Arcelia Gracia: Interpreters essential for full representation in our community

Re “County criticized for not providing interpreters” (Front page, July 12): Are Merced County elected officials really interested in the opinions of the people they represent? According to a recent story in the Sun Star, non-English speaking residents of Merced County struggle to voice their opinions to the public officials they help elect because there is not an adequate translation service. Clearly, this needs to be addressed immediately. Otherwise, our officials will continue to marginalize thousands of people. In our county, more than fifty percent of the population speaks a language other than English at home. The Merced City Council has qualified interpreters, the supervisors should follow suit. Now, once this issue gets resolved, I have another bit of advice for the county: change the time of your meetings so more people can attend and participate. Currently, the meetings are in the middle of the day. We have jobs and other obligations. Many of us can’t attend. Perhaps the board can move at least one meeting a month to the evening?Once our elected officials remove barriers to participation, I believe they will be surprised. After all, they have nothing to lose.

This story was originally published July 26, 2017 at 12:31 PM with the headline "Arcelia Gracia: Interpreters essential for full representation in our community."