“I grew up in the San Fernando Valley where everyone was the activist Democrat type. They thought everything Republican was extremely bad, but that didn’t always square with my own family’s values at home.”
“Being first generation Indian, my parents were very conservative. Even in high school, I had a hard time believing that one side of the political spectrum was 100% right and the other side 100% wrong. Ultimately, I began to explore politics with a more open mind and asked myself if I wanted less government in my life or more or if I believed traditional values were a good thing or bad thing.”
“After founding the UCLA chapter of Young Americans for Liberty and spending much of my college years organizing, I got my first job in politics working as a field rep for Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner. After working for an LA County Supervisor, I then joined with an Orange County councilmember as his chief of staff.”
“There’s a lot of partisanship right now – and a lot of tribalistic politics. But, if you get out of the “R” versus “D” conversation and just talk about issues and quality of life, I think there’s really a good union to be made on how to bring about positive change in the community.”
“For example, the Orange County City Council just approved building a new amphitheater and a huge USA Water Polo facility. The economic impact of that will be competitive with Disneyland. By leading with local issues – like the environment, fighting against human trafficking, making sure the police are well funded – leaders can work together to make a real difference in the way people live.“
“Of course, we should care about what is going on at a state or federal level, but the truth is your local elected officials are here seven days of the week. Members of Congress and state assembly don’t really know the district. They come here for a short amount of time and then they have to go back.”
“What’s been lost in translation is that working locally is very, very powerful and communities are one of the best places for real, productive change.”
Deepak Sanhi
Orange County, CA
Deepak Sahni is a member of the Irvine, CA city council. He has a history of grassroots activism and encouraging different political parties to work together to benefit their communities.
