Gov. Tina Kotek met with Hermiston’s Latino community leaders Wednesday morning, May 3, to hear about the critical issues facing the Hispanic population — and those attending spoke up.
A wide range of issues were discussed at the roundtable at Hermiston City Hall. Everything from water contamination, mental health struggles, affordable housing and after-school programs were touched on during the hour-long session.
“I’m here to do a lot of listening,” Kotek said at the outset.
Jose Garcia, chair of the Hermiston Hispanic Advisory Committee, said one of the primary challenges facing the Latino community is getting information out to those who need it.
“We have a majority of residents who don’t speak English,” Garcia told Kotek. He said the lack of bilingual messaging keeps much of the population from knowing what resources are available and where to turn for help. That was evident, he said, during the coronavirus pandemic and remains the issue today regarding high nitrate levels in private wells.
“The water issue has impacted this rural community,” Garcia said. “We want to be able to get the correct information to the people who may be drinking the water — children, the elderly, pregnant women and the rest. It’s difficult to get the information out to the Hispanic community. We are here to try to find some working solutions.”
Kotek said one of the positive outcomes of the pandemic was forcing state agencies to organize and mobilize during a crisis and that communications infrastructure is needed to spread the word regarding contaminated water.
“It’s absolutely imperative for people to have safe drinking water,” Kotek said. “We need to put our communication strategies to work so people know what options are out there.” Kotek said patience is hard to ask for, but necessary.
“The contamination didn’t happen overnight and it won’t be solved overnight,” Kotek said.
The need for more affordable housing came up several times. And not just for low-income families. Ag workers, too, are struggling to find housing, said Katie Walchli, representing Walchli Farms.
Kotek said long-term solutions are in the works, but short-term solutions also are needed.
“Telling people, ‘Wait five years’ doesn’t work,” she said.
Hermiston City Councilor Maria Durón said more money is needed for summer programs and after-school programs for students.
“We need to keep our kids safe and engaged in learning,” Durón said.
Kotek agreed and said she was frustrated the Legislature didn’t provide additional funding for those types of programs, which, she said, “builds community health.”
Durón also asked about more funding for mental health issues, citing the number of students who struggle with depression and anxiety caused by the pandemic.
“We don’t have the support systems in place to help,” she said. “It can take months in some cases for people to get an appointment for help.”
Another challenge facing the Latino community — and everyone else — is inflation. Walchli said her grocery bill has skyrocketed.
“I can’t imagine how low-income families can afford to feed their kids,” she said.
Hermiston City Councilor Roy Barron said he would like more efforts to recruit people of color into the education field.
“Kids here need more teachers that look like them,” Barron said. “That helps them see that they, too, can be a teacher and inspire them.”
