Candidates for state senator at meet & greet
By A.R. Johnstone
Windsor Square residents Dena Bloom and Robert Klyman hosted two meet and greets with candidates running for the State Senate race of District 26: Juan Camacho and Sara Hernandez.
ASSEMBLYMEMBER Rick Chavez Zbur with hostess Dena Bloom.
The first event was with Camacho, whose family immigrated to Los Angeles from Mexico when he was a child. He is running for the vacated seat by Maria Durazo, who is not seeking reelection. Camacho’s platform is based upon “fighting” the Trump Administration, building affordable housing, creating access to affordable healthcare, advocating rights of LGBTQ people—the same promises that most candidates in California articulate on the campaign trail.
Camacho was introduced by Assemblymember Rick Chavez Zbur, who enthusiastically endorsed the candidate for the open seat. Dena Bloom facilitated a conversation with Camacho on issues ranging from Senate Bill 79 to immigration. He said he would have voted yes on SB79, however, he did say he would have collaborated more closely with the legislature to see how it could work better in areas like Windsor Square.
CANDIDATE Sara Hernandez spoke with neighbors in Windsor Square.
Camacho feels that we must do better at providing healthcare to all Angelenos. When asked how he would propose to pay for the increased costs of healthcare and other programs the answers were somewhat vague, other than stating that we will have to raise taxes.
He was adamant that he would not be supportive of a change to Proposition 13 and that any proposed wealth tax would have to be thought through as to not have high earners leave the state.
CANDIDATE for State Senate race of District 26 Juan Camacho (left), and Windsor Square neighbors Patti Carroll, Sam Uretsky, and Robert Reeves.
Camacho genuinely feels he wants to make Los Angeles and California a better place to live, although he’ll have to act fast as he will be taking on a role that will require instant action and solutions.
The following weekend the second of the candidates, Sara Hernandez, spoke. Hernandez has been a schoolteacher, volunteer at a nonprofit, and a land use attorney at DLA Piper. She grew up in Salinas and has called Los Angeles home for the last couple of decades. She stated her goals were for affordable housing, transparency, better communication with constituents, and clean and safer streets.
When asked how she would have voted on SB79, she too said she would have voted “yes,” with a caveat. An interesting point that came out of the Q&A was there are certain cities that got “carve outs” for neighborhoods in their districts—our state senator at the time did not request those carve outs for our neighborhoods. She said she would have.
Hernandez’s experience as a land use and real estate attorney would seem to be very useful in respect to the housing dilemma that the city faces. Again, the issue for most voters is that promises are made on the campaign trail, but when reality sets in, the bureaucracy and special interests play a major role in what can be accomplished.
Category: People
