Over the past 10 years in local politics, I have seen no shortage of partisanship. It draws sharp and unnuanced contrasts between candidates and issues based solely on their political party registration, fuels an “or else” mindset that every election is a fight to save our nation, and frankly, it brings out the worst in people.
Bullying, doxing and dismissing others’ experiences are tools the fervent use to silence a moderate majority. Republicans and Democrats both have absolutists. With the rise of MAGA and Democratic Socialists of America movements, compromise has taken a back seat to national gamesmanship, and campaigns have shifted from defending a platform to attacking falsely generated characters of the opposition.
One of Santa Clarita’s least discussed realities is the mix of political affiliations among our elected and appointed leaders. I am a Republican, and I have nominated Democrats to city commissions and endorsed Democrats and independents for public office.
On nonprofit boards, the only measures that matter are mission and results — not whether someone supported me or shared my party choice. If you claim to be nonpartisan and ask people to back you because you serve everyone you represent, your actions must match.
In July, while the council was on hiatus, the North County sector of the City Selection Committee nominated me as the region’s representative on the L.A. County Metropolitan Transportation Authority board.
Metro oversees a budget of nearly $10 billion and is responsible for operating, planning and building one of the largest transit systems in the country.
Santa Clarita, the third-largest city in L.A. County, has never had a seat on that board. It was an honor to earn that chance.
Since joining the council, I have served on several regional boards, including the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency), the Southern California Association of Governments’ Transportation Committee and the North County Transportation Coalition.
I understand and have lived the daily strain on tens of thousands of workers in the 27th Congressional District who are stuck on the Interstate 5 and State Route 14 freeways day in and day out, or are limited by Metrolink’s thin track and service opportunities in the North County.
That work prepared me to fight for freeway safety, bottleneck reductions, and real rail improvements for the growth facing the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys.
A supermajority of cities in the sector voted for me to do just that.
I never treated the appointment as a congressional campaign advantage. Representing the community is not about personal gain.
Unfortunately, my opponent disagrees.
In the history of city selection that I am aware of, a sector nominee has never been rejected by the full delegation of L.A. County cities because of politics. Sectors were respected, and party affiliation or office-seeking choices were not used to block a nominee — until now.
With help from my opponent’s political allies, my nomination was shut down. Most cities in attendance offered no reason; they simply abstained from the vote.
Mayor Ardy Kassakhian of Glendale — my chosen alternate on the L.A. County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency, and not of my party — moved my approval and condemned the behind-the-scenes campaign against me, even after being pressured not to support me. He knew it was wrong and would only hurt local governments trying to do what is right, not what is partisan or politically useful.
In a strange way, I should be flattered that sitting members of Congress feel threatened enough to call the mayors of other Los Angeles County cities and demand they oppose my nomination, simply because they are concerned I may win an election. I should also be concerned that federal representatives have time to meddle in local appointments instead of doing the job they were elected to do.
But the scariest concern is that our congressman opposed me because he does not treat freeway gridlock being experienced for decades as real, is content to let Palmdale and Lancaster keep super-commuting on unsafe and undersized freeways and feels a party allegiance is more important than one to community.
At best, this was partisan gamesmanship at the expense of experienced and regionally supported local elected officials. At worst, he sees his role representing the 27th as simply a number on a political team trying to get to 218, and his support is reserved only for those with the same letter in their affiliations.
Jason Gibbs is a member of the Santa Clarita City Council. “Right Here, Right Now” appears Saturdays and rotates among local Republicans.
