Vera vs. the Treasurer — But Why?

Ari L. NoonanOP-ED

     At the arrestingly weird conclusion of Monday night’s City Council meeting, a maddening question hung over Council Chambers with all the subtlety of an elephant turned upside down:
     Why did he do it?
     Questions outnumbered answers.
     Even by the standards of a City Council where the bizarre passes for the near-normal, this was mysterious, peculiar and typically unorthodox.
     Entering the final month of his political career, Mayor Albert Vera attempted, virtually single-handedly, to chop off a major function of the City Treasurer’s office.

Smokers Were Sad as the Ban Played on

Ari L. NoonanOP-ED

       Increasingly marginalized and vilified, the cigarette smokers of Culver City could have derived only one thin consolation from Monday night’s City Council meeting.
       They had just enough time to puff through a half pack of cigarettes while a cleverly coached army of professional protestors assembled to convince a sympathetic City Council to impose a smoking on all city parks.
       Possibly to celebrate the third anniversary of non-smokers who are participating in the Iraqi War, the Network of Nicotine Nudges invaded Culver City the night before last without a shot being fired.
       It was the quickest white-flag surrender in the history of modern warfare.

Difference in O’Leary’s Approach

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     I have known City Council candidate Mehaul O’Leary for years.  His good nature and sense of humor are contagious. His honesty, sincerity and integrity are refreshing and even inspirational.  But that is old news to those who know him.  I am moved to write because, during last Tuesday’s candidate’s forum at El Marino School, I saw first-hand how these traits make Mehaul the breath of fresh air that Culver City sorely needs.
     After the candidates fielded questions from the audience, moderator Chip Netzel surprised everyone by telling the candidates that they would be asking each other questions.  The candidates were caught off-guard.

Two Reasons to Vote Malsin

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        I’m supporting Scott Malsin for City Council on April 11 because he possesses two important qualifications: Character and experience.
       
         In my sixteen years as a member of the City Council, I found that character builds trust with other Council members and residents.  Scott will bring a civility, courtesy and professionalism to the Council that has been noticeably lacking for too long. While our elected officials may disagree upon how to achieve the best for our city, it’s important that differences of opinion be respected.

A Vote for Independence

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     Mehaul O’Leary is an independent candidate in more ways than one for the City Council in the April 11 election.  He has a refreshing, new approach to resolving the many issues facing the City Council these coming years.  He has no political agenda beyond being elected.  He owes no political favors and will not be influenced by the local movers and shakers. 
     Mehaul has run a clean campaign, with no inference or innuendo toward his fellow candidates. He has surprised many people with his incisive solutions to traffic, budget and neighborhood problems.  I’ll be voting for Mehaul O’Leary on Election Day, and I hope you’ll join me.  Isn’t it time we had an independent thinker on the City Council?
 
Martha Gunther, Culver  City

5 Months Later — Are Mobile Homers Better Off?

Ari L. NoonanOP-ED

       Five months to the week after the Redevelopment Agency arguably clouded the future of the twenty-three mobile home owners at 4071 Grandview Blvd., whom do you believe?
       Tom Mullins and his friend/neighbor Ms. Betty?
Although they hail from separate generations and contrasting lifestyles, they ardently believe their homes are as firmly rooted to the soil as any giant tree along their changing boulevard.

Or do you believe a gray-haired lady who knows the park better than she knows her family. Doesn’t like them any better, just knows their character better, and she isn’t smiling.
       Spotting a visitor she has not seen since last year, she vigorously waves for him to step inside, out of the sunshine. Offering a cup of tea with a stream of steam, she wants to tell him that the little community has slipped down the hill since the Redevelopment Agency’s three to two vote.

Blacks Unwelcome — Is That the Message?

George LaaseOP-ED

       If a school district cannot or is not willing to guarantee its students the opportunity of a good education, it is the right and the duty of the parent(s) to move the child from the underperforming district to one that has a history of results.
       Ultimately, it comes down to the education of a child.  Which school district can deliver on the state’s promise of a good education?
       The School District of Culver City suggested to employees in its Dec. 13, 2005, Interim Budget Report, on page 14, that they must confront the possibility of working in a district with a declining enrollment and escalating costs.

Yet, when presented with the possible transfer of three hundred and thirty-seven permanent students — right at our doorstep, asking to come into our district — the district cannot find time to fairly, consider the request from Ladera Heights.

Breaking Up Is Easy to Do

Frédérik SisaThe Recreational Nihilist

     In November of 2005, fifty-eight percent of San Francisco voters approved a ban on owning, buying, or manufacturing handguns. Enforcement will be delayed until June, however, while the courts hear a suit filed by the National Rifle Assn. The basis for the suit: the city is (allegedly) usurping the state’s sole right to regulate handguns. (Source: Associated Press)
     In South Dakota, Gov. Michael Rounds signed a (symbolic?) law banning almost all abortions. The state is shaping up to be the staging ground for an assault on Roe v. Wade, although both sides of the abortion debate are tactically divided. (Source: L.A. Times)

The Pedophile Threat — A Red Herring?

Ari L. NoonanOP-ED

       City Councilman Steve Rose said yesterday that if the spectre of the threat of pedophiles —  raised during the recent heated Skateboard Park discussions — is true, “then no park in Culver City is safe.
“If the threat of child predators is truly an issue, no children’s play area is safe. But I don’t believe that is the case.”
     The Councilman is convinced “it was just a red herring” that became entered the debate less than two weeks before the skateboard location was determined.
     “I want to make clear,” he said, “that I don’t believe the subject was raised falsely. Some people may have concerns because of experiences they have had in different communities in different areas.” 
     Two police chiefs who assessed the grounds of Culver City Park for security purposes never brought up the subject of pedophiles.

 

Proof That the System Is Broke

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It’s interesting to me — Culver City Accounting Manager, recently retired — hearing opposition to the proposed City Charter:

“If it’s not broke, why fix it?” 
            Sorry, finance and personnel functions are broken as is the selection process for an important financial management executive. Failure to fix them means employees waste time and taxpayers’ monies while exposing the city to unnecessary risks in exchange for no financial gains. 
          You deserve better from your city government with about seven hundred  employees annually spending hundreds of millions. This government needs to operate more businesslike, and you can  do something about that in the April 11 election.