Lowenthal, Bonnie

Metadata

Abstract

An oral history with Bonnie Lowenthal, former member of the Long Beach City Council and California State Assembly. This interview was conducted for the Women, Politics, and Activism Since Suffrage Oral History Project for California State University, Fullerton’s Center for Oral and Public History. The purpose of this interview was to document Lowenthal’s community and political involvement. Specifically, Lowenthal’s childhood and family life in Long Island, New York; her parents’ immigrant background; how her father became a clothing manufacturer and her mother a department store buyer; describes her early concern for the poor and gravitation toward social work; mentions her family’s Jewish and political background; talks about how she found role models in women in education, such as her older sisters, and later the principal of her children’s school; details her educational background, various jobs, experience in the mental health field, and meeting ex-husband, Congressman Alan Lowenthal; discusses her involvement with the Long Beach school system, ending segregation, and outreach to the Latino community; recounts her work with Long Beach Area Citizens Involved and tackling issues such as district elections and policing; details her work on the Long Beach City Council, including dealing with crime, adding more land for parks, redistricting the port, housing and pollution issues, creating a code of ethics, establishing a mental health coordinator, encouraging green building, and cold ironing for powering ships at the port; talks about working with other women in Long Beach; and finally, mentions her work with women and families, and local historic preservation.

Metadata

Abstract

An oral history with Bonnie Lowenthal, former member of the Long Beach City Council and California State Assembly. This interview was conducted for the Women, Politics, and Activism Since Suffrage Oral History Project for California State University, Fullerton’s Center for Oral and Public History. The purpose of this interview was to document Lowenthal’s work in the California state legislature and her approach to various issues. Specifically, her involvement with public schools and her sons’ education; mentions her adult sons’ current positions in business and politics; discusses running for California state legislature and support she received; reflects on outreach to the communities of San Pedro and Palos Verdes; describes the political climate of the 2008 financial crisis; mentions attending President Obama’s election; recalls the support from her former husband, Congressman Alan Lowenthal, as well as her staff; lists a number of legislative successes, including extending the 91 Freeway toll road, providing food stamps for youth, programs for the elderly, creating whistleblower protection, removing anti-gay language from the California Code, establishing San Francisco’s Transgender Law Center, creating the Home Services Consumer Protection Act, enforcing requirements for write-in judge candidates, requiring underground service centers to keep track and post data on digging, making cargo ships record ballast water treatment, ensuring chiropractors were paid by workers’ comp, requiring temp workers’ paychecks to show detailed amounts, granting judges discretion for first-time misdemeanants, and finally, ensuring administered medication to the mentally-ill awaiting trial; discusses her work with the Women’s Caucus; recalls achieving measures that required airports to have breastfeeding rooms; emphasizes the importance of working with colleagues in the legislature; details her unsuccessful run for mayor of Long Beach; recounts her motivation to improve people’s wellbeing, and her involvement with several other organizations to do so; explains the importance of women having their voices heard; recalls outcome of 2016 presidential election; emphasizes the importance of family, as well as fighting for values; and concludes with how she learned how she can make a difference.