Nov. 3, California’s 34th Congressional District (CA-34) will be asked to cast their vote for either Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-34) or Democratic challenger Angela Gonzales-Torres. Gonzalez-Torres has publicized a community-focused campaign but has faced criticism from several community members regarding her time as president of the Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council. Gomez has represented CA-34 for five terms — nearly 10 years. According to the LA Times, allegations of sexual misconduct in 2023 by Gomez led to an ethics investigation in April of this year.
Gomez said in an email statement to The Occidental that his past actions as a member of Congress have prepared him to continue serving the CA-34 community and fighting back against the Trump administration.
“Anyone can promise to stand up to Donald Trump, but I’ve proven I can take him on and win, whether it’s in Congress, on the picket lines or in the courts,” Gomez said in the statement.
Gomez said in the statement he has been an active and involved advocate for immigration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) related cases for his area.
“When Trump started his ICE raids in LA, I went straight from the plane to Chinatown, demanded that federal agents leave and de-escalated the situation,” Gomez said in the statement. “When ICE blocked congressional oversight of detention centers, I personally sued them and won. I trained legal observers to document ICE abuses and organized town halls in Los Angeles and Republican-held areas to mobilize our communities.”
Gomez said in the statement that with another term in office, he would continue reversing the harmful impact of choices made by the Trump administration such as funding ICE and Border Patrol, costly tariffs and lack of AI regulations.
“In the next Congress, I’ll continue leading the fight to abolish Trump’s ICE, reverse his devastating health care cuts and lower costs for working families,” Gomez said in the statement.
According to reporter, editor and columnist at The Eastsider Jon Regardie, community members are concerned about allegations of sexual misconduct by Gomez.
“You cannot escape the fact that Jimmy Gomez is ensnared in major controversy at this point,” Regardie said. “The House Ethics Committee has been investigating him for allegedly engaging in inappropriate sexual contact with a House staffer, which has absolutely changed the tenor of the race.”
Maya Smith (sophomore) is the National Delegate of Sunrise Oxy, a student organization that focuses on climate justice on campus and in LA. Smith said that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)’s repeated backing of Gomez’s re-election campaigns makes her worry that Gomez will not prioritize his own community when making decisions.
“Jimmy Gomez is represented and endorsed by so many large corporations that you can’t ever expect his interest to actually align with the people he’s representing,” Smith said. “He has all these other corporate interests in mind.”
The Jimmy Gomez for Congress campaign said Gomez has spoken out against the current Israeli administration.
“Gomez is far from a hard-line pro-Israel voice in Congress, having called for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s resignation, pushed for humanitarian aid to Gaza and backed a ceasefire in the war,” The LA Times said.
Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council (ERNC) Housing and Homelessness Committee member Jane Demian said she believes Gomez has a good grasp on the community’s needs because of his past experience in office.
“I think he knows the diversity [of the community], and I think he understands it because he’s been representing this community for a long time,” Demian said.
According to a press release from the Jimmy Gomez for Congress campaign, earlier this year a telephone town hall hosted by Gomez was attended by over 7,200 community members of CA-34.
“[Gomez] hosted a telephone town hall with more than 7,200 constituents during the Los Angeles immigration raids, providing updates, legal resources and organizing tools for families impacted by federal enforcement,” the press release said.
According to Demian, telephone town halls, where constituents dial into a phone call to ask questions and hear from their representatives, do not provide equal access for all members of the CA-34 community to be seen and heard by their representative.
“He does telephone town halls, which to me is kind of cheating,” Demian said. “You need to really be out and in public, holding town halls for real.”
Current HHPNC board member and chair of public safety and writer for the news outlet City Watch LA Caroline Aguirre said telephone town halls are especially difficult to participate in for older community members with limited technology access and knowledge.
“Jimmy Gomez has had a lot of Zoom meetings with constituents,” Aguirre said. “But that doesn’t fill the gap because so many older people, longtime residents, have no idea how to do Zoom meetings. […] I want face-to-face contact with my elected Congress people.”
Gomez said in the statement that this election is particularly important because CA-34 needs a strong advocate who can stand up to the Trump administration.
“I’ve stood up to Trump, beaten his administration in court and delivered results for our communities,” Gomez said in the statement. “I’ll continue holding him accountable and defending the rights of the people I represent.”
Contact Sadie Maguire at smaguire@oxy.edu
