Patch Blog: What About The Other Guys Running For Assembly?

I don’t pretend to think that I’ve been completely accurate here.  I welcome any comments, corrections and clarifications from anyone affiliated or associated with the campaigns of any of the candidates discussed here.

I'm feeling confident about Luis Lopez, but I figure that since I've come this far I might as well check out the other two candidates for Assembly District 51, which includes my home neighborhood of Highland Park.  Unfortunately, Oscar Gutierrez isn't running any events and Arturo Chavez only wants me to help him walk the precincts.  I do the only thing I can do short of calling each candidate directly for an interview/introduction; I go to the Glassell Park Improvement Association (GPIA) meeting on Thursday, March 15, where all four candidates participated in a forum. 

Alisa Smith, GPIA president, starts the evening off by explaining the format of the forum.  It's definitely not a debate.  After each candidate is given two minutes to introduce themselves to the room, questions submitted by attendees will be read by her and each candidate will have two minutes to answer the question.  There's no moderator to make sure each candidate actually answers the submitted question, but the people in charge of the timekeeping do have signs to warn the candidates when they have thirty, ten and no seconds left to speak.

Introductions

Luis Lopez begins his introduction and as expected he takes care of business.  He presents himself as well or better than he did when I first met him on Saturday. About halfway into his introduction he hits his stride and covers all the important points that set him apart from his opponents.  I

Jimmy Gomez stumbles a little out of the gates, but picks himself up and dusts himself off then finishes strongly after he finds his rhythm.  Still it surprises me that he shows hesitancy as he introduces himself. , he was completely assertive and dominating.  Of course there's a big difference between speaking to a handful of people in a supporter's home and speaking to a real audience on neutral ground.

I find it odd that Arturo Chavez is running against Jimmy Gomez.  As he touts his many years of experience I have to wonder why anyone would choose a veterano like him over a young lion like Jimmy Gomez.  They're both products of the same labor machine, just maybe half a generation apart.  Still Chavez, who is a lifelong resident of Northeast Los Angeles, is a serious candidate with endorsements from Gil Cedillo and Ed Reyes.  At the least I know that Arturo Chavez is well connected.  I'm sure he has a wide network of contacts that he can rely on should he be sent to Sacramento.  He also takes a moment to talk about easing the noise problems with the Metrolink in Elysian Park.  It never hurts to appeal to the "NIMBY" elements.

When Oscar Gutierrez takes his turn I have to wonder what he's up to.  I look at him and wonder if he lost a bet to his fraternity and now has to run for State Assembly.  But that’s just a first impression before he speaks.  When he does speak, he does so with the indignation of the fringes on both the Right and the Left.  

He has the seething resentment of the Occupy Movement and the fire of the Tea Party.  And somehow he's also channeling the sixties with a Kumbaya plea for the whole state to unite together to solve our problems.  He has a background in broadcast and media, but I suspect he's not yet ready for primetime.  By the end of his introduction he's worked very hard to cover all of the bases and be all things to all people all at once.  He wants to protect Prop 13 and also protect union pensions.  I finally figure things out when he finishes—he looks exhausted as he flops into his seat—he's the anti-candidate.  He's the anti-Sacramento outsider.  I know it's intellectually lazy to label, but I really don't have the energy nor the time to spend to figure him out completely.  That's supposed to be his job; he's supposed to figure out what he stands for and then sell that image to me.

“How will you do things different or better?”

Luis Lopez covers the same ground from his introduction, but it's still some good ground.  He has actual practical experience interacting with residents when dealing with the city.  He has projects he can point at like the parks he's helped bring to under served areas.  Doing things that way in Sacramento really appeals to me.

Arturo Chavez touts his experience as a local business owner and entrepreneur.  I expect my representatives to have some sort of experience like that; it gives them a more practical approach to dealing with business interests.  They won't have the kneejerk Frankenstein's monster reaction to fire--“Corporations bad!”--that other progressives without such experience do.  Before he ends his answer he does take a subtle shot at his opponents.  He comments in passing that he is solely focused on serving his community; he is not distracted by sitting on too many “boards.” It's not quite a direct hit, but I do find it relatively entertaining.

When Oscar Gutierrez  steps up to answer I have to give him credit for staying on message.  I'm just not exactly sure what that message is in particular.  I get the sense he's reaching out to be the “business” candidate as he talks about “creative ways to generate revenue” and “out of the box” thinking.  I'm half expecting him to suggest that his election to State Assembly will “unlock powerful synergies,” but he doesn't get quite that far.

Jimmy Gomez has his “Three levels of public service” ready to go.  He makes a good argument that his experience on those three levels make him the most qualified candidate to handle issues that can't be taken care of by any one level alone.  If he can actually coordinate the people who service local residents; the people who work for the city and county; and those that work on the state level, I would be impressed.  I would be far more impressed if he gave us an actual example, perhaps a project he worked on, where he achieved this.

Plans to solve the problem of businesses fleeing the state?

Investing in infrastructure, Luis Lopez asserts, will attract businesses and jobs to the state.  But before we begin to spend precious tax revenue, he insists that there be a responsible stewardship of tax dollars.  I like the sound of that answer. It’s much better than the usual tax cuts and tax incentives most pols would say attract businesses and jobs.  It’s a realistic and pragmatic approach to the the problem.

Arturo Chavez wants to use education to attract jobs.  A well educated workforce will have companies lining up to relocate to California.  I do note how soft spoken his answer is.  I think it’s  a difficult verbal technique.  Speak too soft and I’ll just ignore him, but if you speak just right I have to pay more attention to his words. That’s half the battle of public speaking--getting listeners to pay attention to begin with.  I also like how it contrasts with the candidate who follows him.

A different approach is needed, Oscar Gutierrez loudly exclaims.  He wants to lobby and negotiate with industries.  He wants to examine state regulations and see how they inhibit the business environment.  He wants to make sure everyone can hear every word that comes out of his mouth.  

How will you balance the budget in a timely fashion?

Luis Lopez will set his priorities and look to help create an efficient and effective budget.

Lobbyists and special interests will have to seek help elsewhere because Arturo Chavez won’t be influenced by them.  He wants a good budget and won’t let himself be pressured by the clock either.

Oscar Gutierrez takes a short ride on Chavez’s coattails agreeing with him before reasserting his position on “creative ways to generate revenue.”  At least this time he provides an example.  He wants to generate revenue by selling advertising on state websites.  Imagine going to the DMV and seeing Google banner ads there.  He claims this will unlock a billion dollars of revenue.  I’d love to see those numbers, but I’d also love to see the reaction my fellow Californians will have if that should ever happen.  I’ll give the guy this much: that is some “out of the box” thinking.

Transportation?

At first, Luis Lopez appears somewhat out of his depth before he asserts that he will prioritize essential transportation projects.  He questions, much like I do, the necessity of high speed rail when this district has enough problems funding rapid transit like buses and light rail.

Arturo Chavez wants careful planning of high speed rail projects.  He wants the process to slow down and be studied in depth.  I’m not sure if this is his way of subtly rejecting the idea of high speed rail but it a very well balanced position.

The problem is with the process, Oscar Gutierrez claims.  He wants to negotiate from the bottom up with 3rd party contractors.  I myself am getting a little bit tired of high speed rail that never materializes.  Perhaps a different approach is what is needed to get the state to get the project started or just reject the project altogether.  He associates high speed rail to the SR-710 extension.  He’s tired of the state owned apartments that line the route of the projected extension.  I’ve never been sure of just why the SR-710 project has never been completed, but I know there is vocal opposition to it.  Maybe if I lived in the path of it I’d be vocal too, but I don’t so I’m just a little bit confused as to why this issue won’t go away.

Raising taxes on the rich?

Three candidates answer with a resounding yes. Oscar Gutierrez vows to catch the scofflaws who evade paying their state taxes, be they corporations or individuals.  

That much is true--there are loopholes and lobbying, and scofflaws get away with a lot more than they should.  Scofflaws incorporate in other states.  Scofflaws keep their money in tax exempt trusts.  Oscar Gutierrez really likes saying the word 'scofflaw.'

A Brief Conclusion 

I would have liked to stick around for the rest of the forum, but I had to get to Frye’s before it closed.  Still, I think I have just about enough to come to some conclusions.  If you’re happy with the status quo and you fully support Big Labor, then Jimmy Gomez is your guy.  If you’re happy with the status quo and you fully support Big Labor but you’d like a candidate that reflects your age--that is if you’re in your fifties or older--then Arturo Chavez is the one for you.  If you are very much unhappy with the status quo and do not support Big Labor--that is to say you want to send someone to Sacramento who simply will not fit in--then Oscar Gutierrez should represent you.

And then there’s Luis Lopez.  I don’t think I’ve been very subtle about my support for him.  I do insist that he’s won my favor just by being a different kind of candidate than his opponents.  I had no previous affiliation with him or his partner Hans before before I met them in Echo Park.  There are quite a few issues I’m absolutely certain we disagree on, but he has my support because he comes from a more authentic political tradition than his opponents do.  

He certainly could have followed the Big Labor path to political success--he does have UTLA’s endorsement--but he’s worked as an advocate for his fellow citizens instead.  That sort of commitment to public service should be encouraged and rewarded.  You’ve worked hard for us here Luis.  Let’s see you work twice as hard for us in Sacramento.