MAYOR:
CITY ATTORNEY:
9TH DISTRICT COUNCILMEMBER:
OUR CITY IS ABOUT TO CHANGE DRAMATICALLY, THE 2005 ELECTIONS UP FOR GRABS IS THE OFFICE OF MAYOR, THE CITY ATTORNEY AND SIX CITY COUNCIL SEATS.
THE CANDIDATES FOR THESE KEY POLITICAL OFFICES WILL HAVE A VARIETY OF STRENGTHS. WE WILL HABVE SOME CANDIDATES WHO ARE MORE CHARISMATIC THAN THEIR OPPONENTS, SOME MORE PHOTOGENTIC AND SOME MORE ARTICULATE. AS ATTRACTIVE AS THOSE QUALITIES ARE, THEY ARE NOT THE KEY CRITERIA I WILL USEIN MAKING MY ENDORSEMENTS, AND NEITHER SHOULD YOU WHEN YOU VOTE. WHEN THE PASSIONS OF A CAMPAIGN ARE AT A FEVER PITCH, AS THEY WILL BE, WE SHOULD REMIND OURSELVES THTA GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT BE A POPULARITY CONTEST, IT SHOULD NOT BE ABOUT WHO LOOKS BEST ON TELEVISION, AND IT ISN'T ABOUT WHO CAN SAY THE PRETTIEST WORDS. IT IS ALSO NOT ABOUT WHO IS A RISINBG STAR AND HOW FAR THAT PERSON CAN GO STATEWIDE OR NATIONALLY.
OUR CHOICES FOR LOCAL GOVERMENT OUGHT TO BE ABOUT WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO GET THINGS DONE FOR L.A.'S CITIZENS HERE AND NOW.
IN THE THREE RACES IN WHICH I WILL BE ENDORSING, ALL CANDIDATES LOOK TO BE WELL-INTENTIONED THOUGH IMPERFECT (LIKE THE REST OF US HUMAN BEINGS) WITH THEIR ETHICS PRETTY FIRMLY IN PLACE, DESPITE THE NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING THAT IS SURE TO JAR US. TO BE ABLE TO MAKE A CHOICE I AM LOOKING BEYOND THE NEGATIVE CAMPAIGNING, ACCEPTING IT RELUCTANTLY AS A NECESSARY EVIL OF POLITICA LIFE, AND I AM FOCUSING ON THE LARGER ISSUE OF THE FUTURE.
IT SHOULD ALSO BE NOTED THAT ALL CANDIDATES IN THE RACES CONSIDERED HERE ARE EXPERIENCED AT SOMETHING AND HAVE SKILLS AND INTERESTS THAT COULD BE BENEFICAL TO THE CITY. I WILL CHOOSE THE ONES WHO HAVE WHAT WE NEED NOW.
THE KEY ELEMENT CONSIDERED IMN MY CHOICES IS THE ECONOMY. OUR NATION IS ON SHAKY GROUND, AND WE NEED LEADERS MOST LIKELY TO PROTECT LOS ANGELES FROM ECONOMIC RAVAGES IT EXPERIENCED IN THE 90'S---WITH DOWNTOWN HIT ESPECIALLY HARD. THE COUNTRY RECOVERED UNDER PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, THE CITY AS A WHOLE RECOVERED, AND DOWNTOWN EVENTUALLY RECOVERED, BUT NOT BEFORE THE END OF THE DECADE.
DOWNTOWN IS CERTAINLY BETTER POSITIONED THAN IT WAS A DECADE AGO, BUT WE DON'T WANT TO GET NEAR THE NIGHTMARE OF A RECESSION AGAIN, NOT DOWNTOWN, NOT ANYWHERE IN THE CITY. ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY MEANS THAT JOBS OF ALL DESCRIPTIONS ARE IN DANGER. EDUCATION FOR OUR CHILDREN SUFFERS, AS DOES THE EDUCATIONAL BOOTSTRAP FOR TWO IMPORTANT CATEGORIES: THOSE CITIZENS WHO ARE DOWN ON THEIR LUCK, AND NEW IMMIGRANTS. OUR RETIREMENT FUNDS SUFFER. ALL GOVERNMENT SERVICES SUFFER. THERE IS NOTHING THAT IS NOT TAINTED BY A BAD ECONOMY. IN THE END, MY SEARCH FOR A STABLE ECONOMY HAD ME VALUING THE FOLLOWING:
1)CANDIDATES WHO KNOW AND LOVE THE CITY THE BEST. L.A. IS A UNIQUE URBAN ENVIRONMENT, AND IT TAKES KNOWING IT WELL TO LOVE IT.
2)CANDIDATES MOST LIKELY TO KNOW HOW TO GET THINGS DONE IN L.A.'S CITY GOVERNMENT.
3)CANDIDATES WHO HAVE BALANCED SYMPATHIES AND UNDERSTANDINGS OF BOTH BUSINESS AND LABOR. I WILL CHOOSE THOSE WHO'S EYES, MIND, HEART, AND EXPERIENCE HAVE NOT BEEN SPENT ELSEWHEREAND ARE THEREFORE FOCUSED HERE. INCUMBENTS JAMES HAHN, JAN PERRY AND ROCKY DELGADILLO DO NOT FIT THIS BILL. EVEN THOUGH I DID ENDORSE AND VOTED FOR THEM IN 2001, I HAVE SINCE LEARNED THEY ARE NOT THE PEOPLE FOR THE JOB.
MAYOR: POSSIBLE CANDIDATES I WOULD LIKE TO SEE RUN FOR MAYOR ARE EARVIN "MAGIC" JOHNSON, TOM HAYDEN,
MIKE WOO, ALEX PADILLA, AND ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA.
INCUMBANT JAMES HAHN IS NOTHING LIKE HIS FATHER FORMER COUNTY SUPERVISOR KENNY HAHN. I WAS VERY DISSAPOINTED IN HAHN'S CHOICE OF WILLIAM J. BRATTON AS CHIEF OF POLICE. THERE ARE SEVERAL FINE CANDIDATES FOR CHIEF WITHIN THE RANKS OF THE LAPD. ONLY SOMEBODY FROM WITHIN THE RANKS OF THE LAPD KNOWS THE OFFICERS, AND THE CITIZENS OF LA. THE NEXT MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES NEEDS TO REPLACE WILLIAM BRATTON WITH SOMEONE FROM WITHIN THE RANKS OF THE LAPD.
CITY ATTORNEY: I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MIKE FEUER RUN AGAIN FOR CITY ATTORNEY. IN 2001 I VOTED FOR ROCKY DELGADILLO BECAUSE OF HIS EXPERIENCE HEADING THE MAYOR'S BUSINESS TEAM, AND BECAUSE HE WAS STONGER ON THE ECONOMY AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE CITY AS A WHOLE. DELGADILLO EXPRESSED A GREATER PASSION FOR LA AS A CITY, PROBABLY BECAUSE HE GREW UP IN EAST LA AND HIGHLAND PARK. AND BECAUSE DELGADILLO LIVED DOWNTOWN I THOUGHT HE UNDERSTOOD THE ISSUES. I FOUND HE DOESN'T. HE CLAIMED TO BE A PROSCUTER AND WOULD ELIMINATE DRUG DEALING HE HASN'T. YOU CAN NOT WALK DOWN ANY STREET DOWNTOWN WITHOUT SEEING DEALERS, THEY DEAL OPENLY AND THE POLICE DO NOTHING. HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO CRACK DOWN ON HOTELS AND THE DEALERS, HE HASN'T. THE FRONTIER HOTEL IS FULL OF CRACK DEALERS AND HE DOES NOTHING. I PERSONALLY BELIEVE THAT HE IS IN THE BACK POCKET OF HOTEL OWNER ROB FRONTIERE. THE HOTEL REFUSES TO EVICT DEALERS AND DELGADILLO REFUSES TO SHUT IT DOWN, LIKE HE SAID HE WAS GOING TO DO. DENA SHON, THE NEIGHBOR PROSCUTER FOR THE DOWNTOWN AREA ALSO DOES NOTHING
