(August 7, 2019, 2:30 a.m.) -- A crowd of several thousand people filled over half of LBCC's Quad on Extended VIDEO below was livestreamed by the Sanders campaign. (LBREPORT.com doesn't endorse candidates but links to the video for reference; our independent coverage follows below.)
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Senator Sanders was introduced by LBCC Trustee Vivian Malauulu but multiple LB Democrats incl. Mayor Garcia (a Harris endorser/supporter) and other LB Dem electeds weren't visible from our vantage point. (Their absence contrasted with a June 2016 rally for then-Dem candidate Hillary Clinton that attracted multiple LB Dems at the time Clinton was trying to swat down Sanders for the party's 2016 presidential nomination.) Entering to strains of the 1970's John Lennon classic "Power to the People," Senator Sanders spoke for roughly 50 minutes during which he was interrupted at multiple points by applause. Sen. Sanders called President Donald Trump the most dangerous President in U.S. history. He told the crowd that ideas that were recently considered outside the political mainstream are now supported by many Americans. Sen. Sanders accused Wall Street and corporate interests of greed in enriching a small number of people while most Americans were struggling to make ends meet with less. He said it is time for corporate interests to pay a fairer share of taxes. He urged creating an economic system that he said will no longer benefit top earners at the expense of most Americans.
Senator Sanders lambasted Wall Street corporate interests for making billions in profits, said pharmaceutical companies were charging Americans sums for life saving drugs that cost consumers less in other countries including Canada. He advocated "medicare for all" (single payer government run system) and predicted those favoring the status quo would target his plan and try to defeat it. He accused the petroleum industry of profiting while destroying the planet, said workers in those industries shouldn't fear and would be taken care of and said President Trump was doubting science by doubting climate change.
He said it was time to reform the U.S. justice system that he said currently imprisons disproportionately high numbers of minority groups for drug offenses and advocated ending the "war on drugs" and eliminating cash bail. He accused some conservatives of hypocrisy in favoring limited government while advocating using government to limit a woman's reproductive choices. Senator Sanders said student debt was crushing young people and inasmuch as Washington had bailed out big banks, it could and should cancel all student debt (drawing loud applause.) In the wake of the most recent mass shootings in Gilroy, CA, El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio, Sen. Sanders urged the Republican majority U.S. Senate to enact "common sense" gun legislation. Senator Sanders said his father was an immigrant who came to America with nothing, couldn't speak English on arrival, and while his father didn't become wealthy but he loved America. and the Senator urged enactment of comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship.
Senator Sanders said housing is a human right, said the country needs to build millions of units of new housing and should require developers who do so to provide "affordable" units along with other housing units developers build. He said he doesn't fear rent control (noting that he grew up in a rent controlled apartment) and advocated allowing rent control in communities that want it. Senator Sanders ended his speech by saying the top 1% have much economic and political power but "we are the 99%," drawing loud applause and leaving to cheers. Among LB Dems invisible at the event were LB Mayor Garcia (who has endorsed as is "CA co-chair" for Sen. Kamala Harris' presidential campaign.) In June 2016, multiple LB Dem electeds attended an LBCC rally for Hillary Clinton (on the eve of the CA primary in which she was trying to derail Sen. Sanders declared candidacy.) Speakers at the June 2016 Clinton rally included Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, Assemblyman Patrick O'Donnell, state Senator Ricardo Lara (D, LB-Huntington Park), state Senator/President Pro Tem Kevin deLeon (D, Los Angeles); those visible on the dais in June 2016 included former Mayor Beverly O'Neill, former Assemblywoman/former Vice Mayor Bonnie Lowenthal, Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal and LBCC Trustee Sunny Zia. We didn't see any of them at the Aug. 6, 2019 LBCC rally for Senator Sanders. The Sanders rally was professionally planned and executed. A large crowd was invited to stand between media cameras on a riser and the stage. Organizers handed the crowd with printed placards (stating "Bernie") that they could hold and wave (visible between media cameras and the stage.) An event warm-up speaker (part of the Sanders campaign) asked everyone with smart phones to download a Sanders campaign "app" that would enable them to send and receive campaign communications and in the coming weeks and months collect and pass along to the campaign the names of voters who would support Sen. Sanders. Among those assisting with media at campaign rally was Gabrielle Weeks (title for identification: chair of the LB Area Group of the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club.) .
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