An Orange County Fire Authority battalion chief, a DACA recipient and the head of a Laguna Niguel fertility clinic are among the guests for President Joe Biden‘s State of the Union address Thursday.
It’s an old tradition, both the address where the president lays out his agenda and economic forecast to the House and Senate and lawmakers bringing guests along with them. They’re typically people who represent a cause important to them or a current political issue. Last year, Orange County’s congressional delegation brought with them local veterans and the chief officer of the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO.
Like in years past, Rep. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, is bringing with him a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the Obama-era immigration policy that provides certain protections from deportation for undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. His guest is Valeria Delgado, a student at Chapman University and resident of Orange.
Delgado is “heavily involved both on campus and in her community,” Correa’s office notes, and works with the Children’s Hospital of Orange County and the American Red Cross. She’s pursuing a degree in health sciences at Chapman and hopes to become a physician assistant, according to Correa’s office.
“I am extremely grateful to join Congressman Correa at the State of the Union Address in support of the Dreamer community. The DACA program has given me countless opportunities that I never imagined could be possible,” Delgado said.
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, too, is hosting a DACA recipient: Dr. Denisse Rojas Marquez, an emergency room resident physician at Boston Medical Center who co-founded Pre-Health Dreamers, a national group that helps young immigrants pursue healthcare careers.
OCFA Division 4 Chief Scott Wiedensohler, who led the response to the fire that destroyed the World War II-era blimp hangar in Tustin, will be a guest of Rep. Young Kim, R-Anaheim Hills.
“Chief…
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