Monica Rodriguez: Worthy of a Vote of ‘No Confidence’ if not a ‘Recall’

We expected this Council representative to seize this issue as a great, first chance to be the champion that we lacked in the City Council. We expected the Council office that was most impacted by the threat of the high-speed train, to be the leader and the fighter against the Project. We expected this Council office to be the “closer.” 

Unfortunately, we have witnessed the worst case of weak and failed leadership, lack of truthfulness, laziness and disrespect in our four plus years of fighting the high-speed train project. 

First, Councilmember Rodriguez ran a campaign for office that included no mention of the high-speed train project on her website or campaign materials. Then, during her campaign, she ignored and missed the SAFE Coalition deadline for attending a candidate interview session to answer questions about her position on the high-speed train project, which had been timed to occur prior to the LA Times issuing endorsements in the CD7 election. 

We viewed the proposed interview as an easy to do, “softball” opportunity for each of the candidates to firmly back and support our communities. We fully expected each to seize the opportunity to garner our support on this damaging, “no brainer” issue. We had no intention of endorsing either candidate but viewed this as a solid opportunity to align our potential elected official with the communities he or she would serve. Apparently, it was too difficult for this conflicted, divisive and hostile candidate to handle. 

So, when the SAFE Coalition gracefully extended the interview opportunity for the candidate on a Sunday evening at Bolton Hall, she arrived unprepared, evasive and unfriendly (did not acknowledge or shake hands with any Coalition members before or after the meeting except for one of her political supporters). At that meeting, she unexpectedly and infamously LIED (we have her comments preserved on tape recording) to the approximately 25 SAFE Coalition members in attendance about her acceptance of campaign contributions from high-speed train contractors and employees/board members (posing a glaring conflict of interest).

Rodriguez’ lie was so blatant, such a sign of disrespect, and so against the community’s best interests, that the SAFE Coalition leaders in attendance at that meeting, representing nearly all the communities located in the NE San Fernando Valley, voted overwhelmingly 21-2 on the following evening to endorse her opponent in the election. Further, for 18 months and counting, Councilmember Rodriguez has refused to meet with the SAFE Coalition and directed her staff not to meet with the SAFE Coalition. She and her staff also failed to attend several major high-speed train-related community meetings hosted by the SAFE Coalition at locations such as All Nations Church, Lake View Terrace Recreation Center and Lake View Terrace/Hansen Dam Public Library. 

Thousands of residents found the time to attend these meetings, but our own Council representative disrespected all of our communities by being MIA (Missing in Action). As if all this is not bad enough (and worthy of a vote of “no confidence” or even a recall), at the recent train Authority Board meeting, Councilmember Rodriguez did not attend, her chief of staff did not attend, her Planning Deputy did not attend, her District Director did not attend, and she issued NO statement. A junior staff member did attend but DID NOT speak or submit any public comment. 

What political courage and what disrespect of our communities: send a junior staffer and make no comment! 

Thanks for nothing! Also, recently, Councilmember Rodriguez was the key player in the flawed “Metrolink Alternative” delay tactic. She too had been advised by SAFE Coalition of the proposal’s infeasibility, but she ignored her community to please other politicians and special interests. This same Councilmember had the audacity to claim “credit” in a press release for getting the high-speed train Authority to hold a board meeting in the northeast San Fernando Valley. But, when the Authority refused to do that and scheduled the meeting for downtown Burbank on a work day, she was silent and did not even attend the meeting. 

Councilmember Rodriguez has destroyed relationships with many community leaders and community organizations to further her relationship with Mayor Garcetti, with the soon to be fired or resign train Authority Chairman Dan Richard, and with a wealth of labor unions that would benefit from the high-speed train project -- from which the campaign contributions have been flowing non-stop since she was elected. 

If the high-speed train ever happens, it should bear her name as it tears through any part of the Northeast San Fernando Valley. We will never forget her failure and her hostility, and we will hold her accountable. 

Note for Shadow Hills Residents: This is the same elected and sworn Council representative who, during the height of the La Tuna and Creek Fires, did not reach out to SHPOA, Shadow Hills, nor its community leaders. Worse, neither the “paid” council representative nor her staff responded to phone calls and text messages from SHPOA seeking information and assistance at the height of those crises. 

(Dave DePinto is with the SAFE Coalition. SAFE Coalition means Save Angeles Forest for Everyone. The Coalition includes communities and Community organizations throughout the Northeast San Fernando Valley including Shadow Hills, Sunland Tujunga, Lakeview Terrace, Sylmar, Kagel Canyon, Pacoima, Sun Valley and the La Tuna Canyon. Further, the Coalition includes all of the neighborhood councils in the northeast San Fernando Valley as well as each of the major Community nonprofit organizations. Churches, too.) Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.