California’s Speaker of the House John Perez will be honored on Saturday at the 10th annual Solidarity Leadership Awards along with Orange County Employees Association General Manager Nick Berardino.

Sponsored by the Orange County Labor Federation, this year’s event is themed “Revolution.” It will focus on campaigns to organize new workers as well as changing “how politics is played in Orange County.”

Perez has deep roots in Orange County’s labor community. He started out as an organizer and became political director for the UFCW Local 324 based in Buena Park.

Perez is being awarded the “Phil Burton Award for Courage,” presented to elected officials who “show how politics really works to empower those who need justice.”

Berardino is being awarded the “Cesar Chavez Award,” given each year to the county’s “most outstanding labor leader.”

Delegate of the year is Ernesto Medrano from Teamsters Local 952, and a lifetime achievement award is being presented to David Sickler, from the California State Building and Construction Trades Council.

— NORBERTO SANTANA, JR.

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