Meet the 50th AD Candidates in Tuesday, June 5 Primary

Colored sections denote the new 50th Assembly District 2012 (Screen grab from Google maps)

Please do not forget to vote in Tuesday’s very important Primary elections. This is California’s first open primary where the top two candidates will face off in November.  Democrats are hoping the Primaries will yield candidates who will help them secure a majority in Congress   – such as openly gay Mark Takano.

But the race many LGBT voters will be watching is in the re-districted 50^th Assembly District that spans from Malibu to West Hollywood.  There are four candidates – two of whom are gay. Brad Torgan is president of the local Log Cabin Republicans and Torie Osborn is a longtime progressive lesbian community organizer. They are running against two straight allies – Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom and Assemblymember Betsy Butler.  We reported on the candidates for the Pride issue of Frontiers, but on Sunday I posted the extended interviews with Torgan and Butler. Additionally – for historical purposes – I wrote a long piece on Osborn that includes transcribed excerpt from our almost two hour interview.  Hopefully the longer pieces will answer some questions we were not able to address in the print versions.

The new 50th AD covers: Santa Monica, Sawtelle, Brentwood, Bel-Air, Pacific Palisades, Topanga (Unincorporated), Malibu, Santa Monica Mountains, Agoura Hills, Beverly Crest, Beverly Hills, Pico-Robertson, West Hollywood, Beverly Grove, Carthay, Mid-Wilshire, Korea Town, Fairfax, Hancock Park, Windsor Square, Larchmont, Hollywood, Hollywood Hills, Hollywood Hills West.