A Word with... Paul Rodriguez
Q. When did you get interested in California water issues?
A. I grew up as the youngest child of a large Mexican migrant labor family. We followed the harvest from Texas to Minnesota for years until settling in the San Joaquin Valley in the 1960s. Even after I found my way to Los Angeles to become a stand-up comic my heart remained in the farm community where my brothers and sisters still work. A couple of years ago I was asked to narrate a public TV documentary called “Salt of the Earth,” about the problems of salt build-up in the water supply in the Central Valley, and that stirred my consciousness about water issues, too.
Q. Do you have a personal connection to the Central Valley?
A. I’m a landowner with several farms in the Orosi, Dinuba, and Orange Grove areas. I’m rarely out in the fields now — my work as a comedian keeps me in Los Angeles or on the road a lot — but I know what it means to farm without water! I also hear about the effects of the cutbacks from family and neighbors.
Q. How did you become co-leader of the California Latino Water Coalition?
A. As the drought situation worsened here I was approached by a number of local mayors and the Coalition to become their spokesman. I was reluctant at first because I’m not naturally an activist. To tell the truth, when I first got into this I thought I’d just sign a petition and walk up to the State Capital in Sacramento to deliver it. I wasn’t even sure how well I’d do at that! I’m 54 years old and walking those 50 miles seemed like writing checks my body couldn’t cash. But I made it! Part of what got me there was my sense of obligation to Cesar Chavez’s memory. When I was five or so I rode on my mother’s shoulders at some of those early Chavez marches to improve working conditions in the fields and Cesar sat at our dinner table many times. So when I was asked to get more involved I had to say yes. The suffering in my community was just too real. And by the way, it isn’t just Latinos who’ve joined us in great numbers. I’m proud to say that the Coalition represents everyone — whites, Filipinos, blacks, as well as farm owners, farm workers, and farm suppliers. Water is, after all, not a racial issue or a simple economic issue. It’s a life issue.
Q. What is your group’s goal?
A. The Coalition believes that California has to come up with a workable set of changes to the old water policies — do it soon, and do it smarter than ever before. We support a combination of water bills and bonds that will increase California’s water supply, restore farming to viability, improve water conservation, and at the same time revive the Delta in a more even-handed way. Smarter people than myself will have to figure out the specifics but we need to catch up with California’s growth or everyone will suffer.