Assemblymember Mike Gipson addresses a lunch crowd during his visit to UCLA. (photos by Jonathan Van Dyke)
After touring campus and speaking with campus officials regarding the enrollment of underserved communities, 64th District Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson) visited with students, faculty and alumni — primarily from his district — for a special lunch on campus.
The legislator spoke of his upbringing and desire to improve his community.
“I grew up in Watts and am very braggadocios of that,” he said, noting he didn’t want to become another negative statistic of his neighborhood’s reputation.
His first labor union job was representing janitors at California State University, Dominguez Hills. “Who would have thought that would be my trajectory in life?” he said with a smile.
Gipson emphasized to the group that more gun control laws are needed in the state of California — “I feel compelled to say that.”
During the latest legislative session, Gipson said his office carried the maximum bills allowed, and he is working to create a “no fly, no buy” gun control measure; to reduce hepatitis and HIV cases to zero; and deal with loopholes in the statute of limitations on rape.
He noted that he and his fellow freshmen legislators talk about education a lot, and he wants to further improve in-state enrollment. “We take care of home first.”
He added that he wants to continue to reinvest in education, and specifically he will seek to inject vocational instruction back into middle schools and beyond.
“It may not be the prestige that mom and dad want but it is still a good job,” he added.
