Last week, Celeste Rodriguez and Nick Schultz of the San Fernando Valley were at orientation training in Sacramento with other first-timers, learning about security, how to access their offices and the general workings of the California state Assembly.
But while this could overwhelm those who’ve never served in state office, these two newcomers carry in their back pockets something many others do not: Local elected office experience.
Rodriguez, 35, is mayor of San Fernando. Schultz, also 35, is mayor of Burbank. Both mayors on Nov. 5 won open seats vacated by veteran legislators in two sprawling, adjacent districts in the San Fernando Valley. Both are Democrats.
Rodriguez occupies Assembly District 43, taking the spot of Assemblymember Luz Rivas, D-North Hollywood, in a mostly working-class district that includes the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Pacoima, Mission Hills, Sylmar, Arleta, Sun Valley, Panorama City, Lake View Terrace, Van Nuys, Valley Glen and the city of San Fernando.
Schultz occupies Assembly District 44, taking the spot of Laura Friedman, D-Glendale, that includes Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Sunland, Tujunga, North Glendale, Montrose, La Crescenta, Shadow Hills, North Hollywood, Burbank, Toluca Lake and Valley Village.
San Fernando Mayor Celeste Rodriguez, left, and Burbank Mayor Nick Schultz, attended newcomer orientation in Sacramento last week. The two smaller-city mayors will represent two Assembly districts in the San Fernando Valley. They take office Dec. 2, 2024. (Courtesy Photo)
While it’s unusual for two small city mayors to represent the two most populous Assembly districts in the northern suburbs of L.A., being mayors of smaller cities colors the way they approach issues, the kinds of bills they may write and how they conduct themselves.
They were both asked how being a mayor will shape their two-year terms in Sacramento. Both said running city council meetings prepares them to be ready on Dec. 2, when they start their new assignments.
Talking to people
“When you are mayor of a town, everyone comes to you with their problems,” began Schultz. “Whether it’s a pothole or putting in an ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit). You learn to be honest and transparent in your interactions with people.”
Rodriguez remembers when she was at school career day with her son, David, who is now 9. “When I asked the students if they knew what a mayor did, a young girl raised her hand and said: ‘My grandma wants to call you about trash in the street.’ I said, ‘Tell your grandma to call me’.”
As mayor for two years and councilmember for four, she’s had her share of constituent calls.
“I hear when trash is not picked up, when someone runs a stop sign, when road repairs are causing an inconvenience,” she said.
Added Schultz: “These constituent skills are so important, especially when we are hundreds of miles away.”‘
Konstantine Anthony, recently re-elected to the Burbank City Council and active in the Democratic Party, knows both Shultz and Rodriguez.
“When you get somebody with experience in local city government, especially if they served as mayor, they are going to be good at politics and policy. You are both acting as a legislator and a member of the executive branch,” he said.
Suju Vijayan, co-leader of the group East Valley Indivisibles, looks at the 44th AD as a bunch of communities, like Sherman Oaks, North Hollywood and Valley Village, all lumped together. The group endorsed Schultz in the general election.
“City experience (from a legislator) is terrific. That person understands how things work on the smaller level. My favorite kind of politics is local politics,” she said.
All politics are local
Both mayors helped balance their respective city’s budgets. “That is important, especially with the state facing deficits,” Schultz said.
A lot of what Sacramento does is funneling state and federal revenues to cities and counties used for sheriffs, police, fire, parks, and infrastructure like roads, transit and water treatment plants.
“Most people don’t realize that federal funding trickles down,” Anthony said. “You have to fight for those funds. People who have worked in city government who have seen that firsthand will help us.”
As an example, Rodriguez wants to see the state invest in clean water. In 2022, some of San Fernando’s wells had high levels of nitrate, forcing them to be shut down. The city had to import water and that cost the city more money. In early September, new cleanup systems returned the wells to operation, and the city no longer needed to bring in water.
“We lacked the infrastructure necessary to clean out the contaminant and that is also the case for many municipalities and water districts,” Rodriguez said. “I want to focus on this in Sacramento.”
Burbank is home to 1,000 media companies, including the giants — Disney and Warner Bros — and productions are leaving Southern California for other states and other countries, Schultz said. He sees the economic impact of the fleeing entertainment industry not just affecting Burbank, but the district and all of California.
He agreed that increasing the tax incentive from $330 million to $750 million as unveiled by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 27 for film and television productions will help. But he said this leaves out production of commercials and animation.
Actors in commercials, as well as animators, are losing their jobs when these productions leave the state, he said. He wants to take what some see as a local issue and expand it. “If production leaves Los Angeles, it hurts the state as well. We have to educate everyone that this industry is important for all of the state,” Schultz said.
Cities’ interests
The California Contract Cities Association sees city-minded legislators as a plus. They can watch out for laws that are passed but don’t provide municipal funding, known as unfunded mandates.
“We prefer local elected officials because they know the pain of unfunded mandates,” said Marcel Rodarte, executive director of the Contract Cities Association.
Rodarte said his group will be visiting these two legislators in January. He also mentioned others elected for the first time to the state legislature: Sasha Renée Pérez, mayor of Alhambra, elected in state Senate District 25; John Harabedian, a former mayor of Sierra Madre, elected in Assembly District 41; and Jose Luis Solache, mayor of Lynwood, elected in Assembly District 62.
“We remind them they represent the communities, not the special interests who will bring pressure on them,” he said. “We will be watching.”
After Donald Trump won as president, Newsom called for a special session on Dec. 2 to discuss ways to push back against the president-elect, with an emphasis on fighting deportation of illegal immigrants. He called it a session to protect California values.
Anthony said many newcomers were running for, or elected to, local office during Trump’s first presidency. “They are well aware of the devastation a federal government can cause if it is antagonistic to blue state and blue counties,” Anthony said.
Schultz said the Assembly is “the people’s house” and will scrutinize Newsom’s plans. He said: “At the end of the day, the people didn’t send me up there to fight the federal government.”
The Burbank mayor said he wanted to focus on reducing the costs of housing, groceries, insurance and utility bills. “We’ve walked our neighborhoods. We’ve heard the pain. We’ve heard the stories. We have an affordability crisis,” Schultz said.
Rodriguez said residents want legislators to pay attention to basic issues such as crime and jobs. “The ability to get to work, feed your family, feel safe going to a park … all these things are what people desire in their community,” she said.
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