Initiate change, vote Hayden for City Council

Colamonico is a second-year graduate student in the public
policy program.

By Jennifer Colamonico

If you do nothing else productive this quarter ““ and after
all, it is spring quarter ““ be sure to vote for Tom Hayden
for Los Angeles City Council on April 10.

Did you even know there was an election next week? You might
have seen some ads on TV, and you might have even gotten some
campaign mail. But by and large you probably haven’t really
been paying attention. After all, who really cares about L.A.?

You should.

As students, we often forget that we live in a community made up
of neighborhoods and families, in which urban crises can affect the
lives of people all around us.

We are often so caught up in our campus life that we don’t
feel a part of Los Angeles as a city. Many of us are not even
registered to vote here because we still think “home”is
where we came from, where we grew up.

But as residents of Los Angeles”“ even temporary ones
““ we have a lot at stake in who controls this city.

Over the past eight years we have seen a city dominated by
corporate developer interests, a city that cannot manage its own
bureaucracies. What does that mean? It means that we are losing
affordable housing and that police are often unaccountable for
their unjust actions.

Are you frustrated by the lack of public transportation? The
city makes appointments to the Metropolitan Transit Authority,
which controls the buses.

Are you frustrated that Westwood Village does not meet the real
needs of students, like not having a bookstore or a large grocery
store? The city planning agencies could exert leadership to bring
the right kind of businesses to the campus community.

You can make a difference. If you vote on April 10.

Are you frustrated that so many Los Angeles youths are caught up
in gangs and violence and do not have opportunities for higher
education? The city could play a proactive role in bringing UCLA
volunteers into the classrooms to impact young lives.

Are you frustrated that you sit in classrooms and learn about
things that often have little to do with the reality that you read
about in the papers?

Hayden has thought about these things, and he has done something
about them. For more than 40 years he has been an activist for
social justice, civil rights, peace and opportunity. He was a state
legislator for 18 years doing real things for real people in Los
Angeles. He is a world-famous author, speaker and
“do-er,” a committed public servant who really does
make the world a better place for the average person.

How much luckier could we be than to have Hayden running for Los
Angeles City Council?

Hayden continues to be a tireless watchdog for the environment,
working to restore parks and protect rivers and open space. He has
been endorsed by the Sierra Club, the League of Conservation Voters
and by environmentalists all over the district.

Hayden is a feminist, 100 percent pro-choice and a champion of
equal rights for women, gays and lesbians. He has been endorsed by
the Los Angeles National Organization for Women, Women For,
Stonewall Democratic Club and many others.

Hayden has always been a defender of civil rights, marching in
the South with the Freedom Riders and enduring beatings and jail
for his commitments to justice.

As former chair of the Senate Committee on Higher Education,
Hayden worked to protect affirmative action, to promote ethnic and
gender studies throughout the UC system and to make higher
education more affordable and accessible to all California
residents.

Hayden has brought millions of dollars for UCLA public service
programs in the community, and throughout his legislative career he
used the resources of UCLA to inform his policy advocacy. He will
work to further integrate the campus with the rest of L.A., serving
as a bridge and a catalyst for even better partnerships.

Hayden is the best representative students could hope for to
leverage our voices to make a better Los Angeles. He will work with
us on a wide range of issues, from affordable housing to
globalization ““ working to solve both little problems and big
ones.

But it all comes down to your vote. Hayden has done more to earn
the respect and support of students like you than just about anyone
running for any office in this city ““ except maybe Antonio
Villaraigosa for mayor, but that deserves a submission of its
own.

So vote on April 10 and add your voice to those who demand more
from their government. Vote on April 10 to elect a true progressive
activist to the city council. Or just vote on April 10 to get the
cool sticker. Whatever, just vote.