MY TURN-Something unusual happened last November. Despite my bemoaning the fact that “grass roots” seems to belong in our past … the election of Patty Lopez (D) to the 39th District State Assembly actually was a total grass roots effort.
The generic “everyone”- talks about the fact that we need more women to run for elected office. We know that women oftentimes have a different more collaborative style than men. They don’t need to act the part of top dog and they share the credit. They are also judged on their demeanor, appearance, voice, family situation etc. How many times have you seen a man described as shabby, skinny legs, hair challenged? Yes, there are many exceptions but humor me on this premise.
I truly believe that women, regardless of ethnicity, have a much harder time running for office than men, of any ethnicity . Patty Lopez (photo above) is a great example. She had no paid campaign manager, recruited 150 volunteers and her neighborhoods put together “pot luck” lunches and dinners so she could speak to an audience. She also went door to door but because of her previous community activism most people didn’t close the door in her face.
You would think that after she defeated incumbent Raul Bocanegra in a very close race, and for which he did not call for a recount…her detractors would leave her alone. Wrong! I had never met Patty Lopez. She was not in my Assembly District but I was aghast at the pure nastiness of her detractors after her election.
They criticized her dress, her education, her slight Spanish accent, her choice of staff and the list goes on and on. They started calling for a recall after she had been in office for a month. I did some research and couldn’t find this type of behavior against any newly elected men in recent history with the exception of President Obama.
Since I am focusing on “women” in honor of “Women’s History Month”, I wanted to meet her, just to see if she truly was a masochist or even slightly deserved any of the insults hurled against her on the internet and other places.
My initial reaction: An attractive, smartly dressed, articulate intelligent lady with a charming slight accent who was thrilled and passionate about her job. I had initially scheduled 30 minutes and ended up spending two hours talking about the City, her district, her reaction to Sacramento and how was she managing to do it all.
Even I am guilty of asking a woman how she balances her family and career. Men never get asked that question! Maybe because I also had a family, a high profile career and I can empathize, because at times I thought I’d never get enough sleep or ever finish anything.
Before being elected to the State Assembly, López was a former community representative for the North Valley Occupational Center. She was also a community activist for various community projects such as serving on site councils at San Fernando public schools. Moreover, López helped form parents' grassroots group—Padres Activos SFV—to provide immigrant parents with greater information about their civil rights.
She represents California's 39th Assembly District, which includes the communities of Pacoima, San Fernando, Arleta, Mission Hills, Sylmar, North Hollywood, Lake View Terrace, Northeast Granada Hills, Sunland-Tujunga, and Sun Valley.
The first thing that surprised me was her absolute refusal to talk against her detractors or the former Assembly member, Bocanegra. Here was her chance to “get even” and all she would say is, “I have the greatest respect for Mr. Bocanegra and it makes me sad that some people think I am not worthy of this job even though I have just started. I am really focused looking for ways to deliver service to my constituents.”
Rumor has it that Bocanegra is already planning a 2016 campaign against her.
If you check her biography she really is the Horatio Alger of this generation of Latin immigrants. She was born in Michoacán, Mexico and came to the U.S. when she was two, the youngest of fourteen children.
She still lives in San Fernando, the neighborhood she grew up in. In fact she said that she used part of her LAUSD pension to finance her campaign.
So if we follow the premise of how she manages her job differently than her predecessor , it is a matter of priorities. Her four major items are not so different from many of her colleagues: Immigration, Jobs, Education and Housing with a particular interest in the “dreamers” situation.
She was very proud of the fact that citizens in her district came out to vote, whose prior record on voting was almost non-existent. She keeps her office staff small—- nine people -as opposed to the average of 20 in other offices. She returns every weekend from Sacramento to spend time in her District and with her husband Juan, two daughters and two nieces.
The saying goes that all politics is local. Bocanegra was a “big picture guy”. He was instrumental in passing the tax credit bill to keep the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. It was a good move for the City—- but I wonder how many of his constituents were employed by the entertainment industry?
He was seen as a rising star in Democratic politics and had aspirations of becoming Speaker of the Assembly. Bocanegra raised more than $1 million for his 2014 campaign and spent more than $870,000. More than 40% of his spending went toward contributions for Democratic candidates and party committees.
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The weekend before the election, he was on a bus tour with other Democrats aimed at boosting voter turnout in swing districts. He never considered that his seat was in jeopardy after beating Lopez by a huge margin in the primary.
I asked several leaders in the 39th District what he had done for the community and one of the answers was “ We never see him…he is a cardboard cutout on a flyer.”
Lopez, this political novice, is holding eight events this month. Last week she helped sponsor a martial arts workshop for the women in her district. This weekend she is hosting a dinner in honor of grass roots women leaders in her community.
She is active in the Assembly Women’s’ Caucus and says that almost everyone has made her feel very welcome. She has already established a reputation as a hard worker. She has several committee assignments including Housing and the all important Rules Committee. I perused her proposed legislative package of fourteen bills.
Some of the more outrageous accusations had her posing as a Republican in Democrat’s clothing and a favorite of the Tea Party.
The fact that she has Republican advisors along with Democrats, I think is a point in her favor. She was elected to represent all the people in her district…not just democrats.
Some of her proposed bills include: Helping foster kids to continue getting services after they reach eighteen; establishing a division at regional centers for aging adults with disabilities; Having more community involvement in planning; protecting the monarch butterfly etc. etc.
The day I met with her she had visited San Fernando High School and helped them buy uniforms for the Band. She is using her budget to accomplish real life things. These are hardly Tea Party or Conservative issues.
Women get accused of prioritizing what is called “women’s issues…health, education, housing, eldercare etc. But those are not just women issues… they are life issues. This is where both State and local government has an important role. It is to make life easier and more pleasurable for its stakeholders.
I don’t know what changes will occur in Patty Lopez over the next two years. Power can be corrupting. Not all of her Bills will see the light of day. She will have to compromise. She will have to surround herself with a knowledgeable experienced staff to protect her from some of the back room machinations. It is a learning process.
She will make mistakes, learn how to raise money and realize that even with a good heart and passion she can’t perform miracles.
On the other hand… isn’t it a good thing to see a Citizen underdog grass roots activist win over the establishment… as opposed to a career politician bucking for higher office?
As always comments are welcome.
(Denyse Selesnick is a featured CityWatch columnist. She is a former Publisher/journalist/international event organizer. Denyse can be reached at: [email protected])
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 13 Issue 26
Pub: Mar 27, 2015
