Candidate for
Council Member; City of Los Angeles; District 7

Krystee Clark your local Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council Boardmember promises to represent local interests not those of a Sacramento politician!

Krystee Clark will enhance the quality of life for every Angeleno. It is important to promote diversity, equality and woman leaders. The Los Angeles City Council has had only one woman seated for the last four years. We need better representation of our population. Krystee Clark will actualize true change in the culture of our City Council and open the door to a fresh new breed of candidate while inspiring our youth to broaden their expectations and create new possibilities.

PRODUCTION INCENTIVES

Krystee Clark will make it a priority to develop production incentives to make Los Angeles competitive in the film industry and recapture it's title as the "Entertainment Capital of the World". Our current production lottery system is not sufficient. As a member of City Council Krystee Clark will work with the Mayor and her constituents to create a plan combining across the board incentives for any production that remains in the area. This will provide thousands of lost jobs and bolster the economy.

BALANCED BUDGET

Los Angeles needs a balanced budget. Krystee Clark will seek new ways to balance the budget that highlight efficiency and eliminate waste. Ms. Clark will focus on problem solving and will not be influenced by the status quo. She will encourage out of the box ideas, find solutions and fight for the citizens of Los Angeles. Angelenos are entitled to the best solution possible without prejudice, politics or hidden agendas.

Krystee Clark promises to listen. President Clinton said we all would be better leaders if we approach problem solving without believing we are ever 100% right. Our Los Angeles City Council has lost track of this. Councilmembers need to listen to BOTH sides of an issue before making up their minds on where they stand. A Councilmember's job is to make the best decision for the greatest amount of people. Issues need to be tackled individually, not on a partisan basis. We must stop the ultimatums, deals and deadlocked decisions or the best interest of our communities will never be recognized.

PENSION AND HEALTH REFORM

Krystee Clark promises to seek new solutions to the pension and health care concerns that must be addressed in order to preserve these programs for all our city employees. Citizens are living and working longer. How can we make it attractive to change the retirement age?

A fresh idea would be to look at married couples that are both covered by health insurance plans. These families are receiving double coverage without double benefits. An alternative could be offered. For example, use the health plan of one employee for the family coverage and divide the benefits received from the other spouses health plan to make contributions to their 401K. These benefits would not be received until the employees reach retirement age. These benefits would be a better value for the family as added retirement funds rather than being wasted on unnecessary double coverage.

ENVIORNMENT

Krystee Clark will continue to seek ways to reduce the carbon footprint of Los Angeles by promoting and expanding public transportation options such as bus and rail service, bikeways and trolleys. We need to eliminate the amount of cars on the road and create transportation options that are easily accessible to all neighborhoods 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 working from home and strive to remove any penalties that fall upon those who already do.

Krystee Clark will promote the use of indigenous plants when landscaping our public spaces. It is a cost effective solution to landscape with plants that take very little moisture rather than using grasses that can overtake their surroundings and waste our diminishing water supply. Native plants will thrive in their native environment. Let's work with nature and not against it.

Krystee Clark will fight for equestrian rights and crusade to keep and enrich our parks and preserve our open spaces.

EDUCATION

Krystee Clark will recognize the quality of our Blue Ribbon and Distinguished Schools and utilize them as positive examples of what is possible at every city school. We have Title 1 schools right here in Los Angeles that has achieved Blue Ribbon status and even some NCUST finalists. Money is not the only way to improve a school. We need to use our own resources instead of looking outside of the state for answers. Make our top performing schools into "Model" schools that would be available as teaching tools for other teachers and administrators in the city. These "Model" schools could be visited and emulated and mentorships could be established between schools to share programs and ideas that have proven to be successful. Instead of focusing on the lowest performing schools we need to be encouraging all schools to emulate our very best and established practices. Ms. Clark believes in incentives and bonuses for proven achievers.

HEALTHY HABITS

Krystee Clark will promote healthy habits for all of our local communities by encouraging Farmer's Markets and Community Gardens. Community plots can be shared and the crops donated to feed members in need. District 7 does not currently have a Farmer's Market and lacks access to locally grown fruits and vegetables. Farmer's Markets help educate families about available foods by rotating seasonal items into the region and are a great place to meet your neighbors.

UNCOLLECTED DEBT

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 millions of dollars of revenue to the City of Los Angeles that is now being ignored and left uncollected.

FIRE AND POLICE RESPONSE

Krystee Clark will help our Police and Fire departments cut down their response times by clearing up the 911 dispatch lines from unnecessary callers. Education by way of public service announcements on TV and social media will help clear up the confusion of when to call and when NOT to call 911. We need to educate the public about the availability of numbers like 311 that provide immediate access to information and non-emergency city services. Teaching the public proper 911 protocol and alternative numbers for information will save precious time and possibly lives in our communities and the cost would be negligent.

ANIMALS

Krystee Clark has owned and loved animals her entire life. Her pets have included dogs, cats, a ferret, a king snake, hamsters, mice, a rabbit, and even a horse. Ms Clark is the proud owner of a dear "senior baby" Papillon who is about to turn 18 years old. The bond between human and animal is unique and special and she has never experienced life without it.

As a caretaker for a blind senior citizen, Ms. Clark has become familiar with service animals and the need to continue programs to pair service animals with elderly and special needs individuals. The impact an animal can have on a life is astounding.

As a Councilwoman Krystee Clark would encourage adjustments in the Los Angeles Animal Services department (LAAS). Our priority must always be our spay/neuter programs. By nature these will cut down on and help us implement a true "no-kill" plan to bring down the killing of animals in our shelters. Animal foster care programs have helped, but we need to be honest with Angelenos about the numbers in order to draw support for funds.

As a member of the Entertainment Industry Krystee Clark will encourage pet adoption opportunities be incorporated into our local TV and radio programming, internet sites and on social media. If media outlets featured a few adoptable animals, even during credits, our kill numbers will quickly diminish.

It is important to put an anti-cruelty plan into place for LAAS. Krystee Clark will protect against puppy mills, tethering and neglect.

As a resident of Sunland-Tujunga Ms. Clark knows first hand how lucky we are to have wild animals and nature in our backyards. Krystee Clark will protect wildlife corridors, open spaces and the equestrian lifestyle.

More info on Krystee Clark and her support for Equestrian issues can be found here: http://www.shpoa.us/uploads/cd7candidates.pdf

ARTS FOR LA

http://www.artsforla.org/spring-2013-candidate-surveys-la-city-council-dist-7

BIKE FRIENDLY RESPONSE:

http://lacbc.wordpress.com/2013/02/21/are-you-bike-friendly-cd-7-candidate-krystee-clark-responds/

NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCILS

Krystee Clark will continue to listen to her constituents in the Neighborhood Council system regarding land use issues, small business development and public safety. No one knows the community like the people who live there. Our Los Angeles City Council has been under utilizing our elected Neighborhood Council and their Committees and their vast experience and expertise. These volunteer community leaders provide us with resources and a direct ear to the citizens that can help instigate positive change.

COMMUNITY CULTURE

Krystee Clark is proud of the communities that have taken responsibility for their neighborhood citizens. Gang involvement and violence is at the lowest point in decades due to the diligence of community leaders insisting that local parks remain brightly lite until Midnight, pools remain open longer in the summer months, and by volunteering to patrol their streets with neighborhood watch programs. Ms. Clark believes we should be rewarding growth and improvement with positive reinforcement and public acknowledgement. Let's start naming names and putting faces to the community leaders who fight for the well being of their families through their tireless efforts. A free movie night in the park for the neighborhood that rallies the most CERT volunteers, a concert or block party for the most improved crime rate. Together we can change the culture of our communities by celebrating our local achievements.

MMJ SUPPORT

Krystee Clark supports the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes and is committed to ensuring safe, legal access to all Los Angeles patients.

"For Los Angeles to be a great city, we must also be fair and humane," says Ms. Clark signing letters to her constituents. "I will be a passionate advocate for patients and dispensary owners that fear uneducated decisions from City Hall that affect their business and quality of life"