Patch Blog: My Conversation With Luis Lopez

[Ed. Note: As with all of the blog posts on Highland Park-Mount Washington Patch, the opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and don't necessarily represent the editorial stance of the site. Enjoy!]

The candidate I met, while impressive, didn’t quite connect with me.  So it only makes sense to explore the rest of the field.  A quick search online leads me to the names of three other candidates.  All three have websites, but only one has an event for me to attend on March 10.  That  candidate was Luis Lopez and he had a meet and greet in Echo Park.

I find myself at Mi Alma off Echo Park and Avalon, where I enter a peaceful garden.  Softly flowing fountains set the mood for a comfortable experience.  I am greeted by Luis’ partner Hans and invited to sit and chat.  I don’t feel at all nervous in my conversation with Hans.  He is friendly and excellent at conversation.  We cover quite a range of topics; a few of them are even political in nature, but I never feel any heavy handed pressure.  It’s just two fellow citizens talking about the city and state we both live in.  It’s a dialogue that leaves me impressed with Luis Lopez even before I meet him.

When Luis Lopez arrives I expect a standard presentation, but because of circumstance I have the unique opportunity to engage in a one on one conversation with him.  It’s an enlightening experience that makes me wish more politicians were able to speak so directly to their constituents, but political realities make that merely a dream.  And anyways I’m sure few other politicians are as skilled as Luis is at this sort of interaction.

You have to admire someone so committed to public service.  Luis Lopez is a well educated man, who having gone to Harvard for his Master’s in Public Policy had his choice of jobs.  He’s worked in Washington for HUD.  He could have stayed there, moving up the ranks of that organization and setting policy at the Federal level, but he came home.  He came home to serve the community that birthed him in his own unique way.

Luis Lopez could have joined the Southern California labor machine, but he played to his strengths instead.  He worked and continues to work in the healthcare industry advocating for those who don’t have as loud a voice as others.  He’s dedicated his career to making healthcare more accessible for all of us even if it happens one person at a time.  I’m sure he had the option to organize for one of the many powerful local labor unions, but he chose a better path.  He sat as co-chair of the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council, directly asking his fellow citizens how the city can make their lives better.  He brought parks to under-served areas of the city with his service on the Parks Oversight Committee.  As President of the East Area Planning Commission he hears the many, many grievances we have with the city when it refuses to cooperate with the citizens the city serves.  He serves each of us in this distinct way.

If all of my fellow constituents had this special opportunity, I’m certain choosing who we should send to the  Assembly for the 51st district would be easy.  These two paragraphs cannot describe how effective Luis Lopez can be at building coalitions to get things done for all the communities in the district.  This conversation should be the end of this piece but Hans steps in again and invites me to Luis’ next event in Angelino Heights.  How could I refuse?

Shortly after I enter Heretic House, Hans welcomes me into the event and introduces me to the owner Bobbie Kirkhart.  Her home is a historical artifact and I very much appreciate her opening it to us all for this event.  I engage in chit-chat and small talk while quietly observing Luis speaking to other guests.  I’m happy to note how capable he is at this.  He meets new people like they were old friends and old friends like they were family.

Al Ballesteros, director of JWCH, a community health clinic, introduces Luis by highlighting his many years of service to the community and in particular his focus on healthcare.  Luis starts his presentation with himself.  His personal story isn’t uncommon, but it is compelling.  He was born here in East Los Angeles.  He went to Pomona College.  After Harvard he returned to his home committed to a life of public service.

This event is focused on healthcare, and Luis talks about his own experiences in that industry.  He relates his hopes that healthcare be someday recognized as a fundamental human right.  He tells a story of his own mother, who passed away when he was young, and how he would wait for her to return from dialysis. I feel that Luis Lopez is definitely committed to healthcare in a way his opponents are not.

Luis Lopez moves on to discuss his experiences serving the community.  He relates how his campaign, save for funding from a couple of PACS, is funded solely by individual donors.  It’s not surprising how much he’s raised this way, Luis is a very engaging person.  He reminds us that when he arrives in Sacramento, the only people he will be beholden to are the residents of the 51st district.

When Luis moves on to education he talks about “pathways to opportunity.”  It’s an interesting turn of phrase that leaves me thinking about education even now.  He talks about how he was mentored and given the chance to become the person he is by librarians and teachers.  Without that the path he’s chosen for himself would have been far more difficult.  He’s determined to make sure that more children are given the same opportunities he has been given.

The only real issue I have with the whole presentation happens when Luis moves beyond his chosen priorities. He talks about funding and how revenue is generated in the state.  He says he would move to change the rules to make it easier to fill the state’s budget deficit.  He proposes an “oil severance tax” and changes to Prop 13.  He wants to raise taxes on corporations and make them pay their fair share.  It’s remarkably similar to his Gomez’s positions.  It’s not startling that they share so many of the same priorities, but I’m concerned that the similarities will make it difficult for voters to differentiate between him and his opponent.

His presentation winds down with a short Q&A.  Everyone seems reluctant to present him with challenging questions.  The questions themselves are masqueraded compliments more than anything else.  And despite these last two critical paragraphs, I ‘m surprised that even I am hesitant. But, who would want to be adversarial to such a nice guy?  And anyway I can always walk up to him and put him in that spot if I needed to.  He feels that accessible to me.  I can also be patient too. 

After the presentation, Luis continues with his conversations and I graze at cheese and crackers while enjoying a particularly tasty cinnamon cider.  The hour gets late and I need to get home.  I feel very good about this experience and I hope more of my fellow residents will follow this example and take a chance on Luis Lopez.  I’m certain they’ll be rewarded for their effort.