Meet the Candidates for Santa Monica City Council: Jonathan Mann
October 17, 2012 -- This is the 12th in a series of posts that provides the answers to questions by candidates in the November 6 race for Santa Monica City Council. The answers from the candidates will be posted in the order they were received.
Name: Jonathan Mann
Profession: Teacher
Birthplace: Fort Jackson Army Dispensary, Medford, Oregon Aug. 24, 1945
Running for: City Council
Status:
1. How long have you lived in Santa Monica? In what neighborhood do you live?
I lived in Pico Neighborhood in the 70s and 80s, Sunset Park in the 90s and Ocean Park at present.
2. Describe yourself in 10 words or less.
Green, Futurist, Secular-Humanist, Existential/Atheist Freethinker, Reader, Traveler, Mexican/Canadian, Neo-Marxist/Libertarian hybrid.
3. What was your first job?
US Navy Musician
4. Describe your history of community involvement, if any, in 75 words or less.
My first demonstration was the Poor Peoples’ March in 1963 with Martin Luther King. while based at Anacostia Naval Air Station outside of Washington D.C. I was a member of the Student for a Democratic Society (SDS), New American Movement (NAM) and various other left wing orgs. I was at Kent State in 1970, every moratorium against the Vietnam War, and many other protest including the Battle in Seattle and Million Mom march, etc., etc.
LIMIT YOUR ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING QUSTIONS TO 50 WORDS OR LESS:
5. How would you rate the current City Council? What particular decisions stand out for you that made you form that opinion?
I rate the council as abysmal, corrupt and incompetent; riddled with cronyism, conflict of interest and ego posturing. Their priorities are favoring special interests, overdevelopment, rewarding city employees and their cronies in SMRR, and passing LUCE in order to be re-elected, rather then to serve the residents and reduce traffic.
6. What is the most frequent complaint you hear on the campaign trail? What do you plan to do about it?
Overdevelopment, traffic, parking tickets, and an arrogant council and staff. For over twenty years I’ve advocated the implementation of a Virtual Town Hall on the City Website for transparency in government, accountability for public officials, and to give citizens a voice in making policy decisions on issues that concern residents.
7. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement:
There are already enough jobs in Santa Monica, so the city doesn't need more commercial development.
The city is greedy for revenue to support a bloated bureaucracy that allows city employees to take two Fridays off a month, three day weeks for police, AND excessive overtime. The budget should be streamlined to eliminate waste, especially unnecessary positions and projects, instead of raising taxes for our schools.
8. Should Santa Monica residents be allowed to vote on major development agreements? Why or why not?
Absolutely, it’s the only way to put the brakes on overdevelopment, and TAKE OUR CITY BACK! I support a moratorium on ALL construction UNLESS approved by residents. The city faces a traffic holocaust that will finally create a backlash against incompetent governance when construction projects now under way are completed…
9. Do you believe developers have undue influence on City government?
Duh… They elected 5 current members of the council with their financial support and massive advertising campaigns for LUCE, etc. They’re doing it again in this election and will continue until Santa Monica reaches critical mass. I advocate a Total Recall of all council members who receive contributions from developers!
10. How would you solve the traffic problem in Santa Monica?
A MORATORIUM ON DEVELOPMENT! Close the airport when the lease expires and build parking structure there instead of downtown. Make the city REALLY safe for cyclists. Free Jitneys and busses, and STOP giving parking tickets to raise more revenue to hire more employees!
11. If Santa Monica has the authority to shut down the airport, should it do so?
I was the first candidate to advocate closing SMO. Santa Monica DOES have the authority to shut down SMO and should NOT surrender sovereignty to the FAA! It should NOT turn that property over to developers! Let the residents decide how it should be used to benefit all the people!
12. With which statement do you agree more?
a. Tourism is an important part of Santa Monica's image and a major revenue source and should be encouraged.
b. There are too many tourists in Santa Monica and businesses are catering to tourists at the expense of locals.
B. Enough is enough; Santa Monica is NOT the Rivera;. Stop building hotels and let homeowners rent out space and provide services so the revenue goes in their pockets. Santa Monica has over half a billion dollars in revenues that is being wasted on the wrong priorities! Enough is enough!
13. True or False: Santa Monica has become Beverly Hills by the Sea. TRUE!
14. With which statements do you agree. You can pick more than one.
Affordable Housing:
a. Creates blight and brings crime.
b. Pays back hotel and restaurant union workers for their political support in the past
c. Creates more tenants to vote for Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights (SMMR) candidates
d. Addresses a legitimate need, especially in Santa Monica
All four… Affordable housing should only be targeted for LOW income workers IN Santa Monica, so they can live near their work. It should not be provided for people who are scamming the system, and who don’t report illegal income from crime, etc.
15. In the past ten years, the number of laws passed by the Santa Monica City Council has increased from 32 in 2002 to 48 last year. This is:
a. A reasonable response to the concerns of residents.
b. A council that tries to please everyone
c. A council that believes it knows what's best for the city and likes to impose its will.
An arrogant, righteous, sanctimonious City Council that could care less what the residents want or need! Recall them all!
16. Santa Monica's contribution to employee pensions has risen from $10 million a year a decade ago to $40 million and growing today. To help pay for its growing contribution Santa Monica should:
a. Lay off workers
b. Generate more cash by increasing development
c. Increase local taxes.
d. Other
Definitely lay off unneeded workers, ESPECIALLY management double and triple dippers. An immediate freeze on hiring and wages! Audit the budget online with a search function so citizens can demand explanations from their public officials! No super pensions after five years for upper management. Audit health care providers!
17. Do you support Measure ES, a $385 million bond to build and improve Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District facilities?
18. Has Santa Monica successfully addressed the homeless problem?
19. Do you believe Santa Monica is a segregated city?
20. Do community groups play an important role in Santa Monica?
21. Which of the following statements do you agree with?
Santa Monica is:
a. Doing enough to encourage biking
b. Not doing enough to encourage biking
c. Doing too much to encourage biking
Santa Monica is going about encouraging cycling the wrong way. The more traffic the more danger for cyclist, pedestrians AND motorists! Remove the planter medians, widen streets and sidewalks! Ticket pedestrians on the bike path and drivers who don’t signal. Arrest reckless cyclists, skateboarders, jaywalkers, and motorists who door cyclists!
22. Do you support a law banning smoking in apartment and condo units?
Unenforceable; have separate housing for smokers and non-smokers. Provide public areas for smokers and ticket them heavily for littering. Leave homeowners free to kill themselves with emphysema!~)
23. What is your favorite place in Santa Monica? Least favorite place?
The Beach during the week and off season. Least favorite hands down is City Hall. Down with the government; throw the bums out!
24. What is the last piece of music you bought?
I don’t know, probably the Beatles, BeBop or Beethoven’s 8th!
25. If you were emperor with absolute authority for a day and could do one thing for Santa Monica, what would it be?
Clean up City Hall; throw the bums out (and I don’t mean the homeless!~). Stop fostering dependency, and enabling poverty pimps. Develop self-sufficiency instead. “If you give a man a fish, he’ll eat for one day; if you teach a man TO fish he’ll feed himself AND his family”!
