Candidate for
Council Member; City of West Hollywood

PUTTING THE "WE" BACK INTO WEST HOLLYWOOD

As a thirty-two year resident I know West Hollywood is a special place. It is a place of celebrated diversity, progressive ideas and unique neighborhoods. We not only know our neighbors, we know our neighbors' dogs. As a community, we care about each other. We have pride in who we are and why we live here. We are fiercely protective of our community, our neighborhoods and our values.

But in recent years our City has been plagued by poor decisions from a City Hall that has become increasingly disconnected from the community it was meant to serve. Crime is up. Our neighborhoods are under assault by ill-conceived development and the demolition of rental housing.

Our City Council has become less and less responsive to the voices of residents while becoming increasingly beholden to deep-pocketed developers and lobbyists. A "bigger is better" philosophy dominates City Hall.

City resources are squandered while residents pay higher fees for basic services. We have a $60 million library that we cannot afford to keep open on Sundays.

Although crime is up, we spend nearly a million dollars on Halloween celebrations while more money for law enforcement is an afterthought. The City removes sixty parking meters on San Vicente, south of Santa Monica, while raising meter rates and extending hours until midnight. The City has little appreciation for our community serving businesses.

In a City founded on rent control, the City encourages the demolition of rent-controlled housing or its conversion to luxury condos, pushing out long-term residents.

Instead of rational budgeting, we are told that the City must approve oversized development to pay for our needed social services and law enforcement.

We need new leadership to restore faith in City government and protect West Hollywood from being transformed into simply another indistinguishable and over developed section of the Westside.

As a Council member my first priority will always be the citizens of West Hollywood.

I will protect our homes and neighborhoods from reckless development to protect the unique character of West Hollywood. I will demand that new development complement our existing character rather than obliterating it. I will put the brakes on the demolition of our rental housing and stop efforts to turn rent controlled buildings into condos.

As a Council member, I will focus on our most pressing needs such as increasing our law enforcement budget, creating a sustainable plan for future growth that enhances and preserves the unique nature of our City. We need to expand our efforts to create more parking, acquire more green space and develop areas for recreational activities for residents and off-leash areas for our dogs.

While balancing the budget and fixing the potholes is an important part of what needs to be done, West Hollywood's greatest challenge is the malaise caused by our dysfunctional and unresponsive City Hall. I will end the cozy relationship between City Hall and well- connected lobbyists and restore trust in City government.

The decision making process at City Hall must be transparent. I want to foster a new sense of inclusiveness within our community so that everyone feels they are a vital part of a vibrant community. I believe term limits are long over due and will create more opportunities for civic engagement. My goal is to mentor a new generation of leaders who carry on the values that have made West Hollywood such a special community.

With your support all of these goals are attainable.