Four Democrats, one Republican and two Independents have announced they are vying for the Congressional seat that oversees UCLA’s district.
The Rothenberg Political Report, which rates the degree of certainty that one political party will win a seat, rated the district of Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Beverly Hills as a “Safe Democrat,” meaning a Democrat will very likely take the seat.
The candidates are beginning the race for Waxman’s seat, which represents the 33rd Congressional District that includes UCLA and Westwood. Waxman announced late January he will not seek another term, after almost decades in the House.
Waxman, a UCLA alumnus who has served in Congress since 1975, helped pass numerous laws including the the Affordable Care Act, the Clean Air Act Amendments, early HIV/AIDS legislation to raise awareness and fund research, treatment prevention, and various tobacco, food safety and nutrition labeling laws.
Numerous individuals are contending for his spot in the House. The election for the 33rd Congressional District seat will occur in November. Filing to run for the position ends March 12.
Ted Lieu, California State Senator
Senator Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) of the 28th district will most likely win the California Democratic Party’s backing for Waxman’s seat, as he won the majority of votes in a pre-endorsement conference earlier last month.
Lieu, who has served three terms in the state legislature, passed nearly two dozen measures in 2013 that were adopted or signed into law such as bills regarding job creation, career training and consumer protection.
In an interview with the Daily Bruin, Lieu said climate change is one of his top priorities. He said he believes California needs to increase basic research and research funding for UCLA and other higher education institutions.
In the past, Lieu has helped pass laws banning sexual orientation therapy for children under 18 and he is currently planning to increase funding for the California Arts Council.
He has also supported labor unions in the past. Last summer, he spoke at a protest in Westwood for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees 3299 union, which represents thousands of University of California patient care and service workers. The workers were protesting the University decision to carry out its last contract offer without negotiating an agreement with the workers’ union.
Wendy Greuel, former Los Angeles Controller
Wendy Greuel, a former Los Angeles Controller and a Democrat, who ran for mayor last year will also be on the ballot.
“I’m ready to fight for this community – every neighborhood, every family – to create good well-paying jobs, to stand up for equal rights for everyone, to protect the environment, to provide affordable health care and to create the future for our children that they deserve,” Greuel said in a statement on her campaign website.
Greuel was chair of the city’s transportation committee and focused on reducing traffic as part of her work on the Los Angeles City Council.
As vice chair of the budget committee for the city, Greuel also helped cut business taxes by 15 percent.
Under the Clinton administration, Greuel served as a field operations officer for Southern California with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Henry Cisneros, and oversaw emergency response and recovery programs after the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
Greuel also worked in the private sector, including working in the Corporate Affairs Department for DreamWorks SKG and at her family-owned building supply company.
Greuel graduated from UCLA in 1983 and served as vice president of the UCLA Alumni Association.
Barbara Mulvaney, attorney
Attorney Barbara Mulvaney, who worked as an attorney for the United Nations and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, is also running for Waxman’s seat.
Mulvaney, a Democrat, has worked for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office and the state attorney general’s offices in Florida and New Mexico.
Mulvaney was senior adviser for the U.S. State Department at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, working on issues such as government corruption, legislative drafting, gender issues, data management and banking issues.
At the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, Mulvaney helped prosecute leaders in the Rwandan Genocide such as the Rwandan military officer Théoneste Bagosora.
“I come to the job with experience at all levels of government. I’ve worked in politics in L.A. from the time I was a child within the district,” Mulvaney said in an interview with the Daily Bruin. “I’m familiar with the issues of the district and I’m also familiar with the federal government and what issues arise through the federal government and internationally.”
Mulvaney said she would like to focus on labor, education and environmental problems as well as women and gay/lesbian issues.
Mulvaney added she would work to make student loans repayable with public service and have student borrowers pay lower interest rates.
Matt Miller, radio host
Matt Miller, a radio host for the show “Left, Right and Center” and former aide of Bill Clinton, is also vying for Waxman’s seat. Miller, who was a senior advisor in the White House Office of Management and Budget, also served as a White House Fellow, working as special assistant to the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.
“I think the country is on the wrong track and we have a huge agenda to renew our economy and the possibilities for young people for young people,” Miller said in a Daily Bruin interview. ” class=”inline-comment collapsed”>
Miller, who is a Democrat, said he would like to tackle challenges such as education, the high costs of college and climate change.
Miller said he wants to bring more focus to student issues, which he thinks does not get as much attention as he would wish because young people are not active enough in politics.
Miller has written two books about politics and is a weekly columnist for the Washington Post’s online edition. He also served on the board of the local education reform group Partnership for Los Angeles Schools.
“I think a fresh voice can make a difference,” Miller said.
Elan S. Carr, attorney
Elan S. Carr, the only Republican running in the race thus far, is a deputy district attorney for Los Angeles County who specializes in gang prosecutions. He prosecutes crimes such as murders, attempted murders and animal cruelty. He is also a former military officer who still serves in the Army Reserves.
“I believe that our representative in Congress should be … fighting for us in Washington and showing no hesitation in reaching across the aisle to get things done when it’s the right thing to do” Carr said in a statement on his campaign website.
Carr said in a statement on his campaign website that he is running for Congress because he believes the district needs new leadership to encourage movement in the economy and because he wants to ensure that the healthcare system is better able to cater to the needs of citizens.
In 1997, Carr was chapter advisor to the UCLA branch of the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. He now holds the position of 71st Supreme Master, one of Alpha Epsilon Pi’s highest positions, presiding over the Supreme Board of Governors and the Supreme Council of Alpha Epsilon Pi.
Marianne Williamson, author and lecturer
Candidate Marianne Williamson, who is running as an Independent, is a New York Times bestselling author and lecturer. Her published works include self-help books such as “A Return to Love,” “The Age of Miracles” and “Healing the Soul of America.”
“If elected, I will work with those in and outside Congress who are working on this already – for I feel, as many people do, that getting money out of politics is the greatest moral challenge of our generation,” Williamson declared in a statement on her campaign website.
Williamson co-founded The Peace Alliance, which promotes legislation to establish a United States Department of Peace. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the RESULTS organization, which works towards ending world hunger and poverty. In 1990, Williamson founded the program that provides AIDS patients with meals called Project Angel Food.
In November 2012, Williamson produced a conference in Los Angeles called “SISTER GIANT: Women, Non-Violence and Birthing a New American Politics.”
Williamson said she thinks the country should consider trying to offer free college education. She suggested that in exchange for a year of service, students could receive free higher education.
“I believe that humanitarian values rather than economic values should govern our civilization,” Williamson said in an interview with The Bruin.
Brent Roske, television producer
Brent Roske, an Independent, is a television producer and director. Roske was a co-creator and co-executive producer for “Chasing The Hill.” Roske was a creative executive at NBC Universal for 10 years and earned an Emmy nomination for the television series “Sophie Chase.”
Roske said, if elected, he would encourage different political parties to work together.
“(My campaign) is based on trying to get the two sides (of the political parties) talking together again,” Roske said in an interview with the Daily Bruin.
Roske said that because Los Angeles is the entertainment capital of the world, the city should have a representative from that industry in Washington.
He would like to make higher education more affordable, saying four-year degrees should not cost as much as they do, Roske added.
Roske said he suggests that universities incorporate more online classes to decrease the cost of education.
He said believes that university students do not get enough job related skills, and wants to make sure students are better prepared for the job market.