Campaign Notebook: L.A. Times Backs Hahn, Winograd's Challenge and Venice Forum

The Los Angeles Times on Monday endorsed Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn to fill the vacant seat in the 36th Congressional District. The Times noted that Hahn's principal competitor is Secretary of State Debra Bowen and said both are capable elected officials with similar politics.

"Both are mainstream Democrats who supported health care reform and who, if elected to Congress, could be counted on to support same-sex marriage and to humanely revamp the nation's immigration laws," the Times' editorial said.

The Times also singled out Redondo Beach Mayor Mike Gin, a liberal Republican who not only supports gay marriage but is gay and married, and anti-war activist Marcy Winograd as viable candidates. The editorial said Hahn, Bowen and Gin would make able members of Congress, but they saw "special promise for Hahn to emerge as a charismatic deal-maker with the ability to advance the district's priorities."

Hahn championed the Times' endorsement in an email sent to supporters Monday that asked for donations and volunteers.

Marcy Winograd Issues A Challenge

Teacher and anti-war activist Winograd issued a challenge to fellow Democratic candidates Hahn and Bowen asking them to join her in opposing future war supplemental funding for continued U.S. military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Winograd noted that Hahn has used political mailers with photographs of Arlington West, a symbolic cemetery in the sand at the Santa Monica Pier, but has not stated that she opposes war funding and has never officially visited Arlington West.

"I invite Janice Hahn and Debra Bowen to pay an official visit to Arlington West, join me in signing a pledge to reject future war funding, except to bring our troops home safely—and help the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans set up and take down the multitude of crosses that represent fallen soldiers," Winograd said in a statement.

Winograd gained 41 percent of the Democratic primary vote when she challenged incumbent Jane Harman in June.

Venice Hosts Candidates Forum

The Mar Vista Community Council and the Venice Neighborhood Council will hold a candidates forum in Venice on Wednesday night at Westminster Elementary School.

If you have a question for the candidates, you can email them to CandidateQuestions@VeniceNC.org and 15 of the submitted ones will be asked at the forum.

If you're not registered to vote, the Los Angeles County registrar's office will have a table at the candidate forum. It also will have a table at the Venice Farmers Market each Friday from 7-11 a.m. through May 13.

The Venice forum starts at 6:30 p.m., and the Veterans for Peace organization is planning a news conference at 6 p.m. to ask the candidates to sign a declaration saying they will vote against additional funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, should they be elected to Congress.

Veterans for Peace says the only additional war funding it would back would be monies used to safely bring troops home.

The Veterans for Peace news conference will include Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic, author of Born on the 4th of July.