Notable Quotes From The Candidates For CD2
Stephen Box, representing the Sierra Club, devoted most of the day Sunday to interviewing CD2 candidates who are seeking the Sierra Club endorsement. He has kept the community updated during the course of these interviews, with quotes from the candidates through his Facebook page.
Here we present a sampling:
"The City suffers from a lack of leadership. Politicians lead by sticking their finger in the air rather than doing the right thing." Tamar Galatzan
"Imagine if the paths and trails actually connected and went where we need to go. Imagine a plan for access and connectivity." Tamar Galatzan
"The City of LA creates its own rules, doesn't play well with others and doesn't work with its partners" Mary Benson"I've read the Cyclists' Bill of Rights. I absolutely endorse it. I'll work with the cycling community to implement the CBR"
Paul Krekorian
"From the little issues to the big picture, LA's officials aren't listening. We're public servants, I will serve and I will listen." Tamar Galatzan
"I believe in multidisciplinary problem solving that involves the community. I'll form a 'TeamworkCD2' team to make CD2 work." Tamar Galatzan
"Good decisions involve information gathering, public input and buy-in. It doesn't need to be a straw poll but it needs to inclusive." Paul Krekorian
"Of all of my accomplishments, I'm most proud of the staff that I have assembled." Paul Krekorian
"Riding a bike in LA will work when cyclists are given the same respect in design, continuity and access as other modes." Mary Benson
"I not only want to get people out of cars, I want to get those cars off the street. We must mandate off-street parking!" Mary Benson
"I'm the right candidate for the time, I'm strong in finance, planning, coalition building and community advocacy. I'm the leader." Chris Essel
We don't know how many of the candidates Stephen interviewed, but if he posts more quotes, we will post them here. Also, check out my side project that is devoted to the CD2 race at http://cd2election.blogspot.com/
Labels: cd2 special election
Posted by Unknown @ 7/26/2009 08:19:00 PM
48 Comments:
"I'm the right candidate for the time, I'm strong in finance, planning, coalition building and community advocacy. I'm the leader."
Chris Essel
Leader of what?
Well, you can sure see how Tamar and Mary know CD2. Nothing Paul or Chris said was of any substance. I've noticed that for some time. Paul talks about a list of things but its only a list. Both Tamar and Mary have hard core issues they've dealt with in CD2 and they've made a difference for their communities.
Community advocacy? So far all I see is how she shuns the community with her high and mighty-ness. Not the person to represent CD2. Definitely, definitely not qualified. Her heart is Holly-DownTown.
I would like to see more comments from the candidates like this. Very insightful. Where is Frank Sheftel or Louis Pugliese?
9:58
I heard Chris is a pretty terrible candidate and her lines here just prove it.
9:56
And Tamar's hard core issues are?
Tamar has been a highly successful neighborhood prosecutor in Sherman Oaks. Just ask Sherman Oaks.
I will ask Sherman Oaks when i meet her.
"I'm the leader" - Chris Essel.
Is that like Bush saying he is the "Decider". What next, Los Angeles invades Iraq?
Sherman hangs out next to Van Nuys.
You guys are too cynical.
Chris Essel is a Leader.
In Jan Perry's district.
Met Paul Krekorian this afternoon for the first time in Studio City in a meet and greet with local neighborhood leaders.
Impressive, humble and knows the issues.
Please explain what issues Paul knows about other than a pay raise for himself on the backs of CD2?
That was a canned line that Chris Essel gave. Good for her "finance experience", whatever that means. She is from the CRA, so I guess that means she's good in planning. Has anyone ever heard of any of her coalitions - you know? The ones that she's built? Hm, where are they? And to echo the first poster - leader of what?
She would be better than Tamar Galatzan though. She's already proven she doesn't care about the constituents. She's a crappy school board member and would be a crappy council member.
I'm going to push for Mary Benson. She knows the area. But how will she raise the dirty money?
Will Sunland-Tujunga back her? If so, you can knock out Sherman Oaks votes for Chris Essel, if that's who they're truly voting for. (which I've only read here and never heard from anyone who lives there)
Sherman Oaks is starting to line up behind Tamar. Studio City is lining up behind Krekorian (they are terrified of Essel because she will support the Universal Project), Sunland-Tujunga would love Mary but they are not convinced she can pull Studio City and Sherman Oaks. S-T also has a large Armenian populace lining up behind Paul. The Armenian vote will take Paul to the run-off. Now it becomes Paul vs ?
Then you have Louis Pugliese and Frank Sheftel and Michael McCue. All worthy candidates that could throw a monkey wrench into everyone's plan.
And don't forget about the Zuma Dogg factor. This is one race worth following because it will be amazing how it plays out.
Chris Essel is a quitter! She was just appointed LAX commissioner by Villaraigosa, himself, only in January of this year. SHE QUIT!
Galatzan has a lot of nerve talking about leadership when she is basically a bought and paid for hand puppet of Antonio Villaraigosa.... one of the worst political leaders in American history.
A man who was so reviled that he could only get 9% of the registered voters to support him for re-election. An even sadder fact is that the 9% was enough to win.
I think Tamar and Villar had a falling out some time ago. Do some research before you bloviate, clown boy.
Tamar opposed Antonio on lots of school board things, like full health care for part time cafeteria workers, his school bond for building physical buildings Monica pushed through for him, you'd never know he helped raise 2 mil to get her elected at all. What's her position on charters? I think she's more for them than the hard-line libs like Julie Korenstein, who votes FOR a lot of Tony's issues although she's not "his" candidate. So I have no doubt Tamar is not "his" candidate now, clown boy Phil indeed.
But judging Chris or any of them from these soundbites is absurd -- except for Mary Benson who sounds like an unrealistic, idealistic hippie.
Chris may not be a good public speaker but that means she's not a good b.s. con-artist, either. Like some people who have been elected recently by bloviating to the Sherman Oaks crowd.
Hey Krekorian staffer:
Chris Essel HAD TO resign to run for Council. Duh.
This is not Sacramento where you keep your job and get to run for another (like your boy).
The comment above is right Phil. What the heck are you doing? Tony and Tamar had a falling out.
You have lottsa time on your hands, Phil, so why don't y ou know this?
I'll say it again:
CHRIS ESSEL IS THE JACK WEISS OF THIS ELECTION.
Not only is she untrustworthy and a pretended, she is a quitter.
"Chris Essel HAD TO resign to run for Council."
Appointed in January, QUITTER a couple months later. She couldn't see that far ahead? Q-U-I-T-T-E-R.
But the main concern with Chris is between her ears.
It doesn't matter if Tamar had a falling out with the mayor. She went a long for the ride and was willing to get in bed with Antonio in the first place. Someone may have a falling out with Hitler, but if they went along with him in the first place, that is very telling.
Regarding Sierra Club Endorsement.
The Los Angeles County Political Committee of the Sierra Club is under the leadership of Susana Reyes who happens to be the Human Resources Director for the DWP.
Reyes and her fellow board members are big supporters of Mayor Villaraigosa (remember Prop B ??). So look for them to support Krekorian.
Hey Paul:
Please tell your staffer we've got the message; you are trying to paint Chris Essel with the Jack Weiss brush.
But, it doesn't work, because she has an even temperment (unlike Jack); she is open minded (unlike Jack); she is fair in her judgments and not stubborn (unlike Jack)she is polite (unlike Jack) and she has no sense of entitlement (unlike Jack).
You'll have to do better than paint her with that brush, or you will lose handily.
P.S. Get yourself a new staffer.
Benson- Some of Sunland Tujunga
Tamar- Sherman Oaks
Puglise- Some Republicans
Krekorian- Studio City- Valley Glen- Valley Village- Armenians
Sheftel- Pot smokers every where
Essavi- Some Republicans
Sanchez- Latinos- North Hollywood
So who makes the run off?
9:57,
She may not be as cold as Jack, but it comes down to the team you roll with. It comes down to the side you pull for. Clearly, Christine Essel is pulling for the same team Weiss was part of. Sorry he didn't make it and she has to go solo. The same Wetherly Capital fundraising team was pushing Chris before their money became tainted and unacceptable. But the point is who she is aligned with and what she is willing to go along with.
Anyway, it's time wasted discussing Essel. Her campaign is getting and will continue to get no traction. All that type of support went to Paul. It truly already is over for Christine.
Pugliese just had his qualified for the ballot by the city clerk.
9;57, the way you're smearing someone falsely just to pander to the electorate tells me a LOT about your candiate Chris Essel. Sounds a lot like Shallman's dirty work alright.
Not that Krekorian is much better in that regard. BOTH OUT. Tamar hasn't done any nasty negative campaigning or smearing anyone for her own benefit. We can see which way this election is going, down.
The person who compares Tamar to a Hitler supporter because she ran with help from the Mayor and his fundraising help is SIcK, SICK. If Essel and Krekorian and the lesser candidates are pandering to the demo, another huge forget it.
I"m turned off by Krekorian's pandering to the "Armenian vote" too. (Does that mean he's going to support smoking and other aspects of Armenian culture, just to get votes? Why is that better than the Latinos who are accused of putting their "own people" first?)
With a low enough turn out, it will be Puglise and Krekorian into the runoff.
With bigger turn out probably Tamar and Krekorian.
Tamar and Krekorian into the runoff, but if the turn out is low enough one of the lesser knows candidates might sneak into to the run off.
Its a short election cycle and they are the best known candidates so you have to give them the advantage.
It will be a big shocker.
A Benson-Puglise runoff.
10:33
And some of your best friends are black right?
11:55, why don't you do your homework instead of slinging bizarre ad-hominems that show where Paul's people are heading.
Glendale is facing a huge backlash against its no-smoking ordinances because the Armenian community is claiming that smoking is a "cultural right" - cigarettes and hookahs - and that banning smoking is cultural discrimination. Where does Paul stand on that? Will he stand up to his community and support No Smoking ordinances?
1:10
Some of your best friend's are Mexican right?
And where does Tamar stand on Orthodox Jews building a 10,000 square foot house on a 6,000 square foot lot?
Sounds like a stupid question right? we'll because it is.
Unless you believe that individuals are reponsible for the activity of all others in their group/racial, your line of attack is entirley illegimate.
11:10
I am white and i smoke.
So shut up.
Actually how one feels about Orthodox Jews "building a 10,000 square foot house on a 6000 square foot lot" is NOT "a stupid question" but one that's dividing Valley Glen and other communities including Hancock Park adjacent, west valley now, etc.
A house that big which usually has many people and children, with their attendant activities and cars, would raise LOTS of legitimate questions.
The issue of being Orthodox Jews vs. say Latinos is also relevant because the Jews are less likely to have many cars, since they walk to Schul, unlike the Latinos.
Different communities and towns feel differently - one person's lifestyle to their neighbor's blight, a "ruining" of the single-family lifestyle which they believe maintains property values and coherence.
Sometimes they work out geographic zoning boundaries.
PC babblings and ad hominem attacks do NOT resolve problems.
All of the candidates will be judged by the folks who endorse and work for them. Some will have supporters who live in a "Mansion" type home in a community of smaller single family homes.
Someone will no doubt accept Ms. Healeys help even though there are questions being asked about the so called $100,000 raised in contributions without reporting it to the Ethics Commission.
I believe the Jack Weiss for City Attorney web site is still up and last I looked Pauls name was still on the list. How can he claim Chris is the Jack Weiss of the CD2 race when he himself endorsed Jack.
You can't simultaneously deny the facts when it comes to the Armenian community's own claims about itself and then turn around and boast that "Krekorian has the Armenian vote locked up" -- just because of his name -- and that's NOT racist.
Overall what a useless bunch of candidates, all afraid to say anything that might offend anyone, agreeing with whoever they're talking to at the time, pandering, fingers to the wind. The opposite of "leaders." Even more vanilla than Vahedi vs. Koretz.
THIS is what local elections have come to with the HOA-dominated electorate today, so why do any of them even want this emasculated job? And don't tell me it's just the money, wasn't Essel making a lot more at Paramount? Her getting into politics in mid-life strikes me as strange, though she's not the only one of the bunch. With Benson the S-T hippie and especially possibly Zuma Dogg, "strange" is the operative word.
All of the major candidates endorsed Jack because he WAS the far better candidate. Calling him "stubborn" means he had a consistent vision and wasn't afraid to state it -- the city is a lot better off for him in many ways, including public safety.
Whereas Trutanich said one thing and his career and life were another -- he "said anything" to get endorsements and support, was a smooth talker with "soundbites and fancy speeches" honed as a crafty criminal defense attorney, and talk about the ultimate carpetbagger! He'd lived and worked in Long Beach for the previous 25 years, only moving to the South Bay to run. He's shown himself in his first 3 weeks to have done more harm to the city's image, business interests, and integrity as well as to the office which he's using for vindictive purposes, than anyone could have imagined. Even fervent supporters are calling him out on it as a blundering, blustering fool. He's way over his head intellectually and ethically, a horrible choice.
Beware the smooth-talking phony who comes armed with nothing but "plans" and a salesman's grin.
If they start quoting the bible, REALLY watch out: unless it's a preacher, it's a sure sign of a snake-oil salesman's smokescreen.
Hey, maybe Krekorian will endorse Chris Essel, just like he endorsed Jack Weiss!!!
Who said Paul is accusing Chris of being the Jack Weiss supporter. I know who posted those comments here and it was a random reader. Maybe you have heard Paul say it somewhere else. But if you are basing your opinion that Paul's people are tagging Chris with the Jack Weiss tag, there has been others on this blog, too. I have a few things to say about Paul, Chris and Tamar but it's still so early. You want to wait until closer to election time, when more people are paying attention.
ChrisEsselIsNotDumb.com
It would be a while before I would ever trust a Sierra Club endorsed candidate. Look at that stupid Discovery Center project in the San Gabriel Valley.
I don't get the Mary Benson-hippie connection at all. I would love to see her in a run off. I would love to see all of Sunland-Tujunga and Foothill Trails people just back the hell out of her and put her in office. Activists like her deserve the ridiculous salary.
Hippie? Is that campaign staffers starting their bashing already?
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