Carolyn Essex Challenges Lowenthal: What Needs to Change?
Carolyn Essex has focused her campaign for California’s 69th Assembly District on ensuring residents can see government working in their neighborhoods, in their schools and on their streets.
Appearing on “The Jackie Rae Show,” Essex said deteriorating public spaces, street homelessness and neighborhood safety should be priorities for the district’s representative — issues she believes Assemblyman Josh Lowenthal has not fully addressed.
“Yes, some of his bills have been impactful,” Essex said. “But when it comes to the city of Long Beach, Signal Hill, Avalon, and West Carson, it is not answering the matters that everyday residents are complaining about.”
Essex pointed to the Long Beach Peninsula and deteriorating city assets as examples of infrastructure she believes needs greater attention. “Because if your infrastructure is aging and deteriorating, what are you growing? What’s going to stand?” she said.
Essex described her campaign as an extension of her public service career. She said she spent 18 years with the city of Los Angeles’ Community Development Department, working with residents, businesses and nonprofit organizations. That experience, she said, shaped her expectations of government.
Her vision for the Assembly position emphasizes coordination between the district’s representative and local elected officials.
“You should work closely with your mayor and city council,” Essex said, adding that representatives should work with cities throughout their districts rather than operate in isolation.
Essex said the opportunity to write legislation — rather than pursue a City Council seat — helped drive her decision to run for the Assembly. She described it as a way to develop laws that address community needs and provide resources for cities.
That distinction matters. An Assembly member’s tools include legislation, state spending decisions and oversight of state agencies. Those responsibilities can help address local needs, but an individual lawmaker cannot enact legislation or appropriate state money alone. Bills generally must pass both legislative chambers before going to the governor.
For Essex, the responsibility also extends beyond getting a bill passed. “So we can’t just write the bill and then believe that the bill is just gonna work,” she said, emphasizing the need for implementation and oversight.
Essex argued that stronger coordination with local officials and more attention to persistent neighborhood concerns should be central to the position. She acknowledged that other residents may view Lowenthal’s accessibility and record differently.
What Essex offered was a vision of representation built around access, collaboration and follow-through.
“I want my community to understand that the door should be open,” she said. “We don’t have problems that we cannot solve together.
To learn more about Essex, visit her campaign website and read her candidate responses on Ballotpedia. For more on Lowenthal’s priorities, watch his full interview on “The Jackie Rae Show.”
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