Hari Patel / Daily Nexus

Andrew Gabriel Pragin is running for a temporary two-year seat, alongside Father Jon-Stephen Hedges, Natalie Jordan and Michael Kile. Hari Patel / Daily Nexus

There are currently four candidates running for the temporary two-year seats, and voters will have to pick two of them on Nov. 8. The Nexus suggests that students and I.V. residents select Andrew Gabriel Pragin as one of the two.

Pragin’s strongest quality as a Community Services District (CSD) board candidate is his high level of involvement in the UCSB and Isla Vista community. He dropped out of school to become a full-time volunteer. Pragin has supported many community events–Jeffrey’s Jazz Coffeehouse, I.V. First Fridays, Meet Your Neighbor Day and Isla Vista Community Network Meetings.

He has been sitting in on Isla Vista self-governance meetings for the past year, and in addition to his extensive involvement, Pragin demonstrates a thorough understanding of everything a CSD director should know. He has a working knowledge of the community center renovation effort and of AB 3. Ask him and he can rattle off numbers pertaining to the proposed budget of the CSD, as outlined in the financial feasibility study of Sept. 2015.

Priorities:

  1. Police in I.V.: Pragin envisions an Isla Vista where the police presence is significantly lower than it is now. He frequently interacts with the I.V. Foot Patrol, and even worked as a police contact for the recent Feminasty rally. His working relationship with local officers could very well carry over to his representation on the CSD board.
  2. MAC: Pragin wants to create a Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) to create an “official voice” for I.V. Because the county would officially recognize the MAC as one of its functions, Pragin said, it could be a more effective bridge than other community meetings.
  3. Community Center: Coming from someone who has long worked on the effort, Pragin sees the CSD as a solution to bringing the community center back to life.

Is the CSD a grassroots movement? “It’s a grassroots movement that has been funded by the establishment.”

What’s your superpower? “I believe in telepathy and higher consciousness. I believe in healings and hearings. I believe.”

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