Erubey Lopez’ father came to the United States without documents to work in the avocado fields in Vista for many years. He worked hard in those fields, without papers, without hope of ever getting his documents in order.

But thanks to immigration advocates who fought for immigration reform, and then President Ronald Reagan, Lopez’ father was able to legalize his status to legal permanent resident with the amnesty of 1986, Lopez said.

Finally, his father could come out of the shadows.

Just like his father, Lopez knows that in Vista there are many people who live in fear because of their immigration status.

That’s the reason why Lopez became an immigration lawyer, and that’s only one of the reasons. To help others is another and that is why Lopez is running for one of two seats in the Vista City Council in the November elections.

“I have lived the fears and the hopes of immigrants and I have also seen the incredible transformation that happens when people are given a chance to move out of the shadows and into the light,” Lopez said. “My platform will focus on people who have been excluded and it will benefit everyone. Vista cannot become the Vista that everyone wants unless we focus on the poorer older neighborhoods.”

Among his priorities are issues that are not only very relevant to the Latino community, but to all of Vista residents: health, education, public safety, and business development.

People, he said, are responding well to his message during the campaign.

“The response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Lopez said. “These issues are nothing radical. They are painfully obvious. They are what the people want and they support them.”

He added that not only have Latinos been underrepresented in the Vista City Council in recent years, but also youth, women, seniors, and workers.

“It’s not just Latinos who have not been well represented in Vista,” Lopez said. “The majority of Vista has not been well represented in City Hall in the past. The only people who have been overrepresented in Vista have been affluent, right-wing, conservative voters.”

Lopez has been endorsed by organizations such as the San Diego County Democratic Party, the Democratic Club of Vista, and San Diego & Imperial Counties Central Labor Council. Among the individuals endorsing him are Olga Diaz, current deputy mayor and mayoral candidate for the City of Escondido, and Esther Sanchez, deputy mayor of the City of Oceanside.

Lopez said that even though that Latinos represent more than half of the population in Vista, their demands and needs haven’t been met. In fact, he said that although Latinos tend to be progressive, supporting human rights and social causes, including immigration, he said that, historically, the Vista City Council has been very conservative.

“If the Latino community does not succeed, Vista cannot succeed,” he said. “There are neighborhoods in Vista that are absolutely impeccable and there are neighborhoods that look like they don’t belong in a developed nation.”

He also said that, once elected to the city council, he will apply all his experience as a lawyer, as a volunteer at St. Francis Catholic Church, and as Parks and Recreations Commissioner for the City of Vista from 2010 to 2014 to the job.

“The majority of Vistans should vote for me because I am the candidate who will fight for them. I am the candidate who believes in them, in their hopes and aspirations,” Lopez said. “The incumbents’ hope for wining is that affluent-right-wing-conservative-older-voters show up disproportionally on election day and that the majority of Vistans don’t show up to vote.”

Lopez highlights that he is a local Vistan. He was born and raised there, and moved away to UCLA to study law. He returned to Vista, where he set up his immigration law practice several years ago.

“I came back to Vista because it’s my home,” he said. “My family is here, my church is here, and my friends are here.”

His campaign is very grassroots: A lot word of mouth, all volunteers, knocking on hundreds of doors.

Lopez said that once he becomes a council member, he will never forget about his roots. He will always have the Vista working family in mind when making important decisions for the city.

“I can relate to them because I am one of them. Coming from a poor working class background allows me to relate to working class people no matter their ethnicity,” he said.

To learn more about Erubey Lopez campaign for the Vista City Council, please visit www.erubeyforvista.com.