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The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles and asked of all candidates for this office.
See below for questions on
Most Important Issue,
Budget Shortfall,
Sales Tax,
Climate Change,
Constituency vs. City
Click on a name for candidate information. See also more information about this contest.
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1. What do you think is the single most important issue facing the City of Los Angeles today? As Council Member, what would you do to deal with it?
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Answer from Felipe Fuentes:
I believe the City needs to get back to the basics of what the people of Los Angeles expect City government to provide: safe and healthy communities, a healthy local economy and the delivery of essential city services like road repair, tree trimming and traffic safety.
I've worked towards these goals since my first city council staff position in 1999 and most recently as the elected representative for the 39th State Assembly district.
Answer from Krystee Clark:
As a council candidate, Krystee Clark has challenged City Hall's failed leadership that has left LA near bankruptcy and opposed the "Sacramento - City Hall Revolving Door." Ms. Clark will fight for a balanced municipal budget, pension reform and a stronger focus on neighborhood services.
Answer from Jesse "David" Barron:
First, I would repeal the city's businesses tax which is driving businesses out of town and causing high unemployment, which has a negative impact on the out of control budget that needs to be addressed and stabilized at the same time.
Answer from Nicole Chase:
We are sacrificing "quality of life" because the City lacks a sustainable realistic balanced budget. A weak budget impacts just about everything including public safety.
The Council, as a joint body needs to address the impending impact of increased taxes; costs of city services on constituents; the efficiency of the services provided and pension reform. We need to create and sustain incentives that encourage business and industries like the film & television to stay, right here in LA. This inevitably would create jobs, increase tax revenues and overall growth.
Creating a true partnership with local businesses, nonprofit community based organizations, labor and our educational institutions are crucial; for all have the opportunity to benefit from business incentives, community enhancements and a stronger pool of qualified individuals.
This is why I have always been an advocate for students and a stronger educational system. They both are the catalyst for building and maintaining a foundation that allows for vibrant communities. Without a viable education system, we are guaranteed an ambiguous future, supported by individuals who did not have the benefit of a sound and strong education, thus leaving an unacceptable percentage of people underprepared, for a competitive global market.
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2. The City Administrative Officer has estimated a $200M budget shortfall for 2013-2014 increasing to $300M in 2015-2016. What steps do you propose to deal with this problem, and how much do you estimate each step would reduce the shortfall?
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Answer from Nicole Chase:
Having access to actual figures, department heads, audits, City contracts and previous budgets is crucial in determining the necessary steps needed in order to get the City back on track with a balanced and sustainable budget.
Fiscal stability can only be addressed and achieved by bringing elected representatives together working in conjunction with business leaders, community and labor; thus creating an environment of collaboration and compromise across the board.
We need to perform a detailed analysis of the services being provided by the city and determine if some of the services can be better provided by having a partnership with the private sector; there may be an opportunity to cut costs while increasing the efficiency of city services.
Before asking taxpayers for more money, the city needs to take a hard look at its current accounting practices. Are we efficiently and effectively allocating funds and requiring that funds be accounted for and fully audited routinely. If and when disparities arise from an audit, they must be addressed and rectified within a designated and reasonable amount of time before additional funding can be requested and received.
I would fight to have more transparency on how funds are managed and reported to the public. Department heads will be held accountable for how funds are allocated.
Living outside of our means has a negative impact on an endless list of issues affecting the City on a daily basis.
Answer from Krystee Clark:
Krystee Clark will work to revamp our citywide parking ticket fiasco by creating "Amnesty Days" where tickets are brought back to their original penalty fee regardless of the time elapsed. Payment plans for large fines and discounts for "prompt payment" will bring back 80 millions dollars of revenue to the City of Los Angeles that is now being ignored and left uncollected.
Answer from Jesse "David" Barron:
Follow up on former Controller Laura Chick's complaints regarding all the audits that her department completed. She found a lot of discrepancies and over-spending by the city and her audits were never acted on.
Repeal the City's business tax which has driven employers out of town. This will increase our tax base with additional tax revenue.
Continue streamlining and decrease the time it takes to go through the permit process at Building and Safety which can take up to two years. That will enable us to advertise LA as a business-friendly city and employers will return.
The abolishment of the Community Redevelopment Agency, which was handing out close to three quarters of a billion tax dollars as welfare to wealthy developers and special interest organizations, was a good start in mitigating our fiscal crises. However, now the City of Los Angeles has created its own LA/CRA which we need to abolish before it also hands out hundreds of millions of our tax dollars to their politically connected allies, instead of being used for core services and improving local neighborhoods.
Also, the mayor's unregulated, non-transparent "anti-gang" program, which receives untold tens of millions of tax dollars that has not been accounted for, should be abolished.Some of those programs are run out of city properties that could generate an income. Some "anti-gang" contractors pay only $1 dollar a year rent to occupy city facilities that could be rented out at fair market value.
I would do all I can to prevent departments from purchasing unneccessary new fleets of vehicles for the sake of just spending their entire budget, which they normally do. The city's growing employee pension bubble must be addressed to prevent the city from drastically reducing services and eventually declaring bankruptcy and layoffs. One solution is to go from a defined pension plan, to a defined contribution plan. That's where the city employee shares the cost of the pension plan instead of burdening the taxpayer with the entire cost. If the same City spending policies continue with the same incumbents, retirement age could go past 70 years of age.
The are the services and departments should be cut.
The mayors' office budget should be first. He tripled his budget from $8.6M to more than $26M and increased his staff from about 70 staff members to about 233 staff members, including establishing a satellite office in Washington D.C. This is the highest amount by a mayors' office in the history of L.A. The City's Finance Department, whose business tax has driven employers out of town, thereby creating record high unemployment.
The newly created, non- transparent, Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency, which will be handing out hundreds of millions of our tax dollars as corporate welfare to wealthy developers and special interest organizations. If development projects are deemed promising, corporations should raise funds through private investors, not forcibly take from hard working tax payers, whose utilites and trash fees are becoming unafforable because rates continue to rise on a regular basis.
Again, abolish the mayor's unregulated, not transparent "anti-gang" program, which receives tens of millions of our tax dollars and whose employees have been arrested and convicted of crimes. Some of those funds can go toward more legitimate youth organizations. Stop funding to out of the country organizations, and cut funding to 501c3 businesses until our City budget is balanced.We should never sepend more than our income and we need to live within our means with a sustainable budget.
Answer from Felipe Fuentes:
I would work with the residents of my community to prioritize the service delivery of those services most needed in my district. I would increase transparency and communication so that all residents understood how much government could afford to deliver in City service. If a budget deficit remained I would then encourage residents to consider revenue increases to satisfy their desired service needs.
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3. Do you support the ballot measure to increase the sales tax in the city?
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Answer from Felipe Fuentes:
No.
Answer from Nicole Chase:
I will oppose tax increases, unless they are voter approved, temporary and have a fixed rate.
Answer from Jesse "David" Barron:
No. We are already taxed to death. If we do as I suggested in the last question there is no reason to implement more taxes. We don't have an revenue problem, we have an overspending problem.
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4. What role do you feel the City of Los Angeles has to play in addressing climate change? Please explain in terms of what you as a city councilmember would have the power to do.
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Answer from Nicole Chase:
The City can continue to educate the public on the consequences of climate change and provide resources and tools similar to those found in ADAPTLA. I would support the use of these resources because they demonstrate the impact businesses and individuals can have on the climate by reducing their carbon footprint. Additionally, I would encourage businesses and homeowners to leverage current programs and technologies that support affordable green living and eco-friendly systems.
However, City and utility companies need to remain cognizant and sensitive to the cost of incorporating green technologies and practices, especially when the economy is still fragile and rebounding from a recession.
Answer from Krystee Clark:
Krystee Clark will continue to seek ways to reduce the carbon footprint of Los Angeles by promoting and expanding public transportation options. We need to eliminate the amount of cars on the road and create transportation that is easily accessible to all neighborhoods, cultural centers and schools. Ms. Clark will promote solar and wind power and try and reduce the amount of coal being used to create electricity. Krystee Clark will promote the use of indigenous plants when landscaping our public spaces and protect our diminishing water supply. I will fight for equestrian rights and crusade to enrich our parks and preserve our open spaces.
Krystee Clark will promote working from home and strive to remove penalties that fall upon those who already do. Family time can remain a priority for working parents while reducing the use of our natural resources and traffic patterns. Ms. Clark will encourage higher education and reduce the cost of attending universities by increasing the availability of online classes and degrees. We need to use technology and innovation to enhance the quality of life for every Angeleno.
Answer from Felipe Fuentes:
Energy efficiency + many homeowners and businesses are unable or unaware of what can be done to decrease their utility costs and the related impact on the environment. I want to increase awareness and program funding to address this solvable problem.
Los Angeles River + the City has a tremendous opportunity in developing the Los Angeles River into a valuable asset by removing the concrete, conserving runoff, creating active and passive recreation space and economic opportunities. Thereby, cooling the surrounding environment and decreasing the need for additional electricity usage associated with air conditioning.
Answer from Jesse "David" Barron:
Eliminate any excemptions to public and private institutions regarding emissions. Also, stop the trading of any unused emission allowances for cash to another company. Keep the DWP fom having a monopoly on Solar Power which would reduce its cost due to competition, and restore discount incentives to homeowners for solar power. Also encourage all buses that use fossil fuel to use alternative fuels and require that the purchase of any new vehicles by the city be hydrogen and/or hybrid fueled. Encourage the implementation of a monorail system for public transportation because it is non-invasive, more cost effective, efficient and gets people out of their cars. We cannot totally stop green house gases because they are a natural life cycle. But, we can help to balance and keep them from becoming excessive and destructive through conservation and public education.
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5. How would you prioritize your local constituency versus the City as a whole when acting as a Council Member?
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Answer from Jesse "David" Barron:
My first priority it to my community members who elected me because I made a promise to serve and protect them. My office will always be open and tranparent and community members will be kept well informed and requested to weigh in on all legislative issues of concern to them.
Answer from Nicole Chase:
As the district continues to grow, I want to make sure the interests of the citizens of the 7th District and then of the city, will come above the special interests of others. This means making sure that our district receives its fair share of City resources; and that the community's voice and vision is the driving force behind the district's growth.
Answer from Felipe Fuentes:
I would work with ALL stakeholders to inform the the best decision making in proposed policy before the Los Angeles City Council.
Responses to questions asked of each candidate
are reproduced as submitted to the League.
The order of the candidates is random and changes daily. Candidates who did not respond are not listed on this page.
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League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
