Thomas Small has received the endorsements of U.S. Rep. Karen Bass (D-Culver City) and state Sen. Holly J. Mitchell (D-Culver City) in his bid for a City Council seat in the April 12 election.
“Our community is doubly blessed to be represented by Congresswoman Bass and Sen. Mitchell,” Mr. Small said. “Each is an exemplary leader.”
A Cultural Affairs Commissioner, Mr. Small is an expert in architecture, urban and sustainable design, planning, development and historic preservation. He is an architectural writer and consultant, and a Yale graduate.
“I am passionate about improving life for our residents, our business owners and those employed here,” he said.
“Many of the issues our city addresses—traffic, transportation, airplane noise, affordable housing, development, energy, water, fracking, sustainability, homelessness, safety, water conservation and others—are also regional issues.
“Often, the key to improving life for Culver City residents is in working toward common goals with regional partners. I look forward to collaborating with our Congresswoman and our state senator, as well as with my fellow City Councilpersons, so that we can reach solutions and Culver City thrives.”
Traffic, airplane noise, fracking in the Inglewood Oil Field and affordable housing are four of the issues Culver City residents most commonly discuss with Mr. Small as he campaigns door-to-door.
“Clearly traffic is a regional issue,” Mr. Small said. “But we here in Culver City can still take a number of steps to mitigate the problem.
“People are understandably nervous about the additional traffic that the 10 new developments in and near Culver City will bring. Part of the answer is to make it easy for people to use alternative transportation. Each development project must have a plan to mitigate traffic and parking concerns. Public transportation, bike-friendly and walk-friendly design, ridesharing and other innovative transit programs are all good means of cutting down on traffic.
“I recommend ridesharing and other transit programs not only for those traveling from outside Culver City, but also for our own residents. The Expo Line, for example, is enormously valuable, but when our residents drive their cars to and from the station, they add to the traffic congestion. Let’s make it easy for all of us to travel those one, two or three miles to the station,” Mr. Small said.
“I’ve been speaking out about the airplane noise we’re getting from jet planes overflights. It’s so disruptive, especially in some Culver City neighborhoods. This is a national and even international issue and problem. We need to address it with strength and force, on the national stage.
“We could waste a lot of energy and resources, and damage our own position, by trying to solve this problem locally and not recognizing that this problem needs to be resolved at the national level. Our most direct channel is through our Congresswoman, Karen Bass. Those of us who have productive relationships with her will be our city’s most effective advocates,” Mr. Small said.
“I hear from many residents concerned about the Inglewood Oil Field, about fracking and other means used there to extract oil and gas. It’s a dirty, unhealthy, dangerous business. When Sen. Mitchell introduced her first anti-fracking bill in the state Assembly, I admired her for it. I continue to appreciate the Culver City residents, including Councilwoman Meghan Sahli-Wells, who educated her and encouraged her to introduce her bills.
“We need to attack this problem at all levels—national, state, county and local. In Culver City, the City Council’s oil drilling subcommittee will soon be proposing stringent regulations aimed at protecting us from the worst abuses of oil and gas drilling on our one-tenth of the field. While these regulations are important and will be a good beginning, I don’t think they are sufficient.
“My goal is to keep the oil in the ground and transition to a renewable micro grid to secure a sustainable and resilient energy future for the city,” Mr. Small said.
“The lack of sufficient affordable housing is another difficult issue that’s both regional and local. In Culver City, finding the resources and space to build more buildings is a major challenge, but not the only challenge. We need to grapple with the problem of rising rents that are forcing some renters out of their homes.
“This is a problem for renters, of course. It’s also a problem for compassionate homeowners. We need to come together as a community to figure out the ways—possibly unorthodox, out-of-the-box ways—our city can enable people who earn less to continue renting here comfortably.
“Above all, government needs to care for the neediest in our society, including the homeless, the indigent and the working poor. This is imperative from a humanitarian perspective, and also for the economic wellbeing and the quality of life of our entire community,” said Mr. Small. “Culver City’s realization of this goal is a direct, clear demonstration of the character of our city, of our achievement as a community of human beings.”
To read Mr. Small’s open letter to the Quiet Skies Community regarding jet plane over flights, visit https://www.facebook.com/thomas4culvercity/posts/1569590886702775?fref=nf
For more information about Mr. Small’s City Council campaign, see http://www.thomas4culvercity.org
https://www.facebook.com/thomas4culvercity
https://twitter.com/_Thomas4Council
Ms. Rona Tuttle may be contacted at Rebecca.rona@hotmail.com
