Published in Knock-LA.com on July 23, 2019
The Granada Hills North, Granada Hills South, Northridge West, Northridge East, and Porter Ranch Neighborhood Councils sponsored a candidate’s forum held before a full audience at Granada Hills Charter High School’s Highlander Hall, that focused on mostly homelessness, but also brought up the issues of Aliso Canyon and public safety.
The format, which highlighted questions mostly from the NC’s, but with audience questions, submitted during the event, sprinkled in, didn’t lent itself to a truly spontaneous town hall in which attendees can directly ask questions. A technical glitch (microphone not working) and a bit of confusion when it came to integrating both sets of questions led to much duplication of answers from the two candidates.
When discussing why she was running, Dr. Lundquist explained,“I’ve committed my whole life to solving problems and helping others.” Her parents taught her she could do anything, which led to her working on her PhD in astrophysics to working as a fellow in Washington DC for the National Academy of Sciences. But when she became a mom, she took a major shift in her professional life “from studying the starts to working to solve problems here on earth.” She wants to make this world a better place for our children, including working on fighting climate change.
She stated that she is not a political but an average citizen and she knows what the community cares about, reducing corruption in government, addressing homelessness in a humane and comprehensive manner, and using this climate crisis to grow our economy and clean up our air. “I am not satisfied with the status quo and the ways things have been it is time for a change. I want my children to grow up in a world that is great for their future.”
Regarding the difference between Lee and herself, she explained,“Many of us are tired of electing people who only have been in staff positions or working in government without having any real experience in the real world I have served as a scientist I have been an educator and I have served managing complex projects like a science research satellite.” She discussed how she had she served as a liaison to hundreds of scientists from all around the world with different cultures and different agendas and she had to make decisions balancing the agendas and individual desires with doing what was best for the project.” She likened working on city council with working to balancing all the different needs of community members.
She mentioned she was a former member of the NENC, co-chairing its homelessness committee, and was a founding member of the West Valley Alliance for Homelessness.
As for Lundquist’s first action, she plans to introduce a motion to shut down Aliso Canyon. Second, to use the allocated money “we have on the table that taxpayers are spending right now to solve homelessness. I want to make my home office a hub for service providers, services for the homelessness. Bring the service providers who are usually far away, here, have them regularly in my office to get people housed and meet their needs to get off the street.”
As for her three top priorities, she listed restoring trust in government by ensuring corruption is rooted out and funding campaigns with people and not with dark money on special interests. She also said the city needs to provide the basic services: including paved street, sidewalks in good repair, and parks in good condition. She also is concerned about homelessness and acknowledged that people can be homeless for many different reasons, and need to be given the help they need.
She also wants Los Angeles to lead on the clean energy economy of the future, which will bring great jobs to our district, great industries to our cities, and ensure a great future for our children
In Lee’s introduction, he said that CD-12 is unlike any other district in the city. It’s the “more common sense seat” on the city council when it comes to tackling problems.
He was taught by his parents to be a part of this community as a volunteer. He mentioned his work for the YMCA. He also mentioned being on the board for the SFV Rescue Mission in Northridge.
He also mentioned that former (now interim) council person Gregg Smith had tasked him with founding a youth center at a problematic area of Northridge, and talked about the successes of that program.
“I’m about community and always will be here.”
Lee said that from working in this community for so long,“I believe I have the experience to not only understand how to run a ten billion dollar budget in the city, but the different needs of our community.” He mentioned that the different communities in CD-12 have some different needs from each other, and also different from the rest of the City.
Then he said, “I will hit the ground running on Day 1. I don’t need time to learn where the copier or printer is?” This statement led to one of the most negative and loudest reactions from the audience for the afternoon.
Lee said that upon taking office, he plans to“bring every person off of homelessness. I have a direct plan to immediately bring every single person, every singled dept. that makes on penny off of homelessness being addressed in our city and ask them what they are doing with that money.” To him, the homelessness issue is about drugs and mental illnesses.
Lee criticized Lundquist on how will her plans be funded. He then listed his top priorities as public safety, homelessness and shut down Aliso.
One anticipated question regarding the Aliso Canyon gas storage facility, which was the site of the largest blowout in US history in 2015.
Lee said, “No one understands the situation better more than my family. We were relocated for four months.” He mentioned he was on the “citizen advisory committee.” (NOTE: the name of the group he is referring to was known as the Porter Ranch Community Advisory Committee).
He said that the problem is that the past governor (Jerry Brown) put a 10-year mandate to shut down the facility, but that there isn’t any plan to do so. He added, “This energy that we use just doesn’t magically appear if we get rid of this site. We need to shut it down but in a responsible way.” He added that he would go up to Sacramento to fight for the closure.
Lundquist said, “I have already traveled to Sacramento three times as a member of the community, along with other members of the community to fight. We met (with Brown) to argue and that is why in fact he eventually said that he would shut it down within ten years, but ten years is not enough.”
She added,“This facility sits on top of an active earthquake fault, the Santa Susana Fault, which bisects each well. If there is a quake on that fault, we could get a blowout of all 114 wells. This is not a safe facility and you know what the crazy thing is, we don’t actually need it.” She pointed out that taxpayers are paying $40 billion a year to keep it open. She said we have the pipeline capacity to transport the gas as Arizona and Nevada does, without having to store it. “It is an abomination and needs to shut down.”
She also brought up how frustrated she and many of her neighbors were when it came to the PR CAC, which had closed meetings, even though they were livestreamed. She said they were frustrated “at how very little SoCalGas had to answer for, how our council office staff, and Mr. Lee himself, did not ask them or call on them to account ever. The people who were calling for an account were our neighborhood council members. Our council district staff failed us.”
One major topic of concern is Public Safety, including funding for the LAPD.
Lundquist said about this issue,“One of the ways we can empower our LAPD officers to spend time doing what they are trained which is to fight crime. Right now they are spending a lot their time interacting with homeless people in various different ways. I want to make sure we are doing much more outreach and to work with people who are experiencing homelessness with people who are trained to do this, social workers.” She said it makes more sense in having civilians do the civilian jobs.
She said she is in favor of fully funded police and better recruitment. "We have a Recruitment problem right now as more people are retiring. But the youth programs that are successful, mostly go up to age 18 and they can’t join the force until they’re 21 years of age.” She said there’s a need to fund a program for those who fall into that age gap. And there’s a need to recruit from all backgrounds and parts of the city. “I want to improve our community policing to engage the community,” she added.
“I have also proposed a package theft program that three other cities the same size as CD-12 in which police work together with private security camera companies and doorbell companies on a sting involving ring and other camera s found tremendous success,” she added.
Lee accused his opponent of being in favor with the status quo with the homeless situation. He said, “We need more police officers. Lower response times.” He said he’s starting to work on a national recruiting plan, but we need to pay them more, so that trained officers aren’t recruited away by other law enforcement entities.
He mentioned that the Devonshire Division of the LAPD has the lowest crime rate, and attributes that to the community being involved. He mentioned how during the economic downtown, civilians were let go, and that they need to be rehired.
He added that there is so much waste on programs, we need a different voice to speak and fight for our officers. Public safety should always be the number one priority.
A major issue for the City of Los Angeles and CD-12 is the homeless crisis.
Lee said, “We need to provide safer places but they have to be …not in my community. They don’t need to be in our neighborhoods.” Lee claims that he “is the only one up there who has done something” about the homelessness crisis, with his volunteer work for the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission, ignoring the work Lundquist has done on the Northridge East Neighborhood Council and the Valley Alliance of Homelessness.
(reporter’s note. According to past GO 77-M reports filed bySoCalGas, the SFV Rescue Mission received $20,000 in 2014, $5,000 in 2015, and $5,000 in 2016 from the gas company. In a docket in 2016, on 9/8/16 and again in February 2017, Wade Trimmer, who had been the pastor at the mission at the time, sent in a written statement in support of reopening Aliso Canyon.)
He said, “The first thing we have to make it (housing) affordable, “citing fees and regulations that he feels are the problem.
Lundquist said, “We need to provide safe places. Many parking lots in the district are not used at night.” She said it’s important to provide security, bathrooms and sanitation, as well as a connection to services and jobs to help the homeless eventually be able to get back on their feet, afford housing and support themselves.
She also questioned the reliance on one nonprofit that provides only ninety beds, when there is money available to help more people in need in this district.
She also mentioned that she has volunteered to help the homeless in many different ways. “I have volunteered as a co-chair of my NC and we banded together with other NCs to connect to individuals with services they need.” The SFV Rescue Mission is wonderful, she said, but we need government to play a role. She again brought up the money that has been allocated to the district to address the homeless issue, but hasn’t been utilized. She gave examples of some of the ways this money could be used in connection to other sources of funding. She agreed with Lee that in major crises, such as earthquakes,“we find ways to house people so I’ve wondering why the council office hasn’t done anything.”
“We know its better to have people living indoors than on the streets,” she said.
Lee commented that he felt Lundquist was discounting his work at the SFV Rescue Mission.
Lundquist countered that all volunteer time is important. But she added that the question they were to be addressing was about what a council member could do about the issue. She added that the mission doesn’t service everybody. "There are restrictions who can go there. If you have a substance abuse problem, then that’s not an option for you. We need to make sure as city council members your city council member is using the office to address these problems."
The related topic of “bridge housing” was then brought up.
Lee again stated that he was the only person on the stage who has worked on the issue. He said we to work with the community to know where to place it. “I promise you it’s not a dictatorship, we need to work with the community, listen to your concerns and we need to build this on a place that’s right.”
Lundquist pointed out that the CD-12 is the only district that doesn’t have any bridge housing at all. It’s the only district that doesn’t have any plans for any bridge housing.
“This is money we are paying as taxpayers for these programs. I will make sure that we implement these programs so that we have solutions to homelessness. Here in council district 12, I have identified a number of properties that are possibilities for not only supportive housing, but for also bridge housing. I want to make sure the involvement of the community in making these choices. So I just don’t want to present you with just one or two options which it feels like the council members has already made a decision.”
“We all know it’s better to connect people to services like drug treatment services, better to get people back on their meds if they're experiencing mental health problems we all know job placement services are better. It’s better to help get people into jobs that they can actually fund their own housing we can come together as a community for solutions and make sure we spend this money effectively.”
One topic discussed was the Sunshine Canyon Community Amenities Fund that was established in November 1996 to help compensate for the effects of the Sunshine Canyon Landfill on the neighborhood. Some of the grants given in the past, for example in 1998, included the Granada Theatre, the American Youth Soccer Organization Region 174, El Oro Way Elementary School, and Frost Middle School. These grants were given for specific projects. In early 2011, council person Gregg Smith borrowed money for these funds to pay for civilians working at the downtown detention center (but the advisory committee wasn’t told of this loan before the vote).
Lee said,“This money was sitting in an account for years and years not being used.” He decided to fight to get money donated to at least 25 different schools to help with their needs.
Lundquist said that the residents who were affected by Sunshine Canyon should get to decide how to spend these funds. “It shouldn’t be your council’s office. If the community wants to spend it on the schools, then that’s great.”
She then brought up that the funds haven’t been spent “in the way that the community has asked. One of the things that was done with those funds is to fund a so called fact finding mission which was actually an international trip for staffers from the CD-12.“ She also mentioned the pool renovation at Petit Park in Granada Hills. That cost $9-million. She asked the audience if they have ever swum in a pool that cost that much.
She said, “We need to be following the money. How our money was spent in our council district when my opponent was the chief of staff. Look at who has been paying him since he was chief of staff, who is funding his campaign right now.”
When he moderator asked a follow up question about the advisory board for this fund, Lee said, “As long as they are there’s no timeline as to spending, and the money was spent on things that wasn’t utilized for this community so I’m happy to have that group as long as they’re truly spending this on the community.”
He then decided to rebut Lundquist on the comment she made, saying that “She’s receiving $80,000 from a hedge fund manager in NYC who doesn’t even know where CD 12 is, she talks about fossil fuels and is accepting them when companies like Sempra have donated to her super PAC. I have always been open.”
Lundquist countered, “I have never and will never accept money from Sempra. I will not accept from fossil fuels companies (Lee interjected "You have") I have not accepted this.” Returning to the question about the advisory committee, she said she will commit to the advisory committee as the impacted residents should be the ones to decide what to do with the money.
(Reporter’s Note: Lee misstated the donation that she received from Aaron Sosnick. It wasn’t $80,000, but $800, which is the cap for an individual campaign contribution. There are no direct donations from Sempra or other fossil fuel concerns to Lundquist. In fact, she publicly signed a “No Fossil Fuel” pledge the next day that is being circulated by Climate Hawks Vote, a pledge signed by most of the current Democratic Presidential candidates. Regarding contributions up through June 29, Lee’s campaign has received contributions from Toll Brothers, Shapell and other development companies, some non-individual donors, as well as from donors outside of the district, and even from other states. Lundquist’s campaign also received contributions from outside the district and out of state. But a recent article in the LA Times has said Lee received a donation from "Working Californians,” a DWP-union based group, which received funding from fossil fuel concerns.)
Other issues discussed included street racing.
About street racing, Lundquist noted that this problem has been mentioned by resididents she talked to while going door to door. She said there are specific locations that have this issue. She said that in some places, rumble strips can be used, while In other places, with the same people coming at the same time, preventative steps can be taken by having police officers show up at those times.
Lee mentioned it was a problem near his home as there’s wide open streets and straightaways. He said the answer is to allow police officers to be able to cite offenders as right now, there’s no repercussions.
Another topic concerned the plan to move Los Angeles toward a net zero sustainable goal by 2030.
Lundquist said yes, we should be moving to clean energy. “It is absolutely imperative for our children’s future to make sure we stop burning fossil fuels that are impacting their future.” She pointed out that last year, there were 49 days considered unsafe in the Valley. "We used to be improving for many years, but now the problem is worse due to climate change. It’s actually cheaper to invest in clean energy than it is to keep we’re what we are doing now.” She also pointed out that it’s good that Los Angeles has dropped the plan to repower coastal gas plants, and instead spend the money on renewable clean energy. Sinking $2.2-billion into a plan that will soon be obsolete doesn’t make sense for the future.
“When I was on the DWP advisory committee, that’s the way to keep rates down when we actually make that shift to clean energy faster.”
Lee said that the city has made changes, but it shouldn’t be done at the cost of our economy or good paying jobs.“These Elitists like to come up with a lot of these plans, but they don’t take into the concern of how the working person is going to pay for these changes.”
He claimed that the report Lundquist referred had incorrect info about the savings. He said “one of my volunteers talked to the ratepayer advocate who was telling us that information has not come out yet. The report she is referring to was done by Food &Water Watch that doesn’t take into everything into account.”
Also discussed was ethics, especially about contributions from developers.
Lee misheard the question and started talking about charities and had to be corrected by the moderator. But after that, said,“If you want to restrict receiving payments from developers if you are working on a project you should not receive money from them.” He mentioned that super PACS should be banned.
Loraine said, “I’m in favor of banning payments from nonpersons, from developers. It is important to ban it for independent expenditures. Unfortunately the Supreme Court of the United States in Citizens United has said we’re not allowed to do that right now. But the moment we are, then we want to ban that as well. What I’m also doing, I’m not personally taking money from developers for my campaign.” She added, “I don’t think we should have to wonder why a particular development is going in. Is it because of pay to play kind of politics? We do need to have transparency in our system right now. We know who is giving to whom. We know what money my opponent is taking. That he’s taking money from folks connected to Toll Brother, and we know he’s taking money from Shapell, we know he’s talking money from Liberty Building Co. So the question is what are we going to do about it. The FBI is still investigation city council members for play to pay.”
Next, maintenance of existing parks was discussed, including the removal of graffiti.
Lundquist said a main priority of city services should be maintaining the parks. She mentioned residents can report problems through the 311 app, but that there’s no mechanism in place for finding out what happens to one request. So she wants to improve those communications.
She also mentioned that people are sleeping in the parks, so services are needed to help these homeless.
Lee said there’s a need to attack problems as soon as they happen.
A related question concerned the utilization of Quimby funds.
Lundquist suggested that this kind of funding should have been use to renovate the Petit park pool instead of the Sunshine money. She pointed out that the city controller had identified funding that hasn’t been used since 2004. She said we need to fight for those funds to be used in this district. She added that there will be another source of funding for youth spots here because of the Olympics.
Lee suggested that these funds could be used to fund concerts in the CD-12 PARKS. He also mentioned preserving and renovating the Oakridge House that is off of Devonshire. He mentioned he was successful in bringing in funds for this project.
Lundquist mentioned that her neighborhood council helped fund the sign for the house. She would like to see a museum.
The final topic concerned upzoning.
Lundquist said there’s a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to this subject. She said that transient hubs could be used such as Chatsworth Metro. She pointed out that as more housing becomes available, the cost of housing will be reduced. But now people are being priced out of this area.
Lee pointed out that Nordhoff is one of the busiest streets in the Valley. He claimed that Lundquist is okay with high density housing. He then claimed that her volunteers are claiming he’s in favor of this plan and that one former candidate Jay Beeber has endorsed her.
Lundquist rebutted this and said her volunteers have been informed as to what endorsements she has received. She also pointed out she is in favor of studying all the options for this kind of project.
DISCLAIMER: I have donated money and time to the Loraine for LA campaign and to Food and Water Action/Ground-Game LA’s campaign to get this intelligent scientist on the LA City Council