League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Los Angeles County, CA May 21, 2013 Election
	Mitch O'Farrell Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of Los Angeles; District 13

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What do you think is the single most important issue facing the City of Los Angeles today? As Council Member, what would you do to deal with it?

Our chronic budget deficit crises overshadows everything at City Hall. It is a justification for not doing enough while providing excuses for avoiding the tough decisions that need to be made. Without adequate funding for basic city services, our neighborhoods will continue to suffer. We must increase revenue, cut waste and tax-payer funded patronage positions, and rebuild confidence in our neighborhoods and within the small business community. We need to reestablish credibility that the city of Los Angeles can function and serve the people. Our tax revenues seem to be on the increase but not nearly at the pace of our climbing deficit. On the eve of the great recession, city leaders agreed to a 25% wage and pension benefit increase for most city workers over a several-year period. This has proved to be devastating to our local economy. City leaders then won some concessions at the bargaining table in the form of furlough days, early retirements, healthcare contributions, and limited pension plans for new city employees. That has helped a little. But our deficit crises has made my cause for reforming the way this city deals with our small business community all the more critical. For over ten years now I have worked with many small businesses on a case by case basis, when they needed help breaking through our city bureaucracy. Conversely, a plan was circulating at City Hall for years called, "12 to 2," a plan to reduce the number of steps required to get a permit to open a business. This effort was housed in the Mayor's Office but it never happened. (The actual number of steps it takes to open a business is estimated to be over 50). I will lead the way in completely reforming the way City Hall deals with our 322,000 small businesses in Los Angeles and help new businesses open. Small businesses account for 3/4 of jobs in Los Angeles and yet the city imposes what sometimes seem like insurmountable hurdles to people wanting to open, expand, or grow their business here. This includes delays in plan review, inspections that are costly, duplicative, and sometimes arbitrary, one inspector contradicting another but making the applicant liable for costly modifications that may be invalidated by a third inspector, delays in inspections that cause a permit application to expire, forcing applicants to file all over again and pay all of the same fees. Often times applicants will pay for an "early expedite fee" but not receive the service. Also, there are no application refunds of any kind, regardless of the city being at fault for delays, mistakes, or giving the wrong advice to business applicants. The various departments responsible for handling all business applications don't necessarily talk to each other so information gets lost all the time, leaving the applicant to scramble and try and keep his or her efforts going. City Hall planning counter staffers consistently tell applicants they should hire an "expediter" regardless of if they actually need one for basic, "by-right" projects, often times adding to the frustration and cost associated with doing business in the city of Los Angeles. These delays, which sometimes drag on for months and even years, will often happen while a business operator is already paying for rent and utilities. These delays are contributing to our high unemployment rate and hurting our economy while negatively impacting our general revenue income stream, and adding to our budget deficit crises.

Our budget deficit crises has also prevented the city of Los Angeles from adding badly needed Dash bus lines (low cost public transit/neighborhood circulators). It has also reduced tree trimming, reduced the number of streets that can be resurfaced and the number of sidewalks replaced, reduced library staff and maintenance, reduced recreation & parks staff and maintenance, reduced graffiti paint out programs, reduced 3-1-1- operator call hours, has eliminated neighborhood beautification grants, it has gutted our Cultural Affairs department, affected our affordable housing trust fund, and our Department of Aging, which has hurt senior programs; and the list goes on and on.

This is all unacceptable and I am running for Los Angeles City Council so I can play a role in balancing our needs, providing jobs, and growing our economy. We need to have a conversation about what our priorities are in this city - and budget accordingly. We haven't had a balanced city budget for over ten years. The can has been kicked down the road long enough in hopes that a good economy would provide enough revenue to close the perpetual funding gaps. That hasn't happened so this new class of elected officials must ensure that it does.

2. 85% of the City's General Fund Budget is for personnel costs. If forced to cut costs to balance the budget, would you favor reducing the number of employees or asking existing employees to accept lower wages and/or reduced benefits?

I will do whatever it takes to balance our budget and get this city fully functioning. My focus is to increase revenue and putting my business reform plan into process immediately. We can cut all patronage positions, such as eliminating the Board of Public Works. It is duplicative and much of their work can be done by a volunteer commission, just like all of our other departments. Our city workforce is already greatly diminished from what it was 5 years ago so we must increase revenue. We need to immediately freeze all pay and benefit increases for all city workers and reduce the salaries of all elected officials. It will require the ability to think creatively, leverage existing resources, and make decisions that people won't like, in order to solve this problem - but my first priority as an elected official will always be to make decisions that are best for the residents of the 13th District and the city of Los Angeles. That is my job and I will not stray from that responsibility. I will balance the needs of city workers while demanding a higher standard of public service from myself, my staff, and all city employees.

3. Do you support the DWP taking steps to reduce carbon emissions even if that will result in increased bills for ratepayers?

Nothing is more important than the air we breath and the water we drink. We must clean our air and take sensible steps to a sustainable way of life in Los Angeles. I know from personal experience that every household can reduce power consumption significantly by taking thoughtful steps to do so. At the same time, the LADWP must set all their rates in the most fair and equitable manner for residents and businesses. The LADWP must also be more aggressive and willing to expand their feed in tariff solar program so every household and business can be empowered to save on energy costs. If done right, this can more than make up for increased rates associated with the carbon emission reduction plan. It is important for city leaders to find that balance and enact policies that work best and help the environment. No one has to lose on this one.

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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: March 26, 2013 15:52
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