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FEATURING ANGELA GONZALES-TORRES - Justice Democrats, the political organization that helped catapult Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cori Bush, and other young progressives of color into Congressional seats, is backing a new candidate in Los Angeles: Angela Gonzales-Torres is challenging incumbent Jimmy Gomez for District 34. 

As a self-described “daughter of a deportee, raised by a single mom in and around Northeast LA,” Gonzales-Torres is running on an abolitionist platform of people-first housing, guaranteed basic income, Medicare-for-all, Green New Deal, immigrant justice and more. 

Angela Gonzalez-Torres, Congressional candidate challenging California Congressman Jimmy Gomez to represent District 34 in Los Angeles. She is an anthropologist, former President of the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council, where she helped lead efforts to resist displacement, protect renters, and hold developers and city officials accountable. She has also served as an intern with the LA City Mayor's office and as a Metro Public Safety Advisory Committee member. She spoke with Sonali Kolhatkar about her campaign.

ROUGH TRANSCRIPT:

Angela Gonzales-Torres: Oh my gosh, that was amazing to hear that. Yes, I'm only 30, but I feel like I've lived all these lives. Thank you for having me. Something You're most welcome. 

Sonali Kolhatkar: You're not very far from where I live in Pasadena. And this is a, an interesting time that we live in where we are seeing young people of color like yourself, people with immigrant backgrounds, at a time when anti-immigrant sentiment coming from the highest office is so virulent, so dangerous, and yet a lot of people are finding it in themselves to stand up. 

So just tell me, first of all, why, what led to your decision? Is this something you've always pictured for yourself to someday be in Congress or was this something that just motivated you more recently? And if so, why? 

Gonzales-Torres: That's, yeah, that's a really good place to start because I actually did not know who represented me really, on a congressional level until about two years ago, and now I'm running against him. So really anything is possible and certainly a better future for all of us. 

But I'm really excited to and proud to be introducing myself as a new voice for California's 34th district. I am born and raised here. I graduated from our public schools here. I certainly did not move here to become a politician, nearly fully funded by corporate SuperPACs. And I'm just really honored that this is something that I get to do for myself, my family, my community, because we are really looking for hope. 

And I'm just a daughter of this district. I'm also a daughter of a deportee, like you said. I have lived through my own father's deportation, was raised by a single mom. And I feel the urgency of this moment. And so I think this district, being the heart of Los Angeles really deserves a progressive leader who will actually stand with us and fight for us and not leave to Washington, DC and close the door behind him. 

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