Countywide : State Senate Leader to Address Bar Assn.

California Senate majority leader Bill Lockyer (D-Hayward) will give the keynote address tonight at the Hispanic Bar Assn. of Orange County’s annual awards banquet, held to honor Latino community leaders for their advocacy work, raise money for aspiring Latino lawyers and welcome the group’s incoming president.

Orange County Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez will be honored for his role in pushing for the appointment of Latino attorneys to judicial positions, most notably for his recent role in the appointment of Municipal Judge Luis Rodriguez, incoming Bar President Ruben A. Smith said.

John Palacio, an activist with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, will receive the first Cesar Chavez Community Service Award, to be granted yearly to people who emulate the ideals of Chavez’s work on behalf of agricultural workers, Smith said.

Some of the proceeds from the event will be donated to the newly formed Hispanic Education Endowment Fund, which is headed by Vasquez and former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth and is part of the Orange County Community Foundation.

Latino groups countywide have raised more than $100,000 for the fund over the past three months and hope to to raise $1 million during the next three years. At that time, interest from the fund will be used for educational scholarships, Smith said.

“The legal community throughout the state has not been representative of the population,� Smith said. “We as a bar association have made that a goal, to be mentors to more kids and help them in terms of their careers as lawyers.�

The awards banquet begins at 6 p.m. at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim and includes cocktails, dinner and dancing. It is open to the public, with a requested donation of $55.

Tickets can be purchased at the door.