The UCLA Political Science Student Organization hosted seven Los Angeles mayoral candidates for a lively debate in Haines Hall on Wednesday.
Incumbent Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was conspicuously absent from the debate. Vastly ahead in polls and funding, Villaraigosa has declined to participate in any debates.
The political science organization split the debate into two sections. Three political science students served as moderators for the debate: From 6:45 p.m. to 8 p.m., Brynn Gruenberg, a fourth-year student, and Stephanie Ryan and Annie Moskovian, both third-years, posed preselected questions from students. The floor was then opened up to an audience question-and-answer session until 9:30 p.m.
Issues covered in the debate included transportation, immigration and the weakening economy, but regardless of the issue, candidates consistently criticized Villaraigosa.
The debaters had personalities as varied as their political positions, often tangling with each other and the audience. Clashes between the far left and far right became extremely heated, even rowdy.
At times, the conduct of the audience was aggressive. Two men wearing identical pro-Walter Moore T-shirts repeatedly made catcalls, faces and rude gestures in front of candidates as they spoke. Moore is the candidate with the most funding and popular support after Villaraigosa,
As candidate Carlos Alvarez answered a question about Villaraigosa’s support of Israel, three members of the audience stood up shouting. One woman yelled, “I’m not gonna stand for this!”
Despite the interruptions, the moderators were able to maintain a productive discussion that covered a broad range of issues and political views.
“For our first debate, it went really well,” Ryan said.
Moore used the conflict between the far ends of the political spectrum to his advantage. A self-declared moderate, the former attorney injected his sense of humor into his arguments.
“Democracy’s scary, ain’t it?” he said jokingly after a particularly raucous exchange among members of the audience.
Craig Rubin, another candidate and recent UCLA graduate, struck a spiritual and cannabis-themed tone. He advocated the end of prohibition on “the No. 1 cash crop in America,” and presented an idea to turn marijuana into an efficient biofuel similar to corn ethanol. He also emphasized the need for more manufacturing jobs in Los Angeles.
Candidate David “Zuma Dogg” Saltsburg often yelled into the microphone to iterate his positions. He was sometimes sarcastic to the other candidates and often criticized the current mayor.
Stevan Torres, who is running as a write-in candidate in the March 3 election, said he would cut several programs, including the Los Angeles tourism advertising campaign, “That’s so LA” ““ of which he has been critical in the past ““ and said he wants to bring an NFL team to Los Angeles.
Candidate David Hernandez adopted a solemn tone. He said that his government would adhere to the wishes of the people and he too was critical of Villaraigosa.
Phil Jennerjahn, the only debater formally endorsed by the Republican Party, stuck to his talking points. Favoring low taxes and small government, he sparred often with the two self-described socialist candidates, James Harris and Alvarez.
Harris and Alvarez stirred up the audience considerably with their views and were often interrupted by voices from the audience.
Eventually the moderators called for an end to all interruptions, which was mostly adhered to.
The Political Science Student Organization hosts forums, law school preparatory events and career panels featuring the State Department and the CIA. Primarily, the organization serves as a resource for political science students.
“Whenever we do events like this, we make sure that we have representation as far spread out (on the political spectrum) as we can so that people can understand what is going on,” Moskovian said.
Though the dialogue was lengthy and heated, the moderators and candidates were not without humor.
“No bloody noses,” Gruenberg said. “So I think that’s a plus!”