This is not a horse race as much as the media treats elections that way; it is a political campaign that promises to be as rough as any for mayor of Los Angeles since the ugliness of Yorty-Bradley contests.
There’s that much ego on the line this time with four elected officials, a former deputy mayor and one total outsider with the potential to run serious campaigns.
The first legitimate poll, conducted by Fernando Guerra’s Center of the Study of LA at Loyola Marymount, provides benchmarks for the candidates based on a variety of factors, including voters’ race, geography, wealth, education, age.
“If the Los Angeles mayoral election were held tomorrow, three candidates would be elbowing for the lead: City Councilman Eric Garcetti, City Controller Wendy Greuel and and County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky,” LA Times columnist Jim Newton wrote today based on early access to the poll.
Well, it’s not. The election is 11 months away and no one, not even Yaroslavsky, knows if he’s going to run or whether billionaire Rick Caruso (who wasn’t including in the poll) will jump in at some point.
What we do know is that the poll, part of a larger survey of attitudes toward the city 20 years after the LA riots, questioned equal numbers of randomly selected Latino, black, white and Asian residents over the phone and in their native languages and found out little more than whose name they recognized.
Two-thirds of all 1,605 didn’t have a favorite for mayor, nearly a third aren’t registered voters and barely 40 percent of those who are registered made a selection.
So clearly “don’t know” was the landslide winner with none of the six candidates getting even 25 percent support, indicating the poll mainly racial and gender preferences, a vague impression of the candidates and the ignorance of most voters.
So it’s no surprise that the elected officials who have been around the longest and got their names out in public the most come out on top, with Jan Perry not far behind and potentially a stronger candidate than the pundits generally recognize.
Attorney and radio talk show host Kevin James, the lone Republican, will be hard for the press to continue to ignore any longer with more than 11 percent support from all respondents and 19 percent for third place among Asians.
Investment banker Austin Beutner, who served for more than a year as jobs czar in the Villaraigosa Administration, is virtually unknown to voters with just 3 percent but has unlimited resources to make himself visible. In a city where only 28 percent of registered voters cast ballots in 2005 and 18 percent in 2009, money targeted to likely voters can buy a lot of support as it did when Richard Riordan won in 1993.
On the other hand, Garcetti’s support seems fragile since he’s far and away the most popular among Latinos, newcomers to LA, young people and the poor — categories with traditionally low turnout.
For her part, Greuel consistently his in the 20 to 30 percent or above range in just about every category: rich or poor, young or old, educated or not, male or female, Valley or city, union or non-union, whether they love or hate the mayor or think the city is getting better or worse.
The same is true of non-candidate Yaroslavsky, except the low turnout poor and minorities don’t like him much.
That makes the City Controller and the County Supervisor — both former City Council members — the front-runners in the horse race as they come out of the gate with a long and bumpy road ahead.
This election is going to get personal and nasty and the issues before the electorate have the potential to be explosive.
The divisions in the city run deep. Disenchantment is widespread. The economy sucks. The budget is a perpetual flashpoint because no one in office — not the mayor, council or controller — have shown the political will to actually fix the problem over the last four years.
And that more than anything gives opportunity for advantage to the City Hall outsider James, partial outsider Beutner and former insider Yaroslavsky who can demonstrate that despite all that has gone wrong on the revenue side, the county is not in the same trouble as the city.
It’s hard to believe that more than a few voters really have committed themselves to a candidate at this point so support is soft at best.
Add in the fact that 75 to 80 percent of registered voters are waiting in the wings for someone to light the fire of their passions.
The question isn’t whether this poll means anything at all. It is how bold and daring will any of the candidates will be in reaching out and convincing voters and potential voters that they are actually up to the task of leading this city fragmented as it is by race and class and ideology?
For too long, the power structure has survived by dividing and conquering. Can any of these candidates create a campaign that bridges the gap, that overcomes the apathy and defeatism, and then actually govern if they prevail next March?
I think you are right. I am a voter, and I am voting for Kevin James for
Mayor and Cary Brazeman for Comptroller! I am also voting “NO” on any candidate
now serving on the City Council, for Mayor, and any other job on my ballot.
If you can read this, you are on your pc. So go to the web sites of James and Brazeman
to learn more about them. I cannot vote for David Hernandez because I am not in his district. Go to his web site and find out if you are. There, now, you are involved!
Keep going. If no one is running in your District, decide: are you eligible? If not, what about a neighbor or a business person? Do you think they would be a good candidate? Ask them to run for office and then help with the campaign. Time to get involved!!! I am counting on you. It is only for one term at a time. Thank you,
Ron, for bringing this up. Timely, very timely. I live here just the way you do.
I, too, will not vote for anyone who’s in office or has been affiliated with anyone office like Beutner or Caruso, nor will I vote for any measure that has a dollar $ign in it — not even to tax millionaires or businesses.
Are LA voters angry enough to change the current administration at Los Angeles City Hall?
LA voters in the March 2011 Elections voted for incumbents – People do not care, why?
Why do we think LA city election on March 5, 2013 will be any different?
I would think with the poor performance and dismal track record by the current administration, the voters would demand to change the current administration at LA City Hall.
The performance of the current administrations borders on criminal neglect.
In order to move forward, we must educate the voters, let them know that the current administration goals are business as usual, there will be no significant changes and the city will be heading into bankruptcy. The escalating costs of pensions and benefits will drain most of the city budget as we head into 2020. The increased taxes and fees on residents and businesses will push people and businesses to leave the city. This again will reduce revenues to the city.
The city must initiate an austerity program. Cut salaries and benefits across the board, increase efficiency and performance. The Police Department should utilize civil service employees for clerical work, not Police Officers. The city must tighten its belt and reduce taxes and fees, streamline bureaucracy. Promote the health of existing businesses and actively go after new businesses. Any city employee who is not performing his job to standards should be put on suspension without pay or benefits and if such action has not improved the workers performance, the worker/employee should be terminated. The city must utilize its most expensive resource, its employees more efficiently, promote a good work environment and reward exceptional performance. People must realize that if they do not do their job, they will have no job and no means of support. The city must streamline management and reduce management costs. A high administrative cost is not prudent and not sustainable. LA’s employee costs are one of the highest in the country. We need a change in attitude, and that starts at the top. As they say in good leadership, “follow me”.
The main question is, why LA voters don’t care, why they are resigned to accept failure and diminishing LA city services.
Can we not find a leader who will motivate City Hall and initiate hard choices to bring the city to financial health?
City elections should be held on the first Tuesday of November with all the other elections to Federal, County & State.
It will reduce costs and increase voter turnout.
The peoples brigade for honest government
YJ Draiman
http://www.yjdraimanformayor.com
PS
“The choice we face in Los Angeles and as a nation is simple: Do we want the clean energy and conservation technologies of tomorrow to be invented in America by American innovators, made by American workers and sold around the world, or do we want to concede those jobs to our competitors?” Asks Energy Specialist YJ Draiman. “We can and must compete for those jobs.” In Los Angeles, we have the technology, the climate, the resources and the manpower. Let us proceed with conviction.
YJ Draiman
http://www.yjdraimanformayor.com
LA would probably be better off with even a lower voter turn out as most voters are abysmally ignorant of everything to do with the candidates and vote on the basis of irrelevant perceptions.
It`s another b.s. take of the race, one year ahead of voting, by Newton. He probably had nothing else to write.
My dear Cynic, go to Proverbs 15:1-4. I am sorry for you.
“To be successful, representative government assumes that elections will be controlled by the citizenry at large, not by those who give the most money. Electors must believe their vote counts. Elected officials must owe their allegiance to the people, not to their own wealth or to the wealth of interest groups who speak only for the selfish fringes of the whole community.”
YJ Draiman for Mayor of LA
http://www.yjdraimanformayor.com
I can’t think of any candidate that can really make a change and that is a sad ststment. Wrote about it in my paypaluk blog
What I find amazing is that Fernando Guerra, a man who is one of the owners of De La Rosa Bond Company, a man who has made millions by having Latino Councilmen rig huge City contracts, can pretend to be “unbiased” when predicticting who the “Latinos” will support for Mayor.
Anybody who gets an endorsement by Fernando Guerra has the endorsement of organized crime in Los Angeles.
Who is qualified to be the next mayor of Los Angeles 2013?
Any of the current elected officials at LA City Hall who are running, do not qualify to be the Mayor of LA. Their past poor performance and their contribution to the current state of affairs are reprehensible. They do not deserve to be elected again for any position in LA City Hall and especially to the position of Mayor of LA.
I hope and trust that the people of LA are not as gullible as the current elected officials presume.
It is time for the voters of LA to elect a person who cares about the people of this great city of Los Angeles, a city with a population of about 4 million people and 281 square miles. The current elected officials at city hall have abused their position; they have failed the people of Los Angeles.
The current elected officials at LA city hall should get a verbal lynching for their performance. The City of Los Angeles is in its worst condition in this century. The cause of this despicable condition is the product of the current administration.
It is time to elect officials who truly care about the people and the city of LA. Officials who exercise their elected position for the good of the people of LA, not what is in it for them?
When we support current elected officials in their quest to become the Mayor of Los Angeles, we consent to their poor performance and induce them to continue to destroy our city.
We must change the status quo of business as usual; the current administration has abused its position and trust. Otherwise we as the people of LA will pay a heavy price for such negligence.
This is the message we should be sending to people who seek public office. A candidate must have honesty and integrity as a primary character trait and above all the public’s trust.
YJ Draiman
PS.
A question to the people of Los Angeles
Do you have confidence in your current elected officials in Los Angeles City Hall?
Are they doing a good job?
No, why?
Yes, why?
Who is qualified to be the mayor of Los Angeles 2013?
Where there is discord, the mayor will bring harmony. Where there is error, the mayor will bring truth. Where there is doubt, the mayor will bring faith. And where there is despair, the mayor will bring hope. The mayor will unite the city and promote economic prosperity successfully. A person who can do these things is the one qualified to be the mayor of Los Angeles in 2013.
http://www.yjdraimanformayor.org
Education will rebuild Los Angeles economic sustainability!
I have three words to say to you. EDCATION… EDUCATION… EDUCATION… You want to get ahead in life, you must have education. You want to compete in today’s economy you must have education. You want to provide for you family you must have education.
Education will rebuild Los Angeles economic sustainability
Education, vocational/trade schools and energy efficiency will be the spearhead to our economic recovery and economic sustainability.
Education will lead to economic progress, bring about innovation and technology, trade schools will help people earn a living, Energy efficiency and Renewable energy will create jobs, save money and resources and make LA energy independent. We all know no society can survive without water and energy. Water & energy conservation used effectively will save the city of LA billions of dollars every year.
Those saved dollars will be used to build and enhance LA’s economic vitality. My profession & expertise for the past 20 years has been in implementing Energy & utility efficiency.
As mayor one of my goals is to utilize my expertise and implement Energy & utility efficiency for the city of LA, while rebuilding our educational system. I will set-up an independent citizen oversight committee on government with members replaced every 2 years.
YJ Draiman for Mayor of Los Angeles 2013
http://www.yjdraimanformayor.com
LA Politicians Stop playing politics
You are dealing with the life & soul and economic vitality of the city of Los Angeles.
If you are not passionate about your goals to bring back the City of LA to economic prosperity you do not belong in city government. We must be willing to put 110% plus effort to bring about a reversal in LA’ economic fortune. We must bring back confidence in its leadership. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Practice what you say.
This is no time for grandstanding or empty promises, this is a time to stand up and be counted as one of those who are willing to make personal sacrifices for the city of LA.
All LA City services and resources including education must be distributed equally throughout the city without preferential treatment to any neighborhood.
http://www.yjdraimanformayor.com
The Pension Crisis – YJ Draiman
Pension reform plan must be devised and put into affect as soon as possible. Every day we wait is an economic drain and an ultimate cause for the failure of government fiscal responsibility, it also increase the potential for bankruptcy. It is an economic suicide and a dereliction of duty for officials not to devise and implement a viable Pension reform, with a short term plan and a long term plan, allowing for modification when necessary.
We have to make an equitable Pension reform plan that all parties can live with. It is in the best interest of everyone, we all have to compromise.
A legal battle will only exasperate the financial situation and will have a disastrous affect on the financial sustainability of the government and the people.
Stop bickering among yourselves and jockeying for position; you are playing with people’s livelihood. Do the jobs you were elected to do or else resign.
YJ Draiman
http://www.yjdraiman.org
PS
I look forward to the day when only statesmen will run for office.
A statesman is a servant leader who is not concerned about his political future, but in what is best for the people. A statesman is open-minded, logical, intelligent and compassionate. A statesman reconciles conflict and looks into the future.
Unfortunately, many elected officials are not statesmen or even leaders. They are in office to make themselves feel important, to gain power and sometimes to get money. This kind of elected official is caustic, negative and hateful who stirs up messes, acts self-righteous, gets personal and calls other people names, and is the first to claim he is not a “politician” and that he “is working for the people.” Some think success is getting their picture in the paper handing out a check. Some elected officials think their job is to be against the chief and other elected officials regardless of the issue.
Please think about the kind of people we need in public office to make good decisions for the present and the future. We don’t need gainers; we don’t need self-serving politicians. We need positive leaders and statesmen. Talk to those in office and those running against them. Look at their service history and decide for yourself if they are true statesmen.
This type of elected official is not a statesman. A statesman does not buy votes with “quick fix” hand-outs. A statesman makes the tough decisions. He considers all his constituents. He has a vision and a long-term plan.
http://www.yjdraiman.org
The Current elected officials are not qualified to be the next Mayor of Los Angeles! Rev1
A good argument against current administration officials running for mayor is that Wendy Greuel who has been in the city council since 2012 and is “all of a sudden” finding problems as controller and as a now mayoral candidate that she didn’t seem to notice as a council member for over 9 years. That Eric Garcetti has been “at the helm of city council for over a decade of decline and deterioration.” That Jan Perry is much like the others she has been in office since 2001. That Austin Beutner can’t possibly escape blame after having run 13 city departments, with the position of First Deputy Mayor and Chief Executive for Economic and Business Policy, as well as General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power 1994-1996. (Austin Beutner has withdrawn from the race). None of them have objected or put up an argument while in office against the policies that have brought Los Angeles to the verge of bankruptcy and total economic disaster, the worst in 8 decades.
And that LA’s outgoing Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa makes a strong argument for letting a complete outsider give it a go. An outsider has no allegiance to the political machine. Los Angeles must start with a clean slate at City Hall. From the current list of candidates, I can see only two outsiders that are qualified; YJ Draiman & Kevin James.
We have an opportunity to elect and put in Los Angeles City Hall a new Mayor and 8 out of the 15 Councilmen that are up for election. This could change the face of the administration drastically and bring about a change of operation, where sound decisions and transparency will be the new mandate for LA City Hall.
The mayor of the city of Los Angeles must be a leader like no other leader, he must be an exceptional administrator and trustworthy. He must have top notch advisers to advice him in bringing LA to economic health. A city of Los Angeles with about 4 million people and spans an area of 465 square miles that has an economic engine that by far surpasses many countries; it is an enormous responsibility and must be managed properly.
If LA keeps taxing its people to death there will be nobody left in the city to collect taxes from. Many people and businesses are leaving the city in droves.
“To err is human, but it takes a politician to really screw things up.”
A Public Servant’s Commitments
Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness.
Preamble
As professionals, public servants play a vital role in society. They are committed to the highest degrees of integrity. They are committed to deliver the best administration possible. They are committed to fair and transparent governance, to delivering high quality services, to a stewardship of government funds that will maximize cost-effectiveness and for accountability. Public servants are committed to the improvement of the policy-making and service delivery abilities of the state.
Public servants are committed to reflecting on their roles and responsibilities. They are committed to test and measure their values, their ethics, and their actions as they serve the government and the public.
It is in this context that IPAC offers this declaration of a public servant’s commitments.
i. A strong Commitment to Personal Integrity
To maintain and broaden public confidence, public servants are committed to perform all their responsibilities with the highest sense of integrity. Public servants must resolve any conflict between their personal interests and their official duties in favour of the public interest.
Conscientiousness
The public servant is committed to exercising conscience in the defense of democracy, peace, order and good governance.
Confidentiality
The public servant is committed to ensuring that sensitive information is treated with discretion and responsibility in order to protect the privacy and security of the public and the efficiency of government.
Fairness
The public servant exercises some level of discretionary authority in the daily course of activities, but is committed to ensuring that discretion never results in discrimination. The public servant is committed to treating all members of the public with equality and fairness.
Courage
The public servant is committed to exercising courage in the fulfillment of duties: the courage to take a position, to speak objectively, and to take responsibility before political authorities.
ii. A strong Commitment to Democratic Governance
Public servants accept the obligation to act to serve the public interest through time, to promote the public trust in the democratic system, and to demonstrate commitment to professionalism.
Non-Partisanship
The public servant is committed to working with the government of the day and to the stewardship of the state.
Ensuring Transparency through Better Reporting
The public servant is committed to reporting accurately, clearly and comprehensively on the activities of their administrative units.
Providing accountability for public consultation
The public servant is committed to the promotion of dialogue, consultation, and engagement of the public.
Public interest
The public servant is committed to understanding the public interest as it is expressed through time. The public servant fulfills the public interest by service to the elected government.
iii. A strong Commitment to Respectfulness
In carrying out their responsibilities as professionals, public servants must exercise sensitive professional and moral judgments in all their activities.
With the elected
The public servant is committed to serving the elected government and parliamentarians with dignity and respect.
With the public
The public servant is committed to communicating with the public in a respectful manner that acknowledges the centrality of the citizen. The public servant is committed to making the experience of dealing with government as congenial, satisfying and constructive as possible.
With colleagues
Public servants are committed to making the workplace a productive and healthy environment. Fellow civil servants are always treated with respect, tolerance and courtesy.
With fellow Public Servants
The public servant is committed to creating trust and common purpose. The public servant is committed to building strong networks and partnerships with counterparts in other departments, governments, agencies, both at home and around the world.
iv. A strong Commitment to Continual Learning and Innovation
A public servant is committed to monitoring the profession’s evolution and to strive to continually improve competence and the quality of services.
Enhance democratic governance
The public servant is committed to a continual process of learning and innovation through constant study and thoughtful, measured experimentation in order to enhance governance.
Improve performance
The public servant is committed to the learning and innovation necessary to enhance the delivery of policy and service.
Responsible assumption of risk
The public servant is committed to the continual learning and innovation necessary to understand the nature and degree of risk.
Personal improvement
The public servant is committed to a life-long pursuit of formal and informal educational endeavours to elevate the overall quality of the public service.
v. A strong Commitment to Critical Reflection on Ethics and Values
A public servant is committed to observing the highest ethical standards, to maintaining objectivity and be free of conflicts of interest in discharging professional responsibilities.
Critical Reflection on Ethics
The public servant is committed to the process of personally evaluating commitments and whether they are adequate for evolving circumstances.
Critical Reflection on Actions
The public servant is committed to a critical reflection of personal actions in light of past practices, government objectives, and the perspectives of peers.
Critical Reflection through Dialogue
The public servant is committed to cultivating a dialogue among peers and colleagues on values, ethics, actions, and inactions.
Critical Reflection through Reason
The public servant is committed to a continual process of re-evaluation of the existing conditions of democratic governance and the roles and responsibilities of the public service within that context.
Draiman says that voters deserve to hear from all Mayoral candidates on the ballot
It is anti democratic to ignore candidates who have earned their place to be on the ballot.
In the current political mood and the growing apathy by voters it is imperative that every candidate who is officially on the ballot to be heard by the public.
Ignoring these candidates only reinforces to the voting public that money and not the most qualified candidate is given a chance to run for office with a level playing field.
The deck is stacked against a candidate who is not willing to be swayed by money and political influence. This is a sad day for our Democracy.
The Media and the various organizations who host a candidate forum – debate have a great responsibility to present unbiased information to the public, of all the candidates that appear on the ballot with a level playing field.
To ignore some candidates is a distortion of our Democratic oath and they are practicing the very same unacceptable behavior that they are trying to correct in today’s political scene.
By ignoring candidates who are on the ballot the voters are deprived of critical information and opinions of all the candidates on the ballot. It is a disservice to the community at large.
Angelenos have the right to an open and balanced election process resting on the values of our democracy, which is open to all candidates.
We have to show to the public how real democracy at work – by presenting all the candidates, not just the select few.
The right to vote is the right that protects all other rights. That includes all official candidates.
http://draimanformayor2013.com
Draiman says that voters deserve to hear from all Mayoral candidates on the ballot
It is anti democratic to ignore candidates who have earned their place to be on the ballot.
In the current political mood and the growing apathy by voters it is imperative that every candidate who is officially on the ballot to be heard by the public.
Ignoring these candidates only reinforces to the voting public that money and not the most qualified candidate is given a chance to run for office with a level playing field.
The deck is stacked against a candidate who is not willing to be swayed by money and political influence. This is a sad day for our Democracy.
The Media and the various organizations who host a candidate forum – debate have a great responsibility to present unbiased information to the public, of all the candidates that appear on the ballot with a level playing field.
To ignore some candidates is a distortion of our Democratic oath and they are practicing the very same unacceptable behavior that they are trying to correct in today’s political scene.
By ignoring candidates who are on the ballot the voters are deprived of critical information and opinions of all the candidates on the ballot. It is a disservice to the community at large.
Angelenos have the right to an open and balanced election process resting on the values of our democracy, which is open to all candidates.
We have to show to the public how real democracy at work – by presenting all the candidates, not just the select few.
The right to vote is the right that protects all other rights. That includes all official candidates.
YJ Draiman
http://draimanformayor2013.com