2006 Ralph B. Atkinson Award Winners

The Ralph B. Atkinson Award is named for the distinguished civil rights advocate Ralph B. Atkinson. The award is presented each year by the Monterey County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union to a local advocate for civil liberties. We are pleased to announce that the 2006 recipients are Fernando Armenta and Jerry Smith for their contributions as Monterey County Supervisors in supporting the reauthorization and strengthening of the Voting Rights Act.

the Voting Rights Act and Monterey County

Monterey County is one of four counties in California that is subject to the pre-clearance requirements of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. the Voting Rights Act was first enacted in 1965 to protect the rights of minority voters by eliminating literacy tests and other discriminatory barriers that were used to deny minorities equal access to the ballot box. In 1971 Monterey County was designated a jurisdiction covered by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act because of California's literacy test and the low voter participation in the 1968 presidential election. Monterey County is required to get pre-clearance from the Justice Department before making or implementing any changes in voting practices or procedures to make sure that they are not racially discriminatory. Since 1992 Monterey County has also been required to print election materials in Spanish under Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act.

On March 20, 2005, Supervisors Fernando Armenta and Jerry Smith sent a letter to numerous "community leaders" inviting them to attend the October 18, 2005, meeting of the Board of Supervisors. At that meeting the supervisors planned to vote on whether or not to send their defense attorney to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee urging re-authorization of the Voting Rights Act, but recommending changes to weaken the protections of minority voting rights and to make it easier for counties such as Monterey to be relieved of the obligation to obtain pre-clearance for voting changes. After nearly three hours of public testimony, the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted not to send their attorney to testify before Congress and instead to establish a Voting Rights Committee and to hold public hearings on the Voting Rights Act in Monterey County. Supervisors Smith and Armenta were appointed to chair the Voting Rights Committee.

On May 2, 2006, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion to endorse renewal of the expiring provisions of the Voting Rights Act. They also voted to send a letter to the House Judiciary Committee urging Congress to strengthen the Voting Rights Act by overturning recent Supreme Court decisions which undermined the effectiveness of the Voting Rights Act. On July 27, 2006, Congress enacted H.R. 9, the Fanny Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Re-authorization and Amendments Act of 2006. The Act not only renewed the expiring provisions of the Voting Rights Act for 25 years -- including the pre-clearance requirement for voting changes -- but also strengthened the Voting Rights Act by overturning recent Supreme Court decisions, as urged by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors. Recently Congressman Sam Farr stated that the only significant legislation to come out of this year's "do-nothing Congress" was the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act.

In past years, Monterey County has been named a defendant in several lawsuits for violating The Voting Rights Act. One of these lawsuits went to the United States Supreme Court, where Monterey County unsuccessfully argued that it did not have to get pre-clearance for a statewide voting change. Currently Monterey County is embroiled in a controversial the Voting Rights Act lawsuit challenging the decision to refuse to place a land use initiative on the ballot because it had not been circulated in Spanish as well as English. When that ballot decision was made, our Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals had not yet ruled on the question of whether the Voting Rights Act would require ballot initiatives to be circulated in other languages if the ballot itself must be printed in those languages. Monterey County is required by the Voting Rights Act to print ballots in Spanish and English. On September 19, 2006, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in an Orange County case that the Voting Rights Act does not require a recall petition to be circulated in minority languages. The Board of Supervisors continues to face challenging decisions under The Voting Rights Act. With the leadership of Supervisors Smith and Armenta, the Voting Rights Committee will continue to provide an opportunity for public input into these important decisions.

The Monterey County Chapter of the ACLU, together with other civil rights organizations, actively participated in the meetings of Monterey County Board of Supervisors and its Voting Rights Committee. Participation in those meetings led to the County's position on the Voting Rights Act to expand, rather than to restrict, the rights of minority voters in Monterey County. We were therefore pleased to honor the two chairs of the Voting Rights Committee of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, Fernando Armenta and Jerry Smith, with the Ralph B. Atkinson Award for 2006.

At our October 28, 2006, Atkinson Awards event, we were also honored to have Maya Harris (newly appointed Executive Director of the ACLU of Northern California and prominent civil rights attorney) speak to us about the importance of The Voting Rights Act to our nation and to Monterey County. Calling the Voting Rights Act "a portrait of our best selves" Ms. Harris said, "We held up the Voting Rights Act as a shining example of this nation's commitment to democratic participation for all Americans. ... At a time when America has staked so much of its international reputation on promoting democracy around the world, we must ensure the vitality of democracy here at home."

Fernando Armenta

Fernando Armenta, District 1 Monterey County Supervisor, was born and raised in the City of Salinas. In 1973 he worked as a community organizer for the United Farm Workers, earning $10 a week; he has been involved in grassroots organizing ever since.

He received his Bachelor's Degree in Social Welfare in 1976 from San Diego State University and his Master's in Social Work from San Jose State University in 1979. After graduating from San Jose State, he began working as a social worker for the County of Monterey. In 1987, Mr. Armenta became the Medical Social Work Manager at Natividad Medical Center in Salinas.

Mr. Armenta served on the Salinas City Council from 1991 to 2000. He served as Mayor Pro-Tem from 1997 until his election as County Supervisor in November 2000.

Over the years, Mr. Armenta has been involved in many community activities and has led the struggle to bring affordable housing to the forefront in Salinas. He has assisted in the creation of various housing developments including the construction of new schools and new parks, in particular, Natividad Creek Park. Recognized for his community and public service on numerous occasions, he has been a leader in addressing community civil rights issues, affordable housing, social service needs, and health care issues.

He is a founding member of LULAC Council #2055, the oldest LULAC Chapter in the Monterey Bay region, and has been a member for over 30 years.

Mr. Armenta is a veteran of the Vietnam War. He resides with his wife Noemi in East Salinas, where they have lived since 1979. They have one son and two grandsons.

Jerry Smith

Jerry Smith, District 4 Monterey County Supervisor, is a native of Monterey County; his family has lived in the area since 1889. He attended Monterey Peninsula College where he studied Data Processing and Accounting. After serving in the Vietnam War, he returned to the Monterey area and worked as a night auditor/hotel manager, a bank loan officer, and in retail auto sales, before becoming a Peace Officer with the Department of Corrections.

Mr. Smith served as Mayor of the City of Seaside from 1998-2004, before being elected to the County Board of Supervisors. He has been active as a board member or volunteer with a number of community organizations, including the Special Olympics and the Rape Crisis Center. As Supervisor, he has been actively involved in issues involving the justice system, the health care system, and services for the youth of the County.

He is a member of the Restorative Justice Commission, which sets policy and makes recommendations for restorative justice programs; a Board member of Rancho Cielo (which offers educational, social and health services to at-risk youth); a member of First 5 and the Children's Council of Monterey County (both of which focus on services to youth); a member of the Central Coast Alliance for Health(which focuses on providing health services for lower income residents); and Chair of the Natividad Medical Center Board of Trustees. He received the "Public Official of the Year Award" from the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce (2001) and was inducted into the MPC Hall of Fame in 2003.

Mr. Smith resides in Seaside with his wife Byrl Anderson Smith. [Mr. Smith passed away November 25, 2007.]