Neighborhood Council Players Set to Elevate Their Game, Run for Higher Office

MY TURN-In my last CityWatch article I discussed how difficult it was for civic activists to win public office elections.  Ron Galperin is an exception and we are happy to have him.  I did some research on campaign fund raising and one can see, with a few exceptions, that incumbents and political activists, including those who have worked for an elected official, significantly “out raise” their civic activist competitors by huge amounts. 

The next financial contributions will be posted February 19.  The top spot in fund raising as of the last posting date this month goes to Councilman Jose Huizar  running for re-election in Council District 14. He has raised more money than anyone else by far, including his fellow incumbents.  I wonder if that $800,000 plus included the value of the bill boards being contributed by the out of state Billboard company seeking to influence the City Council? 

CityWatch considers elections to be very important.  It has established an election page where candidates may post their campaign information at no charge (put in link).  We know that the readers of CityWatch are the movers and shakers, activists of all persuasions and finally those that just like to gripe.  We want to do our part in trying to have a level playing field …at least here. 

I asked the seven candidates that are Neighborhood Council members and alumni to give me a statement as to their work in their NC’s, their qualifications, and their priorities.  Because of space concerns we have limited their statements in this article to NC work and their priorities.  The fuller statements including qualifications and reason for running will appear on the CityWatch Election Watch page. 

I particularly focused on NC experience for two reasons: To show the critics and unimpressed politicians and bureaucrats that NC activists provide a great service to the City; and to allow our readers to see the priorities of each without having to dig through mountains of campaign literature. 

Four of the seven are looking to replace the hale and hearty Tom La Bonge who is termed out in District 4.  This is a weird geographical district which extends from the City to the Valley.  It is the most crowded field as opposed to District 12 where incumbent Mitch Englander is running unopposed. The NC candidates represent different parts of the district. 

DISTRICT 4  CITY COUNCIL 

JAY BEEBER- SHERMAN OAKS NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL (SONC) 

I have  been a strong champion for the Neighborhood Council system since I joined the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council in 2011.  Originally, I approached SONC regarding my concerns about the city's red light camera program.  I joined the Public Safety Committee and eventually got the full board to support a resolution that the red light camera program should not continue unless it could be proven to have actually increased safety on our roadways.  

Also, as a member of the Public Safety Committee, I authored a report on improving pedestrian safety, which prompted Councilmember Paul Krekorian, who at the time represented part of Sherman Oaks, to appoint me to represent the district on the city's Pedestrian Advisory Committee. 

Currently I'm the 2nd Vice President of the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council and chair of the Government Affairs and Rules and Elections Committees.  I'm also a member of the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils and in 2012 was awarded that organization's first ever “David & Goliath Award” for overcoming powerful corporate and governmental special interests and slaying the city's red light camera program. 

PRIORITIES 

A Listening tour using specific meetings and town halls for both the business community and stakeholders to learn what THEIR priorities are. 

An evaluation of the traffic nightmares for commuters who clog the canyon roads from the Valley to the Westside and Century City. 

Speed up the reforms to the “Mansionization" Ordinance.  The ordinance currently does not work to accomplish what it was meant to do and there's no reason it should take 18 to 24 months to fix it, as is currently estimated by the Council. 

Regarding Neighborhood Councils, I'd champion the proposal to give official NC representatives a “seat at the table” so they get the proper time and respect to adequately represent their stakeholders opinions to the City Council. 

Begin negotiations with our public employee unions to address our growing pension liabilities and employee benefits issues.  We need to hold the line on any additional salary increases and get our employees to agree to contribute more to offset their health care and pension costs. 

FRED MARISCAL- GREATER WILSHIRE NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL

I first ran for the, Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council Board position representing Larchmont Village. Now I’m  on my third term and I’ve become Outreach Committee Chair and Budget Representative.  In 2013 I ran for Treasurer of Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition (LANCC) won that race and in 2014 ran and won the seat of Vice-Chair. I know how important Neighborhood Councils are, and as a Councilmember I will empower them more. 

I’m the only LGBT candidate in the race. I’m multi-cultural, which in a City as diverse as Los Angeles, is an important asset.  It enables me to build coalitions and bring political, community leaders and residents together to solve our problems.  I come from a political family in Mexico City, I’ve been around politics all my life, I understand that politics is the art of compromise, negotiation, and hard decision making in order to create positive change. 

PRIORITIES 

JOB CREATION… making Los Angeles more business friendly by helping eliminate the 10% gross receipts tax gradually. 

PARKING ENFORCEMENT REFORM …us. We need to get rid of excessive parking fees and regulations. Having a percentage of the fines return to area where ticketed for use in maintenance.  

PROTECT OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND FIND HOMELESSNESS Solutions …I believe in smart neighborhood oriented development.  I am in favor of stricter conditions for new and remodeling construction with more enforcement by the Department of Planning. 

DAVID RYU- WILSHIRE CENTER KOREATOWN NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL (photo above) 

This is my second term on the Wilshire Center Koreatown Neighborhood Council (WCKNC).  I served on the Land Use Committee and have been frustrated for years on the lack of outreach, collaboration, support, and simple inclusion of the Neighborhood Council, community and residents in the important discussions and processes at City Hall.  Neighborhoods are the heart of Los Angeles, but too often our interests are put aside for those with the deepest pockets and the loudest voices. 

PRIORITIES 

Ensure neighborhood concerns about city services and quality of life are heard and respected at City Hall. 

Improving City-resident communications with concierge/ombudsman service. 

 Call for early community input on development issues. Strengthen our economy by raising the minimum wage and responsibly phasing out the gross receipts tax. 

SHEILA IRANI- HOLLYWOOD UNITED NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL (HUNC) 

I was appointed Outreach Chair in 2014. I have helped promote HUNC within our community by designing street banners and bus bench ads and securing free or discounted ad space to

increase awareness, reviving the quarterly newsletter, producing and promoting

quarterly events such as "Hollywood Fault Line and its effects on Development”; disaster preparedness workshops and working with many of our community groups.  I see my value on the Neighborhood Council as one of insuring we spend our budget on serving the community, not administrative expenses. 

PRIORITIES 

Congestion on many streets from lack of congestion mitigation planning, and rampant development, adding hundreds of new commuters especially in Hollywood and Sherman Oaks. 

Unchecked tourism congesting the hills and endangering residents’ lives which requires more enforcement or an alternative location for them to photograph the Hollywood Sign. 

Battle in Griffith Park between those wanting passive recreation and others wanting more active recreation.

Raising awareness of water conservation and need for better grey water policy by DWP 

Lack of connectivity to transit lines (bus and rail) for most of the residents in CD4 

Competition for park use and lack of parking at most of the parks in CD4, and lack of Park Ranger enforcement and Recreation and Parks maintenance at many parks  

Street repairs especially in older areas – Hancock Park, Windsor Square, Larchmont, Hollywood Hills, Los Feliz, Toluca Lake, Whitley Heights       

Lack of street sweeping and graffiti removal       

Sidewalks on La Brea, Western, Larchmont and Los Feliz that are being torn up by overgrown Ficus trees causing trip and fall liability for the City and property owners 

Mitigate Crime in Hancock Park and Surrounding Areas      

LOS ANGELES UNITED SCHOOL BOARD-SEAT #3 

-Ankur Patel- NORTHRIDGE EAST NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL (NENC) 

I was a Board Member and then Treasurer for NENC. Holding these positions helped me to gain a greater understanding of the inner workings of the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) and its funding program. 

My experience as a teacher, my ability to communicate and act as bridge builder, and being a product of the LAUSD I have the right mix of qualifications, background, and dedication to be a great School Board Member for the San Fernando Valley. 

PRIORITIES 

I believe that we need to re-imagine our education system and approach issues with a fresh outlook. 

I will stop the waste of taxpayer funds and realign resources to where they belong- our classrooms. 

I will be accountable and create transparency by publishing and publicizing campus by campus budgets so we can follow taxpayer money and how it is being spent. 

I will build student, teacher, and parent engagement by creating formal open lines of communication with Neighborhood Council Education Committees 

Start internships for young people in student government to work directly with my school board office 

Show up to parent meetings to find the active parents and connect them to my school board office in order to create a robust and diverse network of people working to improve public education. 

SEAT 7 

LYDIA GUTIERREZ - COSTAL SAN PEDRO NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL 

I have served 7 years on the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council that oversees the Coast of San Pedro and the Port of Los Angeles. In those 7 years, I served as chair of Budget and Finance and Public Safety. Now as a community activist, I continue to serve as chair of the Cultural Committee and I am a member of the Budget and Finance and Education Committees. By serving, it helps me understand the needs and concerns of others and how I can best serve. 

Out of the eleven schools in district seven, using the California ranking system… ten of our schools were rated in the lower third.  Only one school was ranked the highest and 50% of its student body was labeled gifted.  A failure rate that is unacceptable. 

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PRIORITIES 

Academic Achievement: 

Give back control of our classrooms to the teachers who know what needs to be taught instead of mandating what, when and how they will teach. 

Fiscal Responsibility: 

There is currently no transparent financial accountability of money received and spent. We need a publicly accessible online financial audit trail. You the taxpayer should know how every tax dollar is being spent and why. 

Administrative Accountability: 

 It is time to stop cronyism and favoritism when hiring. Every employee in the district should be reviewed to make sure they are in the position that best suits their skills and they are being given an opportunity for upward advancement. 

COMMUNITY COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES - SEAT #3 

GLENN BAILEY- NORTHRIDGE WEST NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL 

For the past 12 years, I have served as an elected Neighborhood Council (NC) board member in the City of Los Angeles and President of Encino NC.  As one of the Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates, I participated in the City’s annual $7 billion dollar budgeting process. 

I have been a Neighborhood Council Board member for over 11 years and have been active with the Valley Alliance of NCs (VANC) for several years as well as the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition (LANCC). I am currently serving as a NC Budget Advocate for the 2014-15 term I was an Independent Election Administrator in 2012. 

PLATFORM

We need to offer cutting-edge vocational and trade classes to prepare workers for the jobs of the future. Many students have been unable to get the classes they need to graduate, so are forced to travel to two and three other campuses to do so. 

If elected, I will push to restore these classes. There is still $1.6 billion dollars remaining in the three voter-approved bond measures for the college building program.  While much needed improvements have been made, the building program has been plagued by cost overruns, delays, and litigation. 

 Many classrooms in the center of the Pierce College campus have been fenced off and unavailable for instructional use for years.  This is unacceptable – these projects need to be completed now! 

It was recently announced that the Farm Center at Pierce College would close.  The Farm Center has offered educational programs, employed many college students, and donated surplus vegetables to local food pantries.  Whatever plans the District has for the farm, they are not sharing them and that lack of transparency is wrong.  This land is owned by the public, and we should have a say in its future. 

I have also been a program coordinator at California State University, Northridge for 24 years, working with teachers and graduate students.  As a College District Trustee, I will be an independent voice on the Board

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(Denyse Selesnick is a featured CityWatch columnist.  She is a former Publisher/journalist/international event organizer. Denyse can be reached at: [email protected])

-cw

 

 

 

 

CityWatch

Vol 13 Issue 9

Pub: Jan 30, 2015