I published a series of posts delving into the origins, funding and self-proclaimed mission of OCCORD, one fo the left-wing groups spearheading the drive for electing the Anaheim City Council from single-member districts.

You can read those posts here, here, here and here.

Another major cog in that coalition is Local 11 of the militant union UNITE-HERE, which represents “more than 20,000 workers employed in hotels, restaurants, airports, sports arenas and convention centers throughout Southern California.” UNITE-HERE also feels it vital to point out that it “boasts a diverse membership, comprising workers from many immigrant communities as well as high percentages of African-American, Latino, and Asian-American workers. The majority of UNITE HERE members are women” — because, as well know, it is absolutely imperative that we identify ourselves by skin-color.

UNITE-HERE is the mothership of OCCORD. As I noted in an earlier post, OCCORD founder and Executive Director Eric Altman led UNITE-HERE’s strategic affairs department for 15 years before starting OCCORD. UNITE-HERE provides funding for OCCORD, and UNITE-HERE Local 11’s second-in-command, Ada Briceno, is the chair of OCCORD, whose current and former staff members have also served stints as UNITE-HERE organizers.

I see the staff of UNITE-HERE Local 11 at every meeting of the Anaheim Citizens Advisory Committee on Elections. Working hand-in-glove with OCCORD, UNITE-HERE is running a drill of getting bodies up to the microphone during public comments to say how their lives will be better if there were single-member council districts – the goal being to use the public record of CAC meetings to claim broad public support for single-member council districts.

Once the public comments are done, those folks have gone and the meeting settles down to the regular agenda, most of the remaining audience is composed of UNITE-HERE and OCCORD staffers.

Among UNITE-HERE’s top priorities is lobbying Hyatt hotels to put a hotel worker — i.e. UNITE-HERE member — on its corporate board of directors. Supporting same-sex “marriage” is also a big issue for the UNITE-HERE. In the dysfunctional metropolis to the north, Los Angeles, UNITE-HERE Local 11 backed a slew of left-wing candidates for LA City Council:

UNITE HERE LA Races

Down here in Anaheim, UNITE-HERE Local 11 was a huge backer of former Councilwoman Lorri Galloway, a liberal Democrat. Last year in Orange County, Local 11 dollars went to support liberal Democrat and OC LAbor Council political director Julio Perez’s (failed) run for Assembly, OCEA Director Al Jabbar’s (failed) campaign for Anaheim City School District Board of Trustees, liberal Democrat Beth Krom’s re-election to the Irvine City Council, Democrat Sharon Quirk-Silva’s winning campaign against Assemblyman Chris Norby, liberal Democrat John Santoiannni’s (failed) campaign Anaheim City School District Board of Trustees.

I think it is safe to say that UNITE-HERE’s political philosophy and agenda are firmly anchored way over their on the Left of the political spectrum.

Given that UNITE-HERE’s political efforts are entirely harnessed toward expanding the scope and power government at the expense of property rights and the free enterprise system, it stands to reason that electing the Anaheim City Council from single-member council districts will lead to a City Hall much more inclined to adopting the sort of left-wing policies UNITE-HERE favors.

That alone should give anyone who cares about limited government and free enterprise cause to worry about the adoption of single-member council districts in Anaheim.