Who is Running to be South Park’s State Representative? Your Choices in November’s Election

Sade Elhawary                                                                           Efren Martinez

         Sade Elhawary and Efren Martinez are the candidates on the November ballot for Assembly District 57 – which includes South Park. Let’s meet them so you can make an informed choice in November.

Biographical Information

Efren Martinez, Democrat, small-business owner.

Martinez is a Marine veteran and has served as the executive director of the Florence-Firestone/Walnut Park Chamber of Commerce.

He has been endorsed by U.S. Reps. Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank) and Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach) as well as Democratic L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn.

         https://www.efrenmartinez.com/issues

Sade Elhawary, Democrat, educator, and community organizer.

Elhawary helped create the curriculum at the Nelson Mandela School for Social Justice in Brooklyn, N.Y., and has worked for the Community Coalition, an organization dedicated to the racially “exacerbated socioeconomic inequities” in South L.A. that was founded by Mayor Karen Bass. She also worked on Bass’ mayoral campaign in 2022.

In addition to Bass, her endorsements include Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Los Angeles), California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta and a list of influential labor unions including the California Teachers Assn.

https://sadeforassembly.com/priorities/

Issues

Issue #1 - Housing

Sade Elhawary

Create affordable housing and keep people from becoming displaced by:

·       Working in close collaboration with City and County governments to ensure the most effective use of resources.

·       Developing non-market housing, subsidized housing, and adaptive reuse zoning and providing greater incentives for first-time homeownership.

·       Looking at innovative solutions, including the dismantling of regulations to allow for faith-based institutions to utilize their property for affordable housing, or expanding options like SHARE collaborative housing.

·       Expanding protections that keep tenants from eviction and homeowners from foreclosure.

·       Blocking gentrification by giving Black and Brown communities a voice in development decisions made about their neighborhoods.

·       Employing more street outreach teams to build trust at encampments and shelters and deliver necessary resources to our unhoused community—including connecting people to mental health care and substance use treatment.

Efren

Create affordable housing investments

·    Funding towards the development of affordable housing units, tax incentives for developers who commit to building affordable housing projects at reasonable costs to encourage private sector involvement in addressing the housing shortage.

·    Expand prevention program that offers financial assistance, mental health services, and case management to individuals and families at risk of homelessness.

• Enact tenant protection laws to prevent unjust evictions and unreasonable rent increases, ensuring housing stability for all renters.

• Collaborate with local governments to establish fair rent policies that balance the interests of both tenants and landlords.

• Expand and develop programs that provide down payment assistance and low-interest loans to help Californian families achieve the dream of homeownership.

• Promote bilingual financial literacy and homeownership education to empower individuals and families to make informed decisions about their housing options.

Issue #2 - Healthcare

Efren

Efren believes that healthcare is a right — not a privilege

·      Universal Healthcare Coverage - every Californian has access to quality medical care, regardless of their income, employment, or pre-existing conditions.

·      Preventive care and education aiming to reduce the burden of chronic diseases and improve overall public health.

§  implement programs that focus on health education, disease prevention, and early intervention to foster a healthier population.

·      Reducing Prescription Drug Costs

·      Mental health and well-being

§  identify the most successful programs ​

§  Increased funding for mental health programs that work, expand counseling and treatment for anyone in need, and fully integrate mental health into primary care.

§  We must also look at creating thousands more supportive housing units with on-site care, and 24-hour services.

§  We must help people get into quality shelter and to deal with any addictions.

Sade

Sade will stand up for:

·       Universal access to quality care.

·       Fully funding community clinics and health centers that service low-income areas and the unhoused population.

·       Cutting prescription drug costs.

·       Establishing mandatory standards for public reporting of healthcare data to identify and solve disparities.

·       Will expand mental health resources

§  comprehensive mental health care and substance use treatment to transform the lives of millions of Californians who currently suffer grave consequences from the overall lack of mental health care.

§  combat the stigma of mental illness and substance use disorder in Black and Brown communities and to normalize the act of getting help.

In the legislature, Sade will work to:

§  Address chronic workforce shortages of mental health professionals

§  Integrate mental health services into primary care and reduce high out-of-pocket costs.

§  Partner with mental health providers in efforts to develop, maintain, and expand access to proven treatments, interventions, and other recovery support services for our communities.

Issue #3 Environment justice/Climate

Sade

Sade will work to target resources to environmental justice communities to:

·       Phase out oil drilling and remediate existing and abandoned wells.

·       Reduce health disparities.

·       Green and cool neighborhoods (parks, greenspace, tree canopy, cool pavement).

·       Upgrade water infrastructure.

·       Expand emergency management.

·       Increase access to solar and wind energy.

·       Electrify truck fleets and public transit.

·       Create pathways to careers in urban sustainability fields.

·       Reclaim urban space for sustainable food purposes.

Efren

I’ll work to protect our environment and address climate change, while safeguarding clean air and clean water for our communities. I believe we can protect and create good jobs, and simultaneously ensure a cleaner, safer environment for all Californians if we all work together.

Issue #4 Public Education

Efren

He will work on

·    Equitable Funding and Resources by advocating for increased state and local funding

·    Holistic Education and Enrichment Programs

§  Expand access to art, music, physical education, and extracurricular activities that promote well-rounded development and creativity among students.

§  Collaborate with local community organizations to provide after-school programs, and academic support.

·    Technology Integration and Digital Literacy

§  Ensure that students have access to modern technology and digital resources, promoting digital literacy and preparing them for success in a technology-driven world.

§  More opportunities for our students to pursue well-paying careers in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields.

·    Parent and Community Engagement with regular town hall meetings and parent-teacher associations to foster open communication between schools, families, and the community.

·    College and career readiness

§  Expand college and career counseling services to help students explore post-secondary education options and career pathways not only in schools but within our community.

§  Expand University of California and Cal State student enrollment without raising tuition.

·    Safe and inclusive learning environment for all students, regardless of their background or identity with anti-bullying and anti-discrimination programs and support.

·    Quality teachers and professional development

§  Support initiatives that attract and retain talented educators to South LA schools, including competitive salaries and investment in ongoing professional development for teachers.

§  Promote innovative teaching methods, curriculum development, and research initiatives that adapt to the evolving needs of students and prepare them for future challenges.

Sade

She’ll work to:

·       Improve our public education system by greatly increasing per-pupil spending creating smaller neighborhood schools in walking distance from homes in low-income areas; supporting and mentoring teachers; training all school staff in cultural competency; protecting the right to teach Critical Race Theory; diversifying teacher workforce; increasing pay to attract teachers to the field and decrease turnover; expanding school health, counseling, and guidance services; offering free public college for in-state students; and canceling student debt.

·       Develop a statewide Workforce Innovation and Opportunity task force for vocational rehabilitation, employment, training, and literacy programs specifically geared for youth.

·       Build leadership and entrepreneurship programs for young people of color and pathways that invest in their growth.

·       Increase after-school programs and create spaces that serve as safe havens to prevent and avoid violent environments.

·       Promote meaningful civic engagement for high school and college students.

·       Enact stronger protections and support for high school pushouts, transitional-age youth, and aging-out foster youth.

Issue #5 Public safety

Sade

To make our communities safer and keep people from entering systems of punishment, we need to heavily fund prevention-based social programs such as education, mental health, jobs, housing, and healthcare; we need to devise innovative ways to get guns out of our neighborhoods; and we must put an end to over-policing as our public safety response.

Sade supports community-led alternatives to policing, a community safety model that prioritizes balanced and restorative justice, discipline reform, workforce innovation, cultural wellness, and civic engagement.

And she believes in making the deepest investments in disadvantaged communities disproportionately targeted by police brutality and mass incarceration.

Efren

·    Community policing and building trust with regular town hall meetings, neighborhood forums, and community engagement programs to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community.

·      ​Preventive programs for youth with after-school programs, mentorship initiatives, and sports, music and arts activities to provide positive outlets for young people, reducing the likelihood of involvement in criminal activities. Collaborate with schools, nonprofits, and local businesses to create a supportive environment for at-risk youth to fund more after-school activities, mentorship programs, job training initiatives.

·    Restorative justice programs that focus on repairing harm and rehabilitating offenders, rather than solely punitive measures. I will build collaboration with community organizations to offer diversion programs, mediation, and support for rehabilitation. 

·    Gun violence prevention by advocating for common-sense gun control measures to prevent the proliferation of illegal firearms and reduce gun violence, enhance background checks, regulate gun sales, and implement responsible firearm ownership laws. And strongly discourage the use of illegal firearms such as unregistered “ghost” guns. 

·      Crime hotspot targeting with data-driven approaches to identify crime hotspots and allocate resources effectively to address high-crime areas.   

·      Mental health and crisis intervention including training for law enforcement officers, specialized crisis intervention teams that work alongside mental health professionals

·      Technology and innovation use for predictive policing, data analysis, and early intervention efforts, use of surveillance systems

Issue #6 Protecting immigrants

Efren

We need nationwide, comprehensive immigration reform, and we need it NOW. Too many are still living in the shadows as undocumented individuals who have been living here, working here, while raising and growing a family here. By every measurement, these people are Americans and it’s far past time they are given a pathway to becoming full citizens. In the State Assembly, I will do everything in my power to protect immigrant communities, their rights, and also, I’ll be relentless in my advocacy for compassionate immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship.

Sade

She is dedicated to providing a strong support network to help our immigrant and undocumented residents thrive by:

·       Supporting legislation at the federal level to enact comprehensive, thoughtful immigration reform that creates a clear, expedient path forward for citizenship.

·       Increasing safety-net access to food and housing assistance for immigrants.

·       Ensuring programs for public services are staffed by caring, bilingual, culturally competent workers.

·       Extending unemployment benefits to undocumented workers who lose their jobs or get their work hours cut.

·       Expanding health care coverage to undocumented residents who earn too much to qualify for Covered California and whose employers don’t provide health insurance.

·       Promoting the health, safety, and welfare of street vendors, farm workers, and fast-food employees.

Issue #7 Reproductive Rights

Sade

As we face the nation’s full-force attack on reproductive justice, Sade represents the new generation of leaders fighting back to make sure California provides the full range of reproductive services—including abortion care—to everyone in need.

Sade’s early life was guided by her activist mom, who served on the Planned Parenthood board of directors and was an outspoken champion for civil rights.

Additionally, Sade knows from personal experience how important safe, legal abortion is in not derailing your future. That’s why she won’t back down in the struggle to protect access and help California become a bigger player in getting people the care they need.

Efren

No statement on reproductive rights on website.