Meet the Candidates: Navraj "Singh" Singh, Council District 12

City Council District 12 candidate Navraj Singh

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City Council District 12 candidate Navraj Singh

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 Navraj "Singh" Singh. 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, Mitchell Englander, Dinesh "Danny" Lakhanpal, Kelly M. Lord, Jr. 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?

We can only bring to the table what we have learned and accomplished during our lifetime. At the age of 20 I graduated from the Indian Military Academy (India's Westpoint) with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant and a bachelor's degree in science. For the next seven years that I spent in the military, I controlled riots in western India, commanded an infantry company during the war, became the adjutant of an artillery regiment, taking orders, giving orders, and getting the job done.

At the age of 27 I migrated to the US with only $7 in my pocket. For the following five years I went to college again, received a degree in Hotel Management, managed a Volkswagen Dealership in Monrovia. From 1981 forward, more than 30 years, I opened a dozen restaurants with my own hard earned money, creating hundreds of jobs, making payroll and paying taxes. I have turned waiters, bus boys, dish washers, and chefs into multi-millionaires through those restaurants I created. Each of them is still providing for each employee even in this stressed economy, and continue to employ hundreds of people today.

With my military training I know what discipline is. With my restaurant experience I know how to serve and how to get the job done. Providing leadership by example, not just words. I am the only candidate who has a record of success and accomplishment in serving others and succeeding over and over.

District 12 has suffered in many ways, one of which is that the roads have not been resurfaced for over 27 years while others have been resurfaced every 2 years. Resources have been poorly allocated. Council Deputies have been used as personal servants, instead of serving their communities. The communities are what pay the salaries of the elected officials. Sidewalks are damaged and have not been repaired for years. It has been total neglect. Trees have not been trimmed. All the while the residents are asked to volunteer to clean. Homeowners have lost value due to lack of maintenance on city property. There is no proper planning for containing fires which seem to erupt every 2-3 years. The burned trees from the last fire are still lying in the area they burned, begging to be picked up. I will plan for and contain fires in the future. I have a plan to bring 36 bombardier aircraft that are stationed in Italy. The fire season in Italy is opposite ours. These aircraft sit unused while we sit unprepared.

In the event of an earthquake when our hospitals suffered damage and lose power and water, there has been no planning over the last 20 years to provide a makeshift hospital within the district. In the event that someone needs emergency care there is not a place to treat those people. That field hospital would be the first line of defense in an emergency.

Our firemen and policemen who serve in our district are not residents to this district. I will work with the banks to provide special financing to encourage to live where they work. This will entice them to spend our tax dollars within our district.

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

1. All major traffic intersections will have a left turn signal.
2. Funding will be provided to Neighborhood Councils to enable them to participate and control the maintenance of sidewalks within their areas.
3. Only one office will be established to serve this district. All neighborhood councils will be enticed to conduct their meetings at that office. This will allow the staff to attend most, if not all, of the meetings.
4. An element from city hall will be made available to streamline the applications from business people to obtain permits and other services.
5. A Master Plan should be created to guide the development of this district. This plan will be utilized to modify existing developments as they change, as well as to guide new development areas. No future developments will be allowed without the active participation of the neighborhood councils and stakeholders.

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

1. This $350 million budget deficit has been caused because the politicians promised more to public sector employees than they could deliver. To make a meaningful change, I propose that all the politicians in City Hall will make a shared sacrifice by cutting their salaries by 25%. Also asking the balance of public employees to cut their salaries by 10%.
2. I propose for each component of City Hall to create and live within the means of a budget based on the actual receipts taken for that office. In the private sector, businesses that do not make the grade are eliminated, they are not subsidized by the public.
3. I will privatize the sanitation department. They are charging $39 per household to pick up the garbage. This could be done by the private sector at half the cost.
4. I will urge the mayor to talk with the governor to bring the California minimum wage to that of the federal government. This will spur business activity, in turn stimulating the economy, creating additional jobs. I will also propose a sales tax reduction. Reduction of business taxes will also stimulate the local economy.

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

My office will be accessible to every constituent from this district at all times.

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

There are public transportation systems that are in place in L.A. that have been designed by people far more qualified to do so than I am. The crux of the matter is to effectively and efficiently get our public to those transportation systems.

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

This is a federal issue. This is not under the control of the state of California and certainly should never be under the control of local or city governments. Under the superseding guidelines there is no provision for these dispensaries in our society. Until the federal government adopts into law these outlets they should be removed from our cities.

What are your priorities for development and planning?

A Master plan should be created and adopted within our Council District. Each time there is a development up for approval the master plan should be used as a guide to insure our community is developed with proper thought and foresight.

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.