Update on the Political Front, June 2019

Several elections have come and gone the past couple of months – here is your update:

LAUSD Measure EE was not approved by the voters. What does that mean for you? LAUSD schools will continue to be severely underfunded and not have enough counselors, nurses, and a steady fiscal future. I don’t want to pay more in taxes, but I will invest in our public schools, so I was disappointed in the result. In addition to educating our youth, LAUSD provides hundreds of millions of dollars in construction jobs and if the district isn’t fiscally sound, those jobs can dry up.

Good news is that Jackie Goldberg won her campaign and now represents LAUSD Board District 5. Jackie is vehemently pro-public schools, pro-student, pro-worker and will represent the area well. More good news, Long Beach City Council member Lena Gonzalez, another one of our endorsed candidates, will soon be sworn in as California’s newest State Senator. Lena was fantastic for us in Long Beach and we expect her to continue that pattern in Sacramento. Don’t’ forget that we have a special election on August 13th, 2019 in the North West San Fernando Valley. We’re currently deciding on our endorsement.

Last month, the California Democratic Party held a special election to select a new chair during a statewide convention in San Francisco. Rusty Hicks, the head of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, with IBEW Local 11’s support, was elected. You can be sure that Rusty will prioritize working family issues! I am confident that 2020 will bring labor more success stories with him at the helm of the California Democratic Party.

I speak to politicians about many issues – prevailing wage, local hire, electrical certification – but there is one topic that comes up more often and has made L.A. look and feel like a dump: the homelessness crisis. A recent report concluded that homelessness has increased in L.A. County by double digits. Homelessness is up for many reasons, one of them is the cost of housing. Would you be interested in volunteering on a project to clean up a neighborhood? Or feed those in need? Send me an email, we might be involved in a project in one form or another in the future.

sanchez@ibew11.org

I wish you and your family a safe summer. Please remember that there is no shame in asking for help when you’re experiencing stress, anxiety or depression.

Antonio Sanchez

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