What's Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
Los Angeles is at a turning point. We are living in a defining moment. What happens next is up to us. Over the past few years, problems and challenges have shaken this city -- and tremendous opportunities for change have presented themselves. How do we rise to this moment and emerge a better place to live? What will it take to create a more just and a more equitable community? Working together, how are we going to create a stronger, forward-thinking Los Angeles? Mike Bonin, writer, teacher, progressive activist and former City Councilmember, looks at the issues and problems facing Los Angeles, examines ideas, and talks with the people who will lead us to a brighter future.
Produced in partnership with LA Forward.
What's Next, Los Angeles? with Mike Bonin
ELMER ROLDAN: CD9 Candidate Spotlight
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The 9th City Council District in Los Angeles stretches from the southern edge of Downtown Los Angeles, through South Central, all the way toward Watts. The communities of Central-Alameda, Vernon-Central, South Park, Green Meadows, and Vermont Square all call District 9 home. The district is among the most diverse and youngest in the city, with over three-quarters of residents identifying as Latino, a significant Black community, and many families with roots across Latin America and beyond. Nearly 40% of District 9 residents live below the federal poverty line, making it the city’s poorest council district, and many households face challenges of housing insecurity, limited access to good jobs, and environmental burdens.
Currently, District 9 is represented by Councilmember Curren Price, who has held the seat since 2013. With Price’s tenure ending, this year’s open-seat race has drawn intense interest. The primary election will take place on June 2, 2026, and the runoff, if needed, will be in November. This year, the field features community leaders, non-profit executives, and policy advocates all vying for votes. The candidates include Jose Ugarte, Estuardo Mazariegos, Elmer Roldan, and several others—each bringing their own vision for the future of South LA.
Today’s guest is Elmer Roldan, a well-known education advocate whose work has focused on youth opportunity and social equity in Los Angeles. Elmer currently runs Communities In Schools of Los Angeles, has worked for LAUSD, and spent nearly two decades working for Community Coalition. We sat down recently for an in-depth conversation about who he is, what his ties are to the district, and what his agenda and vision are for the district and for Los Angeles.
https://www.elmerroldan.com/
Nov 5 - Elmer Roldan
Nov 12 - Estuardo Mazariegos
Nov 19 - Jose Ugarte
What's Next, Los Angeles? is produced and hosted by Mike Bonin, in partnership with LA Forward.
Who is stepping up to lead Los Angeles and California? We launch a series of interviews with candidates for office, and our subject today is Elmer Roldan, candidate for Council District 9 in the city of Los Angeles. That's on this episode of What's Next, Los Angeles. Hi everybody and welcome. It's Mike Vaughan. Thank you so much for joining me. The 9th Council District in Los Angeles stretches from the southern edge of downtown LA through South Central all the way towards Watts. The communities of Central Alameda, Vernon Central, South Park, Green Meadows, and Vermont Square all call District 9 home. CD9, as it's known, includes some of LA's most recognizable sites. Landmarks like the LA Convention Center, the Crypto Arena, LA Live, USC, and Exposition Park. The district is among the most diverse and youngest in the city, with over three-quarters of residents identifying as Latino and also including a significant African American community, and many families with roots across Latin America and beyond. Nearly 40% of District 9 residents live below the federal poverty line, making it the city's poorest council district. And many households face challenges of housing insecurity, limited access to good jobs, and environmental burdens. Currently, District 9 is represented by Councilmember Curran Price, who's held the seat since 2013. With Price being termed out, this year's open seat race has drawn intense interest. The primary election will take place in June 2026, and the runoff, if needed, will be in November. This time, the field features community leaders, nonprofit executives, and policy advocates all vying for votes. The major candidates include Jose Ugarte, Estuardo Mazorriegos, Elmer Uldan, and several others, each bringing their own vision for the future of South LA. Today's guest is Elmer Uldan. He's a well-known education advocate whose work has focused on youth opportunity and social equity in LA. He currently runs communities and schools of Los Angeles. He's worked for LAUSD, and he spent nearly two decades working for Community Coalition. Elmer and I sat down recently for an in-depth conversation about who he is, what his ties are to the district, and what his agenda and vision are for the district and for Los Angeles. Let's jump in with our candidate conversation. Here's Elmer Roldan. Elmer, welcome to What's Next Los Angeles. Happy to be here. Very glad to have you. I love doing these interviews with candidates and giving people an opportunity to see who their potential representative is. So first thing I always do with candidates is give me your pitch. Who are you? Why are you running?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I'm a child of South Central. I'm an immigrant to this country, but my family came here when I was nine years old, landed in South Central Los Angeles, and I've had the pleasure of working in this community to improve it my whole life. I'm a resident in the district and someone who has seen the disengagement, the lack of investment, and more importantly, the lack of a response from City Hall when it comes to addressing our residents' needs, particularly the residents that live south of King and east of Vermont Boulevard. And so I decided to run because I am an organizer and I want to bring that energy to bring more dignity, respect, and resources to the people that I call my neighbors.
SPEAKER_04Let me get a little background on you. You said you moved here. How old were you? I was nine years old. Nine years. And then where in South LA have you did you grow up?
SPEAKER_02I grew up both in the 8th district. So I grew up just west of USC on 38th place and Western. My family landed here at peak crack epidemic. And then I spent a lot of time in the 9th district because at the age of 13, I went to middle school in the district. And at the age of 13, I was recruited by Community Coalition, which was founded on 85th and Broadway, which is also in CD9. So I spent my time literally half and half between both home and my second home, community coalition.
SPEAKER_04And who was ED then? Was it Marquis or was it Karen?
SPEAKER_02Karen. She had just launched the organization a couple of years earlier.
SPEAKER_04All right. And for those who aren't familiar, give us a little bit of an explainer on what Coco is and what you were doing there.
SPEAKER_02Sure. So Community Coalition is an organization that is grounded in black and brown organizing. It was founded in the midst of the crack epidemic to respond to two things. One, the way that the crack crisis was impacting public safety in the community, the way that government was responding by bringing down very repressive, very militarized answers to young men in particular who were involved in the drug trade and dehumanizing crack addiction. So organizers got together to redefine, even in the early 90s, what public safety looked like. And the vision of the founders, Karen Bass, Silvia Castillo, and others was to bring residents, both black and Latino residents, to identify solutions and organize to change public policy to improve economic and social conditions in South Central Los Angeles.
SPEAKER_04And what was your role specifically?
SPEAKER_02So I was recruited at the age of 13 and I was a youth member. One of the core philosophies of the organization was that young people have always been the catalyst of change across the world, and that young folks have been the moral compass of what's going on in society. At the time, the the philosophy was that young people were rotten, and politicians were saying that all the time, that they should just lock us up, throw away the key, and we should start with the babies. Community coalition felt very differently about that. What they believed was that because young people have always been energized and have been catalysts of change throughout the world, that we need to invest young folks in finding solutions to those problems. So I was very much brought into this belief that as a resident in South Los Angeles, I too could be a part of the solution, working with other Latino and Black kids to identify solutions to things happening not only in our schools, but also in our streets.
SPEAKER_04And how long did you work for Community Coalition?
SPEAKER_02I was there 17 years of my life. So I joined when I was 13. At the age of 18, I was recruited to become a youth organizer myself. I went around to all the eight high schools in South Central. That's all there was at the time. I recruited Black and Latino kids to join the organization. So I helped to quadruple the membership. This is also when Marquise was the director of the youth program. So we helped to launch our own campaign to bring over $100 million to fix the physical and safety conditions in schools. And then soon after launched what became the A through G College Prep for All campaign, which made it possible for more kids to access college prep classes in LAUSD. So I was an organizer. And then I also learned how to do fundraising for the organization. I always say that development is what got me out of poverty because organizing is great. And, you know, and also, you know, there's limitations to the pay there, but being in development taught me how to apply organizing skills to fundraising. And it also taught me the skills to be able to enter other careers in not only in the nonprofit sector, but also in government. And now I am the executive director of an organization that still works with students, but the skills that I learned when I was a kid is what set me up for success.
SPEAKER_04And tell me about what your arc has been since Coco and where you are now. Because the through line seems to be kids.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So I left community coalition in 2009. I went to go work at LA Unified at the time. I was recruited by at the time school board president Monica Garcia to handle community affairs for her. She, her district included 120 schools plus. And so my job was to be a liaison with principals, parents, students, and community. And if you remember back in those days, there was a lot more community engagement with LA Unified. There was a big push to reform critical elements of public education. And so I became really energized and motivated by the belief that we need to challenge racist policies in the public education system, which have historically prevented Black and Latino kids from graduating on time, college, and career ready. And so that's been a main motivator of my career, looking at it through the lens of folks who are on the ground, impacted by the policies, being the ones that have to not only inform the policies, but also make sure that those policies are delivering on the promises that the language says that they are supposed to do whenever the elected officials vote for them.
SPEAKER_04Are you taking time off from the campaign at some point from the current job to campaign full time?
SPEAKER_02Yes. Yeah. So you know, I'm you know, my board is a partner uh in thinking, helping me think through. I am a you know, I'm a working person still, even as an executive director. I depend on each paycheck in order for me to make ends meet. And I have two sons, which you know, I'll talk more about them in a minute, but make sure I, you know, I help her pay for expenses. So the short answer is yes. So right now I'm working full time. Second phase, I will be taking half time off to focus on the campaign. And then later on, towards the spring, I will be taking an extended leave. So we've already mapped out what that looks like, including bringing on a very skilled interim executive director who will oversee the day-to-day of the organization.
SPEAKER_04Good. Good. Tell me what have been some of the most pivotal experiences or moments in your life?
SPEAKER_02Being undocumented as a young person definitely shaped my desire for social justice. I remember getting my green card in high school as a high school senior, but not being able to go directly into community college. That ironically is what forced me to go back to community coalition and say, you know, that I needed work. And they said, you know, come on board as an organizer. So they gave me the first official job that provided me with, at the time, wages that helped me get my own apartment. They provided benefits for me. And so I was the first member in my family to have access to living wages and benefits. Leaving the organization with skill sets that set me up to be able to enter very professional settings, very different than community organizing settings. And, you know, what I'll say is um, you know, I graduated from Cal State Dominguez Hills in 2019. It took me 30 years of going in and out of community college and then eventually taking night classes for me to get my bachelor's degree. But between you know, 1997 when I graduated high school and 2009, when I finally got my bachelor's, I was able to work in places that gave me opportunities that I wouldn't have been able to access had I not had the skill sets and the knowledge that I learned as an organizer. You know, my counterparts needed master's degrees. I supervise sometimes folks with PhDs and you know, policy development and different work that we did. And so I don't take for granted that having a network and having people who believe in you and can see your skill sets and not necessarily only rely on a piece of paper as, you know, as your value. I recognize the importance of that. But I also tell young people all the time that, you know, I am proof that you don't necessarily need a college degree to graduate in life. And I'm also proof proof that you shouldn't try because it is extremely harder to get to where you want to go if you don't have a college degree.
SPEAKER_04This is kind of a typical job interview question, but tell me about a moment or a circumstance where you really messed up, you screwed up, and what you learned from that experience.
SPEAKER_02Sure. You know, I'll be very transparent and I'll share with you that I, you know, as a young person struggled with substance abuse. So, you know, part of my decision to leave community coalition was driven by the fact that I was living two lives. You know, I was an organizer wanting to see better in the community, and then I was someone who was struggling with my own drinking. I was a young father as well. So there's a lot of the baggage that comes with growing up with poverty. I was medicating because of the things that I was dealing with in life. But there comes a time with the two worlds clash. You can't be doing good and you know, struggling at the same time. And so I had to own up to that part of myself. And I, you know, I had to seek help and accept the fact that I needed others in order for me to achieve that sobriety that I value so much today. And it is humbling, you know, because when you grow up seeing yourself bring change to the world, but at the same time your internal world is collapsing, you know, there's that moment when you have to stare in the mirror and say that you want something different for you and for your family. And you have to make the tough choice of letting go of that fun side of life that is is also a very destructive.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. How long have you been sober? 15 years. Nice. Congratulations. Thank you so much. Nice. 30 here. Okay, congratulations, no, this is a safe space for sobriety. And I love to see other people who are sober in public service because I I actually think it was a a strength for me having gone through that and having come out the other end. I think that gave me a different perspective as an elected official.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. And you know, community coalition was founded because of a criticism of substance abuse, not only in our communities, but the saturation of alcohol venues in our communities, not fancy ones, but liquor stores and the type of liquor that is made available to folks in our communities. But also, I've always been keenly aware of how destructive substance abuse has been to our heroes. Yeah. You know, some of the folks that I grew up looking up to and reading about in history books also struggled with substance abuse. And because they didn't address that part of their life, unfortunately, it brought a terrible demise to these amazing people and leaders.
SPEAKER_04It sure has. Sure has. And originally, community coalition's full name was Community Coalition Against Substance Abuse or something. For substance abuse prevention and treatment.
SPEAKER_02That's still their government name.
SPEAKER_04Yep. Little known fact. I did I had some vague sense of that though. Tell me about what would you say is the angriest you've been at city government and the most satisfied you've been with city government.
SPEAKER_02Other than today, I can talk about where we are today. And I do want us to talk about today because I uh, you know, in the 30 plus years that I've been paying attention and following, you know, the political world, I've never seen anything like this. But I've seen similar times when that has been the case. I think I've been angry at the state of public education since I've started paying attention. So I'm a product of LAUSD schools. I'm the parent of LAUSD schools. And the inequities and the inequalities that you see in the quality of education that are afforded to folks across the exact same district and the exact same city, even though LAUSD covers 26 municipalities. You know, for the sake of the conversation, I'll just say the same city. But the fact that inequities exist, even in a blue, very liberal city like Los Angeles, tells you that there's a lot of work that we have to do. It's so easy to be angry at the Trump administration, at the federal administration, but redlining exists and continues to exist here today. And so as a resident of South Central Los Angeles and as someone who, because my job takes me out of my community on a daily basis, I see what the state and the county and the city affords residents in other parts of the community simply because of their zip code.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And then I have to come back home and I have to see what we are subjected to. It really drives my desire to want to see something very different to transform the communities that I love so much.
SPEAKER_04What's the most satisfied you've been with city government?
SPEAKER_02I will use the example of us building new schools as one, seeing brand new facilities go up across LA Unified and some of the poorest neighborhoods that hadn't seen new schools in over 40 years. Seeing old facilities be upgraded, that brings me a lot of joy because, again, we give dignity to students and we tell them that we believe in them by putting them in classrooms and we give teachers and other educators the facilities that they deserve in order for them to do their jobs well. I also have felt very proud of the state, the county, and the city and investing so much into addressing the humanitarian crisis that we're dealing with, homelessness, building new housing, and then understanding that the underlying issues that push people onto the streets are not only economic, but also related to substance abuse and mental health issues. So the fact that we have folks who are passing smart policy to address those issues makes me really proud of living where I live and seeing how far our state has come from what I remember it to be in the 90s when I first started becoming aware.
SPEAKER_04You just said proud of living where you live. You also mentioned a few minutes ago your dad. Tell me about where you live and your family. Today?
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Yes. So, you know, I live right next to the 110 freeway near Slaussen and Broadway. And so, you know, this is a neighborhood that you know has folks who have called this area home for decades. We have families who have been there 60 years, 40 years. We had a community meeting with residents about a month ago, and the family that had been there the shortest amount of time was two years. And then the rest of us have been there decades. And so this community has a deep history. It's historic South Central Los Angeles. So I always say that there's three things that have kept our community afloat. It at three institutions. It's been churches, community-based organizations, and government jobs. Those three are the biggest assets that our community has and continues to be, you know, the driver of equality for some because not everybody has the same. But definitely the safety net that helps families address the inequities, the lack of investment, and what I call the perfect intersection of all the deserts that that impact the quality of life in the neighborhood that I live. But certainly it's you know it spans across South Los Angeles, which is roughly the size of Oakland when you think about it geographically and population-wise.
SPEAKER_04Uh homeowner or renter?
SPEAKER_02I'm a homeowner now. Yes.
SPEAKER_04And uh you live with your kids?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, my oldest son lives with me. My youngest son just started Cal State Long Beach. Oh, congratulations. Yeah. And then I'm also engaged to be married. So my fiance will be moving in in the coming months. And I have three dogs that keep me really busy.
SPEAKER_04Wow. She's still marrying you even though you're running for office, huh?
SPEAKER_02I like to tell this story that, you know, we had this conversation for about a year and a half. And I remember the first time that I brought it up. She said, you know, if you run for office, we're not going to get married. I'm I can't be with you. And now she's my biggest cheerleader. So shout out to Jasmine, the woman who I love very dearly because she's still with me, even though I'm doing this.
SPEAKER_04I'll share you with you the piece of advice that I was given when I first ran for office. Best piece of advice I've ever been given, and I've tried to stick with it. Date night once a week, no matter what. You gotta make the time. It's really hard as a candidate, it's really hard in public office to do that, but you got to prioritize it.
SPEAKER_02I love that. I love that. I am putting this on tape, so I'm committed to this. Jasmine, you can hold me to this. We're definitely not editing that out.
SPEAKER_04We're gonna we'll do that as a promo. Let me ask you a little bit about the district you're seeking to represent. How would you describe the Ninth Council district?
SPEAKER_02So I call it the tale of two worlds, the two realities of Los Angeles. So, you know, Los Angeles, as you know, is you know deeply unequal when it comes to health and income inequality and other conditions. But we have a district that has a high concentration of wealth on the northern part. There's an entertainment capital of Los Angeles, lives there. There's been a lot of talk about the convention center that's there, LA Live, Crypto Arena, which we know is historic because of all the championships that are won there. And then just south of that, we have USC, which is one of the largest employers in the county. Yep. Uh one of the most popular uh universities in the nation. Uh, we have Expo Park with its wealth of museums, parks, and recreational areas, historic site because of the Olympics and the soon to be the next round of Olympics. And then we have everything else. So, you know, south of King Boulevard is the border of where I'm describing all of this wealth. Tray Tech is also there. TrayTech is a community college that does amazing work preparing, you know, professionals who enter different careers. They have several programs in the fashion industry, culinary arts, construction, technology. And so it's it's a it's a great community college to have in the area. And then the rest of the district, it has sparse assets when you're when you're talking about material assets. What the district does have is a deep history, a beautiful history of people who have invested in what we call home. Black organizing has lived and existed here. We have legacy folks like Juanita Tate and all these amazing land trust organizers who have fought to protect not only territory from being, you know, out, you know, sold out to folks in, you know, who want to exploit the land, but also provide dignified spaces for cultural and housing opportunities for our communities. Organizing has been, you know, has been a core function in this part of the district. Churches are a big part of what have helped this community. And now you have a high concentration of culinary experts who are every night out there providing amazing food. Right? You know, we call them street vendors. I say that in other parts of the district, street vending is called farmers markets, and we give them a different level of respect and support than we are giving people in my community. But as you can tell, I have a deep love and admiration for folks who have made this community be thriving. And it's it's full of a lot of people who are proud to call South Central home, who bring uh this high energy. There's been this resurgence in folks who are reclaiming the term South Central, because as you know, we were rebranded to South LA for decades, and now folks are saying, forget that. We are South Central and uh we're we're reclaiming it. So there's a lot more arts and wellness and and other opportunities for folks to you know claim that community. I also will say that not to only focus on the needs of South Central, but you know, I've been in communication with residents in the downtown parts of the district. And so there are folks who call downtown home who are working class people too. They work in the bars, they work in the entertainment aspect of downtown whose needs are also not being met. They're impacted by, you know, the same issues related to homelessness and folks struggling with mental health issues and city services not reaching their parts of town despite all the glitzy apartment buildings and other complexes around them.
SPEAKER_04Aside from your home, where in the ninth district do you spend the most time? What do you enjoy?
SPEAKER_02Wow, so there are several great places to visit in the ninth. You know, there's Mercado La Paloma, which is an amazing development by Esperanza Housing Trust. So they have restaurants. It's getting some great restaurants. Great restaurants, right? It's always been an amazing gem. But since Holbosch was open, now you see long lines in and out of there. That's an amazing place. The wetlands is another, it's a you know beautiful resource that was opened in the community. It is, to me, one of the primary wellness and fitness places that we have available to us. And it's also a site where folks can come and learn about ecological functions. And you know, there's room for growth and development, and there are some folks energized around transforming that space and making it better. I spend a lot of time in restaurants as well. There's a lot of great Salvadorian food, Mexican food. I'm trying to think about other places. I go through to a lot of coffee shops, a lot of restaurants. You know, I walk my dogs every night around my neighborhood. I'm having a you know hard time thinking about other places because unfortunately, in order for you to do more, you have to drive out. But the beehive is another site that was recently opened up. I know there's a lot of cultural events that happen there. Folks have their you know concerts or events going on there. And then along Central Boulevard, obviously, you know, it's a historic jazz center where jazz festival just recently. Yeah, the jazz festival, which was tremendous, big turnout, amazing food, amazing art available there. And so there's a lot of cool stuff that happens. The other great gem that we have now is the bike path that just opened along Slauson Boulevard. Yep. And so, you know, I went running there with some young folks that organized a running club to come out and take advantage of that. And I also rode my bike from my house all the way to Ciclavia, which happened along Central Boulevard. So there's a lot of good stuff that happens down in the ninth that I'm really proud of.
SPEAKER_04What is missing in the district that you would like to bring to the district? Sure.
SPEAKER_02Well, one is city services. So we're missing a lot of that. Good message discipline. So that is, I mean, it is, you know, no surprise that city services are needed because anywhere you go in the city, you know, folks are calling for more of that. Sidewalk repairs, better lighting, tree trimming, trash pickup. But in my district, having those services be delivered in an efficient manner will be transformative to the community. It is one of the critical ways that we can turn this community around to support businesses, to support residents, and to also build neighborhood pride and show residents that the city cares for them. Like I said, you know, you know, the district is the perfect intersection of all the deserts. So we need more opportunities for shopping. There's very few supermarkets delivering high-quality produce, meat, and other food to families. So there's opportunities for that, opportunities for shopping. Even though it is one of the lowest income districts, it's the lowest income district in the entire city. The reality is that business, big businesses don't come to my district because they think people there don't spend. Yeah. Well, poor people spend all of their money. And what's happening is we're spending it outside of our district. We're spending it outside of the district. And so it's a big loss, not only for CD9, but also for the city of Los Angeles, because retail is nowhere to be found closer to where I live. One of my visions that I have is again, I live right next to the 110th freeway. So you know there's a lot of health-related issues that come with you know the heat and the noise pollution, the lack of green canopies, the air pollution, correct? And so there's a 15-mile strip that starts at King Boulevard all the way down to almost Century Boulevard where the district ends. I believe that if we transform both sides of the freeway on the outside by planting trees, planting gardens, making that area bikeable and walkable, you address three things. You one, make the neighborhood more beautiful, demonstrating to residents that you care. You give the residents ownership over their community so that they can feel free to go outside, be outside in the evening. If you have the right lights, people can go outside and walk their animals or walk their with their kids, ride their bikes, or walk themselves. So you build up public safety by beautifying the communities that way. You also address the illegal dumping that happens. So on any given week, you have construction crews come and dump their debris there because they're too cheap to take it to the city dump, or folks are dropping their furniture there or tree trimmings. And then you also encourage people to go outside and exercise to address the health issues that residents in my community deal with, cardiovascular issue, obesity, and the list goes on and on. So by creating more green spaces like that, more recreational spaces, again, you transform communities, but you I do believe that if we accomplish that, we won't only help the residents directly impacted there, but the entire city, because it'll help clean up the air that we are all breathing in.
SPEAKER_04I want to ask about some citywide issues, and it's okay to talk about them citywide, or it's okay to talk about them in the context of the district, either way. The first one I want to bring up is one that I know is of significant importance to your district because it has such a large immigrant population. Immigration is the issue in Los Angeles right now. Obviously, you've got a lot of personal history with the issue. You mentioned you have been happy to see all the attention and effort that various levels of government have been bringing to the issue. What else do you think the city could be doing? What would you like to see us do more of?
SPEAKER_02I think that is a it is a really important and is supercharged because I feel that the city has had a a great response. And I feel like Los Angeles doesn't realize how lucky we are to have Mayor Bass at the helm of the city. I mean, she really has demonstrated her courage and demonstrated her tenacity and the way that she will stand with poor immigrants and you know and and and folks who are marginalized no matter the cost. I, you know, I do think that we have to think creatively about how we're gonna respond because this federal government has demonstrated that they don't care about civil or human rights. They don't care about, they don't care about laws. And that is what makes this really troubling is that on on you know, under any given circumstance, I think we have a packet of things that we can answer, right? The I think the legal support continues to be important. So having you know funding for lawyers to go in and you know and put up a you know a fight and protect folks, whether documented or not. I think that providing first aid financial support to families who are too afraid to go outside or who are losing hours because work is either closing or they're not able to go to work as often as possible. So having those financial resources to ensure that people stay housed, because the last thing we want is for people, more people ending up on the streets and for landlords to then be impacted because the tenants are not paying rent. I also really appreciate the way that this response is gonna actually require us to be more fragmented. And I don't mean fragmented in the sense that we are divided, but I feel like you you know we're gonna need more everyday people, more residents to also be quick to respond on the ground. The way that rapid response networks have been activated to alert one another and to protect residents, we've seen families talk to neighbors around having an action plan of what happens if vice shows up to your door, or what happens if the kids come home and the parent won't be home that night because something unfortunately happens to them. And so it is gonna call on our humanity. And so, any way that the city can work with nonprofit organizations who have you know a more nimble response and who can actually get the resources directly to families, that's gonna be critical. And I also think that it does require a administration standing up. I you know, I'm really proud of what I saw from Newsome yesterday saying to universities if you take the bait from the Trump administration and you accept their demands to sign this contract and basically cower to them, you also stand to lose money from the state. So you pick which one? Are you going to be courageous and stand up? Because that is, you know, I think that's what I've been most disappointed with by the this, you know, administration has been how many folks have been cowering and you know, and just giving in, you know, very different than the first administration. And so the to the extent that the city can do more. And the last thing I'll say is the other really complicated, but in my mind, not so complicated is the role of the police.
SPEAKER_04I was just about to ask about that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So so what is the, you know, what how how is law enforcement you know being directed in our city to respond to you know moments when you know ice comes and invades our neighborhoods. Is your job to protect and serve the people of Los Angeles, or is your job to stand tall with your, you know, what you call your brothers in, you know, in serving? And I think that, you know, these are folks who are paid by LA City tax dollars, who are hired by the city to protect the people of the city, and that has to be their priority, and there should be no gray area because we don't have any room for us to ask what their job is. We know what their fundamental job is, and we need them to be courageous and actually stand with the people of Los Angeles, not with the Trump administration. And which do you think they've been doing? I mean, if you look at the videos, it looks like they were choosing to stand with the Trump administration.
SPEAKER_04It sure does. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I mean, they were out there to protect ICE agents from protesters. And then if you saw the peaceful protesters being attacked by quote unquote less lethal ammo, the reality is that they showed which side of this issue they're on.
SPEAKER_04Haven't seen or heard much criticism of that, though, from the current elected officials in the city.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and you know, I will be honest that I often wonder if that is my own naive thinking that does, and maybe you can educate me on this. So as a council member, are you basically you know instructed that you know you're you know the mayor is who has the more direct line to the LAPD? She hires the chief, right? That's that falls under her purview. Does that mean that the council then has no role? Does the council, you know, are they overstepping their boundaries by being openly critical or demanding more from our law enforcement agency? Because if not, there certainly is the need for our elected officials to demonstrate more courage and to be more blunt about what we expect of our law enforcement officers.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I mean, you know, in the 90s, Zev Jaroslavski and Mark Ridley Thomas and Mike Wu and others, they weren't silent with Darrell Gates, right? And after the Rampart scandal, the council didn't stay quiet on that either. There's the actual power you have, but then there's also just the power of the microphone that you have as an elected official.
SPEAKER_02We need to be hearing our elected officials come out and be more forceful and more blunt about needing to protect our residents in Los Angeles, especially since the LAPD now has something like 40% Latino officers. And to me, that is it really is a disgrace that you have so many brown officers going out attacking folks who are defending brown people. Yeah. And as I know that immigrants is not only brown folks, but you know, brown people are the face of these attacks. I know that, you know, at the end of the day, I know I haven't talked enough about this, but you know, there are a lot of Afro-Latino and black immigrants in the district. And they are also being affected by this. Asian immigrants are being affected by this. And so this is an opportunity for us to educate folks about who is truly being impacted by overwhelmingly by the immigration repression that is happening, and also understanding that it is a tactic to put a face, a brown face, to this issue, because then by dehumanizing people who look like me, it makes it easier for other folks to say, well, this is not really an issue impacting me. So therefore, you know, you know, let them figure it out.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. Since we're on the subject of police, I'll sort of reorder the questions from where I was going to ask them and ask about public safety. What do you think we need to do to keep our neighborhoods safe?
SPEAKER_02So I think that there this is a layered response. Uh, I feel like first we need to invest in community. So I just mentioned one easy way of making uh South LA healthier and safer by investing and providing public services. You know, when I meet with residents, they ask for the police when the situation gets so extreme and so scary that they feel afraid to step out of their home. But what they're asking for before that is can you fix the lights? Can you make the streets safer? Can you clean up? So there's all these issues that come before the police, which is what we see in other parts of the city.
SPEAKER_03Yep.
SPEAKER_02That you know, that we are taking care of folks' basic needs. So therefore, law enforcement is only needed whenever there is an extreme case of violence or a dire situation where they need to be called in. You know, I live in a community where the helicopter is flying over my home five, six days out of the week, sometimes at two in the morning, and I really don't understand why that has to happen every single night. The health impact that is having on folks in my part of the city is really concerning to me because if I know that if I'm struggling with it, everybody else around me is as well. And so I'm also, you know, I've been really vigilant or paying attention a lot to the city is having financial issues, and it feels like everybody is having to bear the burden of those the financial crises that we're facing, except the police. Like that, it seems like their budget is being largely kept intact. Yep. There's talks of us, you know, hiring more folks there, even though they're hiring freezes, or luckily there was, you know, the layoffs were prevented this year, but there's still you know, people having to do with less in other so folks are having to tighten their belts in other areas. Yeah, in all the areas that you think should be invested in. Absolutely. That that to me come you know top of the list before law enforcement. So I also the flip side of that is that one of the bigger contributors to the financial problems that the city is having are the lawsuits that we're settling because of force of use by officers. It feels like anytime there's a situation where an officer has overstepped their duties and has abused someone, there's a long line of folks to come out and defect and protect them, right? They have a union that protects them, they have a commission that doesn't, you know, that recommends some type of accountability, but that then is watered down by you know layers of bureaucracy. So what happens is people have a right to be upset and ask about why the police budget is so high, if it's not only that we're paying for the salaries and benefits and overtime of police, but then we're also having to pay for their irresponsible actions and there's no accountability for folks who actually get away, or then turn around and sue the city, you know, and then they get millions of dollars for doing something that when you read the story, you're like, What? Why is this person collecting millions of dollars after doing something so egregious? And in CD9, we had an example of that where we had you know a boneheaded captain come in. We this is the firework incidents where you know we had them detonate fireworks in the middle of the street, folks died, homes were destroyed, and some folks are still displaced, right? Sure, yeah. And it was because someone had gotten promoted to that role, didn't know what they were doing, and they sent the command that then had these you know deadly consequences. And you know, I think there was a story that said that person was then later promoted. And so, you know, it's just that it goes back to like when we ask why people don't vote, and when we ask why people are so upset, we often don't follow the paper trail to say to show that like folks see these things happening in our community and become cynical. But before becoming cynical, people become really disenheartened and just you know disenchanted with our local officials who they put in place to put up a fight and defend them first. And it seems like folks are wringing their hands and not doing more to uplift these solutions that folks are calling for.
SPEAKER_04So the city's essentially broke. You know, our budget chair has said this ain't gonna get better anytime soon. You've said that there's things that you think the city really needs to be doing that we're not investing enough in. You've noted that in times of austerity, the police department actually grows. Does it then follow that you would like to see more money invested in services, community services, community investments, even if it means taking money from PD?
SPEAKER_02I think if there are budget cuts in the city and everybody is having to sacrifice, then it makes sense that them, as colleagues of other city employees, also do their part and sacrifice some of their own comforts in order for us to come together as a city to resolve this budget crisis that we are facing.
SPEAKER_04When I ask candidates about public safety, there's a question I always like to ask them. When is the last time you felt unsafe?
SPEAKER_02I'm taking the time to think about this because I want to be careful about how I answer it. And that is because every single night I am exposed to how unsafe conditions are. are in my community. I see the impacts of mental health on the streets. I see the impacts of violence that are still very prevalent. I have the citizen app, which goes off at all hours of the day.
SPEAKER_04And my cleaning for stuff real and imagined.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. And like I said, the helicopter is always flying over. And I'm not talking about flying over like you hear it, like it's a mile away. It's like literally flying over my house and coming there all the time. And so I am hyper aware of how tense and how difficult things are. I walk my dogs every night at 10 30 at night in my community which deals with all these issues that I am mentioning to you. And in the 10 years since I got my first dog and now I have three that I've needed to walk them every night I personally have felt threatened by violence twice in 10 years. That doesn't mean that violence isn't happening. And I don't want to downplay the fact that there is unsafe stuff happening. What I will say is to continue the conversation we were just having is I am highly concerned when I see the over policing that is happening in the community. When I see traffic stops that translate to four patrol cars and 15 police officers being there to pull someone over. Because that is that is still happening. I am concerned about when the police is called for something that happens in the community the fact that 10 squad cars come out to arrest one person. And so it makes me wonder going back to the question of where the budget is going is why does it require 15 officers? And it seems like two of them are doing the arrest and the rest are standing around talking to one another or closing the streets, diverting traffic. So I feel more unsafe when I walk through piles of trash on my streets. I feel more unsafe when I see people with mental health needs who are not being properly taken care of. I feel more disrespected when I see that I feel unsafe when I see people being pushed onto the streets or having to live in vehicles not because of those individuals but because I feel that I am living in a city that isn't prioritizing the people who we should be prioritizing.
SPEAKER_04Prior to the first week of June I can't imagine not starting the section in this interview about citywide issues without starting with homelessness. Things have changed so immigration is such a hot issue but let me go to homelessness. This may seem like a basic question but what do you think is the cause of homelessness and what do you think are the biggest impediments to progress?
SPEAKER_02I think all of us are trying to solve poverty and no one is trying to solve greed. And all of the solutions that you see the tug of war of you know should rent go up 3% or 5%? Yep. The fact that it costs $6000 to build one unit of housing you know I was talking to a friend who does affordable housing and she was saying how the city made her organization jump through one year of hoops to build some affordable housing units but that if she was a private developer she wouldn't have to deal with the same nonsense. So I think that there are two conversations that I often go to whenever I'm you know engaged around housing. One, we need to increase the housing stock, right? Like you know I'm I do I want to believe that it is true that if we build more housing the cost will go down but in our economic system that's not the way things work. It's kind of like with tariffs right like one of the things that made me really upset was to learn that if Samsung machines are going to go up by $10 because of tariffs then GE is going to increase their prices only so that they can make as much money as Samsung does as opposed to them decreasing their prices so that they could become more competitive and give an edge and you know better deal to consumers right so and I feel like that's what is happening people want city government to fix problems that are beyond the control of elected officials like the prices of housing the prices of construction insurance costs utilities I mean all of these you know pardon for using this term but they feel artificial. It feels like these prices are made up right like the the house that I I purchased you know if I would have bought it five years earlier would have cost me $2000 less. If I tried to buy that same home today it cost me $5000 more than when I bought it. Right. Probably you know and so it's the same house in the same plot of land in the same community. And the fact that people are asking for a million dollars to live in South Central Los Angeles and I love my community but I, you know, if I'm paying a million dollars for this home it, you know, I wish government had leverage over who controls the economy and who controls where the prices are set. Because what's happening is we continue to put a lot more pressure on the folks who are closer to us. So that's where you know you see landlords are really concerned about you know the you know how much we can increase cost of housing or cost of renting but the folks who are above them the folks who are buying up all the land and transforming them into these multi, you know, multi-uh tenant housing like those folks like it those those they feel like they're out of our reach. Right.
SPEAKER_04The ninth district has not entirely unique but but pretty specific housing dynamics in it. You've got you know the downtown part of the district where you've got a lot of desire for economic investment uh where people would like to do you know more hotel rooms and and and stuff like that or high rises. Then you've got you know the the South central part of the district where housing is just not affordable for people, but a huge risk of gentrification and displacement when development comes in. How do you intend to balance those competing dynamics and what would your housing philosophy be?
SPEAKER_02That's the million dollar question and it's the biggest fear multi-million anyone yes thank you. Now I guess we're dealing in billions it's a billion dollar question now. It is the biggest fear and I think it's the biggest battle that the left is having when it comes to beautifying our communities. It is and it's an ironic one because we all want better, more beautiful communities and some people are afraid of beautifying communities because they're like oh as soon as you plant a garden it then it then gentrification follows right and the next thing you get a hipster coffee shop. That's right. So you know there is still a significant amount of homeownership in this part of the district. Yeah I mean you know this is one of the areas where historically it was one of the few areas where black families were allowed to buy homes because of redlining and because of like like I mentioned government jobs and other opportunities were able to actually buy homes there. And so that's why you have folks who have been there for generations. So I think it's a combination of giving people reasons to stay because you know rightfully so a lot of folks moved out for their own safety. We have to educate people and give them reasons to want to keep their homes and to want to stay put. Yep. And that means helping them you know fix their homes, upgrade them and then give them you know opportunities for them to have the resources they have whether it's shopping health healthcare access etc etc so what is happening right now and I I you know get these calls at least once a week of someone calling me and telling me they'll they'll offer me cash to buy my home. Yep. Right. And if you know anyway so if someone is telling me they'll give me an exorbitant amount of cash for my home I have to weigh the consequences of do I take this bundle of money pay off my debt and move somewhere else and then leave behind whatever comes with it because in my community we don't have luxury housing going up. What we have in you know closer to me is we have this these companies one in particular that I'm thinking about that comes, buys single family homes, tears them down and then builds you know a forplex and then sells you know rents them for crazy amount of money.
SPEAKER_04Right.
SPEAKER_02And so it's both meeting a need but also it's such a predatory practice and you're destroying the character of these neighborhoods. And so so you asked a very specific question. So what I would love to see is for us to come up with a master plan that revitalizes corridors that creates opportunities for multipurpose housing where you're able to provide a shopping and other services at the bottom and then housing at the top which is a model that's been happening all over the city. I would love to see the city become more restrictive about who can buy land here. If I had a magic wand I would actually put a cap and people would have to prove their income they have to prove their zip code before buying land in in a specific community. I would love to see us put forth solutions like allowing city employees to be first in line to have access to new housing that is being built. You know we have a lot of folks who live really far or are forced to live really far and then travel to come and work here. And certainly we have folks who choose to live very far. I mean you know folks who choose to live in other cities and in other areas and if that's your choice you know you have to respect personal choice but also you're taking city money and you're spending it somewhere else. Yeah. You're spending your tax dollars over there. And so so I think that people who live in the city who want to continue to invest in the city should be rewarded for being employees of the city and bringing a service there because there's a pride that comes with you delivering services to the neighborhoods that where you actually live.
SPEAKER_03Yep.
SPEAKER_02And then I do think we have to do more to to cut the red tape. So like I said if these organizations are building affordable housing we need to fast track and make it easy for them to build the same way that we're you know fast tracking rebuilding of the palisades. I mean those you know you know folks rightfully so I mean that was a big disaster but we are also making it super easy for folks to build over there. And I feel like those opportunities should also be made available to people in these communities. Because I wonder like would we have done as much or made it as easy to rebuild if South Central would have burnt.
SPEAKER_04Right. Well just comparing Pacific Palisades with the neighborhood where the fireworks blew up sure right yeah and those are like 10 houses. Yeah right right I got to ask about transportation. You have in the 9th district an enormous number of people who are transit dependent who rely on the bus system. You also have it's one of the unsafest areas of the city for pedestrians and for cyclists. What what is your transportation agenda for the 9th district?
SPEAKER_02Again we have to look at transportation corridors and for us to transform them to make you know bus lanes more accessible so that it's a partnership with Metro the you know Caltrance and other departments that by more accessible you mean bus only lanes? Bus bus only lanes I think bicycle lanes are really important. Bicycle lanes ironically are really they're what is the word I'm looking for they're controversial in some neighborhoods and I think you're you're recording in one of them and we're just a few feet away from a very controversial bike lane. And it's so it's and I think so I think we have to educate people about the importance of protecting you know you certainly dealt with your high amount of heat for that in my community bicyclist are invisible. Yes you know every morning every night you see especially men come home from work with their little backpacks you know and they're riding to and from work but also for kids you know kids today you know there you see a lot of you know bike groups that are going around so one you know I think that we have to make tough conscious choices that we are going to be for people who are pedestrians and who are riding bikes. Yep or people who want to get get out of their cars. I mean there's a lot of folks who say all the time like I would love to ride the bikes or I'm sorry I would love to to ride the bus but it's unsafe or there's not enough or that you know it's just not accessible to me. And so so I think we have to come up we have to do you know we there's probably a lot of studies that have already been done. I think Marquise did a great job of this along western along Broadway south of where I live ironically so I would love to borrow his idea and continue development and connecting Broadway from where his district starts over on Manchester all the way up to downtown. I think Broadway is one of the highest transited streets in the district and so by making buses more accessible making bike lanes more accessible and then also us educating folks because one of the biggest issues that that we have in my side of town is street racing and street takeovers. And those you know will take more work but putting a 21 year old behind a Dodge charger that has an engine that really should be on a track. Yep and giving them the keys and saying go and and test this vehicle which you know has too much muscle for you to even be able to handle I think that something needs to be done. We obviously again the city doesn't have control over how auto manufacturers build their engines but to use the bully pulpit and to also call for us to you know be more responsible with not only the cars that that are being built but also the folks that they're being sold to because a lot of the accidents are happening as a result of people you know using our streets as speedways. Olympics are coming what do you think about that? Another big topic of conversation historically South Central has not fared well with the Olympics I think that what do you I think I know what you mean by that but tell me what you sure well this is a little known part of history but before the BO Stadium was built on Figaro and King Boulevard that used to be the Los Angeles Sports Arena during the 94 Olympics the LAPD set up an operation there and they rounded up hundreds of black and Latino men and they kept them there in in confinement. Yep and then the Olympics came and they went and then they let them out without any explanation we know the explanation because we are from these communities we know that that you know these practices have existed for decades and today we're dealing with an amplified version of that with Trump uh you know empowering ICE and then him crowning himself king Olympics. So the threat is there for us to relive that but there's you know I mean there's been so many talks about this about the economic ramifications we're on the hook for you know with the Olympic committee if we don't deliver on the venues and the fundraising. So all of those are genuine fears. And I also think that train has already left the station and so now we have to do the best that we can to get in front of it in order for us to get the most benefit from it and decrease the amount of impact that it's going to have on our city. But certainly the fear of gentrification, the fear of business practice exploitation certainly is there. I mean there's this big controversy around this you know save our streets or save our city initiative that is being proposed around making Airbnb more available to folks. So I just think we have to be mindful about how people are positioning themselves to gain from this because there's billions of dollars coming. One of the things that I'm keenly aware of is our city is putting a lot of attention into the infrastructure of the city we're putting less giving less attention to the human capital. We're doing less and we need to do more to prepare primarily black owned businesses, Latino owned businesses, LGBTQ owned businesses, women-owned businesses to benefit from all of that money that is going to spent identifying opportunities as well for folks who aren't traditional traditionally part of the economic world right so the folks who are you know in in the underground economy typically we will criminalize those folks so that we give all of the financial benefits to the corporations or to the big businesses. Well I think this is an opportunity for us to flip that story and for us to actually make it so that the folks who don't traditionally benefit from these financial incentives and investments can be the ones who win because millions of dollars to a corporation is important and can you know impact their bottom line but millions of dollars to folks from the communities that I come from can truly transform and change people's lives for the better. And that is where I think our city can demonstrate and be a leader and showing that we are not going to hide our poorest we are not going to criminalize our poorest just so that we can give a face to the world that we look different than we actually do when the cameras aren't rolling.
SPEAKER_04Question about one of the dynamics in this race. Kern Price has a staffer who's running and then both you and Estuardo are sort of I think vying for the progressive activist lane. One of the concerns that many people on the left have these days is there they don't think the mayor has been sufficiently progressive. And you know the mayor has a very close ally as council president in Marquise or friend or successor at Coco. And there's concern that having another person so close to the mayor would make it harder to achieve some progressive objectives. Talk about your dynamic with the mayor you've obviously got some history where you agree where you disagree and how you would navigate that or respond to that concern.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So I've known mayor bass for 35 years of my life and the fact that we are living in a time period where the mayor isn't seen as a progressive is laughable in my mind. And I certainly don't agree with every decision that she has made I also have not been in the room to weigh the the impact of the decisions one way or another. So it's easy to to criticize from afar which the left we are very good at doing because we're never satisfied no matter who's in charge or what decisions they make. We nitpick at everything uh we always think that we have a better solution and certainly I think it is our job to push leaders to do right and to be you know to make more humane decisions. I also think that we have to be very mindful and I personally believe that we are very lucky to have Karen Bass as our mayor. I think that in this moment in history she is the right leader to guide this city through this you know horrible like economic crisis that we are dealing with the humanitarian crisis of the homelessness issues that we're facing and then these attacks from the federal government. I think she is creative I think she's courageous and I think she is proactive Karen Bass is also one of her biggest flaws is that she doesn't go around taking credit for everything that she does. She's very good about putting forth very progressive solutions and ideas and directing dollars to the benefit of poor primarily black and brown folks but certainly she thinks about other folks as well and doesn't go around waving the flag about it and say look at what I did. So I think folks attack the decisions that are public and don't pay enough attention to what is actually happening. So if you see the way that she has mobilized around housing people it's hard to see it because our issue is just so much bigger than we're we're able to show the fact the way that she's moved money, the folks that she has prioritized for getting housing I mean there are real lives that are being saved because of her actions. I am not running to be the mayor's puppet. I am not running to be a rubber stamp for her. I am running to represent the people of the ninth and I am running as a dissatisfied constituent someone who has been working to improve South Los Angeles for decades and someone who is promising to bring the same level of enthusiasm and organizing strategies and coalition building that I've had you know contributed to this city for decades to advance the conditions in the city. And that means that sometimes I'm going to agree with her sometimes I'm going to side with her and sometimes I'm going to fight her. And I I think that's okay. And she understands that. Yep. And I think that folks on the left should continue To be dissatisfied should continue to push us. Um, I also, because I have worked inside of government, I can also tell you that it's easy to talk shit when you haven't been on the inside. And all of the great ideas that you have run into a huge wall once you understand the layers of bureaucracy and how you understand how government actually works and what slows down progress or what prevents it from even happening. And so I I, you know, I remember when I first went to LAUSD, you know, one of the things I've always told my lefty friends is you should actually come and work inside and you should learn how it is to actually be on the inside because it'll really inform your, you know, your ideas and and your vision. So your strategy. And your strategy. Absolutely. So, you know, I respect folks uh, you know, who believe that. I I understand, you know, where they're coming from. And I also would not be running if I didn't think that I was a better candidate than everybody else who's in the race.
SPEAKER_04We're almost out of time. So I got to about five or so rapid fire questions. If you get elected, which committees would you like to serve on?
SPEAKER_02I would love to be a part of the plum committee to look at land use. I think we we have to change the way that we look at land in in the city. I would love to join the the technology. I'm very interested in addressing the digital divide and the way that the city can be a better partner to residents to stay connected to this new world. And then obviously, you know, the budget is the big one, and that's the one where we have to be critical and we have to be courageous about standing up for working class folks.
SPEAKER_04Which member of the council would you say you are most politically aligned with?
SPEAKER_02Marquise. I mean, hands down. I mean, Marquise has been a mentor, you know, he's been a part of my life since I was 16 years old. He's a big supporter of my campaign, and he's someone that I continue to look up to and I appreciate his leadership at the city, but also the way that he goes about standing up for people in his district and now for the entire city.
SPEAKER_04Uh, do you have a favorite book or a book you would recommend people to read?
SPEAKER_02Favorite book? Yes. So I I, you know, I absolutely love reading, and I'm having a hard time naming just one, but uh, you know, if I was to give folks one, uh, the color of law is what I would recommend for people to read. If you want to understand how people of color have systematically been kept from owning land, owning homes, and being able to build wealth, and vice versa, the way that government has always stepped in whenever there's been a crisis to rescue people in living in times no different than what we're living today. I will say that the government has done a lot to help white folks and that the reason why white people have more financial and you know and wealth resources is because the government has invested in making that promise a reality. And not only has it prevented people of color, primarily black people, from being homeowners, yeah, but it has actually gotten in the way and taken away land from black folks whenever that, you know, whenever they've been able to make those advancements. And so if you want to go to sleep really upset every single night while also being really educated about the way that land use works, I would say pick up the color of law.
SPEAKER_04Color of Law by Richard Rothstein. And I don't know if you've read it yet, but there's a sequel that he and his daughter wrote about solutions that people have been trying called Just Action.
SPEAKER_02Oh, I love it.
SPEAKER_04So I'll recommend that one back to you. Two last questions. If if you had a campaign theme song, or maybe you do, what is it or what would it be?
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So my campaign theme song is Kendrick Lamar, The Man at the Garden. So the lyrics, uh, you know, he says, I deserve it all, and then he lists all the things that he feels like he deserves. And that's what I want for my district. That's what I want for the people of Los Angeles. I feel like we deserve it all. I feel like, you know, folks really love each other in my community and look out for one another. And this song is what I wish for every single person that I call my neighbors.
SPEAKER_04Final question: three words to describe Los Angeles.
SPEAKER_02It is beautiful, it is artsy, and it is a center of resistance.
SPEAKER_04Awesome. Elmer, thanks so much for joining me.
SPEAKER_02Thank you, Mike. You bet.
SPEAKER_04And that does it for this episode of What's Next, Los Angeles. Thank you so much for joining me. My thanks also to LA Forward for sponsoring this podcast, and to Tonya Lucias for editing and producing it. We will be back soon with more episodes in this series of interviews with candidates running for state legislature, for local office, and a lot more. Until then, take care and peace.