Joel Wachs Endorses Christine Essel

December 3, 2009 (Studio City) – Former Council District 2 representative Joel Wachs announced today that he is supporting Valley businesswoman Christine Essel in the race to succeed him and Wendy Greuel as City Councilmember for District 2.

“For years, I’ve known Chris Essel to be an honest, hardworking businesswoman. I trust her to protect Valley neighborhoods from rampant overdevelopment,” Wachs said, “You can trust Christine Essel – she won’t be afraid to shake up City Hall. I'm happy to be supporting her in Tuesday’s important special election.”

“I am so proud to have earned an endorsement from Joel Wachs,” Essel said, “During his tenure as a Councilman, Joel Wachs worked hard to be an independent voice for Valley residents,” Essel said, “As a Councilwoman, I will work to continue his legacy of protecting our neighborhoods and our taxpayer dollars.”

A longtime Valley resident and former Senior Vice President of Paramount Pictures, Christine Essel is a civic leader who led the California Film Commission for nine years and serves as Vice Chair of the California Workforce Investment Board. Throughout her career, Essel has championed efforts to promote economic growth, job training and empowered neighborhoods. Essel is running for Los Angeles City Council to make L.A. work again through job creation, excellent constituent service, and more efficiency in government.

Debate-A-Thon 2009!

from Village to Village

by Suzanne Lauer

After roughly 16 debates in over 5 months, it was the last for this CD2 election. Last night, a crowd of well over 200 came to hear candidates Christine Essel and Paul Krekorian answer questions compiled by 3 Neighborhood Councils, Valley College Students, and audience members.

The event held at Valley College’s Monarch Hall, was sponsored by Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council; Neighborhood Council Valley Village; Greater Valley Glen Council and Assc. Union of Valley College.

The crowd was presented with an evening of focused candidates concentrating on the issues and getting their message across. There was a plethora of detailed questions on budget, DWP, infrastructure, development, education, accomplishments, and independence. Both candidates did extremely well. Paul Krekorian was solid as ever. Christine Essel had one of her strongest performance to date.

The first three questions were related to three specific goals the candidates would have for the three communities of Sherman Oaks, Valley Glen, and Valley Village. Their answers for each were similar. Krekorian emphasized job development, small businesses, the film and television industry, public safety, speed limits, traffic, and the need to “stop rolling over for developers.” He noted Valley Village has become the “poster child of the culminative impact of bad development.”

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

L.A. City Council candidates Essel and Krekorian reflect on mayor at debate

from the LA Times

by Maeve Reston

The days may be dwindling in the runoff race for the vacant seat of former Los Angeles City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, but one thing is clear -- neither candidate is looking for a last-minute campaign boost from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

During a debate Monday night at Valley College, Assemblyman Paul Krekorian (D-Los Angeles) and his rival, Christine Essel, a former Paramount Pictures Corp. executive, both dodged a question about whether they would vote for Villaraigosa if he were running for another office.

And Essel hastened to dispel rumors that Villaraigosa is planning to endorse her before the Dec. 8 runoff for a seat representing residents of the San Fernando Valley, where the mayor had a weak showing in his March re-election campaign. “I don’t know exactly who is creating [the rumors], but it isn’t anybody in my camp,” Essel told an audience of more than 100. “The mayor is not endorsing anybody in this race and he is not helping me with my race.”

Both Krekorian and Essel said they were pleased that Villaraigosa decided to finish his second term in Los Angeles instead of beginning a gubernatorial campaign earlier this year.

“He came in with a lot of promise, I think all of us felt that, and there’s been some inaction there,” Essel said. “My preference would be to see him actually do something in this city that provides a legacy.”

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

District 2 council race shifting gears

from The Daily News
by Rick Orlov

With less than two weeks remaining, the 2nd City Council District election has turned into a contest of who is the outsider.

In mailings, in robo-calls, in attacks on one another, businesswoman Chris Essel and Assemblyman Paul Krekorian, D-Burbank, have sought to portray each other as the "insider" who cannot be trusted.

To Krekorian, Essel is the "downtown special interest" candidate who has received endorsements from a number of City Council members, city employee unions and Controller Wendy Greuel, who was the council member of the district until her election last March.

To Essel, Krekorian is the Sacramento political insider - he is Assembly assistant majority leader - who has brought the state to the brink of bankruptcy and is a "career politician" who has jumped from the Burbank school board to the Assembly and is now looking to be on the City Council.

"I'm a private citizen who has volunteered my time," Essel said. "I'm not the one who has been in office. He is the assistant majority leader, who is backed by the Assembly speaker and all the Democratic Party machine."

Krekorian, whose Assembly district includes such areas as Valley Glen, counters that Essel has been a part of city government because of her commission appointments and the backing she is getting from city leaders.

"She is the insider," Krekorian said. "I might be in elected office, but she has been appointed to powerful commissions by three mayors.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

The Final Debate...

The Greater Valley Glen Council- has scheduled a Candidate Debate on Monday, November 30th at Monarch Hall at Valley College, 5800 Fulton Ave, Valley Glen. Meet & Greet at 6:30 pm. Debate 7-9pm. For further information email tanderson@velleyglencouncil.org .

Film industry gets spotlight in L.A. City Council race

from the LA Times

by Maeve Reston

Christine Essel and Paul Krekorian each want to be seen as the one who would keep more Hollywood productions from leaving the state. The runoff election is Dec. 8.

In a campaign where jobs and unemployment have become a signature issue, the two candidates seeking to replace former Los Angeles City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel are fighting over who will do more to stem the exodus of Hollywood production.

With feature film production down 37% citywide compared to the same period last year, former Paramount Pictures Corp. executive Christine Essel and Assemblyman Paul Krekorian (D-Los Angeles) agree on one thing: City officials have waited far too long to address the issue.

But the two candidates, who are competing in the Dec. 8 runoff in the eastern San Fernando Valley, have sharply criticized each other's work on film issues as they vie to serve as the voice for the industry at City Hall.

Feature production in the Los Angeles area declined in 10 of the last 12 years, according to FilmL.A. Inc., which coordinates local film permits. And as more than 40 states offered lucrative tax incentives, California's share of studio feature film production dropped from 66% in 2003 to 34% in 2008, according to the California Film Commission. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate in Los Angeles stands at 14%.

Essel argues that 30 years of working her way up from a studio accounting clerk to a vice president at Paramount prepared her to champion efforts to make Los Angeles more film-friendly. But Krekorian, who authored the state's current law offering film and television tax incentives, has blamed Essel for the plunge in production during her time as chairwoman of the California Film Commission and has faulted her for encouraging other states to enhance their incentive programs while she was an executive at Paramount.

"My legislation is saving California film workers' jobs today, right now," said Krekorian, whose proposal was approved as part of an economic stimulus package in February. "She failed these workers for a decade, because it was in the corporate interests of her employer to take jobs away from California."

In a recent debate, Essel expressed amusement at Krekorian's implication that she had the power at Paramount to send films to other states. While leading the commission, she said, she spent nine years bringing film industry officials together to advocate for an incentive that Sacramento refused to pass.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

Paul Krekorian for CD2: The Best Hope for Change

by Ron Kaye

They shouldn't have done it, they shouldn't have gotten Paul Krekorian mad, so mad he's started sounding like a guy who will stand up for his constituents instead of a politician running for a new office.

Their big mistake wasn't accusing him of almost single-handedly causing the state budget crisis or of being guilty by association with an unpopular state Legislature, Democrats and Republicans alike. After all, he does deserve his full share of criticism in those regards.

It wasn't calling him a liar or a thief or even raising a million dollars to defeat him or challenging the quarter-century-old law limiting how much dirty money can be poured into a local election.

No, they pushed Paul Krekorian over the edge by sneaking into the Valley Village apartment building where his family lives and snapping pictures to use in their endless stream of false and misleading mailers.

They messed with the guy's family and only fools do that.

Krekorian now has fire in his belly, the passion to tackle the corruption of City Hall and its crazed drive to elect someone who will do what they are told, not what's right.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

VALLEY COUNCILMEN DENNIS ZINE AND GREIG SMITH ENDORSE CHRISTINE ESSEL

November 24, 2009 (Studio City)-Valley Councilmen Dennis Zine and Greig Smith announced today that they are supporting Valley businesswoman Christine Essel in the race to succeed Wendy Greuel as City Councilwoman for District 2.

“I enthusiastically support Chris Essel for City Council. Given the current fiscal crisis, we need people like Chris Essel on the City Council because of her proven business experience and ability to bring people together,” Councilman Smith said, “These next few years are going to be financially difficult and Chris has the ability to make sure the focus stays on vital City services.”

"Chris Essel agrees with me that ensuring the public's safety is the most important thing we do at City Hall,” Councilman Zine said, “That's why I'm proud to join nearly 10,000 rank-and-file LAPD officers in supporting her campaign for City Council." Zine and Smith join the Los Angeles Police Protective League, LAFD’s Fire Chiefs Association, City Controller Wendy Greuel and Former Mayor Richard Riordan in support of Essel.

“I am very proud to have earned these endorsements,” Essel said, “Valley residents have been well-served by Councilmen Zine and Smith for many years. I am honored to stand with these two public servants, both of whom share my commitment to protecting the public safety and getting the Valley its fair share of funding and services.”

A longtime Valley resident and former Senior Vice President of Paramount Pictures, Christine Essel is a civic leader who led the California Film Commission for nine years and serves as Vice Chair of the California Workforce Investment Board. Throughout her career, Essel has championed efforts to promote economic growth, job training and empowered neighborhoods. Essel is running for Los Angeles City Council to make L.A. work again through job creation, excellent constituent service, and more efficiency in government.

Judge Rules in Krekorian’s Favor, Against Essel’s Special Interests

from EsselWatch

A federal court judge on Tuesday denied a political committee from overturning a key, 24-year-old city ethics law. The ruling, seen as a boon for Los Angeles City Council candidate Paul Krekorian, was a sharp blow to the campaign of candidate Christine Essel, whose backers filed the lawsuit.

On Nov 9, Working Californians, a political committee headed by Essel support and union boss Brian D’Arcy, asked a federal judge to overturn a key ethics law, enacted by voters in 1974. The 24-year-old regulation prohibits so-called independent committees from accepting contributions larger than $500.

In his ruling, Judge Dean Pregerson said:

“[Working Californians] has not provided any evidence that enforcement of the challenged contribution restrictions will effectively thwart its ability to make independent expenditures related to the upcoming city council runoff election. Working Californians is free to solicit contributions from as many donors as it likes, and assuming that no individual contribution exceeds the city’s $500 threshold, it can spend as much as it likes.”

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

Essel's 'Lettergate': Why Is Antonio's Thank You Note in 2000 a Criminal Matter?

by Ron Kaye

As we head into the final two weeks of the Battle for CD2, the campaign between Paul Krekorian and Christine Essel suddenly has escalated into one of the costliest and nastiest ever for the City Council.

The City Hall political machine has pulled out all stops to get Essel elected, which raises the question of why a pro-development corporate lobbyist is getting the nod from powerful city unions and the liberal Democrat city elected officials over a pro-union, liberal Democrat state Assemblyman.

It doesn't make sense...unless there's a lot more at stake than just one seat on a Council that votes unanimously on just about everything no matter how destructive to the public interest and leaves no room for dissenting without punishment.

One clue is the half million dollars or more being poured into Essel's campaign by unions, most of it by bully boy union boss Brian D'Arcy who has taken his effort to a higher level by suing the city over a 23-year-old law limiting individual contributions to independent expenditures.

D'Arcy, whose members at the DWP have benefited spectacularly from sweetheart contracts for years, especially those approved by good pal Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, has never had a problem skirting this ethics law provision in the past.

So why now? Could it be he is fronting for wealthy developers who want to build giant projects from Universal City to Victory Boulevard in the face of massive community resistance in CD2 don't want any hard questions asked and are willing to help D'Arcy get the huge DWP rate hikes he wants and ownership of rooftop solar projects?

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

Debate-A-Palooza!

by Suzanne Lauer

Nineteen days left till the CD2 Election! It’s DEBATE-A-PALOOZA! I am not sure how (or why), but Wednesday candidates were basically subjected to 3 debates in one day.

For those following in your song books, they have participated in roughly fifteen since the campaign began, and six in the last two weeks. For those who missed the fun, there is still a chance to catch your two favorite remaining candidates. November 30th – NCs Valley Glen, Valley Village and Sherman Oaks Debate – Monarch Hall at Valley College (5800 Fulton Ave).

The day started with the VICA debate at Woodbury University – 8AM. Paul covered the event in a previous post. 7 PM was set aside for brief candidate appearances at the Studio City NC. We are trying to get observations for V2V readers.

8 PM was SOHA time!! The SOHA forum was the primary’s most unique forum. Candidates gave familiar openings. Krekorian get points for fresh words describing his skills, background, and independence. Essel again noted her sadness at Los Angeles no longer being a “City of Opportunity,” her relationships, business skills, and clarifying she is “not a downtown insider.”

Special SOHA flavor came into play publicly asking candidates to affirm a list of Sherman Oaks related “commitments.” The items included: 1/ Holding regular valley office hours every 2 weeks, including a 15 minute SOHA representative meeting. 2/ To not support changes to the Sherman Oaks Specific plan. 3/ No staff decisions prior to the election, and discussing staffing and vision for the community with SOHA. 4/ Essel – To use your own car, and look at ways to cut expenses, including reducing staff cars. 4a/ Krekorian – Full disclosure of council office funds, including what could be tapped for the community, and SOHA input on fund usage. 5/ Keeping appeals fees reasonable and accessible. 6/ Opposition to unhitched trailers and super graphics.

The next series of pledges revolved around Fashion Square: Support of the Fashion Square expansion? (Both answered, “not as it is currently laid out.”); Considering downsizing an alternative? (Both would); Supporting Wendy Greuel’s traffic mitigation plan. Krekorian acknowledged he wasn’t familiar with the plan, and was “disinclined to agree” until he evaluated it. Essel gave a brief explanation, noting a desire to sit with departments to consider impact. She commented her “dream would be for it to be an open air mall again.”

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

Video of VICA's Candidate Debate

VICA has posted footage of Wednesday's debate that was held at Woodbury University.
You can watch it HERE.

The Ethics Lawsuit Takes on a New Dimension

By Paul Hatfield

The Krekorian campaign is calling on City Attorney Carmen Trutanich to enforce the Ethics laws of the City of Los Angeles in the wake of the controversial lawsuit filed by Working Californians. The group is allied with IBEW employees.

What is particularly notable is Paul Krekorian’s request for Carmen Trutanich to recuse himself from the case because of his public endorsement of Chris Essel, the beneficiary of significant independent expenditures from Working Californians

Recusal is a fair request in my view. For that matter, City Controller Wendy Greuel should recuse herself from any audits related to DWP because of the substantial support she received from the IBEW in her campaign for Controller.

The outcome of this case will have major ramifications for democracy in our city.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

Vini, Vidi, VICA

By Paul Hatfield

Today’s VICA Forum was held at Woodbury University.

Chris Essel and Paul Krekorian focused on business issues – no surprise considering the sponsor.

Any words contained in parentheses represent my own thoughts; they are intended for clarification or reflect my observations.

Both of them objected to the unfairness of the gross receipts tax. Paul said the current structure made it inviting for businesses to move to Glendale and Burbank where there are no such taxes. Chris said pass-through entities should be exempted (my note: taxing pass-throughs for gross receipts causes double taxation much in the same way as corporate dividends).

They emphasized their business credentials: Chris’ thirty-five years at Paramount where she ran a planning and development office, Paul’s private legal career where he served as an advocate for small businesses. Paul also mentioned the legislation he created to offer tax credits as an incentive to deter runaway production and the jobs creation tax credit for small business (note: between two continuing professional education classes and two candidate forums in the course of around a week, I have now been thoroughly indoctrinated about those two bills – the state should grant me additional credit hours).

There was a little friction between the two of them on the film production credit. Chris remarked that the bill was limited in scope; Paul claimed that filming declined during Chris’ involvement with the Film Commission.

The segment on the City’s budget was encouraging because both of them agreed on the need to seek concessions from the unions, aggressive collection of fees and fines (from scofflaws I assume), and the need to create more business activity (I would like to hear more from each of them concerning their vision for the fiscal reconstruction of the city).

A unique question was thrown their way next.

What would each tell resident and homeowner organizations that they would not share with business groups?

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

Group tied to DWP employee union sues L.A. Ethics Commission to block fundraising limit

From the LA Times
by Maeve Reston

A nonprofit group closely tied to the Department of Water and Power employee union has filed a federal lawsuit against the City’s Ethics Commission, saying a city campaign fundraising law is unfairly limiting its ability to advocate on behalf of City Council candidate Christine Essel.

The case comes during a two-week period when outside groups have poured more than $280,000 into independent expenditures to boost Essel’s bid to replace former City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, who is now city controller. Among those groups is the political arm of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 18, which has spent more than $93,000 in support of Essel’s campaign. The union is headed by Brian D’Arcy.

Working Californians, the group suing the city, is co-chaired by D’Arcy and Marvin Kropke, the business manager of IBEW Local 11. The group devised the solar energy proposal known as Measure B on the March ballot, which was supported by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa but was defeated by voters. And D’Arcy showed his political clout last month when he negotiated a five-year package of raises for DWP employees at a time when the police union agreed to forgo pay increases for two years because of the city’s budget crisis.

The legal challenge is to a 1985 city law that bars political committees from accepting contributions of more than $500 if the group plans to use that money to make an independent expenditure for a city candidate.

In practice, the law prevents outside groups or individuals from contributing to each other to pay for independent expenditures that support city candidates. Contributions that are not earmarked for a specific city campaign are not subject to that $500 limit. (If violations are suspected, the City Ethics Commission’s enforcement division determines whether a contribution was for an independent expenditure).

In a court hearing Thursday, Working Californians plans to ask a judge to immediately bar the Ethics Commission from enforcing what it characterizes as an unconstitutional violation of their free speech rights. If they are successful, it could open the door for a flood of outside contributions, not only in the Dec. 8 contest between Essel and Assemblyman Paul Krekorian, but in future city elections.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

Another Night, Another Forum

by Paul Hatfield

This is getting old.

I feel as if I can sit in for both Paul and Chris at these forums and represent them equally well. I need my life back.

Rather than regurgitate everything they said, since it was consistent with their statements in other forums, allow me to focus on what new tidbits emerged along with some personal observations.

I will start by saying I respect both of them for enduring this seemingly endless series of forums. They are good sports.

Tonight’s event was hosted by the League of Women Voters and the Valley Glen Neighborhood Association. They were gracious hosts and managed the forum well.

There were nowhere near as many negative repartees or direct attacks on each other’s records. One could sense that they are growing a little tired. For that matter both came out in favor of the instant runoff; I do not blame them.

I am pleased they are both becoming increasingly bold concerning the unfunded municipal pensions. Both are in favor of establishing a separate tier for new employees and of increased contributions by existing plan participants. Obviously, current retirees would not be impacted.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

Pete Sanchez Endorses Krekorian

by Paul Hatfield

Pete Sanchez announced his endorsement of Paul Krekorian today.

This is significant because it rounds out support for Krekorian from the top tier finishers in the primary. Sanchez, Galatzan and Benson accounted for just over one-fourth of the vote total in the race, almost as much as Chris Essel received.

Here is the text of Pete’s endorsement:

Dear Neighbors:

As someone who cares deeply about Valley Village and our city, I ran for City Council because I know we need profound change in City Hall. I continue to believe we deserve a better city government than the one we have, and I’ll continue to work actively to achieve it.

During my campaign I got to know both candidates and I have studied their respective philosophies and vision. On December 8th we will make an important decision about the future of our city and our community when we choose between the two candidates. I am convinced that there is only one choice for those of us who would like to see a more responsive and accountable City Hall. I am supporting Paul Krekorian to be our next City Council Member and I hope you will join me in casting your vote for him.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

Essel and Krekorian Debate at Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils

from The San Fernando Valley Daily Business Journal

The two candidates fighting for the Valley seat on the L.A. City Council District 2 were peppered with questions from Valley neighborhood council leaders on Nov. 12, who mostly wanted to know what the candidates would do to support and raise the profile of neighborhood councils in the City.

The debate, which also tackled city finances, marijuana dispensaries, the proliferation of billboards, development, the entertainment industry and other topics, was organized by the Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils and took place at Sherman Oaks Hospital.

The candidates, former Paramount Pictures executive Christine Essel, and Democratic Assemblyman Paul Krekorian, both pledged before some 30 neighborhood council representatives to become important advocates for their projects and issues.

Both said neighborhood councils should be granted appeal rights on land use issues and said they would introduce a resolution, once elected, to make that happen.

“Of course neighborhood councils should have appeal rights… it’s central to what neighborhood council’s roles are, which is to stand up and reflect the views of the community,” said Krekorian.

“It seems absurd that neighborhood councils can’t take the same action as any other person in the community- so of course I would make it a priority on my agenda,” said Essel.

Concerned with over-development and density in their neighborhoods, some Valley representatives asked where the candidates stood on a bill encouraging development of affordable housing by allowing developers a density bonus if they price a number of units in the affordable range.

Essel, who has been criticized by Krekorian and others for helping to spearhead the bill’s passage as chair of the Central City Association, said she was not in favor of increasing density and overdevelopment in the Valley.

“SB1818 doesn’t belong in the streets of the San Fernando Valley,” Essel said.

Also emphasizing his intent to curb density and overdevelopment, Krekorian said the city has to look at ways of implementing the law appropriately and look to other cities such as Santa Monica, where the law has been applied more effectively.

On the topic of medical marijuana dispensaries, both said the city has failed to curb their proliferation. With 800 dispensaries in the city, while other municipalities of similar size only have a handful, the candidates called for better enforcement of new and existing regulations.

Addressing runaway production, Krekorian touted his accomplishment in authoring recently approved legislation that created California’s first incentive to encourage film and television production in the state in more than 15 years.

Essel, who served as Chair of the California Film Commission and garnered support to get the bill approved, said Los Angeles should follow in New York’s footsteps and offer an additional bonus on top of the state’s incentives to make it even more attractive for productions to film in the city

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

Krekorian and Essel Provide Lively Discussion at VANC

By Paul Hatfield

The Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils hosted a “Conversation with Paul and Chris” last night.

The format was intimate given that this was a regularly scheduled business meeting and the attendees were the VANC representatives from the various NCs throughout the Valley. About thirty people were in attendance representing at least twelve to fifteen NCs. I’ll confirm that with Jill Banks Barad, who is the founder and chair of VANC.

For the record, I am on the Executive Board of VANC.

Let me start by saying that Chris was the most comfortable I have seen her in this marathon election and forum process. The setting probably had much to do with that.

Paul is comfortable anywhere and would have been equally at ease if the discussion had been held in the adjacent emergency facility of Sherman Oaks Hospital.

Jill served as moderator.

The first topic concerned the role each would play as Chair of the City Council’s Education and Neighborhood Committee.

Paul Krekorian reaffirmed his support for local decision making, particularly at the NC level.

He cited his experience as a member of the Burbank School Board where he took credit for transforming the district and rescuing it from a financial morass.

Paul also criticized the City of Los Angeles for doing a poor job of working with the LAUSD on safety issues and enforcing truancy laws.

Chris emphasized that the NCs would be her eyes and ears and referenced her Six-Point Plan which included support for more NC funding and facilitating challenges to development.

She also supports breaking up the LAUSD into more manageable districts and would approach her business contacts about establishing mentoring programs.

The next question dealt with the diminution of the City Council’s reliance on the advice of NCs. Jill winked when she made a subtle reference to a particular decision by a certain former Council Member, whose seat just happens to be the object of this campaign.

Chris pledged to attend as many land use meetings as possible with NC members and pointed to her experience in confronting developers when she was active with her neighborhood association.

Paul said he wanted to emphasize what he has done; not just want he plans to do.

Both he and his staff have always been involved in the NCs that were in his Assembly District’s boundary and would continue and expand his participation.

In a council district as gerrymandered as CD2 his “Government at Your Doorstep” approach would be ideal for addressing the needs of diverse communities encompassed by its boundaries.

On the subject of appeal rights, both candidates affirmed their support for a resolution vesting the NCs with powers equal to any entity or person in the city.

They also were in general agreement on the medical marijuana fiasco created by the City Council.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

Sunland-Tujunga Leaders Endorse Paul Krekorian

NORTH HOLLWOOD – Nearly a dozen neighborhood leaders and activists from Sunland-Tujuga threw their weight behind Los Angeles City Council Candidate Paul Krekorian Friday, a day before he is set to open a new campaign office on Commerce Avenue.

“We believe that Paul Krekorian is the person who should fill the seat on the City Council,” the letter said. “His successful track record in public service demonstrates his ability to identify issues, come up with creative solutions, and work hard to get them implemented. We need this fresh approach in City Hall.” The authors include leaders on the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council, La Tuna Canyon Community Association and Foothill Trails Neighborhood Council. Business leaders, parks advocates and teachers are also included.

You can read the rest of this press release HERE.

Perspectives From Engaged And Uninitiated Observers Of The CD2 Race

November 12, 2009 by Suzanne Lauer
Courtesy of Village To Village.

Was Saturday November 7 the kick off to CD2 Runoff debate season, or was it the October 30th Kevin James show? Not sure. How many of these forums have I sat through since the start of the CD2 election? For those of you who don’t know, I was roped into all of this, when my best friend, Pete Sanchez decided to run for the CD2 seat. Since then I have gotten an education. Now I can discuss SB1818, the proliferation of Medical Marijuana clinics, crumbling infrastructure, horse zoning, and the dire city and state budget crisis with the best of them. I’m even going to NC meetings for fun?! Those loyal Valley Village residents I have grown to love sucked me in!!

Back to November 7, the Sunland Tujunga CD2 Candidate runoff debate. A friend, UCSB Ventura Campus student, Gillian Hinton, asked to come along. Impartial perspective from someone who wasn’t already wrapped up with candidate history and issues!! Someone who would be able to take it in at face value!! Yes!!

I could make you wait till the end for Gillian’s perspective, but it would make this just another debate recap. Instead, sharing it upfront – when the event was over and Gillian was asked her thoughts she answered, “Oh, Krekorian all the way.”

The observation was Essel had great statements with little detailed substance backing them up, where as Krekorian came across as knowledgeable about the issues, and often already formulating solutions, and seeming better ready to jump in.

Essel’s earnestness shined. Every issue was responded to as the most important on the table. It’s a quality we want in our elected officials. Responses such as “I am for what the community wants and needs”(regarding the defunct Home Depot project), seemed her guiding principles. On water rationing and the special needs of horse communities Essel was very sympathetic to the plight. The word “water” was used many times, but no hard suggestions on what could be done. (By the way did you know each horse requires 25 to 30 gallons of water per day!)

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

Absentee voting opens for special City Council election

By Daily News
Updated: 11/09/2009 09:34:29 AM PST

The election for the vacant City Council seat in the central-northwest Valley entered a new stage today, with the opening of the vote-by mail application period.

Voters can apply until Dec. 1 for an absentee ballot in the race between businesswoman Christine Essel and Assemblyman Paul Krekorian, D-Valley Glen.

Applications are available on the back of their official sample ballot or at cityclerk.lacity.org/election.

They should be mailed to the Los Angeles City Clerk, Election Division, P.O. Box 54377, Los Angeles 90054-0377.

The applications also can be faxed to the election division at 213-978-0611 or 213-978-0612.

CD2 Campaign Finance: IBEW Independent Expenditure For Essel

from OurLA
by Chelsea Cody

The City Ethics Commission has posted new Independent Expenditure numbers for the CD2 Special Election.

(For an explaination of Independent Expenditures and past City Ethic's Commission filings in the CD2 race, click here.)

On Friday, November 6, the Local 18 Water & Power Defense League , better known as the IBEW made and Independent Expenditure for a mailer supporting Chris Essel for Council District 2 for a total of $16,025.


(Click on the above image to see the full list.)

The $16,025 went to researching, producing, printing, and sending out a new Essel Campaign flyer. See the finished flyer here. This latest filing brings Essel's total Independent Expenditures amount to $72,094.90.

This contribution from a downtown union strikes some critics as contradictory to Essel's claim to be an independent voice for the Valley.

Meanwhile, Paul Krekorian has yet to file a single IE with the City Ethics Commission but has, unlike Essel, reported numerous Membership Communications, all of which come from and go to the Los Angeles County Democratic Party which total $18,149.12.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

Video of S-T Candidate Debate

Courtesy of Michael Cohen

Sunland Tujunga CD2 Forum - Part 1 from Michael Cohen on Vimeo.

Sunland Tujunga CD2 Candidate Forum - Q&A - Part 2 from Michael Cohen on Vimeo.

My Analysis of the Sunland-Tujunga Forum

by Paul Hatfield

Here are my thoughts on yesterday’s Sunland-Tujunga forum with CD2 candidates Krekorian and Essel.

As a late radio commentator once uttered: “You’ve heard the news. Now it’s time for the rest of the story.”

The first heated exchange involved the Fuentes-Krekorian connection. Chris attempted to tie Paul to Fuentes’ pro development views. It was more guilt by association rather than substance. It is very easy to connect anyone with anything in our world of six degrees of separation.

The charge was lame. However, Krekorian left himself open to the attack when he failed to distance himself from Fuentes during the primary. As you recall, Fuentes provided Paul with unsolicited support in the form of an advertisement praising him for his work in the Assembly.

I believe it was Kevin James of KRLA that questioned Paul about the support and whether it was appropriate under campaign contribution rules. Paul’s answer was lukewarm. He claimed that Fuentes was just showing appreciation for his good work, or something along those lines. Paul could have batted the question out of the ballpark by saying he was surprised by it and the timing.

It was a case of Krekorian wanting to have and eat his cake (I really hate that expression, but it is appropriate in this case).

There are times when you need to tell a colleague, “thanks, but no thanks.”

Krekorian should have done so when he got wind of Fuentes’ offer. It is doubful if the ad did much good for Paul’s campaign. If anything, it may have caused him an unnecessary headache.

Lacking even less substance was Essel’s attempt at connecting Krekorian with a bizarre plot by the insurance industry to require the installation of GPS technology in all vehicles as a means of monitoring use. Chris referenced AB2208 as the source; the bill designation was incorrect. The actual bill was AB2800 and the GPS reference was removed from the final version. GPS was never intended as a requirement for motorists. It only permitted insurers to request installation of the device. A dumb idea, but a moot point in the end.

My thanks to Joe Barrett for researching the bill. He runs the CD2 Blogspot.

Paul did not do himself a favor with his reply to the GPS Conspiracy Theory. He started off alright by looking straight at Chris and saying in so many words he had no idea what she was talking about.

Paul should have left it at that and challenged Chris to provide the source. It was apparent that she was unsure of the bill’s designation –not a good debate strategy to cite an uncertain reference. It indicated poor preparation on Chris’ part and deficient research by her staff.

Instead, he claimed to have been involved with around 6,000 bills in his three years as an Assembly Member, mentioning that it was difficult to recall the details of many of them.

Chris jumped on that with an icy but effective response: “You should read the bills you sign.”

I think Paul lost a good opportunity to score a solid knockdown by trying to be clever. It was similar to missing the PAT after a touchdown (a very relevant comparison for me today since that very thing cost my Richmond Spiders an important game on Saturday).

The carpetbagger issue came back from the grave. It was more along the lines of who carried the bigger bag.

What comes to mind was Robert Duval’s line when he played Tom Hegan in the Godfather: “The Godfather is a man who likes to hear bad news immediately.”

Politicians should chisel that saying in their memories.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

Point-Counterpoint: The Sunland Tujunga Forum

by Paul Hatfield

It was shades of “Point, Counterpoint” from SNL, one of the classic comedy routines from the golden age of the show with Jane Curtain and Dan Aykroyd trading barbs over politics.

The routine itself was a spoof of a popular 60 Minutes segment pitting opposing, unyielding pundits against each other in a debate format.

My complements to the organizers of the Sunland/Tujunga forum for allowing a lively, unfettered format. It forced the candidates out from their protective bubbles and compelled them to bare their teeth and growl.

Both Paul Krekorian and Chris Essel exhibited passion that has been largely lacking in this campaign.

This forum changed all the rules. Up until now, salvos were exchanged via mailers; now the contest was up close and personal.

It was refreshing to see them as complete flesh and blood individuals.

Christina Gonzalez of Fox 11 News was all business and kept the candidates on track.

This article is a summary of the forum. Where I felt comfortable in using a direct quote, I did. Otherwise, the narrative is a compilation of my notes.

I recommend viewing the video when it becomes available.

Also, my own analysis and comments will be presented in a separate post sometime tomorrow.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

Essel Announces New Endorsements

by Paul Hatfield

At today’s Sunland-Tujunga candidate forum, Chris Essel announced endorsements from City Attorney Carmen Trutanich and the Police Protective League.

Did Chris Essel's campaign circumvent campaign finance laws in Council District 2?

from Calitics by: Dante Atkins disclosure: I have leadership positions or membership in multiple organizations affiliated with the Democratic Party that have endorsed Paul Krekorian for City Council. Forgive me for continuing to write about Los Angeles City politics on a statewide site, but this is too interesting to pass up. I've written previously about the race for Los Angeles City Council District 2 here because it has statewide implications: if Paul Krekorian wins, we will have a vacancy in AD-43. So it does matter, and since it is my hometown and I'm somewhat enmeshed here, I've been following the race. And there's something very interesting afoot. For any of this to be interesting or relevant, I want you to review two brief snippets of election-related ordinances from the Los Angeles Campaign Finance Ordinance: No candidate for City Council who files a statement of acceptance of matching funds, nor any controlled committee of such candidate, shall make qualified campaign expenditures above the following amounts: $330,000 per primary election and $275,000 per general election. And even more importantly: If a candidate who declines to accept matching funds makes qualified campaign expenditures in excess of the expenditure ceiling, or if an independent expenditure committee or committees in the aggregate spend more than $50,000 in the case of a City Council race, $100,000 in the case of an election for City Attorney or Controller, or $200,000 in the case of an election for Mayor, in support of or in opposition to any such candidate, the applicable expenditure ceiling shall no longer be binding on any candidate running for the same office. That's the applicable law. There's a $330,000 spending cap for City Council races--unless one or more IE's comes in and busts it by spending a total of at least $50,000 on the race--either for or against any candidate. So that basically means that if a candidate is up against the spending limit, all that candidate needs to do is quietly arrange for an independent expenditure of a certain amount, and then...voila! Spend away. Which is exactly what it seems Chris Essel's campaign has done. It seems intentional and coordinated, too. True, the evidence is entirely circumstantial--but when you add the evidence all up, there's only one logical conclusion. Follow me below the fold for more.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

CD2 Candidate Debate This Saturday in Sunland-Tujunga

Christina Gonzalez of Fox 11 News

The STNC , the STA, the Foothill Trails District NC, the Los Angeles Horse Council, the Shadow Hills Property Owners Association, the Wentworth Woods Home Owners Association, ETI, and other Foothill community groups will sponsor a candidate debate between Chris Essel and Paul Krekorian on Saturday, November 7th at North Valley City Hall.

Award winning reporter and CD2 resident, Christina Gonzalez of Fox 11 News, will be the moderator for this event.

A meet & greet will occur from noon until 1pm to be followed by the debate.

North Valley City Hall, 7747 Foothill Blvd., Tujunga.

Will the Wendy Factor Play a Role in the CD2 Runoff?

by Paul Hatfield

Some people are claiming that Chris Essel’s campaign is in trouble. They point to perceived errors in judgment: appearing at an event sponsored by a Turkish-American organization allegedly associated with deniers of the Armenian Genocide, not having a booth at the immensely popular Sherman Oaks Fair and making appearances with former CD2 rival Frank Sheftel, who was affiliated with a medical marijuana cooperative (for the record, it was licensed and responsibly operated).

Personally, Chris does not strike me as a denier of the Armenian Genocide, but as a candidate she must be sensitive to the character of groups offering support to her campaign. Not taking full advantage of an event attracting eighty-thousand people in the midst of a campaign is also highly questionable. Frank Sheftel is a legitimate businessman, but his involvement in the controversial medical marijuana business could detract as many voters as it attracts.

Essel’s inability to secure endorsements from other top contenders from the primary also points to trouble. Mary Benson’s and Tamar Galatzan’s recent statements of support for Paul Krekorian exacerbated the situation.

If the voting pool for the December 8^th runoff is essentially the same as the one for the primary, Essel’s vessel has struck an iceberg and is taking on water rapidly. Just like the Titanic, she is heading for the bottom of the ocean.

But wait.

Unlike the Titanic, which went down before help could arrive, there is rescue ship on the horizon –the SS Wendy Greuel.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

CD2 Campaign in Perspective to Another City

by Paul Hatfield

We sometimes lose sight of the potential relative magnitude of elections in Los Angeles.

Even a typical Neighborhood Council district is larger than many small towns, but what about an entire City Council district?

Here is a tale of two cities (I received this from Suzanne Lauer of Valley Village):

THIS JERRY MAGUIRE MOMENT:

Just think of me like kid in Jerry Maguire. (You remember cute little Jonathan Lipnicki):

“Did you know the human head weighs 8 Pounds?”

“Did you know bees and dogs can smell fear?”

“Did you know my neighbor has three rabbits?”

There are 48,531 registered voters in the City of Santa Barbara?

There are 124,955 registered voters in the City of Los Angeles Council District 2?

The estimated population of the City of Santa Barbara is 90,305.

The estimated population of Los Angeles Council District 2 is 276,962

On November 3, Santa Barbara is voting for a new Mayor.

On December 8, LA Council District 2 will be voting for a new City Council Member.

Do you realize how many people’s lives will be affected by the results of the CD2 election?

Just suggesting it might be time to take a good look at the two CD2 candidates.

Just over six weeks to go….

It will be interesting to see which race gets the higher turnout.

---

Mary Benson Endorses Paul Krekorian for City Council

Mary Benson has now released an official statement regarding her endorsement of Paul Krekorian. What follows is a portion of the press release from the Krekorian campaign:

NORTH HOLLWOOD – Mary Benson, one of the most respected neighborhood advocates in the region and a former candidate in the race for City Council candidate, announced her full endorsement of Paul Krekorian on Friday. The announcement of Benson’s support is a very significant development in the race for CD2 that further exemplifies Krekorian’s widespread grassroots community support.

“Paul Krekorian has the courage of conviction, the experience and the independence to make an immediate impact for us in City Hall,” Benson said. “Paul has provided extraordinary service to constituents in his Assembly District. Paul will be an advocate for our valley interests. Paul will be the most effective in preserving public assets like the Verdugo Hills Golf Course and keeping the integrity of our specific and community plans. Paul Krekorian will be an independent voice in the Council who will fight for us, instead of Downtown interests and big developers. Paul Krekorian is the kind of leader that our district and our city need during these challenging times.”

Benson was one of the top candidates in the first part of the Council race, coming in a very strong fourth place with 1,198 votes (8.29% of the electorate) on September 22. She continually garnered rave reviews at candidate forums when she displayed an impressive mastery of issues, especially with regard to development, open space and the environment.

“Mary Benson is among the most effective advocates for community empowerment in the entire city, and I am thrilled she is now a part of our grassroots movement for change,” Krekorian said. “The issues that Mary has fought for -– open space preservation, limiting overdevelopment and protecting our neighborhoods -– are important parts of my mission in running for City Council, and I am confident of succeeding in that mission with Mary Benson by my side.”

Recap of the Krekorian/Essel Debate on the Kevin James Show

by Paul Hatfield

Just a quick recap on the Krekorian/Essel debate broadcast on KRLA’s Kevin James show.

I listened to the debate at the home of former CD2 candidate Pete Sanchez with a handful of Valley Village residents.

The radio format is more productive than the live forums in that more ground is covered. I can’t thank Kevin enough for dedicating the time to host these events.

The debate was segmented into four topics: runaway film production, the city’s infrastructure (namely DWP’s), the budget crisis and development.

There were no meaningful differences in the first two topics. Both candidates touted their own efforts at curbing runaway production and voiced their support for a DWP rate payer advicate. For what it’s worth, Chris referred to the RPA as the inspector general. I assume she was referring toCouncil Member Smith’s vision of the position.

Regardless, most people realize there is much work that needs to be done in defining the appointment process and the duties.

Krekorian and Essel both also stated they opposed Measure B on the grounds that there was no public comment and was flawed. Krekorian stated that he helped defeat an Assembly Bill that was as impractical as Measure B.

The infrastructure discussion strayed off topic when the two argued over who was more aligned with the establishment. Chris cited Krekorian’s role as Assistant Assembly Leader and Krekorian countered with some of Essel’s contributions coming from 336 of Villaraigosa’s allies.

The answers became evasive when the subject of the city’s budget came up.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

Mary Benson Endorses Paul Krekorian

Tonight on KRLA 870 radio, Paul Krekorian announced that he has been endorsed by former CD2 candidate Mary Benson. We have spoken with Mary, and she confirmed this endorsement. She intends to release a formal statement soon.

Chris Essel releases statement regarding Tamar Galatzan's endorsement of Paul Krekorian

LAUSD POLITICIAN ENDORSES

SACRAMENTO LEGISLATOR

October 30th, 2009 – LAUSD politician Tamar Galatzan announced today that she will support California State Assembly Leader Paul Krekorian in the 2^nd district City Council special election.

Galatzan’s endorsement comes just a few weeks after a meeting with Council candidate and Valley businesswoman Christine Essel. In the meeting, Essel asked Galatzan to consider supporting an effort to reform education in Los Angeles by breaking up the dysfunctional Los Angeles Unified School District. Galatzan was not supportive of the idea and detailed a litany of reasons as to why reform would be impossible.

“Christine Essel never asked for Tamar Galatzan’s endorsement. Instead, she asked her to think about supporting a plan to break up the largest and most dysfunctional school district in America,” Essel spokesman John Shallman said. “Unfortunately, Tamar wouldn’t even consider it. Now she’s trying to protect the bloated LAUSD bureaucracy by issuing a political endorsement of a fellow professional politician who opposes district reform.”

Essel has been on record as a supporter of tough LAUSD reform measures throughout the campaign. Essel’s detailed plan to reform L.A. government, “Big Ideas for a New L.A.,” contains recommendations to reform the failed Los Angeles Unified School District by breaking it up into smaller school districts run by parents and teachers.

Tamar Galatzan Endorses Paul Krekorian

NORTH HOLLWOOD – Tamar Galatzan, former City Council candidate and current LAUSD Board Member, today announced her endorsement of Paul Krekorian for the city's Second District Council seat. A well-respected community leader and city prosecutor, Galatzan’s endorsement provides a significant boost to the Krekorian campaign.

“Tamar Galatzan is a tremendous advocate for the people of the San Fernando Valley,” Krekorian said. “She is a reformer who continues to push for an innovative agenda of positive change and accountability for our schools, even when she has had to stand up to politically powerful interests. She has been on the front lines of fighting against crime and for a better quality of life for Valley families and has a deep understanding of our public safety needs. I am thrilled that Tamar has joined our Valley-oriented campaign for change in City Hall, and I look forward to working shoulder to shoulder with her to make CD 2 streets and schools safer. .”

Galatzan, a Valley neighborhood prosecutor and School Board member, finished a very strong third place in the CD2 primary election, garnering 2,128 votes (12.99% of the total votes cast). Throughout the campaign, she consistently impressed voters with her depth of understanding of the issues facing the Valley and her innovative ideas for solving the City’s problems.

"Paul Krekorian shares my values and my concerns about Valley neighborhoods," said Galatzan. "I admire his results-oriented leadership in the State Assembly on runaway film production, as well as his vote against the release of thousands of state inmates who would end up in our communities. CD2 voters should know that Paul has been consistent in his support for neighborhood councils and his opposition to overdevelopment. Paul is a proven advocate for Valley homeowners and jobs, and he has the skills and familiarity with CD2 to be an effective councilmember for us. I look forward to voting for him on Dec. 8.”

Essel and Krekorian on KRLA Tonight

KRLA 870 AM Talk Radio Host Kevin James will have both Chris Essel and Paul Krekorian in studio for a debate this evening at 9:00 PM. Callers will be able to ask questions of the respective candidates.

Chris Essel Responds to Armenian Genocide Denial Accusations

from OurLA
by Chelsea Cody

Last week, the LA Weekly called out CD2 candidate Christine Essel for attending a Beverly Hills fundraiser hosted by a board member of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations, a lobbying group that adamantly denies the Armenian genocide. (Read the LA Weekly article.)

Asberez, the official publication of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Western United States Central Committee also wrote about Essel's interaction with the group and has closely covered the CD2 campaign efforts of Armenian-American candidate Paul Krekorian.

Today, Asberez has published a story with a letter from Essel , appealing to the Armenian community at large:

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

Former D.A. Robert Philibosian Endorses Essel

Former D.A. Robert Philibosian announced today that he is supporting Valley businesswoman Christine Essel in the race to succeed Wendy Greuel as City Councilwoman for District 2.

"The L.A. City Council and the San Fernando Valley need new voices from outside the political establishment," Philibosian said. "Christine Essel is a candidate from the private sector who firmly stands for fiscal responsibility and strong law enforcement. That’s why I’m endorsing her in the special election." Philibosian is a 40-year Valley resident.

“I am very proud to have earned DA Philibosian’s endorsement,” Essel said, “Valley residents have enjoyed the benefits of Robert's public service for many years. I greatly admire his winning efforts to enforce environmental laws and protect the public’s safety.”

SOHA President Endorses Krekorian for CD2

from OurLA

by Chelsea Cody

Krekorian Wins Endorsement of Sherman Oaks Homeowners President Richard Close

Richard Close, one of the Valley's most active and respected leaders for decades and the President of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association, announced his endorsement of Paul Krekorian for City Council this week. The endorsement is the latest in a growing number of prominent Valley leaders who are coalescing around Krekorian's campaign, which has been driven largely by the broad grassroots support of homeowner leaders, neighborhood council members and other community activists.

“For three decades, Richard Close has been a tireless advocate for Sherman Oaks and a champion of the entire Valley," Krekorian said. “I am honored that he has endorsed me and joined my true grassroots movement to reform City Hall and make it work for us. With just six weeks left until Election Day, I will work closely with Richard and other Sherman Oaks leaders to bring my message of change to the Second District and the entire Valley. As my campaign continues to gain growing momentum from community-based support, the residents of this district have a real opportunity to create change in the Council and reject the status quo of Downtown politics as usual.”

Close, who has been president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association for about 30 years, said that Krekorian is the best choice for the Valley.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

Sheftel Endorses Essel in the L.A. City Council District 2 Run-off Election

With the run off election less then 7 weeks away I have decided to
announce who I am supporting in this race. I have met with both
candidates and have attended several events since the primary and seen both Christine & Paul in action. Both have sat down and had private meetings with me and have been very candid and forthcoming in my questioning of them. Both have a lot to offer and both come with concerns. Frankly both have asked for my support & I am honored and humbled. It's been a great experience to run a campaign against such a diverse and committed group of people.

At this time and in this particular situation, with our city and state facing a crisis situation I believe that Christine Essel is the right choice for City Council and to represent CD2. She has the education the experience and the connections to hit the ground running and get the job done. She is not backed by the mayor and doesn't come with the added baggage of being from the political machine. Like myself and many of the other grassroots candidates she truly wants to make a difference in the community she grew up in and has signed a pledge not to run for any other office. A pledge I haven't seen Paul Krekorian sign. Paul is currently a state assembly member having just been re-elected, and is in a position already to effect change, He is not termed out yet and as a matter of fact can run for another term. The cost of another special election to fill his assembly seat (estimated at 2 million dollars) weighed heavy in my decision. Christine Essel will have less then a year and a half to prove herself at which time this seat is up again. If she lives up to what I believe are sincere and realistic goals then we are better as a community. If not, there are many others ready to run for that seat. I have met with all the former Cd2 candidates since the primary. We all care about this district and want to see someone in there that will best represent us. I become the fourth former candidate to support Christine Essel.( David Saltsburg, Augusto Bisani and Joe Essavi have already endorsed Essel). I hope that the remaining four will follow suit and we can all come out united behind one Candidate. I am pleased and proud to support Christine Essel for L. A. City Council and urge all my supporters and the rest of CD2 voters to do the same.

Frank Sheftel

CD 2 Election in San Fernando Valley: Is Essel Playing Ethnic Politics?

From the LA Weekly
by Jason S. Mandell

The two candidates fighting for the Valley seat on the L.A. City Council have both been scorned for relying heavily on scads of cash from special interest groups operating outside of City Council District 2.

​But Christine Essel, whose staggering $300,000 war chest enabled her to sail into the runoff against state Assemblyman Paul Krekorian, may have just crossed a line. Even if she hasn't, her actions will most likely fan the flames of a vicious ongoing ethnic battle in Los Angeles.

Essel's opponent in the Dec. 8 special election is an Armenian-American. And CD 2 has more Armenian-Americans than any other council district in Los Angeles.

On Saturday Oct. 17, Essel attended a Beverly Hills fundraiser hosted by a board member of the Assembly of Turkish American Associations, a lobbying group that adamantly denies the Armenian genocide. Recognition of this genocide has been perhaps the single most important moral and political issue for Armenian-Americans, who are just as appalled by deniers as Jews are by those who refuse to acknowledge the horrors of Hitler's Holocaust.

Also attending Essel's fundraiser were Azerbaijani leaders, whose controversial campaign to get California lawmakers to condemn Armenia for past military actions was defeated by Krekorian earlier this year.

An article on the fundraiser was published two days ago in an Azerbaijani newspaper and appeared on a Turkish website that, among other things, also features videos about Armenia's "So-Called Genocide." The article on the fundraiser praises Essel and labels Krekorian's views "immoral" and his actions as anti-Turkey.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

Education Leader Louis Pugliese Endorses Paul Krekorian

NORTH HOLLYWOOD – Louis Pugliese, a leader in the education community for more than 15 years, announced this week he has endorsed Los Angeles City Council candidate Paul Krekorian in his bid for the Second District.

“As a former school board president in Burbank, I can fully appreciate the contributions Louis has made to better our community and am proud to welcome him in this campaign to reform Los Angeles,” Krekorian said. “I have much to gain from Louis' in-depth grasp of LAUSD and will be proud to work closely with him as we seek new and innovative ways to improve our education throughout the Valley and Sunland-Tujunga. With Louis at my side, we are one step closer to ensuring our schools get their proper funding and making certain every child has as much opportunity to succeed as possible.”

Pugliese, 58, a CD2 resident living in Sun Valley, was heavily praised for his two school board runs in which he garnered widespread community, parental and neighborhood support.

“It is clear to me that Paul has what it takes to shake the Downtown power structure and get the job done for our children and families throughout this district,” said Pugliese, who now teaches education courses at Cal State Northridge while also serving on the city's Commission for Children, Youth and Their Families. “Paul's leadership throughout our state on education issues shows he is more than able to navigate the city's educational maze to help fix our broken system. I have been thoroughly impressed with the grassroots support he has already garnered and look forward to working in close concert with him as I know the second council district will benefit from his leadership, ingenuity and responsiveness.”

Daily News Backs Krekorian

From Mayor Sam
The Los Angeles Daily News has endrosed Paul Krekorian for City Council over Downtown Chris Essel.

"In politics, it's often more informative to judge a candidate or issue by their supporters," the editorial said. "In that light, noting that Krekorian has received the endorsement of many neighborhood council members and community activists...indicates they also believe Krekorian is the one who can best represent their interests in City Hall."

UPDATE: The Daily News now has the endorsement online HERE.

Will L.A. council candidates' debate be held in ... Burbank?

From the Daily News

By Dana Bartholomew, Staff Writer

Where the heck is Woodbury University — Burbank or Los Angeles?

The answer has fueled a donnybrook in the Los Angeles City Council's 2nd District race, but not between its candidates.

The fight is between the Valley Industry & Commerce Association - host of a CD2 candidates debate at the supposedly Burbank-based university next month — and critics who want the event to be held in the city of Los Angeles.

"Why waste our time, people's time? Why waste the candidates' time in a debate that's not in the city of Los Angeles, where nobody can vote for you?" said Jack McGrath, of Studio City. "I'm not driving up there, and I don't know anybody from Studio City, or in the 2nd District, who will.

"It's obvious: this is a bonehead play by VICA."

But VICA President Stuart Waldman insisted the university is in fact located in Sun Valley — within the city of Los Angeles and in the council district.

Waldman shot back in an e-mail to McGrath: "You are a little off. Woodbury University is in fact in Sun Valley. While it does have a Burbank mailing address, it is in CD2 and is smack dab in the middle of the district.

"I didn't know Sun Valley/Burbank from Studio City is a major trip. What would you do if Sunland-Tujunga had a debate? Apply for a passport?"

During the debate about the debate this week, barbs have flown between politicos, bloggers and business leaders.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

Studio City Residents Association hosts first debate of CD 2 runoff election

BY ANGELA FENTIMAN

The two runoff candidates vying to represent L.A.’s Second Council District participated in their first debate Tuesday, October 13, since beating-out eight other candidates in the Sept. 22 special election.

Former Paramount executive Chris Essel and Assemblymember Paul Krekorian joined members of the Studio City Residents Association (SCRA) to discuss city budget issues, development in the district, the entertainment industry and other topics important to residents. Attendees braved a rainy evening to ask the candidates their questions.

Chris Essel and Paul Krekorian debate on at the Studio City Residents Association meeting October 13. Photo courtesy SCRA

Krekorian called the current budget crisis facing the city a “transformative moment.” More important than the budget crisis, Krekorian said that a “crisis of confidence” exists in the city because the people do not trust their government and he hopes to repair this relationship.

Essel also stressed the importance of fixing the city’s budget, creating a rainy day fund, collecting funds owed to the city and getting pension commitments under control.

“We need to look at the numbers,” said Essel. “I’m an accountant by trade.”

Several questions regarding land use issues in the district were posed to the candidates. SB 1818 implementation in the city, mansionization and preserving open space (specifically the Weddington Golf & Tennis property) were discussed. The NBC Universal and Metro developments adjacent to CD 2 were also on the minds of attendees.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

A Conversation with Paul Krekorian

The STA hosted a conversation with Paul Krekorian on Sunday, Oct 11th at Bolton Hall in Tujunga. The first seven minutes of this video are audio only due to Murphy's Law, so we added
some photos to fill in the gap. Enjoy.

A Conversation with Paul Krekorian, Part One from Joe Barrett on Vimeo.

A Conversation with Paul Krekorian, Part Two from Joe Barrett on Vimeo.

Six Ways to Put More Power in Neighborhood Empowerment

from CityWatch

by Christine Essel
Candidate for CD2


If you’re reading this publication, it’s clear that you care about the future of your city. Thank you for paying attention and thank you for your commitment to your neighborhood. Below, I lay out six ideas to improve the tools we use to empower L.A.’s neighborhoods. I hope you’ll consider these ideas and send me your feedback. I welcome any questions or suggestions: please contact me anytime at http://www.essel09.com/contact-us .

Six ideas:

1. NC Land Use Appeals. Neighborhood Councils should have the ability to appeal land use decisions made by the planning department. NCs must play an active role in the land use decision-making process and appeals will give them a more effective voice. A council motion to this effect expired in August – it’s time for the City Council to reintroduce a similar motion, and get it through the system with haste.

2. New Funding Sources. It’s time to look for more creative ways to give our NCs the resources they need to help the community. We should look for ways to increase fines related to blight issues like billboards and illegal dumping. Then, we’ll put the new revenues to work in neighborhoods by allowing Neighborhood Councils to supplement their budget with the additional revenue.

3. Better Technology. The neighborhood council community, as well as the public at large, deserves better access to public sector information from City government. While the new EmpowerLA website is a good start, I believe that the public is entitled to so much more. We need online tools that push news about city departments to NC activists so they can spend their time on advocacy rather than on searching for information. I also believe the public is entitled to an up-to-date web site that tracks every dollar of city hall spending. Other governments have increased transparency through similar tools and Los Angeles needs to start this process immediately.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

An Economic Message to Our CD2 Candidates and Other Officials

By Paul Hatfield

I want to thank Monica Harmon for the links to the two articles referenced in this post.

These articles should be required reading for all of our elected officials, including Paul Krekorian and Chris Essel. I emphasize the two of them as one could represent a voice of change in the City Council after the December 8^th runoff. There is little else on the horizon to offer that kind of opportunity and, to be truthful, I am not optimistic over their prospects to lead the City Council down a new path.

An article from the Guardian offers an international view of our State. It is depressing but does offer a glimmer of optimism concerning California’s traditional resiliency.

The author’s opinion of Mayor Villaraigosa is laughable, however, referring to him as “the powerful mayor of Los Angeles.”

No matter, we face painful decisions with long term consequences.

The author also paints a painful picture of the housing markets, especially in the exburbs, a subject I have addressed in an earlier posting.

The economy will eventually recover, but we do not know what the landscape of the recovery will resemble. At best, California will be a smaller version of its former self. Surviving companies will be profitable but reluctant to hire.

According to an AP article posted on MSNBC, do not expect employment to return any time soon:

Economic historian John Steel Gordon says this could be a jobless recovery, too, with businesses wringing more work out of the employees they still have and relying on part-time and overseas help.

“It’s actually worse now,” he said. “Companies aren’t going to hire until it becomes obvious we’re back in a lasting growth cycle.”

The article goes on to claim that the unemployment rate would be higher if it were not for the fact that over half a million people have given up their search for work.

You can also apply that same logic to California. There has been a migration away from the state of at least the same level over the period of 2004 to 2008. God knows what the next census is going to show. If the exodus is still occurring, then our unemployment situation is even worse than reported.

So what does this mean for our elected officials, especially our two candidates in the CD2 runoff?

Simply, get real.

Neither Krekorian nor Essel have made any serious attempt to discuss a new economic direction. They need to go beyond their mantra about stopping runaway production and also focus on diversifying the economy.

Let’s face it: the entertainment industry is always going to be an attractive target for other states, cities and nations. We can offer all of the tax incentives we want, but someone will always go one better.

If China ever decides it wants to establish a film and television production industry, good luck on keeping much more than a corporate office presence here in California. Are there any alternative uses for soundstages? Perhaps Home Depot can do something with them.

The other step the candidates must take is cutting ties to the labor unions and developers. In a city where 80% of the general fund outlays are related to compensation, we cannot afford to elect people who are financially married to the SEIU. We cannot elect people who will provide huge breaks to developers. There must be a different form of pay to play –pay the citizens in the form of massive infrastructure and transportation improvements. If you want to add to the density, be prepared to compensate us for the upgrades that must be constructed to support not only what is impacted in the immediate vicinity, but the aggregate needs of the entire city.

I urge the organizers of the upcoming forums to press the candidates for specifics and commitments to distance themselves from the institutional and parochial support they have depended on for money and logistics.

Let Krekorian and Essel fight it out as the grassroots candidates did.

A Conversation with Chris Essel

The Sunland-Tujunga Alliance hosted a gathering on Sunday, Oct 4th , with residents of the community and Chris Essel, candidate for CD2. This "Conversation with Chris Essel", was held at the historic Bolton Hall in Tujunga. Here is the complete video of the event:

A Conversation with Chris Essel, Part One from Joe Barrett on Vimeo.

A Conversation with Chris Essel, Part Two from Joe Barrett on Vimeo.

STA Sponsors CD2 Election Events

From the STA

The Sunland-Tujunga Alliance (STA) is sponsoring two separate CD2 Special Election Events over the next two weeks. This is a great opportunity to meet and question Chris Essel and Paul Krekorian, the two candidates in the race to fill Wendy Greuel’s position on the City Council.

These events, which we are calling a Candidate Q & A, will provide an opportunity for the residents of Sunland-Tujunga and the nearby CD2 Foothill neighborhoods to participate in an intimate discussion with Paul and Chris in the important historical setting of Bolton Hall.

The format is not rigid, each candidate will speak for a few minutes about their goals for CD2 and what they can offer, and then questions will come from the audience. We are hoping for a real dialogue and an exchange of ideas.

Chris Essel will be at Bolton Hall this Sunday, Oct 4th, from 11am until 12:30pm.

Paul Krekorian will be at Bolton Hall on Sunday, Oct 11, from 11am until 12:30pm.

Both candidates have expressed how much they are looking forward to being at these events and engaging with the community over the issues facing CD2.

We hope you will join us! Bolton Hall has limited seating, so we are asking that you RSVP if you plan to attend. We need to know what to expect in terms of attendance. You can email us at explodingsun@gmail.com, or call Joe at 818 438-7076.

We hope to see you this Sunday and on Sunday, Oct 11th!

Bolton Hall is located at

10110 Commerce Ave, Tujunga, CA 91042

This is for your information only and does not imply endorsement of either candidate.

Valley Businesspeople Look For Answers From Candidates

Opponents in Runoff Asked To Be Active in City Reforms

By ANDREA ALEGRIA

San Fernando Valley Business Journal Staff

As Assemblyman Paul Krekorian and former Paramount Pictures Corp. executive Christine Essel gear up to compete for the District 2 seat on the Los Angeles City Council, local businesses will be focusing on which candidate will do more to improve the business climate in the city.

“We need someone that is going to help businesses create jobs by not overburdening them with onerous and duplicative regulation,” said Stuart Waldman, President of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, emphasizing the importance of business tax reform. “We have businesses leaving this city and others who wouldn’t even consider coming here at all, so this issue is extremely important,” Waldman said.

Whoever wins the seat in the December 8 runoff could represent the District, which includes parts of Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Valley Village, Valley Glen, North Hollywood and Sunland Tujunga, for 14 years and have the potential to deeply impact business policy.

“It’s very important that whoever wins actively participate in business tax reform, and pays attention to business groups such as VICA and the Chamber of Commerce,” said Mel Kohn a partner in the accounting firm Kirsch, Kohn & Bridge. “Ultimately they should show support for creating more jobs by making changes and reforming the business tax is a big piece of the puzzle.”

Kohn, in representation of VICA, recently presented recommendations to the City Council for how to best structure a new Business Tax Advisory Committee. Streamlining and reducing the city’s business tax is vital to economic recovery and long term job creation he said, and there is still a lot of room for the city to improve in this regard.

“When businesses are considering leaving the city or coming here, business tax is a tie breaker. Our business tax is still not competitive with surrounding cities like Burbank or El Segundo,” he added.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

The CD2 Runoff; My First Take

by Paul Hatfield

I am going to wake up with a hangover on December 9th; it will not be from partying.

On December 8th, the voters of CD2 will turn the reins of representation over to one of two servile subjects of the Realm. The House of Lords on Spring will have another of its own join its privileged body.

Those of you who have followed my blog know the angst I have expressed about Paul Krekorian and Chris Essel. If you are new to my blog, please peruse the state and local politics category. For now, let me discuss the subjective attributes of these two knighted partisans.

Paul Kerkorian, who I initially characterized as the Dean of the ten candidates in the primary by virtue of his position in the Assembly, possesses shrewd intelligence and speaks with a Shakespearean eloquence.

His performances in the candidate forums evoked Mark Antony’s plea to the Roman people at Caesar’s funeral. If I may paraphrase:

“And Essel is an honorable candidate, so are they all, all honorable candidates.”

Just as Antony used sarcasm to import the true message of his statement, I felt that Paul Krekorian used the same technique whenever complementing his opponents or, should I say as he ultimately described them in the end, “amateurs.”

Krekorian is someone who can make a bad idea sound good, just as Antony convinced the crowd that Caesar was not an imperial tyrant but actually a pretty nice guy, a man of the people. They sided with Antony and the Roman Republic ended. After that it was a gradual decline into depravity and collapse.

So, then, Krekorian’s strongest personal characteristic is also a stealthy weapon with which he lures the uninformed and unsuspecting to support him.

Whereas Krekorian is deft at delivering form over substance in public venues, Chris Essel looks both uncomfortable and out of her element. That probably stems from years of her preaching to the choir. The CCA, industry groups and her staff at Paramount are a far more amicable audience than the hardened voters from Neighborhood Councils and homeowner groups.

Actually, in a one on one conversation, she is very much at ease and does display more depth than meets the eye at a public event.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

Sunland-Tujunga to Host Candidate Forum

The Sunland-Tujunga Alliance, along with the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council, the Foothill Trails District NC, the Los Angeles Horse Council, the Shadow Hills Property Owners Association, the Wentworth Woods Home Owners Association, and other Foothill community groups, will host a candidate forum on Saturday, November 7th at North Valley City Hall. A meet & greet will be held from noon until 1pm with the forum to begin at 1pm. Both CD2 candidates, Chris Essel and Paul Krekorian have confirmed that they will participate in this event. More details to follow.

Primary Night in CD2

from Michael Cohen



Do you have footage from Primary Night?
Let us know! 818 438-7076

City Hall's Win-Win Strategy Wins in CD2 -- Who's to Blame?

by Ron Kaye


TOTAL AT POLL BALLOTS 6,589 45.36%
TOTAL VOTE-BY-MAIL BALLOTS 7,936 54.64%
GRAND TOTAL OF BALLOTS CAST 14,525 -- 11.84% of 123,750 REGISTERED VOTERS

At a rate of one voter every 15 minutes per polling place on Tuesday, the East San Fernando Valley's 270,000 residents decided they want to be represented at City Hall by someone who represents the interests of those who have taken LA hostage.

The turnout on Tuesday was even lower than those who cast mail-in ballots, a grand total of less than 12 percent of registered voters.

You can't blame the machine for the outcome, a December runoff between union-backed Paul Krekorian and developer-backed Chris Essel who split nearly two-thirds of the votes cast, with Tamar Galatzan and Mary Benson distant runners-up.

You have seen the enemy, he is us.

The seven candidates who actually lived in CD2 before the election was called split just 5,092 votes, while the three carpetbaggers (Krekorian, Essel and Zuma Dogg) got 9,433.

Too many candidates with too little money -- the winners had nearly 90 percent of the cash raised for the campaign -- is the ostensible reason. You can throw in a lot of others like apathy, ignorance, demographics, defeatism to explain why it turned out to be another exercise in LA's Dictatorship of the Few.

But we shouldn't let ourselves off so easily.

I did not believe Essel could get traction in the East Valley and I was wrong. I don't think she can beat Krekorian in the runoff no matter how much more money the mayor and his cronies throw into her campaign.

It really doesn't make a lot of difference who wins. They both will maintain the unanimity of the City Council in matters large and small.

What matters is whether the activists of the city -- Neighborhood Councils, homeowner groups and everyone else who make up the city's civic culture -- face the painful truth that they are part of the problem, not part of the solution.

They chose up sides in this election and backed their local favorite instead of coming behind a single candidate and building a campaign organization that could man phone banks, walk precincts, leaflet at community events and hold rallies.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

Krekorian, Essel to face off in Dec. 8 runoff

From the Daily News
by Rick Orlov

Assemblyman Paul Krekorian and businesswoman Christine Essell will face off in a a Dec. 8 runoff for the Los Angles City Council to fill the seat vacated by Wendy Greuel's election as City Controller.

Final returns from Tuesday's election showed Krekorian, D- Burbank, with 4,929 votes, for 34.1 percent, and Essel with 4,101 votes, for 28.39 percent, in a 10-candidate field. Los Aneles school board member Tamar Galatzan came in third with 1,871 votes, for 12.94 percent.

In heading to the runoff, Krekorian and Essel also bested a field of seven comunity and neighborhood activisits who had criticized the two for the amounts of money they had raised and for moving into the district only to run for the City Council seat.

The "Little Seven" identified themselves as grassroots candidates who have been active in the community through neighborhood councils and homeowners associations.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

It's Paul Vs Chris in the Runoff!

Barring any election challenges, and with a majority of the vote in, it will be Paul Krekorian vs Christine Essel in the runoff election to be held on December 8. Over 50% of the votes cast have come come from absentee ballots with approximately 14, 000 total votes cast in a district of around 213, 000.
More updates as they come in.

Polls open at 7 a.m. in 10-candidate race for San Fernando Valley seat on L.A. city council

from the LA Times

Voters in the 2nd Los Angeles City Council District head to the polls today to choose a replacement for former Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, who was elected city controller in March. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

In the brief three-month sprint to the special election, the candidates have focused on quality-of-life issues and controlling development in a district that extends from Sherman Oaks and Studio City at its southern border through North Hollywood and Valley Glen up to Sunland-Tujunga at its northern edge.

With a field of 10 candidates, much attention has focused on the three best funded-candidates: former Paramount Pictures Corp. executive Christine Essel; state Assemblyman Paul Krekorian; and Los Angeles school board member Tamar Galatzan, a deputy city attorney based in Van Nuys.

Their rivals include a number of neighborhood activists, including Mary Benson of Sun Valley; insurance company claims audit manager Pete Sanchez of Valley Village; and Michael McCue of Studio City.

Three businessmen are also vying for Greuel’s seat: Frank Sheftel, the owner the Candy Factory in North Hollywood; Augusto Bisani of Valley Village, who owns a restaurant equipment business; and Realtor Joe Essavi, who serves on Los Angeles County’s Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Commission.

Former mayoral candidate and City Hall gadfly David “Zuma Dogg” Saltsburg is also in the race after moving to North Hollywood.

The city plans to spend as much as $1.8 million on the election. If no candidate wins a majority of the vote, the top two candidates will face a runoff election Dec. 8. The winner will finish Greuel’s term, which ends in June 2011.

Officials at the Los Angeles city clerk’s office plan to begin posting results by 8:30 p.m. here. The first tallies will be from vote-by-mail ballots. As of Monday afternoon, the clerk’s office had received just 7,386 ballots by mail – a fraction of the 124,955 voters who live in the 2nd Council District.

Polling place information is available at the Election Division’s website or by calling the city clerk’s office at (213) 978-0444 or (888) 873-1000.

-- Maeve Reston at Los Angeles City Hall

Low turnout expected for Council District 2 election

from the Daily News
by Rick Orlov

Voters in City Council District 2 will head to the polls today to fill the vacant seat left by Wendy Greuel, who was elected City Controller in March.

It will be the third trip to the polls this year for District 2 voters, who will likely have to return again in December to decide a runoff between today's two top vote-getters.

Ten candidates are on the ballot to represent the sprawling area, which runs from Studio City through Van Nuys, Valley Village, Valley Glen and on to Sunland-Tujunga. It is home to 124,955 registered voters, and most observers believe turnout will be below 20 percent.

As much as 50 percent of the vote could be decided with absentee ballots. City officials said they have received 7,386 absentee ballots so far.

If no candidate gets a majority of the vote, a runoff will be held on Dec. 8.

The job pays $178,789 a year, the most paid to any city legislator in the country. The council member will have responsibility for helping to manage a $7.01 billion budget and a 40,000-employee workforce while grappling with a budget deficit of $400million.

Candidates who have qualified for the ballot are: Mary Benson, Augusto Bisani, Jozef "Joe" Essavi, Christine Essel, Tamar Galatzan, Paul Krekorian, Michael McCue, Pete Sanchez, David "Zuma Dogg" Saltsburg and Frank Sheftel.

Most of the attention, however, has been on Galatzan, a member of the Los Angeles Unified school board; Krekorian, a Democratic Assemblyman who moved into the district to run for the seat; and Essel, a former Paramount executive who also moved into the district to run.

Those three have raised the most money and have the most prominent endorsements.

The seven other candidates are neighborhood and homeowner activists who hope to break through and become a candidate in the runoff election.

Want to vote?

Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m Tuesday, Sept. 22. For information about polling places, see http://cityclerk.lacity.org/election. . Election results will also be available only beginning at about 8:30 p.m.

The Daily News has more info HERE.

VOTE VOTE VOTE

VOTE ON TUESDAY!
CD2 is depending on you!

10 Candidates Sparring for L.A. Council's 2nd District Seat

from the LA Times
By Maeve Reston

Their residency and community credentials in the sprawling Valley district have emerged among the defining issues in the special election to replace Wendy Greuel.

In the sprawling Los Angeles City Council district that stretches from Sherman Oaks and Studio City to the horse country of Sunland-Tujunga, there is little admiration for the policymakers at City Hall.

So it is no surprise that the 10 candidates running to replace Wendy Greuel in Tuesday's special election have spent the last few months distancing themselves from "downtown interests" while striving to persuade voters they are best positioned to fight development that threatens the character of their neighborhoods and for the San Fernando Valley's "fair share" of services like street repairs and graffiti removal.

That has placed a premium on the candidates' roots in the 2nd Council District -- which has kept the two best-funded contenders, former Paramount Pictures Corp. executive Christine Essel and Assemblyman Paul Krekorian (D-Los Angeles), on the defensive.

Both moved into the district in May after Greuel won her race for city controller. Former mayoral candidate David "Zuma Dogg" Saltsburg also recently moved into North Hollywood, but he has been less of a target.

Essel, according to paperwork filed with the city, left what was listed in city zoning records as a four-bedroom home in the Sunset-Doheny hills for an apartment on a busy stretch of Laurel Canyon Boulevard where a school and a shopping plaza with a McDonald's are some of her closest neighbors.

The move by Krekorian, a former Burbank school board member, is so recent that his biography on his Assembly website still says he lives with his family in Burbank.

Both candidates grew up in the Valley and dismiss the criticism as irrelevant.

Essel has argued that her business experience over three decades at Paramount would help her lead efforts to expand the job base in the San Fernando Valley.

Krekorian, a lawyer who sent voters a mailer bearing his Northridge Junior High school identification card as evidence of his bona fides, said at a recent Valley Village forum that he was running to provide better representation for residents at "a city hall that doesn't know the Valley exists."

But in a race with visible neighborhood advocates including Mary Benson of Sun Valley, Michael McCue of Studio City and Pete Sanchez of Valley Village, their rivals have continually returned to the residency issue.

Candidate Frank Sheftel argues that 2nd District credentials have become the defining issue of the contest: "If you have no roots or ties to a community, how can you represent that community?" said Sheftel, who owns the Candy Factory in North Hollywood. "The voice of the community is going to be muffled."

At a Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn. forum last week, candidate Tamar Galatzan, who has faced criticism for attempting to leave her L.A. school board seat after just two years, demanded that Essel list 2nd District neighborhood meetings she attended before becoming a candidate. "I have never seen you in the community," Galatzan, a deputy city attorney who works out of Van Nuys, told Essel during the event.

Essel, who offered to show her skeptics her apartment's utility bill at an earlier forum, noted that the distance between her old house and the 2nd District border was just a mile. "I lived in the Valley over 35 years, I bought my first home in this district, and I'm very proud to be here," she said.

At the same event, Benson, a member of the Sun Valley Area Neighborhood Council, asked Essel to assure voters that she would keep the borders of the 2nd District in the Valley during the upcoming redistricting process -- alluding to her concern that district lines might be drawn to include Essel's previous home. Essel, who has been endorsed by Greuel, said she saw no reason to expand the district beyond the Valley.

Krekorian deflects complaints about his move by noting that his Assembly district overlaps part of the 2nd District: "I'm not parachuting in from West L.A. or something," he said at a recent Valley Village candidate event. "This is a place that I shop and spend my time, so the idea that I'm an outsider coming into this -- even though I represented one-third of the people in the 2nd Council District -- is ridiculous."

The sparring between Krekorian, who has raised $158,000, and Essel, who has received $294,000, has grown heated in the final weeks.

Playing on the contempt for City Hall in a district where community activists have waged high-profile battles against Home Depot in Sunland-Tujunga and a 229-home development that would replace the Verdugo Hills Golf Course, Krekorian has tried to cast Essel as a "downtown political insider" because of her past service on the city's Community Redevelopment Agency board and the Board of Airport Commissioners.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

The Day Before The Day

by Paul Hatfield

The endorsements are in, the mailers have been sent, the pamphlets delivered and the robocalls…well, they will continue.

We will either cast a vote for the good of Los Angeles, or we will vote for Krekorian or Essel.

This election is about leadership.

Krekorian is the product of gerrymandering, as are most all of the Assembly Members. He follows the lead of Karen Bass, daring not to defy her on any vote. He is supported by the most powerful civilian union, the SEIU. When you accept that union’s endorsement, you mortgage your soul.

Krekorian, then, is tailor made for the City Council’s unanimity. He will follow the lead of Garcetti and the others who call the shots. That is the only model of governance Krekorian knows.

Essel is Wendy Greuel’s Gunga Din . She will be loyal to her until the end; the perfect ally for Wendy’s Mayoral aspirations. Wendy does not want to risk her seat to anyone who might either impede her objective or support another Council Member with the same dream of securing the top job in the city.

Any of the other eight candidates stand a reasonable chance of being independent. If elected, they will be pressured to vote with the majority on key issues. Some of them may elect to do so, but they will at least insist on concessions.

Krekorian said that “this is not the time for amateurs.” Aside from the blatant arrogance of that statement, it invites an alternative question: what have the professionals accomplished?

One of my favorite sports movies is “The Replacements.” It was about a ragtag group of former college football players and castoffs who fill in for striking NFL players. They go on to win the division championship for the franchise against a team that has already settled with its striking players.

Call me a romanticist if you want, but this election could result in a similar upset.

Campaign for L.A. City Council gets topical

From the Daily News

Station Fire and water main breaks add new issues to Valley race.

By Rick Orlov, Staff Writer

Two events came together in recent weeks to elevate the importance of Tuesday's special election to replace Wendy Greuel on the Los Angeles City Council.

The Station Fire, which has scorched more than 160,000 acres, serves as a searing reminder of the importance of the Los Angeles Fire Department, even as budget problems threaten to reduce its responsiveness.

Several broken water mains, including one on Coldwater Canyon that disrupted traffic for more than a week and another in Valley Village that stopped water service to residents for several days, showed the demand to repair an aging city infrastructure.

"We've finally cleared out most of the smoke," said Mary Benson, of Sun Valley, one of the seven self-styled grass-roots candidates in the race to fill out the last two years of Greuel's term after her election as City Controller.

"I think all these were a wake-up call to voters and shows the need to elect someone new. To me, the lesson of the fire is that we need to make sure that Los Angeles plays better with other jurisdictions. What I saw was a communications breakdown where the agencies weren't getting information out to the public."

There are 10 candidates in the race, with most saying they expect a runoff on Dec. 8 among the top two vote-getters. Salary for the job is $178,789 a year.

You can read the rest of this story HERE.

Krekorian Poised for Runoff Election

From the Glendale News Press

By Zain Shauk

Many believe local assemblyman has name, funds to get significant support in a tight race.

Democratic Assemblyman Paul Krekorian will make his final campaign push for Los Angeles City Council over the weekend in advance of an election Tuesday that could spur a race to replace him.

Krekorian is one of 10 candidates vying to take over for now-L.A. City Controller Wendy Greuel as the city’s representative for Council District 2, which sweeps across the San Fernando Valley from Sherman Oaks to Tujunga.

He is considered one of three front-runners, and many observers expect him to be one of the top two vote-getters Tuesday, which would qualify him for a runoff election Dec. 8.

Any candidate receiving more than 50% of the vote Tuesday could be elected outright, but most consider that scenario unlikely as each of the so-called big three candidates for the spot have received significant support and endorsements in an increasingly tight race.

Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education member Tamar Galatzan and former California Film Commission chairwoman and Paramount Pictures executive Christine Essel are the other two candidates with the name recognition and financial backing necessary to win the electorate, observers said.

But the community activists who make up the other seven candidates are gaining ground too, with one, Pete Sanchez, winning the endorsement of the Los Angeles Daily News.

Other candidates are making inroads in debates and community meetings, observers said.

Still, the reputations and campaign budgets of Krekorian, Galatzan and Essel will be hard for the other candidates to overcome, said Joe Barrett, president of the Sunland-Tujunga Alliance and manager of a blog that has been monitoring election developments.

“It’s really a name-recognition and money factor,” Barrett said.

Krekorian is a familiar face in the valley after having represented a portion of Council District 2 in Sacramento, since the area overlaps with his 43rd Assembly District, residents and business leaders said.

His work on legislation to promote in-state film production, among other achievements, has earned him points among valley residents, said Victor Viereck, president of the Universal City North Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

But the other top fundraisers — Essel led all candidates as of Sept. 5 with $247,421, followed by Krekorian’s $135,739 and $70,321 for Galatzan — have also earned major support.

Essel won the endorsement of Greuel and the Los Angeles Times. Galatzan was also endorsed by the Daily News and has the support of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.

Krekorian’s supporters include Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, the Sierra Club and the Los Angeles County Democratic Party.

Although he has drawn criticism for “carpetbagging” and moving to Valley Glen from his former residence in Burbank in advance of the L.A. city clerk’s filing deadline, even one of his fiercest opponents admitted that he would likely do well in the election.

“Everybody seems to think he has a good shot at it,” said Jane Barnett, chairwoman of the Los Angeles County Republican Party.

Barnett has criticized Krekorian for trying to leave his post in the Assembly midway through his second term, but would not say whether she would rather see him win in Los Angeles — vacating the seat and creating the possibility of a Republican replacement — or return to serving the 43rd District.

“I’d rather see him go to Arizona, myself,” she said.

Republicans are already gearing up for a campaign to replace Krekorian, should he be elected to the council, hoping to take over a Democratic-leaning district.

Lee Wochner, a founding member of the Burbank Democratic Club and a member of the state Democratic Party’s central committee, said potential candidates were lining up to keep the district in the party’s hands, although they were first focused on seeing Krekorian succeed, he said.

“I think people are waiting to see what happens on the 22nd and after that in December,” he said.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

SOHA Video of Candidate Forum

Courtesy of Michael Cohen
Part One


Part Two

Pre-election fornicating? A land speculator throws his weight around in Council District 2 Election

from the LA Weekly
by Paul Teetor

A small-scale blueprint of everything that's wrong with L.A. City Hall politics will be on display tonight at a Catholic church in Valley Glen, a community near Victory Boulevard and Laurel Canyon Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley:

Tonight, a land speculator who is pushing for a huge, big-money complex in Valley Glen will be romancing three Los Angeles City Council District 2 candidates who have accepted scads of special interest money for the election next Tuesday, September 22.

Together tonight with the speculator, Dasher Lawless Inc.-- (and no, we are not kidding about that name) -- the three candidates will freeze out seven other legitimate candidates running for the council seat. Most of these seven are serious activists with long histories of addressing problems in the San Fernando Valley. But none of the seven, apparently, are palatable to land speculator Dasher Lawless.

All summer, these Valley residents, who some call the Grass Roots 7 candidates, have been urging Valley voters to select one among them on September 22, in order to balance out what they, and many voters, see as a bought-and-sold Los Angeles City Council.

The seven Valley civic activists -- Mary Bernson, Pete Sanchez, Zuma Dogg (David Saltsburg) Michael McCue, Josef Essavi, Frank Sheftel and Augusto Bisani -- have talked a lot this summer about the incestuous relationship between special interests, developers and City Hall. Some of them are openly disgusted that a big developer is holding a closed-door meeting at a church to rub elbows with the three candidates being backed by special interest money: Christine Essel, Paul Krekorian and Tamar Galatzan.

"I have to admit I'm surprised we pulled the bed covers back and found them fornicating even before they have the marriage license," says Council District 2 candidate Frank Sheftel.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

CD2 Special Election Voting Information

From OurLA.org

by Chelsea Cody

IMPORTANT COUNCIL DISTRICT 2 SPECIAL ELECTION INFORMATION

Election Night Poll Results:

On September 22, 2009, the Los Angeles City Clerk will produce periodic Election Night bulletins with unofficial results for the City of Los Angeles Council District 2 Special Election.
The bulletins containing votes cast for candidates for Councilmember, Council District 2 will be released throughout election night beginning at approximately 8:30 p.m.

The first bulletin will contain information on the Vote-By-Mail ballots received prior to Election Day; subsequent bulletins will contain ongoing results from the at polls ballots.

You can also obtain election results throughout Election Night on Los Angeles CityView
Channel 35 and on the Election Division website.

Polling Place Information:

All registered voters are encouraged to review their Official Sample Ballot before going to vote on Tuesday, September 22, 2009. The location of your polling place can be found on the back cover of your Official Sample Ballot.
If you would like to obtain more information about your polling place, you can use the polling place locator here or review the City Clerk's list of polling places, here.

Election events open to the public and residents of CD2:

The following events will take place at the Election Division of the City Clerk’s Office located at:

Piper Technical Center

555 Ramirez Street, Space 375

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Pre-election: Vote-By-Mail Inspection and Tally

Vote-By-Mail Ballot Inspection will take place on Saturday, September 19 from 8:30 a.m. to approximately 6 p.m. and will continue until noon on Tuesday, September 22.

The tally of Vote-By-Mail ballots will begin the afternoon of September 22; however, the results of the Vote-By-Mail tally will not be released until after the polls have closed on Tuesday, September 22, 2009. The first bulletin announcing unofficial results of Vote-By-Mail ballots should happen around 8:30 p.m. the evening of September 22.

Election Day: September 22nd Special Election Events

The polls will open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. The completed precinct ballots will begin arriving at Piper Technical Center approximately 8:30 p.m. Precinct Ballot Inspection will begin at 8:30 p.m. and continue until the last precinct ballots arrive, anticipated to be between approximately 11 p.m. and midnight. Ballots will be tallied as they complete the inspection process.

Election Night Tours

On Election Night, a limited number of van tours will be conducted by the Office of the City Clerk - Election Division that will “follow the ballots” from the Election Division at Piper Technical Center to a polling place, and then back to Piper Technical Center. The tours will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Election Night, September 22. For more information call (213) 978-0418.

Post-election: Official Canvass

The Official Canvass of the Council District 2 Special Election will begin on September 23, from approximately 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and will continue through the end of the election process, the Certification of the Election.

The Official Canvass includes Vote-By-Mail Verification, Write-In Ballot Canvass, Manual One-Percent Recount, and add-in Ballot Canvass including all Provisional Ballots.

By law, the Official Canvass must be completed on or before October 13, 2009.

Video of SOHA Candidate Forum

On Wednesday, Sept 16, the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association sponsored a candidates forum. Video of the entire event is now online HERE.

Valley Glen Activists Endorse Krekorian

from Mayor Sam

A large group of Valley Glen activists and community leaders have just endorsed CD2 candidate Paul Krekorian. You can read their letter HERE.

Is the Catholic Church Meddling in Los Angeles City Council District 2 Special Election?

from the LA Weekly
by Paul Teetor

Most Angelenos have no clue that a key political post in City Hall is up for grabs -- the lucrative $178,789 job of representing City Council District 2 in the San Fernando Valley. Yet the outcome of the September 22 special election could determine whether the feisty Valley is represented by a feisty civic leader -- or by an entrenched insider who mimics the City Council, which has been jamming the Valley with high-rises and big box stores and reducing its open space.

Seven non-establishment, neighborhood activists are running -- all in hopes of stopping the special interest candidates Christine Essel and Paul Krekorian, both of whom moved to the Valley solely to run for the highest paying City Council job in America.

Today, tensions broke out as the sleaze factor took another big jump, with carpetbagger candidate Krekorian, a Burbank lawyer, at the center of it. It turns out that a highly dubious $15,000 is being spent to praise Krekorian -- but it's not properly labeled a campaign ad.

Now, in another troubling new twist, the legitimate Valley civic activists running for this council seat want to know why a Catholic church is promoting special-interest types Krekorian and Essel.

Is the Catholic Church now deciding who the real candidates are in this activist hotbed of the San Fernando Valley?

CD 2 candidate Frank Sheftel, a longtime Valley activist, discovered that a candidate debate Friday night at St. Jane Francis De Chantal Church in Valley Glen quietly invited only the three candidates raking in special interest dough: Westsider and businesswoman Essel, Burbank politician Krekorian, and a third candidate, Los Angeles Unified School Board Member Tamar Galatzan.

Don't be surprised if some of the "Grass Roots 7" candidates running for the CD 2 seat, including respected civic leaders Pete Sanchez, Mary Benson, Mike McCue and Josef Essavi, crash this strange, secretive Friday night party at the Catholic church. (And who knows what to expect from activist and candidate Zuma Dogg, who crashes events as a matter of course?)

It all started when candidate Frank Sheftel got a flier inviting people to "Come meet the top 3 at the final meet and greet of the campaign. Meet Christine Essel, Paul Krekorian and Tamar Galatzan."

Sheftel, an activist during the Valley Secession movement who doesn't take kindly to back-room deals, demanded to be included in the debate apparently sponsored by the Valley Glen Neighborhood Association, as listed on the flier. But Sheftel says he is being told it is a strictly private event not being sponsored by the Valley Glen Neighborhood Association.

A private election debate? Then who is sponsoring it?

Read the rest of this story HERE.

Eight Candidates Scare LA City Hall

from the LA Weekly
by Paul Teetor

The votes that really count are in, and the winner is MayorSam.com. In a special election next week, San Fernando Valley voters will choose from 10 candidates, two of whom are expected to face each other in a December runoff for Los Angeles City Council District 2. But perhaps a more lasting result of this hotly battled race, whose winner will enjoy fiefdomlike powers over development and land use in much of the Valley, has been the near-absence of media, who abdicated covering their own backyards, and the entry into that news vacuum by blogs.

“I read MayorSam every day,” says Jozef Essavi, a 35-year-old real estate broker running for the powerful City Council seat left vacant by Wendy Greuel, who was elected in March as city controller. “The blogs have easily had the best coverage of this race.”

Other candidates agree.

“I look at MayorSam and some other blogs most days,” says Valley Village activist Pete Sanchez, 46, who is also vying for the council opening. “It’s different from reading the papers. . When I read the blogs, I have to remember the writer has a favorite candidate and it’s seeping into the coverage.”

The political blogs are even sparking cyber-gossip.

“I got a call from someone saying the blogs are buzzing that Zuma Dogg dissed [me], saying, ‘How dare Mary Benson refer to me as living in a cardboard box?’ ” says Mary Benson, a 61-year-old community activist from Shadow Hills. “So now, I’m reading the blogs.”

In addition to MayorSam, edited by Michael Higby and widely read by civic activists, neighborhood groups, interested voters and other media, there’s extensive coverage in blog posts at RonKayeLA.com, Village to Village at phinvv.wordpress.com and cd2election.blogspot.com. Collectively, they are part of a sea of change: News about a significant city race whose outcome could alter the 15-member City Council, by ushering in an activist not beholden to big business or big labor, is being dominated by bloggers like former Valley newspaper executive Ron Kaye and certified public accountant Paul Hatfield, of Village to Village.

They and others have set the tone, raised the key questions and demanded answers — formerly the roles of L.A.’s now-disinterested major media.

The Times has written only four stories on the special election, most of them lacking any serious meat. Then, last Saturday, the paper issued its opinion-page endorsement of a well-funded carpetbagger candidate, Christine Essel, who moved to Council District 2 and into the Valley solely to run for the lucrative $178,789-a-year job.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

Prominent Sunland-Tujunga Activists Endorse Galatzan

A significant number of Sunland-Tujunga activists and community leaders have just endorsed Tamar Galatzan as their choice to represent CD2. You can read their letter of endorsement HERE.

A Summer Night in Sherman Oaks: Home Stretch for the Forums

by Paul Hatfield

A near capacity crowd greeted the ten candidates at the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council candidate forum held at the Sherman Oaks Elementary School.

The weather was comfortable, but the candidates added some stormy turbulence.

Former Assembly Member Richard Katz handled the moderating honors with aplomb.

The opening statements were by now almost automatic, but some new information trickled in.

Peter Sanchez got right to details when he mentioned his efforts to fight SB1818 developments and mansionization in Valley Village.

Paul Krekorian qualified the extent of his involvement in CD2, stating that he represented about one-third of the District in the Assembly. I will credit him for being transparent on that point.

Joe Essavi, the big guy, received strong applause when he stated he would take a $90,000 cut in salary and turn it over to the Neighborhood Council system.

The first question related to the fiscal crisis, which is always my personal favorite.

What would the candidates do to balance the budget?

There were several worthwhile suggestions.

Tamar Galatzan emphasized prioritization and provided an explicit example of a cut – a commission with seventeen members.

Chris Essel supported employees contributing more to their retirement plans.

Michael McCue recommended terminating the costly elephant enclosure project at the LA Zoo, also stating that the animal has been driven out of his mind. I might add that elephant has plenty of company in that regard.

Joe Essavi came up with the most revolutionary idea. He suggested making “job-hopping candidates” pay for the cost of the special elections required to backfill their seats.

Read the rest of Paul's report HERE.

Patsaouras Endorses Galatzan

Former City Controller Candidate and DWP Commission President Nick Patsaouras has endorsed Tamar Galatzan for the vacant CD 2 Council Seat. Last year Patsaouras and Galatzan worked closely together to persuade the DWP to give up its opposition to allowing solar power at LAUSD schools.

"I am honored to have the support of Nick Patsaouras," said Galatzan. "He is one of the rare public officials in Los Angeles willing to challenge the status quo when the occasion warrants. I look forward to working with him on changing the priorities of the DWP."

The Election for CD2 is Next Week!

September 22 is coming up fast! Now is the time for every CD2 resident, whether you are a member of a HOA or a NC or a private citizen who cares about CD2, to rally the troops to get out and vote next week! This election will put a representative for CD2 on more than just the City Council. The elected rep will also be on the ever so important PLUM (Planning and Land Use Management) committee, and will be chair of the Education and Neighborhoods Committee (which oversees neighborhood council issues for City Council).

Start sending those emails, making those phone calls, and urging everyone you know or even don't know, to make it to the polls next Tuesday! Let's not let this election be a dismal turn-out. The stakes are just too high for CD2.

LA Times Endorses Christine Essel

from the LA Times

The former Paramount Pictures Corp. executive understands the private sector but knows her way around the city bureaucracy.

There is a palpable weariness in much of Los Angeles of the professional candidate -- the politician who wins election to an office, then leaves it to run for another, seemingly with the sole object of keeping his or her career going. Such candidates often seem so plugged in to a network of consultants, slate mail specialists, fundraisers, city contractors and mutual endorsements from others just like them that their elections appear inevitable, even if their records of accomplishment are scant. It would be refreshing, exciting even, to identify and support a candidate who emerges from grass-roots or neighborhood activism and takes on the political establishment.

Many insurgent candidates try to take that role, especially in special elections such as the Sept. 22 race to fill the 2nd District City Council seat that Wendy Greuel left earlier this year after her election as city controller. Turnout for such races is historically light, and it's theoretically possible for a nontraditional candidate to win the few thousand votes it may take to land a spot in a runoff, even without a huge fundraising network or a well-honed get-out-the-vote effort.

But such candidates too often fail to impress, including a few in this election. Some have little going for them beyond a general dissatisfaction with the status quo. Others come armed with vague conspiracy and corruption theories about City Hall, or arguments based on a couple of newspaper clippings, or a rote ideological challenge to capitalism, immigration or the labor movement. It's fine to say, "I've lived here my whole life, got fed up and finally decided to do something about it," but it's not, by itself, sufficient for a serious run for office. Voters should demand that a candidate offer a coherent critique of the current state of government, a program for making improvements and a convincing argument as to why the candidate's particular experience and talents make him or her the best choice for the job.

Still, the caliber of grass-roots candidates appears to be steadily improving. Several in this special election -- although by no means all -- exhibit an admirable grasp of City Hall's processes and failings, and insight into how to make things better. Businessman Frank Sheftel brings disarming candor, Mary Benson an admirable record of neighborhood activism, Josef Essavi -- whom this page endorsed in his run earlier this year for the Community College District Board of Trustees -- and Pete Sanchez an impressive knowledge of the city. David Saltsburg, better known as Zuma Dogg, is almost always irritating, as befits his role as City Hall gadfly, but occasionally right on target about what ails Los Angeles. None, though, makes the case that he or she is prepared to represent the interests of more than a quarter-million people, keep the city solvent and help steer a path toward the future.

Nor is it easy to get too excited by the traditional candidates. Paul Krekorian has served just three years in the Assembly, Tamar Galatzan two on the Los Angeles Unified school board, and it's difficult to identify sufficient accomplishments in those jobs to warrant such an early switch to a new one.

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

KRLA Candidate Forum: Round Two

You can listen to part two of KRLA's (9/10/09) candidate forum HERE.

NAWBO Endorses Essel

The Los Angeles Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners has just announced their endorsement of CD2 candidate, Chris Essel.

“As a business organization focused on propelling women into economic, social and political spheres of power, we are proud to support Chris as a candidate for Los Angeles City Council. We believe that Chris is a business-friendly candidate whose priorities in the areas of public safety, education and economic development are very much in sync with our public policy agenda as an organization,” said NAWBO-LA Board President, Jane Skeeter.

Founded in 1979, NAWBO-LA represents the interests of over 500,000 women-owned businesses in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area and works to ensure that women entrepreneurs become a public policy voice to be reckoned with, a formidable economic force, and effective agents for change in the dynamic business environment that is Southern California.

KRLA Forum: Round Two

By Paul Hatfield

Kevin James announced that Paul Krekorian could not participate because he was on the floor of the Assembly where the final bills of the session were being considered.

Later in the program, Kevin stated he had heard that the session had actually ended prior to the start of the show. However, he did not believe Krekorian was attempting to duck the broadcast.

He did eventually reach the Assemblyman off the air. Other interview arrangements would be made for another day.

The opening comments were fairly typical with little new information.

Zuma Dogg did say he would allow the Neighborhood Councils to select a staff member and bring in an investigator with media experience to look for corruption.

Augusto Bisani stated the need to bring jobs back to Los Angeles; despite Krekorian’s claim to that effect, there have been no results.

Michael McCue blamed the Democratic Party controlled City Council for the city’s problems and said clean campaign money is the only way to rectify the situation.

The three candidates were presented with the same question regarding infrastructure as was asked last night: in view of the fires and water main failures, what would you do to start solving the city’s infrastructure problems?

McCue emphasized the need to fund infrastructure before anything else. It is a matter of safety. He implied that a 50% cut in Council Member pay would be a gesture, something that Krekorian is not willing to do.

Bisani said the city needs to have a system to inspect infrastructure. He also claimed the city did not institute evacuations until after 50,000 acres had burned in the Station Fire.

Zuma Dogg indicated that priorities are not properly evaluated. He used Measure B as an example –why was the Council concerned with solar panels when the infrastructure was aging?

Kevin then asked specific questions of each candidate.

To read the rest of Paul's report, go HERE.

We will post a link to the KRLA candidates forum, part 2, as soon as they make it available.

KRLA CD2 Candidates Forum

KRLA host Kevin James held part 1 of 2 candidate forums on his radio show Wednesday night.This first forum features CD2 candidates Tamar Galatzan, Joe Essavi, Frank Sheftel, Pete Sanchez and Mary Benson. Thursday's forum will feature David Saltsburg, Paul Krekorian, Michael McCue, and Augusto Bisani.

You can listen to part 1 HERE.

Carpetbagging for Cash in L.A. Council District 2

from the LA Weekly
by Jason Mandell

Eight committed San Fernando Valley activists try to stop two monied outsiders


Paul Krekorian is what some call a career politician, having lost two elections before finally parlaying a spot on the Burbank Board of Education into a seat in the California Assembly. Christine Essel is a Hollywood power player who has chaired big business boards and has never run for office.

Both have recently moved into the fiercely independent San Fernando Valley in hopes of nabbing the only spot open on the highest-paid city council in America. It’s a $178,789-a-year plum job that comes with eight free cars and a huge staff — and is worth some $2.5 million to $3 million to whoever wins a 12-year stint (assuming voters don’t oust them later).

Essel and Krekorian represent a rare — and maybe the very first — effort by dueling factions of the downtown establishment to stack a Valley race with two, monied, non-Valley residents and thus try to ensure that a non-Valley outsider wins and controls the powerful seat.

Essel is backed by ex-mayor and Brentwood resident Richard Riordan and is expected to get Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s nod. But that’s not much of a plus among residents fed up with Villaraigosa, who failed to win 50 percent of the vote last March in numerous CD 2 precincts in Valley Village, Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys and Sunland-Tujunga.

Krekorian is backed by SEIU, the state’s powerful, public employees union, whose successful pressure on Villaraigosa and the City Council to raise city-worker salaries and increase taxes and fees on Angelenos has created tense relations with tax-averse Valley residents, who distrust SEIU. The negative reactions to Essel and Krekorian and their backers are fueling hopes that two of the eight other contenders — none of them carpetbaggers and all of them winning strong applause at candidate forums — will prevail in an election set for September 22, and that two genuine Valley residents will face each other in a runoff on December 8.

Mary Benson, a respected community organizer from Shadow Hills, who is running and enjoys high name recognition, says, “This may be the race where money does not buy the votes and commitment earns the votes.”

Zuma Dogg (David Saltsburg), a rowdy City Hall activist who is also running, and has provoked big laughs and applause at well-attended candidate debates, warns that Christine Essel will be driven by the powers that be. “She has a history of going along for the ride,” Dogg notes.

Pete Sanchez, a candidate from Valley Village, who has impressed observers and was endorsed by the L.A. Daily News, as was Studio City candidate Tamar Galatzan, says Paul Krekorian is “leaving his job during the worst crisis that has faced us in our generation.”

Krekorian, a silver-haired Burbank attorney who recently moved inside L.A. city limits, is trying to ditch Sacramento just six months after being re-elected. In Burbank he pulled a similar disappearing act, dealing with a fiscal emergency in Burbank schools — but then leaving his post empty to run for the Assembly.

If he jumps jobs again, Krekorian will cause a special election to fill his vacant spot in the state Assembly — creating a new cost to taxpayers of roughly $1 million. “Taxpayers are funding ambition,” says Michael McCue, a Studio City Neighborhood Council member who is also running and has gained praise for his upbeat attitude about saving Valley neighborhoods. “People feel ripped off.”

To read the rest of Jason's story, go HERE.

KRLA Candidate Forum: Round One

by Paul Hatfield

This was easily one of the best forums of the campaign. My complements to Kevin James for intelligent questions and moving the discussion along.

After the customary introductions, Kevin’s first question concerned the city’s infrastructure in wake of fires and water main ruptures. Everyone expressed disgust with the DWP for its neglect, but no one addressed the issue of allowing development in fire zones.

Peter Sanchez also mentioned transformers that exploded in last year’s heat wave and the need to halt cash transfers from the DWP to the general fund. Tamar Galatzan, Frank Sheftel and Joe Essavi also stressed the need to stop the transfers. Mary Benson talked of her volunteer time to rescue animals in the Station Fire and her support of a DWP rate payer advocate.

Frank Sheftel answered a question about whether his ownership of a medical marijuana dispensary could be viewed as an impediment to supporting the laws of the city. He said it would not and wants to see stricter controls over dispensaries.

Tamar was asked whether it would be right for her to run given the condition of the LAUSD. She said the reason she ran for the School Board was to fight the very problems that plagued the system for years. She mentioned her stand against allowing full time benefits for part time workers, which she viewed as fiscally irresponsible, and putting computers in all of the classrooms in the Valley.

All of the candidates unequivocally supported Carmen Trutanich’s plan to aggressively prosecute taggers.

Frank Sheftel suggested cameras at select popular graffiti targets. Tamar Galatzan said the LAPD would not have the resources to monitor cameras.

Peter Sanchez and Mary Benson stressed the need for community involvement no matter how the city dealt with it. Peter cited how the parents of Colfax Charter School in Valley Village came together to paint over graffiti immediately after it was discovered on the campus. Mary Benson cited her experience with working with Sun Valley Graffiti Busters.

The next question was one of the best of the evening. Kevin James asked each of the candidates what were some of the City Council decisions where they disagreed with the outcomes.

To read the rest of Paul's report, go HERE.

CNA Endorses Krekorian

Paul Krekorian has just picked up another endorsement, this one coming from the California Nurses Association. The CNA is the largest such consortium in the state.

“It is clear to us – from both his experience and his support - that Paul will be the best representative for the Valley,” said Jill Furillo, CAN’s Southern California director. “We believe that Paul will do an excellent job in representing the Valley on health, labor and women’s issues to increase the standard of living for Registered Nurses and all residents throughout Los Angeles.”

The California Nurses Association, and its national arm, the National Nurses Organizing Committee, is one of the nation’s premiere nurses’ organizations and health care unions. One of the fastest growing health care organizations in the U.S., CNA/NNOC presently has 86,000 members in 50 states, representing nurses at scores of hospitals, clinics, and home health agencies. Since 2000, over 19,000 RNs at 50 hospitals have elected to affiliate with CNA.

9 of 10 CD2 Candidates Sound Off On KRLA

From OurLA.org
Written by Chelsea Cody

Nine of the ten CD2 candidates will be discussing what is at stake in the special election to fill the council district 2 seat previouly held by City Controller Wendy Greuel with KRLA host Kevin James.
The radio forum will be live on the air from 9 to 10:30 p.m. on September 9 and 10 during on 870 KRLA.
Would you mind posting an announcement about it on your blog and with your cd2 coverage?

The Wednesday night lineup includes Sanchez, Galatzan, Essavi, Sheftel and Benson, followed by McCue, Zuma Dogg, Krekorian and Bisani Thursday.

Candidate Christine Essel was the only candidate to turn down the opportunity to participate in the forum. She is also the only candidate who has not conducted a 30 minute inteview with James.

If you would like to know more about Kevin James or his radio show, visit the 870 KRLA site here.

Daily News Endorses Galatzan & Sanchez

from the Daily News

TRADITIONALLY, the Daily News editorial board has approached election endorsements by picking the outstanding candidate or one side of an initiative.

For the special election to fill the open City Council seat in District 2, however, we've decided to take a different approach in recognition of a unique race. We're endorsing the candidates we'd like to see in the runoff race that's sure to follow the Sept. 22 election. There are 10 solid candidates - two of whom currently hold public office, one who has the support of Hollywood and the city's big money political brokers, the rest community activists each with loyal constituencies across this diverse district. The likelihood of one candidate waking away with 50 percent of the vote is slim.

The Daily News editorial board met with the 10 candidates individually, interviewing them on their experience, their grasp of CD2-specific issues and their ideas for fixing some of the city's most pressing issues. In addition to figuring out where they stand on development, billboards, business taxes and other issues, we were examining their answers and manner to understand the candidates' deeper reason for entering this race. L.A. City Council seats are plum positions with high visibility, an annual salary currently at $178,000, great perks and a virtual guarantee of a job for 12 years. As such, they draw career politicians more interested in advancing their careers to compete against those who are motivated to make the district community a better place.

It's impossible for any voter or journalist to know the true motives of every political candidate, but history counts. That's why we're hoping that voters put candidates Tamar Galatzan and Pete Sanchez into the runoff race. Both candidates are intelligent, articulate and have long years of political and community activism in the district and they represent the values that characterize the Valley - neighborhood empowerment, fiscal responsibility, support of local business, education and public safety.

To read the rest of the story go HERE.

If the Mailer Is a Hit, You Must Throw a Fit

by Paul Hatfield

It is not often I get to paraphrase the late Johnny Cochrane’s famous argument from the OJ Simpson trial.

It seemed fitting here.

As we all anticipated, it was just a matter of time before the first campaign hit piece found its way into our mailboxes. We should not be surprised that it was Chris Essel that fired the first salvo.

Mailers cost money; Essel has it.

She probably has enough by now to carpet bomb all of the candidates, their children, grandchildren and several generations of their descendents.

Essel’s Jeopardy-themed piece that pinned unconfirmed scandals on Krekorian and Galatzan was far more imaginative than her bland corporate look mailers featuring close-ups of Wendy Greuel and Chris. Far more imaginative indeed, but how much of it was a stretch of the imagination?

More importantly, how will Krekorian and Galatzan respond?

I am a proponent of the “best defense is a strong offense” school of politics. It is also more cost effective when you can’t match your opponent’s resources.

Why waste money on fighting questionable accusations when the attacker has skeletons in the closet ripe for exploiting: developer money, Westside and downtown connections and a story on why she supported SB1818 that does not hold water?

There is no time for defense with the election just a couple of weeks away.

Next week’s forums should make all the previous ones look like skirmishes.

The High Cost of Special Interest-Owned Vs. Voter-Owned Elections

Or

Why is Council File #05-1536,
A motion for Clean Money/Fair Elections Reform,
now gathering dust on the shelf…?

By Michael McCue

(NOTE: What used to be known as “Clean Money” Election Reform is now being referred to as “Fair Elections Reform” so please understand that these terms are interchangeable in the following piece. I use the term “Clean Money” in order to be historically accurate for the term used at the time the motion was originally introduced back in 2005.)

Allow me, please, to reveal the story of how hopes for true Election Reform in Los Angeles were dashed by a hypocritical masquerade of “keen interest” in the subject, followed by the official “dropping of the ball” and lack of follow-through that typifies so many in a long line of the mayor’s and city council’s leadership failures.

Basically, Clean Money Elections Reform, also known as Fair Elections Reform, creates a system of public funding so that grassroots candidates (that are qualified) are given matching funds to put them on an equal footing financially with the private, special interest-money candidates in our city elections.

A reform that could have a great impact in the special election for CD-2, that is, if Fair Elections reforms were already in place (sorry, grassroots candidates!)

“Clean Money” or “Fair” Elections have been successfully adopted by the states of Arizona and Maine and in both of those states, this reform has revitalized their state politics, creating opportunities for service that never existed before across all party lines.

Thanks to Clean Money, elected representatives have been freed from the burden of time-consuming and constant fundraising, so that elected reps can concentrate on their constituents’ needs, instead of dialing-for-dollars all day long, or maybe only 89% of the time, like our Mayor.

For states like Arizona and Maine and cities like Portland, and certain races in North Carolina, this Fair Election reform became a method for improving their representation immensely and also created a working model for other cities and states to emulate.

Hearing the call for reform (which used to be a tad louder than it is today), in July of 2005, Council Members Eric Garcetti, Bill Rosendahl and Wendy Greuel, introduced the “Full Public Financing” motion—a Clean Money/Fair Elections reform, which would reward candidates for having the best vision for their city--instead of the best fundraising abilities. Implementation of Clean Money/Fair Elections would “improve the public’s perceptions about the city and the actual operations of the city,” they said.

Honest, community-based public servants would actually have a shot at winning a race instead of surrendering to the richest politician with the biggest war chest.

Think of it!

A system of election reform that would finally help equalize the funding for the community-supported candidates and would allow all candidates to spend more time talking to voters about their concerns--rather than to special interest contributors (many of whom live outside the areas the candidates seek to represent anyway).

Wouldn’t that be great?

A system that provides adequate funding to qualified, grassroots candidates for mounting citywide campaigns which will produce competitive elections—elections that will provide citizens in Los Angeles with real choices about the leadership and direction of the city.

Wouldn’t that be great?

Community leaders--who otherwise wouldn’t think of running for City office because of the exorbitant amounts of money involved--could actually make a solid go of it.

But will it work in L.A.?

In 2006, with the help of the League of Women Voters and the California Clean Money Campaign (now known as the Fair Elections Campaign), D.O.N.E. (now known as EmpowerLA!) sponsored an educational program to be put together to introduce Clean Money/Fair Elections reforms to the City of Los Angeles.

In 2007, D.O.N.E. sent a letter out to all of our NC’s, asking them to participate in this Education & Feedback Project regarding election reform.

This is the only instance I know of where the City Council actually sent a letter asking our NC’s for their opinion on any city-wide issue.

Back then, as a Clean Money supporter and workshop assistant, I immediately organized a presentation for our SCNC’s Government Affairs Committee and worked intensely with them to answer many questions including;

Should L.A. have Clean Money elections?

How should candidates qualify for matching funds?

What should a candidate’s seed money levels be to qualify?

Should only contributions from inside or outside the district be allowed?

What should the caps on spending be?...etc...

An in-depth response was required and many of our NC’s undertook this task with due diligence and hammered out their recommendations for Election Reform, hopeful that this first ever, city-wide referendum of the NC’s would bear fruit.

CD-2 Neighborhood Councils that participated included Studio City, Van Nuys and Greater Valley Glen, who all voted to support these important election reforms.

Well, it’s now 2009. Three years have gone by with no further action from City Council, so I hope none of you were holding your breath!

Just think how enormously meaningful reform would be if it were in place right now for our candidates in the special election for CD-2!

What would happen if a level-playing field existed between the three big-money candidates in the CD-2 race and their seven community leader counterparts?

That is, if all of them had the same amount of money available for their campaigns—do you think the campaign for CD-2 would be different today?

We’ll never know….but it’s not too late to ask every CD-2 candidate exactly where they stand on Clean Money/Fair Elections Reform for the City of Los Angeles.

Who knows?

Maybe this will be the last Council race where special interest, big-money candidates automatically trump the little guy. Maybe not.

Only the participation of the voters will decide what the end will be of the tale of Council File #05-1536…

(Michael McCue is a Board Member of the Studio City Neighborhood Council, serving on their government Affairs Committee and chairing their Environmental Affairs Committee. He is also the Green Party endorsed candidate in the current race for Council District #2)

SOONER, NOT LATER

by Game Theory


ONE DETECTS that opportunities are being lost in a place that doesn't ordinarily lose them: Sunland Tujunga. The time for local leaders to endorse in the CD2 race is not later, it is now.

It is now, in the immediate wake of the fire threat; it is now, before the unwelcome onslaught of direct mail; and it is especially now, now while there is a chance to influence others and thereby render an endorsement very meaningful.

Frankly, we find the reluctance to commit to a candidate now, rather than later, more than a bit puzzling in Sunland Tujunga. After all, this is the community of Bolton Hall, the Little Landers, renegade daughters, shakers and crackpots. This is the community that damns the torpedoes and steams ahead at full. What are you folks waiting for? If you've got it, flaunt it--now.

Especially those hopeful for Paul Krekorian or Tamar Galatzan and in a position to do so should consider the features and benes of endorsing now. Putting Paul over fifty, or pushing Tamar into a runoff, with him will catch the eye of your candidate as a player in the District. It will also lead others to do the same as you work for your candidate. But those who think Essel's the one should say so too, now.

And what is downside? What is the consequence of potentially alienating a runoff opponent? None at all! With three, even if your endorsement fails, your opponent knows they had better handle you with kid gloves, lest you oppose them in a runoff too. Believe me, your ex foes will only be all the happier to receive you post-election as a prospective ally. In fact, it's almost as good for you if your candidate loses!

Fortune here truly favors the brave. The reason is the fact that there are three, rather than two.

Those awful lilliputians known as political consultants see the race very differently than you might guess. They indeed now see Krekorian with a small but present chance of winning it all on September 22. They see this election splitting first by gender: men going for Krekorian and women ultimately splitting their vote between the two sharp gals with fair faces. They still see Essel in the runoff because money will make her face even sharper and fairer. But now that's no lock. They see Essel credible but hurt by her campaign manager's involvement in other races. And they see Zuma Dogg (!) as a complicating factor: if the Dogg fetches five percent, no way Krekorian fetches 50; but if the dog is held to under 4, maybe.

Benson and Sheftel are candidates with votes not to win but to lose--there's just no traction there. Benson's longtime alliance to Walter Moore is only dispiriting. And as someone once said along the trail, elections are about more than planning. Sheftel appears to be targeting 420 votes, and you can take that anyway you like. The others will form the long tail and have largely been serviceable foils to the top three names.

Those pondering endorsements in the community of Sunland Tujunga should do the following: they should call their candidate of choice and ask the campaign if their endorsement would be at all meaningful to it. They should ask for a fifteen minute meeting or phone time with the candidate, and ask sharply focused questions, stating what kind of action from the candidate might make them regret their endorsement. They should then, if sufficiently pleased, announce to the candidate that the candidate has their endorsement and may use it in any way he or she sees fit; and offer to help in anyway they can.



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Tamar Galatzan Responds to the Station Fire

Dear Friends,

As my family and I marveled at courageous firefighters on Saturday, I received a series of phone calls at home from residents of Sunland and Tujunga, whose community was threatened by the fast-moving fire.

Animal Services allegedly told community members that the Mayor himself had to authorize overtime for staff to begin rescuing animals. (I tried to reach him on his cell phone, but just got the voicemail). Furthermore, as happened in the previous fire in Chatsworth, volunteers who rescue horses and livestock were not allowed into fire areas, even though they had already been approved for that job by City fire and police resources.

LAUSD staff opened Verdugo Hills High School as a voluntary evacuation center – which came as a complete surprise to some LAUSD officials when I spoke with them — but the parking lot wasn’t opened up for evacuees. Instead, the Red Cross directed people to park on a street that serves as a major escape route. (Do you see a potential problem here?)

Neither the City nor LAUSD TV channels were provided with any information about the availability of shelters for evacuees, so I worked with KLCS, the school district’s station, to broadcast the information beginning on Sunday morning.

Here are steps that must be taken before the next disaster strikes:

We must have in place a regional emergency system, including text messages, emails, and recorded phone messages to notify residents of evacuations, escape routes, and shelter sites.

Cooperation between the fire department, animal services, transportation, and other agencies, within both the City and County, must be improved NOW.

Certified animal rescuers need badges to identify themselves and their vehicles.

Community members need to be involved with drafting an evacuation plan. They know their neighborhood better than anyone else. Let them help!

The residents of CD2 need a Councilmember with the experience and contacts to work with law enforcement, City and County agencies, LAUSD, and community groups to hammer out a plan that saves lives, property, and tax dollars.

For some homeowners, it’s too late. But for many others, we must act now.

Tamar Galatzan

Krekorian supporter smears Mary Benson

by Paul Hatfield

Update: A reader just suggested that I change the headline to “Krekorian Supporter Smears Mary Benson.” That is a fair suggestion and I have done so. Let’s see if Higby changes his headline about Benson.- Paul

At first I thought Mike Higby’s hit piece in the Mayor Sam Blog about Mary Benson was nothing more than a tempest in a teapot –something to add to the view count stat. Sure, he was quoting from Zuma Dogg’s blog, but Mike’s comments clearly indicated that he believes it.

The point Mary made was that she, too, would spend more time in City Hall if she did not have work commitments. Zuma Dogg, bless his soul, is a man of passion, but he is also very sensitive and read way too much into Benson’s remarks. Mary was not attacking the plight of the homeless.

Higby is in Krekorian’s camp and officially endorsed him many weeks ago. Krekorian, along with Essel, has paid many thousands of dollars for polling; the numbers in Sunland/Tujunga might be sobering for the runaway from Sacramento. He is concerned about his drawing power in the northern half of CD2. He needs those votes.

Mary Benson has outstanding name recognition there. She also has the reputation of one who has given back to the community many times over as a volunteer.

What better way to troll for Krekorian votes than to enlist Higby to launch a cheap attack against the neighborhood stalwart who can hurt him up north.

Those in the know will recognize Higby’s attempt as naïve and churlish.

Sheftel Creates CD-2 Live Internet Radio Show

With the Special Election for City Council District 2 being less than one month away, voters and media are now in full election mode. Seeking information on candidates, issues, ideas and solutions, Community Organizations have been holding candidate forums throughout the district.

With over one hundred and thirty thousand registered voters in the district, Mr. Sheftel seeks to give the voters every opportunity to gather information to make an informed decision on Election Day.

CD2-Live will air every Sunday evening at 8:00PM. Voters can go to blogtalkradio.com and search CD2-Live.

To speak to the Candidate or give concerns and ideas, listeners can call
1 646 478-5911. (This is not a toll free number and all callers give their consent to be recorded and used for broadcast later).

The show will be live and broadcast later on Mr. Sheftel’s web site at sheftel2009.com

Who is Joe Thomas Essavi?

I am currently serving as a Los Angeles County Commissioner, on the Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Commission and am a Two term Neighborhood Council Member, Small Business Owner, and an Education Reformer. I also served as a Former delegate to Los Angeles Congress of Neighborhood Councils and am a Controller for a Non-Profit Organization.

City of Los Angeles is at the mercy of special interests, which have infiltrated and infested the closest government to the people, namely the city government. Now every special interest group is descending on Council District 2, in order to thwart the people’s decision one more time.

I am not a career politician looking for a better paid job and as the first act as a councilmember, I will take a $90,000 annual pay cut. I am not going to return that money to city since they will waste it like everything else. Instead I will donate that to CD2's Neighborhood Council Projects.

With the new City Attorney in office, I believe we can expand gang injunctions and prosecution of graffiti artists. Being tough on crime will mean more police officers and expansion of private public partnerships to keep our kids and our homes safe from criminals. I support protecting the tax payers by protecting Prop. 13, repealing DWP and other rate and fee increases. As Vice-Chair for Planning and Land Use Committee, I have opposed high density projects and support each community's specific plans for expansion so that developers will not turn our district into New York. Traffic congestion, lack of timely services, higher costs are just few examples of these ill drawn development plans. I want to be a voice for our residents and that is why I have refused to take spcial interests money.

Politicians are now job hopping and carpetbagging and will leave the future 3 Million dollars special elections tab once again to the voters. We can hire 90 teachers with that money or keep 85 violent felons from cruising our streets. Please don't fall for the recycled repackaged politicians. We can do better. On September 22 Vote for the Average Joe, since we tried everyting else and we are now bankrupt.

Thanks,
Jozef Joe Thomas Essavi

(Joe Essavi is a candidate for CD2, and is highly respected in the district. You can visit his website at http://www.vote4essavi.com/)

Mary Benson Responds

The following is a response to a thread running on the Mayor Sam blog

To all those who read the Mayor Sam Blog:

I'm stunned that Zuma Dogg is taking my personal admission that I chose to work instead of living in a cardboard box to be a comment about HIM.

I delivered machine parts (aircraft subcontractor) by driving a delivery truck all over the City of Los Angeles. That's what I did to get enough money while I was attending Valley College. I chose to work. Before that, I worked at San Fernando High School, first in the school's employment office and then, when school let out for summer, I washed down desks. It wasn't easy. I had to pinch every penny. I spent most of the money on food for myself and two younger brothers. My parents were divorced and we were sometimes left to fend for ourselves. I was even the one who took responsibility for enrolling my youngest brother in kindergarten.

I don't have to do that anymore, but I'm like a lot of people who worry every day about how to cope. What new challenge is tomorrow going to bring? I worry most about people with fixed incomes and families. These people have responsibilities that go beyond themselves. I'm one of those people.

With businesses shutting down every day, a lot of people in the private sector are looking at not being able to make ends meet. These are the people that I worry about the most. The lady we talked to at the nail salon whose utility bill has gone from $200 to $2000. The folks running the animal rescues that are filled to over-flowing with pets abandon at foreclosed properties. The entire state is facing hard times. It's the reality. I say we must face up to that reality and choose to deal with the situation at hand.

Zuma isn't the only underdogg that has seen hard times.

NC Valley Village Forum Field Report

August 27, 2009 by Paul Hatfield

Please note that not all the candidates were asked the same questions. In many cases, the format required new questions to be introduced after responses from three candidates. This allowed more ground to be covered.

The forum was filmed by a local resource. It was not a case of runaway production!

Some new topics and some confrontations between unlikely foes were in play at the Neighborhood Council Valley Village Candidate Forum tonight. There was also some flashing!

DWP bills that is.

Tamar Galatzan started the evening by waving her DWP bill, pointing out that despite her energy savings, she paid more than this time last year. Both Peter Sanchez and Michael McCue flashed their DWP bills later in the evening.

It was only appropriate because there was a question concerning whether the candidates would support the creation of a Rate Payer Advocate by the City Council. It was one of the few issues where there was unanimity. All were strongly in favor of establishing the position.

Mary Benson and Joe Essavi added that the current MOU, which requires input from the neighborhood councils before rate increases can be enacted, is being ignored. Paul Krekorian said the advocate concept works well for the PUC, so why not adapt it to the DWP. Peter Sanchez would rather see the RPA position defined by the public rather than the City Council. Tamar Galatzan said she would fight for a charter amendment authorizing the RPA. She also criticized Chris Essel for supporting Measure B.

As was the case at last week’s forum at Laurel Hall, a shot crossed the bow early in the proceedings. Zuma Dogg took issue with a remark by Mary Benson. Mary had mentioned that although she was an activist she did not have the luxury of time to appear at City Council meetings day after day. Her work took priority. Zuma Dogg assumed she was alluding to his lifestyle, one that allows him to appear before the Council frequently.

A Valley Village resident submitted a question concerning the emotional pain she endured when she was evicted from her apartment because it was purchased by a developer. She moved across the street and now stares at the vacant lot where her building used to be. To make matters worse, the site will probably remain vacant for a long time. Lives were disrupted and there were absolutely no mitigating circumstances.

Tamar Galatzan remarked, “This is what happens when plans are violated and developers are welcomed with open arms by the City Council. Older buildings are the true affordable housing.”

Chris Essel said it was a crime the building was destroyed. She went on to say that SB1818 “never should have been passed.” She vowed to build a coalition to undo the effects of the bill.

To read the rest of Paul's field report, go HERE.

Can an Activist Crack L.A. City Hall's Machine?

From the LA Weekly
In the riled-up S.F. Valley, a struggle pits regular folk against big money

By JASON S. MANDELL

A few years ago, when folks on the sleepy outskirts of the San Fernando Valley rallied to stop Home Depot from building one of its monoliths in their anticorporate hood, they did the unlikely: They drove the Depot away.

“They basically won a David-and-Goliath battle,” says Greg Nelson, former chief of the city’s Department of Neighborhood Empowerment. “They changed the course of [a development approval], which normally would have happened automatically.”

The victory proved that a united front of Valley political activists could defeat the powers that be and their special interests.

“We got a lot of help from other neighborhoods,” says Dan McManus, who heads the neighborhood council in Sunland-Tujunga, where Home Depot was planning to drop its orange bomb of a building.

Now, a fast-approaching special election will fill the Valley seat left vacant by City Controller–elect Wendy Greuel. And these same community members are trying to beat back heavily funded, government-friendly candidates who hope to waltz into the powerful $178,798-per-year City Council slot, which comes with 20 personal staffers and eight taxpayer-provided cars.

“All the local neighborhood councils are talking to each other right now,” McManus says. “Where’s a common candidate we can all support? Who can serve all our interests?”

Ten candidates have qualified for the Council District 2 (CD 2) September 22 special election, which will likely result in a December runoff.

Veteran political observers say that only two or three of the candidates have the bucks and special-interest backing to squeeze out the others. But CD 2, which includes the strip malls of North Hollywood and the horse trails of Sun Valley, is not a district that sits on its ass while the big dogs run rampant.

The district fought bitterly to break away from Los Angeles during the Valley secession movement. Voters here helped Carmen Trutanich defeat mayoral ally Jack Weiss, who, veteran political observers wrongly believed, would easily win the City Attorney race. CD 2 voters helped defeat Measure B, a failed power grab by the council, mayor and a labor union.

And when CD 2 hometown hero Louis Pugliese ran for school board last March with almost no funds, he came within 527 votes (out of 28,641 cast) of beating the mayor’s big-money candidate, Nury Martinez — even though veteran political observers wrongly insisted Pugliese’s chances were nil.

If ever there were a time and place when a cash-poor candidate could capitalize on anti–City Hall anger and sweep into a seat at the municipal roundtable, it’s CD 2 in 2009.

“This is the best chance for the ‘little seven,’ ” says candidate Pete Sanchez, referring to himself and candidates Mary Benson, August Bisani, Josef Essavi, Michael McCue, Zuma Dogg (David Saltsburg) and Frank Sheftel. “Those top three have a bigger hurdle to get over: Will they really be different?”

Christine Essel will have a tough time selling herself as a pot-stirrer. She’s a former chairwoman of both the Community Redevelopment Agency and downtown’s ultimate insider club, the Central City Association — two groups roundly distrusted in the Valley. She can hardly claim to be a defender of neighborhood interests, an inability that will hurt her in an area fed up with overbuilding. Having collected much of her nearly $200,000 war chest on the Westside before moving to the Valley, Essel projects the image of a wealthy, well-connected carpetbagger.

“She kicked off her campaign on the other side of the Hollywood Hills before she even filed here,” says Paul Hatfield, a Valley Village accountant. He says Essel’s big campaign chest “won’t do her any good.”

Another establishment candidate, Paul Krekorian, the assistant majority leader for the Democrats in the extremely unpopular California State Assembly, will have to wave a magic wand to make voters forget his fumbling in Sacramento, where he and other legislators helped to create a budget crisis even worse than the city’s.

Then there’s Tamar Galatzan, who falls somewhere between the two moneyed insiders and the seven hard-line activists. Though Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa marshaled $2 million to get Galatzan elected to the school board, she has defied him on a few issues — including a union pay hike she feared was a budget-breaker. “She’s not afraid to say no,” says Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council board member Tomi Lyn Bowling.

But grass-roots candidates don’t consider Galatzan one of their own. CD 2 candidate Mary Benson notes that Galatzan has two years left on the L.A. school board but is already trying to leave. “I wonder if this race is just a stepping stone to another office.”

It doesn’t help that Galatzan’s husband is the former head of the Valley Industry & Commerce Association, a business group that defended Home Depot in the infamous battle. “She’s gone out of her way to try to separate herself from her husband, saying she didn’t agree with him back then,” says Joe Barrett, who organized the alliance against Home Depot. “I think I believe her.”

To read the rest of this story go HERE.

The Verdugo Hills Golf Course

We have received several emails inquiring as to the candidate's position on the future of the Verdugo Hills Golf Course. Here is a clip from the August 8, 2009 forum held in Sunland-Tujunga that should help answer those inquiries:

CD2 Candidate Forum "The Verdugo Hills Golf Course" from Joe Barrett on Vimeo.

Candidates for City Council's 2nd District gear up for a fight

From the Daily News and the Contra Costa Times
By Rick Orlov

To the candidates in the Sept. 22 election for the City Council's 2nd District seat, it is an us-against-them campaign.

The us are the group of seven self-styled grass-roots candidates looking to fill out the nearly two years remaining on the term of Wendy Greuel, following her election as city controller.

They describe their opponents as the "two carpetbaggers" and "that school board member."

The "carpetbaggers" are Assemblyman Paul Krekorian, D-Burbank, and former Paramount executive Christine Essel, both of whom rented apartments in the district to qualify for the ballot. The school board member is Tamar Galatzan, who was elected to the Los Angeles Unified School District board in 2007 in a race critics said she was using to advance to the City Council.

The three are seen as the likely front-runners, based on their political experience and fundraising capabilities.

Challenging them are Frank Sheftel of North Hollywood, Mary Benson of Sun Valley, Michael McCue of Studio City, Joe Essavi of Valley Glen, Augusto Bisani of North Hollywood, Pete Sanchez of Valley Village, and David "Zuma Dogg" Saltsburg, who is homeless and has taken up living out of his car in the North Hollywood area.

The district runs from Studio City on the south to Sunland-Tujunga on the north and is among the most politically diverse and active in the city with issues ranging from overdevelopment and mansionization to preserving equestrian areas.

ESSEL, 58, has turned out to be the early fundraising leader, with nearly $120,000 raised and endorsements from Greuel and former Mayor Richard Riordan.

She became involved in local affairs in the 1990s with initial Hollywood redevelopment efforts and was appointed to the Community Redevelopment Agency commission by former Mayor Tom Bradley and kept on the panel by Riordan.

"What I learned is that you can make things work," Essel said.

Later, she would be appointed to head the California Film Commission and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa named her to the Airport Commission, a post she surrendered when she announced her council candidacy.

She lived in Hollywood Hills before renting the apartment in the district.

Yet, Essel wants people to know: "I'm a complete Valley girl.

"I grew up in the Valley. We came here when I was 3. I went to Shirley Avenue Elementary, Sutter Avenue and Chatsworth High School. I graduated from Northridge. I love this area."

The first home she purchased was in Studio City and she says she understands the concerns of residents.

"It's issues like overdevelopment and traffic and getting the city to be responsive to its problems," Essel said. "I am in a unique position because I am not planning a long political career. It will be the City Council, if I'm lucky enough to be elected, and then I'm out."

To read the rest of this story, go HERE.

Who Will Benefit from Mailer-Gate?

By Paul Hatfield

The investigative reporters will do their homework on Tamar Galatzan’s back-to-back LAUSD mailers. I am certain they will find no violation of ethics.

The appearance of unethical conduct will be the issue among the voters.

There will be fallout, but will any other candidate benefit?

We have probably reached a tipping point in the campaign where the three “rich” candidates have a committed core of supporters who will not be swayed by any news. I do not anticipate a defection from Tamar’s supporters, especially to either Krekorian or Essel. A few may shift their votes to a couple of grassroots candidates.

The real damage to Tamar’s campaign will come from the uncommitted voters. God only knows how large or small a pool they represent, but I would not be surprised if they amounted to almost one-third of the likely voters.

Given the reputation of the LAUSD, many uncommitted voters may resent the mailers and tend to vote for someone other than Tamar.

Who will be the primary beneficiary?

My guess is that they would tend to migrate to Pete Sanchez, Mary Benson and Frank Sheftel. Based on my personal observations from the candidate forums, these three have earned the interest and respect of many of the attendees.

The people who attend the forums are the most motivated citizens in the district. You have to figure that they have the power to reach out to close friends and neighbors. It is this multiplier effect that can put a grassroots candidate or two on the brink of making the cut for the run-off, at the expense of either Essel or Galatzan.

The race has become more competitive.

I look forward to the Neighborhood Council Valley Village forum this Wednesday evening, the 26th.

Mailer-gate will most certainly come up in the exchange among the candidates.

State Controller John Chiang Endorses Tamar for CD2

Tamar at bat.


Los Angeles, CA, August 25, 2009 - California State Controller John Chiang announced today that he is backing Tamar Galatzan in the contest to replace Wendy Greuel on the Los Angeles City Council.

"I am pleased to endorse Tamar Galatzan for the Los Angeles City Council, 2nd District. Having worked with Tamar for many years, I know she will be an outstanding representative for the Valley and Council District 2,” said Chiang, a former Valley
resident.

“As your State Controller, I know how important it is in these tough times to have people at all levels of government who understand budgets and can make the choices necessary to continue key services for the community. I know that Tamar has both the qualifications and the heart necessary to be a great councilmember for Los Angeles, and I fully support her,” continued Chiang.

"I am proud to have the support of my good friend, John Chiang," commented Galatzan.
"His courage and perseverance during the state budget crisis has earned him nationwide respect. I look forward to the City of Los Angeles working more closely with the State Controller during this budget crisis."

Galatzan, who has lived with her husband and two young sons in Studio City since 2004,has also received the endorsements of Los Angeles City Councilmember Tom LaBonge, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Los Angeles Airport Police Officers Association.

The special election will be held September 22.