League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Los Angeles County, CA March 3, 2015 Election
	Teddy Davis Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of Los Angeles; District 4

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?

The single most important issue facing the City of Los Angeles today is traffic.

As Council Member, I would push for Measure R 2.0, a county-wide half-penny sales tax on the 2016 ballot, with the following provisions:

(1) Connect the Valley to the Westside with transit; (2) Accelerate the subway down Wilshire; (3) Connect our transit lines to the airport; (4) Convert the Orange Line dedicated busway to rail; and (5) Build More Parking at Local Transit Stops

Let's get it done in 10 years instead of 30! Together, we can leave behind a more livable Los Angeles.

2. The City Administrative Officer has estimated a $300 million budget shortfall for 2015-2016. What steps do you propose to deal with this problem and how much do you estimate each step would reduce the shortfall?

During the last decade, pension costs increased from 3 percent to 18 percent and are continuing to rise.

The growth in pension costs is adversely affecting the city's ability to deliver basic city services like fixing streets, repairing sidewalks, and trimming trees.

I have leveled with folks about the need for city employees to contribute more towards the cost of their pensions and health care.

We need to take on pension reform to ensure a secure retirement for workers and funding for basic city services.

3. What is the single most important issue facing your Council District today, and how would you deal with it?

The single most important issue facing Council District 4 is the breakdown in basic city services. I would take four steps:

1. Utilities owe the City of Los Angles $190 million for cutting up our streets. Let's collect that money and bring it back to our neighborhoods;
2. Fix the most severely damaged sidewalks using District 4 discretionary funds;
3. Hire an emergency tree trimming crew to take care of our neighborhoods; and
4. Increase employee contributions to their pensions and health care to ensure a secure retirement and funding for basic city services.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' answers are presented as submitted.

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

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: January 31, 2015 11:07
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