Taking on City Hall

Kevin on City Issues

Bring Jobs and Opportunity Back to LA:  We must simplify the business tax structure of the City. The tax burden on businesses and on individuals must be reduced.

Balance the Budget: LA is not suffering from a "revenue" problem as much as it is suffering from a "spending" problem. The concept of "shared sacrifice" must be applied evenly across the City structure -- real concessions are necessary from City departments and unions alike.

Fix the Place: We must begin to re-build our infrastructure...in addition to patchwork repairs, we must start the timely process of rebuilding/redesigning/ and utilizing advanced technology and materials and putting them into place.

Repair Education: We must rid the schools of gang violence, give parents and students a choice of what schools the students will attend, and increase the power of parents in the public education process

End Corruption: We must restore trust in our elected officials and public offices. I have many suggestions on the bestways to effect this change -- and it begins at the ballot box.

Public Safety: We must make progress in the elimination of the gang culture, we must eliminate the extensive backlog of untested rape kits, and significantly improve the City's 9-1-1 response time.

DWP Overhaul: The DWP is over-run with scandal, fraud, waste and abuse of the ratepayer. An independent "Ratepayer Advocate" from the Neighborhood

Council system must be appointed, and a thorough top-to-bottom audit of the DWP by a leading outside independent auditing firm must take place with all findings submitted to the District Attorney's Office and City Attorney's  Office for review.

Los Angeles Port Improvements: Our port must become more competitive with other major ports in the region.  One way to achieve this goal in the short term is to temporarily modify newly placed restrictions and regulations until the economic climate in the State and City improve.

Planning: We must balance responsible development and community improvements with the end of sweetheart deals given to campaign-donor developers that result in over-development that has an extremely adverse effect on neighborhoods.

Medical Marijuana: The medicinal use of marijuana is critically important to many in our community. The City Council, however, allowed the "legalize pot" for recreational use crowd to take over the medical marijuana industry in LA. I support the current steps most recently taken by the City Council to limit the number of medical marijuana facilities in the City. However, the current ordinance should be under close review for the coming year. 

Neighborhood Councils: We must give the NCs the power of real "input". I am currently "on tour" through the NC system to learn about their issues.

City's Commission System: We must end the "rubber stamp" culture that surrounds the City's system of Commissions. An independent Inspector General's Office should be created to oversee an independent performance audit of the Commission system (including the nomination and confirmation process for Commissioners), and its findings submitted to the District Attorney's Office and City Attorney's Office for review. 

The Environment: I have lived with asthma my entire life, so I understand the value of clean air. LA must partner with the State in the development and use of cutting edge clean-environment technologies. However, that partnership must be balanced with the real need we currently have for jobs and economic growth in LA.

Transparency: There are numerous areas where our City government must be made more transparent. Let's start with the discretionary fund accounts held by many local officials. Information regarding the funds in all of those accounts should be available online. Discretionary fund spending should welcome public input and a process should be put in place to guarantee public participation. In order to preclude elected officials from using discretionary funds to bolster their campaigns, an 8-month blackout period on non-emergency community improvement spending should be put into place and any discretionary funds not used during the fiscal year should be returned to the City's General Fund (with an exception for election years because of the 8-month blackout period).