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[Page H7164]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING HENRY LOZANO
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
California (Mr. Gomez) for 5 minutes.
Mr. GOMEZ. Madam Speaker, on July 19, surrounded by loved ones, the
city of Los Angeles lost a giant. His name was Henry Lozano.
Madam Speaker, I simply don't have enough time to recount all of
Henry's achievements or the profound impact he had on our district and
on the Golden State. His list of accomplishments is pretty impressive.
He was a Korean war veteran, serving as a Marine corporal in the
1950s; a fierce workers' advocate as a labor leader for UAW Local 509;
chief of staff to Congressman Ed Roybal; an adviser to Xavier Becerra,
the current attorney general of California and the former Congressman
for the district I now represent.
Congressman Ed Roybal was the first Latino elected to Congress from
California since the 1800s, a founder of the Congressional Hispanic
Caucus. Oftentimes, I say I stand on the shoulders of giants, and
people think I am referring just to the elected officials who came
before me; but, more often than not, it is the people who surround
those elected leaders, like Henry Lozano, the ones who are their
advisers, their confidantes, the people who try to keep them true to
their word and to their core and to their principles.
Henry was that type of individual. He cared deeply about the Latino
community and empowering them in a time where we oftentimes felt
marginalized. He came up during the seventies and the eighties and the
nineties.
I did not work with Henry directly, but I got to know him. Back in
2004, at the Democratic National Convention, I was introduced to Henry
by a mutual friend, and he said that Henry was a legend within the
Latino community on the east side of Los Angeles. He said he was the
one who helped, really, mentor countless elected officials and wannabe
elected officials like myself.
I befriended Henry, and Henry gave me quite a bit of advice. Most
importantly, he wanted to make sure that I would remain truthful and
remain committed to the community that I would one day represent.
I got to visit him just before he passed in the hospital. He looked
pretty good to me. We talked, and the first thing he asked me about is
what did I think. I thought he was referring to the Presidential
election, but, in the end, it was really about a local city council
race.
He said that politics is always local, and you should always think
about the people first.
Henry will be missed. He had a profound impact on a lot of folks, and
I am one of them. So I hope that we will keep his memory alive.
Honoring Barbara Torres
Mr. GOMEZ. Madam Speaker, I have sad news to report regarding someone
else we lost on the east side of Los Angeles.
She was a labor union leader, an activist, and a daughter of East Los
Angeles. Her name was Barbara Torres.
Barbara passed away at the young age of 39, but she left a life of
meaning. She was always around, even though she didn't have a car. She
gave so much to people who had so little, even though she didn't have
much herself.
She fought against the biggest opponents, even though she was small
in stature. She would often be the first one into a fight because she
always had one saying: ``If we fight, we win.'' That really sums up
Barbara Torres.
She was the champion of the little guy and the underdog, because she
was the little guy and the underdog. She understood that the system can
sometimes be against the people who need the most help, but she was
always there and never gave up faith.
She valued her community, but we also valued her in return.
Yesterday, we put Barbara Torres to rest. At her funeral service was
the mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, myself, Los Angeles City
Council President Herb Wesson, State Senator Maria Elena Durazo, as
well as Assembly Member Reggie Jones-Sawyer and the head of the
California Democratic Party, Rusty Hicks.
For somebody who did not have a title in the end, who was not of
wealth or means but was just somebody who showed up every single day
for every fight, she left an impact. She will definitely be missed
because we know that she made California, Los Angeles, and this country
a better place to live.
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