[img]1506|left|State Sen. Ted Lieu||no_popup[/img]With redistricting having expanded his reach into Santa Monica, first-term state Sen. Ted Lieu (D-South Bay and points north) dropped by the Activist Support Circle’s mid-summer picnic yesterday afternoon at Clover Park, and he quickly, effortlessly showed dozens of enthusiasts just how Santa Monica he is.
The Activist Support Circle is led by one of Santa Monica’s most familiar and venerable faces, Jerry Peace Activist Rubin, and when his people and Mr. Lieu came face to face for the first time, shortly after 2 o’clock, the ground and the park rocked in a symphony of progressive politics.
The 43-year-old Mr. Lieu is a native of Taiwan who grew up in Cleveland and served on the Torrance City Council before joining the Legislature seven years ago. Addressing perhaps 40 dedicated progressives, sprawled on blankets, in chairs and standing about the food table, he demonstrated early and often that he and Mr. Rubin’s middle-aged progressives are fully synchronized.
Not a one-horse show in a frontal corner of Clover Park, the presence of others was felt.
Butler and Rosendahl, Too
State Assemblywoman Betsy Butler (D-South Bay and points north), author of the heatedly argued fracking-control measure, AB 972, and cancer-stricken Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl (D-Venice) sent representatives to voice their solidarity with the aims of the Activist Support Circle. (ActivistSupportCircle@earthlink.net)
Before declaring his vigorous agreement, the casual Mr. Lieu, in sport shirt and slacks, told them, lightly, who he was.
“My parents were immigrants (from Taipei) who came to seek the American Dream, he said. “Instead of choosing beautiful Santa Monica, Hawaii or Florida, they chose Cleveland,” which drew a giggle. “We would go to flea markets and sell gifts to make ends meet. We did that for several years. We opened a store in a shopping center, and did that for several years. Next we opened one gift and jewelry store in a shopping mall. Eventually, we expanded to six stores.
“In my mind, my parents achieved the American Dream. They went from poverty to a home, gave my brother and me a really good education. That is one reason I am in politics, to make sure that dream remains open for folks who want to work hard and succeed.
Climate Change at the Top
“Of the issues facing us, I do believe that the environment and global warming are the single biggest threat California and our world face.
“I was honored to be the co-author in the Assembly (where he spent five years) of AB 32, the landmark global warming law. I currently have a bill (in the Senate), SB 1066, that deals with climate change, mitigation and adaptation along the coast. It will allow the Coastal Conservancy to start doing projects with other groups to help deal with what we know is going to happen in the next hundred years. Ocean levels are going to rise. We are going to have erosion and a hotter earth.
Abuse of Gays?
“Other issues important to me,” said Mr. Lieu, “are LGBT issues. I currently have a bill, SB 1172, which, if signed by the governor, would be the first law in the nation that bans something called reparative theory, gay conversion therapy for folks who want to go and try to change orientation.
“Not only does it not work, it has been documented to harm the kids. Some have come out of these sessions with deep feelings of self-hatred, shame. Some have committed suicide. It is supported by reasonable people and opposed by right-wing fanatics.
“I also really like animal issues,” Mr. Lieu said. “I am a big supporter of having a dog park in Santa Monica Beach, a dog beach, actually. I did a study across California when I was in the Assembly. I knew what it would show, that dog beaches are great. We have sent a letter to (the recently troubled state agency he ref erred to as) Parks saying, ‘We need a dog beach in Santa Monica. Please tell us why you are opposed.’ We got back a not well written letter. We are going to respond. I think we have a good opportunity (to gain a dog beach) because the leadership that was in place, that authorized this letter, now is gone.”
And so it went.
His 25-minute appearance included decidedly arcane questions, personal inquiries and several of general interest.
If you listened closely to the coordination between members of Mr. Rubin’s Activist Support Circle and Mr. Lieu, you could detect recognizable strains of Beethoven’s Ninth as the crowd locked arms and danced, circularly, naturally.
