On Oct. 22, local state Assembly candidate Kevin Akin, was invited by the University of California, Riverside’s (UCR) chapter ofYoung Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) to speak on campus during one of their weekly meetings which take place on Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Akin is running for the 63rd District seat, which includes UCR along with Riverside, Lake Elsinore, Menifee, Norco, parts of Corona and Eastvale. During his visit, Akin discussed tuition, healthcare and his beliefs regarding the current political climate.
As a lifelong Riverside resident, Akin has been involved with local politics since 1964 when he attended a peace demonstration to protest the United State’s involvement in the Vietnam War. He later worked multiple blue-collar jobs and served several unions and political committees.
Now, Akin is running as a candidate under the Peace and Freedom party, which has publicly affirmed that they are “committed to socialism, democracy, ecology, feminism and racial equality.”
Akin advocated for free higher education and described that a full employment economy could benefit working people, allowing students to get jobs regardless of their degrees and “be treated like real humans.”
He also advocated for the implementation of a free healthcare system and an increase in welfare, stating, “We need medical care. We need decent food for everybody. We need housing for everybody. These things are possible, and we know it’s possible.”
Akin also criticized his opponent and incumbent State 63rd Assemblymember Natasha Johnson, alleging that she has failed to communicate her policy positions to the public and does not represent the interests of working people, claiming, “She can’t answer questions honestly without alienating voters.” Alongside this, Akin alleged that Johnson has relied on campaign spending and name recognition to pull through the election.
With this, he advocated for further representation of differing political perspectives in governance, stating, “We ought to move towards proportional representation, where all points of view are represented in the legislature.” Akin also proposed lowering the amount of districts statewide from 80 to eight with each electing 10 members, so that “a party can get 10% of the vote in one district and have a representative in the legislature.”
In June, Johnson initially won the assembly seat with 99.3% of the public vote while Akin received 0.7%. Going into this midterm election, Akin addressed his circumstance stating, “I might lose by a landslide, or she might be surprised. I might win. We’ll see.”
