CommentsTHE EASTSIDER - This election offers a very clear choice for voters.
Do you want to be represented by a corporate democrat like Nury Martinez, Kevin DeLeon, Gil Cedillo? Then by all means vote for Wendy Carrillo.
If you want our District to be represented in the California Assembly, then vote for Mia Livas Porter, who will actually show up for work, represent you in Sacramento, and stay in touch with you in the District.
PS - This is a turnout election, by which I mean that if there’s a low voter turnout, it benefits Wendy. If we all go to the polls in a high turnout election, we can turn her out!
AD 52 - The Prize
Assembly District 52 is one of the most diverse districts in the state and encompasses the cities of Glendale and Los Angeles. It also includes the communities of Atwater Village, City Terrace, Cypress Park, Eagle Rock, East Hollywood, East Los Angeles, Echo Park, El Sereno, Elysian Valley, Glassell Park, Hermon, Highland Park, Lincoln Heights, Los Feliz, Montecito Heights, Monterey Hills, Mt. Washington, Rose Hills, and Silver Lake.
For a Map, look here.
Mia Livas Porter
There’s a new face in same old same AD52 politics. Her name is Mia Livas Porter, and she’s a mom who actually lives in the District where she functions as an activist and community organizer on a local level, not Sacramento.
She is a gun violence survivor, like all too many in our community. Her two children go to school in the LAUSD where she stood tall with the UTLA Teacher strike and continues to help LAUSD with their Title 1 school , to make education better for all of us.
In short, she walks the talk, instead of merely talking the talk like too many of our elected officials in Los Angeles.
For the curious, here is a link to her 6-point vision for California, which I found refreshing.
“For far too long, those most vulnerable in our state have fallen into the shadows as corporate greed has wielded its power over our elected officials. Despite having the fifth-largest economy in the world, only a small percentage of Californians are thriving.
Californians, especially those in AD52, face increased discrimination, environmental injustices, economic imbalance including an increasing unhoused population, and an inequitable healthcare system. We are collectively struggling for an affordable cost of living - this is a policy choice that can be fixed through legislation.
Leading with compassion and finding proactive rather than reactive solutions, Mia has a plan for a safe, equitable and livable California where we all can thrive.
And one for her endorsement page, which is quite revealing.
There are about 26 local endorsements, and these are local endorsements, not big money corporations. Names like: Moms Demand Action, HCALA (Health Care for All LA), Angelenos for Green Schools, Streets for All, and Parents Supporting Teachers. It’s worth a look and these groups reflect the grassroots basis of her campaign.
Wendy Carrillo
Here’s how Wendy Carrillo is a tried and true corporate Democrat, movin’ up the Party ladder. Back in 2017, there was a special election ro replace Xavier Becerra’s seat in Congress after he became Jerry Brown’s’ Attorney General for California. That special election was won by Jimmy Gomez, which included one Wendy Carrillo, in a field of something like 23 candidates.
Wendy got something like 5% of the votes, but she was in the hunt for elected office. She quickly hit the Corporate Dems bigtime. And her payday came quickly. In an October 3,2017 Special Election. As I wrote back in 2017:
“All this proves what I thought initially - Wendy Carrillo, for all the progressive talk, is the Democratic Party Establishment candidate.
At that time of my first article, the only real indication was that she had been hand-picked by the Democratic Women’s Caucus (led by Cindy Garcia, from Bell Gardens), as they decided that the next Assembly member from the 51st must be a woman. How nice of them.
As it turned out, my gut feeling was right on. Before the ink on the ballots had dried, Jimmy Gomez proudly endorsed Wendy, as she noted in an October 4 email. Shortly after, the California Democratic Chair (and my favorite internal election fixer) Eric Bauman, proudly announced on October 7 that the Statewide Dems have also endorsed Wendy.
Now, I don’t know Wendy Carrillo personally, but I do know a fix when I see one by our oh-so-not-very-democratic Democratic Party and here’s why it’s important...”
After she was elected, by 2018 there was no doubt that she was financed by a combination of Union and Charter School money (see here).
That’s right. Even as LAUSD struggles, she sold them out to the Charter School industry, while pretending she cares about Title1. This is why I call her just another fake Democrat who gets in office and immediately starts to sell out the very people who were niave enough to believe her. Think Nury Martinez, Kevin DeLeon, Gil Garcetti.
If you think I’m wrong, when is the last time you saw her at a community event, return a phone call, come on down to the District and ask constituents what they want and what she can do to help. Ever?
The Takeaway
VOTE! Vote by mail, vote in person, help get out the vote and replace another corporate Democrat with a real democrat who will represent us!
(Tony Butka is an Eastside community activist, who has served on a neighborhood council, has a background in government and is a contributor to CityWatch.)