California Assembly District 54 primary election voter guide

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A Democratic Party leader, a nonprofit executive director and a medical healthcare recruiter are vying to succeed incumbent Assemblymember Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles), who is leaving the state Legislature to run for the Los Angeles City Council.

The candidates, two Democrats and one Republican, are running to represent a heavily Democratic, ethnically diverse district in Los Angeles that includes Westlake, Koreatown and Pico-Union.

With nearly 60% of the district’s voters registered as Democrats, a major dynamic in this race is the tug between the party’s power base of unions and elected officials, who are backing Mark Gonzalez, and its progressive left wing, which is behind John Yi.

The candidates are vying to become one of 120 legislators in Sacramento who make laws for California’s 39 million residents. The two candidates who receive the most votes in the March 5 primary will advance to the general election in November.

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Who are the candidates?

Mark Gonzalez, Democrat, chairman of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party.

Gonzalez is also the district director for Assemblymember Santiago and has some powerful endorsements. Major labor unions, including those representing teachers and construction workers, have endorsed him, as has the California Democratic Party. Gov. Gavin Newsom is among the many Democratic politicians who have endorsed Gonzalez, a reflection of his deep ties to the party. The support has helped Gonzalez raise nearly 10 times as much campaign money as his Democratic opponent. A resident of Chinatown, Gonzalez said his goals as a lawmaker would be to focus on “affordable housing, criminal justice reform, climate justice, and a just economy.”

John Yi, Democrat, executive director of Los Angeles Walks, a pedestrian advocacy group.

Yi has had a career leading nonprofit advocacy groups including the American Lung Assn. in California and Parent Revolution, an education reform organization. Support for his campaign comes largely from the left wing of the Democratic Party, including the L.A. chapter of Our Revolution, the organization led by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). He is also endorsed by the Korean American Democratic Committee and the East Area Progressive Democrats.

Born in Los Angeles’ Koreatown, Yi said the district needs a representative in Sacramento who will focus on the region’s biggest problems: “Skyrocketing rent and displacement, lack of dignified public spaces, and ... the worst air in the nation. We deserve public servants who feel the urgency-of-now our region demands.”

Elaine Alaniz, Republican, medical healthcare recruiter for Kaiser Permanente.

Alaniz is the sole Republican in this race. Born in Texas, Alaniz moved to California in 2003 to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Alaniz has also volunteered with the Los Angeles Mayor’s Crisis Response Team, which provides support during emergencies. Alaniz is concerned about the cost of living in California, saying in a statement that “families can hardly afford to put food on the table. Education is crumbling and crime is out of control.”

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Where is the district?

The district includes Los Angeles neighborhoods of Westlake, Chinatown, Koreatown, Boyle Heights and Pico-Union, as well as the cities of Montebello and Commerce.

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Homelessness

The Times asked the candidates to respond to written questions about how they would address major issues if elected to the Legislature.

Gonzalez said he would tackle homelessness by making it easier to build affordable housing, converting commercial units into residential property and creating programs that give families access to capital so they can own a home.

“The homelessness crisis in California and L.A. County is out of control and demands urgent action from our elected leaders,” his campaign website states. Gonzalez has vowed to work with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to provide affordable housing, drug treatment, mental health and job training services to the homeless along with investing in a new framework in California that aims to connect people grappling with mental health and substance use with a court-ordered plan to address those issues for up to 24 months.

Yi also wants to make it easier to build more affordable housing. The candidate added he would increase mental health services and shelters in public spaces, parks and transit stops.

“We need to stop our neighbors from falling into homelessness with more rent control and relief to those on the edge of eviction,” Yi said in a statement. On his campaign’s website, Yi said he would invest in programs such as community land trusts and nonprofit community development organizations to spur the building of more affordable housing. Yi wants to repeal California laws that limit rent control, proposals that have so far failed in the Legislature and on the ballot.

Alaniz said she would address homelessness through better mental health services. She said she would support reopening mental health care facilities and increasing staffing but also expressed concern about the costs to taxpayers.

“We must help the unhoused in our communities but we must also be good stewards and manage the funds of the people,” she said in a statement. “I will also strive for accountability practices of the funding being spent on these programs.”

Californians will also vote on a $6.8-billion bond measure this year known as Proposition 1 that aims to address homelessness by funding more than 11,000 new treatment beds and supportive housing units along with mental health and drug addiction treatment. Gonzalez said he supports Proposition 1, while Alaniz said she opposes the measure. Yi said he was undecided.

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Affordability

With the rising costs of rent, groceries, gas and other goods, financial concerns are on the mind of many voters.

All three candidates said they would support limiting regulatory red tape to decrease costs to consumers.

Gonzalez and Yi said they would support a new tax on the ultra rich, expanding eligibility for the state’s safety net and increasing the state’s minimum wage.

On his campaign’s website, Gonzalez says he will push to increase rental assistance programs and tenant protections.

Yi said on his campaign website that the state needs to reduce the cost of living for those most at risk of becoming homeless through utility, rent, food, and transportation assistance. He’s also pushing for more transparency on property sales and “accountability against bad actor landlords who intentionally drive out our low-income residents.”

Alaniz said she would support pausing or repealing the gas tax, an action Republican lawmakers have unsuccessfully called for amid rising gas prices. On her campaign’s website, Alaniz says she wants to revive programs that provide a path for homeownership and launch personal finance education programs to help people budget their funds, save money and deal with debt and credit.

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Healthcare

Gonzalez and Yi said they support a single-payer healthcare system that would insure all California residents.

Gonzalez’s campaign website said he would work to “guarantee healthcare as a right for all, so that everyone can get the care they need, when they need it.” Gonzalez advocated for a new law expanding Medi-Cal benefits to all Californians regardless of their immigration status. He’s also vowed to push to increase funding for Planned Parenthood, expand access to reproductive health services and strengthen abortion protections.

Yi’s campaign website states that he supports the single-payer healthcare system because it would allow the state to expand coverage to more Californians and lower the price of medication. He said he would also invest in community health clinics, nonprofits and community healthcare workers.

Alaniz said she supports the current healthcare system in which people get insurance through a mix of private companies and government subsidies. She describes herself as “pro-life” on her campaign website.

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