CHELSEA CODY
OurLA News and Information Director
I first met Michael McCue at a coffee shop in Studio City. He was rifling through a thick folder of paperwork, his glasses perched at the tip of his nose. His signature navy blue blazer jacket emblazoned with his Studio City Neighborhood Council name tag and a number of other small pins advertising his social and political loyalties was draped over the chair behind him. 
I knew very little about him, except for the fact that he was a member of the Los Angeles Green Party and the Studio City Neighborhood Council. But within ten minutes of sitting down with Michael I was enamored of him. His warmth and intelligence were disarming. His passion was infectious and inspiring. His earnestness and buoyancy was refreshing.
As he shared his story, talking about his upbringing in a Navy family with his Goldwater Republican Father and Kennedy Democrat Mother for whom politics were an appropriate dinner table-topic, Michael McCue came into focus.
His early involvement as a teenager in local civic issues in his Midwest hometown, his later participation in LA politics clearly illustrated McCue’s dedication to grassroots democracy and long-term political goal setting.
His perceptive argument for clean money politics and the infusion of new blood into the ranks of City Hall while hardly novel was renewed by his comprehensive understanding of the interconnected nature of the problems facing LA.
Willing to devote his time entirely to his campaign for the CD2 seat, McCue’s dedication to common sense values and the major role of everyday people in changing this city for the better was clear the first day I met him.
Since then, McCue’s following has grown to include several notable members of local news outlets, community activists and innovators, as well as CD2 residents who care deeply about their neighborhoods and their city.
This city needs someone with a bit of common sense and foresight as it grapples with a $405 million budget deficit, crumbling infrastructure, and a whole slew of issues that will fall on the backs of taxpayers because no one has the gall or creativity to address them head on.
That is why I find it immensely frustrating -no infuriating – that the City Hall political machine discriminates against community candidates like McCue; and by doing so prevents the city’s ability to change, grow, and improve.
Without proper funding and political support from those indoctrinated into the city’s powerful political scene there is little chance of success for the “little” community-based CD2 candidates in Tuesday’s special election in the East San Fernando Valley.
Seven of the ten individuals running in this special election race are grass roots candidates. Each of them is well intentioned and passionate about creating positive change for their neighbors and the LA community. They offer innovative and challenging visions for the future based on their experiences as citizens and taxpayers.
But lacking the funds, media attention and political backing necessary to become major contenders in a money and special interest driven election means that they stand little chance at doing more than further dividing the vote and forcing a runoff election.
This leaves voters to choose between the lesser of three evils in the mainstream “big” candidates whose fancy fundraisers and glossy mailers have inundated the community for months.
Baring a sudden dramatic shift in the status quo, we will not see a genuine community representative take the Council District 2 seat in this special election.
Just another example of how the political system in this city continues to fail us. I personally love Michael McCue but all the community candidates — Mary Benson, Augusto Bisani, Joe Essavi, Peter Sanchez, David “Zuma Dogg” Saltzburg, Frank Sheftel — would do a better job for the community than the Big Three.
What will it take to even the political playing field and give candidates like these a fair chance?
First of all, out of the Big 3 candidates, only one is actually a resident of the Council District and that’s Ms. Galatzen. The other two are carpetbaggers, pure and simple. How could it ever be acceptable that anyone could just rent an apartment for two or three months and become “a resident”. A resident who is now eligible to run for Public Office.
Unbelievable !
This ability or law or ordinance, although “legal”, is nothing more than a tool for special interests and political machines………….nothing more. Spring Street would be scared to death if a Benson, McCue or a Sheftel actually had a 50/50 chance of winning.
( At least in my CD 5, Mr. Koretz had the courtesy of renting an apartment for a year and a half before election. True, that all came about as the special interests realized that Weiss would never win a third term ((Thank you Prop R)), became worried and needed a pawn in office that would carry on the policies of the current Council. But had Koretz lost, he would have just moved back to West Hollywood and the family home. )
This time of residency to run for office should be two to three years not months. Put this item on the list for consideration when finally the City has their much-needed C3… a City Charter Convention. This rule needs to be changed.
On a side note: I’m afraid the real community/neighborhood candidates and there are 6 NOT 7, get together and pick one to give their support to. Otherwise, guess what (?), the run-off will be between two of the Big 3. Another Pawn in Office……….Great !
when people vote for the “lesser evil” because they’re being “realistic”, they cop out on real democracy. if everybody that thought that actually voted for the candidate they truly liked, things would begin to significantly improve.
There are probably two main reasons for us getting the city hall resisdents that are there now and the possible “machine” candidate that may join them.
One is money to finance the PR to convince the “too busy” and “don’t really see how I can change that” voters. The slick brochures that are produced tell of how good the candidate is, and since it’s in print, it must be true, right? “I’ll vote for that one.”
The other main reason, and that’s probably still within the scope of the reason above, is the perception held by many: I just don’t care, I can’t make a difference, there are all going to screw us anyway, the one there is doing fine, and other rationalizations to effect personal minimal effort when it comes to elections.
(but once at the polls, you can’t stop them- they vote for every judgeship there, no matter that they have never heard of any of them in their lives. Yet that’s all collateral, not the main point at all right now.)
The actual change only can happen by non-monied people getting an emotional boost from supporters to join the worker force to just keep pushing more real people until enough are voting for the grassroots types to outnumber the ones voting for the “bought-and-paid-for” candidate(s), who themselves use their campaign money in their own “bought-and-paid-for” vote-getting.
Merit really has little to do with elections these days. The money does. Larry Elder for one considered urgings of supporters to run for national office, but something like $40 million was going to be needed to have a real chance. So you wind up with people manage to get elected who then link other pals to the money for the eventual “family affair” of legislators.
Tony Villaraigos, Roosevelt alum, went to UCLA, and Gil Cedillo a pal at UCLA also from Roosevelt. John Perez, Assemblyman, is Tony’s cousin. Fabian Nunez a pal of Tony’s from at least the Assembly days and earlier in the LAUSD: Kevin DeLeon, childhood best friend of Fabian in San Diego got elected over other Dem. to take the district vacated by Jackie Goldberg and financed to get it done. And the ties keep this an insider game- the city council members have similarly intertwined life histories.
The money ties them together and thus they are much like products for sale under their own brand names and all others are generics, lacking the real power of the brand name.
But in politics the power is usually blended inseparably with touches of corruption, some touched more than others. That’s when you start with a new product, seeing that the other one literally is making you and the public sick in quality of life, and poorer, too, while more money and power were being amassed.
Dumping the these branded city hall reps (and state level officials, too) would be what’s needed to live better. A pay cut initiative would do much for the re-do, and part time might be called for two.
Could it get worse?
Chelsea, Chelsea !
“what would it take”? How naive are the young. An actual revolution against the Unions stranglehold on City Hall. But,that`s not going to happen any time soon. So. Relax, keep blogging, pray and hope some real, unselfish, confident leaders will emerge in the 2013 mayoral race. Certainly none of the known crop is capable of sweeping the floor Bradley walked on.
We can only hope that one of the seven — or better yet- two of the seven makes it to the run-off.
If that happens we’ll have a foot in the door to making major changes, but we thought we had a real maverick in Carmen Tru and so far he proven to be more of a buffoon than a s**tkickin’ steer.
Sandy Sand, if you think 2 of the non-Villaraigosa candidates will make it into the run off, you’re kidding yourself. Only one, Mary Benson, has a chance. She’s got conservative talk radio behind her with Kevin James on KRLA 870AM endorsing her last week, and that’s already got the Villar 3 worried.
Villar took a big hit with Trutanich’s victory in May, and in less than 60 days Trutanich has shown he is not a “maverick” but a real lawyer who wins the cases that Delgadillo settled, opened his office to Controller Wendy Greuel’s auditor (they started an audit on Wednesday) and has pushed for sensible laws on Billboards, Medical Marijuana, and Charter reform to allow the Controller’s office to audit any elected official.
That’s the sort of responsible leadership we voted for, and it’s why all of Trutnanich’s supporters will vote for Mary Benson. We don’t want a ‘maverick’ who makes a lot of noise and does nothing, we want a smart, steady and sensible leader who gets results without needing phony photo ops and glib catch phrases.
After Tuesday’s election expect Benson to be in a run-off with Paul Krekorian and then you’ll see the lines drawn between a failed career politician and a political novice with grass roots support. We know how that worked out in May and don’t expect anything different.
There is nobody better than Zuma Dogg for CD 2. Mary Benson would make a great planning deputy for any of the winners. None of the rest of them are worth a thing.
Of those three who have been considered the Big 3, the only one of them who can handle the job is Krekorian.
Essel will be the ruination of planning issues and neighborhood councils. Galatzan talks spunky at debates but hasn’t done a thing and will NOT live up to her promises. She hasn’t as a school board member and won’t as a council member.
NO on Essel and Galatzan.
I actually voted my conscious during the Democratic Primary for Presidency. I had seen Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Dennis Kucinich in person. Barack Obama was not at the event that I attended.
I was inspired by both Edwards and Kucinich.
I believed that Edward’s remembered his roots. I was touched by his family’s story, and my heart went out to Elizabeth Edwards.
I was happy that Edwards was not raking in the big money. And I believed that he would not let me down.
I did not believe that our country was open minded enough to vote for a mixed race President.
Fast forward – what do I know today that I did not know then?
The racists are coming out of the wood work to attack Barack Obama on every thing.
And we are now hearing more tales of John Edward’s infidelity.
How do we really chose a candidate? We don’t really know who any of these people are, or how they will react to special interests.
If the current City Council is any indication, please look at how those who are in their last terms treat those in Public Comment. They find every reason that they can not to hear us or see us.