The candidates come to Crestline

By Julianne Homokay
Special to the Alpine Mountaineer

On Saturday, Aug. 17 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Paradise Mountain Coffee, the Mountain Bears Democratic Club sponsored a meet-and-greet for two candidates running for seats in districts that include the San Bernardino mountain communities: Lisa Middleton for the 19^th State Senate district, and Ricardo Ortega for the 34^th district of the California Assembly.

Lisa Middleton is currently a member of the Palm Springs City Council and has also served Palm Springs in its rotating mayoral system. “I’ve been in government all my adult life,” she said, with 36 years of functional government experience working for the State Compensation Insurance Fund. After she retired in 2011, she was recruited to run for political office. “I learned government from the ground up.”

Middleton strives to keep the focus on what government actually does for the communities she serves, i.e. infrastructure, public safety and emergency management, and accomplish these tasks via eliminating “wasteful spending of tax dollars” (electlisamiddleton.com). “I want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to be prepared for the emergency…wherever the emergency is. There’s stuff to get done in government, and it doesn’t matter what party you are.”

This is one of the differences that Nick Maines, Middleton’s campaign manager, describes between Middleton and her opposing candidate, incumbent Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh. “She will not vary from the Republicans on any item,” he said, whether it serves her district or not. “She voted lock, stock and barrel with the California GOP.” Middleton, he said, is laser-focused on what will serve her constituents, regardless of party lines.

While Middleton believes that Ochoa Bogh operates out of a commitment to her religious conviction, Middleton differs from Ochoa Bogh on some political issues as well.  Middleton supports the First Amendment by opposing book bans, like the one within the Temecula Valley Unified School District. She trusts women to make their own decisions about their bodies. She is a proud member of the LGBTQ community and wants to ensure their marriages remain valid. She is a supporter of unions and raises to the minimum wage.

Above all, she prides herself in listening to her constituents: “I know what questions to ask, when to ask them, and how to ask them.”

Ricardo Ortega is no stranger to advocacy. He has been active in politics and government since he was in his late teens, his experience beginning with the California Youth Commission and chamber of commerce in Florence-Firestone, Walnut Park and Lynwood; the Young Senators program; the Civil Service Commission in Huntington Park and the Immigration Commission under Assemblyman Mike Gipson; the Mental Health Board for Transitional Age Youth; and, most recently, the inaugural Los Angeles County Youth Commissioner and as a peer advocate with the Children’s Law Center of California (ricardoortegaforassembly.com). He now lives in the 34^th district and is hoping to apply his experience here. “Our district receives the least amount of resources from Sacramento,” he said.

Ortega’s overall concerns are similar to Middleton’s: infrastructure, health care, jobs. In terms of the mountain communities, he is specifically concerned about public safety and helping the community maintain access to fire insurance.

The main differences Ortega sees between himself and his opponent, incumbent Tom Lackey: “Making sure I’m as accessible as possible,” he said. As a former foster youth, “I know what it’s like to be silenced, to be forgotten.” He also strives to pay attention to the needs of his constituents. “To make sure I’m there, as a human being, listening.” Ortega takes the “servant” part of public servant very seriously.

He is also making efforts to draw out the older Spanish-speaking population, a group that tends to shy away from participating. “Our goal is to encourage them to participate in the electoral process,” said Ortega’s field coordinator, “Omar” Rode America. Ortega and his team have been staging events called Carros y Charros, or Cars and Cowboys, bringing together car enthusiasts with traditional Latin American equestrians as an event for entire communities to connect. “I hope to bring Cars and Cowboys to the mountain!” said Ortega.

Middleton and Ortega are in line to achieve historic firsts as candidates. If elected, Middleton would be the first out, transgender member of the California legislature. Ortega is already the first Latinx Democrat to make it past the primaries in the 34^th district.

Derek Marshall, candidate for U.S. House Representative of the 23^rd Congressional district, was on hand to support Middleton and Ortega. He echoed his colleagues’ sentiments in a desire to see participation in the electoral process. “We’re wanting the country to come back, Republican, Democrat, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “People are reasonable, and good, and good-hearted. We just need to turn out that silent majority.”

The Mountain Bears Democratic Club created an informal, friendly event, largely organized by new mountain resident and member Holiday Heller. The candidates did not give formal stump speeches; they mingled and spoke one-on-one with members of the sparse but enthusiastic crowd. The club also aided with voter registration. According to club president Mickey Laws, “We’ve had a lot of drop-ins to say thank you for being here.”