Response to Supervisor Vander Poel

By Ivanhoe Sol Editorial Team

As an organization that is bilingual because we support values of inclusion and mutual respect, Ivanhoe Sol released a public statement on social media that had condemned Supervisor Pete Vander Poel’s racist joke to Supervisor Eddie Valero. When Supervisor Valero wanted to ask an additional question, Supervisor Vander Poel commented, “It looks like Supervisor Valero wants another bite of the tortilla.” Usually the phrase is, “another bite of the apple.” 

We condemn this statement and all racist, bigoted, or discriminatory language toward commnuities of color. Although Supervisor Vander Poel has apologized for his statement, Ivanhoe Sol will continue to monitor the Tulare County Board of Supervisors to hold them accountable to the community. 

Residents of the Ivanhoe Community Council were responsible for streaming the audio onto Facebook where this was heard publically. This shows that when community residents are overseeing the public agencies we can continue to hold them accountable to serve the community. 

We express concern for the seeds of discontent this has sewn in the region but expect the Tulare Board of Supervisors will work in good faith to ensure that racism is not tolerated and to rebuild trust with the community of Tulare County.

Sincerely,

The Ivanhoe Sol Editorial Team