Julián Castro, Latino Community Foundation CEO, urges people to vote

On Friday morning, Caroline Castillo arrived at her doctor’s visit at her local AltaMed clinic in South Gate. Once there, she found out there was a voting area outside. Without hesitation, she cast her vote early.

“It was really easy. It took me like five minutes to vote,” said Castillo. 

She was grateful for places like AltaMed that make civic duty easier for people who work or don’t have a vehicle to get to the polling places. She said this is important because voters won’t skip election day knowing they have options. 

That same morning a group of supporters held a press conference to urge voters, especially the Latino voters from underserved areas, to head to the polls. 

The speakers highlighted the vital work AltaMed and the California Primary Care Association's non-partisan initiative, “My Vote, My Health,” has done for the community in recent years. They have mobilized traditionally underrepresented and disenfranchised voting-eligible individuals in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Sonoma, Fresno, and San Jose via texting, phone banking, and door-to-door canvassing. 

The Community Health Clinics (CHCs) have also partnered to ensure that both patients and those who live in the communities surrounding these clinics are civically engaged in the democratic process and feel empowered to turn out to vote every election cycle.

Castulo de la Rocha, CEO of AltaMed, said whole health includes civic participation because many of the issues affecting people in their communities can be addressed through voting. He said non-medical factors, known as social determinants of health, can be addressed and impacted by local, county, state, and even federal policy changes. 

Issues such as idling, pollutants in the air, contamination, green spaces, and more can affect people's quality of life.

“Today we are here to say My Vote, My Health,” he said.  

Helping expand the outreach 

Julian Castro, CEO of the Latino Community Foundation, the nation's largest Latino-serving foundation, continues the mission of unleashing the Civic and economic power of Latinos.  He said to continue advocating in Latino communities, at the beginning of the year, the foundation gave $800,000 to 19 different organizations working primarily in California to make sure that voters are well informed, that they're registered, and that they're mobilized to get out and vote. 

“We're only four days away from this November election, and so we stand here proud of the efforts of AltaMed,” he said. 

Castro, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, said that places like AltaMed are perfect for voting sites because many people regularly attend their appointments there. So, having a one-stop shop works for everyone. 

Castro said that this year, Latinos are a bigger share of the electorate than ever before. But this community also has a lot at stake. Whether it is health care and making sure that people have good access to it, educational opportunities, economic opportunities, jobs, transit opportunities, or being able to drink clean water or breathe clean air, a lot of work needs to be done. 

“I hope that everybody who is eligible to vote will make sure that they get out to vote... It is easy, it's convenient, and the stakes could not be higher,” said Castro.

He said the destiny of this country is intertwined with the destiny of the Latino community. This is because of the 40% of Latinos in California, half of Los Angeles is Latino, and more than half of the students in public schools in this state are young Latinos. 

“More than a quarter of the children in our country are Latinos,” said Castro. “That means that our country can only succeed if this community succeeds. I hope we'll go and make our voices heard.”

In partnership with the LA County Registrar-Recorder, several AltaMed sites will serve as Flex Voting Centersand Ballot Drop-Off locations through November 4. This will be mainly in areas known as “civic deserts” like Southeast Los Angeles that experience underinvestment.

You can find the list of the Flex Voting Centers here: www.myvotemyhealth.org