The confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The passage of a self-serving, $1.5 trillion tax cut for the well-off. Numerous attempts to politically ax a now-cornerstone of the American health care system.
Californians have a lot of reasons to look indignantly at the United States Senate. Compromise is a thing of the past, values continue to be undercut and representatives grow more disconnected from those they represent.
And yes, that includes Democrats. Key among them: incumbent senator Dianne Feinstein.
The fourth-term senator has held the senate seat longer than many UCLA undergraduates have been alive. In her 26-year tenure, she’s spearheaded notable legislation, including a 10-year assault weapons banned passed in 1994. She voted in support of gay marriage against the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act and stands as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
But the list of accomplishments seems to stop there. It’s hard to put a finger on what exactly Feinstein has done in her past two terms in office. Bipartisan compromise might come to mind, save for the fact that federal welfare programs continue to be sabotaged and expansive issues like firearms enforcement and immigration reform persist.
More troubling is the fact that Californians have been forgotten in Washington D.C. Feinstein certainly isn’t to blame for lack of federal aid for widespread challenges such as ballooning college tuition, inflated housing prices and dried-up state infrastructure reserves, but it doesn’t help that her political go-to has been to take a stance when it’s politically expedient.
Californians are now afforded the chance to have their voices better heard in the Senate by electing Feinstein’s competitor, Kevin de León.
De León, a termed-out California state senator, has a long record of tackling complex issues – issues the federal government seems reluctant or unable to consider. He has a plan to spur economic activity while pushing forth a green climate agenda. He has a vision for how to expand Medicare to gradually cover all Americans, not just the elderly. He wants to increase federal investment in higher education by decreasing unnecessary military expenditures.
The state senator’s persona lines up with the majority of Californians’ needs. He’s been a sharp opponent of President Donald Trump’s anti-immigration platform, a proponent of universal health care and someone who has the smarts to tackle issues such as regulating the gig economy – Airbnb, Uber, Lyft and internet service providers included.
And he’s committed to these issues. De León traveled across the state to rally support for his platforms, including protecting California’s sanctuary state bill. Most recently, he appeared in solidarity alongside American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 union workers during their three-day UCLA strike .
Feinstein has had her run in the Senate. But de León ushers in a new era that champions students and the Golden State’s many communities.
De León, to put it in his words, would project California’s values in Washington, D.C. That’s ample reason for voters to cast their ballot for him.