First in a series
[img]1574|left|Kevin James||no_popup[/img]Even if you never have seen Kevin James, you probably will recognize him at a Los Angeles mayoralty debate, the next being Sunday morning at 9:30 at Leo Baeck Temple.
His Huck Finn-like appearance, framed with a Twain-like trace of his native Southwest dialect, is marked in every instant by specific, compact, policy-laden answers perfectly timed to meet the clock.
That alone distinguishes the entertainment specialist attorney and former radio talk show host from most rivals.
Forget Southern drawl.
The Oklahoma native who grew up in Texas talks fast, with a sense of urgency, as if he just has won the lottery. He paces himself like a man double-parked, as if he had stored up all the excitement collected during his first 25 years in Los Angeles so he could unfurl an avalanche during the present campaign.
Prominent with Aids Project
Openly gay and prominent for decades in the leadership of Aids Project L.A., the opportunity for a desirable relationship was a principal motivation in his decision to move here directly after law school
In an era of political extremism, the declared independent deals in sylphlike sentences that sound as if they were drawn from the Book of Municipal Pragmatism. Straight talk, some call it.
As the non-same candidate in a field dominated by three City Council types – City Controller Wendy Greuel formerly sat there – Mr. James’s main task, leading up to the March 5 primary, has been to show how and why he is different from those who presently govern.
He rose early in the race in an attempt to obliterate the obvious gap that separated him from Council members Eric Garcetti, Jan Perry and Ms. Greuel, who began with miles more visibility.
“We started our campaign in late March of 2011 because, for a citywide race, you are allowed to enter two years before the election,” Mr. James explained over the weekend on the second story of the Westfield Century City Mall.
“We entered early because I needed to build name ID.”
For connoisseurs of fine political cooking, the naturally effervescent 49-year-old semi-public figure – owing to his seven years in Los Angeles radio – confronts an assignment this campaign that is equally delicious, distasteful and unavoidable, as in:
Who he?
Delving Deeper
“Here is what I want people to know about me,” and Mr. James’s intense eye contact never strayed left or right.
“First, I am independent of the City Hall interests.
“Secondly, I have been a lawyer for almost 25 years in Los Angeles,” and this point was delivered for the benefit of downtown skeptics bemoaning his lack of governing experience. (Critics also did this last winter with another non-mainliner, Austin Beutner, now a former candidate.).
“My legal expertise includes my background in accounting, which is important with the budget situation we find ourselves in. My law practice continues. Even though I practice entertainment-type cases (in the office of the noted show business attorney Bert Fields), we do accounting-type cases up to this very day. When we finish here, I am going back to my law office because I am working on such a case now.
“Also, I have non-profit experience. As the chairman of Aids Project L.A., you don’t become chairman overnight, I worked with the agency throughout the ‘90s. We are a $20 million a year agency. We have over 10,000 clients. When I was chair, I had over a thousand volunteers we used regularly from a much larger volunteer base.
“Hundreds of employees.
“We had to provide life-sustaining services to our clients. They were in a time of crisis in their lives, and they still are today, obviously.
“We also had to meet a budget,” Mr. James said. “In many ways, that is much more like running a city.
“By the way, the City of Hermosa Beach’s budget was $20 million when I left (as chair of) APLA. Their budget is up to about $26 million. But this will give you an idea of the size of the agency. I want people to know that about my experience.”
(To be continued)
