A Great Guacamole Cause: Urgent Plea to Residents of Hidalgo County, Texas

This is a special plea addressed to all current residents of Hidalgo County, Texas, who are also constituents of State Rep. Veronica Gonzales.

If you reside in the great avocado-producing county of Hidalgo that's situated along the Rio Grande River, you can help make Guacamole Salad the "Official State Salad of Texas" this month.

Texas currently does not have any Official State Salad.

The proposed Texas Legislature designation of Guacamole as the "Official State Salad of Texas" will help promote heart-healthy avocados. Avocados are considered to be a "miracle food" because they are very beneficial to Texans' cardiovascular health.

The proposed Guacamole resolution or bill this session of the Legislature will also help promote avocado farming in Texas as well as the purchase and consumption of Texas avocados by Texan consumers.

At present, many Texans are unaware that we have any avocado-producing counties, much less that we have any avocado farms, anywhere in our state.

According to an E-mail letter that Jessica Glover of the Texas Department of Agriculture sent me in February of this year, there are, in fact, seven avocado-farming counties in our state. They are: Hidalgo County, Cameron County, Dimmit County, Kaufman County, Liberty County, Washington County, and Willacy County.

You can help promote this Great Guacamole Cause by contacting the Austin legislative office of your duly elected state lawmaker, State Rep. Veronica Gonzales. That legislator's office phone number in Austin is (512) 463-0578.

The legislative aide of State Rep. Gonzales who has been serving as the primary contact person on this public-policy issue is Katherine Mendiola. Katherine Mendiola, a very nice lady, frequently answers the phone at the above-cited phone number on behalf of Rep. Gonzales's legislative staff in Austin.

Katherine Mendiola told me several days ago on the telephone that if Rep. Veronica Gonzales receives enough phone calls of support from Hidalgo County residents, Rep. Gonzales is likely to author legislation this session that designates Guacamole as the "Official State Salad of Texas."

E-mail letters of support for this Great Guacamole Cause can also help persuade Rep. Gonzales to author this important legislative resolution or bill for our entire state. The official E-mail address for Katherine Mendiola in Rep. Gonzales's office is: katherine.mendiola@house.state.tx.us.

The official E-mail address for State Rep. Veronica Gonzales is: veronica.gonzales@house.state.tx.us.

In your phone calls and E-mail communications to Rep. Gonzales's legislative office in Austin, please remember to state your own full legal name, your own mailing address and phone number, and whether you yourself reside in Rep. Gonzales's legislative district.

Also, please state clearly whether you would like to see the Texas Legislature this month designate Guacamole as the Official State Salad of Texas.