The December 12 swearing-in of our new Culver City Council was a disheartening evening with the City’s conservatives hooting and jeering while people were saying nice things about departing Council Member Alex Fisch, who had worked tirelessly to improve the City’s financial condition and to protect it from the public safety hazards of the Inglewood Oil Field. Before they adjourned, the new conservative Council majority repealed the twenty-five dollar an hour minimum wage for health care workers and planned a little Christmas surprise for our unhoused neighbors.
I turned to a wise friend and asked “Whatever shall we do now?” My wise friend said “Organize!” He reminded me that we have been here before. Now we have two progressive voices on the Council. A few years ago, we had only one progressive voice on the Council, and yet we did make some progress. It took people in the seats in the Council Chamber, and it took organizing. We just have to do the work.
As our new Council Member Freddy Puza observed, now is the time to organize for election year 2024. That’s a big one! Locally, we will have three Culver City Council seats on the ballot (with one member of the Council’s “Grinch Caucus” terming out) and two CCUSD School Board Members. Vote16CC will never give up until our young citizens are enfranchised. Our Club has endorsed their efforts at every opportunity.
On the LA County level, the 2024 ballot will see our Supervisor Holly Mitchell and District Attorney George Gascon up for re-election. We can expect a wave of misinformation around the D.A. race. (Because everyone knows there was no crime in LA County before Gascon came to town. LOL)
Statewide ballot propositions for 2024 (I kid you not) are already being qualified. Among them is a referendum to repeal SB1137—the 3,200-foot oil drilling setback enacted by the State Legislature.
California will have a U.S. Senate seat on the 2024 ballot. If Senator Dianne Feinstein decides not to run again, this will be an open seat. Who might run for that seat is the hottest guessing game in town.
The usual every-two-year cycle will put our two Club members—Congressional Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove and AD54 State Assemblymember Isaac Bryan—up for re-election.
And, yeah, by the way, there is that thing with the U.S. Presidency.
So, for 2023, I resolve to organize for 2024. Let’s get ready as individuals and as a Club. We will be competing against organized money that can drop a cool half million to buy one seat. It will take organized people to win.
Yes, we can.
Happy New Year.