SAN DIEGO -- July 8 was deemed "National Council of La Raza Day" in San Diego Tuesday, by proclamation of the City Council, but not without drawing an angry objection from an outspoken conservative voice.

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Rev. James Hartline, the self-styled Christian conservative leader denounced the salute as "traitorous" in an eight-minute address to the Council. The proclamation, approved by the council on a 7-0 vote with Council President Scott Peters absent, recognizes the NCLR’s staging of its 40th anniversary national conference in San Diego starting Saturday.

More than 20,000 delegates are expected to attend the four-day event at the Convention Center, which will include keynote speeches by presumptive presidential nominees Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama.

The NCLR is the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy group, with 300 community affiliates that serve four million Hispanic Americans. The last time the NCLR conference was held in San Diego, in July 2000, the keynote speaker was then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush, on his way to winning the Presidency.

"It’s an American institution, born in the USA,” said Councilman Ben Hueso, who sponsored the proclamation along with Councilman Tony Young and Mayor Jerry Sanders. “(It is) committed to strengthening this great nation by promoting the advancement of Hispanic families through education and health advocacy.”

But Hartline, joined by seven fellow protesters at the council’s public microphones, accused NCLR of having a hidden agenda involving open borders, amnesty for illegal immigrants, and “the ‘Vision of Aztlan’ -- which is the redrawing of the Mexican border to incorporate the Southwestern United States back into Mexican territory as part of an Aztec empire.”

Warning that Council members would be “deemed traitors” if they signed the proclamation, Hartline said, "We are once again faced with a proclamation that honors a group with a well-documented tie to racism, socialism, propaganda and (is) considered by many a dangerous threat to our national security."

Councilwoman Toni Atkins countered his statement, saying, "I’m proud that they (the NCLR) would pick San Diego to come and be here. And I think the work they have done nationally is reflected in the fact that you’ve got our two presidential candidates (intending) to be here."

After the hearing, NCLR’s deputy vice president for affiliate and member services told NBC 7/39 that Hartline’s remarks reflected, "a little bit of ignorance in terms of who we are and what we stand for."

Jose Velasquez, Ph.D., said “building up and strengthening the core of what is America,” is NCLR’s objective.

"We are going through a period of time in our nation that unfortunately is highlighting the fear of ‘the other’ – of that which is not understood," Velasquez added. "But America is better than that. And we have always come out of these cycles of fear stronger and better."

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