by Matt Paulson
Editor in Chief
With the circus that is the California Recall Election captivating the Golden State the last few months, a University of La Verne alumnus has thrown his hat into the ring.
Vipan Bhola, Vip for short, who graduated from the La Verne College of Law San Fernando Campus in 1996, is one of the 135 candidates vying to replace Gov. Gray Davis as the governor of California.
Originally from St. Louis, Mo., Bhola is a first-generation American whose parents emigrated from India. When he was in junior high, Bhola and his family moved to Northern California.
After graduating from high school, Bhola enrolled at Cal State Northridge. But Bhola left early, never obtaining an undergraduate degree. Instead, Bhola started up a few business practices.
One of these was an advertising business in which Bhola and his associates did marketing consulting, direct mail and video production.
Soon after, Bhola decided that he wanted to take a crack at law school.
“I felt like I had the tools to be a good lawyer,” Bhola said. Among these tools are the “powers of analysis” and “public speaking,” he said.
Even though he never received an undergraduate degree, there is still a provision by which he can be admitted to law school.
In a state accredited school, which is what the San Fernando campus was, the biggest factor to being admitted is convincing the law school that a candidate, even he did not complete an undergraduate degree, is qualified to study law, said Paul Egly, dean emeritus and professor of law at the La Verne College of Law. Two of the other biggest factors are the candidate’s LSAT scores and his “moral character,” Egly said.
Bhola’s experience in starting his own businesses probably also contributed to his being admitted, Egly said.
Bhola chose La Verne because of its four-year program that allows its students to attend classes at night and work full time during the day.
“I had a family to support,” Bhola said.
Another positive factor about La Verne was the fact that Bhola entertained the ability to be taught by actual practicing attorneys.
“I didn’t just hear theoretical concepts,” Bhola said.
One of his professors, Robert Barrett, who still teaches law in San Fernando, even though the campus has since been bought out by the University of West Los Angeles, called Bhola “bright,” “enthusiastic” and “committed” as a student of law.
“He was well-liked by his colleagues and also by his professors,” Barrett said. “He was really everything we would want from one of our students.”
Since then, Bhola has set up a law practice in North Hollywood.
When the recall became a reality, Bhola felt that he had the tools to be a successful governor.
The first of these tools is Bhola’s familiarity with the law, a practicing attorney along with practical experience in problem solving.
“That’s what I do on a daily basis,” Bhola said.
Furthermore, as a practicing attorney, one constantly consults experts on a variety of subjects and uses their advice in one’s cases. As a governor, Bhola believes this skill will be beneficial simply because the governor must address a myriad of subjects on a daily basis; to address these subjects, experts must be consulted and their advice implemented into policy.
Bhola deems fiscal policy as one of his top two guiding principles in his gubernatorial campaign, the other being whatever is best for the people of California.
Considering the fiscal crises in which California finds itself, fiscal policy is extremely substantial to this recall election.
Bhola feels that the answer does not lie in simply cutting programs. The state’s programs must be audited and examined to determine how to maximize efficiency in the existing systems.
“Just as a small business or family would have to examine their spending and tighten their belt, the state needs a similar analysis,” he said.
Just which programs need the most overhaul cannot be fully determined until examined, but Bhola deemed worker’s compensation, and taxes and regulations imposed on businesses to be two big areas of concern.
California must do whatever it can to keep businesses in the state, rather than imposing stringent and “silly” regulations that prompt businesses to move elsewhere, which hinders economic growth in California, Bhola said.
Education is another key element to Bhola’s campaign.
Bhola believes that money being put into schools is not seeing as much efficiency as possible.
He wants to make sure that the money makes it into the hands of the teachers so it can directly benefit the students rather than getting caught in the hands of administrators and other liaisons.
Another policy that would help California’s school system is the idea of school vouchers.
This policy would place a certain amount of money back into the hands of each parent. Those parents would then have the freedom to decide whether to move their children to a different, better public school or enroll them in a private school.
This reallocation of funds “empowers the parent with choice,” Bhola said.
It would also foster competition between schools.
“It’s going to make the schools want to excel rather than just exist,” Bhola said.
As of this week, however, the recall has been postponed until, possibly, March 2.
Some experts believe that this will help Davis re-establish himself as the governor of California. Bhola disagrees.
“I think, quite frankly, that it’s going to give him more time to dig himself deeper into the pit he’s already in,” Bhola said. “I don’t think Davis can change who he is or the way he governs. I don’t think he acts in the best interest of the people, and whatever motivates him will continue to motivate him over the next several months.”
Either way, Bhola is determined to forge on in his crusade to become the next governor of California.
“If he’s as good a candidate as he was a student,” Barrett said, “he’ll be great.”
