CRUZ REYNOSO: SOWING THE SEEDS OF JUSTICE

Cruz Reynoso: Sowing the Seeds of Justice
Directed by: Abby Ginzberg
Released on: LA Latino Film Festival 2010
Grade: 3 out of 5 meatballs
Reviewed by: John Esther

Born May 2, 1931, in Brea, California, Cruz Reynoso started breaking the rule-rs from an early age. The third child of nine, Cruz challenged the stereotypes of child Latino workers that some school officials possessed by speaking English fluently, then his mother when he said he wanted to continue with his education rather than drop out at the age of 16 and work on a farm with the family.

After graduating from Pomona College, Reynoso served two years in the U.S. Army before entering Boalt Hall at UC Berkely where he was the the only Latino in the law school. After law school, Reynoso migrated south to set up shop in El Centro, California, where he soon rose to the top of his profession, gaining positive attention for his work on behalf of working farmers and, accordingly, some negative attention from then-California Governor Ronald Reagen.

A divisive figure in political circles, as much as Reagen disliked Reynoso's rigorous application of the law, then-California Governor Jerry Brown appointed Reynoso to the California Supreme Court where he became a part of the estimable and anti-death penalty Rose Bird Supreme Court until California Republicans ran a misleading, particularly politicized, and irresponsible campaign for the judicial-retention election of 1986, which saw the expulsion of Bird, Reynoso and fellow Justice Joseph Grodin.

Throughout his life Reynoso worked tirelessly on behalf of poor and disenfranchised people across this country, teaching, inspiring, collaborating with Cesar Chavez, and even getting involved in the 2000 U.S. Presidential Election hijacking in Florida. Reynoso has lead a full life and one intricately tied to many important events in California and America's recent history.

Fortunately, Abby Ginzberg's documentary captures the man and the events in a quick, entertaining fashion (although I would cut out the scenes with horses). Cruz as a father and husband are barley addressed and that is good. At times, Ginzberg takes for granted viewers will know the exact time and places of the events, and does lead one a bit astray with location (again, the horses), but those are minor drawbacks to this 58-minute documentary about an extraordinary man who loves America's brightest ideals and who has fought for them almost all the time.