City Council candidate Daniel Lee may be newer to the ears of some of those inside City Hall, but he has quickly garnered endorsements from around the city and county.
Latest endorsements are from former Culver City Mayor Gary Silbiger, former Santa Monica Mayor Mike Feinstein, former School Board member Nancy Goldberg, former L.A. City Controller Rick Tuttle, School Board member Kelly Kent, Civil Service Commissioner Darryl Cherness, Cultural Affairs Commissioner Len Dickter, the Culver City Democratic Club and the Los Angeles County Democratic Party.
With three City Council seats to be determined on April 12, seven weeks from today, Mr. Lee, a filmmaker, policy wonk, and grassroots activist, has entered the electoral political fray.
As a 13-year resident, Mr. Lee said he is familiar with the needs of the community.
Before even considering running for the City Council, he was busy doing his civic duty in Culver City and the surrounding communities. He has been a member of the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee for the last five years. He developed and implemented a civil rights curriculum at the Teen Center to increase youth involvement and forge stronger connections between the committee and the community at large.
Mr. Lee has been a progressive activist in the realm of environment, media, political reform and foreclosure defense throughout Los Angeles County. In response to the controversial Citizens United decision, ee helped lead the successful campaign of Move to Amend Los Angeles. The goal: To convince the City of Los Angeles to become the first major city in the country to call for an amendment to the Constitution that explicitly states “corporations are not people” and that “money is not free speech.”
Mr. Lee’s accomplishments did not go unnoticed. He was asked to join Move to Amend’s national board. In his leadership capacity, he travelled the nation educating, enlightening, and empowering Americans, not only on their Constitutional rights, but on rights he believes they must assert in the body politic — from local politics to national politics.
Personally Speaking
A few years ago I saw Daniel Lee at the Democracy Convention in Madison, WI. He always had a full house for his sessions. When the questions and answers were complete, it was immediately evident that he both commanded not only the topics of constitutional rights but the need to get Americans engaged in our body politic.
Mr. Lee has a B.A. in cinematic arts from USC. He has complemented his social activism and political activism with a master’s degree in social welfare from UCLA. A veteran of the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard, there he learned and experienced the sacrifices of our enlisted and commissioned armed forces.
Mr. Lee leads by example, based on a solid upbringing that made serving a part of his DNA. He grew up first in Alabama and then in Florida. He had the best mentor one could ask for, a grandmother who taught directly and by example. He drove with her as she fed the hungry. He spent time with her as she visited jails and prisons to provide support for many from their communities.
Mr. Lee’s mother and grandmother ensured that the extended family were well read. It was important that they knew “the struggles of our ancestors so that we would know where we truly stood and how we were valued by the world at large.”
Mr. Lee’s grandmother and mother, by their actions and teachings, crystallized a sense of fairness in his mind. It informed Mr. Lee’s political identity as it developed through adolescence and into adulthood. He immediately understood that people were not entitled to resources and respect because they had earned nor deserved them, but instead simply because they were people.
Throughout the country there is a great excitement for a national candidate. Bernie Sanders has garnered the admiration, respect, and financial support from millions who love what he is saying. He speaks both to their hearts and to their needs. It is however very important that Americans remember an important fact. The politicians who have the most effect on our lives are our local servants, City Council members and Congressional representatives.
Someone who moves from community activist/political activist/organizer with quantifiable successes deserves attention. Most importantly he deserves the community’s support. It is imperative that more grassroots activists make the leap into electoral politics. Only when seeds are allowed to sprout can real change be realized.
Mr. Lee may be contacted at elect@danielwaynelee.com
