The Hill
By Cameron Joseph
August 25, 2014
BAKERSFIELD,
Calif. — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce awarded freshman Rep. David
Valadao (R-Calif.) its Spirit of Enterprise award Monday morning,
honoring one of the few
House Republicans who went to bat for the Chamber on immigration
reform.
Valadao
represents a majority-Hispanic swing district in California's Central
Valley, and was one of the first House Republicans to publicly fight for
comprehensive immigration
reform. He's now locked in a tight reelection battle with former Senate
staffer Amanda Renteria (D), but his work on immigration reform and
water issues has given him a leg up.
"To
put it simply, if all members of Congress were as good on the issues
that matter to you as David Valadao is, we'd have a stronger economy
than we do today, more jobs
than we do today, and, well, I think we'd all be just a little bit
happier this Monday morning," Chamber of Commerce Western Regional
Director Dick Castner told an audience of businessmen before introducing
Valadao.
The
congressman, dressed in a casual button-down in front of a crowd mostly
in suits there to hear about the area's ongoing water crisis, gave
brief remarks.
"Water
policy … it's difficult and probably the most confusing thing I've ever
seen. Well, immigration is a pretty close second," he said to laughs
from the group.
Valadao,
a dairy farmer, touted his work on water issues to help California's
agriculture-heavy Central Valley as it grapples with one of the worst
droughts in history.
He touted the bill he, now-House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy
(R-Calif.), Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and others pushed through the
House, and said they were working well across the aisle with Sen. Dianne
Feinstein (D-Calif.) to reach agreement in Congress
on how to act.
"It's
not just about farmers, it's not just about big business, it's about
people at home. I've talked to people all over the valley, whom their
personal wells in their
homes have gone dry. I know that I personally had to drill a few new
wells on my farm," he said. "It's a scary point. We've really got to do
something."
Castner
didn't bring up Valadao's support for immigration reform in his speech,
but told The Hill afterward that it was a key reason why the
congressman was one of the
Chamber's favorites, saying Valadao was "ahead of many, many members of
his own party" on a top Chamber priority.
"He's
been a real leader within his own party," Castner said. "He is very
much on the cutting edge of what's a tough issue. ... It's a pretty
courageous place to be, but
it's the right place to be. We need a lot more David Valadaos and we'd
get this damn thing done."
Castner
also said Valadao's success in a district that's more than two thirds
Hispanic shows that "Republicans don't have to concede" in similar
districts in the future.
"He's
definitely blazing a trail in the direction that needs to be done if
we're going to have a viable two-party system going forward, because if
you look at the demographics,
they're pretty ugly for the party if they don't get a handle on how to
appeal to more Hispanics than they do," Castner said.
As
Valadao left the hotel where the event was held, a man approached him
in the parking lot, saying he was fresh out of jail and needed money to
get down to Southern California
to a clean-living facility.
"You
had to ask me when I'm with a reporter, didn't you?" Valadao said with a
grin. Valadao walked off chatting with the man, and gave him $10.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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