38-year-old Irvine native, president of California Stonewall Democrats, announces bid for state Senate

The 38-year-old president of the California Stonewall Democrats has introduced he’s operating to characterize Costa Mesa, Laguna Seaside, Newport Seaside, Irvine, parts of Huntington Seaside and 6 different Orange County communities as probably the one Iranian American within the state Senate.

Alex Mohajer grew up in Irvine, the place he attended public colleges and neighborhood school. He continued his schooling at UC Berkley, then got here again to Orange County and earned a graduate diploma from Chapman College’s Dave E. Fowler Faculty of Legislation. He has spent the previous 10 years investigating allegations of discrimination or sexual harassment for Los Angeles County and presently resides in his hometown.

“I’ve a platform that’s about preventing for working class households, small enterprise house owners and public faculty schooling, as a result of I’m the son of Iranian immigrants, which actually informs my world view,” Mohajer mentioned throughout an interview Wednesday. “My mother got here right here and struggled and sacrificed a terrific deal in order that we might have entry to a very good public faculty schooling and have alternatives she didn’t have.”

He additionally hopes to enhance Californians’ entry to healthcare and “take daring local weather change motion.” He has pledged to not settle for cash from donors tied to the fossil gasoline trade or these probably detrimental to the affordability of medical remedy.

He’s campaigning to interchange Dave Min, the senator presently representing California’s thirty seventh senate district who has introduced his bid for a seat within the U.S. Congress. If elected in 2024, Mohajer would turn into the one Iranian American within the legislative physique.

“The whole Iranian neighborhood may be very activated with what’s occurring with the continued women-led protests in Iran,” he mentioned. “And I feel, proper now, the motion for the liberation for oppressed folks may be very intersectional with numerous the problems we face right here at residence.”

Mohajer mentioned in a marketing campaign information launch that if his bid is profitable he will likely be “one of many first brazenly homosexual Iranians elected anyplace on this planet.” A longtime advocate for ladies’s and LGBTQ rights, Mohajer in 2021 was voted to turn into the president of the California Stonewall Democrats Membership, a significant chapter of one of many oldest political teams supporting homosexual and lesbian folks within the U.S.

Over time, some within the LGBTQ neighborhood got here to view the group as centered on the pursuits of homosexual males in positions of privilege, the California wing’s political vp, Renay Rodriguez, mentioned. However she was impressed to hunt management within the group after Mohajer informed her he hoped to broaden range at Stonewall.

“Earlier than Alex Mohajer ran for president, he occurred to be hanging out on the Dyke March in WeHo [West Hollywood], and he got here as much as me and he mentioned, ‘Hey are you a member of Stonewall?’” Rodriguez mentioned. “And I mentioned ‘Hell no! Why would I need to be part of that membership? It’s a bunch of previous homosexual males.’ And he says, ‘Properly, then it’s possible you’ll be curious about the truth that I’m operating for president, and I need to change that.’”

Mohajer narrowly received an election to turn into the group’s president and sought to enact his imaginative and prescient of a extra open membership. Since then, the group has grown its membership and has turn into a extra genuine illustration of the LGBTQ neighborhood, in accordance with Rodriguez. However she mentioned that put him at odds with members of the group’s management.

Former members of the California Stonewall Democrats accused Mohajer of repeatedly sidestepping established membership bylaws and undermining different elected leaders of the group. In August, all seven members of the group’s political staff penned a laundry listing of alleged abuses in a letter saying their resignation.

They claimed Mohajer stripped the group’s political staff of lots of its duties. They mentioned he positioned himself and others on committees to overview candidates in search of endorsement from the Stonewall Democrats regardless of what former members seen as potential conflicts of curiosity.

“It was a extremely painful expertise as a result of I spent years attempting to construct this system on the membership into one thing that we might be pleased with,” former Stonewall Democrats political vp Jane Wishon mentioned. “Candidates knew they might get a good listening to, that they might be judged or evaluated on their deserves and insurance policies somewhat than insider buying and selling.”

Those that resigned alleged Mohajer “inspired an open season on attacking [former political] Vice President Jane Wishon and members of the political staff,” of their letter. They mentioned he repeatedly bashed her in conferences and e-mail exchanges, and had as soon as referred to as collectively different members of the group’s management to speak about her behind her again.

Former members of the group who spoke to the Each day Pilot on the situation of anonymity suspect Wishon was, not less than partially, singled out as a result of she is a lady and in a heterosexual relationship. She identifies as gender fluid.

Rodriguez, Wishon’s successor as Stonewall’s political vp, mentioned change was wanted on the group. She accused those that stop of prioritizing their positions over the membership’s progress.

Rodriguez mentioned she had clashed with Wishon over the planning of a gathering between Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna and homosexual males caught up in below cowl vice stings run by regulation enforcement in Lengthy Seaside, the place Luna had beforehand served as police chief. She mentioned her predecessor insisted on moderating the change, however Rodriguez and others felt it was essential {that a} homosexual man lead a dialogue in regards to the harassment of homosexual folks. Wishon did finally average the occasion.

“They actually weren’t understanding the place their privilege blindness was and so they weren’t understanding what illustration means in the neighborhood,” Rodriguez mentioned.

She mentioned Mohajer has acted inside his authority because the membership’s president to this point, and famous that he helped deliver her and different ladies into Stonewall’s management. Rodriguez described friction with the previous political staff as the results of private variations, and dismissed any allegations of misogyny by Mohajer.

The group has grown its membership by 30% and its price range by 80% since Mohajer was elected, he mentioned. They’ve endorsed 124 candidates and initiatives with an 84% success fee. As many as 37 of these candidates determine as members of the LGBTQ neighborhood.

“Pay attention, democracy is messy and alter might be, typically … tough,” Mohajer mentioned. “I’ve been an advocate for change and even challenged highly effective folks inside my very own get together. I’m finally pleased with the work we’ve executed at Stonewall. I feel when you come to Stonewall as we speak you’d see it’s a really unified place. We’ve completed loads collectively.”

Help our protection by turning into a digital subscriber.