[img]1929|right|Damien Goodmon||no_popup[/img]Do not forget that tomorrow is Election Day, and the polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m
Find Your Polling Location here.
Since she was first elected to the state Assembly in 2010, now state Sen. Holly Mitchell, along with her able staff, has been a vocal champion of the community's effort to underground the rail line on Crenshaw Boulevard.
Those who attended the Showdown at MTA in July remember that she stood with the community, as we demanded that MTA allow the finalists for the project’s construction contract award to bid the Park Mesa Heights tunnel. (Read Mitchell’s powerful statement). While that day our request literally fell on dead ears, we continue our battle. Securing the right to vote was not won overnight, and neither will the battle for Crenshaw.
Now that Ms. Mitchell has elevated to the state Senate, there is a vacancy in the 54th Assembly District office she previously held. The special election to fill it is tomorrow. If no candidate secures 50 percent +1 vote, there will be a runoff on Feb. 4. So where do the candidates who seek to replace her stand? We submitted a questionnaire to the candidates.
All Four Candidates Respond to Questionnaire
In addition to asking their position on the street-level portion of the Crenshaw-LAX line in Park Mesa Heights, two key questions are being asked in the state Legislature that will have a big impact the rail project, transportation, and MTA: a) Should voters be asked to reduce the threshold for passing transportation taxes; and b) should the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”), the state’s environmental protection law, be changed?
The four candidates are accountant/former mayor of Culver City Christopher Armenta (D), real estate broker/Olympic Park Neighborhood Council President John Jake (D), Los Angeles Councilmember Curren Price’s deputy Sebastian Ridley-Thomas (D), and physician Dr. Morry Waksberg (I).
They were asked to put in writing responses to three questions that had been previously asked at events co-sponsored by the Crenshaw Subway Coalition, including the candidate’s forum at St. Bede’s Church, KTYM town hall (link) and KPFK town hall (link to file):
1) What is your position on undergrounding the Crenshaw-LAX Light Rail Line from 48th Street to 59th Street – the eleven (11) blocks that remain at street level on the Crenshaw Boulevard portion?
2) What is your position on the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s request for the state legislature to create a ballot measure that would ask citizens to reduce the threshold for passing local taxes for transportation from the current 2/3rds to 55%?
3) What is your position on efforts to change the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to limit the rights of citizens to legally challenge construction projects that impact the environment, which includes mass transit rail projects?
In summary, each candidate states they support undergrounding the street-level portion from 48th to 59th Street, and they offer varying commitments to help achieve that objective. There are varying responses in the positions on the reduction in the voter threshold issue. Each candidate states they oppose efforts to weaken CEQA.
Spend a few minutes reading the candidates’ full responses to the questionnaire: www.crenshawsubway.org/2013/12/ad54-positions
(Also, click on the link to learn more about the effort to reduce the threshold for the passage of transportation taxes and changing CEQA.)
Why this election is important: The state Legislature's role in Crenshaw Line and MTA, and the Power of One
While direct control of the design of the Crenshaw-LAX Line is in the hands of the MTA Board of Directors, which includes Crenshaw’s elected representatives Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, and now, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (with his three appointees), the California legislature plays a huge role in developing transportation policy that governs how MTA operates. One critical area is funding. Before MTA can place a tax measure on the ballot, it has to be approved by the legislature. In 2008, when Measure R (the tax source funding a sizable portion of MTA’s current construction projects) went to the State Senate in 2008, then-state Sen. Jenny Oropeza famously refused to sign off on the bill until about $200 million was added for a Green Line rail extension project to LAX. Such is the power of a lone committed state legislator.
Spread the Word and Vote
The Crenshaw Subway Coalition encourages you to spend the few minutes to read the candidates answers in their entirety.
These issues will define the Crenshaw Corridor, the Assembly District and the state of California for the rest of your lifetime.
Donate Today to Protect and Enhance Crenshaw's Future
Regardless of who becomes the next Assemblymember, we will need to remain educated and mobilized to bring about the type of rail project our community wants and deserves. Whether $25 or $250, every tax-deductible donation is greatly appreciated.
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Mr. Goodmon, Executive Director of the Crenshaw Subway Coalition, may be contacted at dg@crenshawsubway.org
