PERSPECTIVE | We Can’t Afford the Price of Suzie as Mayor

by Gaby Hernandez, Maria Lopez, Maribel Cruz and Norberto Lopez | Published November 1, 2022 in Perspectives

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The views expressed in this perspective piece do not necessarily reflect the views of FORTHE.

As undocumented people and community organizers with deep roots in Long Beach, we know what is on the line for workers, tenants, and immigrants of color in the mayoral race between Vice Mayor Rex Richardson and Councilmember Suzie Price.

Having lived in Long Beach collectively for over two decades, we have experienced the implications of having racist and xenophobic local politicians. Our city has become a hotbed for evictions where your life expectancy is determined by your zip code and where families are separated by deportation.

For many years, we have all organized against these issues and have advocated, along with others in the community, for policies like the Long Beach Values Act, panic buttons for hotel workers, tenant protections, the Long Beach Justice Fund, and improved language access. Price did not support most of these policies, including the Long Beach Justice Fund, which is now working to support immigrant families in danger of deportation, a program Price voted against.

We cannot allow her to become the next mayor of our city.

Price has voted and spoken against the asks of our communities and has refused to sit down to listen to the needs of communities of color. She very intentionally uses her immigrant background for political gain, but has done nothing in support of immigrant families in this city. It is clear to us that our communities can not afford to have a mayor like Price, whose voting record shows us that she does not care about or listen to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in Long Beach.

Based on our experiences organizing in our city, we believe that Richardson is someone we can hold accountable to make Long Beach the city BIPOC communities deserve. He was the only councilmember who answered the door when we, along with the community, demonstrated outside the homes of elected officials as we were fighting for tenant protections.

Tomisin Oluwole
Fragmented Reflection I, 2021
Acrylic on canvas panel
24 x 30 inches

Click here to check out our interview with Tomisin Oluwole, a literary and visual artist based in Long Beach.

Instead of gunking up our site with ads, we use this space to display and promote the work of local artists.

Although Richardson is not an immigrant, he has sat down with immigrant residents and listened to the concerns of the undocumented people who live in our city. Long Beach needs a mayor who will stand up for all its residents regardless of race, gender, sexuality, income, and immigration status. We need a mayor who understands that we all do our part in making Long Beach what it is today. In regards to representation and moving towards equity, if elected, Richardson would be the first Black mayor from the Ninth District, an area of the city that is often underrepresented and underserved.

In Long Beach, where we have a part-time City Council, the mayor and their appointees hold the power and influence to create or block policies and city resources that directly affect the well-being and recovery of Black, Indegenous, Cambodian, Latine, Filipino, queer, and undocumented communities. That’s why we take this race extremely seriously and why we are supporting Richardson for Long Beach mayor.

As organizers, we also understand that voting is only one tool at our disposal to influence change. Organizing our communities towards justice remains our ultimate goal. Part of that organizing is getting people to understand what’s at stake in local city elections and the power they hold to elect the mayor of our city.

We know the electoral system is flawed—so much so that the state has denied the four of us, along with more than 11 million other undocumented people, the right to vote. Yet this election has major implications for the lives of Long Beach’s undocumented population.

We still believe it is important to elect people that we can hold accountable and build with. After the election, there will be a lot of work ahead to put words into action. We will continue to organize and build a city that is welcoming and equitable to all its residents.

We may not be able to vote, but our voices are loud and clear during this election: We can’t afford the price of Suzie as mayor!

Vote on Nov. 8 in support of Richardson!

Gaby Hernandez, Maria Lopez, Maribel Cruz, and Norberto Lopez are undocumented organizers and residents in Long Beach.

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