BY NIMMI RAGHUNATHAN
Joe Bray-Ali is personable and jovial and sounds unfazed by the pressure of being in a runoff for the L.A. City Council seat from District 1. He is also a charmer which in the past has gotten him the runner-up trophy at an Indian pageant and now, is no handicap when knocking on doors for votes. The 37-year-old lightly terms his...
Joe Bray-Ali is personable and jovial and sounds unfazed by the pressure of being in a runoff for the L.A. City Council seat from District 1. He is also a charmer which in the past has gotten him the runner-up trophy at an Indian pageant and now, is no handicap when knocking on doors for votes. The 37-year-old lightly terms his...
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run for electoral office as “an adventure” but of course, the high-profile race has been anything but that. His contest against Gil Cedillo who has held the seat since 2013 after having served in Sacramento as Assemblyman and State Senator has drawn attention for the marked difference in their vision for the city. The L.A.Times while endorsing Bray-Ali said it was a choice between having crippling congestion caused by gentrification or sustainable development.
The catalyst for his getting into electoral politics was Cedillo’s decision to stall bike lanes on Figueroa Street. For the bike enthusiast and owner of a bicycle shop, Flying Shop LA, it was the final straw. He turned his store into a community space and began a grass roots campaign advocating safe streets for pedestrians, greater foot traffic for small businesses and expansion of the transit system. Bray-Ali has no quarrel with development but does not see why it has to be a mindless one where quality of life is affected or low income groups are displaced.
After gerrymandering in 2012, District 1 has the highest percentage of renters, and the most number of foreign-born residents, including 75% Latino. Bray-Ali understands a thing or two about immigrants - his father Saeed Ali came to the US from India – and says he will do all to “resist the xenophobia, hate and threat our current federal administration poses on the way of life we enjoy together as Angelenos.’
In the March primary, in District 1, which includes Koreatown, Mt.Washington and MacArthur Park, Cedillo did not get the majority vote, leading to the run off. On May 16, Bray-Ali is hoping to accomplish the tough task of toppling an incumbent who has deeper pockets than him. Excerpts from an interview with Bray-Ali:
Right out of college you were a staffer with Assemblyman Rudy Bermudez. What was your take away in your interaction in that role with people in ‘Little India’ in Artesia?
The adaptiveness to business in a new country, they were able to do it in a new culture with success. The feeling that they all had that they were part of the Indo-American Diaspora. They came together with an openness to each other no matter what their differences might have been in terms of where they were from in India. This is not necessarily true of other immigrant communities. There was also the struggle to understand how the political structure worked - there was wariness toward it.
Your father came to the U.S. from India, tell us a little about him. His journey from Aligarh to Los Angeles.
My father was a tenured professor in India. He came as a Fulbright Fellow to UCLA where he met my mother and decided to stay and make his life here. A strong motivator was Mayor Tom Bradley, who impressed my father as the kind of leader who unites people, contrary to my father’s experience in India where politicians won by dividing people along class and religious lines.
Your father was active in city and state government. Is he involved in your campaign?
(Laughs) Like in any Indian person’s life, yes! He has not been knocking on doors and talking to constituents but he has been advising me. He has had a long career in California politics and has ‘trade knowledge,’ which is invaluable.
Has he been your mentor?
Well, he is my dad! From him I have learned how to respond to criticism. How to accept it without anger.
Have his political connections helped you?
He knows a lot of people but that does not mean it has translated into ringing endorsements or money. It has allowed me a place on the table to talk to them and hear them tell me what I should do. Community is everything.
In this poisoned time, does your last name raise eyebrows?
Absolutely. I have introduced myself to thousands of voters in my district. My skin color and my name frequently spark curiosity and questions. In sharing my story with so many voters, I have come to learn they are much like my family and much like Los Angeles - a cross pollination of so many ethnic groups mixing and sharing traditions and culture. I tell people I am a native Angeleno who is Hungarian-Irish-Indian Jewish and Muslim with a Mexican-Chinese wife!
Do you practice any religion?
No. I was raised Unitarian and carry the moral lessons of social justice with me in my community work, in addition to raising my daughter to love her neighbors and community.
Have you been to India?
Yes, in 2003 for my uncle’s wedding. Visited my aunt and uncle’s home in New Delhi then we drove out to Aligarh my father’s home town. My biggest regret was getting sick from food cooked in some oil that was off, and I missed the train to the Taj Mahal.
What did you learn from the Bernie Sanders campaign?
I learned that not only do my neighbors want real progressive policies, but that an independent grassroots organization can make a legitimate challenge to corporate establishment party politics.
How much do you have in your war chest?
Since the primary, my campaign has raised almost $40,000 in small donations. With 4:1 matching funds we are approaching $165,000.
What has been the smallest monetary contribution and from whom?
Some of our contributors have given as little as $5. Approximately 20% of our donations are less than $27, and virtually all small contributions are from LA City or County.
Do you presently have any Indian-American donor?
Family members have been generous enough to support my campaign with contributions and by volunteering their time with our field efforts.
Your position on immigration: deportation and the issuance of H1B visa.
I support Los Angeles becoming an official sanctuary city and oppose the suspension of issuing H1B visas.
If members of the Indian-American community want to actively support you, what would you have them do?
Indian-American community members can consider donating to my campaign, or volunteering time to phonebank or canvass at our offices at 3346 N Figueroa Ave. or contribute at https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/joe4cd1
Are you making changes in how you will campaign leading to May 16?
We have closely analysed the results of the March 7th primary and are moving forward to shore up our weakest support and increase turnout where our support was strongest. I intend to continue to make the case that a council office responsive to the public’s needs will solve many of the problems facing my community.
What caused your opponent to apologize for calling your campaign a hipster one?
He didn’t call my campaign hipster - he called the voters flippant trendy hippy hipsters. He knows what a lie this is. People voted for a lot of reasons not because they are flippant but because they care about this city and they don’t trust his leadership. I have repeatedly said he has not done his job,
You would have to ask them why they chose to divide the constituents by class and race on election night. This statement was totally inaccurate - my grassroots campaign has welcomed locals of all backgrounds who have been shut out by their representative and want to see real change in CD1.
Did you apologize for calling him a turd?
No. While this language was childish, I am running for office because I believe we can do better than our incumbent representative in building economic opportunity, affordable housing, and building a better future for Los Angeles with a representative accountable to the people.
In one line, describe Donald Trump.
In the words of Khizr Khan, he has “sacrificed nothing and no one.” I oppose his hateful speech, and am encouraged by this opportunity for the country to come together to demand changes in city and state offices of government.
The catalyst for his getting into electoral politics was Cedillo’s decision to stall bike lanes on Figueroa Street. For the bike enthusiast and owner of a bicycle shop, Flying Shop LA, it was the final straw. He turned his store into a community space and began a grass roots campaign advocating safe streets for pedestrians, greater foot traffic for small businesses and expansion of the transit system. Bray-Ali has no quarrel with development but does not see why it has to be a mindless one where quality of life is affected or low income groups are displaced.
After gerrymandering in 2012, District 1 has the highest percentage of renters, and the most number of foreign-born residents, including 75% Latino. Bray-Ali understands a thing or two about immigrants - his father Saeed Ali came to the US from India – and says he will do all to “resist the xenophobia, hate and threat our current federal administration poses on the way of life we enjoy together as Angelenos.’
In the March primary, in District 1, which includes Koreatown, Mt.Washington and MacArthur Park, Cedillo did not get the majority vote, leading to the run off. On May 16, Bray-Ali is hoping to accomplish the tough task of toppling an incumbent who has deeper pockets than him. Excerpts from an interview with Bray-Ali:
Right out of college you were a staffer with Assemblyman Rudy Bermudez. What was your take away in your interaction in that role with people in ‘Little India’ in Artesia?
The adaptiveness to business in a new country, they were able to do it in a new culture with success. The feeling that they all had that they were part of the Indo-American Diaspora. They came together with an openness to each other no matter what their differences might have been in terms of where they were from in India. This is not necessarily true of other immigrant communities. There was also the struggle to understand how the political structure worked - there was wariness toward it.
Your father came to the U.S. from India, tell us a little about him. His journey from Aligarh to Los Angeles.
My father was a tenured professor in India. He came as a Fulbright Fellow to UCLA where he met my mother and decided to stay and make his life here. A strong motivator was Mayor Tom Bradley, who impressed my father as the kind of leader who unites people, contrary to my father’s experience in India where politicians won by dividing people along class and religious lines.
Your father was active in city and state government. Is he involved in your campaign?
(Laughs) Like in any Indian person’s life, yes! He has not been knocking on doors and talking to constituents but he has been advising me. He has had a long career in California politics and has ‘trade knowledge,’ which is invaluable.
Has he been your mentor?
Well, he is my dad! From him I have learned how to respond to criticism. How to accept it without anger.
Have his political connections helped you?
He knows a lot of people but that does not mean it has translated into ringing endorsements or money. It has allowed me a place on the table to talk to them and hear them tell me what I should do. Community is everything.
In this poisoned time, does your last name raise eyebrows?
Absolutely. I have introduced myself to thousands of voters in my district. My skin color and my name frequently spark curiosity and questions. In sharing my story with so many voters, I have come to learn they are much like my family and much like Los Angeles - a cross pollination of so many ethnic groups mixing and sharing traditions and culture. I tell people I am a native Angeleno who is Hungarian-Irish-Indian Jewish and Muslim with a Mexican-Chinese wife!
Do you practice any religion?
No. I was raised Unitarian and carry the moral lessons of social justice with me in my community work, in addition to raising my daughter to love her neighbors and community.
Have you been to India?
Yes, in 2003 for my uncle’s wedding. Visited my aunt and uncle’s home in New Delhi then we drove out to Aligarh my father’s home town. My biggest regret was getting sick from food cooked in some oil that was off, and I missed the train to the Taj Mahal.
What did you learn from the Bernie Sanders campaign?
I learned that not only do my neighbors want real progressive policies, but that an independent grassroots organization can make a legitimate challenge to corporate establishment party politics.
How much do you have in your war chest?
Since the primary, my campaign has raised almost $40,000 in small donations. With 4:1 matching funds we are approaching $165,000.
What has been the smallest monetary contribution and from whom?
Some of our contributors have given as little as $5. Approximately 20% of our donations are less than $27, and virtually all small contributions are from LA City or County.
Do you presently have any Indian-American donor?
Family members have been generous enough to support my campaign with contributions and by volunteering their time with our field efforts.
Your position on immigration: deportation and the issuance of H1B visa.
I support Los Angeles becoming an official sanctuary city and oppose the suspension of issuing H1B visas.
If members of the Indian-American community want to actively support you, what would you have them do?
Indian-American community members can consider donating to my campaign, or volunteering time to phonebank or canvass at our offices at 3346 N Figueroa Ave. or contribute at https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/joe4cd1
Are you making changes in how you will campaign leading to May 16?
We have closely analysed the results of the March 7th primary and are moving forward to shore up our weakest support and increase turnout where our support was strongest. I intend to continue to make the case that a council office responsive to the public’s needs will solve many of the problems facing my community.
What caused your opponent to apologize for calling your campaign a hipster one?
He didn’t call my campaign hipster - he called the voters flippant trendy hippy hipsters. He knows what a lie this is. People voted for a lot of reasons not because they are flippant but because they care about this city and they don’t trust his leadership. I have repeatedly said he has not done his job,
You would have to ask them why they chose to divide the constituents by class and race on election night. This statement was totally inaccurate - my grassroots campaign has welcomed locals of all backgrounds who have been shut out by their representative and want to see real change in CD1.
Did you apologize for calling him a turd?
No. While this language was childish, I am running for office because I believe we can do better than our incumbent representative in building economic opportunity, affordable housing, and building a better future for Los Angeles with a representative accountable to the people.
In one line, describe Donald Trump.
In the words of Khizr Khan, he has “sacrificed nothing and no one.” I oppose his hateful speech, and am encouraged by this opportunity for the country to come together to demand changes in city and state offices of government.
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