This board endorses Sandra Fluke for State Senate for her concrete platforms that emphasize social justice. Though Fluke is new to the 26th district, we believe she will bring a much needed, fresh perspective to the Senate.
Fluke gained national recognition after testifying to members of Congress about the need for birth control to be covered by health insurance. If elected, she said she plans to continue advocating for issues of gender equality and health care access, among other issues. The focus on sexual health is especially important for a representative of UCLA, since a state audit found that the university does not do enough on sexual assault education.
In an interview with this board, Fluke expressed her support for California’s new “yes means yes” law, indicating that she is willing to tackle controversial legislation.
Fluke is also one of the few candidates for any office to pointedly campaign for the rights of the LBGT community and the transgender community specifically. She’s helped pass equal employment legislation and worked to ensure that domestic violence shelters accept all victims, regardless of their sexuality. Issues of basic equality should always be top priority, and Fluke has the knowledge and educational background to fight for them.
Both Fluke and her opponent, Ben Allen, are campaigning on issues of environmental sustainability, transportation reform and veteran resources among other topics. Both seem equally equipped to take on these issues at a state level, though Fluke has more experience helping state senators pass legislation.
Compared to Allen, who is a native of the district, Fluke has relatively little experience working with the UC system. Allen attended UC Berkeley School of Law and served as a student regent on the UC Board of Regents from 2007 to 2008. He is also currently a lecturer at the UCLA School of Law.
In his year as a student regent, he was able to push through a sustainability measure that secured more LEED lighting and sustainable food. But Allen’s familiarity with the UC system does not automatically make him qualified for the lofty task of securing more state funding for the University.
Allen is currently a member of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, where he developed a “Cradle to Career” initiative to strategize a way to ensure more children have access to higher education. Achievements in a singular school district, although honorable, do not prepare a candidate for advocacy on the state level.
Although Allen has more experience in the district he is campaigning for, Fluke’s progressive platforms makes her a better candidate for state senate.