[img]2495|right|Jeff Cooper||no_popup[/img]The site for Mayor Jeff Cooper’s major fundraising event of the season last weekend was carefully chosen. When Mr. Cooper, seeking election for a second City Council term on April 8, thanked 200 supporters for coming out last Saturday, it was not as if they just had been passing by the spectacular Pterodactyl Building in the Hayden Tract.
The candidate and his audience were perched atop the nearly finished building with a stunning view of the Culver City skyline. “I appreciate all your support and promise that I will continue working for you and with you to make Culver City the best it can be,” Mr. Cooper said. “Special thanks to Frederick and Laurie Samitaur-Smith and Eric Owen Moss for their hospitality.”
The mayor chose the location because it represented both the past and the future of the city, he said. The Hayden Tract was once a seedy collection of rundown warehouse buildings that has been transformed into one of Southern California’s hottest creative office markets. He said the area’s turnaround represents a renaissance that is occurring throughout the city.
“It was humbling to stand in the midst of the Pterodactyl Building under construction and look out across the Culver City skyline,” Mr. Cooper said. “I thought about how far we've come in the past four years. We have created more affordable housing, opened our Expo line station, attracted a long list of new businesses to Culver City and made important changes that will keep our city on firm financial footing going forward.
“I also thought about the future, about the amazing things that we can do by working together. We can make our city even greener. We can attract even more cutting-edge businesses. We can improve our quality of life. I am honored to be Mayor of such a special place, and I hope you will continue to support me as I seek four more years to work hard for our city.”
A quarter-century resident of Culver City, Mr. Cooper is a businessman and a community leader with a track record of fighting for Culver City's neighborhoods, his supporters say.
As Mayor, he led the charge to fight the dangerous practice of fracking, encouraging the State of California to put a moratorium on fracking until it develops guidelines that guarantee safety for our residents. Jeff took a leadership role in creating the city’s ban on single-use plastic bags. He helped lead the effort to create Tilden Terrace – a mixed-use and affordable housing project that, for the first time, allowed Culver City to fulfill its affordable housing requirement. He led the City Council effort to institute new measures to reduce cut-through traffic in Sunkist Park.
Jeff has spearheaded the effort to eliminate bullying on our parks and playgrounds and has worked hard to promote public safety, protect the environment and make sure City Hall listens when residents speak.
Mr. Cooper voted to reduce the City Council's own medical benefits, eliminating the decades-old policy of providing lifetime benefits to council members. He joined his colleagues in renegotiating contracts with all city unions to reduce benefits and pensions – a move that saved the city millions of dollars.
