Friedman to face Jacobsen in AD44
Redrawn district gives voters a choice between an earnest Republican or a seasoned Democrat
Residents of the newly redrawn 44th Assembly District have a clear-cut choice in the June 7 primary race, with veteran Democrat Laura Friedman vying for the seat against Barry Curtis Jacobsen, a former Green Beret and a Republican who is new to the political arena.
Top issues facing the communities include rising homelessness and crime; lack of affordable housing and skyrocketing rents; plastic pollution and worsening climate change; piracy, cyber attacks and safety issues in the entertainment industry; and over-regulating businesses, creating an unfriendly environment a small businesses closed due to the pandemic try to rebuild.
Jacobsen said he never had a desire to be a politician, but has chosen to run now because the district, city and state are in dire need of choice and change.
Key issues for this small business owner include rising crime, often hand-in-hand with homelessness, the lack of affordable quality education, California's energy dependence, runaway inflation, heavy taxation and overregulation that creates an unfriendly business environment.
“I'm a native son of the San Fernando Valley, residing in West Toluca Lake,” Jacobsen said. “I come from three generations of veterans, and I proudly served in the U.S. Army Special Forces as a Green Beret during the (President Ronald) Reagan years. Today, I am father of three, including my son currently serving, and I am a grandfather of two. I joined this race because I could no longer stand by while the state I love turned from the `place to be' to the `place to flee'.”
Jacobsen doesn't have any formal endorsements. He believes every state is best served by a strong two-party system, not a one-party state.
“Our leaders have led us into a downward spiral of crime and homelessness, poor schools and rising costs, while raising our taxes,” Jacobsen said. “Voters should know that the status quo is unacceptable. I want to bring safety, sanity and prosperity back to our state. We deserve better and need to come together as Californians wanting the best for California.”
He hasn't reported any campaign contributions and is running a very lean campaign, he notes, until after the primary.
“Many of my friends running in contested races need those funds between now and June, and I'm staying out of their way,” Jacobsen said. “After that has shaken down the field, donations to those of us still in the fight will open up, and
I’ll begin fundraising.”
Friedman, a resident of Glendale where she lives with her landscape designer husband and daughter, is an environmental advocate and believes in sustainable communities. She has backed bills allowing developers to provide fewer parking spaces in hopes of encouraging people to use cars less often, and advocates for mass transit, biking and walking.
She has raised $700,000, according to a campaign representative, and is endorsed by the California Democratic Party and a coalition of local and statewide leaders including the mayors of Glendale and Burbank, Los Angeles city councilmembers, U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks and state Sen. Robert Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys.
“Housing affordability is a huge and growing crisis,” said Friedman who before politics had a 20-plus-year career as an executive and producer in the film industry. “We are adding some units and yet rents and home prices continue to skyrocket, forcing many of our seniors, young people, and workers to leave the area, face long commutes or be financially overburdened.”
Friedman says she has worked to create pathways to homeownership and has voted to invest billions of dollars towards homelessness services.
She said she has passed legislation to support vulnerable Californians such as foster youth, hospital patients and the disabled.
The environment has been a priority in her current district. She’s pushed to slow climate change and combat air and water pollution, and the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter has endorsed her.
“As an assembly member, I’ve proven to be an environmental champion,” Friedman said. “I’ve taken on tough fights around plastic waste, fossil-fuel use, and the protection of our fragile ecosystems. Many of our neighborhoods are at extreme wildfire risk, which is an increasing threat due to global warming. I’ve authored key wildfire prevention measures, and secured millions of dollars to give communities and firefighters the resources they need to keep us safe.”
Because California’s population has decreased, voting districts and their boundaries will change on Jan. 1, 2023 — as happens every decade at the local, state and federal level.
The newly redrawn 44th Assembly District includes Foothills Trails District, North Glendale, Montrose, La Crescenta, North Hollywood, Burbank, Toluca Lake, Studio City, Sherman Oaks and Valley Village.