October11, 2010 -- The Lookout Staff submitted questionnaires to the 23 candidates running for seats on the City Council and Board of Education. The candidates were given the same timeframe to answer the questions and were limited to 150 words per answer.
During the next several days, the Lookout News will publish the candidates’ answers verbatim. The profiles for the four-year City Council race will be published first, followed by the two-year City Council race and lastly the Board of Education race. They will appear in alphabetical order based on the candidates’ first names.

Name: Gleam Davis
Running for: 2-year City Council seat
Status: Incumbent

How long have you lived in Santa Monica? In what neighborhood do you live?
I have lived in Santa Monica for 24 years. I presently live North of Montana but I also have lived in Ocean Park and Wilmont.

Why are you running for office and why should residents vote for you?
I was honored, in February 2009, when the City Council appointed me to fill the vacancy left by the passing of Herb Katz. Since that time, I have supported residents by fighting to preserve the diversity and character of our neighborhoods. I worked to make sure that development contemplated by the new Land Use and Circulation Element respected existing nearby residents and did not place an undue traffic burden on our city. I also have been a strong voice for: education and lifelong learning; a livable and sustainable community , a robust local economy; and seniors and youth. I hope that residents will vote for me because I share their commitment to keeping Santa Monica a special place to live.

Why do you enjoy living in Santa Monica?
My favorite part of Santa Monica is the people who live here. They are diverse and engaged. They care about our city. They value the arts, education, and our environment. They expect and deserve a high level of public safety and other services from their city government. With its wonderful residents, beautiful sea breezes, excellent schools, great local businesses, and appreciation for the arts, there is no place like Santa Monica.

How would you rate the current City Council? What particular decisions stand out for you that made you form that opinion?
I think the City Council does a pretty good job of balancing competing interests. Although there were some disagreements about the details, I am proud that our City Council came together and voted unanimously to adopt the new Land Use and Circulation Element.

What is the most frequent complaint you hear on the campaign trail? What do you plan to do about this issue?
The biggest complaint that I hear is traffic. In my brief time on the Council, I have encouraged staff to take a hard look at improving local transportation strategies and options. I also have made it a top priority to make sure that, as Expo light rail comes to Santa Monica, it will be convenient for every resident to access the system. To the extent that we allow any new development in Santa Monica, we have to require the developer to mitigate any negative effects that the development might have on our already-congested streets.

Should Santa Monica residents be allowed to vote on major development agreements? Why or why not?
While I value public input, I don’t think we should vote on development agreements. Development agreements require complex and ongoing negotiations between the City and a prospective developer. These types of negotiations cannot be done at the ballot box. Every prospective developer is required to seek significant public input and residents have additional opportunities to make their voices heard before the Planning Commission and the City Council. As a result of public input, the developers of the recent Agensys project made significant changes and added significant community benefits. This would not have been possible if the original project was submitted to a simple yes or no vote. Moreover, in the case of Agensys, the prospective developer was working under a very tight time constraint. If the City had required Agensys to wait until the election, Agensys would have been forced to move out of Santa Monica.

Where do you stand on Measure Y, the half-cent sales tax proposal, and Measure YY, the companion measure that would recommend 50 percent of the tax revenue go to education?
I support both. Local resources have decreased significantly due to the poor economy and the State of California’s continuing raid on local resources. As a result, our City faces a serious structural deficit. If the City tried to eliminate that shortfall just by reducing spending, it would have to cut the high level of services that it presently provides to its residents. For example, the City’s support for Meals on Wheels and afterschool programs for youth could be jeopardized. If we pass Measure Y and the City continues to look for ways to be more cost-efficient, we can preserve the high level of services that our residents expect and deserve. I support Measure YY because I think it is important for residents to have the opportunity to tell the City Council how they think any increased tax revenues should be used.

Solve the traffic problem in Santa Monica in under 150 words.
Traffic is a regional and a local issue. I support the accelerated build out of mass transit throughout the region. As Santa Monica’s alternate representative to the Expo Construction Authority, I am working to make sure that Expo comes to Santa Monica as soon as possible and that our local transit system adapts to Expo to encourage people to use mass transit rather than automobiles. Locally, we must provide better transit options within Santa Monica such as local circulators. We also need to take a more sophisticated approach to traffic and evaluate signal synchronization and traffic patterns throughout the city. We have to have adequate parking downtown so that folks don’t drive around looking for parking and we should make our streets and infrastructure more pedestrian and bike friendly.

If you were emperor with absolute authority for a day and could do one thing for Santa Monica, what would it be?
Ban jet air traffic from Santa Monica airport.