Supervisor Mark-Ridley Thomas Warming Up for The Mayoral Race
Last weekend, I stopped by the Fairfax, where an Ethiopian club held a candidate forum for the Council District 10. The following candidates were in attendance, Grace Yoo, Channing Martinez, Aura Vasquez, Melvin Snell, Supervisor Mark-Ridley Thomas. This piece will focus on three candidates.
There was a palpable energy in the room. The forum began, and questions started rolling in, candidate Supervisor Mark-Ridley Thomas answered them with so much ease. He has been in politics for the last three decades, he joined the city council in L.A in 1991 and then served in both houses of the California State Legislature. Currently, Mark-Ridley Thomas is a supervisor representing District 2 in the County of Los Angeles.
As other candidates in this forum spoke about their understanding of the problems, it was not hard to extrapolate why Supervisor Thomas is the shoo-in for this race.
Grace Yoo might be the only competition for Mark-Ridley Thomas. She was calm, collected, and passively aggressive. She answered questions thoughtfully. Grace Yoo comes from the vibrant Korean community, a community that has gained a lot of economic and political power in the last decade. According to her website, Grace Yoo is a lawyer who does work with wills and trusts. And she was also a candidate for this very same office in 2015. If elected, she will be the third Korean American councilmember serving in the L.A. city government.
Aura Vasquez displayed so much energy, but her responses lacked substance. She kept blurting out many cliches such as ” the boys club” and “revolving door” that were out of place and appeared to have been directed to Supervisor Mark-Ridley Thomas. According to her website, candidate Aura Vasquez is an immigrant from Colombia and a former commissioner in the city of Los Angeles. She was appointed by Mayor Garcetti to the DWP commission.
Aura Vasquez’s background on her website lists an impressive history of activism. Nonetheless, I did not see those well-thought-out responses that organizers, with that much organizing experience, tend to give when they are given the microphone. Also, she came across as a candidate who is against the establishment. That would be a tough case to make. Since she has been an extension of the paralysis taking place in city hall, she could not have been appointed to any commission, wasn’t she part of the Garcetti’s cult.
Supervisor Thomas was elected to the L.A. City Council, a couple of years before legendary Mayor Tom Bradley, stepped down. He represented the Eighth District in the 1990s and used the office to build civic organizations, The Empowerment Congress and the African American Voter Registration, Education, and Participation (AAVREP) being two of those.
The last time Supervisor Thomas was on the ballot for a contentious race, the country was on the brink of electing the first African American President in this country’s history. Supervisor Thomas was in a tough race running against Bernard Park for the board of supervisors. The African community was divided, and Thomas was able to get the labor support that came with a lot of resources. This race was dubbed the most expensive race in L.A County history.
City Council District 10 is comprised of communities in the south and west parts of downtown Los Angeles. District 10 is the smallest in the City of Los Angeles; There are roughly 250,000 residents. Moreover, 52 neighborhood councils have been certified, which include diverse communities such as Koreatown, Little Ethiopia, and Leimert Park.
This district has been changing in the last decade; African American candidates have to reach out to a broader audience. There is also a large segment of Latinos in this district, “Forty-seven percent of the district’s residents are Latino, compared to the city-wide average of 49%, while 24% of the district’s residents are African American compared to a city-wide average of 9%.”
Supervisor Thomas is leading in both fundraising and endorsements from major groups and politicians in this city’s civic landscape. He has managed to get endorsements from major labor unions in this city. From powerful United Firefighters of L.A. to L.A. County Federation of Labor to SEIU 721. Newly installed L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez, as well as Governor Newson support Supervisor Thomas. Furthermore, according to the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission’s website, Supervisor Thomas has raised a cumulative amount of $565,402.99 as of today.
Aura Vasquez has raised $85,412.80 and has gotten endorsements from the National Union Healthcare Workers-NUHW, Sunrise Movement, and a couple of others. Grace Yoo, on the other hand, got support from the influential Teachers’ union-UTLA and East Area Progressive Democrats-EAPD. She has also raised $165,781.00.
The pundits who like to slice-and-dice elections in this city believe that Thomas is just warming for the mayoral race in two years. And so is Kevin De Leon, who is also running for the 14th district. Los Angeles is a city where politicians blatantly deny to be interested in another office while running for one, and then once elected, they began campaigning for the office they deny to be interested in.
As one looks around, this city faces the same daunting challenges year in and year out. Deservedly so, one might argue. What can voters expect when they keep electing the same people for different offices?
There must be a way in which we can develop a new generation of leaders in our city’s politics. This is a problem in Los Angeles; most voters would like to see new people with a new vision and voice. Many of the new candidates currently emerging have not crossed the threshold of being leaders in their communities. Some of them are just fixated on their personal histories, and many have a thin resume doing community work. Hence voters keep electing career politicians.
The fundamental problems facing Los Angeles can no longer be solved on a superficial level. A deeper level of thinking is desperately needed. This city needs a new generation of leaders with a progressive vision and imagination to tackle the problems at hand.
Thank you for reading.
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Photo Credit: Picture was taken during the candidate forum
I really like the idea of having new voices and visions in the scene. It helps balance out inconsistencies and biases from long-term elected officials. Although, it may be looked at like structure in a sense it is nice to see a new face every now and then.
This article focused on Mark Thomas being the most prepared candidate for mayor. Supervisor Thomas is leading in fundraising and endorsements from major groups and politicians from the city. Thomas’ biggest competitor for office is Grace Yoo and she was graceful and thoughtful during questions. Unfortunately, Yoo and other candidates were pulling in no where near none of the numbers and funds that Thomas was collecting. I hate the fact that the success of running for office is usually based upon the funds raised and advertisement. I believe that the candidate that raises the most funds is usually the one who will sell out their own views to be in the spotlight. I think campaigning is the grievance of running for office. All candidates should not campaign and just debate their ideas on state television. This environment would give everyone an equal chance to run and it will be left up to the individuals mind instead of campaigning and fundraising abilities.
Mark Ridley should be very much intimidated by those who are running due to the diversity and new knowledge they have brought in to run.
What our city desperately needs is more funding for K-12 programs so that students can learn more about their civic duties and advocate for themselves in order to help secure a better future for their communities.
This informed me a lot, and I highly agree with the last part.
Two women of color who are on the race to win the position that has already been appointed to Thomas because of the endorsements from all these major groups and his 3 decades of experience in the political career there is no news that any of these female candidates have a chance to shine.
I agree with this article and we should make a change. In my opinion, if that same candidate was a supervisor for one district already and he/she didn’t do a change to it what will make us think that he/she will make a change to another one. We need new mindsets.
I think a big point is brought on when one asks how people could expect change when they elect the same people. I think it stems from education. I understand that I preach to the choir in this blog, but these people think they have no absolute power. The government has made in clear that they have utter and total control by imprisoning a third of their population. Finding a good leader is vital for these communities, but where can one find powerful black leaders in these communities when there has been no investment in schools. Books from my time in High School are still being used.
I agree, we as the newer generation need creative ideas that aren’t just for show but to improve our fast moving communities.
I do agree that we need new leaders who will take these situations at hand and do their best to make change for their community.
What would be the point of electing politicians in Los Angeles if they are not interested in the community? Why do the people have to suffer if they are not taking their job serious?
Then so far the best candidate for The Mayoral Race is Mark-Ridley Thomas. Judge from his experience, and his well-known for the community that he will leads. Maybe we have those leader who have a new imagination and vision to go forward and make a better place, but it is also depends on the experience. Just like the other two candidates, they might be great, but they don’t have those experience that they need yet. Not as long and as much as Mark-Ridley Thomas.
He’s experience is over shadowing the other candidates, and makes me wonder how one with such less experienced can compete. Makes me feel like I need to be more proactive to the community.
How can we expect change if we don’t give new faces a chance? Would it be too outrageous to give a less experience politician a chance to shine instead of electing a career politician who’s only concerns are what position is available for them to chase?
I agree, District 10 needs candidates that not only talk about tackling issues in the community but who actually involve themselves to fully understand the issues and the people who have to live with these problems. Once we have a candidate who can relate to its audience, that is when the real changes will happen. It is difficult to change something when one has not been through or had to endure any struggle(s), therefore it is becomes almost impossible for candidates to put themselves in the shoes of the suffering community. Los Angeles needs candidates that contribute to their communities regardless if running for council or not. We need candidates that we feel understand us and can relate to. Just because the candidates are qualified candidates, it does not mean they carry the communities best interest at heart. A candidate who not only relates but who also has experience and a resume of tasks completed that benefit the community. So far only one candidate can provide a list of accomplishments for the city of Los Angeles, all the other candidates are saying “I will..”, we need someone who has already been working towards the fix not just speaking about it to gain the votes necessary to win.
I agree, I believe that the City of Los Angeles deserves new politicians that can better represent the interest of its constituents.
I agree change will never come about if the same type of leaders keeps running for leadership roles whose goal is not the better good of the community. As a community, we need the next generation of good leaders that come about true change. Professor Chamba makes a good point as a community we need to stop believing who has a political history and allow fresh new minds into the race.