On  Saturday , March 14 , 2009, UCLA  State Government Relations hosted  a Candidate Forum for the 26th Senate District at West Los Angeles College. The 26th Senate seat was vacated after former Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas' successful bid for Los Angeles County Supervisor. Seven of the eight candidates participated in the forum.  The participants included:  Robert Cole, Assemblyman Mike Davis (D-South Los Angeles), Culver City School Board Member Saundra Davis, Mervin Evans, Cindy Varela Henderson, Assemblyman Curren Price (D-Inglewood) and Rabbi Nachum Shifren. Jonathan Friedman was not able to participate.

The day opened with a welcome by West Los Angles President, Dr. Mark Rocha and included the participation of panelists representing  the Department of Social Sciences from West Los Angeles and UCLA's School of Public Affairs.  The exchange between the candidates was colorful and marked by clear contrasts. The Special Election for the 26th Senate District will be held on Tuesday, March 24th.

For more information about the forum, please see the Los Angeles Times' article here.

For photos from the event, click here.