President Barack Obama and Senator Curren Price
Gov. Jerry Brown, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Rep. Karen Bass among influential elected backing the State Senator for 9th District City Council
Fueled by a bevy of powerful political endorsements led by Gov. Jerry Brown, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsome, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Congresswoman Karen Bass, State Senator Curren Price steams into the March 5 primary race for Los Angeles City Council 9th District.
Price’s endorsements include a who’s who list of current and former elected officials, union organizations, clergy and the majority of sitting state senators; Congresswoman Diane Watson (Ret.),Congressman Tony Cardenas,Congresswoman Gloria Negrete-McLeod, Congressman Juan Vargas, Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson, Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz, Los Angeles City Councilman Dave Cunningham (Ret.), Los Angeles City Councilman Robert Farrell (Ret.) and Los Angeles City Councilman Nate Holden (Ret.)
Price has also distinguished himself as the only contender with a solid record of achievement on one of the most pressing issues facing Los Angeles: access to quality, affordable healthcare.
His legislative record on matters of healthcare is in harmony with President Obama’s signature achievement, the Affordable Care Act — popularly known as Obamacare. In fact, the senator recently addressed the California Health Benefits Exchange Board, speaking passionately to the newly-created state agency about the vital importance of directing Obamacare awareness efforts at communities of color. During that appearance, state Secretary of Health and Human Services Diane S. Dooley called Price “a long and dedicated champion of universal coverage.”
As a lawmaker, Price authored landmark state legislation that mirrors a key benefit of Obamacare — conforming state laws to provide working parents with the option to add dependent children up to age 26 to employer-based health plans. When fully implemented, the Affordable Care Act could expand healthcare benefits for an estimated two million African-Americans in California.
Price has long championed expansion of Medi-Cal for low-income patients, and fought to improve reimbursement rates for doctors who treat those patients most in need.
Another piece of legislation authored by Price, which was signed into law, requires hospitals to provide the public with adequate notice before shutting down completely or eliminating services that are most needed in local communities. That law was inspired in part by the closure of Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital, and Price was among the elected leaders who helped in the fight to reopen the South Los Angeles facility.
“Access to quality, affordable healthcare is one of the defining issues of our time,” said Price. “The people of the 9th District — which has a shortage of facilities that can offer these vital services to residents — need their next representative to understand this issue deeply, and arrive on the job with the experience and connections to start unraveling our healthcare crisis on day one. Bringing in and sustaining increased healthcare services is an essential part of my plan to lead in the new 9th District.”
Price’s commitment to expanding health care coverage is a key factor in the long, diverse list of endorsements his campaign has earned from African-American community leaders, labor unions and elected officials.
“Our 9th District communities are uniting behind this campaign, because the people in our neighborhoods understand the urgency as it relates to matters of health and wellness — particularly for our children, young families and elderly,” said Price. “It will take proven leadership to make the kind of change we need in the 9th District, and expanding access to healthcare is central to improving the quality of life in South Los Angeles.”
It has taken trusted and respected public servant Curren Price more than two decades to return to the city where he was born and accept the challenge of running for the continuous Los Angeles City Council 9th District.
However, having represented a portion of the 9th District as a senator for the 26th District since 2009, Price is more than qualified to address the needs and concerns of the constituency.
“I am very familiar with the opportunities and obstacles that exist in this district, almost one-third of which is in the 26th Senate District, which I now represent,” he said.
During an exclusive Editorial Board Meeting with the Sentinel this week, the Democrat discussed his candidacy and goals for what he hails ‘The New Ninth” as the March 5th municipal election nears.
“I want to make sure that South Los Angeles get its fair share of the resources that are entitled to them,” Price told the Sentinel.
For several years he was a consultant for the Small Business Administration, served on the Los Angeles County Commission on Insurance and Community Economic Development Committee and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s South Bay Governance Council.
During his tenure on the Inglewood City Council and in the legislature he has been a steadfast champion on economic development.
“I plan on encouraging more private sector investment, improving the infrastructure on roads, addressing the adequate housing and most importantly safety in the New 9th,” he explained.
The primary difference between him and the other candidates is that he has sustained the relationships with policy makers and in the private sector who can be instrumental in helping him achieve these goals.
While, trailing candidates Terry Hara and Ana Cubas in campaign contributions, Price is the overwhelming choice of unions and Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson and Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas.
“I believe that Sen. Curren Price would be the most viable candidate in the 9th Council District race. He is someone who is respected and someone around whom the community can unite,” said Wesson.
The Supervisor added; “I think the president of the City Council has given a lot of thought to the 9th District and I am prepared to follow his lead. I agree with the City Council president that Sen. Curren Price will be very hard to beat.”
Congresswoman Karen Bass, the majority of his colleagues in the legislature, Black and Latino clergy members, most of the weekly publications have all endorsed Curren Price for ‘’The New” 9th District.
Price was born in Los Angeles and attended schools in Inglewood. He was the first Black student body president in the history of Morningside High School in 1967. He won a scholarship to prestigious Stanford University earning a BA in political science and then obtained his law degree from Santa Clara University.
A lifetime credentialed adult and community college teacher, Price has served as deputy to two Los Angeles city councilmembers, was a member of the Inglewood City Council and has been one of the leading lawmakers in the California legislature since 2006.
