On the weekends, Salinas food truck owner Orlando Osornio, 30, and his wife, Denise, sell mile-high tortas, filled with California fusion-inspired ingredients: hot Cheetos, bacon, mango-habañero sauce, or pineapple. Some come for the birria torta or the chicken-bacon-alfredo torta. A line of customers winds its way around the side of...
Democrat Julián Castro Drops out of 2020 Presidential Race
AUSTIN, Texas — Former Obama housing secretary Julián Castro, the only Latino in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary race, on Thursday ended his campaign that had pushed the field on immigration and swung hard at rivals on the debate stage but never found a foothold to climb from the back...
Gender Gap Opens Among Hispanics Who Could Be Key in 2020
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Yolanda Avila and Andres Pico are friends who sit next to each other on the Colorado Springs' city council. But politically the two couldn't be further apart — Avila is a durable Democrat and Pico an unflinching Republican. It's a split that's common across the country,...
Sanders Stars at California Forum as Warren, Biden Stay Away
LONG BEACH — Bernie Sanders was greeted with booming cheers at a gathering of California Democrats Saturday, underscoring his popularity with the party’s liberal base as he looks to capture the biggest prize in the presidential primary season next year. The decisions by Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren to skip...
Census Bureau Seeks State Data, Including Citizenship Info
The U.S. Census Bureau is asking states for drivers' license records that typically include citizenship data and has made a new request for information on recipients of government assistance, alarming some civil rights advocates. The two approaches, documented by The Associated Press, come amid President Donald Trump's efforts to make...
Special Exhibit Reveals the Valley's Rich Latino Heritage
A popular exhibition tracing the rich history of the Central Valley's Latino community will continue through the summer. Arte Americas in downtown Fresno has extended the run of "Caminos" through Aug. 31. The historical exhibit includes first-person narratives, photographs, posters, maps, and other visuals documenting the Latino experience in the...
California’s Earlier Spot in 2020 Primaries Shaking up Presidential Race
With the state’s Democratic Party holding its convention in San Francisco this weekend, you’ll be able to count at least 14 presidential candidates descending on California. And for a change, they’re here not just for our money, but for our votes. California will be sidling up to the front of the electoral...
Is AG Becerra's Focus on Trump Diverting His Attention From Crime?
SACRAMENTO — Xavier Becerra became perhaps the nation's most influential attorney general when he was named California's top lawyer two years ago, and he has since used his post atop what some call the "Resistance State" to pummel President Donald Trump's administration with dozens of legal actions. Heading into 2019,...
Defying Pundits, GOP Share of Latino Vote Steady Under Trump
LITTLETON, Colo. — Pedro Gonzalez has faith in Donald Trump and his party. The 55-year-old Colombian immigrant is a pastor at an evangelical church in suburban Denver. Initially repelled by Trump in 2016, he's been heartened by the president's steps to protect religious groups and appoint judges who oppose abortion...
Why Anti-Trump Latino Voters Won't Swing the Midterms
The Democratic Party shouldn’t count on Latinos swinging many midterm races their way this year. Approximately 27.3 million U.S. Latinos are eligible to vote in November’s midterm elections – 12 percent of all eligible voters, according to the Pew Research Center. Democrats hope that this big bloc of voters will...