About a dozen people gathered on Sunday afternoon in an Echo Park living room over pinwheel sandwiches, freshly-squeezed lemonade, fruit and brownies to meet and support Luis Lopez's run for a state assembly seat.

The casual and intimate brunch setting allowed Lopez to get to know his voters and, in turn, gave voters an opportunity to know him.

Lopez, 38, is one of the candidates running to represent the 51st District which encompasses all of unincorporated East Los Angeles and the Los Angeles neighborhoods: Echo Park, El Sereno, Silver Lake, Eagle Rock, Glassell Park, Cypress Park, Lincoln Heights, Garvanza, Montecito Heights, Highland, Elysian Valley, Chinatown, Solano Canyon, Angeleno Heights and historic Filipinotown.

Lopez, who was born in the unincorporated area of East Los Angeles to immigrant parents, earned a B.A. in Sociology from Pomona College and a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University. 

After college, Lopez went on to work within the district for nearly a decade. He was planning commissioner for the East Area Planning Commission for the City of Los Angeles. He also served as co-chair on the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council. 

“I think this is a guy who is very community-minded,” said former Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg. “There’s a difference between someone who is connected with a community and someone who is not.” 

Currently, Lopez is a communications director for a healthcare nonprofit and is an active advocate for improving healthcare access in underserved communities.

If elected, Lopez said he plans to institute universal healthcare for all Californians including undocumented immigrants. 

“My first and foremost priority will be implementing federal healthcare reform,” Lopez said. “I believe healthcare should be a fundamental right. Everyone should have access to care.”

The 51st District is 72 percent Latino, a population with a high risk of developing diabetes. For families without health insurance, the disease is costly.

Veronica Vega, 36, an LAUSD teacher who attended the meeting, said she believes health education can help prevent diabetes and other common diseases in her community.

“It’s so important to educate,” Vega said. “We need to bring that collaboration into the classroom and into the educational system and really educate about health and how to take care of ourselves.”

Education is another concern Lopez said he plans to focus on if he is elected. Job creation, fair tax policies and the environment are also top issues on his agenda.

“I will be a progressive, homegrown, coalition candidate,” said Lopez who voiced his dedication to bring immigrant, LGBT and other diverse communities together. 

The meet-and-greet with Lopez was one of several in the upcoming months. Each meeting will be held at different locations throughout the district, giving more voters an opportunity to learn about the candidate. 

“Being here and having an opportunity to meet him and dialogue with him builds credibility,” Vega said. “How many times do we vote for somebody because we share their beliefs and [think] they’re going to be a voice for us; and then their voice changes in terms of what they actually do.”

 

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Reach contributor Angela Blakely here.