When was the last time you considered the influence of money on local politics?

I actually think about it quite a bit. Unfortunately, I know that I am in the minority because it isn’t something that is often talked about. No matter which side of the political spectrum you land on, hopefully we can all agree that elected officials should obtain their offices through public support from their local communities. I also believe they should run on a platform that puts the well being of the people they represent front and center.

When the voices of the people are replaced by corporations and out of state interests, that’s not democracy!

I want to bring your attention to TWO potentially game-changing candidates running for office right now in Los Angeles, CA.

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Sherri Onica Valle Cole – for LA City Attorney

Running in a crowded field, Cole appears to be the most qualified person in this race. If elected she would be the FIRST woman and the SECOND person of color in this office. She worked for the City Attorney’s office, as a Deputy and knows this job inside and out. Her time there ended when she was fired by Mike Feurer, the outgoing City Attorney who is running for LA MAYOR (likely, in the hopes of pivoting away from the dark cloud his administration ended under). He is currently under FBI investigation for corruption and bribery charges, which resulted in the loss of millions of dollars for Los Angelenos, who were scammed by the LADWP billing scandal (including this author!) As Onica says, she is proud to have been fired by someone like that, because she stood her ground and refused to prioritize high-publicity cases for show. She is running on a platform of not taking any oil and gas money, re-envisioning housing and homelessness in the City of LA, re-imagining the role of police and first responders, giving teachers and educators the support and tools they need to help children, and protecting the air, land and water of LA. I want to see more moms and women of color in office, period. Onica also happens to have a few pretty great positions on how to make those changes too.

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Kenneth Mejia for L.A. City Controller

I first met Kenneth during Bernie organizing in 2015. He always showed up with his trusty backpack, stuffed full of petitions that needed signing, flyers to share, the latest initiative he was working on, and always came with high, positive energy. The idea of him as the Controller of Los Angeles is both amazing and makes total sense. He would prioritize spending and budgets in such a way that the city of Los Angeles could actually put their incredible resources towards the things that need URGENT attention – housing, housing, housing and housing.

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I lived in Los Angeles for almost 20 years. I have resided in: Culver City, Palms, Los Feliz, Hollywood, Koreatown, Westwood, Mission Hills, Sunland, Sun Valley, Sylmar, San Fernando, Chatsworth, and Winnetka.

Even though I can’t vote in the June 7 primary, I am still going to do everything I can to help the local candidates who can make a big difference!

What are you going to do? 🙂