Council District 4 Candidate Transparency Pledge

In the January 2015 newsletter MMRA President James O’Sullivan wrote in “Council District 4 Players Guide” of the frustrations residents encounter with the opacity of council offices. The strong response the article generated from community activists and residential and homeowners groups throughout the city inspired Jim to create a “transparency pledge” [see below] that was distributed to all the candidates for Council District 4.

To date the following candidates have signed the pledge:

Tara Bannister

Jay Beeber

Teddy Davis

Sheila Irani

Wally Knox

Fred Mariscal

Tomas O’Grady

Joan Pelico

Carolyn Ramsay

David E. Ryu

  Rostom Sarkissian

Steve Veres

•••

These candidates have yet to sign the pledge:

Michael Schaefer

Step Jones

•••

The pledge:

TO: The Council District 4 Candidates

FROM: James O’Sullivan, President

Miracle Mile Residential Association

DATE: January 17, 2015

Dear Candidate:

Hopefully, as you travel around the different neighborhoods that make up

Council District 4, you are hearing of the many issues that are impacting

residents and businesses. There are some issues that you can resolve on

your own – and many more that will require the support of other council

members.

Some of these matters are relatively simple, while others are much more

complex – but there is one action you can take immediately upon your

election that will go a long way to correcting many of the problems we face

in our various neighborhoods. You can throw open the windows in your

new office and let in fresh air and sunshine. For far too long the Council

Districts have been run as absolute fiefdoms. Much of what goes on in the

Council offices remains secret and off limits to the residents and businesses

that the Councilmembers are supposed to be serving. This process did not

begin with you – but it must end with you.

Recently, City Controller Ron Galperin initiated “Control Panel,” an online

source of information about expenditures, revenues, payroll, special funds

and other data. A similar system could be utilized to achieve transparency

in the Council office.

All of you are trying to carefully parse your answers regarding contributions

from real estate developers, but the real issue has to do with access to the

Council office coupled with the frequent disregard for the policies

contained in the Community Plans and Framework Element that are

expressly designed to guide your decisions.

Time and time again, we have been forced to defend our neighborhoods

through legal actions when the City disregards these plans to our detriment.

We will no longer accept vague promises and slaps on the back. It is long

past time to level the playing field. This is why each candidate must commit

themselves to complete transparency in all their actions as our

Councilmember.

We, the voters of Council District 4, must know exactly where you stand on

these critical matters when we head to the polls on March 3rd. So, I

respectfully request that you endorse this pledge:

I ____________________________ candidate for the office of

Councilmember for Council District 4, pledge to:

 Immediately disclose whenever my office is approached about a

development project in CD 4, whether by the developer or any person

or group representing the developer. This information will be posted

on my Council office website. Neighborhood Councils and other

groups (homeowners/residential/business) in the area of the project

will be promptly notified to check for information on this website.

 Follow up meetings with me or any of my staff regarding the project

will also be posted.

 Immediately post any changes contemplated in CD 4 by any City

Department that would make changes to the Community Plans, i.e.

Bike Plan, Mobility Element, and Recode LA. Too often the majority

of stakeholders receive no advanced notice of these changes.

 Faithfully follow the policies for decision makers as outlined in each

Community Plan in CD 4, as well as Policy 3.3.2 of the Framework

Element.

 Require the City to officially document and demonstrate that the

infrastructure in the area of any contemplated project (requiring

discretionary approval) will not be threatened in relation to user

needs. This would include particularly critical services, such as water

and sewerage, as well as public schools, police and fire services, and

transportation infrastructure.

Candidate Signature: __________________________________

Date: _______________________________