THOMPSON BRINGS TOGETHER NORTH BAY LATINO LEADERS AT “CONNECTING LATINO VOICES” EVENT

Napa, CA - Sunday, Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-04) was joined by special guest Congresswoman Linda Sánchez (CA-38) and local Latino leaders from across the North Bay for a panel discussion and networking event in downtown Napa.

The event, entitled "Connecting Latino Voices: Here to Lead" brought together dozens of Latino leaders, elected officials, changemakers, and community members for a discussion on what it takes to be a successful leader, how Latino leaders are giving back to their community, and the challenges facing the Latino community today. Local leaders from Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Lake, and Yolo counties were in attendance.

"Our region is incredibly diverse, with voices from every walk of life. Sadly, sometimes not every voice gets the spotlight it deserves. That's why I started Connecting Latino Voices, to ensure that our local Latino voices could be heard and their stories be shared. At a time when our Latino community and our immigrant community are facing the worst attacks by our government in decades, events like these that bring our community leaders together are more critical than ever," said Thompson.

Rep. Thompson was joined by Rep. Linda Sánchez, Congresswoman for California's 38th District; Supervisor Belia Ramos, Napa County District 5; Herman G. Hernandez, Executive Director, Los Cien Sonoma County; Deborah Bautista Zavala, Board President, Woodland Joint Unified School District; Jazmin Garcia, Host, NextGen Talks; Leo Callejas, Northern Region Chair, California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, board member, Solano Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and Business Owner/Founder, DigitalTrack Digital Marketing; and Angela Cuellar-Marroquin, President, Latinos United of Lake County for a panel discussion. Following the panel, audience members were invited to join local leaders for a networking session with members of Rep. Thompson's Latino Advisory Panel, local elected leaders, business owners, students, and more.

During the panel, special guest Congresswoman Linda Sánchez shared the story of her career. A former labor lawyer, Rep. Sánchez is the daughter of immigrants and grew up in a proud Latino household. She made history as the first Latina to serve on the House Committee on Ways and Means and the House Judiciary Committee. In 2016, she became the first woman of color elected to a leadership position in Congress when she was elected to vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus. In 2024, she shattered another glass ceiling, becoming the first Latina and woman of color to serve as a ranking member on a Ways and Means subcommittee. She currently serves as the ranking member of the Trade Subcommittee.

BACKGROUND

Rep. Thompson's Connecting Latino Voices event is one part of his programming to support and uplift Latino voices in our community. Rep. Thompson is proud to work with his Latino Advisory Panel to advance policies that help the Latino community in Congress and to stay informed on the issues facing our local Latino community.

As Latinos and the immigrant community face attacks from the President, Rep. Thompson has continued to fight back against policies that harm our Latino and our immigrant communities, including by monitoringthe San Francisco ICE detention facility, hosting"Know Your Rights' workshops for local business owners to understand the rights of their employees, and co-sponsoring legislation to prevent ICE from wearing masksand from wearing the word"Police" on their uniforms.