On Monday night the Mark Ridley-Thomas for Supervisor campaign opened its Gardena satellite office to a packed house. It was standing room only for the more than 70 volunteers and community leaders that came out for the spirited office kickoff. The night proved once again that the Ridley-Thomas campaign will work hard to win the L.A. County Supervisor’s race on November 4th and have fun doing so!

Gardena Councilman Steve Bradford Introduces Senator Ridley-Thomas

Gardena City Councilman Steve Bradford explains the importance of the Supervisor’s race and why he is supporting Senator Ridley-Thomas:

“There is no bigger Barack Obama supporter in this room than me right now and I would be willing to fight anybody to prove that (laughter). But that’s not why I am here right now. The most important election is the local elections because it will be our next county supervisor, not Barack Obama, who determines if Martin Luther King Hospital is open. So these local elections are important. This is where are focus should be…”

“It’s important to understand why I am supporting the Senator for Supervisor. It’s not about popularity, it’s not about personality, it’s about policy, it’s about leadership, it’s about moving this county in a brand new direction that we haven’t seen in a long time… So it is important that we have a public servant, not a personality, a public servant in that position. Someone who understands the issues, someone who understands the community, someone who understands the needs of working men and women and have done that their entire life, not just lately.”

Senator Ridley-Thomas Speaks to Supporters

Senator Ridley-Thomas thanks his supporters and encourages them to work hard over the final three weeks of the campaign. A raucous roll call follows where individual supporters identify themselves as being associated with various organizations including blacks in government, Progressive Democratic Club, SEIU, UTLA, sheet metal workers, Sierra Club, black journalists of Southern California, retired public employees and the Samoan Federation. Senator Ridley-Thomas concludes by pointing out the significance of the diversity in the room:

“It seems to me that you have an appreciation for the depth and breadth of this coalition that is building to support this candidacy. This is not a one-dimensional proposition by any standard. It is broad in its outreach and its focus and that is essentially what we will bring to bear on the County Board of Supervisors.”

Gardena Community Leaders Endorse Senator Ridley-Thomas

Endorsers include Gardena City Councilman Steve Bradford, Gardena City Council candidate Shannon Lawrence, National Association of Women Business Owners president Cynthia McClain-Hill, New Frontier Young Democratic Club president Elliott Petty, Tamisha Rose of Monroe Middle School, child advocate Grace Cainoy-Weltman, West Basin Municipal Water District Board member Gloria Gray, Water Replenishment District of Southern California president Robert Katherman and Gardena Councilwoman Rachel Johnson.