Candidates urge Bruins to cast votes

Tuesday, November 3, 1998

Candidates urge Bruins to cast votes

DEMOCRATS: Celebrities join Davis, Boxer at rally to earn campus
support

By Andy Shah

Daily Bruin Contributor

Less than 24 hours before polls opened for California’s general
election, gubernatorial candidate Gray Davis and senatorial
candidate Barbara Boxer, along with other state Democratic
candidates, congregated at UCLA for a rally sponsored by the Bruin
Democrats.

About 2,000 people showed up to hear politicians, celebrities
and student leaders champion the benefits of voting for a
Democratic ticket.

"The most important thing you can do is vote," said State
Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Sheila Kuehl. "The Bruins are going to put
the Democrats over the top."

Most of the Democratic candidates for statewide offices attended
the rally, along with several celebrities.

After a performance by singer Lisa Loeb, actors Julia
Louis-Dreyfus, Christine Lahti and director Rob Reiner explained
why they support the Democratic Party.

"Boxer and Davis are the good guys," Louis-Dreyfus said.
"They’re going to protect the environment for me and my kids."

Reiner spoke in support of Proposition 10, the initiative that
would tax tobacco products for early childhood development
programs.

"Tobacco companies are continuing to spread lies and are still
marketing to children," said Reiner, who engineered the
proposition. "We won’t let them kill Prop. 10."

Boxer, who is up for re-election, said she has high hopes for
this election.

"I feel in my heart that 1998 is going to be the year of the
great voter turnout," she said.

The senator explained that young adults were a key factor in her
success.

"Even though I don’t have everybody on my side, I have young
people’s support," she said. "These are people who care about a
woman’s right to choose, a clean environment and campaign finance
reform."

Boxer said she will work for students if she is re-elected.

"When you send me back to the Capitol, I will act to make your
dreams a reality," she said.

Gubernatorial candidate Davis was then introduced by Monica
Bonilla, a third-year UCLA student.

Bonilla was abducted by her father when she was 5 years old, but
at the time, parental kidnapping was not considered a crime.

Bonilla said Davis supported her mother in helping to find her
and established the missing children’s milk carton campaign and a
missing and exploited children’s campaign when he was in the State
Assembly.

"I was 13 years old when I was found, and Gray Davis kept his
promise to help find me," she said. "There’s no better gauge of
character than when someone keeps their promise and sticks up for
the powerless."

Davis started by saying he would work to keep UC tuition fees
low.

"Every kid with a college degree will pay us back more for this
five percent fee reduction," he said.

He then criticized his opponent, Republican Dan Lungren, by
saying he was too conservative.

"Not even Newt Gingrich is as far to the right as he is. He’s
voted against things Gingrich voted for," he said.

Davis said he would continue to support a pro-choice agenda and
the assault weapons ban.

But he said his highest priority is education.

"We must restore the K-12 system to greatness and adopt
world-class standards," he said. "Students should be able to read
by the third grade, and both teachers and students should be tested
each year starting from the fourth grade."

Preceding the speeches by Boxer and Davis were statements by
other state candidates.

While Cruz Bustamante, a candidate for lieutenant governor,
chose to perform a rap called "Get Out the Vote," others expounded
on the need to vote Democratic and spoke in support of various
propositions.

Diane Martinez, a candidate for insurance commissioner, said
that Democrats needed more support because they didn’t have as much
money as their Republican opponents.

"My opponent got $10 million from insurance companies," she
said. "We’re being outspent."

Rally participants said the event was inspiring.

"At first I was shaky on getting people to vote because I’m so
busy, but I’m totally motivated now," said Deanna Ortuno, a
fourth-year sociology and Chicano/a studies student.

Members of the Bruin Democrats said one of their goals was to
get young people to vote.

"Our age group has the lowest voter turnout rate," said Melanie
Ho, the group’s special events coordinator. "We’ll prove them wrong
this year."

Members of the groups who had been working this past week on the
rally said it was successful.

"Many people doubted that a student organization could bring in
that many people, but we filled the room to capacity," said Dan
Malashock, president of the Bruin Democrats.Photos by MICHAEL ROSS
WACHT/Daily Bruin

Speaking to UCLA students, Lt. Governor Gray Davis attacks
opponent Dan Lungren’s stance on assault weapons and abortion.

Sen. Barbara Boxer delivers a speech to an energetic crowd in
Ackerman Grand Ballroom on Monday.

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