State Sen. Bob Archuleta, a Democrat from Pico Rivera, is favored to win a second term this year in the newly drawn 30th District. But to do so, he’ll have to defeat two fellow Democrats and a Republican challenger.
Both Democratic challengers have some local name recognition and political experience. Henry Bouchot is a Whittier City Council member and Martha Camacho Rodriguez held a seat on a college board before her current role as a member of a water board.
But while SD-30 leans solidly blue, there’s also a chance that the three Democrats split the vote enough so that Republican newcomer Mitch Clemmons, who owns a local plumbing business, makes it through the primary.
The two candidates with the most votes in June will advance to the November general election to see who will represent nearly 1 million residents in the district that covers southeast Los Angeles County along with Brea in Orange County.
Though recent redistricting led to a change in ID number, the boundaries of the area currently represented by Archuleta (SD-32) are largely the same for the newly drawn SD-30. Still, the new district is slightly less blue, since its boundaries now extend east to pick up a lot of Walnut and Diamond Bar and it swapped out Buena Park for Brea. Registered Democrats in the new SD-30 now hold a 28-point advantage over registered Republicans.
Archuleta, 76, is unfazed. He says he wants a second term so he can continue to tackle issues such as homelessness and housing, and to help veterans and address climate change.
Archuleta is a Lincoln Heights native who worked as an Army paratrooper and police officer before launching a political career. He won a seat on the Pico Rivera City Council in 2007 before running for state Senate in 2018, when he bested a long list of primary challengers in the primary to win his current four-year term in the general election by capturing 66.9% of the vote.
In the Senate, Archuleta serves on committees overseeing veterans, business, governmental organization, transportation and insurance. He had seven bills signed into law in 2021, including one that requires the state to study its capacity for supporting enough zero-emission trucks, buses and off-road vehicles to meet its air pollution goals. He also touts securing more than $100 million from Sacramento for local projects and organizations, saying he judges his success in office by his ability to work in a bipartisan way to improve lives and provide resources for his constituents.
“I take pride in bringing people together and working with my Republican colleagues to find collaborative solutions and common ground,” Archuleta said.
One issue threatens to upset Archuleta’s re-election plans.
In March 2021, a unnamed former staffer filed a lawsuit in which she accused Archuleta of sexual harassment, including claims of unwanted advances. The suit also alleges Archuleta retaliated against the employee for raising concerns and had violated other labor laws, leading her to resign after 14 years working in politics.
Archuleta, in a statement, described the claims in the suit as “categorically false.” He said: “While I would never knowingly mistreat or disrespect a female employee, I believe in their absolute right to come forward and be heard if and when they believe that standard has been violated.”
A hearing in the case is scheduled for May 19.
When it comes to political ideology, Archuleta rated himself a five on a scale of 1-10, with one being far left.
Rodriguez also gave herself a five, while Clemmons ranked himself a seven and Bouchot skipped the question.
But, while Bouchot and Archuleta agree on a number of key issues, Bouchot cited some policy positions a bit further to the left than Archuleta. That includes his call for “much more aggressive” government policies to tackle climate change, while Archuleta supports “slightly more aggressive” policies.
Bouchot, 37, is the son of Mexican and Salvadoran immigrants. He grew up in Boyle Heights and says he’s always been a fighter, often literally.
“I fought as an amateur boxer.,” he said. “As a Marine, I fought the Taliban in Afghanistan. I unseated a nine-term incumbent to become the youngest councilmember in Whittier’s history. Today, I am running to unseat another career politician and bring the fight to Sacramento.”
Bouchot, who’s still in the Reserves, said his start in politics came when he worked to get a crosswalk drawn in his Whittier neighborhood, eventually winning a seat on City Council in 2018.
As for judging his success in office, Bouchot said, “There is one simple way for me as an elected official to know whether I have been successful. If I can explain myself to my eight year-old son, then I have succeeded.”
The other Democrat in the race is Rodriguez, 55, who is a former teacher in Compton Unified School District who now does grant writing and community organizing.
Rodriguez got started in politics as an activist around education and water issues. She’s a former Cerritos College board member who has twice been elected to the board for the Central Basin Municipal Water District, where she’s focused on improving affordability and access to clean water.
Addressing water contamination would be a key focus of Rodriguez’s time in the state Senate. She’s also active around housing issues, equity, and mass transit.
“My political philosophy is straightforward — transparency, integrity and accountability,” Rodriguez said. “The work that I have done and continue to do as an educator and organizer in inner cities has centered around these core values. I strongly believe that when we have politicians who act in representation of their community for the greater good — that’s exactly what democracy looks like.”
As the sole Republican and political newcomer in the SD-30 race, Clemmons’ campaign slogan is “serving God, serving people.”
He’s been a plumbing contractor and business owner for more than 20 years. During that time, he said he’s helped train several others to start their own plumbing companies.
“My passion is to serve others, which includes my customers and my employees, and to help them be successful,” he said. “I will apply this same attitude of service if elected.”
Clemmons is campaigning on aims to make neighborhoods safer, help reduce inflation and taxes, restore good education and protect the unborn.
He’s the sole SD-30 candidate who opposes abortion rights and would vote against the legality of gay marriage if it came before the legislature.
Stances on other key issues also fall along party lines. When it comes to single-payer healthcare in California, for example, Archuleta, Bouchot and Rodriguez support the idea while Clemmon opposes it.
In terms of tackling homelessness, Archuleta touted his record in securing funds for long-term housing projects, including some targeted for unhoused veterans.
Bouchot said he’d look to implement a policy he pushed in Whitter where the city got judicial help to clear homeless camps in exchange for a promise to build housing.
Clemmons wants to boost job training and mental health programs, while Rodriguez said she’d focus on expanding housing access.
Elections officials will begin mailing ballots to all registered voters May 9. Centers will open for in-person voting starting May 28. Visit OCVote.gov to learn more.
Source: Orange County Register
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