Anila Ali
Anila Ali was a candidate for the Irvine City Council in California. She was defeated in the general election on November 8, 2016.[1]
Ali was a 2014 Democratic candidate for District 74 of the California State Assembly. She won 20 percent of the vote in the top two primary in June 2014, placing third of five candidates competing for the seat.[2]
Although city council elections in Irvine are officially nonpartisan, Ali is known to be affiliated with the Democratic Party.[3]
Biography
Ali studied economics, sociology, and English at Hammersmith and West London College. She also holds an M.Ed. from Concordia University, Irvine.[4]
As of her run for city council in 2016, Ali was an educator and outreach specialist for the educational management organization CALPAK Educational Services. Her professional experience also includes work as a teacher in South Bay and Irvine and as the co-author of the interfaith children's book "Mommy Am I A...?"[4]
Ali has served as the Orange County chair of the International Leadership Forum and as a member of the Irvine Strategic Plan for Children Youth and Families Advisory Board and the Irvine Public Schools Foundation Board of Trustees. She is a recipient of Congressional Leadership Awards from U.S. Rep. Judy Chu and U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Certificate, the Mayor of Irvine's Community Leadership Award, the International Leadership Foundation's Community Leadership Award, the Los Angeles Police Department's Community Service Award, the New Leaders Council's Leadership Award, and President Barack Obama's Volunteer Service Award.[4][5]
Ali is married with two children.[5]
Campaign themes
2016
Ali participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of municipal government candidates. The following sections display her responses to the survey questions. When asked what her top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Work on traffic solutions.[6][7] | ” |
When asked what she would most like to change about the city, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Traffic, the current city council has lagged on creating traffic solutions for all the residents in Irvine. Irvine has exceeded it's growth and we must start now in finding alternative ways to solve the excess traffic on our streets. OCTA, biking, car pooling and other means of transportation must be aggressively looked into and implemented.[6][7] | ” |
When asked what she is most proud of about the city, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Our diversity.[6][7] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Transportation | |
| K-12 education | |
| Crime reduction/prevention | |
| Housing | |
| Environment | |
| Government transparency | |
| Recreational opportunities | |
| Public pensions/retirement funds | |
| Homelessness | |
| Civil rights | |
| Unemployment | |
| City services (trash, utilities, etc.) | |
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer four questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| Very important | |
| State | |
| Increased police presence/activity. Included with increased police presence/activity for Irvine residents to understand their community better an outreach and educational programs would be beneficial. | |
| Focusing on small business development. Irvine needs to look at the big picture. When adding to the Great Park, young people need places to go to be entertained. We need a Amphitheatre, a water park and other attractions. |
Additional themes
Ali's 2016 city council campaign website highlighted the following issues:
| “ |
Education As a teacher for over 20 years, I fully support Irvine's legendary and nationally recognized commitment to academic excellence. Innovation, creativity, and the arts must enhance the highest level of learning in language, science and technology. Our beautifully diverse multi cultural community provides, and must be encouraged, to compliment our academic curriculum. Safety Let's keep Irvine safe! Our beautiful city's status as the safest city in the United States is a title we want to shout from the rooftops! For eleven years Irvine continues to be one of the safest cities for populations over 200,000 citizens and the safest city for the last two years consecutively. I am the best candidate to keep Irvine safe. As a member of President Obama's panel on Controlling Violent Extremism (CVE)*, I am in constant contact with the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, interfaith leaders, and community leaders worldwide. Our esteemed panel has demonstrated the effectiveness of collaboration between law enforcement and community leaders. Safety is directly correlated to the lifestyle we share here in Irvine. I am well poised to be the Irvine City Council member that will maintain our extraordinary lifestyle and safety. Business Business is the lifeblood of a community. Irvine has grown from our early days as an agricultural community to today's thriving center for technology and retail business. The strength of our business community creates the financial backbone for the lifestyle that we enjoy in Irvine. Irvine is the economic engine that drives Southern California. We must continue to support our business needs, their importance to community success, while balancing it with the vision that has made Irvine a nationally recognized model city.[8][7] |
” |
2014
Ali's 2014 state legislative campaign website highlighted the following issues:
| “ |
Building Our Business and Hospitality Profile The 74th Assembly District is home to key business hubs and some of Southern California's most pristine coastline. We have a diverse economy and an equally diverse workforce. I do not see 'business friendly' as a partisan issue. Businesses need a smart, well trained workforce and the tools to remain competitive in our global economy. Strengthening our local economy also helps create jobs which provide opportunity for working families. Dollars invested create jobs and dollars earned are reinvested in the local economy through purchases of goods and services. We need both business and labor to build thriving communities. As your representative, I will focus on smart policies that stimulate economic growth, fuel innovation and create opportunity for all. An Advocate for Education - Investing in Our Young People As a career educator, respect for education is something that is close to my heart. I benefited from investments in public education and earned degrees from California colleges and universities. As a parent, I've seen higher education become more expensive and less accessible. I've seen investments in education become a political conversation rather than a thoughtful and responsible dialogue about how to best educate our future generations. California used to be a leader in education. Our workforce needs the best and the brightest. Investments in education will define our future success, and I look forward to helping to shape that future through smart, targeted investments driven by intelligent public policy. Investing in Infrastructure It is often said that Orange County sends more tax dollars to Sacramento than we get back. The 74th Assembly District is a big part of that equation. If that is to change, you need a representative who will bring dollars back to the district. From road building and traffic management to flood control, State Parks and water resources, we need the State to be our partner in building safe, smart and sustainable communities. Equal Protection Under the Law The 74th Assembly District is one of the most diverse in California - we truly are a multicultural community. Coming from a diverse background myself, I have a deep understanding of the challenges that those who feel 'different' or marginalized face. It is incredibly important that we focus on our common ground and ensure that no one is denied their civil and human rights. I have always stood up for what's right. In this time of growing fear and ignorance, we must stand against those who would seek to deprive any citizen of this State the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.[9][7] |
” |
Elections
2016
The city of Irvine, California, held elections for mayor and city council on November 8, 2016. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was in August 2016. Two of the four city council seats were up for election.[10] The following candidates ran in the Irvine City Council general election.[11]
| Irvine City Council, General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Christina Shea Incumbent |
20.15% | 28,072 |
| Melissa Fox |
17.25% | 24,023 |
| Anthony Kuo | 15.29% | 21,301 |
| Farrah Khan | 11.84% | 16,487 |
| Anila Ali | 7.19% | 10,011 |
| Shiva Farivar | 7.04% | 9,799 |
| Dale Cheema | 6.35% | 8,844 |
| Courtney Santos | 4.85% | 6,758 |
| Matthew Ehorn | 3.58% | 4,988 |
| Hyunjoung Ahn | 3.34% | 4,651 |
| Ian Daelucian | 3.12% | 4,349 |
| Total Votes | 139,283 | |
| Source: Orange County Elections, "Official Results for Election," accessed December 7, 2016 | ||
2014
Elections for the California State Assembly took place in 2014. A primary election took place on June 3, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 7, 2014. Keith D. Curry (R) and Matthew Harper (R) defeated Anila Ali (D), Karina Onofre (D) and Emanuel Patrascu (R) in the blanket primary. Harper defeated Curry in the general election.[12][13][14]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Matthew Harper |
59.5% | 60,070 | |
| Republican | Keith D. Curry | 40.5% | 40,896 | |
| Total Votes | 100,966 | |||
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |
Keith D. Curry |
27.6% | 17,013 | |
| Republican | Matthew Harper |
24.9% | 15,309 | |
| Democratic | Anila Ali | 19.5% | 11,978 | |
| Democratic | Karina Onofre | 15.1% | 9,310 | |
| Republican | Emanuel Patrascu | 12.9% | 7,933 | |
| Total Votes | 61,543 | |||
Endorsements
2016
Ali received endorsements from the following in 2016:
- Women in Leadership[15]
- U.S. Rep. Judy Chu[16]
- California State Controller Betty Yee[17]
- California State Treasurer John Chiang[18]
2014
Ali received endorsements from the following in 2014:[19]
- California AFL-CIO
- California Democratic Party
- Democracy for America
- Democratic Party of Orange County
- Evolve
- National Women’s Political Caucus
- Orange County Labor Federation
- Women in Leadership
- U.S. Rep. Judy Chu
- U.S. Rep. Linda Sanchez
- U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters
- California Assemb. Sharon Quirk-Silva
- Irvine City Councilwoman Beth Krom
- Former Irvine Mayor Larry Agran
- Former Irvine Mayor Sukhee Kang
- Artesia City Councilman Ali Sajjad Taj
- Coast College Board of Trustees Member Lorraine Prinsky
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Anila Ali Irvine. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Irvine, California
- Municipal elections in Irvine, California (2016)
- United States municipal elections, 2016
External links
- Campaign website
- Social media:
Footnotes
- ↑ City of Irvine, "Qualified Candidates for Mayor / City Council," accessed October 4, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Statement of Vote - June 3, 2014, Statewide Direct Primary Election," accessed October 4, 2016
- ↑ Facebook, "Anila for Irvine City Council 2016," accessed October 4, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 LinkedIn, "Anila Ali," accessed October 4, 2016
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Anila Ali, "About," accessed October 4, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey, 2016, "Anila Ali's Responses," October 10, 2016
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Anila Ali, "Focus Areas," accessed October 4, 2016
- ↑ Anila Ali for California State Assembly, District 74, "Issues," accessed October 4, 2016
- ↑ Orange County Registrar of Voters, "Current Election Info," accessed August 13, 2015
- ↑ City of Irvine, "Qualified Candidates for Mayor / City Council," accessed August 18, 2016
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official 2014 Primary election candidate list," accessed March 27, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official primary election results," accessed July 15, 2014
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Official general election results," accessed December 14, 2014
- ↑ Women in Leadership, "Endorsed Candidates for 2016," accessed October 4, 2016
- ↑ Twitter, "Anila Ali on September 30, 2016," accessed October 4, 2016
- ↑ Twitter, "Anila Ali on April 9, 2016," accessed October 4, 2016
- ↑ India Journal, "Anila Ai Gets Endorsed by CA Treasurer," July 28, 2016
- ↑ Anila Ali for California State Assembly, District 74, "Endorsements," accessed October 4, 2016
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