The two appointees have thousands of hours of local volunteer work.
Julian Zatarin and Francisco Medina are the two individuals being welcomed into Huntington Park City Hall. Zatarin, 21-years-old and a college student, will join the city’s parks and recreation commission. Medina, 29, was appointed to the health and education commission.
Huntington Park Mayor Karina Macias spoke on what the appointments reflect, "Our population includes documented and undocumented immigrants, and I wanted to make sure everyone could participate. If we're going to talk about transparency, being open and having a community that's involved, then the conversation also has to include undocumented immigrants. I'm hoping other cities are looking at what we're doing here."
Legally, no state law prevents them from serving on the appointed commissions. They will be subject to background checks and won’t receive the small monthly stipend commissioners normally earn.
Immediate reactions to the appointments have been mixed but experts say the appointments are part of the effort cities with prominent Latino populations have begun to make in order to be more inclusive of those without legal status.
Antonio Gonzalez, president of the William C. Velasquez Institute — a Latino-focused public policy and research organization said, "The participation in commissions is a logical and healthy step forward."
For further reading on the Huntington Park appointments, see here.