By Dianne Anderson

 Voters have to go out of their way these days to not know where or how to vote, or miss their chance to have their vote counted.

Polling places are popping up all around the city, while the mailman waits for those vote-by-mail ballot envelopes that need no stamp, and there’s no shortage of ways to vote early.

Ayanna Davis for Assembly District 65

With a background in teaching, union advocacy and early education leadership, Dr. Ayanna Davis is running for Assembly District 65 focused on education, affordability and civil rights.

Davis is pushing for fully funding public schools, raising teacher pay and expanding technology and STEM instruction. She also supports more arts, extracurricular and after-school programs, along with greater access to higher education.

“I’ll also continue to advocate for equity in early care and early learning, so that our students are empowered with the development tools they need to succeed from an early age,” she said on her campaign website.

On housing, Davis says California must do more to ensure everyone has a safe, stable place to call home. She pledges to tackle housing affordability and homelessness with “bold, urgent action” in the Assembly.

“To address the housing crisis, I will work to cut red tape and streamline permitting processes so that we can rapidly build more affordable housing for working families. I will also advocate for programs that create pathways to homeownership, so that every family in California has the opportunity to build long-term stability,” she said. “As your Assemblymember, I will push for investments in supportive and mental health programs aimed at addressing the root causes of homelessness.”

In the district, which includes North Long Beach, Compton, Carson and Watts, Davis also supports creating good-paying jobs, expanding health care access, improving public safety and protecting the environment.

She points to sustainability efforts at Compton schools, including campus gardens, as examples of local action. In the Assembly, she says she would support green technology investments to protect clean air and water and work with labor unions to ensure the transition to a greener economy protects working families.

“As climate change continues to worsen, it’s critical that we build more resilient and sustainable communities,” she said.

Another priority is protecting civil rights. Davis supports expanding access to affirming health care and mental health services, strengthening school protections and working with affected communities and law enforcement to combat hate crimes. She also advocates fair hiring, equitable pay and an end to hair-based discrimination in the workplace.

For immigrant families, Davis calls for expanding access to legal services. She also supports protecting abortion access and expanding reproductive health services for women traveling to California for care.

Davis says she will fight to protect the civil rights of immigrant communities, Black people, communities of color, LGBTQ+ individuals and people of all faiths.

“Everyone deserves to live with dignity and be free from discrimination of any kind,” she said.

 Mike Gipson for Board of Equalization District 3

After years working on state budgets and tax policy in the Assembly, Mike Gipson is seeking a seat on the State Board of Equalization, where he says his experience will serve him well.

Gipson chairs the Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee and says he is the longest-serving Assembly Democratic Caucus Chair in California history. He says he helped lead the state through significant budget shortfalls while protecting working families and vulnerable communities.

“Throughout my career in the State Assembly, as City Councilmember and as a Police Officer, I have been a committed champion for my constituents in providing resources and funding for important programs in communities that have been historically underserved,” Gipson said on his campaign website.

His legislative record includes efforts to target ghost guns and expand access to mobile stroke units, according to his official Assembly biography. The biography also credits him with securing $10 million for peer-to-peer mental health services in K-12 schools statewide and $1 million for the Wilmington Boys & Girls Club to support programming, safety and transportation improvements.

The Board of Equalization has a narrower role than the state Legislature. It oversees California’s property tax system and has responsibilities involving alcoholic beverage taxes and taxes on insurers.

He emphasizes corporate tax accountability, taxpayer protections and transparency. Gipson served as a part-time reserve police officer in Maywood.

“That’s why I’m running for Board of Equalization, to ensure big corporations pay their fair share, protect taxpayers, and increase transparency at the BOE,” he said.

 Carolyn J. Essex for Assembly District 69

Carolyn J. Essex says she wants to bring the concerns of working families, seniors, unhoused residents and people affected by the justice system to the Assembly.

Her background spans 18 years in Los Angeles city government, where she worked as a policy analyst overseeing Community Development Block Grant funding and program accountability, according to her campaign website. She also spent 22 years caring for seniors and children with developmental disabilities, worked in hospitality operations, and supported formerly incarcerated women rebuilding their lives and reconnecting with their children.

“I’m running to deliver solutions that are implemented, tracked, and produce real outcomes. Our communities deserve real results – grounded in real lived experiences,” Essex said on her campaign website.

Her platform centers on basic services, housing stability, school safety and job opportunities. She proposes maintaining public assets, expanding green space, helping residents stay housed through rental assistance and landlord incentives, and strengthening anti-bullying protections. She also wants to connect residents with paid training and permanent jobs in the Port, maritime industry, city government and small businesses.

Her local priorities include coastal resilience in Long Beach, revitalizing Avalon’s Cabrillo Mole, addressing air quality and job access along the I-405 in West Carson, and establishing new voting districts in Signal Hill.

In public comments posted on YouTube, Essex identified herself as being with the Coalition for a Just and Equitable California, which she said focuses on reparative justice for American descendants of enslaved people.

“My vision as an agent of change is to be an unwavering, accessible Assembly member and partner for all of District 69, all of Long Beach, Signal Hill, and Avalon,” Essex said.

To learn more about candidates, see:

Dr. Ayanna Davis: https://www.ayannadavis.com/

Carolyn J. Essex: https://carolynjessex.com/

Mike Gipson: https://www.mikegipson.net/

Vote centers are open from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on scheduled days through Nov. 2, then from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3. Voters mailing ballots should send ballots as soon as possible, they must be postmarked by Nov. 3 and received by Nov. 10. For those mailing ballots on Election Day,  take them inside a U.S. Post Office and ask a postal employee for a manual postmark.

To find a vote center or track a ballot, visit:

City of Long Beach https://www.longbeach.gov/cityclerk/elections/voter-information/

or L.A. County Registrar-Recorder at https://www.lavote.gov/home/Voting-elections/current-elections/find-my-election-information/