Opinion: What they’re talking about in the 31st District

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I attended a ‘Coffee with your congressman’ event with Rep. Xavier Becerra last weekend, and have not had a chance to write up anything about it. I’m heading out for the Fourth, but before I go, some thoughts:

If nobody’s ever made the aesthetic case for redistricting, I’m making it now: Spaghetti spills are more elegant than the shape of the 31st Congressional District.

In the past I’ve found Rep. Becerra to be a very statist figure, to the point that I’ve wondered whether he believes in a private sector at all. But there’s something about being in a roomful of truly exercised lefties on a hot Saturday afternoon that can make an elected official suddenly seem like a model of small-government reasonableness. To every Angeleno (including me) who has complained about how far to the left our local delegation is, I say maybe we’re getting the government we’ve asked for.

The biggest applause line of the day came when somebody suggested that oil company executives be criminally prosecuted.

In a real Cruiser moment, a high school student got up to express his concern about being drafted when he turns 18 next year.

One constituent told Becerra he’d better keep pushing for impeachment of President Bush, and the congressman said it wasn’t off the table.

Thanks to Becerra and his staff for the excellent coffee and pastries!