It seems that Orange County Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez is a trendsetter.

The LA Times is reporting that several other speakers scheduled for graduation ceremonies at University of California campuses are following lead of Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) and cancelling their speeches as a protest to UC system layoff and pay cuts.

Sanchez, earlier this week, dropped out of a scheduled speech at the UC Riverside commencement in June at the behest of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299, which represents tens of thousands of UC workers.

From the Times story:

Among several others canceling their speeches, state Sen. Gloria Romero (D-Los Angeles) is dropping out of a commitment to address a graduation event for Latino students at UC Berkeley on May 15 and Robert Hertzberg, former Assembly speaker, will no longer give an address at UC Berkeley’s ceremony for political science graduates on May 17…

… A similar dispute two years ago led prominent Democrats, including former President Clinton, to withdraw from speeches at UC campuses.

— DAVID WASHBURN

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