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| Affiliation | Democratic |
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2024-01-01 |
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| Name | Konstantine Anthony |
| Address |
Burbank, California , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | [Link] |
| Born |
00, 1981
(43 years)
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| Contributor | Juan Croniqueur |
| Last Modifed | Juan Croniqueur
Feb 19, 2024 03:02am |
| Tags |
Greek - Democratic Socialists Of America - Union Member -
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| Info | Three years ago, I ran for Burbank City Council on a progressive agenda that was unapologetically bold and far-reaching, from homelessness to housing justice to community policing. In 2020, I finished my race with a record-breaking vote count and became the first openly autistic elected official west of the Mississippi River. Last December, after receiving an official diagnosis, I became the first diagnosed-autistic mayor in the country. It is with this experience as an advocate that I will tackle the issues facing the 5th District.
Before becoming a public official, I campaigned for fair pay and employee benefits for Uber and Lyft drivers, I fought the LA County Board of Supervisors’ attempts to legalize the unconstitutional imprisonment of our unhoused residents suffering from mental health issues, and I personally collected thousands of signatures from Burbank voters to put a rent regulation measure on the ballot.
Since being elected to office, I have worked tirelessly to help the people who need it most.
Our biggest challenges are the housing crisis and homelessness, our vanishing small businesses, unfair wages, traffic and transportation failures, and outdated environmental policies. We need to focus on building affordable housing and invest in small businesses which are the heart and soul of our economy.
We should be building cutting-edge water and power infrastructure as well as connecting our neighborhoods with regional transit.
Together, we can do all this and more.
These aren’t just political issues to me – they’re personal. When I was a full-time Uber driver, I watched my wages fall with no union to protect me or negotiate on my behalf. And as someone who has been homeless multiple times, I know the anguish of sleeping in a car every night. Many employers won’t hire me because I’m autistic, and those that do rarely make accommodations. For these reasons, I have always been behind the eight ball, struggling to keep up. If not for a helping hand when I needed it most, I easily could have fallen down a different path.
My political advocacy is based on paying that help forward: From my early days of protests against forced institutionalization to serving as Chair of the California Democratic Party’s Disabilities Caucus, I put my talents toward helping others.
I’m a committed Democrat, and I believe in the power of organizing. I’ve been a SAG-AFTRA member since 2006, and a member of SEIU 2015 since 2019. As a founding member of Mobile Workers Alliance, I have worked for fair pay and employee benefits for Uber and Lyft drivers. I fought the LA County Board of Supervisors’ attempts to legalize the unconstitutional imprisonment of our unhoused residents suffering from mental health issues.
I do not take money from fossil fuel interests, corporations, corporate PACs, property developers, realtors, landlords, or police associations. I believe it is unethical for a politician to accept financial help from anyone who might have future business before the county. A county supervisor’s job should be representing the interests of the public.
There was a time when I would scour the info pages of a candidate, just as you’re doing now, wondering who this person is and why they’re running. For too long, I waited on the sidelines for someone else to step up and fight for those most in need. After much encouragement from family and friends, I realized I had the experience and qualifications necessary to be that fighter who will lead with kindness, collaboration, and creativity.
My kindness is modeled after my mother’s, who emigrated from Greece in 1977. I saw how she struggled with a new language and culture and yet still made time to raise three children with love and compassion. I learned to collaborate with others in every job I’ve had, starting as a teen working at a pharmacy for my father. My creativity was forged on the stage of improv comedy over the last 20 years. My experience and my drive give me the tools necessary to succeed in this race and on the dais. But, I cannot do it alone – I need people like you in this fight with me.
For the first time in over 40 years, we have an opportunity to flip this seat from Red to Blue. That would herald a massive shift in the leadership of our county and the 5th District. For our campaign to win, we must build a solidarity movement of working-class Angelenos to enact a sweeping progressive agenda and make the real changes that all of us deserve.
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