Mayoral Candidate Jan Perry's "Q & A" with Los Angeles Magazine

Blogger's note: (West) Los Angeles Magazine in an journalistic endeavor to broaden its West L.A. readership knowledge on the candidates to replace "Failure Mayor Antonio Villar" in 2013, rolls out its first "Q and A" with the candidates by spotlighting CD 9 City Councilwoman Jan Perry in its January 1, 2012 Online Edition. While most of us equate Councilwoman Perry with her steadfast support of AEG and Fast Food Bans, there are some tidbits about her life journeys and thoughts on the Los Angeles political landscape that readers may find of interest. We should note that answers here are shallow due to time restrictions on the part of the author Wall Street Journal Los Angeles Bureau Chief Gabriel Kahn. Excerpts below---Scott  Johnson.

Who’s the better mayor: Bradley or Villaraigosa? 
They are both charismatic, but I’d vote for Bradley because his deep, deep commitment to the city was so clear. Bradley fully inhabited the office of the mayor. He had fluid relationships with the city council, but he also enjoyed an enormous amount of credibility with people throughout the city. So he could go out and, on his own word, rally support for initiatives.

L.A. has had a black mayor and a Latino mayor. How does a black woman candidate play into the racial politics of a city that’s becoming increasingly Latino? 

I’m a black woman who speaks Spanish, and I’ve represented a Latino district for the past ten years. No door has ever been shut to me. I’ve always been able to communicate with everyone. And as a woman, I put myself in the place of other women who are trying to take care of their families.

In November you quit your post as president pro tempore of the city council, decrying the lack of openness. Many people would say the city council has never been open. What specifically prompted you to step down? 
It was over the remapping of the city council voting districts. We had a situation where people were drawing up maps outside of a formal process and not letting people know. The fix was already in. Redistricting is a process we go through every ten years, and it reflects how we see ourselves and how we see our city. It’s a precious right, and it needs to be inclusive.

What’s the most important project the city can take on in the next two years? 
The project that brings the greatest number of jobs to the city as quickly as possible. That’s probably the stadium and the convention center expansion.

Your thoughts .,............

Scott Johnson in CD 14