League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Los Angeles County, CA April 11, 2006 Election
	Micheal A. "Mehaul" O'Leary Answers Questions Candidate for Member, City Council; City of Culver City

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What is your position on Measure V?

As a American citizen who deeply treasures the right to vote, I do not believe that it is my place TO TELL YOU HOW TO VOTE on Measure V.

However, I will VOTE NO on MEASURE V, because:

The proposed new City Charter is presented as an all-or-nothing, very complicated change to our city government.

Because of this, I cannot support Measure V in its present form. Being all-or-nothing, voters can't fix any of the parts that they do not like.

Culver City residents are being denied separate votes on the principal component parts of Measure V.

The voters should be allowed to make informed votes upon the merit or lack of merit for each key element in the proposed new city charter.

The proponents of Measure V are implying that there must be something wrong with the way Culver City government has been managed all these years.

IS THERE SOME URGENT NEED TO SPEND THE EXTRA MONEY TO HIRE A CITY MANAGER?

DO WE WANT TO TAKE MONEY AWAY FROM NEEDED SERVICES THAT KEEP CULVER CITY SAFE, SECURE AND PROSPEROUS?

When I look at our clean, tree-lined streets, our well-kept parks and safe playgrounds, our top-rated schools, and our clean, safe and quiet neighborhoods, why would I want to take money away from needed City services and give it to the proposed new City Manager and the expanded administrative staff?

I certainly DO NOT want to increase the size and cost of city bureaucracy - that is why, I am voting NO on MEASURE V.

2. How will light rail on the Expo right-of-way affect Culver City?

Having regional transportation that serves CULVER CITY RESIDENTS is important to our economic development.

However, I will work with determination to PRESERVE and ENHANCE the QUALITY OF LIFE in the NEIGHORHOODS OF EAST CULVER CITY and RANCHO HIGUERA that are adjacent to the MTA Expo right-of-way.

I will work diligently to make the MTA BUREAUCRACY respect our City.

CULVER CITY deserves an ABOVE-GRADE MTA Station at the optimum location: VENICE & NATIONAL.

The MTA should also plan for SHUTTLE SERVICE to and from the Venice/National Station and Downtown Culver City, Sony Picture Studios, Culver Studios, the Actors Gang Playhouse and the Kirk Douglas Theatre.

3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a city election in April of the even-numbered years? Do you favor continuing the practice?

YES - I favor keeping our Municipal election in April.

YES - I favor continuing to have Culver City elections controlled by the City Clerk's Office. Because the DISADVANTAGES far outweigh any "advantages":

LOSS of LOCAL CONTROL of Culver City elections.

LOSS of neighbor-volunteers serving our NEIGHBORHOOD POLLING PLACES.

ELECTION COSTS would be controlled by Los Angeles County and we could not control the cost of Culver City elections.

Our City Council, City Clerk, City Treasurer elections would be BURIED SOMEWHERE near the bottom of an EXTREMELY long ballot for the US President, California Governor and other state-wide offices, California propositions, United States Congress, Los Angeles County offices and judgeships, and a host of other LA County city elections and other city ballot measures.

CULVER CITY RESIDENTS would pay more for elections not under our own local control.

OUR CULVER CITY CANDIDATE CAMPAIGN SIGNS would get "LOST" in a forest of all other the campaign signs for US President, US Senator, US Congress, State Governor, State Senator, State Assembly and County Supervisor.

If they had to compete against the big time politicians for money, OUR CULVER CITY CANDIDATES would have much more difficult time in raising the necessary money to run for City Council.

We might have an "efficient" election on one, LONG PAPER BALLOT, but we would lose much of CULVER CITY'S DEMOCRATIC PROCESS.

That is too big of a price to pay. KEEP OUR APRIL ELECTIONS.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League. 

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: April 6, 2006 04:19
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