As a young boy, William “Rodriguez” Morrison recalls looking up to Art Snyder, the Eastside councilmember who represented district 14 from 1967 through 1985 – before it included Boyle Heights.
Morrison would go on to follow the footsteps of the last Republican, non-Latino politician to hold the CD 14 seat: he served as a Marine for a decade and ran for various political offices over the years, in hopes of continuing Snyder’s legacy in his own unique way.
In 2017, he ran for the 34th Congressional District and took 3.2% of the vote, coming in eight place in that year’s primary election. He’s also run for city council, for Los Angeles mayor and California governor.
Though he has yet to be elected into public office, the 63-year-old continues to run in hopes of bringing back a sense of neighborly love and care to CD 14 – all the while focusing on two core issues: homelessness and public safety.
“I really feel that Snyder was a mentor to me and many others in the neighborhood in a lot of ways,” Morrison reminisced. “He was always out in the community, had a big personality and made sure everyone was being heard. Art was even there supporting me back when I first started running.”
Though Morrison first ran for CD 14 in 1996, he says his political career began in 1982 when he was appointed as a Neighborhood Watch Block Captain in Boyle Heights. Neighborhood Watch programs utilize connections between local residents and police to promote safety and assist in detection of crime, which he says helped foster community and build a collective effort towards bettering the neighborhood.
“It’s all about neighbors caring for neighbors, and nowadays a lot of that’s changed,” he said. “Most people don’t even know their neighbors. Just a few weeks ago there were some people tagging near my home and when I went to go check it out, one of the youngsters asked me what I was doing out there. I told him, ‘this is my neighborhood, man. You might not know me, but I bet your dad knows me. Stuff like this just isn’t right.’ He said ‘sorry about that, bro, we won’t tag here any more.’”
He says he’s never been afraid to call out crime when he sees it, not only because he cares deeply for his neighbors, but also because he’s not scared of death. A Marine from 1990 to 2000, Morrison recalls being shot on multiple occasions over the years, including during Desert Storm in Iraq.
“God still has me here for a reason, for a purpose, for my journey to be completed” he said. “I just want to see the community act like a community, caring for each other again. We don’t need all the violence and craziness we see happening nowadays. That needs to change.”
Morrison says compassion for all has driven him to participate in many community activities, from Neighborhood Watch to serving as a baseball, softball and football coach for neighborhood youth. He has also served on both the Boyle Heights and Lincoln Heights neighborhood councils at some point.
“Being born and raised [in Boyle Heights,] my compassion is with the whole district, all of my neighbors both new and old,” he said. “I promise I’ll look out for them no matter what.”
Morrison says this communal compassion must include the unhoused, and he’s got a plan ready to get homeless people off the street and on their feet: vocational training with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers out in Owens Valley. He believes it will not only help those open to it gain valuable skills, but also uplift them financially to one day be able to afford a home.
In addition to helping the unhoused, he wants to ensure that folks who have lived in the neighborhood for generations are able to afford living in CD 14. If elected, he hopes to push for enforcing a city ordinance where only a quarter of every resident’s monthly earnings go towards paying rent.
“Being born and raised [in Boyle Heights,] my compassion is with the whole district, all of my neighbors both new and old. I promise I’ll look out for them no matter what.”
William ‘Rodriguez’ morrison
“And for our seniors like me, folks who are getting older in the neighborhood, we need to keep property taxes [low enough] so that folks aren’t being pushed out,” Morrison added. “We shouldn’t be forced to move away from our roots. That’s not something I want for my or any family living here. I hope we’ll be able to see our grandchildren enjoying one of the greatest cities.”
Though CD 14 hasn’t seen a Republican councilman since Snyder, Morrison hopes people in the community will vote for him based on his character and history giving back to the neighborhood. He has held several positions within the Republican Party over the past decade, from Pacific Coast Director for the National Federation of Republican Assemblies to a member of the California Republican Assembly Board.
Even as a conservative republican, he says he hasn’t faced difficulties or pushback from community members regarding his campaigns over the years. Morrison says his campaign is hard at work to ensure he secures enough signatures to get on the CD 14 ballot. He hopes constituents will support him this time around.
BOYLE HEIGHTS BEAT CANDIDATES PROFILES
Here are the nine candidate profiles published so far, in alphabetical order:
Samir Bitar: ‘I see what’s not being done and I know how to do it’
With a background in museum management, the CD 14 hopeful says his top priority is bolstering the district’s civic arts profile, including creating more affordable housing for local artists and restoring historic sites
Wendy Carrillo: ‘We need a fighter… somebody that’s from here’
The Salvadoran immigrant and assemblymember hopes to bring change to Council District 14 – including Boyle Heights, the community where she grew up
Nadine Diaz: ‘I’m running again because the corruption hasn’t stopped’
Born and raised in Boyle Heights, the 61-year-old educator and healthcare professional looks to lead CD-14 from a health and social-worker perspective
Genny Guerrero: ‘I address what’s actually happening and bring solutions to it’
The El Sereno native and CD-14 hopeful talks about mobilizing voters for the March primary, better ways of handling the city’s housing crisis and her ideas for being ‘transparent and receptive’ as a councilmember
Teresa Y. Hillery: ‘I can be a bridge between communities’
The lawyer and public transportation advocate says she wants to empower neighborhood councils in CD-14, which she aims to represent
Ysabel Jurado: ‘I am in tune with what people are saying on the ground’
Touted as the go-to progressive among CD-14 candidates, the Highland Park attorney believes in ‘development without displacement,’ increasing renter protection and a more holistic approach to public safety
William ‘R’ Morrison: ‘It’s all about neighbors caring for neighbors’
A veteran of multiple political races, the conservative Republican vying for CD 14 is focused on homelessness and public safety as his campaign’s core issues
Nick Pacheco: ‘I have the experience; I’ve done it’
The former CD 14 councilmember is trying once again to recapture his seat, rallying for community involvement but relying mostly on past accomplishments
Eduardo ‘Lalo’ Vargas: ‘I have nothing to lose’
The youngest aspiring candidate to CD 14 –and only Socialist running– believes the city should do more for its working class, including affordable housing and free public transportation
