News
Election Day Brings Changes to UCLA's Legislative Delegation
November 10, 2008
In addition to the race for President, California voters decided a slate of ballot initiatives and many state legislative races. All 80 Assembly seats were up for election, as well as the odd-numbered State Senate seats. Due to legislative term limits, there were four open State Senate seats and five open Assembly seats in the UCLA State Legislative Delegation. These open seats were considered safe districts for the incumbent party.
PROPOSITION 3 APPROVED BY VOTERS
California voters approved Proposition 3, the Children's Hospital Bond Act of 2008. Supported by the UC Regents, the measure provides $980 million to the 13 children's hospitals in California . Eight private, non-profit children's hospitals are eligible to receive 80% of the funds, $784 million or $98 million for each hospital. Five UC children's hospitals are eligible to receive 20% of funds, which is equivalent to $196 million or $39 million each.
Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA will use the funds provided by Proposition 3 to increase our overall numbers of neonatal intensive care, pediatric intensive care, and general pediatric beds. There is a 10-year period for using these funds in order to provide an opportunity for careful planning and time to address capital needs that may develop over the coming decade.
State Senate Districts SD 21 – Liu (D): Former Assemblymember Carol Liu garnered 67.3% of the vote to win her bid for Senator of California Senate District 21. She will replace Senator Jack Scott, who is leaving the legislature due to term limits. The cities of Burbank , Glendale , and Pasadena – the location of UCLA's home football games at the Rose Bowl are in this district. This district also includes the California Institute of Technology and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Senator-Elect Liu came to UCLA for a Candidate-to-Campus visit on October 29, 2008, when she toured the new hospital, had lunch with alumni and staff, and met with Chancellor Block and Vice Chancellor Peccei.
It is widely expected that Liu will continue to take a prominent role in advocating on behalf of higher education in the State Senate. Liu was the Chair of the Higher Education Committee in the Assembly, as well as the leading champion for the UC System in the legislature. She is a member of the UC Berkeley Foundation Board of Governors and has participated with UCLA in various events during her time in office.
SD 23 – Pavley (D): Former Assemblymember Fran Pavley garnered 67.7% of the vote to win her bid for Senator of California Senate District 23. She will replace Senator Sheila Kuehl, who is leaving the legislature due to term limits. The district includes the communities of Beverly Hills , Calabasas, Canoga Park , Pacific Palisades, Tarzana, Encino, Sherman Oaks, West Hills, parts of Oxnard and Port Hueneme, West Hollywood, West Los Angeles, Woodland Hills, Studio City and Santa Monica .
UCLA is located in this district. In 2007, Assemblymember Pavley served as a UCLA School of Public Affairs Senior Fellow. She has also made her presence at UCLA though participation in the annual UCLA Labor Center banquet and as a guest speaker on campus. Pavley will hold her district swearing in ceremony at UCLA on December 7, 2008.
Pavley is well known for her landmark climate change legislation: AB 1493. AB 1493 regulates vehicle emissions of greenhouse gases and helps reduce the impacts of global warning. She also was the author of AB 32, the landmark Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, along with then Speaker of the Assembly Fabian Nunez. Governor Schwarzenegger signed AB 32 into law and it has been widely touted nationally as a model for other states as well as internationally.
SD 25 – Wright (D): Former Assemblymember Rod Wright garnered 71.8% of the vote to win his bid for Senator of California Senate District 25. He will replace Senator Edward Vincent, who is leaving the legislature due to term limits. This district includes the cities of Inglewood , Los Angeles , Compton , Long Beach , and Palos Verdes Peninsula . Wright participated in a UCLA-hosted candidate forum in the district on May 17, 2008. He also participated in the UCLA-hosted Candidate to Campus Program on September 19, 2008.
During Wright's time in the Assembly, he had a strong relationship with UCLA. Wright convened several Legislative Black Caucus forums and retreats at UCLA between 2000-2002. In 2002, he participated in a UCLA School of Public Affairs policy briefing in Sacramento .
It is anticipated that a main goal of Wright's in the Senate will be the issue of reopening King Hospital in Willowbrook to full operation and to return Compton Community College to a fully accredited independent institution of higher learning.
SD 29 – Huff (R): Current Assemblyman Bob Huff won 54% of the vote to win his bid for Senator of California Senate District 29. Huff gave up his Assembly seat to move to the Senate, for he would not have termed out of the Assembly until 2010. He will replace Senator Bob Margett, who is leaving the legislature due to term limits. This district includes the cities of Arcadia , Bradbury, Brea , Charter Oak, Chino , Chino Hills, Claremont , Diamond Bar, Glendora , La Crescenta-Montrose, La Habra , La Habra Heights , La Verne , Mayflower Village , Monrovia , North El Monte, Placentia , San Dimas , Sierra Madre, Walnut, and Yorba Linda . It also includes portions of Anaheim , the Angeles National Forest , Citrus, City of Industry , East Pasadena, East San Gabriel, Hacienda Heights, Rowland Heights , and Tujunga.
As a proponent of reform within California 's school system, Huff has passed legislation to guarantee more funding for public charter schools and supports shifting more education money into the classroom by contracting out non-educational services.
Huff is the most recent Chairman of the Assembly Republican Caucus. He has served in the Assembly since December 2004 and is a member of the Assembly Committees on Education, Health, Transportation, and the Budget Subcommittee 5 on Information Technology and Transportation. We anticipate that these will continue to be his areas of interest in the Senate.
State Assembly Districts
AD 36 – Knight (R): Councilmember Steve Knight , son of former State Senator Pete Knight, won approximately 51% of the vote to win his bid for Assemblymember of California Assembly District 36. He will replace Assemblywoman Sharon Runner, who is leaving the legislature due to term limits. This district includes the North Los Angeles County cities of Adelanto, Lancaster, Palmdale, and Victorville. Knight is currently an LAPD officer and a member of the Palmdale City Council. Like the majority of Republican members elected to the State legislature, Knight has pledged not to raise taxes.
Knight has reached out and established relationships with business and government leaders from the cities of Lancaster, Victorville, Adelanto, and the surrounding High Desert communities. Knight will focus his time in the legislature on public safety, protecting Second Amendment rights, and advocating for concealed weapons legislation.
AD 40 – Blumenfield (D): Bob Blumenfield garnered 58.8% of the vote to win his bid for Assemblymember of California Assembly District 40. He will replace Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, who is leaving the legislature due to term limits. Blumenfield currently serves as District Director to Congressman Howard Berman. This district is located in the San Fernando Valley and includes the cities of Canoga Park , North Hills, Northridge, Reseda, Van Nuys, West Hills, Winnetka , and Woodland Hills.
This will be Mr. Blumenfield's first time in elected office. He received a certificate from the UCLA Anderson School Executive Program. As District Director to Congressman Berman, Blumenfield has been involved with UCLA on issues of mutual importance such as digital piracy.
AD 46 – Perez (D): John Perez , political director for United Food and Commercial Workers Union, garnered 85% of the vote to overwhelmingly win his bid for Assemblymember of California Assembly District 46. Perez will replace former Speaker Fabian Nuñez, who is leaving the legislature due to term limits. The district includes the Los Angeles County with Huntington Park and Los Angeles as its main cities. Mr. Perez was endorsed by Speaker Nuñez.
This will be Perez's first time in elected office. Perez has expressed that his time in the legislature will be focused on fully funding the "Classroom Instructional Improvement and Accountability Act” also known as Proposition 98, which requires a minimum percentage of the state budget to be spent on K-14 education. Perez also will also be an advocate for the Dream Act, which would allow certain undocumented students to apply for student financial aid administered by campus at the California Community Colleges , California State University, and University of California .
AD 52 – Hall (D): Councilmember Isadore Hall garnered an overwhelming 86.2% of the vote to win his bid for Assemblymember of California Assembly District 52. Hall will replace Assemblymember Dymally, who is leaving the legislature due to term limits. This district includes the cities of Compton , Long Beach , and Paramount . Since 2003, Hall has been a member of the Compton City Council. Prior to serving on the Compton City Council, Councilmember Hall was a member of the Compton Unified School District Board.
Councilmember Hall participated in a UCLA-hosted candidate forum in the City of Compton on May 17, 2008 at Martin Luther King Jr. Transit Center in Compton . He also participated in the UCLA-hosted Candidate to Campus Program on September 9, 2008 where he expressed his interest to return Compton Community College to a fully accredited independent institution of higher learning.
AD 54 – Lowenthal (D): Councilmember Bonnie Lowenthal garnered 57.1% of the vote to win her bid for Assemblymember of California Assembly District 54. She will replace Assemblymember Betty Karnette, who is leaving the legislature due to term limits. This district includes San Pedro, Long Beach , Palos Verdes, Rolling Hills, Signal Hills, and Avalon.
Prior to her election to the Long Beach City Council, Councilmember Lowenthal served on the Long Beach Unified School District Board of Education for seven years. Her focus in the legislature will include education, public safety, and environmental protection. Lowenthal has strong ties with several members of the UCLA Bruin Caucus Council.
Other Bruin 2008 Electeds
UCLA State Government Relations has a tradition of supporting and monitoring the political success of its UCLA alumni. This year Assemblymember Mimi Walters and Curt Hagman, Mayor of Chino Hills, were both successful in winning their bids for the State Legislature.
SD 33 – Walters (R): Assemblywoman Mimi Walters gave up her seat this year in the Assembly to run for Senate. This district in Orange County includes the communities of Brea , Coto de Caza, Foothill Ranch, Fullerton , La Habra , Lake Forest , Mission Viejo, Orange , Placentia , Rancho Santa Margarita, Silverado, Trabuco Canyon , Villa Park, and Yorba Linda . The district also includes parts of Anaheim , Buena Park , Irvine , San Clemente , San Juan Capistrano , Santa Ana , and Tustin . Walters's priorities in the Senate will continue to focus on banking, corporate securities law, financial institutions, and fiscal bills, including bonds and alternative public financing.
AD 60 – Hagman (R): Mayor Curt Hagman was successful in his bid to replace Assemblyman Bob Huff, who gave up his Assembly seat to run for Senate. This district includes the cities of Anaheim , Chino Hills, Diamond Bar, Industry, La Habra , La Habra Heights , La Mirada , Orange , San Dimas , Villa Park, Walnut, Whittier , and Yorba Linda . Hagman's priorities in the legislature will include education and public safety.
The State Legislature will include a bipartisan delegation of 13 UCLA alumni. Reelected or incumbent Bruins are:
- Senator Sam Aanestad (R-SD4, UCLA BA 1969, UCLA DDS 1973)
- Senator Gil Cedillo (D-SD22, UCLA BA 1979)
- Senator Dean Florez (D-SD16, UCLA BA 1987)
- Senator Ron Calderon (D-SD30, UCLA)
- Senator Lou Correa (D-SD34, UCLA JD 1985, UCLA MBA 1985)
- Senator Darrell Steinberg (R-SD6, UCLA BA 1981)
- Senator Patricia Wiggins (D-SD02, UCLA BA 1977)
- Assemblymember Anna Caballero (D-AD28, UCLA JD 1979)
- Assemblymember Mike Eng (D-AD49, UCLA JD 1974)
- Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes (D-AD39, UCLA BA 1994)
- Assemblymember Roger Niello (R-AD5, UCLA MBA 1971)
Bruins in newly elected offices are:
- Senator Mimi Walters (R-SD33, UCLA BA 1984)
- Assemblymember Curt Hagman (R-AD60, UCLA BA 2000)
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