Los Angeles Mayoral Candidate Debate - March 1, 2017

Los Angeles Mayoral Candidate Debate - March 1, 2017

Los Angeles Mayoral Candidate Debate 

on Wednesday March 1, 2017 - Time 7-9 pm

Doors open 6 pm

Informal after debate meet and greet will be held across the street - at Los Candiles - 2100 Cypress Avenue

Co-sponsors: LANCC, LA River studios, VOX productions

Please submit questions to: LANCC@EMPOWER LA.ORG

LOCATION:
at: Sonia Sotomayor Learning Academies  
2050 N. San Fernando Rd., Los Angeles, CA 90065

Moderator:
Susan Hirasuna - Award Winning broadcast Journalist
and KTLA FOX 11 Anchor

11 Certified Los Angeles 2017 MAYORAL Candidates      

Paul E. Amori

YJ Draiman

Eric M. Garcetti

Diane Harman

David Raymond Hernandez

Yuval Daniel Kremer

Frantz Pierre

Eric Preven

Dennis Richter

David Saltsburg

Mitchell Schwartz

WILL THE 'TRUMP EFFECT' ENCOURAGE MORE REAL ESTATE EXECUTIVES TO GO INTO POLITICS? Posted by YJ Draiman

WILL THE 'TRUMP EFFECT' 

ENCOURAGE MORE REAL ESTATE EXECUTIVES TO GO INTO POLITICS?

National Jan 31, 2017 Jarred Schenke, Bisnow, Atlanta - Forbes

If Donald Trump's election proved anything to Peebles Corp founder Don Peebles, it is that Americans value business leadership over political experience. So for someone who has successfully managed a portfolio of billions of dollars in commercial real estate, a city with an $80B budget should be just as easy.

Peebles is still mulling a run for New York City mayor in an attempt to unseat incumbent Bill de Blasio in the Democratic primary. He is just one of a handful of commercial real estate executives across the country who are eyeing public service in the wake of Trump's historic win of the U.S. presidency. 

“I think Donald Trump's election as president is a lasting change,” Peebles said, regarding high-level political positions. "No more will a person seeking a political seat have to be a career politician. They will not need to have that experience of the career politician or the career public servant to go and seek America's highest office.” 

Is This The Trump Effect?

This 2017 election season is seeing a handful of current and former real estate executives jumping into the political arena. 

IV Capital's Sidney Torres IV is considering a run for mayor of New Orleans, and, in a Trumpian twist, will be starring in a reality show. 

YJ Draiman, a retired real estate executive, is running for mayor in Los Angeles for a second time. 

LA Mayoral Candidate YJ Draiman and Son David Draiman the frontman for Disturbed

And the biggest names of all are running for mayor in the president's hometown: Peebles, Massey Knakal brokerage co-founder Paul Massey and Abyssinian Development head Calvin Butts. 

Attributing a plethora of political candidates with commercial real estate backgrounds seeking public office to Trump winning the presidency may be overstating things. But a successful Trump administration could certainly have a long-term, inspiring effect of more commercial real estate and other private sector executives pursuing public office, said Loyola Marymount University political science professor Richard Fox.  

“It's way too early to say there's a Trump effect, but yes, there's a potential for that,” Fox said. 

In a study he and American University professor Jennifer Lawless conducted for the National Science Foundation, Fox said there was a measurable uptick on the number of African-American high school and college students who expressed interest in pursuing political roles while Obama was president. Unless Trump crashes and burns, Fox said he would expect a similar effect under Trump. 

The Perception Of Developers Is Changing

                                  YJDraiman.org Miriam Draiman, David Draiman and YJ Draiman 

“There is a negative connotation for being a developer," Draiman, a retired Chicago real estate investor who did hundreds of residential rehabs in Chicago with his former company, Bankers Realty, said. "I've seen a negative effect from various people who I met. They feel, when they see a developer, that it's a no-no." 

Today, Draiman — whose son, David, is the Grammy-nominated frontman for the rock band Disturbed — is hoping to discover the power of politics in his quest for the Los Angeles mayoral seat in the March primary. He also ran for mayor in 2013, and in a 2011 interview with L.A. Weekly, he was making many of the same cases for himself Trump made in the presidential campaign. 

"Some politicians were basically coerced, if you want to call it, to support a developer," he told the publication. "And remember, I was a developer myself, so I know where it's going to and where it's coming from."  

This time, he is running on the platform of pushing for economic development and for pushing for smarter growth and development with developers in the city. Much of his rhetoric is similar; after all, it worked for Trump. 

“The public as a whole feels that large, wealthy developers, since they contribute so heavily … to various other elected officials, they have an in, if you want to call it,” Draiman said. "They get by with certain benefits that the little guy doesn't get. And it's true. I won't deny it. I've seen it with my own eyes." 

Terranova Corp founder Stephen Bittel takes exception to the idea that any real estate executive who jumps into the political arena does it because of Trump's success. For Bittel — who recently was elected as Florida Democratic Committee chairman — the longtime Democratic Party donor and activist was mulling an ascent long before Trump announced his candidacy. 

“American history is replete with successful business leaders getting involved in the leadership of our country,” Bittel said. “I think Donald Trump, what he did for a living, has nothing to do with this. And to suggest that might even encourage people not to seek careers in public service. I don't think that the electorate cares about how you made your money, I think they care about how you lived your life.” 

If You Can Build It, The Votes Will Come 

Courtesy: Avison Young Kirk Rich 

Atlanta native Kirk Rich has been enmeshed in the commercial real estate industry for decades. He is president of the Georgia Chapter of the Certified Commercial Investment Member organization; a board member of Invest Atlanta — the city's economic development arm; and a member of Georgia State University's real estate board. 

He recently sold his boutique Atlanta third-party leasing and management firm to Avison Young, and has been tapped to head that firm's third-party platform. 

Rich has also thrown his hat into the ring for Atlanta City Council's 6th District seat, which covers a wide swath of Atlanta's most prestigious neighborhoods, including Morningside-Lenox Park, Druid Hills, Virginia-Highland, Piedmont Heights, portions of Midtown; the nexus of growth since the last recession. 

“I don't think Trump has affected people in real estate wanting to run for office,” Rich said, noting he did not support Trump for president. “But I think people are tired of politicians, and they're looking for people from the private sector. And Trump is about as private sector as it gets.” In Atlanta, the issues trumping voters' priorities in city council races are about growth and development, and the stress associated with it on traffic and infrastructure. And that's where Rich said real estate executives can be effective in public office. 

“That opens the door for people who understand commercial real estate development to get involved,”  he said. "And they need to get involved, because with the challenges we have I don't think they've been at the table enough already." 

While voters might find appeal with a business person running government, at least in New York City, where Hillary Clinton snagged 80% of voters, “I'm not necessarily sure being in the real estate business, especially in light of President Trump, is an advantage,” Peebles said. In fact, he added, it could be a double-edged sword. 

What being a commercial real estate executive does, Peebles said, is give him the ability to manage city issues and delegate authority. After all, one of the biggest issues facing New Yorkers is right in a developer's wheelhouse: housing affordability. 

“Real estate developers, by and large, don't have a very specific technical skill set. They have broad vision and leadership skills to be able to lead a team and be able to execute,” he said. 

But Peebles is also taking some cues from executives cum politicians like Trump and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (whom Peebles credits for blazing a trail with New York voters to accept a private sector executive in high public office): he vows to largely self-fund his campaign, if he runs. Peebles also said he will instruct the executives running Peebles Corp not to do any real estate deals in New York City while he's mayor to avoid conflicts of interest. His firm also has projects in Charlotte, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Miami and Boston. 

Bittel is taking a similar tactic during his four-year stint as the Democratic chair: He will not draw a salary, nor will he seek expense reimbursements, he said. 

“I'm doing this for all the right reasons,” he said. 

Private World, Public Business 

Courtesy: Jennifer Lawless 

Lawless said it's not uncommon for politicians to have come from the private sector. Typically, a third of Congressional members have backgrounds in Corporate America or business ownership. The other common paths are from law, education and career political activism. Those ratios were consistent with congresses in 2001, 2008 and 2011, Lawless said, with Republicans substantially more likely to have a business background. 

“When you think about local office, I'm not surprised by the real estate background [of candidates], because they really know the community,” she said. 

Lawless said it is too early to tell if President Trump will inspire more real estate executives to enter politics, especially on a national level. That will come to bear in the 2018 election, perhaps. 

“We know generally speaking when somebody becomes president of the United States," she said, "that that person's qualifications and background automatically become legitimate” in the eyes of the voters.

Rich said his experience in the industry is a plus on a city council that, essentially, is all about urban planning. If you run on the idea of smarter development that doesn't affect traffic negatively, “you'll win,” Rich said. 

See Also: BGC Partners Is Taking NGKF Public Related Topics: Chicago, New Orleans, American University, Atlanta City Council, Don Peebles, Kirk Rich, Abyssinian Development Corp, Loyola Marymount University, Paul Massey, President Donald Trump, Trump Effect, YJ Draiman, Bankers Realty Capital, Jennifer Lawless, Richard Fox, Calvin Butts, Bakersfield, Kyle Carter, Carter Realty , Sidney Torres IV, IV Capital, Boise, Tommy Ahlquist, David Draiman , Disturbed

Read more at: https://www.bisnow.com/national/news/commercial-real-estate/is-there-a-trump-effect-on-real-estate-execs-entering-politics-70208?utm_source=CopyShare&utm_medium=Browser

A Los Angeles mayor’s candidate forum without Mayor Eric Garcetti 3.15.2017

A Los Angeles mayor’s candidate forum without Mayor Eric Garcetti

By Elizabeth Chou, Los Angeles Daily News

POSTED: 02/16/17, 6:33 AM PST |

Candidates for the top job in Los Angeles city government take questions Thursday, Feb. 15, 2017, during the Northridge East Neighborhood Council Mayoral Candidate Forum at the Northridge Women’s Club. (Photo by Gene Blevins/Special to the Los Angeles Daily News) 

Mayor Eric Garcetti, who is running for re-election against 10 challengers, skipped a pair of candidate forums held Wednesday night in Northridge and the Hollywood Hills.

The mayor’s absence at the events was not surprising. Many believe Garcetti will easily win re-election in a contest in which he faces challengers who are at times colorful, thoughtful and spirited, but who are nevertheless doing poorly in the polls and mostly lacking in governing and political experience.

Some challengers took advantage of Garcetti’s absence Wednesday night, accusing him of being more preoccupied with running for higher office, letting the crime rate go up under his watch and spending more time at ribbon-cuttings than putting in the necessary hours to fix the city’s homelessness crisis.

David Saltsburg, a gadfly better known as Zuma Dogg, delivered some of the night’s harshest salvos, including this one:

“Everybody says Eric Garcetti is such a nice guy — no, he’s not!” Saltsburg informed an audience of a couple dozen people gathered at the Northridge Women’s Club on Lassen Street, where the Northridge East Neighborhood Council was hosting its forum.

“He’s a psychopath, politically, who has higher aspirations to be president,” Saltsburg continued, adding that Garcetti “doesn’t care about the side effects to this city at all.”

Garcetti, it turns out, did take a campaign-funded trip to Sacramento earlier in the day in which he managed to fit in a fundraiser and meetings with Gov. Jerry Brown, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon and state Sen. Jim Beall.

According to his campaign spokesman Yusef Robb, that trip was not what kept Garcetti from taking part in the Northridge forum and an event right before at the American Legion Hall that was put on by the Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council.

Anastasia Mann, president of the Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council, said many attendees at their event were upset that Garcetti’s representative, who had been scheduled to come in the mayor’s stead, canceled. The reason given was that Garcetti’s campaign decided they did not need to be part of an event “with candidates who didn’t have at least 15 percent in the polls,” Mann said, adding that the decision was “very disappointing.”

Robb did not disclose what Garcetti was doing Wednesday night, saying only that the mayor was “unavailable.”

With Garcetti not in the picture, the eight challengers who took part in the Northridge forum were given the spotlight when sharing their ideas.

Homelessness was the big issue at the Northridge forum, with two people in the audience querying the candidates on it. The responses ranged from concrete ideas to more vague concepts about changing society’s attitudes toward homeless individuals.

Mitchell Schwartz, one of the better funded and more politically experienced of the candidates, said he wants to help homeless veterans and will work to increase the number of affordable housing units in Los Angeles.

​YJ Draiman who is the only candidate with experience since previously running for Mayor​ in 2013. Draiman has some name recognition and is known as an Energy Conservation expert. He is promoting bringing businesses back to LA via economic and tax incentives and has some valid ideas how to ease LA's water problem.

Diane “Pinky” Harman, an actress and former teacher, said that she feels more needs to be done to understand the different reasons people become homeless, before prescribing solutions.

Dennis Richter, a member of the Socialist Workers Party, said that he wants to “launch a public works program” that will provide jobs to anyone who wants one, including the homeless.

Saltsburg said there needs to be an “all hands on deck approach,” that includes converting storage space into residences for the homeless. He also criticized Proposition HHH, saying the homeless housing bond measure passed by voters in November will be a “drip in the bucket” that will likely be mired in delays and increasing costs.

Paul E. Amori, who says his campaign is about making “love” a “core value when deciding policies,” says he wants more people to “come together” to help the homeless and to acknowledge “certain people just simply need our love.”

Eric Preven, a City Council critic and board member of the Studio City Neighborhood Council, said homeless service facilities should resemble the communal atmosphere of a “kibbutz.”

“We don’t need a hammer on a guy if he falls off the wagon and starts drinking again,” he said. “It’s a part of life, and other cultures and societies do a better job of taking care of their population.”

The conversation moved on to crime after one audience member asked the candidates what they would do about a local strip club where several people were killed.

None of the candidates seemed aware of the circumstances at that club, but Preven said the city has some land use tools to put pressure on the strip-club business, while Saltsburg said the issue should be referred to the city attorney.

Others like Schwartz and David Hernandez took a wider angle, saying the city is “under-policed” and needs more officers.

Richter diverged from the others in answering that “more police is not going to help.”

Those involved in criminal activity need jobs, which will keep them out of trouble, he said.

There did not seem to be a clear winner at the Northridge forum, with one 70-year-old Northridge resident, who declined to give her name, saying that the only thing she is certain about is that she will not be voting for Garcetti.

She said she did not vote for him last time because she felt he was not qualified. This time, “he really has abandoned us, the fact that he isn’t even campaigning,” she said.

And by the end of the night, the long-shot idea of Garcetti losing his re-election bid no longer seemed so unreasonable for some.

Glen Wilson, the treasurer of a nearby neighborhood council, said he is leaning toward Hernandez.

Anything could happen, he added, noting that Donald Trump, who many had discounted, won the presidential election because voters “wanted change.”

The night’s moderator, Nick Beer, who is a board member of the Northridge East Neighborhood Council, was also open to the idea of an unexpected outcome.

Beer kept his own pick a secret while saying that based on media coverage, Garcetti “is probably going to get re-elected.”

“But I also know elections can be very surprising,” he added. “I was personally quite surprised at the outcome of the presidential election, so I know that sometimes, there are ... things that you just don’t see coming.”

This article was amended to reflect that candidate Eric Preven is a city council critic and Studio City Neighborhood Council member and a comment about YJ Draiman.

less.

YJ Draiman for Mayor of Los Angeles - 2017 Check #33 on the Ballot

YJ Draiman for Mayor of Los Angeles - 2017

Check #33 on the Ballot

"I dream of a world where the truth is what shapes people's politics, rather than politics shaping what people think is true."

I, YJ Draiman, Candidate for mayor of the City of Los Angeles, propose a joint effort to fix our city and re-establish Los Angeles as one of the most vibrant, productive and progressive cities in America.

Northridge East Neighborhood Council will hold a 2017 Los Angeles Mayoral Candidate Forum

Northridge East Neighborhood Council will hold a

2017 Los Angeles Mayoral Candidate Forum

to be held on Wednesday, February 15, 2017, 8pm - 10pm

Northridge Woman's Club
18401 Lassen Street (just east of Reseda Blvd)
Northridge, CA 91325

Telephone
(818) 527-2913

Website
nenc-la.org

Email
info@nenc-la.org

11 Certified Los Angeles 2017 MAYORAL Candidates      

Paul  E  Amori

YJ  Draiman

Eric  M.  Garcetti

Diane  Harman

David  Raymond  Hernandez

Yuval  Daniel  Kremer

Frantz  Pierre

Eric  Preven

Dennis  Richter

David  Saltsburg

Mitchell  Schwartz

https://www.facebook.com/nenc.la

YJ Draiman, Candidate for mayor of the City of Los Angeles, propose a joint effort to fix our city and re-establish Los Angeles as one of the most vibrant, productive and progressive cities in America.

I, YJ Draiman, Candidate for mayor of the City of Los Angeles, propose a joint effort to fix our city and re-establish Los Angeles as one of the most vibrant, productive and progressive cities in America.

In order to achieve this goal it will require you the people of L.A. and me, as Mayor, to roll up our sleeves and work elbow-to-elbow together, or it won’t be done. What has to be done has to be done.

I am not asking for you to give something to your city, rather, I am asking you to join me in doing something with, and for your city.

I am not asking not for your gifts, but for your assistance, because hand-in-hand, united in our common cause, we will NOT fail.

I believe there is no greater force than the will and spirit of the people of Los Angeles if we choose to unite and work together.

The Committee to elect

YJ Draiman for Mayor of Los Angeles in 2017

If you don’t like the law or regulation, change it. Do not violate it.

Americans are supposed to be law abiding people. All current laws on the books must be enforced equally and not selectively. If you think a particular law is unjust, you can try to amend it or abolish it in a legal Democratic way and procedure. Anyone, who violates the law, be it governmental representatives, local government and people who decide to violate the law are endangering our Democracy and putting the public in harms way.

YJ Draiman for Mayor of LA 2017

Throughout the rest of this Year and all of 2017.. May you always make the right moves - May your cup runneth over with love.

Throughout the rest of this Year and all of 2017..
May you always make the right moves.
May your cup runneth over with love.

May you always find shelter from any storm.

May you remain good looking and looking good!

May you find the perfect diet for your soul.
(If this face doesn't make you want to stop eating sausage, nothing will.)

May you find perfect balance in the company you keep.

May you have as much fun as you can before someone makes you stop.

May the worst thing that happens to you come in slobbery pink and furry tan.

May you manage to make time for siesta.

May all the new folks you meet be interesting and kind.

May your accessories always harmonize with your natural beauty!

Should your mouth be bigger than your stomach, may you have a chewing good time!

May you always know when to walk away and know when to run. 

And may your friends always bring you joy!

 

MAY YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL NEW YEAR FILLED WITH LOVE, HAPPINESS, AND HOPE.