Estuardo Mazariegos, a candidate for City Council district nine, said he would like to open up the USC Village to community members outside of campus, and ensure that the university is paying its “fair share” of taxes to the city.
Mazariegos said he has been part of several citywide efforts including the South L.A. Community Plan Implementation Overlay, which is a planning document to ensure that tenants and longtime residents have additional protections when development happens in the community.
“We need to really put a moratorium on the rent by the bed type of housing production that’s been occurring throughout the community,” Mazariegos said.
Mazariegos spoke with Annenberg Radio News on Sept. 30 and said some goals that would directly impact USC students include his plan to build more affordable housing in the community and to create a safer environment for pedestrians and bicycle users.
He argues his work protecting tenant’s rights would extend to students citing conversations with students struggling with tenant harassment and rent gouging.
To accomplish these goals, Mazariegos said he wants to “create a co-governance structure” and said that would look like having conversations with every institution, organization or interest in the district.
“Most importantly, is when there are mistakes, because there will be mistakes, that I am open to having that conversation,” Mazariegos said. “And that’s why I want to set up that core governance structure, so that way we can shift and we can make it so that [the] government works for the people in South Central Los Angeles.”
Mazariegos said he is a “corporate free candidate.”
“I don’t take any money from big corporations like Airbnb and other institutions like that, because I want to be held accountable in making sure that we have the type of government that really does address the issues in the neighborhood,” he said.
Mazariegos said he would take a holistic approach to addressing public safety concerns saying some services are not currently being adequately addressed include accessibility for community members with disabilities, street light repairs, street sweeping and mental health services.
Mazariegos believes that violence prevention initiatives such as gun buy-back programs are necessary to keep the community safe.
“Preventing violence is about making sure that our community is safe to be in,” Mazariegos said. “Meaning that we have programs where we’re able to really catch at-risk youth, making sure that there’s good jobs for our kids, etc., and they’re engaged in that way.”
Mazariegos said he supports non-tenured USC faculty’s recent calls for a faculty union.
“That’s actually one of the ways that USC can be a better partner as well,” Mazariegos said. “They shouldn’t be fighting their faculty and their workers from unionizing. They should be welcoming.”
Mazariegos is the co-director of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, helped lead the effort to implement the Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance, the Resident Protection Ordinance and helped pass Measure ULA, also known as the ‘mansion tax.’ He is endorsed by the Democratic Socialists of America and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.