SUPERVISOR HILDA SOLIS - ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCATE

Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis is a member of the South Coast Air Quality Management District Governing Board. 

Supervisor Solis, a longtime environmental justice advocate, represents the County of Los Angeles on the SCAQMD Board.

Prior to becoming Supervisor, she served as Secretary of Labor for President Barack Obama. She was confirmed on Feb. 24, 2009, becoming the first Latina to serve in the United States Cabinet.

Her priorities included expanding access to affordable health care, protecting the environment and improving the lives of working families. As a recognized leader on clean-energy jobs, she authored the Green Jobs Act which provided funding for “green collar” job training for veterans, displaced workers, at risk youth, and individuals in families under 200 percent of the federal poverty line. She helped kick-start the study that would eventually lead to the San Gabriel Mountains being named as a national monument. As a supervisor, she has supported funding for parks and “parklets” in urban neighborhoods and other initiatives that promote sustainability.

During her tenure in the California State Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, she worked to reduce emissions from highways, trains, gravel operations, refineries, and other harmful sources in order to protect public health. She believes that such measures can meet the needs of both businesses and local communities, and that positive workable solutions can be found for the air quality issues currently impacting her district. Solis also served two years in the state Assembly.

Solis received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in 2000 for her pioneering work on environmental justice issues. Her California environmental justice legislation, enacted in 1999, was the first of its kind in the nation to become law.

GAVIN NEWSOM CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR 2018 FRONTRUNNER

Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, 50 yrs old, 6'3" tall, is one of the two Democrat frontrunners in the heated race to become California's 40th governor.

As the clout of Latino voters continues to grow in California, the governor's race could hinge on which candidate appeals most to this critical slice of the electorate.

 

The California Professional Firefighters (CPF) endorsed Newsom for governor, praising Newsom’s support for firefighters while he served as mayor of San Francisco.  The CPF union also took a subtle shot at Antonio Villaraigosa. While Villaraigosa served as mayor of Los Angeles, the city fire department underwent a period of steep budget cuts and staff reductions as the city struggled financially during the recession, drawing criticism from the city’s firefighters union.

“At a time when California faces a grave and growing threat from fire and other natural disaster, it’s essential that the next governor offer more than lip service to public safety,” Lou Paulson, president of California Professional Firefighters, said in a statement released Friday. “Throughout his public life, Newsom has built a record of standing up for public safety and the men and women on the front lines, even in tough times. He has earned our endorsement.”

Newsom and Former President Bill Clinton

Newsom's gun control efforts win him big endorsement
Newsom was the force behind 2016’s Proposition 63, which outlaws the possession of ammunition magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, requires background checks for people buying bullets, makes it a crime not to report lost or stolen guns and provides a process for taking guns from people convicted of a felony.

 

California Nurses Association opens independent expenditure committee to support Gavin Newsom for California governor. The nurses already have endorsed him and are major advocates for a state-sponsored single-payer health care program.

Newsom called on President Trump to resign over his reported labeling of Haiti, El Salvador and African countries as “shithole countries” in an Oval Office meeting.
 

CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR 2018 ELECTION

Six major candidates (four Democrats and two Republicans) have emerged as potential successors to Governor Jerry Brown.

The four Democrats are Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, former mayor of Los Angeles Antonio Villaraigosa, State Treasurer John Chiang and former California Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin.

 

The candidates participated in a forum at the University of Southern California on January 13th.  All answered questions ranging from health care to environmental and education issues.

 

 

Newsom holds an advantage in major polls, averaging about 25 percent to Villaraigosa’s 15 percent, and Chiang’s, Allen’s and Cox’s high single digits. Newsom’s early campaign unveiling in February 2015 failed to scare off Villaraigosa, the former Los Angeles mayor and Assembly speaker, and Chiang, the state treasurer.

Villaraigosa’s campaign thinks more Latino, African-American and low-income voters than usual will turn out in the Trump era’s first midterm congressional election, and that they would favor Villaraigosa over Newsom. Chiang’s campaign has argued that assumptions about Latino turnout have been exaggerated by at least one polling company, inflating Villaraigosa’s edge over Chiang in the battle for the No. 2 spot.

State Assemblyman Allen, Businessman Cox, and former U.S. representative Doug Ose could consolidate Republican voters’ support. Then the lone GOP hope could get into the top two and qualify for the November election. Newsom talked more about his proposals to spur economic development.

Villaraigosa and Chiang would be happy if the big topics were Newsom’s support for Senate Bill 562, which would create a government-run “single payer” health care system in California, and the performance of San Francisco schools under Newsom’s influence. Opponents charge that the single-payer health care proposal that Newsom supports would dramatically raise taxes; Newsom dismissed the cost factor, saying the current system is “insolvent.” They also sought to undercut Newsom’s claims about San Francisco schools’ achievements when he was mayor, citing that a study shows African-American, Latino and Pacific Islander student performance in San Francisco lagging behind other counties; Newsom’s campaign said minority students’ academic achievement improved during his eight years as mayor.

Newsom campaign communications director Nathan Click said opponents “making desperate attacks and trying to pile on” shows they know Newsom is the “clear leader in the race.”