By Michael Falcone
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Though she’s up against the political might of Dianne
Feinstein and Tom Campbell, ““ two powerhouses of California
politics ““ Medea Benjamin, the Green Party candidate for U.S.
Senate isn’t flinching.
Benjamin, who spoke at UCLA Thursday night, criticized political
writers and others who called her grassroots effort to win the
Senate seat “old fashioned” and
“illegitimate.”
“Had non-violence not been a basic tenet of the Green
Party, I would have strangled one of them in an editorial board
meeting,” Benjamin said.
Speaking to a group of about 50 students in 1200 Rolfe Hall,
Benjamin was joined by Sara Amir, Green Party candidate for State
Assembly in the 42nd district, at an event sponsored by Bruins for
Nader and Medea.
Benjamin, the founder of San Francisco-based human rights
organization Global Exchange, built her campaign on issues such as
promoting workers’ rights, campaign finance reform, and
environmental protection issues.
While waiting nearly an hour for the candidates to arrive, some
of those at the event read the Socialist Worker newspaper. Others
signed a petition to let Green Party presidential candidate Ralph
Nader into the remaining two debates.
Amir, who is campaigning while keeping her job as a scientist
with the California Environmental Protection Agency’s
Department of Toxic Substances Control, said her job experience led
to her vested interest in the environment.
Thursday night she discussed the the hazards of chromium 6 water
contamination ““ an issue she has worked on at the EPA.
Chromium 6, a metallurgical byproduct which may be toxic to
humans in high concentrations, was recently found in abnormal
levels in Los Angeles tap water.
“If elected to the state Assembly, the first bill I would
introduce is mandatory pollution prevention,” Amir said.
The event was Benjamin’s seventh visit to a college campus
in the past two days ““ near the end of a five day campaign
swing through the Southland.
Her daughter, Arlen Benjamin-Gomez, a third-year International
Development and Latin American Studies student at UCLA was in the
audience.
She said it is exciting to see her mother, who has always been a
political activist, run for public office.
After her speech Benjamin answered the question of one audience
member who ““ despite pledging her support for Benjamin
““ criticized the Green Party for failing to adequately
address race issues.
“I think it’s terrible, but the question is what are
you going to do about it?” Benjamin said.
Akilah Monifa, Benjamin’s campaign press officer, stressed
the importance of gaining support among college students and
speculated on his boss’s chances for victory in November.
“The one way to increase voter turnout is to reach new
voters,” Monifa said. “Statistics show that 15 percent
of people don’t vote at all, if those people voted, and voted
for a third party candidate, the tide would certainly
shift.”