Tuesday, July 28, 2009

CityWatchLA - District 2 Leaders Set Demands for Council Candidates

Community leaders from throughout Council District 2 gathered this past Saturday and positioned issues such as Community Plans with teeth, Building & Safety enforcement, and Parking Policy as the foundation of a platform that will be used to frame the upcoming City Council Candidate forums and debates.

Neighborhoods from throughout CD2 were represented as local voters gathered and hammered out a list of quality-of-life issues that they want established and developed during the campaign for the open City Council seat.

The opening list of topics hit three dozen and then continued to grow during the breakout sessions before the group refined and combined and established a basic platform of positions that they hope will be the beginning of a basic framework of an issues-based campaign.

Community Plans, Code Enforcement, Parking, Open Space & Recreation, the Budget, Transportation, Mass Transit, Solar Energy, the DWP, the City Charter, and the Neighborhood Council's relationship with the City and with the City Council were the final topics to make the cut. The specific actions are listed on the CD2 Vision Platform document which community members indicate will be the starting point for robust conversations during the campaign.

It was obvious during the Saturday morning brainstorm session that the neighborhood representatives agree on the broad strokes but that many of the specific nuances are unique to individual communities. Through it all, it was apparent that there is a shared commitment to working together to developing an issues-based campaign and a real dialogue with the candidates based on commitments to the community and to the platform.

At the end of the day, there was general consensus and the hope that two things had been accomplished; first that the CD2 Vision Platform would create an opportunity for Candidates to stand squarely on the issues as they position themselves in the campaign and second, that the election would then be the beginning of a working relationship between the seated Councilperson and the community, one that is based on the commitments made during the campaign and a mutual desire to improve the quality of life for everybody in CD2.

As for next steps, the sponsors of upcoming forums and debates have expressed hope that the CD2 Vision Platform will frame a robust dialogue between candidates and voters and that the ultimate result will be a positive working relationship between the prevailing candidate and the community that develops into even more ambitious commitment to improving the quality of life in CD2.

Attached is the CD2 Vision Platform plus a roster of upcoming Debates and Forums:

Council District 2 Vision Platform

● Community Plan
Candidate shall ensure that community plans and specific plans are enforced and updated every 5 to 8 years with input from Neighborhood Councils and Community Organizations including but not limited to thorough assessment of infrastructure mitigations and cumulative effects.

● Building & Safety
Candidate shall ensure enforcement by the Dept. of Building & Safety all applicable laws, regulations, building and safety codes in a prompt manner with the appropriate fines and follow up including but not limited to reporting offenders to the City Attorney.

● Parking
Candidate will implement realistic project based (not street based) parking requirements for all projects with realistic expectations of what public transportation access is available to the actual project. (not within radius)

● Open Space & Recreation
Candidate will establish an interconnected valleywide/citywide long term vision for recreation, open space, trails and public space by consulting and interacting with constituents and, when necessary, outside professionals.

● Budget
Candidate will implement Performance Based Evaluations and require Departmental Spending Accountability Reports throughout the City of Los Angeles.

● Transportation
Candidate will establish a baseline of current traffic/transportation resources/challenges for CD2 and develop a plan that addresses future growth and the cumulative impact of future projects.

● Transportation Planning
Candidate will Incorporate Traffic/Transportation Planning in community Planning with focus on cumulative of development in CD2 and adjoining CD's.

● Mass Transit
Candidate will provide an accurate report of current projects in CD2 and commit that future transit spending in CD2 more closely reflect the CD2 contributions to the transportation system.

● Solar Energy
Candidate will implement multifaceted Solar Energy plan with competitive bidding, transparency, technological diversity, stakeholder choice of installer and product.
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● DWP
Candidate will stop pass through of monies to City Council General Fund.

● City Charter
Candidate will acknowledge and defend the rights of Neighborhood Councils and enforce the Charter mandate to have the NC's involved in the process.

● Candidate will develop and sponsor an amendment to require the Mayor to produce and the City Council to approve a balanced 3 to 5 year Plan. This is in addition to the Annual Budget.

● Neighborhood Councils
Candidate will meet regularly with NC's and HOA's and Community Groups in CD2, collectively and individually.

● City Council
Candidate will introduce a City Council resolution directing all city commissioners, at the start of each meeting, to verbally declare any conflict of interest issues with that session's agenda.


Equestrian Communities CD2 Candidates Forum
Sponsored by the LA Horse Council

Tuesday, Aug 4, 6:30pm

All Nations Church
10000 Foothill Blvd
Lake View Terrace
Info: 818 353-3467

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Sunland-Tujunga CD2 Candidates Forum

Saturday Aug 8
Meet & Greet 1-2 pm Forum 2-4:30 pm

North Valley City Hall
7747 Foothill Blvd
Tujunga
Info: 818 438-7076

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Valley Glen Neighborhood Association &
Laurel Grove Neighborhood Association &
Valley Village Homeowners Association
CD2 Candidates Forum

Tuesday, Aug 18 @ 7pm
"Meet & Greet" start @ 6:30pm

Laurel Hall School
(Oxnard/Radford, east of Laurel Canyon)

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Neighborhood Council
Valley Village
CD2 Candidates Forum

Wednesday, Aug 26 @ 7pm

Colfax Elementary
Info: www.myvalleyvillage.com

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The Sherman Oaks
Homeowners Association

Wednesday Aug 19
"Meet & Greet" start @ 6:15pm
candidate debate start @ 7:15pm

&

Wednesday Sep 16
"Meet & Greet" start @ 6:15pm
candidate debate start @ 7:15pm

Notre Dame High School at Woodman & Riverside

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The Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council

Monday, Sep 14 @ 6:30pm

Sherman Oaks
Elementary School
Info: (818) 990-4002 or jbbarad@roadrunner.com

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Park[ing] Day LA

Friday, September 18, 2009

CityWide in a park(ing) space near you!

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For more CD2 info:


For even more CD2 info:



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