Former Energy Chairman and Environmentalist Henry Waxman has thrown his hat into the ring for the 33rd Congressional district. The current incumbent in the 30th Congressional district, Waxman has commanded an imposing and long-standing presence in the Beverly Hills region, where has faced token opposition so often that every election cycle he hardly invests in campaigning.
His recent interest in the South Bay is a new development of the Congressman, one which will force him to focus his time and resources over a larger swath of constituencies. For decades, the 36th Congressional district centered around the Port regions and the LAX area. Now, voters throughout the entire Santa Monica Bay will cast their vote for the same representative. Wealth and privilege accentuate the greatest link for the voters throughout this well-position region of Southern California.
Will the more rural yet elite regions of the Northern side of the bay find a compromise candidate with the more urban and engineer-based voters in the South, or will the differing economic and cultural interests pit the distinct communities up and down the Santa Monica coast and prompt a second-tier candidate to surge ahead? No matter what the outcome, voters across the South Bay will be able to vote for their preferred candidate of any party. Should their candidate fail to get into the top-two general contest, everyone will be able to settle on a compromise candidate.
For the record, I support independent Bill Bloomfield, a well-respected businessman with connections to education, community policing, and small business interests. His well-rounded savvy positions him appropriately to represent the widespread needs of the sprawling district from Malibu for Rancho Palos Verdes.