Newly re-elected State Senator Alan Lowenthal enters his office and launches right into the issues that concern him most in his District. It’s a wide range – no shortage of problems to tackle as he enters his second term serving the State’s 27th Senatorial District.
Weeks ago, Lowenthal told the Press-Telegram that this may have been his final election, and he’s considering a return to teaching. But for now, Lowenthal explains the mission of the next four years from his office overlooking Pine Street. This is not where we would usually be so soon after an election, but Lowenthal cut his normal vacation time to three short days, in case he is called to Sacramento for emergency meetings.
Here, the State Senator chats with the lbpost.com about the challenges ahead, his biggest concerns, and what the future holds in store for his District.
What his constituents can expect in the next four years
I’m going to continue doing the things that I’ve always done: focusing on air quality and new technologies. How do you fund it? What’s the future?
How the district has changed in the last four years
Demographically, its changed. I’ll give you an example: a member of my staff, Luis Marquez, was just elected to the Downey City Council, which is traditionally a very conservative group. We’re seeing more and more emergence of the Latino community in the District, as well as in Southern California.
We’ve lost jobs, we’ve lost retail sales. We were relying so much on retail sales, and that’s really not a way to build a sustainable economy. It’s important to have strong retail, but that’s not the way to build a strong economy. You have to build something.
We need a whole new economy based on alternative fuels and green jobs.
With the growth of international trade and the goods movement, there’s a definite need for infrastructure improvement. Whether you were in favor of Measure I or not, you have to notice the need.
Picking the issues
My priorities are always in trying to understand my District. When I first walked the District and people asked, “What’s this black stuff in the air?” that piqued my interest, and I made air quality one of my biggest concerns. Now, I’m getting the same feeling visiting our hospitals.
Healthcare
I’m not saying I know exactly how to fix it, but I will definitely pay much more attention to it over the next four years.
The days of boutique hospitals are over. They are all being asked to run operating emergency rooms.
I’m going to be more aware of healthcare in the District, and coming from higher education I’ll be very concerned with the education system in the area.
I think this District has worked hard to uplift its education system. Now that’s not to say that were out of the woods yet, but I think this is a sign of a new awareness of the need to increase our level of performance.
I was recently visiting the CAMS [California Academy of Math and Science] program at Cal State Dominguez Hills, which is funded by the LBUSD. I was so impressed with the phenomenal diversity and performance, and these were kids studying math and science. And that’s the future. That’s what we need kids studying, and that’s what’s possible when you put kids in small classrooms. Given the right attention, it’s amazing what they can do.
Solving the problems
I’m not saying that I’m arrogant enough to think that I have all the solutions. In talking to people and realizing the issues, I don’t have a simple solution, but I can ask them, “What do we want the hospitals to look like, and how can I help?”
What his constituents care most about
Keeping their jobs, not losing their pensions. There’s lots of tension about their economic situations. Right now, the concerns of the nation reflect those of the District. People need skills to work in this economy and to make sure that our systems, like healthcare, don’t collapse. Quality of life; no matter what we talk about in the changes at the Port, pollution has not gone down. Even though they are doing great things.
We’re going to have to be much more transparent. People do not trust their institutions. Like the backlash from not being included in the Measure I process. That’s an example of mistrust.
I’m very glad Prop 11 passed – maybe politicians will be elected more fairly now.
I think that’s one of the reasons that President-Elect Obama was elected. People want to hope and things to change, and they haven’t in a long time. I would like to hope and believe that things will get better. But it’s going to be difficult. Right now, people don’t believe that it’s going to be better.
As told to Ryan ZumMallen