Politician describes struggles as a woman

By Ana Tintocalis, On-Line Forty-Niner

Monday, October 12, 1998

In an election year that emphasizes the fierce rivalry between California Republicans and Democrats, many third-party candidates are often neglected, said Sara Amir, the Green Party's candidate for lieutenant governor, to an environmental-health class at Cal State Long Beach Thursday evening.

Speaking to an audience of 25 people, Amir emphasized the importance of reaching out to students and informing them about who she is and what the Green Party represents.

"Our message is of change," Amir said. "We are saying that our message is not politics as usual. It's compassionate politics. We want to bring Californians together, and students are the generation of hope."

The Green Party was formed eight years ago and has modestly gained support over the years as a progressive party. The four basic principles that this party advocates are ecological wisdom, grass- roots democracy, social justice and nonviolence.

Amir said the key issues of her campaign this year include prohibiting offshore oil drilling, outlawing state executions, reinventing California's electoral system and supporting small businesses and local control of schools.

"My measure of success is not just getting elected," she said. "It's really to make a difference, and it's touching people's hearts."

Amir may not wear a suit and tie, she may not use ambiguous political jargon and she may not be as sensational as other politicians. But then again, she is much different than the other candidates running for lieutenant governor in California.

Amir is the only woman vying for the position, running against seven men. She is also the first Iranian-American running for a political office in California.

"I love it and I'm enjoying it," Amir said. "I feel we should have more women as candidates, and I'm going to tell them [other candidates], 'Hey big boys, you need more women here.' "

This is not the first time Amir has had to compete in a male-dominated field.

In 1976, she received her master's in environmental engineering at USC and returned to Iran, hoping to take part in the social and political struggle within the country.

Instead, she was harassed and discriminated against by her male co-workers after refusing to wear a traditional Muslim head scarf known as a hejab, Amir said.

"I remember they [her co-workers] put up a big poster one day," Amir said, as she spoke to the audience. "It said, 'Ms. Amir, in the name of the Koran and the Ayatollah Khomeini, you have to wear your hejab.' I saw it and pulled it down and said, 'Anything that goes up, goes up with my permission.' ''

She soon became a leader among her female co-workers but had to flee Iran when the situation there became brutally repressive, Amir said.

Since then, Amir has lobbied for women's rights in the United States and said she believes entering politics will help her in that struggle.

She is currently a supervising hazardous substances scientist at the Department of Toxic Substances Control in Glendale, which ensures toxic-cleanup sites meet state and federal regulations for soil and ground water.

With its focus on the ecology and environment, the Green Party is the political organization that can strengthen government's role in ensuring that its residents have clean air to breathe and clean water to drink, Amir said.