"Now we have more candidates and even the President highlighting children’s advocacy and early education," says Ted Lempert, President of Children Now and former Assembly Member. 

Several advocates with strong backgrounds in children’s issues are among the more than 200 candidates in 80 districts running for the Assembly. A political action campaign dedicated to children—Californians for the Support of Early Education (CSEE)—also plans to raise funds for candidates committed to children and get more people involved in political campaigns.

We talk with five of the advocates running for office and three additional candidates about how they are focusing on children’s issues in their campaigns—and offer ideas for how people who care about children can get active.

Families need champions

“We need [more people in office] with a knowledge of public service and a commitment to families and children,” says Holly Mitchell, President of Crystal Stairs and a Democratic candidate for Assembly District 47 in Los Angeles. Mitchell decided to run for office after her son walked into a classroom of 39 students on his first day of fourth grade—she realized children need a champion in the state legislature, she recalls.

“I see this run for public office as another way I can continue my advocacy work and commitment to bettering the lives of families,” adds Mitchell. “Health, education, social services, those are the bread and butter issues for me—and families need champions,” adds Mitchell, an advocate for women, children, and families throughout her career.

We need to make investments in children

“Children’s advocates need to be involved in shaping and informing government,” says Dr. Richard Pan, a pediatrician and father of a three-year-old. He is also a Democratic candidate for Assembly District 5 in Sacramento and Placer counties. “We need to start talking about the long term impacts of the state budget. Are we going to short-change future generations because we aren’t willing to make investments in children?”

Dr. Pan—who has dedicated his career to bringing health care into disadvantaged communities—says his top issues are: access to quality child care and education, regional centers for children with developmental disabilities (recently hit with deep cuts in the state budget), and children without health insurance.

Close race between strong advocates

In Assembly District 9, “it’s a close race between strong advocates, Kevin McCarty and Roger Dickinson,” says Paul Miller, Executive Director of Kidango and Board Treasurer for CSEE.

Children’s access to high-quality preschool is the avenue to their success—and preschool is a proven in-vestment in children and communities, says McCarty, a legislative advocate for Preschool California, a Sacra-mento City Council Member, and father to 15-month-old twins. “As a parent [who] has worked in the field of early education, I won’t have to be persuaded why investment [in children] is so critical,” he adds.

“We must reorder state priorities to emphasize youth investment,” says Dickinson, who is chair of the Sacra-mento First 5 Commission and a Sacramento Board of Supervisors Member. “By concentrating on prevention, we can help children and families, strengthen neighborhoods, and [spend] public funds in a much more cost-effective manner. I have championed children’s issues on the Board of Supervisors.”

A lens to see issues affecting families

“So much is done at the legislative level that impacts kids,” notes Kate Anderson, a member of both the Los Angeles Child Care Planning Committee and the Mar Vista Community Council. She is also a Democratic candidate for Assembly District 53. Being a mom, she say, gives her a lens to see issues affecting California families—and she wants to make sure there’s a voice at the Capitol working for them.

When Anderson had her twin girls Darby and Emeline in 2004, it opened her eyes to the needs of working mothers. She adds that she cannot stress enough the need for high quality child care—and one of her “most passionate” issues would be a statewide quality rating system for child care. She worked to create the first child care center sponsored by a law firm on the West Coast.

Other candidates weigh in

“Elected officials end up balancing state budgets on the backs of children through health and education cuts, simply because children don’t vote,” says Khatchik Achadjian, a San Luis Obispo County Supervisor and a Republican candidate for Assembly District 33. But, he adds, his constituents are most concerned about the budget, economy, and jobs.

Melissa Fox, a Democratic candidate in Irvine’s Assembly District 70, says education is her number one issue in this campaign. “Our classrooms have too many students, too few teachers and resources,” she says. “California’s public education system was the envy of the nation, now our schools are among the worst.”

“The challenges for our families have never been greater,” adds Toni Atkins, San Diego City Council Member and a candidate for Assembly District 76. “The safety net programs on which these families depend is shrinking. We cannot make short-term cuts to programs that protect our families that we will pay for later, both individually and as communities.”

People committed to children have to become involved

“If you’re serious about the welfare of children, you have to become involved,” says Miller. “[Change won’t happen] until we have influence in how taxes are distributed and raised, which is not possible unless people committed to children get involved [in legislative campaigns].”

CSEE’s Political Action Campaign plans to raise funds for “viable candidates who have strong sympathies to early care and education and child development,” says Miller—at press time CSEE is endorsing Anderson and Mitchell. CSEE also plans to “cultivate people to run for office from the field and educate the field [about being active in political campaigns]” (see below: Get involved in political campaigns
). Advocates need to get involved early in campaigns, he adds, because “the odds of a candidate winning are based on their early strategy.”

“It is critical to have [legislators] with a background in children’s advocacy,” adds Lempert. “With these candidates, it’s not just rhetoric, it is something they are passionate about and they will become champions.”

The Children’s Advocate and Action Alliance for Children do not endorse any candidates for office. 

Get involved in political campaigns

Here are some ideas to make sure candidates are talking about children’s issues:

Register to vote—and help register others.  Get tips for organizing a “get out the vote” campaign at www.4children.org/issues/2004/september_october/
election_2004_10_steps_to_voting_power

Meet with candidates to let them know your views.

Get involved in campaigns, telephoning, stuffing envelopes, going door-to-door, writing letters to the editor. “It’s not hard, but it does take time,” says Miller.

Speak out before groups—CAEYC chapters, public policy chapters, early childhood classes—to encourage other people to get involved.

Organize a candidate forum. Ask candidates how they plan to support quality child care, schools, afterschool programs, health care. Find or organize forums by contacting your local League of Women Voters, 916-442-7215, http://ca.lwv.org/lwvc/aboutlwvc/lldir.html

Californians for the Support of Early Education’s 501(c)4 organization will focus on voter registration and encouraging advocacy. For more info, contact John Harris, jkenyoh@yahoo.com, or Ed Condon, edcondon@frontiernet.net; CSEE’s website is at www.supportearlyed.org

For more info about candidates, see Children's Advocates Roundtable.