My Vision and Plan

Every city needs a unique vision, driven by the goals of its citizens and its government. This vision becomes a reality through a comprehensive PLAN, which moves it from the world of imagination into our world of daily life.

Great cities achieve greatness because their city leaders have both a vision and a plan. In recent decades, many European and U.S. cities have confronted the ominous challenges of urban growth and changing needs by revitalizing their vision, and retooling their plan of action. I've spent time in many of these cities, and see many of the same challenges facing us here in West Hollywood. In 1984, the city jump-started itself with a progressive and inclusive vision. Much has been achieved since our founding, but we can do more. As we rapidly approach our 25th anniversary, it's time for a new look at the vision, and a new PLAN for the years to come.

Once elected to the City Council, I know I can help achieve this PLAN.

P – is for Parking. No great city can function today if it fails to deal with its vehicle traffic through a comprehensive parking and transportation plan. Parking and transportation issues represent some of the biggest obstacles standing in the way of achieving our vision for West Hollywood. It is no secret that we lack adequate parking for our residents and visitors. We are the most densely populated city west of the Mississippi, and our population swells with an additional 80,000 visitors on a typical weekend. Festivals like Halloween and LGBT Pride can generate as many as 500,000 visitors. Businesses need adequate parking in order to flourish and provide the tax base for our world-class social services and other city programs. Yet with the scarcity of parking spaces, overkill on parking tickets, abuses of towing, and the lack of a creative solution, we risk becoming a city that non-residents avoid visiting because they know they can't park.

Once I am elected, I will work with my colleagues, residents, businesses and recognized experts to develop a plan which meets parking and transit needs.

L – is for Liveability. We must carefully examine the manner in which every property in our 1.9 square miles is used and perhaps further developed. I am not opposed to development. But I am concerned that ongoing development must be thoughtful and intelligently designed. I am not opposed to mixed-use sites, but I think they must really work in terms of human dynamics, if we are to maintain that atmosphere of "intimate liveability" which works so well for mixed-use in Europe, as well as some well-planned cities in the U.S. In our commercial districts, multi-use development works when it creates an intimate environment which draws in the public and makes them want to be out there, whether it’s to dine, shop, see a movie, or simply people-watch. Our residential neighborhoods must also be "intimately liveable." For renters and homeowners, this means a range of things, from preservation of small green spaces to freedom from unwelcome commercial intrusions.

Once I am elected, I will bring to the office a well-traveled sensibility and well-educated perspective about urban history that will help make WeHo more liveable.

A – is for the Arts. West Hollywood proudly calls itself the Creative City, yet spends less than 1 percent of its annual budget to foster the arts. Our new library remains unfunded, and a generous gift by a residents' group of the outdoor pipe organ and pavilion was rejected. We need to examine many issues before we can truly live up to our name. For example, why couldn’t mass events like Halloween and LGBT Pride be turned into parades with the creativity and class of the Tournament of Roses? What could be done to further boost attendance and prominence of our Book Fair? Where are the theaters and art galleries that could add attraction and bustle to Santa Monica Boulevard, which currently is mostly limited to shops, restaurants and clubs? The newly widened boulevard seems to me like a beautiful new movie set, still waiting for the full-scale production crew that will bring it to life.

Once I am elected, my perspective and experience as a creative person – indeed, a creative person who has been a political activist as well – can help to enrich West Hollywood's cultural life.

N – is for Neighborhoods. Every functioning city is the sum total of its many neighborhoods – whether the residential neighborhoods, or the business and commercial neighborhoods, or the public spaces that everyone can visit and enjoy. Neighborhoods "work" because of a feeling and atmosphere that they create. Great cities all have this feeling, and their residents and visitors alike talk about this feeling with their faces lit up. A city council can’t mandate this atmosphere into existence with the stroke of a pen, but they can help create it through attention to every-day human dynamics. Most important – this positive neighborhood atmosphere expresses a great respect for the unique and socially conscious values, and the diverse demographics – ethnic, orientation, etc. – that make West Hollywood great.

Once I am elected, I will maintain close ties with all the city's different neighborhoods, and listen to what they have to say. I will work to help meet their needs in a way that furthers this PLAN.

This is what my campaign is about. This is my vision, and this is my PLAN.

Initiatives

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My Vision and Plan