Isais Pulido — The Face of Carson’s Emerging Leaders

There are less than two months left before Carson residents decide who will fill the city council seat left vacant when its former occupant, Lula Davis-Holmes, was elected mayor. There are five candidates, and all but one are new to Carson politics. Twenty-six year old Isais Pulido is one of the youngest candidates running for the seat and has at minimum, face and name recognition among Carson’s political insiders due to his stint as city hall staffer and serving as a youth commissioner from 2009 to 2013. Being the son of Ricardo Pulido, a recognized community activist and civic leader, adds to his name recognition.

Both the elder and the younger Pulido came to Random Lengths News for a sit down interview in which we had a wide ranging discussion ranging from the plight of mobile home residents, the housing affordability crisis and homelessness, infrastructure and development and taxes.

While Pulido is his father’s son, his politics are notably independent of those of the elder Pulido who is associated with environmental justice and pro-labor causes. The young Pulido is more concerned about helping more Carson residents of color attain homeownership, financial literacy and generational wealth. As a result, his views on issues ranging from housing affordability, policing, taxes, environmental justice issues and road repair sound centrist.

Pulido’s ambition is apparent from his policy goals, which include changing the zoning rules for mobile home parks to slow down the pace of mobile home park closures (Councilman Jim Dear had already announced months ago he was working on such a zoning rule change). In addition, he would impose a moratorium on mobile home closings (the city’s last imposed moratorium ended in 2019).

When confronted with those inconvenient facts, Pulido said he’s very supportive of elected officials when they’re trying to do right for the community, before going on to praise Dear’s efforts and expressing hope for the council’s support if he’s elected.

On housing affordability, Pulido said he agrees that there is a housing affordability problem, but then says that new developments in Carson were creating low income housing in Carson. He discussed his desire to help Carson residents build generational wealth and his dislike of the term, “low income housing.”

Pulido doesn’t share the vision of Carson as a bedroom community. He sees it as an emerging destination city where residents can work, play, live and retire.

“I think Carson is a great developing city that would need more single-family homes being built so that we can attract more wealth and global development wealth for our residents,” Pulido said.

Pulido said subsidies may be needed to address housing affordability, “to help those single moms or single dads who don’t have the same support and financial stability to pay for those homes.”

The young upstart says he wants to help residents of color create generational wealth, an aspiration frequently heard amongst members of Generation X frustrated by the narrowed pathways of social and economic mobility.

“Why do we have to move to Palos Verdes to be a millionaire? Why can’t we move to Carson?” Pulido asked rhetorically.

Pulido suggested the city push for the development of single family homes and additional dwelling units in Carson as a way to address housing affordability in the city.

“I really feel that we should increase our development with single family homes,” Pulido said. “I want to create a single family homes project in Carson.”

Pulido went on to say he wants to make it so that people in his income range would be able to purchase a home.

“I really personally feel that every resident in Carson should have the opportunity to buy a home. And I mean a single family residence,” Pulido said.

When asked if he favors changing zoning rules to favor single family homes over multi-unit housing projects, he said he needs to examine any proposed measure on the issue to answer the question.
In alignment with his thoughts on how to help more Carson residents join the ownership class, Pulido spoke of partnering with the Los Angeles Unified School District, local schools and the County Supervisors in establishing “bridge programs” to help K-12 transition to college and adulthood while teaching financial literacy and the steps to homeownership in the process.

On taxes, Pulido suggests Carson’s warehouses and big corporations are being taxed too much.

“I want to create tax revenue that is not going to tax these big businesses in a harmful way,” Pulido said. “I want to do something environmentally friendly and eco-friendly. Like for example … warehouses. They’re taxing these companies a lot of money.”

Pulido then suggested that to mitigate the alleged high taxes paid by the warehouse industry, they should be made to install solar panels. It wasn’t clear if he was suggesting helping warehouse owners reduce their energy consumption to reduce their tax obligation under Measure C.

Pulido asked if he supported road repair in the City of Carson. He said he does. But when asked if the warehousing and transportation industry had any obligation to pay for the unmitigated impacts their industries are having on Carson’s roads and infrastructure, he suggested stakeholders comprising transportation companies, warehouses owners, and residents should work out an agreement.

“Road repair needs to be done and we need to come to an agreement,” Pulido said. “We need a sit-down, only scheduled agreement. We from the city and from the business need to come to an agreement at a Round Table conference to sit down with [industry] owners.

Pulido said we need to come to an agreement and say, “‘Hey (to the transportation industry), you see these roads? Little Sally can’t bike there anymore. You see, Johnny running every morning down 223rd Street? He fell into a pothole.’”

Pulido said the potholes continued, asserting that the city of Carson’s whole infrastructure needs revamping and truck-only roadways.

Rhetorically, Pulido says he wants to represent the interest of all of Carson, residents and industry, homeowners and mobile home park residents and every ethinic demographic in Carson. To that end, he speaks of close collaboration with Carson representatives at every level of government to reduce emissions and increase public safety.

The field of candidates running for the open city council seat have made the cost of county services a campaign issue. Such services would include policing from the LA County Sheriff’s department. Pulido made it clear he was pro-police and advocated for greater police presence to deter crime in Carson and foot patrols to strengthen community ties with the Carson Sheriff’s Station.

“If [a] person is walking down the street and they see a police officer, there’s a very high chance that they won’t commit a crime. I think we should increase our police safety.”

Pulido suggested that a greater sheriff’s department presence in Carson would have prevented the hit and run death of Jada Sanchez.

“I think we should have more patrols. Jada was killed in a hit-and-run accident. She was eight years old. If sheriff’s deputies were patrolling in that area at that hour at night. [Her death] may have prevented it.

Pulido says he will be highly accessible as a councilmember, with open-door policies giving anyone the chance to reach him. He wants to give every resident a fair opportunity to live in a city that they love to call home. He feels like he can do a good job because he comes from the same places and circumstances as the constituents he will be serving.

“To be a young Hispanic entrepreneur, a young public servant, a young professional, college graduate,” Pulido said. “It’s my duty and job to make sure that I make time for Carson residents.”

Terelle Jerricks contributed to this story.