SATURDAY POLITICS: Molina Snags Endorsements By Villaraigosa, Boxer, Cedillo

This week former Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina announced endorsements of her race for Los Angeles City Council by three prominent Democratic politicians: U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and current Los Angeles City Councilmember Gilbert Cedillo.

The revelation of three big names at once is being viewed (by some political observers) as a misstep by Molina, since typically one unveils big-name endorsements piecemeal in order to get media attention for each one separately. However, even if that is true, it is pretty significant that Molina was able to get the endorsement of a current colleague of her opponent, incumbent City Councilman Jose Huizar. Additionally, Villaraigosa supported Huizar as his replacement back in 2005 when he ran (and won) his race for Mayor. The current Mayor, Eric Garcetti has not yet endorsed in the race.

The Los Angeles County Democratic Party has endorsed Huizar. The primary election will be held March 3, 2015. If the public approves two disingenuous, dubious and dangerous charter amendments in that same election, the winner of that race will get to serve an unprecedented 5-and-a-half year term.

In other interesting political developments, Villaraigosa is making more encouraging noises about running for Boxer's Senate seat in the June 2016 primary, even though Attorney General Kamala Harris made her intentions known earlier this week and most people expected Villaraigosa to be more interested in the 2018 Governor's race, not the 2016 Senate race. Maybe the former Mayor is getting antsy at waiting, or is he afraid that he won't make the top 2 in a crowded field that will likely include Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, Treasurer John Chiang and many more?

AD-45: Luis Lopez Fundraiser TODAY in Silver Lake

My friend Luis Lopez is running to represent the 45th Assembly District (in which I live) that is being vacated when Gil Cedillo is termed out next year. Luis is an open;y gay Latino "homegrown progressive" and has strong labor bona fides as intrepid lesbian reporter Karen Ocamb details at LGBT POV.

Teachers, nurses, long-term care workers, community allies–the whole labor family–converged on First AME in Los Angeles on Monday, April 4, to rally together in support of Wisconsin workers and to show strength in numbers in California.

The environment was buzzing and filled with familiar faces–young and old–representing the rich diversity in race, ethnicity, immigration status, and language that are Los Angeles and California.

This rally’s message echoed the recent march downtown, where I added my voice with several thousand California voters and the sounds of protest chants and high-school bands. We spoke then and reiterated in church on Tuesday that California must not and will not become Wisconsin. In both states, community leaders and elected officials need to heed the public outcry and the economic evidence: collective bargaining, public education, affordable healthcare and higher education, and reliable pensions are the backbones of a strong middle class. These proven tools of America’s strength need to be upgraded and renewed, not undermined or reversed.

Luis has a fundraiser this afternoon at Le Barcito in Silver Lake. Please support him!

AD-45: Cedillo and De Leon Plan To Swap Seats

de León	Cedillo

While I was busy with the first day of classes there were some huge announcements made in local (north east Los Angeles) Democratic politics: Assemblymember Kevin de León and State Senator Gill Cedillo are planning to swap legislative seats.

Cedillo, who is termed out in the Senate, had planned to run for a third and final term in the 46th Assembly District seat, which he previously represented for two terms and change.

But that plan was foiled when the current holder of the 46th District -- Assembly Speaker-Elect John A. Pérez-- opted to take the leadership role instead of vacating his Assembly seat for a Senate run.

Cedillo initially pledged to challenge Pérez, but a decision by Assemblyman Kevin de León, who also sought the speaker post, to run for Cedillo's Senate seat created an open Assembly seat for Cedillo to seek.

Pérez said in a statement that he will make a victory for his lifelong friend a priority.

"Gilbert cares deeply about the concerns facing all working men and women, Latinos, and the broader community," he said in a statement. "We need legislators like Gilbert with the experience and community ties to build consensus as we address our state's ongoing economic crisis."

De León announced that he would run for Cedillo's State Senate 22nd District seat on Thursday the 14th while Cedillo announced for De León's Assembly seat (which happens to be in MadProfessah's district, the 45th.

I'm not a big fan of this move. Why should the 45th District be a way station for Gil Cedillo between his next elected position? I totally understand why Kevin De León would run for the open Senate Seat in the 22nd District even though he could have served the 45th for one more 2-year term. The point is that even if Cedillo wins the 45th District sear, he is immediately a lame duck because he is termed out in 2012.

The real question that needs to be answered is will any progressive Democrat in the 45th District decide to raise their voice to object to this shotgun wedding between three unlikely bedfellows: Cedillo, De León and Pérez.

I'm pretty sure that Speaker Pérez is the real mastermind behind this seat-swap which seems like a win-win-win: gets Cedillo out of Pérez's 46th Assembly District, promotes a rising Latino political star (and Pérez's unsuccessful rival for the Assembly speakership) to the upper legislative house, and solidifies Pérez's hold over two Assembly seats (the 45th and the 46th).

CA-32: Judy Chu Wins Primary Election!

MadProfessah-endorsed candidate Judy Chu won the hotly contested Primary for the Democratic Nomination for the 32nd Congressional District to represent the seat vacated by Labor Secretary Hilda Solis. With 100% of precincts reporting Chu leads Gil Cedillo by 4,124 votes, 31.9% to 23.38%, a margin which is less votes than 26-year-old Emmanuel Pleitez received (6,509).

Amusingy, Judy Chu will face Republican Betty Chu in the runoff election, set for mid July. However, in the overwhelmingly Democratic district, Judy Chu is assured to become the first Asian American Congresswoman to represent Los Angeles County.

Congrats to Judy and all my friends who worked on the campaign. Go sleep. You did good.

MadProfessah Endorsements for May 19 Election

Finally, the moment you have been waiting for! Here are MadProfessah's positions on how I think you should vote in the May 19th Special Election.

Proposition Number (Topic)             MadProfessah LA TIMES  CALITICS CA DEM PARTY
1A (Budget Cap, Rainy Day Fund)            NO         YES        NO     NEUTRAL
1B (Education Funding Plan)                YES        NO         NO     YES
1C (Lottery Modernization Plan)            NO         YES        NO     YES
1D (Children's Services Funding            YES        YES        NO     NEUTRAL
1E (Mental Health Services Funding         YES        YES        NO     NEUTRAL
1F (Elected Officials Salaries)            NO         YES        NO     YES

CA-32

Additionally, if yu live in the 32nd Congressional district MadProfessah strongly endorses Judy Chu. She is an incredibly strong supporter of LGBT, Labour and people of color and a true progressive voice. It would be amazing to have her on Congress representing a portion of Los Angeles County. Judy has raised the most amount of money and received the lion's share of endorsements but is thought to be in a tough race with Gill Cedillo.

SD-26

If you live in the 26th State Senate District, MadProfessah endorses Curren Price. Assemblymember Price is a strong supporter of LGBT equality, including marriage equality. Having won the Democratic primary fairly easily in March, he should win election easily in this overwhelmingly Democratic district, replacing now-County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.

Los Angeles City Attorney.

This is the race that has all the political geeks' tongues wagging. Carme Trutanich and Jack Weiss have been slugging it out in the run-off election for weeks, with multiple negative television ads. I'm not sure exactly what Weiss has done to some people (but he's clearly pissed off several!) but I have met him and he makes the right noises about supporting civil rights for all people and seems to understand the power of the City Attorney's office. Weiss was running on Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's re-election ticket along with Wendy Gruel for City Controller but Weiss was the only one dragged into a run-off. Electing him would allow the Mayor to complete his sweep of the elected citywide (nonpartisan) offices. MadProfessah endorses Weiss for City Attorney.

City Council District #5. Paul Koretz is a guy who is one of the longest-serving members of the Stonewall Democratic Club. He is a true progressive, who in his too-short term-limited 6-year stint in the Assembly introduced a civil unions bill (way before it was cool!) as well as Center for Health Justice's condoms-in-prisons bill. He is also the author of the state's law prohibiting insurance discrimination on the basis of gender identity. He is running for a westside city council seat being vacated by Jack Weiss in District #5, and MadProfessah endorses Paul Koretz for LA City Council, Seat #5.

Los Angeles Community College District
Office #2: Angela Reddock. Reddock is the only African American representative on the 7-member body which represents an organization whos mission is critically important to the future well-being of generations of Black and Brown people in Los Angeles County.

Office #6: Robert Nakahiro. Nakahiro is openly gay and running against an incumbent named Nancy Pearlman who seems to take her relection for granted and was forced into a run-off, surprising everyone.

CA-32: Race Starts Heating Up

The election for the 32nd Congressional district seat is exactly two weeks away but the race between State Board of Equalization Member Judy Chu and State Senator Gil Cedillo is heating up.

The Los Angeles Times covered the back and forth between the two camps:

Among Judy Chu's slew of mostly positive mailers was one that featured a front-page Los Angeles Times article on state Sen. Gil Cedillo's spending more than $125,000 of his legislative campaign money on expensive dinners, hotels and gifts. The mailer reprinted the April 11 article in full and highlighted two paragraphs contrasting Chu's "frugal record" with a summary of Cedillo's spending.

Cedillo, in two separate pieces that arrived in mailboxes in recent days, used newspaper articles to try to bolster his charge that Chu, a state Board of Equalization member, gave "tax breaks and contracts" to her corporate campaign contributors.

The language used as headlines on the Cedillo mailers, however, came from articles having nothing to do with Chu. One, "This Is an Outrage!" appeared as a quote in a March 16 Los Angeles Times article about anger over bonuses given to executives of AIG, one of the struggling corporations given federal financial aid. Another, "Political Malfeasance and the Financial Meltdown," ran above a syndicated George Will column March 25 in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

Good job of the Times to make it clear that although there are charges and cross-charges from both camps, it does not mean that both parties are equally responsible. Clearly, as the picture above makes clear, Cedillo is not telling the truth.

CA-32: Chu Endorsed By Antonio, Leads $$ Race

Multiple good news stories recently for congressional candidate Judy Chu (who has been endorsed by MadProfessah) in her attempt to win the now-vacant seat representing California's 32nd District in a May 19th special election.

Last Wednesday, financial reports were released which showed Chu outraised her nearest rival, State Senator Gil Cedillo by over $200, 000:

The breadth and strength of Judy Chu’s campaign for Congress was demonstrated again today as candidates reported their first fundraising numbers for this May 19 special election.

In the first three months of 2009, Judy Chu collected an impressive $770,167, over $200,000 more than her nearest rival, State Senator Gil Cedillo.

Judy Chu, Vice-Chair of the California State Board of Equalization, reported a strong $577,609 cash-on-hand figure at the end of the period.

Chu’s consultant, Parke Skelton, stated, “Judy Chu is well on the way towards surpassing $1 million for this race. Her fundraising reflects the enthusiastic and broad support she has attracted from throughout the 32nd District. Just over 83% of her contributions have come from individuals, not PACS. An impressive 1,567 individuals contributed to Dr. Chu’s campaign in this filing period.

But, wait, there's more!

EL SERENO - The Mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, will be joined by his counterparts from Azusa, West Covina, South El Monte, Duarte and scores of other San Gabriel Valley elected officials on Wednesday as he officially announces his endorsement of Judy Chu in the race for the 32nd Congressional District seat recently vacated by Labor Secretary Hilda Solis.

The event, which will include just a fraction of the more than 75 elected officials from the San Gabriel Valley who have already endorsed Judy Chu, will feature statements from Mayor Villaraigosa and other mayors and mayors pro tem from the San Gabriel Valley.

There is video of the endorsement available on YouTube.

CA-32: Cedillo's Lavish Lifestyle Exposed

So while I was in Maine last week, the news erupted about State Senator Gil Cedillo's "lavish lifestyle." Don't take it from me, it was in the Los Angeles Times:

Gil Cedillo, a Los Angeles state senator running for Congress, has spent more than $125,000 gathered from campaign donors over the last six years on shopping excursions, gourmet meals, entertainment and upscale hotels around the globe, public records show.

At Patina, the haute cuisine restaurant at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Cedillo paid $1,203 for dinner. He dropped $289 at Nic's Martini Lounge in Beverly Hills. At the Standard, a downtown hotel known for its hip rooftop bar and swimming pool, Cedillo and his staff spent $5,705 over the course of 26 visits.

In Mumbai, India, Cedillo's stay at the Four Seasons came to $829; his tab at the Bar des Arts in Sao Paulo, Brazil, $229; his hotel and dining charges on a jaunt to Rome and Florence, $1,969.

[...]

But the scale of Cedillo's spending was on par with that of former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez, whose worldwide travel and shopping at retailers such as Louis Vuitton in Paris led the state to tighten campaign disclosure rules last summer.

Cedillo's spending, detailed in reports he filed with the secretary of state, contrasts with the frugal record of Judy Chu, his chief rival for the San Gabriel Valley congressional seat. A former Monterey Park assemblywoman elected to the state Board of Equalization in 2006, Chu has spent no campaign money on shopping or entertainment, and less than $5,000 on meals and travel over six years.

MadProfessah has endorsed Judy Chu in this race to represent the 32nd Congressional District of California. The election on Tuesday May 19th!

CA-32: Solis Confirmed As Labor Secretary 80-17

The race for the 32nd Congressional District of California begins today since it's current representative Hilda Solis was confirmed as Labor Secretary by the United States Senate Tuesday by a vote of 80-17.

The current leading candidates, according to dday at Calitics are:

Judy Chu is currently on the Board of Equalization. While a Chinese-American running for a seat that is majority Latino, Chu has the support of the California Federation of Labor, which typically cleans up in these kinds of special elections. That alone makes her the favorite IMO.

Gil Cedillo is a State Senator in the adjoining district, and so he represents very few of these constituents. He has been strong on issues around immigration in particular, and will certainly be formidable in this race.

Emanuel Pleitez worked in the Obama transition team on the Treasury Department. The fact that Treasury has practically no senior officers staffing it save for Tim Geithner, over a month after the inauguration, doesn't really speak well to Pleitez' transition capabilities. But he apparently has the most robust campaign apparatus in the district thus far (with 17 volunteer full-time staff members), and he was born and raised in the district.

MadProfessah is endorsing Judy Chu, who is an incredibly strong ally of the LGBT community.

CA-32: Local Ethnic Political Fault Lines Revealed

A little bird told me that Labor Secretary-designee U.S. Representative Hilda Solis would love to endorse Judy Chu to replace her in Congress representing the 32nd District but the Obama Administration has told her that Cabinet secretaries can not get involved in the political fight to replace them. State Senator Gil Cedillo is the only other declared candidate in the potential special election, after Gloria Romero dropped out of the race, endorsing Cedillo, and announced her intention to run for State Superintendent of Education in 2010. Romero also later endorsed Los Angeles Unified School District Board President Monica Garcia for her 24th District State Senate seat.

Capitol Weekly has an article in the Thursday January 22 edition on Solis' confirmation process that also mentions some intriguing details on the intricate positioning that other politicians are doing to fill in the holes in the Southern California political power structure as one of their own is elevated in Washington.

On Thursday morning, both the Service Employees International Union and and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor endorsed Chu.

There have been tensions between Romero and Maria-Elena Durazo, head of the powerful Los Angeles County Federation of Labor. But Capitol sources say Romero decided to focus on the superintendent’s race after consulting with former Sen. Richard Polanco, among others.

The potential Congressional showdown has also divided the Capitol’s Latino Caucus, of which Cedillo is chair. Cedillo has tangled with Assemblyman John Perez, D-Los Angeles, and has even threatened to challenge Perez for his Assembly seat in 2010.

Perez is the cousin of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and Villaraigosa is said to be leaning toward endorsing Chu, though his office did not return calls seeking comment.

Cedillo and Villlaraigosa were once close political allies, with Villariagosa using his clout to help Cedillo’s election to the Assembly in a 1997 pecial election. But tensions between the two childhood friends quickly grew, and eventually boiled over after Villaraigosa's failed race for Los Angeles mayor in 2001. Villaraigosa threatened to run against Cedillo for Senate after his 2001 defeat, and the rift has never healed between the two. Cedillo stuck with Hahn when Villarigosa eventually defeated Hahn in 2005.

[...]

If Chu is to win the seat, she will have to earn some Latino support. The 32nd Congressional District is about 62 percent Latino. Asians make up about 20 percent of the district population. Latinos make up about half of the district’s voter registration. Asians comprise about 13 percent of registered voters.

[...]

Chu has already secured the endorsement of Assemblyman Ed Hernandez, D-El Monte, who has his eyes on Romero’s senate seat in 2010. Chu and her husband, Assemblyman Mike Eng, D-Los Angeles, -- two of Hernandez’s top potential rivals -- are said to be backing Hernandez for the Senate seat.

[...]

Romero’s exit from the congressional race sets up a 2010 showdown between Romero and Assemblyman Tom Torlakson, D-Antioch, for state superintendent. The current superintendent, Jack O’Connell is being pushed out by term limits, and has announced his intention to run for governor in 2010.

Got all that? On one side you have John Perez, Antonio Villaraigosa, Ed Hernandez and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor with Chu versus Romero and Polanco with Cedillo in a 62% Latino district. I presume L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina (who previously rejected a run for the seat herself) will be on the side of Romero/Polanco/Cedillo, but only time will tell.

MadProfessah elected to California Democratic Party Central Committee!

MadProfessah has been elected to the California Democratic Party central committee! I was running as part of the Democratic Neighborood Activist slate of the 45th Assembly District (DeLeon) :

PAUL AHRENS (Mt. Washington) – IATSE Local 44 Assistant Business Agent and Political Coordinator, Delegate to County Federation of Labor
RON BUCKMIRE* (Montecito Heights) – Occidental College Math Department Professor, Black Gay Activist
FRANCISCO CENDEJAS (City Terrace) – SEIU United Health Care Workers Analyst
JOHN CLEARY* (Lincoln Heights) - Hospital Administrator, Stonewall Dem. Club President
COLLEEN COLSON (Montecito Heights) – County Health Dept. Liaison to the American Indian Community (retired)
MARIANN GATTO (Highland Park) – City of Los Angeles Museum Curator/Educator
JOSELYN GEAGA-ROSENTHAL (Historic Filipinotown) - Clinical Social Worker, Echo Park Neighborhood Council
MARCIA GUZMAN (El Sereno) – Democratic Campaign Activist
CAROL JACQUES (Mt. Washington) –Northeast Dem. Community Headquarters Coordinator, Northeast Dem. Club Vice President, AFSCME Local 685
BILL KYSELLA* (Hollywood) – Deputy City Attorney, Stonewall Dem. Club, SEIU #721
HELEN LEUNG (Elysian Valley) – Council Aide, Community Activist
ANA MASCAREÑAS (City Terrace) – Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles Membership Coordinato

Also elected was KELLI DUNAWAY who is a UCLA law graduate and Obama super-volunteer and FREDDY CEJA*, openly gay (and HIV+) Latino activist who was not a member of our slate.

The asterisks indicate that the person is openly gay.

CA-32: Romero Drops Out and Endorses Cedillo

Gloria Romero has announced that she is not interested in running for Hilda Solis congressional seat any longer, but is focussing on becoming the next State Superintendent of Public Instruction and has endorsed her State Senate colleague Gil Cedillo for the position.

Previously, State Board of Equalization member Judy Chu has already announced that she is running and MadProfessah hopes that she wins.

CA-31: Becerra Tells Obama "No, Gracias"

Xavier Becerra has dashed the hopes of the next generation of Los Angeles Latino politicians by reportedly turning down an offer to join the Obama cabinet as U.S. Trade Representative. The prospect of the 31st Congressional district (in which MadProfessah has lived for over a decade) becoming open caused almost every big-name politician in Los Angeles to consider their future: Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina quickly said no, Los Angeles City Council Oresident Eric Garcetti was touted by progressives, potential 2010 primary rivals State Senator Gil Cedillo and openly gay Assemblymember John Perez were said to be considering throwing their hats into the ring.

But Becerra eventually said, "No, gracias" to the Obama job offer:

Becerra said he felt elated when first approached about the job, but that ultimately "I wasn't sure if at the end I only wanted to be focused on trade."

Becerra, who was just elected to his ninth term representing Los Angeles, faced competing pressures in considering whether to accept the Cabinet post.

He is moving up the ladder on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee that writes taxes and oversees health care and trade, and was just chosen vice chairman of the House Democratic Caucus.

It could be difficult for another Latino to immediately replace Becerra in the House Democratic leadership. Becerra said he heard from members of the Latino community who wanted to ensure he was involved as Congress grapples with immigration, health care, tax code reform and other issues.

Becerra clearly wants to be the first non-white Speaker of the U.S. House and is on track to make that happen. He's relatively young (51 on January 26 2009) and could see his ambition come to fruition within the next decade.