Candidates for the 33rd Congressional District
Sixteen candidates — the largest field of all offices on the June 3 California primary ballot — are vying to replace Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Beverly Hills), who is retiring after 40 years in Congress.
Two other would-be contenders, James Graf and Brent Roske, dropped out of the race too late to remove their names from the ballot.
Here is a look at the remaining candidates for the 33rd Congressional District, which sprawls from Los Angeles’ Westside and Malibu down the coast through the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
Elan Carr, 46
Party: Republican
Residence: Beverly Hills
Occupation: Los Angeles County deputy district attorney, gang prosecutor
Education: B.A., philosophy and political science, UC Berkeley; J.D., Northwestern University School of Law
History: Son of immigrants, Iraq War veteran, Army Reserve
Quote: “I’ve dedicated my life to standing up for the most vulnerable among us ,and I promise to fight for every person in this district. We need to end the gridlock in D.C.”
Vince Flaherty, 55
Party: Democrat
Residence: Pacific Palisades
Occupation: producer/entrepreneur/historian
Education: studied theater arts, political science and law at UCLA and Harvarvd, no degrees
History: Former member of Pacific Palisades Community Council, former Palm Springs police officer, past aide to former Gov. Pat Brown and others
Quote: “If you don’t do politics, politics will do you.”
Tom Fox, 60
Party: No party affiliation
Residence: Sherman Oaks
Occupation: Lawyer
Education:B.A., political science, UC Santa Barbara; J.D., Southwestern Law School
History: Grew up surfing the Santa Monica Bay; has represented individuals and families as a lawyer for 30 years in Southern California
Quote: “We deserve better than what we have been getting from our leaders….You cannot expect things to change without making changes.”
Lily Gilani, 47
Party: Republican
Residence: Bel Air
Occupation: Lawyer, CEO
Education: B.S., psychology, California Lutheran University; J.D., Whittier Law School; LL.M, international law, Harvard Law School
History: Taught law at Whittier; was legal counsel for an online company to ease sleep disorders; founder and CEO of an online legal service
Quote: “As an international business lawyer and business owner, I understand…what it will take to expand economic opportunity and to implement effective foreign policies that will result in prosperity here at home.”
Wendy Greuel, 52
Party: Democrat
Residence: Brentwood
Occupation: Businesswoman
Education: B.A., political science, UCLA
History: Worked for L.A. Mayor Tom Bradley, served at HUD during the Clinton Administration, worked at DreamWorks entertainment company, was elected to L.A. City Council, elected L.A. controller, ran for mayor in 2013
Quote: “I’m running … to be a champion on the issues that matter most to our families here in Southern California—good jobs, great schools, protecting our beautiful coasts and mountains, reducing traffic and standing up for women and equality.”
Mark Matthew Herd, 50
Party: Libertarian
Residence: Westwood
Occupation: Campaign consultant
Education: B.A., economics, University of Arizona
History: campaign consultant, homeowner association board member, founding member of Westwood Neighborhood Council, Westside Regional Alliance of Councils representative
Quote: “Join the Ron Paul Revolution—vote for real change—vote Libertarian—VoteHerd.com.”
Kristie Holmes, 39
Party: Democrat
Residence: Laurel Canyon area of Hollywood Hills
Occupation: Social worker/professor
Education: B.S., social sciences, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, M.S. in social work, USC, Phd., human services, Capella University
History: Former children’s social worker for county Department of Children and Family Servcies; teaches in the master of social work program at USC, delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
Quote: “Leading a full discussion on the federal legalization of marijuana will bring further progress on topics such as social justice issues, waste in government spending [and the] impact of cartel interests and will add revenue.”
David Kanuth, 37
Party: Democrat
Residence: Venice
Occupation: Defense attorney/entrepreneur
Education:B.A., government, Harvard; J.D., George Washington University School of Law
History: Helped found tech firm centered on youth sports; worked in the county Public Defender’s Office before going into private practice; serves on leadership council of organization for at-risk students
Quote: “I am going to get things done. If you want new results, you need new leadership.”
Ted Lieu, 45
Party: Democrat
Residence: Torrance
Occupation: California state senator
Education: B.A., computer science and political science, Sanford; J.D. Georgetown Law
History: Family immigrated to U.S. when he was a young child; helped parents build sales business; served in Air Force, now Reservist, previously elected to Torrance City Council and state Assembly
Quote:”I am committed to strengthening the middle class by focusing on job creation, raising the minimum wage, making higher education more affordable and helping workers save for the future.”
Matt Miller, 52
Party: Democrat
Residence: Pacific Palisades
Occupation: Author, public radio host
Education: B.A., economics, Brown University; J.D. Columbia University School of Law
History: Senior budget advisor in Clinton White House, advisor to Fortune 500 companies; co-host of Radio KCRW’s “Left, Right & Center,” wrote two books on public policy
Quote: “My goal is to be the Democrats’ Paul Ryan, pushing common-sense solutions back to the center of the national debate.”
Kevin Mottus, 47
Party: Republican
Residence: West Los Angeles
Occupation: Environmental health advocate; counselor for special needs children, Los Angeles Unified School District; licensed clinical social worker
Education: B.A., business and economics, Lafayette College; Master of Social Welfare, UCLA
History: Ran for Los Angeles teachers union president; works with four nonprofit organizations concerned about health effects of wireless technology
Quote: “If voters in District 33 really want a representative who cares about them and will fight to protect the quality of life here in Los Angeles, then they should vote for me.”
Barbara L. Mulvaney, 62
Party: Democrat
Residence: Santa Monica
Occupation: Human rights attorney
Education: B.A., Latin American history and international relations, Universidad de Las Americas; J.D. Southwestern Law School
History: Prosecuted perpetrators of Rwanda genocide, worked for U.S. State Department in Iraq, survived breast cancer
Quote: “Campaign finance reform can start now with one campaign, one dollar and one vote….Let us show the country [California} can set a trend in politics.”
Zein E. Obagi Jr., 30
Party: Democrat
Residence: West Los Angeles
Occupation: Attorney, managing partner of law firm
Education: B.A., political science, UC Berkeley; J.D., USC Gould School of Law
History: Son of a Syrian immigrant, grew up in San Diego and Los Angeles, provided free legal help to Hurricane Katrina victims. ran against Waxman in 2012
Quote: “Let’s end that outrageously expensive high-speed rail and direct those billions of dollars instead to much-needed local transportation, with health and quality-of-life benefits for all Southern Californians.”
Michael Ian Sachs, 50
Party: Green
Residence: Redondo Beach
Occupation: Environmental technician
Education: Attended University of Iowa, no degree
History: None provided
Quote: “The two-party system is broken. Time for something different.”
Michael Shapiro, 66
Party: Democrat
Residence: Westwood
Occupation: Sports executive/filmmaker
Education: B.S. in cultural anthropology and political science, Prescott College; did graduate studies at UCLA, no degree
History: Worked at national security think tank Rand Corp., did staff work for several U.S. Senate committees; founded Fox Sports
Quote: “Americans need not fear big government; they should fear bad government.”
Marianne Williamson, 61
Party: No party affiliation
Residence: Brentwood
Occupation: Spiritual teacher, best-selling author, entrepreneur
Education: Attended Pomona College for two years, no degree
History: Founded Project Angel Food to bring meals to homebound AIDS patients, wrote books and lectured throughout the U.S., co-founded efforts to establish a U.S. Department of Peace; board member for organization that works to ease world hunger and poverty
Quote: “The American government has become a legalized system of bribery and corruption. We can’t look to the political status quo to solve the problem because the political status quo created the problem.”