warning Hi, we've moved to USCANNENBERGMEDIA.COM. Visit us there!

Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

Politically Disillusioned Student Wants Underdog For City Council

Sarah Collins |
February 21, 2015 | 7:12 p.m. PST

Staff Reporter

View from Boyle Heights' E. 1st Street (Sarah Collins/Neon Tommy)
View from Boyle Heights' E. 1st Street (Sarah Collins/Neon Tommy)

Sophie Munez*, a college student at Cal State Los Angeles and Boyle Heights native, knew she could trust Mario Chavez with District 14 after hearing him speak at her school. After all, he was addressing a campus group comprised mainly of undocumented immigrants, which wouldn’t largely affect his voting percentages for the upcoming city council elections. 

Munez, however, thinks Chavez was wise in reaching out to the students, many of whom call his desired constituency home. For them, the most important issue is keeping their loved ones geographically close. 

“We live in mixed families,” she said, meaning some of legal status and some without paperwork. “A lot of people don’t know they could register to vote.” 

SEE ALSO: L.A. County Argues Right To Keep Billing Records From Public

Chavez, said Munez, is working to maximize local suffrage, which she sees as empowering. The candidate’s career includes working with at-risk youth, obtaining affordable health care in South and East Los Angeles, and advocating for immigrant rights, according to his website. 

Though, while boasting of many accolades, Chavez’s name isn’t typically the first mentioned for the position – or the second, for that matter. The underdog will have to beat out incumbent Jose Huizar and heavily endorsed Gloria Molina in order to call the position of District 14 councilman his own. 

This worries Munez, who doesn’t much care for the better-known candidates. 

Of Huizar she said, “I think he’s exploiting [the district]; I don’t think he’s for the community.” Munez said the current leader often host events in Boyle Heights’ main plaza, though they are, in her words, “exclusive.” 

SEE ALSO: LA Moves Closer On Legalizing Street Vending

The student said that while she admires Molina more because she’s a Latina in politics, her actions also prove less than favorable. 

“She’s been here for so long and knows where we come from,” said Munez, “but she’s for ICE.” The program she’s referring to, also known as 287(g), identifies undocumented convicts and often turns them over to federal authorities after their release from jail. 

Molina said at the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meeting in October that she believes the program will help keep the area safe. The controversial system is designed to classify convicts in three levels, Level 1 being the severest, and prioritize removals accordingly. This, however, does not always remain proportional to the crimes committed. A 2010 Migration Policy Institute study said that for Los Angeles, “the total number of detainers on Level 3 and traffic offenders…is among the highest in the nation.” 

Incumbent Jose Huizar political sign in Boyle Heights (Sarah Collins/Neon Tommy)
Incumbent Jose Huizar political sign in Boyle Heights (Sarah Collins/Neon Tommy)

Munez, who is herself ineligible to vote due to immigration status, is hoping for Chavez to secure a miracle win, though maintains the incumbent as the most likely victor. Her claim is easily supported upon a stroll down East First Street in Boyle Heights, where Jose Huizar’s name monopolizes the sporadic political signs posted in business windows. 

Regardless of where Chavez’s political career takes him, Munez hopes he “stays in that [public servant] mind and doesn’t change later on like every other politician.” 

The political science and Latin-American studies major thinks that even Huizar and Molina may have had honorable intentions to start, but were quickly overwhelmed by the hyperbolic world of politics. 

The City of Los Angeles Primary Nominating Elections will be held on Tuesday, March 3. 

*Name changed upon request due to undocumented status.

Contact Reporter Sarah Collins here. Follow her on Twitter here



 

Buzz

Craig Gillespie directed this true story about "the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Watch USC Annenberg Media's live State of the Union recap and analysis here.

 
ntrandomness