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LWV League of Women Voters of California
Los Angeles County, CA April 10, 2001 Election
Smart Voter Political Philosophy for Wendy McPherson

Candidate for
Member, City Council; City of Los Angeles; District 13

[photo]
This information is provided by the candidate

Wendy McPherson is the Freedom Socialist Party candidate for L.A. City Council, District 13. As the only socialist feminist running, she is the alternative anti-capitalist candidate to the many Democrats running in this race.

The Democratic Party is tied to big business, so even good-hearted liberals who are Democrats eventually are forced to make decisions which are good for big business over working people. That's how we got NAFTA, tax dollars paying subsidies for the Staples Center construction, and other corporate welfare. Poor and working people are tired of Democrats' promises and then getting sold out. As a socialist, McPherson is tied to working people's issues. She won't broker deals or trade off issues.

McPherson wants to change the City's priorities on how we spend our money. She calls for using the budget for the *community's* needs, for poor and working people, not for big business' interests. She says it's about time we tax big business, not working people, to pay for services and education.

She is a Voice of Labor with Bold and Unconventional Solutions. She stands for:

On Rampart & Police Abuse & Criminalization of Youth:

  • Create an elected civilian review board of the police
  • Fire Chief Parks
  • Halt LAPD collusion with La Migra that result in deportations
  • Stop cops from beating up youth of color
  • Pressure the state to repeal Three Strikes and youth crime laws

On Slum Landlords & Housing:
  • Prosecute, fine and jail slum landlords
  • Have the City take over their properties using imminent domain and manage them
  • Hire the youth and homeless to renovate vacant buildings to house the homeless
  • Build more low-income and affordable housing
  • Expand rent control

On Education:
  • Spend the money to clean up and finish building the Belmont Learning Complex using union labor
  • Demand the state fulfill its obligation to fully fund public education
  • Supports bi-lingual and multi-cultural education
  • Supports affirmative action in education and in the workplace
  • Opposes school vouchers

On The Utilities Crisis & Deregulation:
  • Halt utility bail-outs
  • Halt rate hikes
  • Establish public ownership of all utilities statewide and nationwide
  • No divestment of L.A.'s Dept of Water & Power, now or in the future

On Jobs & Social Services & Transportation:
  • Stop privatizing away public jobs
  • Enforce and improve minimum wage and overtime laws to bring an end to sweatshops
  • Ensure the City bargains fairly with its unions
  • Tax big business, not working people, to fund jobs, housing, schools, libraries, drug rehabilitation programs, childcare, healthcare and social services
  • Provide free, quality transportation with union operators

On Rights for Lesbians/Gays/Bisexuals/Transgenders
  • Pass an ordinance forbidding discrimination on the basis of sexual/gender orientation and political ideology--in both the public and private sectors
  • Extend domestic partnership recognition
  • The City include sex re-assignment surgery in its medical benefits coverage

On Election Reform:
  • Replace winner-take-all elections with proportional representation so minority parties have a voice in government
  • Extend voting rights in municipal elections to Los Angeles residents regardless of legal status or criminal records

On the Environment:
  • Make industry pay for a clean environment

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: March 28, 2001 23:28
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