Joe Goes to City Hall
lic comment process was taken out of the process, was not taken into consideration and obviously I had no part in,” he said. “I just came here.” When asked if he would support or even initiate a measure that takes the appointment process of the redistricting commission out of the hands of elected officials, he said he “would support any measure that puts government back in the hands of the people of Los Angeles.” But he quickly fell back into his default position that the commission was filled with appointees that come from elected officials. “We have to respect the process,” he said. “And, I understand that every year we’re going to have these issues.” During the race for the council seat, when it became clear that Joe was going to become the victor, critics wondered if he would be able to remain untainted by city hall—that he wasn’t just being thrown into shark-infested waters. It’s apparent he has the next year to show whether he’ll swim or get eaten.
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Above, Los Angeles City Councilman Buscaino walks up the steps of Los Angeles City Hall on his first day on the job. Buscaino and Council Board President Herb Wesson forged a strong relationship during the new councilman’s run for office. Wesson brushes off charges of corrupting the city’s redistricting process, while Buscaino suggested he’ll maintain an independent voice. Photos courtesy of the 15th District Council Office
have played a role in Joe’s appointments. All of the redistricting commissioners were appointed by the Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s office and members of the city council. The 15th District was largely unaffected by the process, though early proposed drafts would have carved Watts out of the district, San Pedro resident and chair of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition, Bob Gelfand, has been exploring ways to challenge the new redistricting maps if the city’s neighborhood councils so choose. “The coalition found that the redistricting ordinance is technically not challenge-able by referendum,” Gelfand explained. There was a question of whether this was constitutional. If the city passes the maps as is, a group could gather 27,000 signatures and submit them as part of a referendum to the city clerk’s office. The city clerk could deny the challenge and open the door to a lawsuit attacking the constitutionality of not providing an avenue to challenge the redistricting maps. To his credit, Joe resisted the early maps that would have lopped off the norther part of the district. “When they told me with the first drafts that I would be losing Watts, I told them, ‘Hell no!’” he said. “Watts was a constituency that I wanted to serve.” Joe wouldn’t say much about the redistricting process, noting that it was already well underway before he got there. “In listening to my colleagues, Councilwoman Perry and Councilman Parks, they feel that the pub-
Walmart, which has been trying to gain a foothold in the lucrative Los Angeles grocery market for years, plans to open a small-format grocery store in order to avoid an existing Los Angeles City superstore ordinance. Los Angeles superstore law was enacted following Walmart’s failed 2004 attempt to open a superstore in the City of Inglewood. The retail giant spent more than $1 million on a ballot initiative that would have allowed it to build, but was soundly defeated by the efforts of LAANE and a coalition of small businesses, clergy, community groups and unions. The Inglewood reversal put a halt for several years to the retailer’s efforts to penetrate the Los Angeles grocery market, which includes three large unionized chains—Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons— that have traditionally offered better wages and benefits than Walmart. Opponents of Walmart, say that the retail giant’s presence would create a race to the bottom by eroding the city’s middle class with its culture of anti-union practices.
Chiang Unveils Updated Costs for Funding State Retiree Health Benefits
Sacramento—State Controller John Chiang released a new actuarial report Feb. 24 showing the 30-year cost of providing health and dental benefits for state retirees is $62.1 billion. The unfunded obligation as of June 30, 2011, grew $2.2 billion from the $59.9 billion obligation identified as of June 30 2010. The accrued liability grew less than expected due to favorable health care claim experiences linked to a combination of fewer claims, less expensive claims, less utilization of services, and the implementation of new California Public Employees’ Retirement System’s health programs designed to reduce costs. While state pensions are pre-funded, allowing investment returns to reduce liabilities, California pays for retiree health benefits on a “pay-as-you-go” basis, or the minimum amount needed to fund the costs as they are due. Recognizing that fully funding the health and dental benefits obligation is unlikely given the state’s tight budget, Chiang noted that even incremental steps toward pre-funding the obligation would significantly reduce the state’s liability.
Sen. Lieu Pushes Plan to Ease Collection of Compensation from Felons Under Realignment
Sacramento—California residents who have been victimized would find it easier to collect More News Briefs/ to p. 10
March 9 - 22, 2012
the Warner Grand Theatre, a ceremony that packed the 1,500 seat theater then led to a celebration on the closed off Sixth Street. These were, undeniably the 20 percent margin of victory that carried Joe into office. On the stage with him was he his predecessor Rep. Janice Hahn, Deputy Chief Pat Gannon, Chief Charlie Beck, his wife Geralyn and their two children, Joe’s mentee and friend Isaiah Washington, and Wesson. Wesson was on the stage too when Joe was elected. When asked why he got such plumb assignments at such an early stage in his tenure, he noted that the city hasn’t seen this in decades. “Someone from the community, someone off the streets, who loves this place, who wants to improve and improve the quality of life, who has never run for office, who does not have strong ties to the political machine and we sent a message to city hall and to Sacramento that it is possible,” Wesson said. “And my colleagues under the direction of the Council President Herb Wesson saw it as well. He said let’s empower this young man from San Pedro. He mobilized the community, he energized this community when it came to this election. Let’s give him the tools to fight for his district. And I am grateful and so humbled.” With the recent redistricting battles much of the monied downtown developments were gutted from Councilwoman Jan Perry’s district, while much of the African American core of councilman Bernard Parks’ district was carved out and given to Wesson’s 10th District. In addition Westchester was separated from LAX and placed in the Parks’ district, while Koreatown was divvied up despite the community’s intense desire to be kept whole for better representation. Observers of the redistricting process see this as Wesson punishing his opponents while benefiting his allies, the result of political calculations that could
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“What better way to make this a destination like the Pike in Long Beach and move forward on the waterfront development project,” he explained. He suggested that he would use his position as chair of the Trade and Commerce Committee to push projects forward that are in line with his vision. “For the last 10 years they’ve kept saying, ‘This summer... this summer [construction will begin],” he said. “Well I want to see it.” “Sitting on the trade commerce committee, I look forward to working with them but I’m going to hold them accountable as well in making decisions and moving forward. We talk about what better way to put people back to work.” This was just one of many of getting to know you get-togethers Joe has been engaging in since his inauguration on Feb. 1. In the past month, he has been meeting with those who could form the basis of public private partnerships such as the Ahmanson Family and developers such as the head of the Anschultz Entertainment Group, Tim Leiweke. “Having the title and the authority to knock on some doors to really bring people, like I’m doing with Tim [Leiweke], and key folks like the Ahmanson family to build upon the public-private partnerships that I intend to depend on and will fight for.” Joe is engaged in carrying out other campaign promises on the economic front as well, such as building an interactive website that will highlight vacant lots to attract people to invest and shifting long-time field deputy under Janice Hahn’s tenure, Ana Dragin, to business advocate, a special position on his staff designed to guide new business owners through the bureaucratic maze of fees, permits, and paperwork. At times, Joe reverts to that boy-wonder look in his eyes when he tries to describe what he sees in the future for San Pedro. He never fully articulates that vision, but knowing a bit of his biographical story and his honest-to-goodness earnestness, you can almost see a bubble cloud above head when he talks about it. Like when he talked about his desire to bolster the District 15’s economy with the arts as one of its primary engines. “When it comes to economic development and supporting the arts I go back to how I was brought up,” he explained. “The arts is in my blood.” He links the vision to his memories of what he witnessed as a police officer, particularly of when he worked downtown Los Angeles, noting that he’s “seen the despicable choices that poverty breeds that is put on people of all ages.” He unquestionably wants to be the people’s champion. Joe notes Watts’ high unemployment rate and his intention to knock on doors to invite job creators to come to the 15th District. “We have 24 percent unemployment in Watts,” he said. “To sit on key committees, to chair public works, to sit on the trade an commerce and tourism committee, to sit on public safety… What this council president has done is offer me an opportunity to fight for my district by sitting on these key committee appointments.” However, the question that remains is whether—as a novice legislator amidst seasoned politicos—he will he be able to be the people’s champion. Though Joe was sworn into office Feb. 1, a more formal ceremony took place, Feb. 25, at
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