With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Whitman's former housekeeper says she's no pawn
The former housekeeper of Meg Whitman said Tuesday she is not a pawn of Jerry Brown’s campaign as Whitman has charged. Republican Whitman and Democrat Brown are locked in a tight race for governor.
Saying that she’s nobody’s puppet, Nicky Diaz Santillan lashed out at her former boss of nine years.
“Meg Whitman, don’t say I was a part of your family because you never treated me like I was," said Diaz.
Diaz has said Whitman knew she was an undocumented immigrant. Whitman’s said that she only found out when Diaz admitted it last year, and that she immediately fired her. Diaz said she’s speaking out on behalf of all housekeepers.
"I want the people who clean houses and do the job that the others don’t want to do to be treated with dignity and respect.”
Later, Diaz’ attorney Gloria Allred continued to deflect questions about how she came to represent Diaz.
“I am not in any way identifying any attorney who refers any cases to us or any individual who refers any cases to us," said Allred.
Whitman’s campaign maintains that state attorney general Jerry Brown and his political allies orchestrated her former housekeeper’s charges.