Elle Prince, 16, a high school sophomore at the Geffen Academy at UCLA, spent her Saturday afternoon organizing a canvassing event for Reverend Rae Huang’s mayoral campaign. She, along with 11 other volunteers and organizers, went door-to-door in her Playa del Rey neighborhood, looking for potential voters ahead of the June 2 primary election.
“It’s awful, not being able to do anything,” Prince said. “I got tired of not doing anything.”
Prince says she gravitated toward Huang because of their shared values, like accountability and transparency in how the city spends its money. Huang’s platform includes a plan to create a “people’s budget,” in order for Angelenos to see how their money is being spent. According to Prince, she even persuaded her mom to vote for Huang. Prince is also a community captain with the Huang campaign, which is how she was able to organize the canvass with her classmate and friend, Grace Luo. The two spent two-to-three weeks planning the event.
By 2:30 pm, there were a total of 12 volunteers and organizers on hand. People paired up, taking turns to rehearse the introductory speeches printed and attached to their clipboards. Halle Bills, the campaign’s field director, spoke with everyone before canvassing, offering advice for dealing with things like gates and dogs, while also reminding everyone of the rules of engagement. Prince and Luo then split the group in two to canvas more of the neighborhood.
An Emerson College poll published May 13 has Huang polling at just 3%. Some Raman voters are concerned that by remaining in the race, Huang will split the progressive vote with Councilmember Nithya Raman. The concern for Raman’s supporters is that splitting the vote could pave the way for a runoff between incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, and Republican reality television star Spencer Pratt.
“I don’t think we’re going to split the vote with Raman,” said Caiden Reed, another volunteer. “I think Raman is going to split the vote with Bass… People keep talking about Rae as the spoiler, whereas I think a spoiler is someone who comes into the race late. Someone who doesn’t have a full platform out yet.”
Raman kicked off her campaign, just three hours before the filing deadline and two weeks after endorsing Bass. This degraded trust with voters like Reed, Medina and Martinez, and calcified their support for Huang, who they consider steadfast in her beliefs.
So what keeps these volunteers and organizers so committed to someone polling at 3%?
“It’s not just about the election,” said Delilah Medina, a field organizer with the Huang campaign. “[Huang’s candidacy] gives hope to L.A. that there are still people who care about each other in this city.”
Medina was confident that a single poll couldn’t tell the whole story.
“The amount of people that are disappointed and just want representation, just want change, is a lot bigger than what we’re seeing on TV,” she said.
Canvassing with Prince, with her leading the charge, left Medina impressed.
“This is amazing to watch because being a teenager, spending your Saturday getting people informed about mayoral candidates is not something I was doing,” she said.
After reflecting for a longer beat, she added: “What concerns me is that they’re not able to be children,” she said as she followed Prince down the block, watching her knock on door after door. “Society has turned so ugly and backwards that kids are focused on how to make it better when they should be focused on summer vacation and playing outside.”
Prince and Medina eventually converged with two other volunteers canvassing the neighborhood, Reed and Elizabeth Martinez. For Martinez, this was her first day canvassing for the Huang campaign. She had canvassed once before, but was disappointed by the experience.
What was it about Rae Huang that made Martinez give canvassing a second chance?
“She’s authentic,” Martinez said. “She stands for everything I stand for.”
As a Mexican-American, and an L.A. native, immigration has become a core issue for Martinez during this election.
“I haven’t really heard about other candidates being behind the immigrant community as much,” she said. “That’s why I’m trying to put an effort in right now.”
Given that it was a sunny Saturday, the foursome weren’t that shocked that many doors did not open for them. The few residents who were home didn’t have much to say other than that they were still making up their mind. Some took flyers from Prince or Martinez or Medina out of genuine curiosity, while some took them out of what looked like obligation. The lone voter who had already decided proudly declared “I’m for Bass, baby!” when she was approached.
“Transparency and accountability,” that was Reed’s answer when asked what issue matters most to him in this election. To him, Bass’ handling of the fire department during the Palisades Fire demonstrated neither transparency nor accountability.
“[Bass] tried to blame [then-fire Chief Kristin Crowley],” he said. “[Bass] fired [Crowley] because [Bass] didn’t want the accountability. She didn’t have real answers to [the fires]. So it’s a no-brainer why people want more accountability and transparency than that.”
The canvassing wound down as the sun slowly started its descent. The entire group reconvened in Shorecliff Park, where they had started their afternoon. Eight volunteers said they spoke to voters who were either voting for Huang, or considering voting for her. Five of the dozen people present said they’d be interested in canvassing again, when asked for a show of hands. Folks were in high spirits, bouncing the conversation back and forth between recapping interactions with voters, and comparing Huang’s affordability policy to Raman’s.
The volunteers ended the event by giving Prince and Luo a round of applause, and offered hope to this next generation of organizers.
“Imagine when you’re in charge,” Medina said.
The nonpartisan mayoral primary is scheduled for June 2, and ballots have already arrived at voters’ homes.