Assemblymember (and soon-to-be Assembly Speaker) Anothony Rendon had to scramble to explain the impoverished, low rankings of many cities in his assembly district on the WalletHub.com website.
Instead of identifying the real reasons why the Southeastern cities suffer and struggle (illegal immigration, corruption, malfeasance, etc), Rendon rattled off a bunch of excuses, thinly veiled with the race card.
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| Anthony Rendon (D-South Gate) |
I was pretty surprised reading WalletHub’slist of “Best & Worst Small Cities in America.” Research methodology aside,
one thing’s for certain — numbers can’t measure the heart and soul of
communities.
If Rendon is surprised ,then he obviously does not spend enough time in his district to know what is going on.
You have to visit and experience the vibrancy
of Southeast L.A. to feel that.
A lot of people do not, because there is not a lot of vibrancy there. Too much trash in the streets, and the quality of life is appalling.
Cities like Bell, Lynwood, Maywood, South Gate
and Paramount are working class communities. Many among us are first or second
generation immigrants who came to America in search of a better life for
ourselves and our families. We work hard — two or three jobs if we must — to
make sure our children live out the meaning of the American Dream.
Paramount is a pretty good town. Bell is the worst city on the list, followed by the others. Corruption ran rampant in a number of those cities, and the Bell is still ringing from its debts and overtaxation. Many of the people living in these cities are either struggling to get by, or are trying to stay out of trouble, fearful of being caught then deported.
We embrace our rich ethnic diversity.
Lynwood’s Plaza México is a shining example of our proud cultural heritage. A
multipurpose center that’s a shopping, dining and entertainment destination,
Plaza is one of the nation’s leading destinations for the celebration of Latino
cultural expression and pride.
Really?
Plus it’s a sunny 77 degrees outside my
district office in South Gate right now. How many of WalletHub’s “best” cities
can match that?
So what? Just because the weather is nice does not mean people will come.
Sure, our communities do face challenges. Our
cities have faced governance issues and environmental injustices continue to
harm our residents.
Challenges - that word is an understatement. Crises is the more accurate word.
The important thing is what we’re doing to
address these issues and continue making progress. A new crop of civic leaders
have ushered in a renewed commitment to ethical public service. We’re holding
polluters accountable and expanding park space and recreational opportunities,
particularly along the L.A. River.
In Huntington Park, they city council continues to spend money which they city does not have. Commerce is diminishing, if non-existent. Crime is rampant, and the city council refuses to do anything about it. In South Gate, one source claims that a Housing commissioner is also an illegal alien. Before this allegation, city councilmembers went to prison for corruption.
Most of all, we continue to be proud. The
skeptics can say all they want, but we don’t need rankings to prove the
Southeast is a great place to live — we get to live it every single day.
Proud of what? And no, according to residents who live in the region, Southeast LA is not a great place to live at all.
Assemblymember Anthony Rendon
is serving in his second term representing the 63rd Assembly District, which
includes the cities and communities of Bell, Cudahy, Hawaiian Gardens,
Lakewood, North Long Beach, Lynwood, Maywood, Paramount and South Gate.
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