Flynn Lends Support to Councilwoman

Ventura County Supervisor John Flynn attended this week’s Santa Paula City Council meeting as a silent show of support for local Councilwoman Laura Flores Espinosa.

Espinosa came under attack last week from a council colleague who Espinosa accused of using her one-quarter Mexican heritage in a bid to sway a federal voting rights case against the city. Espinosa is the only council member who supports settling the suit, which urges that Santa Paula be divided into five voting districts.

“We wanted to show our moral support,” said Flynn, who was joined by community members Eddie Castillo and Ernie Almanzo. “[Espinosa] often casts the dissenting vote in the council’s 4-1 votes.

“We feel that she is an important part of the City Council and community,” Flynn said. “She stands alone sometimes, and it’s not always easy to do that. But she holds her own and is very articulate.”

Flynn said he knew Espinosa’s father, labor leader Ernie Espinosa, for more than 40 years before his death in 1995, and has come to know the Espinosa family well.

He described Laura Espinosa as a leader who represents the entire community regardless of race.