from the California Democratic Party. The endorsements give candidates a big boost of momentum to stand out among their crowded fields ahead of the June 5 primaries. At the state party’s annual convention in San Diego, those three candidates were able to get the 60 percent of votes needed to land the endorsement. But tensions were high in the Walters district as Min’s opponents sought to block his endorsement. His rivals were able to collect the 300 signatures needed to do so and forced a floor fight that played out at the convention Sunday morning. But in a voice vote, state party chairman Eric Bauman said that more delegates supported Min. Meanwhile, in the other four GOP-held seats that Clinton carried, there will be no state party endorsements since no candidate reached the 60-percent threshold. Those are the seats held by GOP Reps. Steve Knight, Jeff Denham, Ed Royce and Darrell Issa. Both Royce and Issa opted not to run for reelection in 2018. Beyond those seven races, Democrats are also targeting several other House seats in California that are considered more of a reach.