Henry Waxman, a long-serving Democratic representative, will go up against seven other candidates in the race to represent much of the Westside, South Bay and Malibu area in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013.
The California Secretary of State released the certified candidates list for the June 5 primary Thursday evening.
The field includes candidates from across the newly carved out 33rd district for the U.S. House, the boundaries for which changed dramatically this summer based on 2010 Census data.
Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes and the northern part of the district that included slivers of Marina del Rey and Venice has been drawn into a largely coastal district that will now also include Calabasas, Agoura Hills, Malibu, Santa Monica, Westwood, Beverly Hills, and the smaller communities of Brentwood, West L.A. and Pacific Palisades.
In a nutshell, here's who threw a hat in the ring:
- Bill Bloomfield: No party / Manhattan Beach resident / Small business owner
- Steve Collett: Libertarian / Hermosa Beach resident / Certified Public Accountant
- Christopher David: Republican / Los Angeles resident / Entrepreneur
- Bruce Margolin: Democrat / Beverly Hills resident / Marijuana legalization attorney
- Zein E. Obagi: Democrat / Westwood resident / Business attorney
- Tim Pape: Democrat / Santa Monica resident / TV Editor
- David William Steinman: Green / Topanga resident / Consumer rights advocate
- Henry Waxman: Democrat / Los Angeles resident / Congressman
The top two vote-getters in the June 5 primary election will advance to the Nov. 6 general election regardless of party preference or whether one candidate receives a majority of votes in the primary election. The June 5 primary election will include elections for U.S. President, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House, as well as state Senate and state Assembly seats.
The winner of California's 33rd congressional race will serve a two-year term starting Jan. 3, 2013. The expansive district is heavily Democratic. Of the 430,618 registered voters, only 28 percent are Republicans.
Elections will also be held this year for 33 of the 100 seats in the U.S Senate. Incumbent Democrat Dianne Feinstein's will run for reelection.
In the spirit of keeping news community-oriented, Los Angeles area Patches will focus their election coverage on races with local ties, including the U.S. House and California Assembly.
Correction/clarification: The spelling of Steve Collett's name was incorrect in an earlier version of this article.
I applaud everyone for stepping up for their community and trying to make it a better place! I have helped influence public policy in regards to our prison industrial system and our war on drugs, as well as pledge to find ways to reduce our spending immediately. I am a defender of those who cannot defend themselves, including animals and the environment, and hope to help my community here at home and our community at large that we share with the rest of the planet. For more information about my candidacy, please visit www.ElectCollett2012.com. If you would like a yard sign for your lawn or to place in your window, please visit our Facebook Page and let us know so we can send you any materials to help you help us help you... in Washington! Let's send a strong message to Mr. Waxman and ever other incumbent that has lost sight of who they are supposed to represent. We look forward to hearing from you so we can take a strong, united message to Congress from California's 33rd District, one of the most beautiful districts in the country, and together we can begin to solve problems locally that our current representative has failed to address for the last 35 years, and in many cases, voted to increased our debts and our wars while leveraging our children's future in the process. I look forward to meeting you!
In any event, as a senior member in Congress, like him or not, he has the ability to 'get' more for California (projects, budgets, legislation) than any freshman newbie would have. No pun intended, but let's not cut our nose off to spite our face. We will lose a lot of power when Waxman goes (now or in the future). Not a fan of his, but practically speaking .....
Congressman Waxman has done a lot of great things in his time. But he is totally out of touch with the needs of our district. He recently voted against the JOBS Act, and was one of the 28 representatives out of 435 in Congress to do so. We never even received an explanation why, and the JOBS Act gives small business owners greater access to capital in the private sector, which is exactly what they need. Find out more about what I will do in Congress here: www.ObagiForCongress.com I promise transparency - a clear reason on every vote I make, why I voted yay or nay, even it is just that I did it as a favor to another representative. If I meet with lobbyists - which is doubtful - I will record and make public what they pushed for, and how it affected my decision. It's time for "This Millennium's Democrat."
I think it's about time for Waxman to come home from his Washington endeavors and witness the havoc his policies have wrought on this town over the last 35 years, and what the legislature he has voted to approve has caused. He needs to peer into the empty storefront windows of the brick-and-mortar establishments in our community and re-think the way he represents his people. But we all know that will never happen. He even replied with a stock response to an invitation to the congressional debate a few weeks ago. I wish Southern California would wake up and stop electing this guy into congress. To quote Waxman in regards to a Cap-and-Trade bill he co-authored: "Well...I certainly don't claim to know everything that's in this bill, I know that we left it to uh... we relied heavily on the scientists." That's it, Waxman doesn't write bills, he let's the scientists do it...they have such great experience with writing legislature.
Closing the LA Air Force Base would mean we were no longer committed to space exploration; this while N. Korea tries to launch missiles into space. That would be foolish. We must stay the world's leader in space and air defense, especially as studies show a great resource for developing nuclear energy safely – Thorium -- is ample on the Moon. It would be shortsighted to give up our edge. Did you know that the West LA VA is also on the proposed chopping block - that the GSA wants to sell that property to lessen the gap in our budget? How about the House Oversight Committee actually do its job (not http://obagiforcongress.com/2012/04/24/rep-henry-waxman-wasting-government-resources-house-oversight-committee/)? And we won't have to sell off assets vital to our veterans' welfare to make up for perpetual wasteful spending.
We also need to get our immigrant community invested in this country and get them a path to citizenship, because they're not contributing their fair share. Of course, that means we will also need to stop illegal crossing - yesterday! It's just not realistic that we can get real universal healthcare without addressing our tax inequities, and the population that lives and works here but does not contribute to the tax pool.
Kent, I am not categorically opposed to school vouchers but they are not my first choice. There are other viable options including charter schools, which are not bound by the same collectively-bargained restraints as other schools. When charter schools are encouraged and established, unions will necessarily have to assess the reason for this, and respond to people who want school principals and school boards to have a greater control to promote our meritorious educators, and release the minority of those who are ineffective. But, for the record, I do disagree with your premise that our schools get enough money. They don't. Our teachers are paid too little, can hardly afford to live in Southern California. Our children are the next generation who will have to lead America in trade, technology, health, law - you name it. Smarts start young, and we need happy, well-trained and focused teachers to teach our kids smarts. They can't be focused if they don't know how they're going to pay the bills next month, and they won't feel appreciated when they are amongst the lowest paid civil servants in the state.
If you went to France illegally, without a passport, you would expect to be deported. It's the right of a country to know who's in the guest book. Mexico defends their southern border with lethal force when folks enter illegally. They have that right. "Undocumented alien" means someone who is illegally -- criminally -- in a country. If the exodus to leave the state of California resulted in Americans moving illegally to Mexico, be assured that the Mexican government would not provide health care, education, social services, and so forth. The Americans would be jailed, deported, or both. Those illegally in our country are absorbing our tax dollars by perhaps 30 billion dollars just in California every year. They crowd our Emergency Rooms without paying. They crowd our school rooms without paying. Many crowd our prisons. They raise my cost of living. I resent that. I'm not against anyone legally living and working in our country. If Scandinavian people were here illegally, destroying our economy, i would want them out too. You make this a racist issue. It's not. It's a legal issue. People who follow the law and immigrate here LAWFULLY are quite welcome. Why allow any class of people to break the law? THAT sounds racist to me. Also, the illegal ones working take jobs away from our U.S. citizenry. It's tough to compete for a job when an employer can save money by paying an illegal under the table and avoid paying FDIC and other obligations. That's not fair.
I work for no candidate. And no congressional candidate wanting to represent the citizenry of our district has impressed me yet.
You say that Americans won't do the jobs offered to the illegal trespassers being paid under the table. Tell that to the American union Electrician or licensed contractor who can't compete with the guys standing on the corner at Home Depot. Tell it to the licensed painter who must compete with the guys in the parking lot of Supreme Paints. Convince the students working through school why they shouldn't have as many choices. Why would you want to put immigrants at the front of the line for citizenship who are criminals -- because they are here illegally -- and keep those hopeful immigrants who try to lawfully become United States citizens at the back of the line? Why reward bad behavior?
I am flattered that you think teams worked on my statements on this site. Thank you, that is one of the highest compliments I have received in this campaign yet. It is me and me alone who has written, revised and posted every word here. And, I will fire back at Rep. Henry Waxman just as well as I did with you, which is why I am the candidate to put through to November on June 5th. I am not sure what happened to the comments. When I have deleted comments, it has been to fix typos and repost them. Perhaps I failed to repost the comments. I understood yesterday from speaking with a CA UTI Rep that after 3 years many teachers in LAUSD seek to become administrators, and that's why the LAUSD administration is so bloated. That's a bad policy to allow them to do that; if they don't wan to teach, they should move out of education. Not be moved into a position to preside over it. Moreover, in a second breath, the same rep. said that the scandal at Miramonte Elementary occurred because there was only one administrator in that school. So I was confused, and it looked like a lack of personal responsibility plus a cover up, which is the case not only in LAUSD but also in Congress. Mr. McCaman, I encourage you to "be the change that you wish to see in" America. Join my campaign as a volunteer, and influence it from within. I'm not an ideologue, and I follow logic, well. info@ObagiForCongress.com <-- I read it, not staff.
What issues are important to you, and what questions can I answer for you to earn your vote? - Zein
Steve, David you are both welcome to come.