Being a candidate to serve the area that raised you can make the everyday ups and downs of a campaign hit just a little more personally. As someone who was raised in Boyle Heights I am deeply invested in making sure that my neighborhood has a Councilmember who understands what residents from the 6th Street Bridge to Indiana and Ramona Gardens to Washington Blvd. deserve. After years of turmoil from its elected leadership our community merits the type of Councilmember who is willing to fight for every last vote.
It’s been discussed publicly that neither candidate Santiago nor candidate de León have agreed to show up to the Boyle Heights Beat Council District 14 Candidate Forum on February 10 at Méndez High School. Why not? Do they both think they have Boyle Heights on lock? Do they not want to face each other? The Boyle Heights residents planning to attend this event should see the whole field of candidates to make their decision on who to vote for once they receive their vote-by- mail ballot the first week of February.
To be honest, deciding to not show up would just be more of the same. Both candidates have been missing in action from other in-person forums across Council District 14.
Our community of Boyle Heights is built by hardworking people who every single day get up and fight for their futures regardless of what obstacles may be thrown their way. Whether it’s the small business owner finding a way to make rent and payroll against the tide of gentrification, or the immigrant homecare worker taking the bus down First Street to make ends meet for her family, or the first generation college student paving a new pathway for themselves and their loved ones, Boyle Heights is made of people who show up and find a way.
I am proud that prior to redistricting this past December, I had the opportunity to serve a small portion of Boyle Heights in the Assembly and I did my best to find ways to deliver for the community that raised me. I showed up when I secured $50 million in state funding to rehab LA General Hospital to help solve our city’s homeless and mental health care crisis. I showed up when I secured $15 million in state funding for Homeboy Industries, founded in Boyle Heights, the largest gang rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world, to support the expansion of employment opportunities and comprehensive wrap-around services. I showed up and delivered $17.2 million to Clínica Monseñor Óscar A. Romero and $7.8 million to Via Care’s César Chávez Health Center to ensure that amid massive displacement of our most vulnerable, everyone in Boyle Heights has access to quality healthcare and mental health services regardless of their income level or legal status.
My track record shows that I am a proven homegrown fighter who loves this community deeply and delivers results for families like yours and mine. I’m ready to show up and continue to fight with all my heart to give Boyle Heights its voice back on the Los Angeles City Council. I’ll see you all at the Boyle Heights Beat Council District 14 Candidate Forum on February 10th. I’ll be wearing my Roosevelt High School Alumni swag, proud class of ‘98.
Boyle Heights Beat welcomes and encourages opinion pieces on a diverse range of topics from members of our community. Boyle Heights Beat does not necessarily support or endorse the opinions expressed by the author.
