Former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro led a rally and roundtable conversation in San Jose on Saturday with community organizers to help mobilize Latino voters.
In the previous presidential elections, Latinos voted in record numbers, and organizers want to ensure the community's voice is heard again in November.
"This is it. This is the time to get out there and vote," Castro said. "We're trying to educate, inform and mobilize voters to make sure they make their voices heard in November."
Castro, now CEO of the Latino Community Foundation, said he joined the coalition of Larino and Filipino organizers to promote voter turnout.
"Latinos are 40% of California; they're more than half of the students in our public schools," he said. "The only way that California can succeed is if the Latino community succeeds."
Mimi Hernandez, CEO of Prosperity Labs, said immigration, job creation, and the economy are critical issues for the Latino community this election cycle.
"Jobs, make sure there are viable jobs," she said.
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A recent study by the University of California, Los Angeles Policy and Politics Institute found that Latinos have the lowest hourly wage out of all ethnic and racial groups.
"There's so much on the ballot here in California –from affordable housing, to rent control, to equality and of course the Senate race, the presidential race," Castro said.
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