EDUCATION

Claremont COURIER/Friday, December 9, 2016 5

Assemblyman discusses ethics, Trump at Sumner talk

C
hris Holden, who repre-
sents Californias 41st
Assembly District, is no
longer on the campaign trail,
having sealed the deal in No-
vember on a third two-year term
in state office.
He is, however, a man of his word.
This fall, Sumner Elementary School
teacher Joe Tonanseeking to educate
his students about the political process
reached out to Assemblyman Holden as
well as his opponent, Republican hope-
ful Casey C. Higgins, asking them to visit
the school.
Mr. Higgins stopped by at the end of
September to talk to Sumner fifth graders
about his bid for office and the intricacies
of state politics. Mr. Holden said he was
too busy for a visit at the time, but would
give a presentation at the Claremont ele-
mentary school after things slowed down.
He followed through on Thursday, De-
cember 1, taking to the mic in Sumners
multi-purpose room.
Mr. Holdens appearance tends to gar-
ner a lot of attention. His prodigious
height was even noted by the Dalai Lama
when the Tibetan leader spoke to the Cal-
ifornia Legislature in June. Spotting Mr. COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff
Holden, he said, Ooh, very tall. Assemblyman Chris Holden answers student questions about his career in public service last Thursday at Sumner Ele-
Mr. Holden put his stature to good use mentary School. Mr. Holden represents the 41st Assembly District, which includes the city of Claremont.
while attending Pasadena High School,
hardest is raising money, he said. I deed issues he cares about.
where he helped the basketball team win

two state championships. Mr. Holden
was recruited out of high school to play
basketball at San Diego State.
At age 23, he ran for the Pasadena City
Council and lost. He ran four years later
and won a seat. He went on to serve
nearly 23 years on the council, and was
the citys mayor from 1997 to 1999. He
was also president of the Burbank Airport
Authority for 20 years. In 2012, he was
elected to the California State Assembly.
Along with his professional accom-
plishments, Mr. Holden is proud of his
family, which includes his wife Melanie
and five children. His daughter Mariah
will graduate from New York University
with a degree in journalism in spring of
2017, he shared with a student who also
happens to be named Mariah.
Youre gonna do good things too, he
assured her.
Mr. Holden next described how legis-
lation is passed, going through the State
Assembly and the Senate before being
passed onto the governor for his consid-
eration.
If the governor likes the bill, he signs
it and it becomes law, Mr. Holden ex-
plained. If he doesnt like it, he vetoes
itessentially kills the bill.
Mr. Holden says his favorite part of the
job is his breaks from the political session
in Sacramento, when he is at home in his
district. It includes, among other cities,
Pasadena, Upland, Rancho Cucamonga,
La Verne, San Dimas and Monrovia as
well as Claremont, where the assembly
member maintains an office.
Mr. Holden then opened the floor for
students questions. One asked what Mr.
Holden would say to someone who
Lets put it this
way...its like sports.
Youve got your
teamsoccer, basket-
ball, whatever. You
have the team you
support and when
your team doesnt win,
youre a little sad. My
team didnt win and
Im a little sad.
Chris Holden
on the presidential election
claims he won the election only because
he brought a lot of money to the cam-
paign.
Each election, its been important to
go out and meet my constituentsto let
them know what my positions on the is-
sues are, Mr. Holden said. Its really
about relationships.
He went on to describe how a politi-
cian like himself raises funds, through
small donations like those collected by
recent Presidential candidate Bernie
Sanders and a few larger ones.
The worst part of my job and the
dont like it that much.
He prefers to focus on his priorities, in-
cluding the environment and education.
He shared with the students a piece of
legislation that passed last spring, which
he is happy to have sponsored.
AB 288 paved the way for students to
take community college classes while
they pursue their high school education.
The legislation makes it possible for a
teen to graduate with progress toward
their college educationeven an associ-
ates degreeor career training. Perhaps
most importantly, it gives them a taste of
college life.
Asked if he has a hero Mr. Holden
cited his father, who was a state senator
from 1974 to 1978.
He taught me how important it is to
be a public servant, he said. Your
teachers are public servants. Its a tough
but rewarding job.
Another kid wondered how Mr.
Holden protects himself from people who
want favors.
You have to have integrity. Its all
about the issuesnot about people ask-
ing us to vote a certain way, Mr. Holden
said. Just because someone contributes
to your campaign doesnt mean they con-
trol you. It doesnt mean youll vote their team didnt win and Im a little sad.
way. They should have no more access to
you than someone who is not a donor.
There was a kids-say-the-darndest-
things moment when a boy queried Mr.
Holden about a couple of his priorities
listed on his website. It says you want to
have more housing for homeless people
and retired veterinarians, the boy said.
Mr. Holden agreed that homelessness
and the fate of American veterans are in-
There are so many people in the state
who are homeless, he noted. In a coun-
try thats this prosperous, we shouldnt
have veterans who have fought for us on
the street. Its a priority of mine to iden-
tify resources and money and ways to
create jobs.
Another student brought up Califor-
nias recent legalization of recreational
marijuana. Did Mr. Holden support Prop
64, he wondered?
Mr. Holden prevaricated for a moment.
Its a good crowd, he said. There are
no softball questions here, replied fifth
grade teacher Jason Remedios.
Im trying to pass bills getting people
to stop smoking cigarettes, Mr. Holden
said. It seemed like it was going in the
wrong direction, to say, Dont smoke
cigarettes, but its okay to smoke mari-
juana.
The final student question was a
doozy, given Mr. Holdens party affilia-
tion. Are you happy about the presiden-
tial election?
Lets put it this way: No, Mr. Holden
laughed. Its like sports. Youve got your
teamsoccer, basketball, whatever. You
have the team you support and when your
team doesnt win, youre a little sad. My
Still, he said, we live in a democracy,
which Mr. Holden called the best politi-
cal system around.
Im okay with the outcome, because
its the way people decided to vote, he
said. Lets put it this way. Ill get over it.
I think its going to be alright. After your
team doesnt win, you have to pick your-
self up and keep working.
Sarah Torribio
storribio@claremont-courier.com