Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008|Out of respect for our members and the candidates, the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council keeps discussions surrounding its endorsement process confidential in order to foster an open and candid dialogue between our members and the candidates. We keep those discussions confidential so that our members and the candidates can speak freely without having their words turned against them for someone else’s political gain during an election.
Having said that, the statements made to voiceofsandiego.org by Stephen Whitburn’s campaign regarding the basis of the Labor Council’s decision to endorse Todd Gloria in the general election are false.
It is disappointing to see Stephen Whitburn and his campaign stoop to this disingenuous, sour-grapes attack.
After having flaunted the Labor Council’s co-endorsement in the primary for his own political advantage, and after having purported so publicly that he was the real pro-labor candidate in District 3, it is a shame that he would then turn around and use our 120,000 working families as collateral damage in his political hit against Todd Gloria.
Stephen Whitburn, time and again and in very public settings, told our members that he would be the candidate “who will carry their agenda and vote for them every time” — which is exactly the attitude that Stephen Whitburn’s campaign manager derided in your article.
The public is tired of politicians promising them the world and then turning on them just to score political points. Our workers deserve better.
Lorena Gonzalez is the secretary/treasurer and CEO of San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council