PLATFORM

By Jim Knight

One of the primary qualities that sets our city at the forefront of so many other South Bay cities is our abundant natural open space.

The introduction to the first element of our General Plan eloquently states "It is the goal of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes to conserve, protect and enhance its natural resources, beauty and open space for the benefit and enjoyment of its residents of the entire region. Future development shall recognize the sensitivity of the natural environment and be accomplished in such a manner as to maximize the protection of it".

We need Council members who understand the significance of this beautifully stated goal and use the tools we have in our General Plan and Coastal Specific Plan to make sure that policies and decisions at Council preserve our natural open spaces while at the same time promote the best possible city planning for RPV.

During my eight years as Planning Commissioner I have held to these principals and I know what it takes to carry this vision forward. And, as an RPV resident, I have a long list of volunteer work to preserve the natural open space while at the same time working to enhance our active parks for recreational opportunities.

Good Urban Planning and Reasonable Development We all moved here for a reason, and it wasn't cheap real estate. The beautiful character of this City drew most of us to live here. But that prominent quality didn't happen by accident. The dedicated individuals who worked very hard to form this City were fighting against aggressive, high density development by the County.

An essential component to urban planning is to clearly define the community's vision as to what kind of city they want and then implement that vision with sound land use planning. This is at the core of any well functioning city. The General Plan as put forth by our city founders offers the goals and polices of that vision and our Development Code offers the tools to implement that vision. In my eight years as Planning Commissioner I have always demanded reasonable, compatible development using those tools provided in the General Plan and Development Code. Putting into practice this policy not only preserves our low-density neighborhoods but increases the desirability, and value, of our community as a whole.

Responsible Financial Planning

As with our own domestic finances, Cities should use their financial resources wisely. RPV has generally been fiscally responsible through the guidance of a good financial director and a very capable Financial Advisor Committee. But some areas of our budgetary planning could use some improvement.

For example, just as I know I need to set aside funds for future repairs on my properties, we need to make plans for future infrastructure maintenance and repairs. This was not the thinking of some of our past Council members, and with deferred maintenance, we were suddenly faced with a failing storm drain system which required a larger, accumulated, amount of money to repair. The City did not have the money for this task so the residents voted to have a storm drain user fee. In the future we must maintain a maintenance fund so as to avoid expensive catastrophic failures.

Government Efficiency

Most debates about government finances solely revolve around the issue of tax and spend. Indeed that is a large part of the in/out flow of a budget, but many times there is another component that is overlooked; how efficiently are tax dollars being used?

Call me a fiscal conservative, but I always get outraged when I hear about the mindless, uncontrolled waste in government. It probably is a holdover from my construction days where as project manager I made sure my limited financial resources were used as efficiently as possible.

But sometimes waste is hard to identify in a large municipal operation. An efficient government kicks the tires every once in a while and conducts an assessment to take a look at how things can be improved. I have several industry standard models that I think can help run City Hall more efficiently.

Community Outreach

Clear communication is a key underpinning of any problem solving. One of the most powerful tools in creating the best possible City for RPV is to provide a conduit for the input of the many talented people who live here. A city should make sure its constituents know of the issues and provide forums for the community's voice.

I plan to increase the City's outreach by having Council members and staff meet with local residents making sure to maintain an open, friendly and transparent environment for both residents and businesses to express their concerns. Whether it is the City's web site, newspapers, homeowner's associations, or council meetings, an elected representative has a duty to make sure the issues that affect that citizen's lives are adequately communicated to its residents and that the City listen to local concerns. A dynamic line of communication between the city, its residents and business community is essential to healthy and vibrant city.

Work with Neighboring Cities

We as a city should continue to remain in close communication with our neighboring cities in order to not only avoid issues that could adversely affect us but find ways to collaborate efforts to our mutual benefit.

When I helped the City form their voluntary Green Building Program, I reached out to the other cities on the hill in an attempt to find a way to coordinate all of our green building programs. This format eventually lead into a Green Task Force of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments which is a conduit for information and networking that help cities create an energy efficient, water efficient and sustainable operation.

We need to reach out more to other cities to see how we can work together on regional issues as well as use a multi-jurisdictional agreement for collective purchasing power on infrastructure and equipment.

We also need to keep apprised of major developments in bordering citites, such as Ponte Vista in Los Angeles, in order minimize any impacts to our residents.