October 12, 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: Terry O’Day
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 12 years. I live in the Pico Neighborhood.

Why are you running for office and why should residents vote for you?
I moved to Santa Monica to become involved in a community where residents make a difference. Serving on the Council continues my life-long commitment to public service. Since I was appointed to the Council in February, to fill the seat of the late Ken Genser, I have been dedicated to the things that matter to me: safer streets and greener city policies; livable neighborhoods, great schools, services for our diverse population, and a realistic regional solution to our traffic problem. I am running to continue the work I have started.

I am the youngest member of the City Council, representing the future of Santa Monica. It is important that the legacy of the Councilmembers who came before me and created a city where people come first, be continued. We have the potential to transform ourselves into the greatest model of progressive policies in the US.

Why do you enjoy living in Santa Monica?
My wife and I moved to Santa Monica almost 15 years ago because we wanted to become part of a community that not only talks about change, but takes the risks to make change happen. Now, I am proud to say that I live in a Santa Monica that leads the nation in human rights, economic justice, and environmental protection. I love that I can work with my neighbors to bring about real change – as we are doing in the Pico Neighborhood now.

How would you rate the current City Council? What particular decisions stand out for you that made you form that opinion?
This City Council has been leading on many fronts – and I am proud to be part of that. We are banning plastic bags, developed the most environmentally-progressive land use plan in the state, are scrutinizing new developments for public benefit, and delivering services to our most disadvantaged and reducing homelessness. Thus, I rate the current City Council as a national leader and problem solver.

What is the most frequent complaint you hear on the campaign trail? What do you plan to do about this issue?
Traffic and school funding about equally. I am a leader in the coalition to solve the area’s traffic problem. I also strongly support the City’s partnership with the school district is critical to the school funding problem. We need to stand beside our schools and generate new revenues, through Measures Y & YY to prevent severe cuts to our schools that will inevitably lead to a demise in their ability to educate our children. I feel strongly about protecting our schools because every study shows that good schools not only prepare good, productive citizens, but they protect the stability and over all quality of life in the community.

Should Santa Monica residents be allowed to vote on major development agreements? Why or why not?
The best community planning is done by including many voices and considering impacts from land use changes. Putting each development to a vote has all the worst hallmarks of the initiative process, which often involves few people and results in policy that does not consider all impacts. Once adopted, such initiatives are also difficult to change – requiring a new vote in an election. This would be an unwise way to handle planning in our community, likely resulting in a hodge-podge of projects with little connection to one another or our neighborhoods and little control over whether we meet our true objectives of neighborhood preservation, traffic reduction, and sustainability.

Instead, we should engage everyone in our community to participate in the discussion about what we should and should not be allowed. Our new land use plan underscores the City’s commitment to human scale, liveable neighborhoods.

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?
Along with my colleagues who all voted to put Props Y and YY on the ballot, I strongly support Y & YY. The City is facing a fiscal crisis because Sacramento has basically pick-pocketed local governments to balance its own budget. This has forced the City to cut services, and use one-time funds. We’re already cutting the waste out of our budget, and we are fiscally prudent in City spending and management (the City has consistently earned the highest credit rating in the nation). This leaves us with two choices: to slash the level of our exceptional city services or generate new revenue that Sacramento cannot rob from us, as Props Y/ YY do.

I strongly support the City-School District partnership, and allocating 50% of Prop Y revenues going to educational programs. I think our excellent schools benefit everyone.

Solve the traffic problem in Santa Monica in under 150 words.
The best way to fight traffic is to create alternatives to driving, require employers to reduce trips and prohibit new developments that will increase the cars on our streets. But I also know that real traffic solutions require a regional approach and five years ago I helped spearhead the effort that brought together business, labor, and environmental leaders to find a regional traffic solution. As a result, the Expo Line will be extended to Santa Monica and we will have a viable transportation alternative. I also led the fight to keep Big Blue Bus fares low, and have increased the bike-and- walkability of our neighborhoods.

If you were emperor with absolute authority for a day and could do one thing for Santa Monica, what would it be?
While there are many things that I feel our important – stopping global warming and making our city the “greenest in the nation” is one thing that can’t be put off. Once our environment declines, there is no turning back the clock and now is the time to protect our health and resources for generations to come. I’d do this by making all our cars zero-emission, put bike lanes and bike boxes on every street, turn our alleys into green spaces, and capture the storm water runoff for drinking water.