Candidates Vie for SD 35 Seat

Compiled by Lyn Jensen, Reporter

California’s 35th Senate District includes San Pedro, Wilmington, North and West Long Beach, Harbor City, Harbor Gateway, the west side of Carson, Torrance, Gardena, Compton, Lawndale, Lennox, Inglewood and Hawthorne.

All eligible voters are encouraged to inform themselves about the candidates and remember to vote in the upcoming June 7 primary.

“I’m not a politician, I’m a public servant,” Steve Bradford likes to say. He’s received Rep. Janice Hahn’s and Isadore Hall III’s endorsement to fill the open Senate District 35 seat.

He was the first African American elected to the Gardena City Council, where he served 12 years. He was then elected to represent Assembly District 51 in a 2009 special election, which followed a full term beginning in 2010. After redistricting, he was elected in 2012 to AD 62. He helped pass 42 bills during that time. He served as chairman of the Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color.

In a Feb. 10 interview Bradford told Random Lengths he’s running because of his commitment to public service, especially in regards to unresolved issues and unfinished business he left in Sacramento.

He said the most important issues are employment (“making sure we go back to work”), quality of education and reform of the criminal justice system.

Details: www.stevenbradfordforsenate.com

In 1987, Warren Furutani became the first Asian American elected to the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education. In 1999, he was elected to the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees. He went on to serve three terms in the state assembly.

Born in San Pedro and reared in Gardena, he is a fourth-generation Japanese American.

On a Feb. 8, during an interview with Random Lengths News, Furutani said he’s running because he has “unfinished business” in Sacramento. Primarily he’d like to do more to restore technical and vocational education, which he sees as a way to rebuild middle-class jobs. He’d also like to do more to address services for the poor and elderly—especially homelessness—and the environment.

During his time in the assembly he played a major role in preserving public pension reform. “I believe in public employee pensions,” he said.

His campaign office is at 610 S. Centre St., San Pedro.

Details: www.warrenfurutani.com

Isaac Galvan is the first Latino member of the Compton City Council, serving District 2. At 26, he’s also the youngest Compton council member.

“He graduated from Garfield High School and then studied business at Santa Monica Community College,” his website states. “Since elected in 2013, Isaac has made great progress in helping create thousands of new jobs by bringing in new housing and commercial developments, as well as refurbishing streets, parks and public facilities.”

Los Cerritos News recently reported that shortly after Galvan was elected in June 2013, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Public Integrity Office investigated his ties to Pyramid Printers and its owner Angel Gonzalez. Reportedly Galvan was employed by Pyramid but Gonzalez (who was convicted in 2002 of sending out misleading campaign mailers) was also recently hired as Galvan’s assistant.

Galvan’s campaign site says he runs his own graphics and printing brokerage firm but nothing about Pyramid or Gonzalez. Galvan did not respond to requests for comment before deadline.

Details: www.galvanforsenate.com

Interviewed by Random Lengths News in early April, Charlotte Svolos explained that although SD 35 isn’t a Republican district, she considers herself more of a moderate.

“I don’t take a hard line on traditional values,” she said. “I’m more a fiscal conservative, more libertarian.”

Although she’s not held elected office, she said she’s run for the Torrance City Council and served as a Torrance social services commissioner.

“My appeal is to people of both parties,” She added. “I’m for representing smaller government and small businesses. California is not a very business-friendly state.

“Torrance does an excellent job of getting money directly to the classroom,” she also said, arguing that her experience as a Torrance Unified School District special education teacher gives her the background to realistically cut administrative costs in education.

Details: www.svolosforsenate.com