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P R E S S R E L E A S E
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Carrie Braun Public Information Manager (714) 788-8060 Carrie.Braun@ocgov.com
County of Orange Opposes Assembly Bill 22
Santa Ana, CA (May 19, 2017) — The County of Orange Board of Supervisors sent a letter to Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) declaring its opposition to Assembly Bill 22 (AB 22) which prevents the firing of public employees for being affiliated with the Communist Party. The bill, which passed the California Assembly by a 41-30 margin on May 8, 2017 was deleted by Assemblyman Bonta on May 17, 2017. The bill removed references to the Communist Party in existing law and no longer authorized that a public employee may be dismissed solely on the basis that the public employee is a member of, or advocate for, the Communist Party.
“As an immigrant to the United States born in South Korea, whose parents fled the North to escape communism, I was shocked to see the California State Assembly would pass legislation to allow Communists to serve in our government,” said Chairwoman Michelle Steel, Second District Supervisor. “California, which is home to so many refugees from Communist countries around the world, and Orange County in particular with our large Vietnamese and Korean communities, must stand with the victims of Communism and stand against the Communist Party.”
Orange County’s diversity is reflected in our population – 30 percent were born in a foreign country, many of whom fled the terror and oppression of Communist tyranny. There are 130,000 veterans living in Orange County, the fourth-largest veteran population in California. Thousands of these brave men and women risked their lives and saw their fellow soldiers perish while fighting wars against Communist regimes.
“As a refugee from a communist country, this bill goes against everything America stands for,” said Vice Chair Andrew Do, First District Supervisor. “We need to stand up for the freedom and democracy that makes this such a great country.”
“It is outrageous that anyone would want to strike the work ‘Communist’ from legislation designed to protect all of us from enemies, foreign and domestic,” said Supervisor Todd Spitzer, Third District. “The historic doctrine of the Communist Party has been directly opposed to the principles of democracy and applied with tyranny and human rights violations that continue to this day.”
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