This is cross-posted from Frontiers In LA magazine. There are nine candidates running for West Hollywood City Council in the March 8 elections. Frontiers asked filmmakers Renee Sotile and Mary Jo Godges (of Traipsing Thru Films) to interview the candidates before the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Candidates Forum on Feb. 9. They were given two minutes to tell voters why they’re running. Please see the sample ballot with candidate statements (as well as analysis of initiatives such as the controversial Measure A) on the West Hollywood City Clerk’s webpage:
LUCAS JOHN
“On my platform is to reinstate democracy in West Hollywood. I don’t think a lot of people realize this, but John Heilman has been sitting on City Council since the city’s inception in 1987. The president gets only two four-year terms. That’s a total of eight years. Why one councilmember has been here since the ‘80s is a good example of why we need to vote and make your voice be heard.”
“There’s a lot of stuff going on in West Hollywood that people aren’t aware of that is really starting to infringe on the local culture and even on pushing gay people out. We are becoming more of a Calabasas and less like a San Francisco.”
MITO AVILES
“For the last four years I’ve served on the West Hollywood Transportation Commission, where I’ve stood up for seniors, to get traffic moving and to increase parking here in West Hollywood.”
“In the next four years as your City Council member, I promise to work to keep West Hollywood a low-tax city, to reduce our reliance on new development and parking tickets to balance our budget. To prioritize public safety and social services over city hall salaries and pension benefits. And I want to work to get traffic moving again.”
SCOTT SCHMIDT
“For the last four years I’ve served on the West Hollywood Transportation Commission, where I’ve stood up for seniors, to get traffic moving and to increase parking here in West Hollywood.”
“In the next four years as your City Council member, I promise to work to keep West Hollywood a low-tax city, to reduce our reliance on new development and parking tickets to balance our budget. To prioritize public safety and social services over city hall salaries and pension benefits. And I want to work to get traffic moving again.”
MARK GONZAGA
“Of the 10 candidates, I’m the only candidate who has not accepted donations. I am funding this campaign myself because it’s necessary. I am doing it for the renters of West Hollywood, to protect them against unlawful evictions, against harassment and non-repairs by the landlords, who are evicting them through egress reasons like “constructive eviction,” which is unlawful. As well, protecting homeowners from their properties being overshadowed by buildings due to overdevelopment in West Hollywood.”
ABBE LAND
(Incumbent)
“In the last few years that I’ve been on the council I’ve been able to increase affordable housing, look at options to help reduce traffic, improve the environment and we have so much more to do because this is such a great community. Right now, California is facing an incredibly challenging economic environment. The city has a triple-A bound rating. We’ve been able to start community improvement projects like the new library, renovate Sunset Boulevard and next year we’ll start renovations on Plummer Park.”
“I want to continue the work and really continue the vision of West Hollywood—which is a community that cares, where it’s a government that really works to improve the quality of life for people.”
STEVE MARTIN
“Basically, I’m running because I’m very concerned about the direction of the city … a lot of wonderful things have happened in 25 years. But right now, it looks like our “urban village” is under assault. The City Council seems to be more concerned about the developers and what they want rather than what the residents want. We’re seeing a ton of buildings being demolished for luxury condos. The city recently approved a 10-story project for Santa Monica Boulevard—the general plan is talking about allowing seven-story buildings along Santa Monica and that’s just wrong! Our streets just can’t take that kind of growth.”
“We really need to get back to basics. Get back to the real idea of what West Hollywood was all about. And you know, it’s been very frustrating. Last year was our 25th anniversary, and it just seems like the city has written gays and lesbians out of our history.”
LINDSEY HORVATH
(Incumbent)
“I’m running to retain my seat on March 8. I’m proud to represent a progressive generation of new leadership in West Hollywood. And I’m very proud to be endorsed by a variety of organizations and leaders that mean a great deal to our community, including the L.A. Democratic Party, the Stonewall Democratic Party, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, former State Sen. Sheila Kuehl, State Sen. Fran Pavley and so many others.”
“I’m proud to have this strong coalition of support with me because it’s going to take that strong coalition of support to bring West Hollywood into another 25 years of successful progressive values.”
JOHN HEILMAN
(Incumbent)
“I’m hoping people will support me because we’ve got a great city and I’m very proud and honored to have served the city for as long as I have. I want to make sure we continue moving the city forward in a very positive direction. We have great finances right now. We’re very fortunate in that regard. We’re building a new library, building new parking here at West Hollywood Park. We’re also making some improvements to Plummer Park and building some additional parking in the center of the city. We also have a great array of social services for our residents; we’ve been doing a lot to build affordable housing—in the last year, we’ve approved nearly 200 units of permanently affordable housing for our residents in need, particularly our seniors.”
“We’ve been known around the world for our advocacy on behalf of the LGBT community and the work that we’ve done for people living with HIV and AIDS, and I want to make sure that continues.”
JOHN D’AMICO
“Our city is a really great place. I’ve lived here for over 20 years … but more recently, our city has begun to drift towards bigger, faster, louder and it’s turning into too much of Los Angeles and not staying enough of West Hollywood.”
“I build buildings for a living. At UCLA, I manage the Medical Center construction as well as some other buildings on campus. So I know how buildings affect the environment. … Cities are never finished. Our city has a great future ahead of us, but we need to be very careful that we don’t turn into the rest of Los Angeles.”
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