1.What would you do, if anything, to change the neighborhood council system?
I am a strong supporter of full implementation of the neighborhood council
system that was approved by the voters during charter reform.
We created a process to give neighborhood councils more input in city
government, including a giving them meaningful role in shaping our city’s budget,
providing computers to help them access online city resources, and $50,000
each to spend on operating costs or projects of their choice.
For neighborhood councils to be successful, they must provide opportunities for
stakeholders from Los Angeles’ diverse communities and I am working with our
Department of Neighborhood Empowerment (DONE) to ensure that we are
reaching out to all stakeholders. I will continue working with DONE to find new
ways to increase neighborhood council participation.
2. Do you support community control of development? If so, would you make any exceptions?
I believe neighborhood councils play a significant role in shaping projects in their
communities and I have been a strong supporter of our neighborhood councils.
I’m proud that we’ve established more than 80 neighborhood councils and that
my first budget proposal included a significant increase to the budget for the
Department of Neighborhood Empowerment to get these new organizations up
and running.
3. Section 8 housing is being cut back and tenants share of the rent is being raised from 30 to 40 percent. What would you do, if elected, to address this problem?
I have and will continue to aggressively lobby against federal cuts to the Section
8 Housing Choice Voucher program. Currently, I am working to have both the
Housing Authority and the Housing Department help house those affected by
cuts to the Section 8 voucher program and to develop additional local funding
sources to address this crisis.
I brought new leadership to the Housing Authority by appointing Rudy Montiel
and in a few months, he has already begun to make significant progress toward
bringing the Housing Authority within HUD guidelines. This will enable the
waitlist for vouchers to be reopened within the next few months.
4. How would you promote low-income housing throughout the city, including Venice?
I created our $100 million Housing Trust Fund to build quality affordable housing
– and Los Angeles went from having one of the worst commitments to housing to
boasting the nation’s largest local housing trust fund.
I signed into a law a density bonus ordinance that encourages developers to
include affordable units and have supported the enforcement of the Mello Act,
which requires the inclusion of affordable units in coastal zones.
I will continue to work to develop a dedicated funding source for the trust fund
and build on our momentum.
5. Many Housing and Urban Development (HUD) buildings are being privatized and residents evicted. What would you do about this?
In 2002, I sued to prevent a group of local apartment owners from removing their
buildings from HUD’s Section 8 housing program. I developed a comprehensive
program to preserve affordable units through refinancing, including a local law to
require additional notice from owners who were choosing to privatize. I brought
in new leadership to the Housing Department and we have reorganized to make
the preservation of affordable housing a priority.
6. Venice's largest low-income housing complex, Lincoln Place, is being depopulated and may be demolished. Would you support the tenants' efforts to save it? How?
As City Attorney, I worked with Lincoln Place tenants for several years to prevent
the building’s demolition. However, the owner has prevailed in court.
7. What is your position on the future of LAX and Santa Monica Airport?
The consensus plan for LAX that Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski and I
developed relies on a truly regional airport system that relieves air traffic burden
from LAX. In addition to the LAX Master Plan, we are also designing master
plans to encourage and accommodate growth at Ontario and Palmdale airports,
which are operated by the City of Los Angeles.
We have also expanded the Van Nuys Flyaway bus service, and are currently
working to add Flyaway service to eight different areas in the city to reduce the
number of car trips to LAX. My LAX Master Plan alternative also connects the
green line to the airport.
Creating a regional air traffic plan also requires help from the airlines to increase
service and provide competitive pricing at other local airports. In my first term, I
personally traveled to Mexico where I secured a commitment from Aeromexico to
expand its service to Ontario Airport. We have also expanded service between
Ontario and Hawaii and we’ve brought to the Palmdale Airport service to and
from Las Vegas. In a second term, I will continue working with airlines to
encourage greater use of our regional airports.
The City of Los Angeles does not operate the Santa Monica Airport.
8. Do you support rail transit on the westside, such as, extension of the
Green Line and building of the Exposition Line? How would you support
bringing cheap, safe, efficient mass rapid transit to more riders in Venice
and other westside locations?
As a member of the MTA Board, I strongly supported the design and construction
of the Exposition Line and was instrumental in making a priority a light rail line
along the Crenshaw Corridor. I have advocated for removal of the current
prohibition against additional tunneling along the Wilshire corridor to allow the
MTA to extend the Red Line, and sent a representative from my office to
Washington, DC, to meet with members of Congress on this issue.
My LAX Master Plan includes funding for a people mover that would connect the
green line and LAX.
9. If residents of Venice submit a petition for reestablishing cityhood, what
would be your position?
I support keeping Los Angeles as one city.
10. How would you solve homelessness without punitive action against the
homeless?
After years of neglect, we’ve starting to seriously address homelessness with the
nation’s largest local housing trust fund, doubling the pace of housing
construction, and expanding our homeless shelter system into a year-round
system. As co-chair of the regional planning effort to end homelessness, I am
working to better coordinate existing services available through the city and
county and to bring additional resources to this issue.
11. Do you support or oppose rent control? Do you support or oppose vacancy decontrol?
As Mayor, I have and will continue to strongly support the Rent Stabilization
Ordinance (RSO). I have already signed into law amendments to strengthen the
RSO and brought in new leadership to the Housing Department to prioritize
enhanced enforcement of the RSO.
12. Do you support or oppose further expansion of Playa Vista?
I am committed to preserving all remaining parcels of this precious wetlands
ecosystem, from the Ballona West Bluff to the Playa Vista Phase 2 to the Toes
Beach and Parcel C land bordering either end of the lagoon.
My staff toured remaining parcels in the wetlands along with the Wetlands Action
Network and attended a local neighborhood council meeting to help facilitate
partnerships between the community, the council district, the congressional
district, environmental organizations, and the developers who will require
compensation for parcels that are privately owned.