I am the son of Lebanese immigrants. My family moved to southeast Los Angeles County in the early ‘70s to flee the human and economic devastation of civil war. So, I learned at an early age to love and respect democracy.
Eight years ago, I also learned the true meaning of democracy. Our local government was riddled with corruption. The City of Bell was my hometown and I couldn’t sit back and allow our elected officials and city administrators to steal from the taxpayers. So, I co-founded an organization called BASTA or Bell Association to Stop the Abuse but also means “enough is enough” in Spanish, which is how we all felt. My fellow reformers and I were successful in recalling the corrupt councilmembers and city administrators.
Thankfully, they all went to jail for stealing from the people. While that is a great accomplishment, and I am proud of those achievements, my real story in public service truly started when I was elected to the Bell City Council. In short, I am proud to have turned a city in dire straits with a $60-million deficit into one that is transparent and serves its people. Today, we have a $20 million-dollar reserve.
I am running for the State Senate because I believe this same commitment to accountability and transparency is important for the residents of the 33rd [State] Senate District. Additionally, I believe that my experience in the City of Bell prepares me to be able to arrive in Sacramento ready to engage on policy issues immediately and successfully. The residents of the 33rd Senate District need someone with a proven record of successfully solving difficult and complex issues. I believe I am that choice.
This is a great question and one that we must start addressing in California. I believe what has happened in this election for the 33rd State Senate District captures the danger of one-party control. A few days ago, stories in the Long Beach Press Telegram, Long Beach Post and Long Beach Report highlighted the spending of over $1 million by Big Oil to support one of the candidates in the election. The stories highlight how special interests like Big Oil are moving more and more money into races for safe Democratic seats to help build votes against environmental legislation. All that money even though Long Beach’s Westside [Diesel] Death Zone has some of the most toxic land, air, and water in the nation. As we continue to hold super majority status in the State Senate and State Assembly, there will be more and more influence and lobbying efforts from corporations and polluters to create enough votes within the Democratic Party caucuses to stop progressive legislation in areas such as environmental protections and the expansion of green renewable energy.
We must be vigilant in watching how polluters like Big Oil move their money in these elections, and we must reject those candidates who quietly accept their expenditures on their behalf. No one spends over $1 million in 48 hours on an election without some sort of idea that they are not wasting their money.
As my record in the City of Bell has demonstrated, I am a progressive reformer who is committed to ensuring greater transparency by our elected officials. We must make it easier for the public to understanding who is spending money in our elections and what candidates they are supporting. We must also move towards a public financing system of elections to [stop] this type of influence spending from happening.
Yes, I support those pieces of legislation. I also fully agree that we must have state-led reform on the oversight of our police departments. I would add that the requirements we place on individuals in California to become a physician, nurse, teacher, barber, accountant, lawyer, beautician, and other careers are often far more stringent than what we require of our police officers. The state has made it very clear that the requirements to teach our children, save a life, keep our finances in order, cut our hair, and a whole host of other things require education standards and licensing above what we require for the only individuals in our society we give the right to use deadly force. We must revisit the minimum standards and requirements we have in place to give any individual in California the right to use deadly force.
Yes, I fully support the proposal from the League of Women Voters of California to reform Proposition 13. We must address this.
As a mayor and councilman from the City of Bell, I understand this issue very well. The City of Bell has one of the biggest homeless shelters in Los Angeles County. As the concern over affordable housing grow in California, people are looking for leadership in Sacramento that can address this issue. From homelessness to rising property costs and rents, California needs a full engagement plan to address these issues immediately. Homelessness is a complex issue that touches more than access to housing.
We must continue to address the associated issues such as wages, education and mental health services. This means the legislature must address all these issues if we are going to solve the rising number of homeless individuals and families across California. The general issues of housing affordability will also require the legislature to engage communities and local governments. We must allocate more funding for affordable housing construction, address the need for rent control mechanisms by local government and discuss density issues. We must also talk to communities about the need for everyone to participate in creating more housing units and not having a NIMBY mentality. We must also discuss wages and jobs as part of this issue.
The 33rd State Senate District stretches form the railyards at the north end to the port of Long Beach in the south end. We have the Long Beach airport in the middle of the district. We have parts of the 405, 91, and 105 freeways. The 710 freeway runs the length of the district and has a direct impact on everyone in it. Transportation and the connected environmental issues make the 33rd the frontlines on these issues.
I fully support the CA 7 alternative that was established by the Coalition for Environmental Health and Justice. The City of Bell has witnessed the truly horrific health and environmental problems that many of our urban community’s face. The Exide Technologies lead poisoning disaster [in Vernon] has directly harmed the residents of Bell and the northern part of the 33rd State Senate District.
We have worked hard with our state legislators to move for legislation to address the Exide issue, freight transportation pollution, and air and water quality issues. We are proud that former Governor [Jerry] Brown actually came to our community to finally listen to our concerns. I understand firsthand how important it is to move the environmental justice movement forward in Sacramento. I understand from the work we have done, just how much more important work we must do. We cannot afford to elect a State Senator in the 33rd District who is clearly receiving over $1 million in support from Big Oil. We need someone who will continue to be dedicated to standing up for the needs of this district and fight to end decades of environmental neglect and racism.
I believe the legislature must revisit the Costa-Hawkins Act and restore local government’s ability to institute local rent control. The state should not stand in the way of a local community addressing an issue as important as this. As a city councilman I believe local communities working with their local elected officials are best [and] ready to solve this issue.
Additionally, I also believe that the rising costs of rent and property in California must be part of a bigger discussion on a living wage. We must address the ongoing wealth gap that is rapidly growing in California.
As you know I am a board member of the the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy. In my time there I have championed several projects that have widespread community support including El Dorado Nature Center South Lake Restoration Project in Long Beach, Cudahy’s Urban Orchard Development, South Gate’s Parque Dos Rios, and my own city’s Sleepy Lagoon Historic Site urban park development and habitat restoration.
While, each of these projects has significant community support, I believe this can be enhanced by codifying community outreach as part of any project that affects a community, either positively or adversely. We can use the model of Project Labor Agreements to implement a new structure of Community Project Agreements when public money is being used.
I would like to see legislation developed and implemented into law that would outline what a Community Project Agreement will mean and how there will be legal guarantees for community input on all parts of a project’s initial development to its completion. We must do more than just have community advisory or stakeholder committees. We must create a process that gives community organizations and members real say and oversight.
I believe that one of the biggest areas where the State Senate can do a better job for California is our responsibility for oversight. Sacramento has become very good at the legislative process. Introducing and passing legislation into law is important but it only one part of the legislature’s role. As a State Senator, I will work to ensure that we meet our responsibility for oversight.
The reason the public loses faith in state government is when issues like the High Speed Rail project are constantly being portrayed by the media as a problem project. Californians go to the polls every election and openly supporting bond packages and tax increase for a wide variety of projects. The legislature has a vital role in overseeing those monies and ensuring transparency. That is one of the most important lessons we should learn from the High Speed Rail project.
With the current issues facing the project, I believe we should have a broad oversight process to ensure that the public has faith that the money allocated is being used correctly. Until the legislature does its job of oversight, and commits to ongoing oversight, the project should be scaled back.
I believe the first step is making sure that our current laws offer full protections to the LGBTQ community in all areas of our society. We must ensure equality and protection in the areas of public safety, education, healthcare, employment and more. With the issues of hate crimes, we need to work with groups like the LGBTQ Center of Long Beach to ensure that we have strong laws available to all levels of law enforcement to address this serious issue.
Additionally, we must also use the power of oversight to make sure that once a law is passed and placed into effect, that those responsible for enforcing the law are using it to protect the rights of LGBTQ community members. Sometimes the legislature passes laws but then never follows up to make sure they are being followed by our law enforcement officers. We must have a robust oversight program to ensure compliance.
Finally, I also believe that it is important for elected officials to use their position in our public space to raise awareness of issues such as this. It is not enough to pass laws, we must engage our communities to embrace the laws and end all forms of hate.
I have posted a LGBTQ values statement on my website as well.
