The Other Guys Or More Cheap Shots At Oscar Gutierrez's Expense

I'm feeling confident about Luis Lopez, but I figure since I've come this far I might as well check out the other two candidates for the 51st assembly.  Unfortunately Oscar Gutierrez  isn't running any events, and Arturo Chavez only wants me to help him walk the precincts.  I do the only thing I can do short of calling each candidate directly for an interview/introduction; I go to the Glassell Park Improvement Association(GPIA) meeting where all four candidates will be having a forum.

I drag my cousin out of her house and take her along for company.  She doesn't have any interest in this process, but I think she should get out of her house more.  We arrive at the Glassell Park Senior And Community Center a few minutes before the event is set to begin and I have a cigarette and observe the people walking into the event.  I wave and greet Hans as he drives into the parking lot.  Most of the people I see walking inside are older and whiter.  I tell my cousin that she's likely the youngest person attending this forum.

We walk into the space and sign in with GPIA.  I'm not sure why they need all of this information from me; it's not like I'm a resident of Glassell Park or anything.  I'm here to hear the candidates and nothing more.  I lead my cousin to a pair of seats in the far corner of the room.  There we settle in and wait for the forum to begin.

A Conversation + With Luis Lopez or "You Go Luis!"

I leave the meet and greet I went to on March 3 feeling just a little bit unsatisfied.  The candidate I met while impressive didn’t quite connect with me.  So it only makes sense to explore the rest of the field.  A quick search online leads me to the names of three other candidates.  All three have websites, but only one has an event for me to attend on March 10.  One guy’s website looks like little more than an online solicitation for donations.  The other one has events, but his upcoming events involve precinct walking.  I’m not even sure if I support him and he expects me to volunteer for his campaign before I even meet him.  I find that just a tad bit odd.  The last candidate is Luis Lopez and he has a meet and greet in Echo Park.

Coffee And Pastries With Jimmy Gomez or My Breakfast With Jimmy Gomez

Like so much of what happens to me these days, this bit starts with something random.  I'm walking down to the first floor unit of my parents' duplex—It's empty, so we use it for storage because the city thinks my parents are slumlords or something.  I could go on and on about that situation, but I'll leave that for another time—and there's the flier for Jimmy Gomez for Assembly.  I'm not big about politics in particular but I try to keep up with local issues.  I know with redistricting they've made one big district of most of Northeast Los Angeles, and I'm curious to see how that turns out.  Jimmy Gomez made the first move by putting up a flier on the door of a vacant apartment, so I might as well check out Jimmy Gomez firsthand at a March 3, 2012 coffee meet and greet in a home out by the Southwest Museum.

I wake up and drive out there; it's a narrow winding road up to Rustic Drive and I pass by the house only noting in passing the smallish photo of  Jimmy Gomez taped up to the mailbox.  There's no room to turn around until I do a U-turn at the next intersection.  Swinging around back I find a space to park; I know I should have just walked to this event, but forgive me I really don't like walking up hills.  I smoke in front of the house admiring the general nature of the neighborhood; it's like a different world from the other side of the hill where I live.  There's even a new home under construction a few houses from where I stand; I don't know who can actually afford to build a home in the city.  My parents went for that years ago failing miserably when permits were not approved.