By Deborah Weinrauch
As Culver City residents, we are so lucky to have our former Mayor, Councilmember and City Clerk Christopher Armenta running for the 54th District state Assembly seat (our District!) to replace now-state Sen. Holly Mitchell.
Mr. Armenta is a lifelong resident of Culver City. He has been educated in our schools, raised his own family here and served our community in so many ways that have benefited our lives. Experience and years of public service count. hen he is elected to the state Assembly on Dec. 3, Mr. Armenta will be your voice in Sacramento.
What you may not know is that while campaigning for public office in Culver City, Mr. Armenta represented you and not big business. He steadfastly refused to take money from oil companies and tobacco, insurance and billboard companies. He also refused money from GMO corporations and developers, companies that are interested in profit and not public health and safety.
His policy is the same as he campaigns for the December special election. No money from oil companies and big business will ever find its way into his campaign funds.
Where does Mr. Armenta stand on issues that affect you every day? The first involves the air you are breathing as you read this letter. The air in Culver City is affected by the toxins from the oil fields in our city and the fracking process from the neighboring oil fields. Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is done regularly so that oil companies are able to produce more oil and increase their revenue at the expense of our health and safety. Our homes, schools, parks, restaurants and businesses are adjacent to oil fields where fracking is a daily event. Fracking is not only a leading cause of toxicity in the air we breathe and the water we come in contact with regularly, but fracking is a contributor to the dangers of earthquakes and gas leaks.
Mr. Armenta has been a strong opponent of fracking since this serious problem first came to the attention of our city leaders and residents. Along with his fellow Council members, he sued Los Angeles County and the PXP oil company to get health and safety protections for the Culver City neighborhoods surrounding the oil fields. His goal is to have a total ban on fracking to reduce/eliminate the risks of cancer, respiratory diseases and other health problems.
Your health and your safety are Mr. Armenta’s No. 1 priority.
Where does Mr. Armenta stand on other issues that directly affect our daily lives? Besides the ban on fracking, he intends to work hard to protect and strengthen the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), promote legislation and funding for light rail grade separations that will be based on traffic and safety conditions, and improve and protect education, our youth, seniors, pets, healthcare, jobs and the economy.
As mayor, Councilmember and City Clerk, Mr. Armenta's efforts regularly benefited all of us in Culver City. His 25-plus years of experience as an accountant and auditor skillfully assisted our city through the terrible economic crisis that has affected all of us. He achieved this without cutting our public services.
He has always advocated for government transparency and has been accessible to our residents. He has advocated for our youth and served as a past coach, commissioner and volunteer for the American Youth Soccer Organization. Mr. Armenta was instrumental in the establishment of our local and highly successful Culver City Animal Services Program. He has rescued and adopted abandoned pets. He was one of the first advocates who worked to bring an annual program to honor Dr. Martin Luther King to Culver City. The list of his accomplishments goes on and on.
With Mr. Armenta as our representative and voice in Sacramento, you will have peace of mind in knowing that your interests will be heard, protected, advanced, and that based on his many years of public service, he can handle every challenge. Our community believes in Mr. Armenta. He already has the support of our current and former Council members, School Board members, and many other leaders and residents.
We need him working for us in Sacramento. With your vote, you will have a representative to serve you and ensure that you have a safer, healthier, better future.
Ms. Weinrauch, Director, Friends of Culver City Animals, may be contacted at weinagua@msn.com
