The Santa Monica Daily Press provided candidates with three opportunities to address readers this year. Candidates were asked to fill out a short form survey, provide responses to written questions and invited into the Daily Press office for a one on-one interview about their candidacy. Candidates were given three questions and allowed to answer any or all of them as they saw fit.
As a member of the Santa Monica City Council my first responsibility is to protect and support our residents and our local businesses from the impact of this regional crisis. We must approach this problem with both compassion and accountability. This new approach that I termed "compassionate accountability" is what is needed to change the current social dynamics that are deteriorating our quality of life in Santa Monica. We will lead with compassion to support those most vulnerable on our streets (those suffering from mental illness, minors, seniors, disabled, women with children, veterans etc) providing temporary shelter, permanent supportive housing where it's a fit, food and available services. We will also hold those accountable, the great majority that are not from here, who refuse services and are behaving in a way that diminishes our public safety.
My 20 years of experience running a non-profit that successfully addressed youth violence taught me that these social issues can be solved. First, we need a culture of collaboration between government agencies who tend to work in silos. We must employ a prevention, intervention and enforcement approach within a regional multi-agency framework. Programs must be evaluated consistently, and the use of public funds must be reported regularly to create a culture of accountability and transparency. We will not criminalize homelessness, but we will deploy appropriate and legal interventions to stem the tide of unprovoked violent attacks, burglaries and crime against residents, businesses and the unhoused.
So much of these problems are fueled by substance abuse of very debilitating drugs. For this reason, I have urged our City Council to oppose the County’s needle and meth pipe distribution program in our public parks although I support a clean needle exchange program within health clinics and other facilities providing social services. I have supported and will continue to support proven substance abuse treatment programs in our community and I urge voters to study Proposition 36, especially the components that incentivize substance abuse treatment for those suffering from addiction.
I will continue to vote to expand our police force to at least 250 sworn police/peace officers who will be trained to respect constitutional rights and not abuse their authority. By strengthening collaboration between law enforcement, first responders and social service providers we will implement a more robust outreach and clinician driven intervention strategy to transition those who pose a threat to themselves or others off our streets and into treatment. It is not compassionate to allow people with serious mental illness or addiction to decompose right in front of our eyes with no serious intervention.
In my first term, I delivered on my promise to implement this approach in partnership with LA County. The implementation of behavioral service vans (Therapeutic Transport Teams) and SMFD Community Resource Units are mobile units that support law enforcement and first responders by assessing individuals and in a dignified manner implore the use of voluntary and involuntary holds on individuals in need of clinician approved interventions. This approach has already shown to be an effective tool in providing support to those in need and at the same time enhance public safety.
This issue is very personal to me because my family has struggled to support my younger brother who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and is currently institutionalized. We have a broken system that relies on people committing violent crimes before any real intervention can occur. It is no surprise then that the largest tax payer funded facility dealing with people with mental illness in the County of Los Angeles is the LA County Jail. This must change and I will work tirelessly to ensure that appropriate facilities and services are created to improve the conditions for those afflicted with mental illness. Moreover, our delayed response to this crisis has already deteriorated our public safety and our own mental health in Santa Monica.
As the current Chair of the Westside Council of City Governments (WSCCOG) I am working diligently with our surrounding cities to create a Regional Behavioral Health Center that ideally will be housed on site at the Veterans Administration in West Los Angeles. This new center will provide both short term and long term support for those suffering from mental illness and addiction. We have already allocated funding to hire consultants and developed a plan to create a regional ad hoc committee to guide the process. The creation of a Regional Behavioral Health Center will be my top priority as Chair of the WSCCOG as we have all witnessed the tragedy of people suffering from mental illness on our streets.
I served 18 years on the SMMUSD Board of Education and I am proud of my record of creating some of the best public schools in our nation. I created a youth center that successfully curtailed youth violence in our region. In 2020, when our City was in crisis and disarray I stepped up and brought stability to our government. I ask for your vote to help us finish the work that we started in 2020. I am running for Santa Monica City Council to create a safer Santa Monica for residents and visitors alike. I want to create a Santa Monica where renters are protected and have clean and safe parks and beaches where families can play and find peace. Together let’s build a better Santa Monica by voting for the Safer Santa Monica Slate! We need a majority on City Council to make the change our residents deserve. Please volunteer, donate and vote to support our new approach. To join the movement, please visit my website at www.vote4oscar.org
