Promoting Political
Reform

Jim Mangia has been a leader of independent voters and a fighter for political reform for over two decades. He is currently the President of the Coalition for Political Reform (CPR), a nonpartisan populist organization committed to the resuscitation of American democracy through political action and advocacy. The goal of CPR is to build a more inclusive and dynamic political culture by promoting increased voter participation, real political competition, government accountability and political reform. Mangia was appointed by the City Council of West Hollywood to the Election Reform Task Force, a commission chartered with reforming that city's electoral process to ensure greater participation by the voters. Mangia has been featured in the New York Times, Time Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek and most major magazines, newspapers radio and television stations across the country. His writings on issues of concern to independent voters and on political reform have been published in the San Francisco Chronicle and other major media outlets. He has led local, state and national efforts in support of same-day voter registration, campaign finance reform and open primaries and successfully pressured the Los Angeles Ethics Commission to make significant campaign and political reforms in municipal elections as a result of efforts which exposed campaign fundraising violations by major party candidates in the Los Angeles mayoral elections.

Jim Mangia is a national spokesperson for the demands of progressive independent voters who are concerned with special interest control and partisan manipulation of American democracy. Mangia has been a major figure in organizing and speaking for independent voters in California's historic recall election and has been a guest on numerous television and radio talk shows on the role of independent voters in California's recall process. He is a convener of the "Choosing an Independent President" (ChIP) process which is significantly increasing the influence of independent voters in the national presidential nominating process. He was a founder of the Reform Party of the USA and served as its national secretary for three consecutive terms. Mangia played a leading role in qualifying the Reform Party for the ballot in California by leading voter registration efforts resulting in 125,000 new registrants in 18 days. And he was a key figure in qualifying Ross Perot for the ballot in 1996 in his presidential campaign and served as a media spokesperson for the Perot '96 campaign. Mangia led efforts within the Reform Party to ensure greater internal democracy and led "party-building" efforts to expand and grow the party. He led and was the national spokesperson for the broad-based coalition within the Reform Party that attempted to prevent the illegal takeover by right-wing presidential candidate Pat Buchanan.

An Activist for
Social Change

Jim Mangia has been an activist for close to 20 years in efforts to eradicate poverty and provide free and low-cost health care to uninsured, underinsured and economically disadvantaged families. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of St. John's Well Child and Family Centers, a network of nonprofit federally qualified health centers and school based clinics in Los Angeles that provide free medical, dental and mental health services to tens of thousands of children and adults each year. Mangia has received a certificate of special Congressional recognition and awards from the Mayor and City Council of Los Angeles as well as the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for his efforts on behalf of the poor and disenfranchised. As a professional grant writer, Mangia has raised millions of dollars for nonprofit organizations and charities. He has been an activist fighting poverty and hunger in America, raising money for food banks for poor families, after-school programs for inner city children and housing programs for the mentally ill. Mangia is a member of Strategic Actions for a Just Economy, an organization that promotes political and economic rights for poor and working residents of inner city Los Angeles. In 2000, he was a keynote speaker at the Millennium March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Civil Rights.

Independents Will Determine Bush's Fate

Political Points ~ Anyone Have An Umbrella?

Lead Poisoning: A Deadly Reality for L.A.'s Children

Independent Voters Hold the Key to California’s Recall

Missing Los Angeles girl found unharmed at medical clinic

Initiative & Referendum Can Prevent Foreign Policy Mistakes
By Jim Mangia November 2001