Meet the Candidates: Mitch Englander, Council District 12

City Council District 12 candidate Mitch Englander

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City Council District 12 candidate Mitch Englander
To prepare for the upcoming March 8, 2011 elections, LAist has contacted each candidate on the City of L.A.'s Official Candidate List to participate in a Q&A. All candidates received the same set of questions, with the exception of West Hollywood city council candidates, who received a WeHo-specific list of questions. LAist does not endorse political candidates, and responses are posted in the order they are received.In this edition of "Meet the Candidates," we hear from Council District 12 candidate Mitch Englander. The San Fernando Valley district includes Canoga Park, Chatsworth, Encino, Granada Hills, Northridge, North Hills, Porter Ranch, Van Nuys and West Hills.

Other candidates in the March 8, 2011 CD 12 race are Armineh Chelebian, Dinesh "Danny" Lakhanpal, Kelly M. Lord, Jr., Navraj "Singh" Singh and Brad Smith. Not sure about your district? See the map to find out if your neighborhood is within district boundaries.

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Tell us about your background and what you'll bring to the table in City Hall. What makes you different from the other candidates, and what qualifies you to represent your district?

I have the right combination of vision and experience to get the city back on the right track. I am a proven fighter for the Valley, with a record of volunteerism, community, and public service that extends to every neighborhood in the twelfth district.

My commitment to public safety is more than a campaign slogan, it is a way of life. I serve as a Reserve Los Angeles Police Officer, patrolling the streets of council district 12. I created the plan to hire 254 new police officers, without raising taxes, and helped raise the money to open the state-of-the-art Police Activities League (PALS) Youth Center. Our PALS center provides hundreds of at-risk youth alternatives to drugs and gangs. I am honored to have earned the endorsements of Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley and former Los Angeles Police Chief William J. Bratton, but most proud to be supported by the city's rank and file firefighters and police officers.

As Councilman Greig Smith's chief of staff, I successfully took on 18 lobbying and law firms to stop the Las Lomas Development - the largest proposed development in the history of Los Angeles. I also led the efforts to expand Providence Holy Cross Hospital in Mission Hills, reopen the Northridge Pool and co-authored R.E.N.E.W. LA, the definitive plan to end Los Angeles' dependency on landfills. I was part of the team that enacted Business Tax Reform and I personally cut our council staff, salaries and perks to put $1 million back into local services.

My extensive volunteer service includes serving on the boards of many non-profit organizations that serve the Valley such as the North Valley YMCA, New Horizons for Youth, The San Fernando Valley Jaycees, Providence Holy Cross Hospital, The West Valley Boys and Girls Club, The Winnetka Community Foundation, and Devonshire Police Activities League (PALS) and I was recently appointed to the board of directors for the proposed Valley Region High School #4 in Granada Hills.

Los Angeles is at a critical crossroads and it will take the unique combination of vision, experience and proven leadership that I bring to the table in order to make it through these challenging times.

What are your top priorities for your district? How do you plan on tackling them?

The current economic crisis has affected all levels of government -- federal, state and local. I have been a proven fighter for the Valley's fair share of city services and this has never been more critical than now, when resources are stretched as never before. Public safety is the highest priority of local government -- but that doesn't stop at police and fire. If our streets aren't paved, trees aren't trimmed and graffiti and weeds are not removed, our communities suffer from a "broken windows" effect that makes them less safe. Communities that are less safe are less likely to attract the kind of economic development that leads to attracting new businesses, job creation and retention.

I believe that the best way to tackle this issue is to fund essential, core city services first and eliminate or consolidate non-essential departments, eliminate duplicative functions and create a priority-based budget process.

I also believe that the city has way too much bureaucracy and downtown red tape. It is crucial to job creation and retention that we make the city more business friendly by streamlining the onerous permitting process, eliminating the gross receipts tax and further simplifying the city business tax categories.

How would you address the city's projected $350 million budget deficit?

I would cut all non-core departments and services, which does not mean abandoning services that fall outside of city's core functions. There are some things that the city has absolutely no reason to be in the business of providing while we are simultaneously cutting police and closing fire stations. I will create public/private partnerships with non-profits to run current functions outside of the city's core responsibilities. Those organizations -- whose direct mission is to run golf courses, parking lots, theaters, cultural affairs programs, convention centers, child care, and other programs -- will be more effective and efficient.

For instance, the city has lost millions of dollars on its childcare centers. As Chairman of the North Valley Family YMCA, I oversaw several after school programs and senior healthy lifestyle programs. We raise money from private foundations and local donors and never turned a family away for inability to pay.

I would work toward long-term relief from the city's unfunded pension liability as well as immediate savings. Currently, the city has a hiring freeze, so any changes to the pension system for new hires would have no immediate benefit. However, eliminating pensionable bonuses would have an immediate and ongoing effect. This is achieved by paying contractual bonuses in cash, so that they are not allowed to artificially raise the amount of an employee's pension because the bonus is not paid as salary. Long term, I believe that for the city pension system to be sustainable, we will have to adopt a defined contribution plan, rather than the existing defined benefit plan.

Additionally, I would not raise taxes to offset declining revenues. In fact, I would take the opposite approach and cut taxes. I would start with the gross receipts tax for businesses. Cutting business taxes encourages retention and expansion of existing businesses and attracts new business to the city. The benefit is multi-fold. Jobs are retained and created and workers spend money on housing, durable goods, food and other necessities -- all of which have a tangible benefit to the city and result in an overall increase in revenue.

How do you plan on working with your constituents in addressing their concerns?

Constituent concerns are bread and butter issues. Each deputy in my office would be responsible for working with specific departments/issues in the city. By assigning a person to work with a specific department, they are able to develop quality relationships with that department and are able to deliver services effectively to constituents.

As the Chief of Staff of council district 12, I worked to establish strong relationships with each of the 14 neighborhood councils within our district. Our office holds regularly scheduled Neighborhood Council Service Cabinet meetings in addition to sending deputies to their regular board meetings. At the meetings we collaborate to create partnerships on legislation, community projects and vital policy initiatives.

I also believe that all land use issues should go to their respective neighborhood council so that the community has the opportunity to provide feedback on the project.

Public transportation is an important issue for LAist readers. What role should public transportation have in LA?

CD 12 has plentiful public transit including rail, the Orange Line and various commuter options. I played a role in the prioritization of the Orange Line expansion to Canoga, which will bring that successful transit line into Chatsworth. This area is a vital business hub and the center and the most concentrated light industrial corridor in the City of Los Angeles. Creating additional public transit options connected to this manufacturing zone will result in multiple levels of benefit - environmental, economic development, reduced traffic congestion and increased worker productivity.

The City Council has had to revisit the medical marijuana ordinance repeatedly. How would you like to see the medical marijuana issue addressed?

There is still currently a conflict in federal and state law that hasn' been resolved. As a reserve police officer, I have seen the detrimental effects of having these facilities located in communities, including an increase in crime. While I empathize with those who require this medicine, it is available in pill form through traditional pharmacies. Finally, I do not believe that these facilities belong in either residential communities, near schools or parks, or near businesses that could be affected.

What are your priorities for development and planning?

As a Council Deputy, I coordinated the multi-jurisdictional fight that defeated the massive Las Lomas development that proposed to build more than 5,000 homes at the confluence of five major freeways. The impacts to that ill-conceived sprawl would have been extremely detrimental to the quality of life of residents in the district. It would have had severe environmental impacts and would have added thousands more car trips per day to an already severely impacted transit corridor.

I believe that the single-family character of the district is important to the families that live in the 12th District. There are communities within the district that have a very unique character that deserves special attention toward its preservation. For example, the K properties for horsekeeping in Chatsworth and Granada Hills. Projects in those areas need to be evaluated on their merits, but also on their ability to preserve those values that are so much a part of the identity of that community.

There isn't a single development project that doesn't impact the district. The key for me, should I be elected, would be to carefully assess those impacts and weigh them against the benefits of the project. Then to set about requiring avoidance of negative impacts, where possible and appropriate and thorough mitigation where impacts cannot be avoided. And - this is key - making sure that the impacts have been mitigated prior to granting the entitlements.

I also firmly believe that all land use issues should first be sent to their respective Neighborhood Council and will commit to that principle.

Endorsements (provided by candidate):

• Sheriff Lee Baca
• L.A. Fire Chiefs
• Airport Police
• Asian Peace Officers
• California Reserve Officers Association
• California Peace Officers Association
• United Firefighters of Los Angeles City
• Los Angeles Police Protective League
• Retired LAPD Chief William Bratton
• Valley Industry & Commerce PAC
• Current District 12 Councilmember Greig Smith
• L.A. League of Conservation Voters
• Sierra Club
• Daily News
• L.A. Times
• Former L.A. mayor Richard Riordan
• City Controller Wendy Greuel

Click here for the full list of endorsements.
LAist does not endorse political candidates. All candidates from the City of L.A.'s Official Candidate List were contacted to participate and were given the same set of questions, with the exception of West Hollywood candidates, who were sent a WeHo-specific list of questions.