Organizers, many Latino leaders, plan to release the letter during a news conference scheduled this morning at the governor's office to show their support for Diaz, said Rep. Ross Romero, D-Salt Lake City.
A lawyer for Y. Andreina Pérez last week sent Huntsman's office a letter, saying Pérez and other undocumented residents worked as nannies for Diaz - the Republican governor's choice for director of the new state Department of Community and Culture - who was aware of their illegal status. Diaz, a Republican, denies all of Pérez's allegations.
Joe Reyna, a Republican and the event's spokesman, declined to discuss the letter or news conference Wednesday.
Romero said he is backing Diaz because he has worked with Diaz in the past, including when she was the Utah Minority Bar Association president. Diaz is a leader who can get people to work together, and she is dedicated to the community, he said.
"I believe her to be a good person," Romero said Wednesday. "I believe she has all the right traits."
Rep. Mark Wheatley, D-Murray, said Diaz is qualified to serve as a state director because "she's a good, solid individual." He declined to comment on Pérez's allegations.
"We need to give her the opportunity to be successful in what she is doing," Wheatley said.
On Wednesday, Pérez's lawyer, Jeremy Evans, met with two investigators from the State Department of Public Safety.
Tammy Kikuchi, a spokeswoman in the Governor's Office, said she did not immediately know details of the meeting.
Evans said he and his law partner, Blair Jackson, spoke with the officials for just more than an hour.
He said he talked about the allegations outlined in the letter he sent to Huntsman's office.
"I feel encouraged that the Governor's Office is taking the investigation seriously," Evans said.
The two investigators requested to talk with Pérez, but that meeting has not been scheduled yet, Evans said.
jsanchez@abqtrib.com
