Ron DeSantis visit to Salinas condemned as 'shameful,' met with protests

GOP candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made a highly controversial trip to Salinas today, which was preceded by community protests on Sunday and Wednesday, a Salinas City Council resolution denouncing his visit, and widespread disapproval from county supervisors, organizations and Salinas residents across social media.

Executives of big agriculture companies from Taylor Farms to Mission Produce hosted a private fundraising brunch for DeSantis this morning ahead of his bid for the White House, with tickets selling at $3,300 a seat.

DeSantis has gained notoriety for supporting policies that harm farmworkers and make it more difficult for undocumented immigrants to gain employment.

Salinas has a large population of immigrant and migrant farm workers, which agriculture companies have historically failed to protect from voter intimidation, COVID-19, wildfires and harmful pesticides (which are used in fields near local schools despite being linked to leukemia in children).

In an interview this afternoon, Salinas City Councilman Anthony Rocha described the executives' hosting of DeSantis as "shameful."

"We are a city that is 80% Latino. We are a city that has a very large immigrant community," he said. "And our farmworkers deserve to have the peace of mind that their employers aren't bringing someone who openly engages in racist rhetoric about undocumented people and about our immigrants. I think that's really shameful. Our community deserves better."

Rocha and Councilman Andrew Sandoval co-authored the resolution that "strongly denounces and condemns the actions of Governor Ron DeSantis," who "has used his position of power, and his campaign for President ofthe United States, to target marginalized communities and forcefully impose his personal ideologyon to Florida’s citizens."

It met a 6-0 approval vote by Salinas City Council on Tuesday.

DeSantis has helped pass several laws in the past year that censor anti-racism education, criminalize forms of LGBTQ+ identity expression and contribute to climate change.

Last Tuesday, DeSantis was under fire in federal court by voters' groups who argue he racially discriminated against Black voters by endorsing a congressional map that scattered them across four North Florida districts won by white Republicans and erased a seat held by a Black Democrat.

Groups across Florida have protested against policies DeSantis has helped pass this year that change education requirements and gun laws, including allowing concealed carry without a permit, that largely affect Black residents.

The NAACP has gone as far as to issue a travel advisory for Florida back in May, asking people to "understand that the state of Florida devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color."

Some Florida church leaders have blamed DeSantis for the racially motivated gun killings of three Black individuals at a Dollar General in Jacksonville on Aug. 26. This sentiment appears to be shared among community members, considering attendees immediately booed DeSantis when he took the microphone to speak at a vigil held for victims.

But DeSantis isn't in Florida. Instead, he's pounding heavy on the campaign trail.

DeSantis arrived in Salinas by way of Simi Valley, where he performed at the GOP debate last night against Republican Party candidates like Nikki Haley and Chris Christie (unexpected one-liners of the night include DeSantis accusing current frontrunner Donald Trump of "missing in action" and Mike Pence telling viewers that he has "been sleeping with a teacher for 38 years").

"Our government is really based on freedom of people's ability to express themselves. And I accept that but totally disagree with all of the people that Governor DeSantis seems to be targeted, including so many disenfranchised people who are very similar to the people in our community. I totally disagree with his position," said Monterey County supervisor Mary Adams in an interview Wednesday morning.

This article originally appeared on Salinas Californian: GOP Florida governor Ron DeSantis met with protests in Salinas