At Cal State Long Beach Tuesday evening, students assemble for a “peaceful protest” against the election of Donald Trump as president.” captionposition=”bottom-left” lightbox=”off” floater=”on” floaterposition=”left” floaterdirection=”none”] [aesop_image imgwidth=”250px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Screen-Shot-2016-11-10-at-4.40.33-PM.png” align=”left” lightbox=”on” caption=”Donald Trump” captionposition=”left” revealfx=”off”] [aesop_character name=”Cory Bilicko” caption=”Managing Editor” align=”right” force_circle=”off”] While there may not have been many surprises on the regional political front in the Nov. 8 election— as several incumbents regained their seats— Donald J. Trump once again shocked many— this time by nullifying the projections of numerous national polls and newspaper predictions and galvanizing a surprisingly substantial base to make the open seat in the Oval Office his on Jan. 20, 2017.
Although Republicans appear poised to take control of both the White House and Congress after Tuesday’s election, Democratic candidates prevailed on a more local level in the Long Beach-Signal Hill area.
Despite Republican Trump winning more electoral-college votes for president, his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, won the popular vote nationwide, and in Los Angeles County, she garnered 71.48 percent of the vote, while the president-elect got 23.45 percent. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson landed third, with 2.46 percent, followed by the Green Party’s Jill Stein earning 2.03 percent and the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s Gloria Estela La Riva receiving 0.58 percent, according to the registrar-recorder/county clerk’s office.
[aesop_image imgwidth=”250px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Screen-Shot-2016-11-10-at-4.40.39-PM.png” align=”right” lightbox=”on” caption=”Kamala Harris” captionposition=”right” revealfx=”off”] Democrat Kamala Harris, the state’s current attorney general, grabbed a seat on the US Senate, having earned 61.04 percent of the vote against another Democrat, Loretta Sanchez, who got 38.96 percent, or 795,561 votes.
Harris will replace Barbara Boxer, who announced last year she would not seek re-election.
“Together, we are going to lead the nation just as the state of California always has,” Harris wrote on her campaign website this week. “I am honored by the trust you have placed in me and ready to get to work in the Senate.”
Rep. Alan Lowenthal, the incumbent Democratic Congressmember from Long Beach, will be returning to the House of Representatives on behalf of the 47th District, having won 69.71 percent, or 67,629 votes. Republican Andy Whallon earned 30.29 percent, or 29,383 votes.
In a phone interview with the Signal Tribune Wednesday afternoon, Lowenthal said it means a lot to him that the people of his district have supported him and he hopes to live up to their trust.
[aesop_image imgwidth=”250px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Screen-Shot-2016-11-10-at-4.40.45-PM.png” align=”left” lightbox=”on” caption=”Alan Lowenthal” captionposition=”left” revealfx=”off”] The Signal Tribune asked the congressmember how he views the direction the government is heading, now that Trump has been elected president and Congress appears to have a Republican majority.
“That’s a great question,” Lowenthal said. “I would hope that this would provide us an opportunity to define the issues in terms of the importance to American, rather than political, ideology.”
Lowenthal said there are several critical issues that impact the 47th District that he thinks its constituents would like to see addressed.
One is transportation, including the movement of freight and goods, he said.
“How do we promote that [and], at the same time, protect our communities by reducing the negative impacts, especially pollution and greenhouse gases,” Lowenthal said. “So, that’s a challenge that we’ve tried to work on, and we’ve demonstrated great success in California. And I think it’s one that the nation should be supporting. I think we can do a lot more, and it’s the highest priority to our district, and it’s not a Republican issue, and it’s not a Democratic issue. It’s an issue of economic necessity if we want to compete with the rest of the world, to be able to have an effective transportation system and one that reduces pollution and reduces congestion.”
The congressmember said another focus— one he called a bipartisan issue— is the protection of human rights.
“Our district is an immigrant district who really requires leadership coming that [shows] human rights is an issue that America stands behind. That’s who we are. Republican [or] Democrat— you can build bipartisan support.”
Lowenthal cited his recent resolution— HR 728— which denounced the political repression of the current Cambodian government while calling for free and fair elections in the country.
“That had total bipartisan support, and that really was a great thing for our Cambodian-American community here in Long Beach and Signal Hill because it said that you can impact your Congress to do something,” Lowenthal said.
He added that the road ahead will indeed be challenging. He said Republicans in Congress asked him to be part of a small group called the Climate Solutions Caucus to devise environmental solutions, and he knew, going into it, that its progress would be difficult.
“Well, we knew, with the tenor of the country— both Republicans and Democrats in that caucus— we knew that, even before Mr. Trump was elected, it would be a difficult task. So, it’s going to be a difficult task to push that forward with this administration— not impossible, but we’re going to have to work at that. I was disappointed, but I’m ready to serve the people of my district and support our president and move forward.”
The Signal Tribune also asked Lowenthal if he had any words for those who are feeling disillusioned by the presidential election’s outcome, particularly the LGBTQ community, who now face potential opposition by what is expected to be a newly constructed Supreme Court who may not have their best interests in mind.
[aesop_image imgwidth=”250px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Screen-Shot-2016-11-10-at-4.40.49-PM.png” align=”right” lightbox=”on” caption=”Patrick O’Donnell” captionposition=”right” revealfx=”off”] “I think that if what you’re saying is if we now have, with Supreme Court appointments and others, real attack potentially, I share their concerns. We cannot allow that to happen,” Lowenthal said. “We have to really speak up. The Senate is still close enough in numbers. We have to speak up for human rights. Human rights should not be a Republican or Democratic issue. We have moved beyond the issue of whether the LGBT community should be or should not be protected. That’s done. They should be provided the same rights as other communities that we protect, whether it’s from religious discrimination or gender discrimination, the LGBT community has to be protected. And I share with you the concerns, but I will also tell you that this country is stronger than any one political party or president. We’re not moving back on our championing of human rights. That’s not going to happen.”
Another Long Beach Democrat elected to serve again, Patrick O’Donnell will be returning to his 70th District seat on the State Assembly, after getting 66.65 percent of the vote, at 69,834. His opponent, Martha Flores-Gibson received 33.35 percent, or 34,948 votes.
“I am honored the voters have elected me to a second term, and I look forward to continuing to serve as their voice in the Legislature,” O’Donnell wrote in an emailed response to the Signal Tribune. “As both a classroom teacher and chair of the Assembly Select Committees on Ports and Aerospace, my top priorities remain ensuring California is a global leader in public education and supporting the middle class with good-paying jobs here in our state.”
[aesop_image imgwidth=”250px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Screen-Shot-2016-11-10-at-4.40.59-PM.png” align=”left” lightbox=”on” caption=”Ricardo Lara” captionposition=”left” revealfx=”off”] Yet another local Democrat returning to office will be Ricardo Lara, representing the 33rd District of the State Senate. His Libertarian opponent, Honor Mimi Robson, earned 21.19 percent of the vote, with a total of 31,868.
Long Beach’s two marijuana-related measures, MM and MA, both passed.
Measure MA sets a gross-receipts tax for sales of medical and recreational cannabis, as well as establishing a tax on cultivation, processing, testing and distribution of pot in the city.
Measure MM will tax, regulate and allow medical-marijuana businesses to operate in Long Beach.
Further regulating cannabis use, Proposition 64, will legalize recreational marijuana for use by Californians 21 years or older. (See related here.)
Measure E, the Long Beach Unified School District Repair and Safety Measure, also passed. Placed on the ballot by the LBUSD Board of Education, the measure is expected to improve outdated classrooms and neighborhood schools by upgrading technology, labs, career education classrooms, electrical systems and wiring, according to the school district’s website. It is also expected to improve handicapped accessibility and earthquake safety, upgrade bathrooms, fire alarms, fire sprinklers and security cameras, remove lead paint and asbestos and fund installation of air conditioning to improve student performance. Top priorities also include upgrading indoor and outdoor athletic and physical education facilities, the LBUSD website states.
[aesop_image imgwidth=”250px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Screen-Shot-2016-11-10-at-4.41.16-PM.png” align=”right” lightbox=”on” caption=”Janice Hahn” captionposition=”right” revealfx=”off”] State voters also approved two other education-related propositions— 51 and 55.
“California voters have shown a strong commitment to education through the passage of Propositions 51 and 55,” said LBCC Superintendent-President Eloy Ortiz Oakley in a statement released Wednesday. “The ‘yes’ vote on Prop 55 will maintain a critical funding source, helping our K-12 schools and community colleges avoid billions in cuts that would have dramatically reduced our system’s ability to educate the next generation of Californians. Prop 51 in turn will help ensure that we can maintain and modernize our educational infrastructure throughout the state. Both are important investments that will pay major dividends in coming years through a more educated workforce and stronger economy, both locally and statewide. In addition I would like to applaud Long Beach voters for approving our local Measure E to fund badly needed upgrades in the Long Beach Unified School District, our valued partner in the Long Beach College Promise.”
Long Beach State University President Jane Close Conoley also applauded the passage of the education measures.
“Congratulations to Superintendent Christopher J. Steinhauser and the students and families of Long Beach Unified School District for the successful passage of Measure E,” Conoley wrote in a statement Wednesday. “This investment in Long Beach schools will translate into a better learning environment for our city’s youth. I also celebrate the passage of Proposition 55, which continues California’s commitment to K-14 education.”
The news this week has not all been congratulatory and celebratory. The presidential election results sparked anti-Trump assemblies across the country Wednesday night, particularly at the millionaire’s buildings in New York, Chicago and Washington, DC.
In Los Angeles, one assembly at City Hall ended with protesters marching across the 110 Freeway, causing traffic jams.
The evening before, at Cal State Long Beach, hundreds gathered for a peaceful protest, from the University Library to the Speakers Platform, but their shouted and written words were anything but gentle. “He’s not our president!” was the repeated phrase, while handmade signs bore the messages “F*ck Trump,” “I’m not with the orange” and “We have not been defeated, we have been called to organize,” according to the Daily 49er, the university’s student-run newspaper.
In an effort to address the concerns of those feeling disenfranchised by the election results, Porter Gilberg, executive director of The Center Long Beach, issued a statement Wednesday offering assistance to those who may need it.
“As the week moves forward, we will continue to offer support to anyone needing someone to turn to,” Gilberg said. “For immediate assistance, contact us at (562) 434-4455 and ask to speak to our intake department. We will also be partnering with other local organizations to increase our legal support services for trans folks and immigrants, and our mental health department is currently developing additional support group programming for those seeking space and solidarity with others.”
