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| Bobby Shriver |
SUSAN CLOKE
Columnist
California Primary
Election date – June 3, 2014
California General
Election date – November 4. 2014
Last day to
register to vote – May 19, 2014
Bobby Shriver
discusses his candidacy for the elected position with Mirror Columnist Susan
Cloke.
Susan. What made you decide to run for Supervisor
of the Third District?
Bobby. I was
frustrated by my inability to make the Veteran’s Project a reality. I saw homeless veterans eating out of
dumpsters. How could that be when
we had the opportunity to house them at the VA? Even though I have been working with the County and
Federal government to create this housing, it is taking too long. I believe that we should do right by our
veterans and we will if I am elected Supervisor.
I also went to the County Jail. Do you know the County is preparing to spend a billion
dollars to build a new jail on the site of the old one in downtown LA? The
saddest part is that the jail is the biggest mental health facility, and I say
that with great irony. So many of
the people in that jail are there because they are both homeless and mentally
ill. We could and should do better.
When I ran for Santa Monica City Council in 2004 I knocked
on doors to introduce myself to people.
I heard so much about homelessness and I could see it was important.
I started to address the issue on Council. 15 -20% of our homeless population are Vets. I thought, why not live at the VA
instead of eating out of dumpsters?
We put out a good effort when I was on Council. We had some successes but were stopped
by lethargy and bureaucracy.
I want to give back to my home community and to my
country. What we do affects
everyone and we are all part of one thing.
Susan. What in your experience makes you a
good fit for the Supervisor job?
Bobby: My daddy
never held an elected office but he was a person who could really get things
done. He started the Peace Corps,
Head Start, and the Jobs Corp. He
started the best and most enduring programs of the last half of the 20th
Century – all through the Office of Economic Opportunity.
I’ve been a reporter.
I studied law at Yale and have practiced law. I thought I would use what I had learned and follow my
father and find ways to contribute to our country without running for office. I’m a Shriver.
I learned, from my work on the Santa Monica City Council how
important local government is. I
thought about the successes in water quality and adding parks and
sustainability.
The Pier Beach had the dirtiest water quality in the State
and the Council was in a position to take action, to make improvements, and we
did. The Pier Beach now has a good
water quality rating from Heal the Bay.
The old Sand and Sea Club was an eyesore on the beach and a
wasted opportunity. I was
instrumental in bringing the pieces and the players together and now we have
the Annenberg Beach House, the only public beach club on the Coast.
Susan. You spoke of the sustainability work of
the Council. What are the
environmental and sustainability issues facing the County?
Bobby. I think
of water quality in development terms.
Our biggest energy consumption is in the electricity used to move
water. Our long-term goal in the
County must be to become water independent.
I’ve read there is enough water under the San Fernando
Valley to meet the needs of our residents and businesses. But it is very polluted. There are a lot of reasons given why it
can’t be cleaned and used. But if
I am elected I am going to study it in great detail and figure out how it can
be done. It may take 20 years but
people should have the right to decide if that’s the right thing to do.
Traffic and transportation are talked about wherever I
go. The County does not control
the MTA but it has influence.
Light rail is coming to Santa Monica and it’s a big deal to
know we can get to downtown in 40 minutes. To get just to Westwood now can sometimes take an hour.
I think the light rail will change everyone’s sense of
freedom. Right now no one from the
Westside feels they can go downtown for an evening out because of the traffic.
The 405 is another place where the County is not in
control. I will do whatever I can
to fix the problems of the 405.
We also have to protect and grow our open space in the 3rd
District. The Santa Monica
Mountains conserved lands are an important accomplishment and one we must
continue to protect and expand.
The District includes miles of beaches and coastline and it
is the job of the County to protect and enhance our natural environment.
Jobs must be created.
There are now 200,000 fewer jobs in the LA area than 20 years ago.
I have experience in attracting capital. I did that over and over again on
projects such as the work I did for my mom on the Special Olympics.
We have to act to keep the movie and TV business in LA. We have to make California competitive
again. Jimmy Fallon is just the
beginning of the industry going to NY because of the attractive business
climate for the industry in NY.
Susan: As Supervisor how will you communicate
with the people in your District?
Bobby: I’m very different from most people who run for
office. I’ll do things
differently. I’m an entrepreneurial
person.
People will have to decide whether they things to be the
same as usual or if they want to shake things up. I think they want to shake things up.
The most fun thing that ever happened to me because of being
on the Council was having people coming up to me and telling me what mistakes I
made.
The bureaucracy has different info than the people I talk to
in coffee shops and on the street.
I was a reporter right out of college and I wanted the real straight
skinny. Being an elected official
is like being a reporter in that the greatest thing was that you could learn in
a coffee shop what you couldn’t learn in an official report. I hang out with people. I call people to see what they think. I still want the real straight skinny.
Local input is the most valuable input to have. Who wants to be told they’re
wrong? But I still need to
know. I believe honestly, from the
bottom of my shoes, that public officials make mistakes without even knowing
they’re making a mistake if they don’t talk to people who will tell them when
they’re wrong.
What
Say You?
