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WESTSIDE - A crucial endorsement will take place Saturday, January 10th as the West Los Angeles Democrats will hold a forum to hear from the six major candidates to succeed the term limited incumbent, Senator Ben Allen (D-24) of Santa Monica.
Allen is now a candidate to become California's next Insurance Commissioner.
According to West LA Dem President Cara Robin, LA City Councilwoman Katy Young Yaroslavsky will serve as moderator.
The daughter-in-law of influential Los Angeles politician Zev Yaroslavsky, she worked in the office of Sheila Kuehl, whom her mother previously worked for. During her tenure on the L.A. City Council, Yaroslavsky spearheaded a legislative effort to block the fast-tracking of affordable housing in historic districts.
Opening remarks will be offered by Allen, followed by the forum and a vote of the membership to make a formal endorsement.
The 24th Senate race is expected to be one of the most expensive and competitive in the state, with Venice local and attorney Mike Newhouse one of the leading candidates.
Senate District 24 includes the cities of Agoura Hills, Beverly Hills, Calabasas, El Segundo, Gardena, Hermosa Beach, Hidden Hills, Lomita, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Palos Verdes Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Santa Monica, Torrance, West Hollywood, and Westlake Village; the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Bel Air, Beverly Grove, Brentwood, Fairfax, Holmby Hills, Hollywood, Hollywood Hills, Little Holmby, Mid City West, Pacific Palisades, Playa del Rey, Sunset Hills, Venice, Westwood, and Westwood Village; and the unincorporated Los Angeles County communities of the Santa Monica Mountains and Marina Del Rey.
Newhouse, a former Los Angeles Planning Commission member, he also served two terms as President of the Venice Neighborhood Council and is an active club member. A father of two teenage sons, Newhouse is married to his wife Ruthie and resides in Venice.
The West LA Democrats are duly chartered by the Los Angeles Democratic Party and state Democratic Council.
Described as a "common sense" Democrat, Newhouse has positioned himself as the reliable moderate to succeed Allen.
The other candidates in the race include Erik Alegria, the former Rancho Palos Verdes mayor, John Erickson, a West Hollywood councilmember, Ellen Evans, a neighborhood advocate and civil rights leader, Brian Goldsmith, a journalist and political consultant, and Dr. Sion Roy of Santa Monica, a physician and educational advocate.
The meeting is open to the public and will begin Saturday at 1:30 PM at Saint Bede's Episcopal Church located at 3590 Grandview Boulevard, Los Angeles.
(Nick Antonicello is a thirty-two-year resident of Venice who covers Westside politics and government. He can be reached online at [email protected]. )
