Anybody who has attended one of this spring’s Candidate Forums knows that a twinkle never is farther than six inches from Jeff Cooper’s shining eyes.
Even if you did not know him as a child growing up in San Francisco, you have to suspect he was the master of boyish mischief. In his claque of little boys from the neighborhood with dirty faces, torn shirts and mysteriously missing shoes, his innocent face always insisted that he was the single non-guilty one in their adventurous crowd.
As these poignant memories begin to fade, this may be remembered as the season that funloving Jeff Cooper, politician, came of age. His ever-present mischievous visage remains ingrained in his persona. But the tone is different from before, serious, almost grave, introspective, weighted with the fruits of research and reflection.
These freshly polished assets were on display at last night’s forum for City Council contenders before a packed crowd at the Raintree condo complex.
Arguably, this was the most important test before the April 13 election. Moderator Paul Jacobs pointed out that the setting represented 750 residences in one of the heaviest voting precincts in Culver City.
They were the most engaged crowd of the season, and they posed the most penetrating questions.
A mature audience — doesn’t that sound classier than “graying”? —made it clear they feel unrelievedly pinched by terminal disputes with neighboring West Los Angeles College with its construction strategies and unsettled negotiations with the drilling company at the Inglewood Oil Field. Many of them will be in Council Chambers on Thursday, April 8, five days before the election, for a 6 o’clock community meeting on the college’s Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report.
A Few Differences
All four City Council candidates, Meghan Sahli-Wells, incumbent Scott Malsin, Robert Zirgulis and Mr. Cooper, enjoyed strong evenings. But there were nuanced differences that may decide the election in less than three weeks.
In evaluating their answers — generally informed but decidedly cautious — the qualitative differences were so small as to encourage the notion the race is a tossup.
In unison, they criticized West Los Angeles College President Mark Rocha for allegedly bending on promised construction restrictions, but even more swiftly noted that since the college is on County land, their authority is severely limited. But all raised the appropriate populist cheers.
If all four of them turned slightly, they could see the noses of their three rivals. Nobody seems to be running away from this field. No one is wowing audiences. Is anyone changing voters’ minds?
Adjustment Time
When Mr. Cooper’s turn came to introduce himself, oh, was he ready. “I typically have a little two-minute canned speech that I give you,” he said with a puckish grin, and glanced away from the crowd in the direction of a critic. “But I think I will make (my critic) rather happy tonight and deviate from my regular speech.”
So saying, he divested himself of his longstanding chamber-of-commerce stance, intensely personalizing his message to a crowd of people who know him only, if at all, as a Parks and Recreation Commissioner for the past 10 years. That sells in campaigns.
Similarly, Ms. Sahli-Wells and Mr. Zirgulis, whether responding to critics, inner voices or savvy handlers, have broadened their original messages from narrow views to a sturdy pledge that spans the community.
All three answered a needed siren call to muscularize their parochial perspectives.
The exception has been Mr. Malsin, who is, not necessarily in good humor, rounding out his first four-year term on the City Council. He is counting on his mammoth bank of knowledge, vast landscape of familiarity with personalities and issues, and his asserted achievements to carry him first across the finish line in what looks like a close race for two Council seats.
He may be right.
He may have plenty of fuel to steam home first.
But unlike his clearly delineated junior colleagues over whom he towers, Mr. Malsin, the putative big brother, does not seem to be having as good of a time this campaign as all of them are.
Does that matter to voters? Should it?
Playing off of Mr. Cooper’s opening quip, Mr. Malsin rejoined: “Forgive me, I will deliver my canned speech,” resulting in a 1-second laugh from the crowd.
Robert Zirgulis: We have been saying most weeks since January he is the Most Improved Candidate. He has worked avidly to convert his old image of outrage into a sensible, somber, widely informed, almost low-key message that is innovative, informed, underpinned by perhaps the most fascinating personal resume, though the widely traveled Ms. Sahli-Wells might disagree. His blend of international, cultural, political, professional experiences could be a tempting change of pace for Culver City voters. His repetitious message of government waste combined with findings from researching City Hall’s budget line by line could sell his candidacy. Not to be overlooked is the highly unusual fact he raised his three sons by himself.
Meghan Sahli-Wells: She has faced, and perhaps conquered, a most daunting challenge: Convincing audiences that she is capable of transitioning from a modest but ambitious community person, a lonely, remote voice in the wilderness, to graduate many levels up, to a sophisticated policymaker on the City Council dais. As others can tell her, this path is lined with thorns. Is she prepared to put aside her community robes and to sit down with her colleagues, sift and evaluate arcane data that will affect residents far beyond her cozy neighborhood? She says building bridges is her strength. “Alternative transportation,” for example, is an appealing pitch she makes. But can she convince two of her four colleagues her methods are workable?
Scott Malsin: I am reminded of what a long dead owner of the old Los Angeles Rams said in the 1970s when he fired his ostensibly successful coach, George Allen: It was more fun losing with Mr. Allen’s predecessor than winning with Mr. Allen. Like Mr. Allen, the incumbent is darned smart, knows how to make everything imaginable work, but he may not be having as good of a time as a prison inmate.
Jeff Cooper: He is proof that a veteran candidate can learn from his past, from his first campaign two years ago, that dedicated tinkering with a campaign in progress can strongly improve his chances. His comfortable familiarity with exploration of the entire community agenda could close the gap on how narrowly he missed in the last election.
