Konstantine Anthony

Konstantine Anthony (born 1981) is an American politician and former actor, serving as a member of the Burbank City Council since 2020. He previously served as Mayor of Burbank from 2022 to 2023.

In 2020, Anthony was elected to the Burbank City Council. In March 2023, Anthony announced his campaign for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, challenging Republican incumbent Kathryn Barger. He came third, winning 11% of the vote to Barger's 56%.

Political career

2022–present

During the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, Anthony came out in favor of the WGA and appeared multiple times on their picket lines, alongside other elected officials. Konstantine has been a SAG-AFTRA member since 2006 and a member of SEIU 2015 since 2019.

Controversy

In September 2023, Konstantine Anthony was involved in an incident that attracted media coverage and public discussion. During a fundraising event hosted by the Santa Clarita Valley Democrats called Drag Queen Bingo, a video was taken that showed Anthony being spanked by a drag performer. Fox News reported the incident on September 11, 2023. The Los Angeles Times, in an article dated September 14, 2023, discussed the subsequent online debates.

Political positions

Anthony is a proponent of a policeless state, advocating for the abolition of police as well as the abolition of prisons. He identifies himself as a futurist, abolitionist, and a Trotskyist, stating that he believes in the restructuring of societal systems and ideologies within the framework of permanent revolution.

Organizations

Outside of elected office, Anthony is involved with a number of social justice organizations. He has been part of the Burbank Advisory Council on Disabilities since 2018, and is a member of the Domestic Violence Task Force. He previously served on the Burbank Transportation Commission from 2017 to 2020. He is a member of and was endorsed by Democratic Socialists of America Los Angeles, in his run for Burbank City Council.

Endorsements

In the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral election, Anthony endorsed twenty year old activist Alex Gruenenfelder. According to Maebe A. Girl, he endorsed her in the 2024 California's 30th congressional district election, and according to California State Assemblywoman Laura Friedman, he co-endorsed her for that seat. In California's 2024 United States Senate election, Anthony had previously endorsed fellow Burbank resident and U.S. representative Adam Schiff. However, in late October 2023, after Schiff had released a statement in support of Israel's "right to defend itself" during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Anthony withdrew his endorsement of Schiff and declined to endorse any other candidate until Schiff would endorse peace in the region. On December 11, 2023, Anthony endorsed Schiff’s opponent in the race, Rep. Barbara Lee.

Personal life

Anthony has publicly identified as autistic, a factor he cites as a driving force behind his advocacy for disability rights. In a Twitter post, the Burbank Republican Party highlighted this statement from Margo Rowder: "You chose to drag someone who doesn't have the money for a formal autism diagnosis and whose former schoolmates called him in his late 20s to ask if he thinks he might be autistic."

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Anthony, Konstantine
1981 births
Living people
Democratic Party mayors in California
Members of the Democratic Socialists of America from California
21st-century American politicians
American male television actors
21st-century American male actors
American Marxists
American socialists
Male actors from Burbank, California
Police abolitionists
Prison abolitionists