STATE ASSEMBLY CANDIDATES
RICHARD BLOOM
BETSY BUTLER
TORIE OSBORN
BRAD TORGAN
SUSAN CLOKE
Mirror Columnist
May 25, 2012
Education, environmental sustainability,
development and traffic, and social justice are main concerns of Santa
Monicans.
The person we elect to be our Assembly Member
can help or hurt us as we try to tackle these issues. Our Assembly Member’s actions in Sacramento make a
difference in financing for education, the enhancement and protection of clean
air and water, easing traffic congestion, regulations for fair and safe working
conditions, the availability of health care and more.
In alphabetical
order, the candidates are: RichardBloom, Betsy Butler, Torie Osborn and Brad Torgan. On June 5, 2012 Santa Monicans will decide who gets their
vote. To help in this decision, each
candidate has been asked to respond to the same four questions. In their own words the candidates tell
us where they stand and what they will do about education, sustainability,
development and traffic, and issues of social justice.
Each question is written below, followed by the answer of each of the candidates.
Question 1. EDUCATION: Santa Monica schools, from nursery
schools through college are struggling with tremendous budget cuts. As a City we have worked to offset
those cuts, but more needs to be done.
Please tell us what you have done to protect education funding and what
you will do as an Assembly Member.
Richard Bloom. “I
am a champion for public education and have helped raise City funding to the
SMMUSD from $2.25 million (1999) to a projected $14.4 million. My
wife, my children and I received excellent public educations. I’ve been a
PTA Vice-President, coach and volunteer while my children grew. I believe
every child deserves an opportunity for an excellent education. We must
find predictable funding for all levels of education that cannot be touched by
the State. We must assure the public that their money is being spent
wisely and for the benefit of our children.
Betsy Butler. “I would not vote for a budget that did not address
the needs of public education. Last
year, my first year in the Assembly, we structured a budget that came as close
as possible to protecting public education. As a result, the budget before us now will require many
serious cuts but it increases funding for public schools by $6 billion. That funding will be contingent on the
voters' approval of the Governor's proposed modest increase in temporary sales
tax and an equally modest income tax increase on the wealthiest
Californians. I am confident that
every candidate will join with me in urging voters to approve that measure and
secure this $6 billion in additional funding for our schools.
Torie Osborn. “California’s future depends on reinvesting in our education
system. I have endorsed the work of organizations like the Education
Foundation, the PTA and CEPS, because, through their advocacy and work, SMMUSD
has been able to absorb some of Sacramento’s draconian cuts, but we must do
more to provide schools with reliable state funding. I would work tirelessly to
craft a fair tax code (including closing the corporate property tax loophole,
instituting an oil severance tax) so that early childhood education, K-12
education, and higher education can begin to recover. And I would look to bring Santa Monica’s extraordinary
education leadership to broader scale.”
Brad Torgan. “California’s business tax climate is the
3rd worst in the country, and that’s even with the property tax
protections of Proposition 13. Our
overall tax burden is the 6th highest in the country. Yet, our spending per K-12 student is
47th in the country. When our taxes are amongst the highest in the
country, but our education spending is near the bottom, our spending priorities
are seriously out of whack. The
Assembly needs to put education near the top of its priorities, not the bottom.
Question
2. SUSTAINABILITY. Santa Monica is growing its reputation
for sustainability, from our solar powered Ferris wheel, to our green streets,
to our no plastic bag policy.
Please tell us what you have done to protect the environment and what
you will do as an Assembly Member.
Richard
Bloom. “In the Assembly, I’ll continue the
legacy I’ve begun on the City Council. As Mayor, Coastal Commissioner and
in other positions, I have been a constant and passionate advocate for
environmental initiatives, including protecting our coast and creating Marine
Life Protection Areas. We’ve achieved extraordinary results in Santa
Monica because the community is committed and because we deliberately engage
the business community. I helped shepherd the plastic bag, polystyrene
and various smoking bans that improve our environment. I have worked
diligently to enact our green building ordinance and implement our green
streets, stormwater runoff, water/energy self-sufficiency programs and more.
Betsy
Butler. “I intend to address water
issues across the state and implement policies similar to Santa Monica and its
reuse of water. My record as a current Assembly member affirms my commitment to
the environment. Both my bill to
ban toxics in products used by babies and my electric vehicle bill passed and were
signed into law by Governor Brown in 2011. I have established my record as an early and effective
opponent of the unregulated practice of "fracking" by oil
companies. This process threatens
our aquifers and must be regulated. My work has earned me the California League of Conservation
Voters and Sierra Club endorsements.
Torie Osborn. “Under my leadership, Liberty Hill Foundation brought
together mainstream environmental leaders and environmental justice groups in a
new coalition – Green LA -- to craft a unified progressive environmental agenda
for LA. That agenda included LA’s Clean Air Action Plan for the Port of Los
Angeles, Green Building Ordinances for the City and County of Los Angeles; it
encouraged city departments to give preferred purchasing to green
businesses. If elected I would
continue my commitment to practical environmental solutions so that California,
whose wind, solar, geothermal energy should make it the global center of the
new green economy, can continue to lead on environmental policy.
Brad Torgan. “When I served as Chief Counsel for
California State Parks, I organized opposition to a toll road that would have
destroyed a state beach and Trestles, one of the best known surfing spots in
California. I also litigated to keep high voltage transmission lines out of
State wilderness. As a member of
the Assembly I would fight against special interest exemptions to the
California Environmental Quality Act.
Question
3. DEVELOPMENT
AND TRAFFIC. Santa Monica is
experiencing an unprecedented demand for growth and development, with 15 Development
Agreement applications currently before the City. It is also experiencing an unprecedented degree of traffic
congestion. Please tell us your
thoughts and ideas about development and traffic in Santa Monica and how those
ideas might be expressed in the job of an Assembly Member.
Richard Bloom. “We
are not alone in having traffic congestion but it is definitely a
problem. In consensus processes our community agreed on a cutting edge
land use plan, an ambitious bike plan and, through dogged determination, we are
realizing the dream of light rail. All new development must contribute to
reducing traffic. Nearly all new development is “mixed use”, clustered
near transit stops. Many of the solutions to traffic lay outside our
borders. If neighboring cities, especially L.A., were to adopt Santa
Monica-style land use rules, regional traffic would ease while economic
development/jobs would accelerate. Legislation should
encourage/incentivize this outcome.
Betsy Butler. “Like many people here I am disappointed in how some
local and state officials allow themselves to be bullied or bought by development
interests who cynically use the recession as justification for damaging our
communities and the quality of our lives.
Every candidate promises to "stand up to the special
interests." I am the only candidate who has done so consistently.
Torie Osborn. “Bringing more good paying jobs into Santa Monica and the 50th
District is critical, but it will mean also allowing mixed development that
requires the creation of affordable housing. If we locate affordable housing near job centers, it also
cuts down on traffic. Along with
the Expo line (which will cut back on the car traffic) we need to increase
funding for bike routes, incentivize environmental friendly shuttles that
allows Santa Monicans to get around the city without their cars, and expand regional
mass transit systems such as the Subway to the Sea.
Brad Torgan. “As a Planning and Transportation
Commissioner in West Hollywood, I’ve seen firsthand the impacts of
overdevelopment. I also see those
impacts fighting on behalf of a community organization in Hollywood, trying to
prevent massive increases in commercial density in their neighborhoods. How Santa Monica wants to develop is
ultimately up to the citizens of Santa Monica, but there must be recognition that some development issues and impacts are
regional in scope and require regional or state solutions.
Question
4. SOCIAL JUSTICE. Santa Monica examples of its commitment
to social justice include Program to End Homelessness and the enactment of a
living wage ordinance. Please tell
us what you have done to advance social justice in your work and what you would
do as an Assembly Member.
Richard Bloom. “I've
led the struggle to end homelessness, provided unmatched services for seniors,
the disabled and children (our first accessible playground is on the
way). The Assembly should budget a reasonable safety net. But the
State is broke, from years of fiscal irresponsibility. High unemployment
makes things worse. Revenue measures like those on the November ballot
will help. But true salvation for these programs and for the State of
California requires a resurgent economy. Under my leadership, Santa
Monica has proven how we can have both progress and prosperity. That’s
the Santa Monica-style success I ask voters to send to Sacramento.
Betsy Butler. “I am honored to have the support and endorsement of
numerous social justice organizations, including the Consumer Federation of
California, Equality California, the National Women’s Political Caucus, the
California League of Conservation Voters and the United Farm Workers. Today, I
am carrying the strongest legislation in America to protect farm workers from
heat illness and death. I am proud
that Cesar Chavez's United Farm Workers, Lily Ledbetter, the California
Democratic Party and Planned Parenthood have endorsed as well.
Torie Osborn. “My entire life has been spent working for social justice,
from the early women’s health movement, to national leadership on HIV/AIDS, and
the LGBT movement. Then, leading
the Liberty Hill Foundation, I worked with local groups on successful living
wage ordinances and environmental justice campaigns. In Mayor Villaraigosa’s cabinet and at the United Way, I
worked to diminish homelessness and poverty. As a Member of the State Assembly,
I would champion legislation on equality, poverty and juvenile justice, as well
as fight to restore and protect the budgets for education and the safety net.
Brad Torgan. “Social justice can’t be achieved when one
out of every nine Californians of working age – 11% – is unemployed. Reducing that unemployment rate will
require reforming our State’s tax structure and creating a more friendly
business climate. “
The candidates, in their own words, have told us
who they are. What they believe.
What they will do, if elected. On
June 5, it will be our turn. It is
our right and our responsibility to vote.
We have all heard or even said, “He’s a
politician.” Usually, it’s meant
as a put down. But doesn’t it
depend on context? Can’t being a
politician mean being a person committed to public service? Santa Monica has had the good fortune
to be well represented by people of commitment to community and commitment to
public service. Let us use our
vote to continue that tradition.
To our candidates, thank you. It is hard work and worthwhile to run
for office. It is hard work and
also deeply satisfying to be able to do good work. Thank you for being willing to do this work. Thank you for your commitment to
community and for your public service.
