Look into insurance money collected on Fires at Navraj Singh businesses over the past. You will be shocked.
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Fight for Council District 12
Valley citizens try to crack open L.A. City Hall
Smith got some campaign help when L.A. County's Democratic Party endorsed him for the nonpartisan race, but after that he temporarily suspended his campaign. A former journalist, now a project manager for the engineering firm Parsons, Smith then jumped back into the race, taking an unpaid leave from Parsons and making a $25,000 personal loan to his campaign.
Smith says of L.A.'s dynastic city elections: "The concept that one officeholder can groom someone and hand it off to them — it's undemocratic."
Taking a strong stand against Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the City Council, Smith backs Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to shut down the L.A. Community Redevelopment Agency.
Smith says Brown's CRA dismantling plan would shift hundreds of millions of dollars out of the redevelopment agency's grip and divert it to essential government services instead of private development — enough cash to meet L.A.'s huge projected deficit.
Smith sees taxpayer-subsidized CRA projects as a gamble that should be halted. He says: "I don't see how anyone can argue against meeting the services in the here and now" while handing public money to developers in hopes that "10 to 15 years" down the road, their subsidized projects will create economic growth.
"It's like there's a hole in your roof, but you don't fix it — because you're saving for a pool," Smith says.
Smith makes a fiscal pledge that no sitting City Council member has made: He will give back about $60,000 of his $178,789 annual council pay if elected.
Focused on trying to re-create a healthy business climate in recession-ravaged L.A., candidate Dinesh "Danny" Lakhanpal, 65, says Englander equals "no change."
Lakhanpal owns Dennish Insurance and Dennish Engineering and Consulting in Chatsworth. He says he's cobbled together an economic recovery–oriented coalition of contractors, Realtors and residents in the Indo-American community.
He's spent most of the $10,454 he's raised.
Lakhanpal, as a councilman, would push city leaders to help grow and woo a privately based solar energy industry, not one controlled by the controversial Department of Water and Power. And he proposes something novel for the Valley: a cultural museum for its 1.6 million residents, who currently have no museum.
If Lakhanpal or Singh won, he would be a rarity in council chambers: a successful businessman on a 15-member body dominated by lifelong politicians who've never run a business — and often have never even had careers outside government work.
Like the others running in CD 12, Armineh Chelebian, 49, is hoping for something of a voter backlash. She says Englander would "be beholden to the groups and organizations that have given him that $440,000."
Chelebian adds: "Mitch thinks he's automatically entitled, [but he] does not have the independence" to put the desires of residents "above the special interests, the unions, the well-connected developers."
An accountant, Chelebian is a member of the Reseda Neighborhood Council board and was active in the failed Valley secession effort, which sought to break Los Angeles into two cities after years of dismay over City Hall's heavy focus on bringing amenities to downtown as it shifts taxes out of the Valley.
Chelebian tried for, but lost, a CD 12 bid in 2003 and twice ran for the 40th California State Assembly District.
She says it's tough to attract backers and contributors to new faces like those taking on Englander, because in L.A. the longtime vested interests — who generally make up the bulk of campaign giving — automatically back the agreed-upon insider for any City Council slot.
She's raised about $7,000.
Candidate Kelly Lord hopes to reduce government, end City Hall's lack of public transparency, fix the budget — the City Council and Villaraigosa currently are overspending by about $3,424 an hour — spend more on infrastructure and break the grip of bureaucrats.
He and Brad Smith been endorsed for CD 12 by Clean Sweep, a civic reform group led by former Daily News editor Ron Kaye that's seeking to challenge the strong influence of developers, unions and other special interests at City Hall.
Lord, 61, is the co-owner of Equity Trust Realty in Northridge, and is treasurer of the Northridge East Neighborhood Council.
Englander doesn't seem worried. He says he's the only candidate who can cope with "drinking out of a fire hose" — his metaphor for the overly complex and inefficient way in which Los Angeles City Hall continues to be run.
He's eyeing one of the 15 high-backed chairs in Council Chambers — furnishings that some Angelenos say look a bit like thrones.
Contact the writer at bbarr223@yahoo.com.
6 comments
YJ Draiman for Mayor of LA - Statement
Dear Fellow Los Angelino’s
Thank you for taking a few moments to learn more about my ideas for building a new Los Angeles.I appreciate your interest in my campaign and hope my jobs plan will provide you with a better understanding of the type of Mayor I hope to be – one focused on transparency and putting Los Angele eons back to work.
Los Angeles faces one of the most challenging times in our city’s history.Because of the unfriendly business environment, along with some of the highest tax rates in the nation, families and businesses are being forced to make unthinkable trade-offs, including living the city they love. But I am optimistic about Los Angeles future.
I am running for Mayor because I believe everything is still possible in Los Angeles. That is why as Mayor creating jobs will be my priority. It is the only way we are going to clean up the mess in Los Angeles. I have a unique skill set and the detailed plan to get Los Angeles going again.
I have started businesses from the ground up and within a short time revenues exceeded $60 million a year. I have been involved in gentrification of whole neighborhoods; I have built a 5 star hotel and implemented energy efficiency for over 20 years. I am currently working on my PHD in Energy Conservation.
I think Los Angeles needs a little bit more of a business-like attitude. We have to be honest about our problems, offer grown-up solutions and put an end to the partisan bickering and hand-wringing that is business as usual.
If you do not know and admit that there is a problem, you can not fix it.
I am running to reinvigorate Los Angeles economic potential – it will take time and the effort of all the people of Los Angeles. We shall overcome there economic hardships if we work together as a unified force.
If you have any suggestions on how we can move Los Angeles forward, please contact our campaign. We will listen. We want this campaign to be special, one that addresses your concerns and speaks to your hopes for what a new Los Angeles can be.
Together, we can put Los Angeles back to work and make our City great again and call it the city that works.
YJ DraimanDraiman is determined to bring a new approach to Los Angeles. One that demands we create jobs and lower taxes. One that requires more efficient and better services. One that makes a renewed commitment to improving our schools. One that is committed to improve public transportation.
Draiman has a plan to make Los Angeles economic vitality flourish.Make Los Angeles Competitive again, raise the standard of living, grow the tax base and help put an end to the yearly budget problems in Los Angeles.
Voters Wake up, Angelinos! It's not too late to knock a really big dent in our Los Angeles City Council—specifically among those incumbents and their staff running for reelection on March 8—all of whom can be included among our "leaders" who've helped preside over our City's spectacular accumulation of ever larger debt while guiding us in accelerating decline toward Third World status.The trick available to us is somewhat radical, but only we voters can make it happen.I propose that we should—each of us voters Citywide no matter of what political stripe—on March 8 vote ALL City Council incumbents & staff then up for reelection OUT by voting IN whichever challengers we each may choose in our respective Districts.Adopted theme
How do we fix the Pension Deficit- A voter gave me this proposalI feel bad for many of these folks because this was promised to them. The trade off was suppose to be low pay in exchange for great benefits including gold plated early retirement. The low pay drove high performers to the private sector and created a vacuum of people that would otherwise be on the gov't teet from some angle.
One time payout to the pensioners based on the original actuarial tables of life span/payout (There should be a minimum value for those already exceeding the limit). For employees and retirees not yet drawing from the pension plan, roll the value into a 401K system. This should be financed with municipal bonds which would establish and end date for the funding need.
Set up 401K system for all current and future employees.
All current and future healthcare benefits should be pooled into one high deductible plan with retirees and current workers paying a defined percent of the premium.
Do you want to maintain the quality of life in CD12. Elect Brad Smith For Council. If you want to change the business as usual. Elect Brad Smith. He has carisma, honesty and integrity. Brad Smith is a family man, a church goer, believes in family values and morality.
YJ Draiman for Mayor of LA
Thank you for providing coverage to this almost forgotten race. I first saw it covered at Paul Hatfield's Village to Village blog where I put this comment, which is worth repeating. Among several problems with the annointed candidate, Englander, is his lack of knowledge on most land use issues that affect everyone’s quality of life or any financial acuity to serve a city in crisis. He supports Enterprise Zones that are slated for demise by Governor Brown and which studies have shown to be worthless for job generation. His Council Office supported the CPIO Ordinance that has been legally challenged by community activists who understood that it deprives residents of any say in land use matters and shifts power to the cabal of politicians, developers and bureaucrats. The CD12 communities need to know this.
Despite this, the Daily News voted for status-quo even when it harms the city. After endorsing Cardenas, they endorsed Mitch Englander while admitting "as chief of staff to a sitting councilman, Englander effectively has the incumbent's advantage. He's raised a campaign war chest of $444,000, filled with contributions from the developers, businesses and political action committees that bankroll elections. We expect that he will focus his energy on serving the men and women of CD 12 who elected him, not his donors".
How can we expect him to serve the men & women of CD 12, while collecting money from developers? Just hope those men & women are savvy enough to see through this game and ignore such endorsements that will be harmful to their quality of life. That both the leading dailies saw such collection of money as business as usual is downright shameless.
Interestingly, one of the challengers, Brad Smith was already aware of the close ties between Englander and developers, as his quote in Daily News summed it that “Greig Smith and predecessor Hal Bernson were too friendly to land developers and provided "very poor service" to the district that runs from Chatsworth on the west to North Hills on the east, and that I see no reason it would be any different with Englander."
Hopefully, the communities will support Brad Smith who has not fed at the public trough and supports a quality environment for both businesses and residents. The City simply can’t afford 12 years of Englander.
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