It is not enough any longer to offer what they would do IF the candidate would do should they take a seat on our council, each one of them should inform all voters to what their type of governance would be and what their current ideas are for many of the most important things going on in our city and within other communities.
I know each one of us has our own sets of lists that are most important to us and I think we all need answers from the candidates about what is on each list.
I am going to post some issues I feel are common to many folk and I hope each candidate would be willing to tackle each of my issues and all of yours in ways that best let all of us know which of the candidates deserve our votes.
We have lots and lots of 'elephants' in our living room and our residents are not shy about talking about each and every one. Here are some of my 'elephants' and I hope each candidate educates me and others in their positions on these issues.
The Annenberg Project
My opinion for some time has been to look carefully, even inside a gift horse's mouth.
I would like to see a project built but I continue to feel the animal training services and the visitor educational facilities for the center be located on the upper portion of the Point Vicente Reservation, next to and possibly including a rebuilt City Hall.
I think if the good folks at The Annenberg Foundation wish to provide a passive facility with a very small office, restroom facilities and an enlargement of the parking lots with the PVIC, that would be great and they could also help out with some donations to help build our new City Hall facilities that might incorporate the training program.
We have lots and lots and lots of open space in our city and believe it or not, we have more park space than many other larger communities. I think we can incorporate some of what the good folks at The Annenberg Foundation are offering, as long as we have open and honest discussions with everyone in our city.
I hope all of the candidates provide as much information to everyone as possible as to their position concerning the Lower Point Vicente Reservation and the Upper one, too.
San Ramon Canyon
This is actually and by far, the most pressing and important issues now being dealt with in our city.
There is a sort of 'quick fix' as I call it that doesn't cost the arms and legs needed to make the permanent fix, but the permanent, lasting, quality and complete fix MUST BE DONE ASAP.
Yes it will be costly. One fear I have is that if the council is stacked with one type of thinking, and you know what I mean, there will be efforts to utilize a lesser quality and timely and even possibly temporary fix, with mentions of the costs being the main issue to putting the real fix off to sometime in the future.
Past city councils, I have learned, were sharply criticized for not dealing with infrastructure issues in a timely manner and our city's coffers suffered from that and we even have a storm drain levy imposed on a number of residents, that still goes on.
This buck can not be passed down the road or there could eventually be no road (the switchbacks) to go down, or up.
I'd like to know the exact positions of each candidate as to their views on the repairs to San Ramon Canyon and the landslide issues so that myself and other residents will know what the next council might do to work on making the repairs complete and lasting.
Developments
Development and over development have been around since before the city was created and it is one of the biggest reasons the city was created in the first place.
One thing readers should know is that all four candidates I have mentioned were all opposed to Marymount's call for on-campus housing for students.
With Mayor Pro Tem Misetich's and Councilman Campbell's opposition to allowing Marymount building on-campus housing at their site, only one of the four needs to get elected to insure a majority vote by the next council to oppose on-campus housing there, not that they would go forward, anyway.
I would like to know each candidates position and thoughts on The Marymount College Facilities Expansion Project and whether they feel it needs to be reworked with the college or whether they think it will ever happen.
I will have a separate post about Marymounts current plans, forthcoming.
Ponte Vista will be further down the page. Developments on the south side of our city, including by not limited to the York properties, Portuguese Bend, Terranea, and Trump continue to lead large development issues I hope all of the candidates will opine on, before the election.
Possible Sewer Fees
This issue has been bandied about in recent months and it was clear some time ago that this current council had no intention of touching it with a ten foot pole.
But the next council will need to learn much more about our city-owned sewer system and about the Los Angeles County Sanitation District Number 5, its Clearwater Program and what the issues are with our city's aging sewer systems.
Of course the candidates will repeat to you that the sewer issues are not related to the Storm Drain levy or fees and the sewer issues are different and that the two must not be confused with each other.
I am sure you would agree that conservative members of our council would probably oppose new fees or taxes on our city's sewers, no matter what our city's financial strength or weakness is.
It is important to me and I hope to you to learn what each candidate knows, wishes to learn, or has an informed opinion about any considerations about any new sewer fees to our residents and businesses.
The County has already floated increased sewer fees for their portion of the systems. But our city owns and must maintain sewers within RPV so some kind of determination needs to be considered, sooner or later and most probably sooner.
Nobody likes new fees and taxes. But sometimes we have to look closely at our infrastructure and do the necessary steps to maintain and improve the infrastructure so our city doesn't once again, get hauled back into court as a defendant in litigation that ends up costing our city even more dollars than what would have been needed to make the necessary repairs in the first place.
Candidates, please tell us your position.
Ponte Vista
To many of you, the prospect of having 1,135 (or more) condominium units built across the street from houses and a large business in R.P.V. doesn't bother you. But it should.
From 2005 on, our council has directed staff and worked hard to keep Bob Bisno's vision of development swallowing up the eastern area of our city. Much credit should be given to our elected leaders and staff members, especially Mr. Kit Fox, for working to help deal with a greedy developer.
The Environmental Impact Report for the latest offering by the new management at Ponte Vista will come out within a matter of weeks to about two months.
It is important to keep development on the eastern side of our city as reasonable as possible because the eastern part of R.P.V. is extremely developed and allows for most of the small businesses in our city being located there.
Western Avenue is Western Avenue. If you travel on it, especially in the morning or between 3-7 on weekdays, I need not go further....because you can't.
Marymount has new 'wild' plans for northwest San Pedro and that could cause massive traffic issues and other problems for our residents on the east and south sides of R.P.V.
Keeping City Funds in R.P.V.
One of the hopes that might have been tried had the Charter City vote gone the other way was trying to protect city funds from being taken by a larger entity.
I hope each candidate lets us know what their thought are on how we can keep and use R.P.V. moneys for R.P.V. uses.
More Sheriff Representation for R.P.V.
Our budget might not allow for more sheriff deputies patroling R.P.V. or even more shared resources, but I wish we could have more deputies assigned to R.P.V. and/or The Hill.
How might each candidate consider how to have more law enforcement here?
Paramedic Squad
Station 83 on the east side and Station 53 on our south side have no Paramedic Squads assigned.
For the south side, a squad from Station 106 by the Peninsula Center has to go through the gates on Crest and through Rolling Hills to get to P.V. Drive East at Crest.
For the east side, "the sixes" from Lomita sends a squad for both Eastview, much of Miraleste and the unincorporated areas of San Pedro.
With Ponte Vista, the new Mary Star High School, and a huge possible growth for Marymount in northwest San Pedro, we need a paramedic squad at either Station 83 or Station 53.
Which candidate supports that or opposes it and why? What might winning candidates do to try their best to make that happen?
Fiscal Responsibility
That title says it all. Through several years of really bad economics and with the wonderful opening and success of Terranea, our city has enjoyed what most cities can't even dream about.
But this was all done with solid note of fiscal responsibility from our Finance Committee, elected representatives, and hard work by staff members.
Not only must we keep this up, we can probably do even better, perhaps.
Since I know at least two of our candidates consider themselves to be conservatives and knowing the great work on our Finance Committee by Dave Emenhiser, I think all four candidates can provide good leadership in dealing with our city's finances.
I do wish to see necessary and resourceful uses of our city's funds and I think there reasons to spend public monies on items and reasons that benefit the public.
I do believe that wage increases are not necessarily a bad thing, even if they don't keep up with the ever rising costs of goods (food, fuel, utilities), at least they help to ease the pain.
I do also believe our city could afford the increases and holding those who are collecting wages over some kind of hate for pensions, unions, and other reasons, does not serve those opponents well, in my opinion.
I am sure each candidate will educate all of us as to their opinions on fiscal restraint or when there are times to invest in our workers, invest in our infrastructure, and invest in our residents.
Dealing With City Staff
I am a strong believer that our city's staff, including our City Manager work for our RESIDENTS and Council members and not the other way around.
I can't sit at the table of those most supportive of our current City Manager.
I think it is essential, before any voting begins, to learn from each candidate how they would work with our city's Manager and staff and whether they feel our current city management and staff is all that is should be and all that is could be.
Yes, this is political fireworks. But if the candidates aren't willing to light some fireworks, then they should not be handed any lighters, matches, or punks.
What changes would each candidate like to make or see in relation to our current City Staff?
At this point, one of my three votes will be for Mr. Dave Emenhiser. I have spent some time with him learning some of his thoughts on important issues to me and I feel the other residents of R.P.V.
I think he could help offer a real balance of ideas on our council and he certainly has demonstrated a great deal of education and insight in fiscal matters and he has helped our city's fiscal policies to get them and keep them better off than most other cities.
I am waiting to find more candidates running for seats from groups of folks I don't usually see eye to eye with.
It is a pretty sure thing that any three of the four candidates mentioned so far could help better our city in many ways.
I would be troubled by council members who are not as willing to spend the necessary funds to better or city's infrastructure for all of our residents and businesses, if requirements are met to meet those issues head on.
R.P.V. is not like the Federal Government or big Corporations. Both of those groups seem unwilling to create jobs or move forward until the other group caves.
We in R.P.V. don't need to cave to anyone. We are a strong city with a population of bright, informed, opinionated residents.
There is much that has been done and even more to do in the near future.
We are going to see a big change with this next council and I hope and expect to see even greater things come out more positively for every one's benefit.
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