• Name: Gleam Davis
• Age: 54
• Occupation: Corporate counsel
• Marital status/children: Married 18 years to John Prindle; we have a 13-year-old son, Jackson
• Your neighborhood? How long have you lived there?: We have lived north of Montana for 11 years. I also have lived in Ocean Park and Wilmont.
• Your mode of transportation/model, make and year of your ride?: 2005 Cadillac SRX.
• Own or rent? Own
• Do you support Measure Y, the half-cent sales tax increase? If so, do you think half of the money generated by the increase should go to local public schools?
Yes and yes.
• What are you reading?
I am reading “Freedom” and a book about our relationship with animals entitled “Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat.”
• Do you believe there is enough parking Downtown? If not, what do you plan to do about it?
We have a large number of parking spaces in Downtown but we need to manage them better. The structures near the Third Street Promenade fill up early in the day and stay full while more distant structures (such as the Civic Center and Main Library) are relatively empty. We need to incentivize drivers to park in these underutilized structures. In addition, when Parking Structure 3 is demolished as part of the new AMC movie theater project, we will have to compensate for the loss of that parking; perhaps by adding new parking on nearby City Hall-owned land.
• Now that the Broad museum is out of play, what should City Hall do with the Civic Center Parking Lot?
City Hall should fulfill its promise to place cultural facilities in the Civic Center. In the meantime, City Hall also should finalize its plans for a child care center in the Civic Center and move forward with its construction.
• When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A lawyer.
• Local businesses provide the majority of the city’s general fund revenues, yet Santa Monica has a reputation for being a difficult place to do business. How would you entice more businesses, different businesses, to open up shop? How can City Hall help those businesses that are struggling in the current economy?
City Hall needs to streamline permitting and other processes that place an undue burden on business. City Hall also should continue to support business development efforts such as the “Buy Local” program and business promotion organizations like the Convention and Visitors Bureau.
• L.A. recently greatly reduced patients’ access to medical marijuana. Do you support medical marijuana dispensaries in Santa Monica?
No. Prescription medicines, including marijuana, should be dispensed by a licensed pharmacy.
• Should smoking be banned within apartments?
No. I am not in favor of the government regulating lawful personal behavior within someone’s home.
• What would you do to make Santa Monica more bike friendly?
First, we need to create and implement a new bike action plan that establishes meaningful bicycle connectivity throughout Santa Monica and identifies the type of infrastructure we need to support cycling and cyclists. Second, we should have more events that encourage bike riding such as the planned Cyclovia, where a city street will be closed to automobile traffic but open to cyclists and pedestrians.
• What’s the biggest threat facing the quality of life in Santa Monica?
Traffic. Traffic is a regional problem so I support regional solutions such as more and better mass transit. Locally, we need to provide better transit options to move people around the city and we must enforce the provision of the new Land Use and Circulation Element that requires new developments to mitigate their traffic impacts.
• Downtown properties owned by City Hall. Should parking be the top priority or should housing come first?
Downtown developments should be mixed use so that they provide pedestrian-friendly commercial ground floors with housing on the upper floors. Shared parking facilities could be built underground.
• Do you support the closure of Santa Monica Airport in 2015? If so, what would you like to replace it with and how would you make up for the loss in revenue generated by airport operations, lease agreements?
I do not support a complete closure of the airport. It is part of Santa Monica’s history and it could prove to be an important link to medical and relief services in an emergency situation. I do believe, however, that all jet traffic should be banned from the airport and that the volume of piston engine aircraft traffic should be kept within reasonable limits.
• Do you believe in pension reform and should Santa Monica employees contribute more toward their healthcare and retirement benefits?
With regard to pensions, it is important for City Hall to honor the commitments it has made to its employees, particularly long-term employees. As for health care costs, the current economic downturn has forced City Hall to ask employees to contribute to their healthcare premiums. I am hopeful that a strategic combination of ongoing budget reductions and revenue increases will allow City Hall to minimize these employee contributions so that City Hall can offer a good benefit package that attracts and retains excellent employees.
• When it comes to getting public benefits from developers, what should be the top priority: affordable housing, public art, cash money, bike lanes or carpooling?
Every new development in the city should offer certain baseline public benefits: sustainable building practices; facilities for cyclists; traffic management plans; and a commitment to local hiring. Beyond that, the type of public benefits offered will depend on the nature of the development and the needs and input of nearby residents.
• Would you support placing a limit on the amount of time council members can speak on a particular item during meetings?
No. I believe that it is important for council members to fully express their thoughts on matters they are discussing so that the public has some insight into how they arrived at their decisions and decision making is transparent.
• When was the last time you rode a bike or took Big Blue Bus?
I often take the Big Blue Bus (Route 10) to work and I took the 3 bus to LAX for a Labor Day trip. I have not been on my bike in awhile.
• Does the housing-first model work for addressing the homeless issue or should we focus on building more emergency shelters to get people off the streets immediately?
Homelessness is a complex, multi-dimensional challenge that defies simple solutions. Santa Monica is having great success with the housing-first model. Nevertheless, at some times (such as the winter months) or in some situations (where there may be the prospect of a quick reunion with family), emergency shelters may be a more appropriate short-term solution. Santa Monica should be proud of the fact that, over the last two years, it has significantly reduced the number of homeless persons on its streets. By supporting a range of services, Santa Monica should be able to continue this pattern.
• Free form: What’s putting a burr under your saddle?
I want to make sure that local programs that serve seniors and youth do not fall victim to the budget challenges facing the city. City Hall should use a balanced combination of cost cutting and revenue enhancement to make sure that it is able to continue to support such vital programs as Meals on Wheels and youth violence prevention.
