KRLA Candidate Forum: Round One

This was easily one of the best forums of the campaign.  My complements to Kevin James for intelligent questions and moving the discussion along.  

After the customary introductions, Kevin’s first question concerned the city’s infrastructure in wake of fires and water main ruptures.  Everyone expressed disgust with the DWP for its neglect, but no one addressed the issue of allowing development in fire zones. 

Peter Sanchez also mentioned transformers that exploded in last year’s heat wave and the need to halt cash transfers from the DWP to the general fund.  Tamar Galatzan, Frank Sheftel and Joe Essavi also stressed the need to stop the transfers.  Mary Benson talked of her volunteer time to rescue animals in the Station Fire and her support of a DWP rate payer advocate.

Frank Sheftel answered a question about whether his ownership of a medical marijuana dispensary could be viewed as an impediment to supporting the laws of the city.  He said it would not and wants to see stricter controls over dispensaries.

Tamar was asked whether it would be right for her to run given the condition of the LAUSD.  She said the reason she ran for the School Board was to fight the very problems that plagued the system for years.  She mentioned her stand against allowing full time benefits for part time workers, which she viewed as fiscally irresponsible, and putting computers in all of the classrooms in the Valley. 

All of the candidates unequivocally supported Carmen Trutanich’s plan to aggressively prosecute taggers. 

Frank Sheftel suggested cameras at select popular graffiti targets.  Tamar Galatzan said the LAPD would not have the resources to monitor cameras.

Peter Sanchez and Mary Benson stressed the need for community involvement no matter how the city dealt with it.  Peter cited how the parents of Colfax Charter School in Valley Village came together to paint over graffiti immediately after it was discovered on the campus.  Mary Benson cited her experience with working with Sun Valley Graffiti Busters.

The next question was one of the best of the evening.  Kevin James asked each of the candidates what were some of the City Council decisions where they disagreed with the outcomes.

Tamar Galatzan pointed to today’s decision to approve a living wage ordinance.  She was concerned it would drive more business away.

Mary Benson cited counter intuitive land use decisions that did not consider the incremental demands on infrastructure and parking.

Joe Essavi mentioned Measures B and R.

Frank Sheftel agreed with Joe and added the $30 million loan for improvements to the Kodak Center for Cirque du Soleil.  He also criticized Paul Krekorian’s mailer on the subject as incorrect and entirely misleading.

Peter Sanchez expressed disgust with the votes on billboards over the years.

The off the wall question of the night involved which of the other candidates would each hire as a chief of staff if they were the only choices.

Joe Essavi said he could not make a selection.

Mary Benson said she would select Joe Essavi because he would work well with LA County personnel, a skill not often found in City Council staffs.

Frank Sheftel would select Pete Sanchez because of Pete’s empathy for citizens in need.

Tamar Galatzan opted for Zuma Dogg.  She said he would shake up the status quo. 

That was the understatement of the night.  I’m sure ZD has an application form ready.

Peter Sanchez thanked Frank for selecting him. However, Pete would select Augusto Bisani as the two of them were neighbors in Valley Village (Note: That would be great for me as well since I live within two blocks of both of them). 

The next three questions came from callers.

The first dealt with the drain on resources caused by illegal immigration.

Tamar Galatzan was frustrated with the federal Government’s dereliction of responsibility.  The city receives no dollars from the Feds to deal with the problem.

Peter Sanchez suggested a priority approach where the LAPD should check the immigration status of criminals and coordinate with ICE to deport them.  Get rid of the ones that contribute to crime.

Frank Sheftel also mentioned Federal acquiescence.  The solution will not make people happy.

Mary Benson cited that she lived in a neighborhood with a 92% Hispanic population.  She would also target career criminals, but have a program to put some others on an equal footing with citizens.

Joe Essavi said it was time for the Council to deal with the sanctuary city policy.

The next question was concerning the concept of a “citizen legislator” put forth by Joe Essavi.  The point of this question was whether the candidates would be willing to work in a part time council framework used by other states such as Texas.

There was general agreement that they would all accept substantial salary cuts.

Tamar mentioned she is already working in that environment with her regular job as a neighborhood prosecutor and serving as a LAUSD Board Member, a part time position.

Frank Sheftel said he was at Ron Kaye’s SLAP meeting where the concept of the half-off charter amendment was introduced (the amendment calls for a 50% reduction in City Council salaries). He was asked at that meeting whether he would still run if he knew such a proposal was being made.  Frank told the participants he would (I was sitting next to Frank at that meeting and concur with his recollection).

Pete Sanchez said he was guided by the Jeffersonian concept of serving in government: people should not make politics a career and should move back and forth between the private and public sectors.

The final question of the night came from a resident in Studio City who has lived through months of the DWP’s project to replace a water main.  The workers have only managed to complete three blocks in eight months.  He asked if it would make sense to contract out some of the city’s work.

The candidates agreed in general with the concept but warned of the complexities of managing and supervising numerous subcontractors.  Joe Essavi noted there would also be the issue of transferring the risk of lawsuits to the contractors.

I might add it would be worth revisiting what the city did after the Northridge earthquake to repair the Santa Monica freeway.  If I recall, the work was outsourced and had incentive clauses for early completion.  The freeway was up and running in a relatively short time considering the extent of the damage.

The strongest closing statement was from Tamar Galatzan who said she was fed up with the current state of affairs and that the city could face bankruptcy if it did not get its financial house in order.

My final thoughts were that I was generally impressed with the format and the performance of the candidates.

I believe Chris Essel made a huge mistake in turning down the KRLA’s invitation to participate.