CD 14 Debate Event Held Downtown in Million Dollar Theater

Last night three candidates for the CD 14 LA City Council seat debated in downtown Los Angeles. The three candidates that debated were paired down from a longer list of candidates and included Kevin de Leon, Cyndi Otteson, and Moica Garcia. In general, the candidates all supported increasing the walkability, access to transit, and alternative transit modalities in downtown although support for the street car was mixed, with Otteson saying she would need to review the proposal and De Leon advocating instead for electric buses and dedicated bus lanes. Garcia supported free transit ridership for all Angelenos, while De Leon took a more conservative approach, suggesting everyone under 25 would receive free transit.

Candidates also discussed housing and increasing access to downtown for families, to preserve the diversity of CD 14. Garcia, strong on schools, championed working with LAUSD to provide additional walkable schools within the limits of downtown. Candidates also paid lip service to increasing the number of affordable units in DTLA, though specific plans to do so were somewhat limited. De Leon supported the use of City owned real estate to create affordable housing projects, as well as streamlining those projects in the building and safety department by “moving them to the front of the line”. He also critiqued the interplay between LA City and LA County, stating that the cost of providing housing for low income individuals has become too high. All of the candidates supported providing services for the homeless where they were, rather than concentrating services in Downtown as the city has tried to do in the past.

Finally, the candidates all supported the increase of police resources in DTLA to create safer streets. De Leon mentioned the LAPD promotion structure, and increasing the desirability and rank of downtown officers to keep skilled officers within downtown. Gacia and Otteson pointed to their experience in the schools and neighborhood council respectively to fight for more and higher quality police services.

Overall, the event was a showing of strength for a downtown that is becoming a neighborhood, rather than just a business center. One thing is for certain, a unified CD 14 is important to all of the candidates. When asked if it was too big and whether CD 14 should remain a cohesive unit during the redistricting process, the candidates felt that Downtown’s unique character separates it from other council districts, and that it should operate as a unit.