Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was in Southern California earlier this week for rallies in San Diego and Los Angeles, drawing in thousands of supporters.

Speaking before a packed crowd at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday, March 23, Sanders covered various issues, including income inequality and free college tuition.

“What this campaign is about is asking the American people to think outside of the box and not think of the status quo today as the status quo we have to live in,” Sanders said to the crowd, which was met with loud applause.

Among those who came out in support of Sanders was a group of nurses, including 10 Filipinos.

When the nurses arrived, people in line and at the rally cheered and said, “Thank you nurses!”

Zenei Cortez, a Filipina registered nurse who is vice president of National Nurses United (NNU) and co-president of the California Nurses Association (CNA), said that Sanders’s values — “caring, compassion and community” — align with those of nurses.

“He is for health care for all — which means access to actual health care not just being covered by an insurance policy. [It is] very important to us Filipinos  by culture [because] we have a lot of health issues,” Cortez told the Asian Journal.

NNU, the nation’s largest organization of nurses, endorsed Sanders for president last year. The organization represents over 185,000 nurses across the country.

“Bernie is for the 99 percent — for us, the working class. He has been on point and continues to stand his ground since he was first elected many many years ago,” Cortez added. “He will speak and fight for us, the immigrants, the elderly, the children and the underserved.”

Cortez, along with fellow Filipina nurse Dahlia Tayag, joined Sanders on stage during the rally.

Sanders trails behind opponent Hillary Clinton who is ahead 1,182 to 893 in delegates for the Democratic presidential nomination. Clinton did well in the South, but Sanders told the crowd, “We’re not in the South. We’re in the West now.”

On Tuesday, March 22, the presidential hopeful also rallied in San Diego with an estimated crowd of 10,000 supporters. According to reports, he plans to campaign

Clinton was also in Los Angeles this week for two fundraisers, an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and a roundtable discussion with Mayor Eric Garcetti about counterterrorism.

Her time in Los Angeles marks her ninth trip to the area since she declared her candidacy in April 2015.

The Democratic candidates are gearing up for primaries in Washington, North Dakota and Wisconsin the June 7 California primary, where 475 delegates are at stake.

Original post: http://asianjournal.com/news/filipino-nurses-rally-behind-bernie-sanders-during-la-visit/