Los Angeles County residents are about to play musical chairs in local 2020 elections. Familiar faces will position themselves to take on new seats due to term limits forcing out incumbents. 2UrbanGirls highlights key races we are watching.
Mark Ridley-Thomas
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas (MRT) will soon be announcing his intentions to run for Los Angeles (LA) Council District 10. The soon to be vacated seat held by LA Council President Herb Wesson. Wesson has already declared his intentions to run for MRT’s 2nd District Supervisor seat. Although MRT has spent a great amount of time coddling members of the Black community, there is a growing uprising in Lennox due to his offices inability to be responsive to the needs of Latino residents.
Things came to a head when the city of Inglewood approved a massive hotel at the Inglewood/Lennox border which will increase traffic on a residential street heavily walked by Latino parents bringing their children to school. Inglewood Councilman Ralph Franklin publicly declared during the council meeting to approve the project that “the county (MRT) had no issues with the proposed site and/or traffic plan”. The majority of public comment on the project came from Lennox residents who live on the street which will serve as the ingress/egress of the hotel.
When 2UrbanGirls reached out to the Supervisor’s office for comment, we were ignored, as usual.
MRT will face Grace Yoo and possibly retired Sen. Isadore Hall III.
Aja Brown
Compton Mayor Aja Brown recently became a first time mom. Despite mixed reviews on her performance as Compton mayor, she entered the 44th Congressional District race against incumbent Rep. Nanette Barragan. Despite dropping out of the race, after a dismal fundraising performance, Brown still managed to garner over 45,000 votes.
Brown continues to raise her profile as it relates to state issues. MRT recently included her in discussions for Governor-elect Gavin Newsom’s transition team and she was also put on a diversity and inclusion advisory board for the entertainment industry.
Related: Amazon Backs Trade Publication’s Hollywood Diversity Effort
Brown is definitely positioning herself to run for Asm. Mike Gipson’s Assembly seat. Gipson’s field representative, Michelle Chambers, has announced her intentions to run for Compton City Council and word on the streets is Gipson is refusing to support her.
Herb Wesson
LA Council President Herman (Herb) Wesson has announced his intentions to take over his former predecessors Supervisor seat. As a former staffer for Yvonne Brathwaite-Burke, he was knee deep in a residents revolt over a planned affordable housing project at the intersection of Slauson and Overhill. Affluent residents from Baldwin Hills, View Park and Windsor Hills threatened to take their tax base and incorporate into a city if the County didn’t heel to their demands. The county folded like a deck of cards and we now enjoy an expanded Simply Wholesome. Lennox residents are eyeing their options to turn themselves into a city due to the County’s failure to be more engaged in their needs.
Wesson has faced a lot of scrutiny over personal financial issues which doesn’t detour him from planning for his next election. He and his fellow LA council members have failed to address housing and traffic issues in the city who leads the nation in congestion and homelessness. He and his councilmates have approved projects in the Downtown Los Angeles area leaving relatively no parking for visitors and he has his hands full with his “soul brother” Jose Huizar’s legal problems. Wesson was forced to remove Huizar from all committee assignments while we wait for him to do the honorable thing and gracefully resign.
Wesson is expected to face former councilwoman Jan Perry and the streets are attempting to encourage Sen. Holly Mitchell to run. Mitchell enjoys the comfort of running unopposed to represent her district and isn’t expected to term out until 2022.
Roderick (Rod) Wright
2UrbanGirls looks forward to former Sen. Rod Wright reclaiming his Senate seat from Steve Bradford. Governor Jerry Brown has pardoned Wright and with new legislation sponsored by Bradford, and signed into law by Brown, residency requirements have been relaxed, it puts Wright in an excellent position for a political comeback.
It is no secret Bradford isn’t well liked in Sacramento while 99.99% of the political world thinks very highly of Wright.
CA Democratic Party Chair
Although this election will occur in 2019, and not 2020, the results will have HUGE ramifications for the Democratic Party. Kimberly Ellis came within earshot of ousting disgraced former party chair Eric Bauman, who resigned when details emerged of his sexual assault of men and women. Bauman even went as far as pulling a Donald Trump and “grabbed men by their schlong” because he felt he could.
If delegates elect a “Berniecrat” the party will see a seismic shift in participation and a surgence of non-traditional candidates like a Maria Estrada who forced Speaker Anthony Rendon into a runoff.
The election of the new party chair will have a significant impact on 2020 elections and could make perceived “cake walks” into new seats an uphill battle.
1 Comment
Aja Brown knew she is in trouble of losing her set at mayor for not being there but could be other places. Charter reads if seat was empty for 60 days than whom ever loses seat. We really are going to get someone else that will do for Compton as Mayor. For she is not doing the people of Compton right. Our streets have pot holes and City is not clean as it should be. So we will be voting her out as soon as possible.