Photo: L.A. Greens

Today Streetsblog features the seventh returned CD2 Questionnaire, this time from Michael McCue, a member of the Studio City Neighborhood Council who has been endorsed and actively supported by the local chapters of the Green Party.

As you might expect, McCue's answers show a strong grasp of how to get things done in City Hall without the power of elected office and a commitment to expanding transit and keeping streets safe.  In the derby to get the all-important Stephen Box endorsement, McCue shoots ahead of the other six candidates who reference the uber-activist  in our questionnaire by suggesting that he would try and put Box on staff.

Previously, Mary Benson, Chris Essel, Tamar Galatzn, Paul Krekorian, Frank Sheftel and Zuma Dogg have all filled out the questionnaire.  Full Streetsblog coverage can be found here.

1) When you commute to work, how do you do it?

When I commute to advocate downtown at City hall, I always take the Red Line Subway.  When going to work, I have used mass transit for about three of last ten years and my 2001 Prius about seven of last ten years.

What, if anything can be done to reverse these changes?

Must elect state reps who will reform this procedure and/or reform the procedure ourselves through political pressure.

3) The city is currently studying leasing the rights to its parking meters and certain parking garages for a large cash payment up front.  Do you support this kind of financing ideas, and if so what kind of conditions should be part of any agreement with a private firm?

I oppose any leasing or sales to private firms of our parking meters or parking services at all.  This was done in the City of Chicago with disastrous results.  I oppose any agreement with a private firm for parking meter partnerships, etc...

This was a huge issue for our Studio City Neighborhood Council because of the fatalities and crashes we experienced at the intersection of Tujunga and Woodbridge.  A hit and run fatality to a pedestrian three years ago and we began a campaign to get a Smart Walk installed...Wendy Greuel's office ignored this request for years until a single mother and her young daughter were hit and crippled at the same intersection.  We got publicity for this situation and shamed Wendy's office into action.  The Smart Walk was finally installed within a few weeks. 

Chris Essel becomes the most recent, and perhaps last, candidate to fill out our CD2 Questionnaire.  As CD2 residents are hopefully aware, the Special Election is next Tuesday.  On Monday Streetsblog will run a wrap up piece that will include excerpts from all the interviews and a series of videos by Stephen Box.

Essel’s answers show a strong familiarity with the issues and a desire to work with the communities effected by laws be they geographic communities effected by speeding traffic or the bicycle community struggling to make do on L.A.’s streets.  An advocate who’s transportation advocacy routes go back to working on traffic synchronization in the 1980′s, Essel has been referred to by some as the "City Hall" candidate for the open seat.  While some may view that as a negative, with that tag comes the endorsement of Comptroller Wendy Greuel who chaired the Council’s Transportation Committee and remains popular in her home District.  You can read more about Essel at her official website.

Previously, Mary Benson, Tamar Galatzn, Paul Krekorian, Frank Sheftel and Zuma Dogg have all filled out the questionnaire.  Full Streetsblog coverage can be found here.

1) When you commute to work, how do you do it? What percentage of the trips that you take don’t involve an automobile?

When
I worked at Paramount, I drove to work in a Toyota hybrid vehicle.
Currently, I live in Studio City near Ventura Boulevard in walking
distance of restaurants, shops, and most importantly a Trader Joe’s.
This is great because it allows me to take a significant number of
trips on foot.

2) Over the past year, a number of surface streets in the valley
have had their speed limits raised. Are these increases a result of the
natural order, or an interest that needs to be addressed? What, if
anything can be done to reverse these changes?

Thanks to Streetsblog’s focus on this issue, your readers are well
aware of the ridiculous state law that governs our local speed limits.
While the law is intended to prevent "speed traps" in smaller
municipalities, in Los Angeles the result is dangerous speed limit
increases on residential streets.

I am a staunch supporter of more local control over our speed
limits and I will work hard to lobby key state legislators as a
Councilmember. However, these regulations are very difficult to change
up in Sacramento because they are supported by a number of powerful
special interests. The issue is an unfortunate example of how our state
government fails to work in the best interests of Californians. We need
a state constitutional convention so we can redesign the way Sacramento
works from the ground up to make the State more responsive to its
taxpayers.

3) The city is currently studying leasing the rights to its
parking meters and certain parking garages for a large cash payment up
front. Do you support this kind of financing ideas, and if so what kind
of conditions should be part of any agreement with a private firm?

I do not support this idea because it is economically unsound. We
shouldn’t be selling valuable city assets in a down market. It might
have been wise to make such a sale back when times were good but at the
moment it would be a bad deal that the City cannot afford.

4) What can the City Council do to reduce and prevent fatal crashes involving pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable users?

Right
now the budget situation in the City is extremely bleak, but that
doesn’t mean we can allow ourselves to fail to provide infrastructure
elements that will save lives. When it comes to pedestrian safety, that
means we need to make crosswalks impossible for drivers to miss through
lights and large signage.

When I drive through the streets of L.A., I become very frustrated
when I see cyclists struggling to make the most of things while City
Hall does so little to provide them with help. First and foremost we
need more sharrows – they are a great solution for a cash-strapped city
because they necessitate paint rather than street reconfigurations. As
a Councilwoman I’d hope to be able to work with Streetsblog on this
issue – perhaps we could start a comment thread where L.A. cyclists
suggest the best corridors for new sharrows.

5) The former Council Woman for CD2, Wendy Greuel, chaired the
Transportation Committee. Do you want to be part of the Transportation
Committee?

I would jump at the chance to join the
Transportation Committee as mobility and accessibility are among the
most important issues facing the city. If made a member of the
Transportation Committee, my priorities would be to make Los Angeles a
more bicycle-friendly city, to make sure Measure R funds are spent
swiftly and effectively, and to increase bus ridership by providing
more thorough and clear information at bus stops. My first opportunity
to participate in L.A. civic affairs came in the 1980s, when I was
appointed by Tom Bradley to the Hollywood Mobility Action Committee. On
HMAC I worked on some of the early efforts to synchronize stoplights.
HMAC was also able to get DOT, Planning, and other departments to sit
down together and work with the community to solve problems. I would
relish the opportunity to bring that experience to the Transportation
Committee.

6) One of the ways that a City Council Member can effect change
for non-motorized users is by appointing informed activists to the
city’s Bicycle Advisory Committee and Pedestrian Advisory Committee.
Are you familar with community activists who could best serve an
appointed position on these committees?

Yes. During the last several months on the campaign trail, I have
had the pleasure of meeting so many activists who care so much about
the future of our community. This includes the indefatigable Stephen
Box who educated me about the importance of the Cyclists’ Bill of
Rights, of which I am a supporter.

7) If you could change one thing about transportation in Los Angeles with the wave of a magic wand, what would it be?

I
would create a comprehensive rail network throughout Los Angeles that
connect Valley neighborhoods to each other as well as to the Red Line,
the West Side, and to Burbank Airport.

Last week we featured a video of Mary Benson talking about bicycle safety and the nobility of people who "stand up to the car."  I remember watching the video and thinking, "that’s all well and good, but how about some details."

Today, Benson gives us details by answering our CD2 Questionnaire and honestly, her answers are pretty impressive and show a deep understanding of transportation issues.  Her answers incorporate sharrows, parking reform, and a lot of the issues that we talk about here at Streetsblog.

But as a quick aside, Stephen Box is sure getting a lot of attention from CD 2 Candidates this election.  Maybe we should work on having an activist with a video camera follow this model for every council race as they come up.

Benson is the fifth candidate to answer our questionnaire joining David "Zuma Dogg" Saltzburg, Frank Sheftel, Tamar Galatzan and Paul Krekorian.

1) When you commute to work, how do you do it?  What percentage of the trips that you take don’t involve an automobile?

Most of the business these days is done thru telecommute.   I log more
milage to City Hall than any other activity.  Something I’ve noticed,
there’s no shortage of parking and a derth of bikes in the underground
parking complex that is City Hall.

As I navigate up from the bowels under city hall, I notice that the
bullitin boards are plastered with advertisements for van poolers to
areas like Long Beach and Santa Clarita.  I wonder how many of our own
City Employees don’t live in LA?

2) Over the past year, a number of surface streets in the valley have
had their speed limits raised.  Are these increases a result of the
natural order, or an interest that needs to be addressed?  What, if
anything can be done to reverse these changes?

Why does the City has pay millions in consulting fees to promote a more
"walkable" LA- then turn around and raise speed limits, making streets
even more dangerous? 
It’s ironic that another State law has been interpreted in a manner that hurts.

I’d start by getting parked cars off the streets where we have
"sharrows".  That means reversing  new development projects that have
inadaquate parking. 

3) The city is currently studying leasing the rights to its parking
meters and certain parking garages for a large cash payment up front. 
Do you support this kind of financing ideas, and if so what kind of
conditions should be part of any agreement with a private firm?

No, I see it as a short term solution, with long term disaster
results.  P3s (Public Private Partnerships) should be about companies
and volunteers CREATING public assets.  LA is following the Chicago
model of taking public assets and discounting their long term revenues
for up front cash.  I like the Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Burbank
model.  They provide low cost  or free parking at multiple story
complexes that get cars off the streets. People can park. Then
they live,work and recreate without their car.  The City must require 
Private Operators deal with a ticket system to prevent "skimming" from
an all cash operation and keep some control.

4) What can the City Council do to reduce and prevent fatal crashes involving pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable users?

My vision is to create an actual separation. Integrate a stormwater
infiltration "gutter"  between the car lane and the bike lane in areas
of CD#2 like Glenoaks Blvd.  The City has passed up Millions of
dollars because of its top heavy system for grants. Here’s where P3s
could partner and help pay for projects that provide multiple
benefit improvements.    Open up more County flood control  right of
ways.  These aren’t new ideas, theyv’e been proposed since the ’70s. 
There’s just never any ACTION.  The City spends millions of dollars
hiring consultants, planning and promoting, but little gets implemented.

5) The former Council Woman for CD2, Wendy Greuel, chaired the
Transportation Committee.  Do you want to be part of the Transportation
Committee?

I sat in on Transportation Committee meetings last year. I went there
trying to convince Wendy Greuel to incorporate trails and greenways
into the Transportation element, because the Federal Money comes from
the Federal Highway
 Administration.  This would help solve the City’s park/people ratio as
well.  In a 20 ft wide greenway, an acre of parkland is created for
every 264 linear feet.

I got nowhere.  I did learn that our bicycle plan had been farmed out
to a company in Oregon who had been paid over $400,000 and the City had
nothing to show for it.

6) One of the ways that a City Council Member can effect change for
non-motorized users is by appointing informed activists to the city’s
Bicycle Advisory Committee and Pedestrian Advisory Committee.

It seems activists are forced into an almost adversarial role with the
City and their hired consultants.  Why aren’t these departments saving
millions by cutting out the "middle man" consultant and taking their
work direct to to constituents.  I pushed  to add the Equine Advisory
Committee to that mix because we also need trails for joggers, dgo
walkers and hikers. 

Are you familiar with community activists who could best serve an appointed position on these committees?

Stephen Box is an activist who supports me.   The City could learn a
lot by working with activists instead of against them.  The City could
implement projects  

7) If you could change one thing about transportation in Los Angeles with the wave of a magic wand, what would it be?

Create enough off street parking so we could turn the "parking lanes" into concrete bikeways.

She may not have filled out our CD 2 Candidate Questionaire, but fresh from his trip to Austrailia Stephen Box brings us this video of Benson rallying to the virtues of biking and walking in L.A.  To the cheers of supporters, Benson says:

Hi, I’m Mary Benson and I’m running for Los Angeles City Council.  I want to give a big shout out to my friends at the Bike Writer’s Collective and bicyclists in the City of Los Angeles who deserve to be safe on the streets as do pedestrians and every other person that dares to stand up to a car.  Thank you, and vote for me on September 22.

While it’s always great to hear a candidate talk the talk on alternative transportation; it doesn’t give us a lot of details.  Box, in his introduction to the video on his facebook page, fills in some of the gaps.

Mary Benson is running for the open CD2 seat and tonight I caught up with her in Tujunga.

Mary
is a strong community advocate and I have worked with her on the
California State Parks Common Ground Committee. She is powerfully
knowledgeable about land use, environmental and public space issues and
she is a strong advocate for the community.

I have also worked
with Mary on Neighborhood Council issues city-wide and she has always
been a fervent believer in grass roots politics and local
representation.

Most recently, Mary has worked with me to push
for the release of LA’s Bike Plan and to fight to ensure that the Bike
Plan lays down a real vision with real standards and that it truly
support cycling as a transportation solution.

Visit Benson4CD2.com for more information.

(note to Benson’s staff on the questionnaire: I mailed it to you, but if you lost it you can find a copy of it here.  Just fill it out and email it back to damien@streetsblog.org.)

Regular readers of Streetsblog are familiar with Assemblyman Paul Krekorian because of his efforts to change a state law which pressures the LADOT and LAPD to raise speed limits on local roads. While his legislation was stalled in the Assembly Transportation Committee, he has vowed to push forward with his efforts this fall starting with a public meeting on the legislation on September 15 in Burbank.

As you might expect, his questionnaire answer for the one on speed limits is pretty detailed. Other highlights include another Stephen Box reference and an aggressive stance towards improving streets for cyclists and pedestrians. His full answers are below, and you can see the other candidates' responses here:

1) When you commute to work, how do you do it? What percentage of the trips that you take don't involve an automobile?

While in the district, I drive a Toyota Prius. In Sacramento, I drive one of the Assembly's hybrid Camry pool cars when necessary, but I frequently walk home from the Capitol to my apartment (depending on how late I'm working).

2) Over the past year, a number of surface streets in the valley have had their speed limits raised. Are these increases a result of the natural order, or an interest that needs to be addressed? What, if anything can be done to reverse these changes?

These increases are (in part) the result of the state "speed trap" law that prohibits local governments from using radar enforcement unless they have set speed limits based on an updated engineering traffic study. The general practice for setting speed limits is to complete a study that collects data on vehicle travel speed, and the posted limit is then set at the 85th percentile of that speed plus five mph, barring certain extenuating circumstance. The effect has been an upward creep in posted speed limits.

To address this problem, I introduced my legislation, AB 766, which gives greater control to local municipalities to set and retain speed limits. Though that legislation has been shelved in the Transportation Committee due to pressure by special interest lobbyists in Sacramento, I remain committed to pushing for legislative fixes to the problem of speeding. In the meantime, I am pressing ahead with a Town Hall to develop community-based solutions to speeding in our neighborhoods. That forum is scheduled for Sept. 15 in Burbank. More information on the event is available on my website, www.assembly.ca.gov/krekorian.

I am the only candidate in this race to aggressively tackle the issue of allowing communities to better control their speed limits for the benefit of drivers, residents, bicyclists, pedestrians and others.

But legislation is only part of the answer. Stop signs and speed humps are welcome additions in some communities, but travel speed has a lot to do with road geometry and trip generators. So, for instance, people will drive much faster if the street is straight, the lanes are wide, and the traffic signals are far apart. Other ideas to reduce speeding that have been effective in some communities include narrowing streets by constructing medians or planters - which have worked well along Ventura Boulevard in Studio City. We need thoughtful solutions that will incorporate community involvement to effectively reduce the dangerous elements of speeding on our streets.

3) The city is currently studying leasing the rights to its parking meters and certain parking garages for a large cash payment up front. Do you support this kind of financing ideas, and if so what kind of conditions should be part of any agreement with a private firm?

I'm still studying this issue, but of course my support would depend entirely on the details of the arrangement, including the impacts on the affordability and availability of parking, the "payback" period of the upfront payment versus traditional revenue streams, the credibility of the financial and consumer behavior assumptions, etc.

4) What can the City Council do to reduce and prevent fatal crashes involving pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable users?

I have focused on traffic safety throughout my Assembly career, including my AB 766 this session, and a previous bill targeted at grossly excessive speeding (adding a second violation point to the driver's record for speeding in excess of 25 mph over the posted limit). On the city level, I would continue to work to improve street safety for everyone who shares the road by aggressively implementing the bicycle and pedestrian master plans, ensuring that LADOT has funding to retain/restore their bicycle planning group and improving the visibility of pedestrians at pedestrian crossings.

5) The former Council Woman for CD2, Wendy Greuel, chaired the Transportation Committee. Do you want to be part of the Transportation Committee?

Regardless of what committee I might serve on, should I be fortunate enough to be elected, I plan to have an integral role in shaping transportation policy for the future of Los Angeles. That said, I would be very pleased to serve on the Transportation Committee and work on the mobility and environmental issues that are so important to our quality of life in Los Angeles.

6) One of the ways that a City Council Member can effect change for non-motorized users is by appointing informed activists to the city's Bicycle Advisory Committee and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. Are you familiar with community activists who could best serve an appointed position on these committees?

My staff and I have worked closely in the past with many bicycle/pedestrian activists. I am a strong supporter of the Bicycle Bill of Rights and counted as official supporters of my AB 766 the Bike Writer's Collective and other groups. We have worked with others in the Bike Oven, C.I.C.L.E. and other organizations to improve street safety and my staff regularly seeks the input of transportation bloggers/experts to inform my opinions about transportation issues.

7) If you could change one thing about transportation in Los Angeles with the wave of a magic wand, what would it be?

My wish would be for Los Angeles to have a comprehensive and integrated mass transit system that serves every part of the city and fully integrates all modes of transportation (including rail and bus, together with bicyclist and pedestrian utility), and is user-friendly enough to provide an easy-to-use and practical means of getting from place to place throughout every part of the city without a personal auto.

Unlike the first two Council District 2 candidates who have responded to our questionnaire, Tamar Galatzan currently holds elected office.  Galatzan was elected to the LAUSD school board, unseating incumbent Jon Lauritzen with a boost from Mayor Villaraigosa, in the 2007 elections.

Galatzan is also a prosecuter, her "day-job" when she's not busy with the LAUSD, and has made her success in criminal law which could make her an important voice in the Council when it comes to traffic justice issues.

I can't help but notice that Galatzan joins our first two respondents in discussing commuting habits outside of single-passenger automobile trips.  Saltzburg takes the bus, Sheftel has his electric scooter and not Galatzan either carpools or takes the trains 95% of the time.  Doesn't anyone just drive where they need to go in this town anymore?

1) When you commute to work, how do you do it?  What percentage of the trips that you take don't involve an automobile?

1.  I carpool around 75 percent of the time from the San Fernando Valley to the downtown Beaudry office of the Los Angeles School Board.  I also travel by subway around 20 percent of the time to various downtown appointments. 

2) Over the past year, a number of surface streets in the valley have had their speed limits raised.  Are these increases a result of the natural order, or an interest that needs to be addressed?  What, if anything can be done to reverse these changes?

2.  I oppose any move to increase residential speed limits if such an effort is deemed unsafe by the neighboring community.  I have expressed an interest in having community input being given greater weight when such decisions are made. 

3) The city is currently studying leasing the rights to its parking meters and certain parking garages for a large cash payment up front. Do you support this kind of financing ideas, and if so what kind of conditions should be part of any agreement with a private firm?

3.  It would have to be judged on a case by case basis. Leasing is always a good idea because the city can use that property for revenue or city improvement projects in the future.

4) What can the City Council do to reduce and prevent fatal crashes involving pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable users?

That’s Sheftel on the left. Photo: Mayor Sam

Last week I emailed to all of the candidates running to replace Wendy Greuel as the Council Member representing the Second Councilmanic District a copy of the questionnaire first posted on Streetsblog last month.

Sheftel is the first candidate to respond to the survey, although David "Zuma Dogg" Saltzburg did respond to the draft questionnaire originally posted. In the interest of fairness, I didn’t change the questionaire from the original post even though there were some good suggestions.

Sheftel is a long-time small business owner in the second district. Interestingly, the first issue listed on the "issues" page of his website is sidewalk repair. He also has an entire portion of his website, a site that doesn’t even include a biography, devoted to his community outreach plan. Oh, and check it out! A Stephen Box reference in question 6!

1) When you commute to work, how do you do it? What percentage of the trips that you take don’t involve an automobile?

50% of commutes to work are by vehicle. Weather permitting the balance are on my ZIP 750 Electric Scooter.

2) Over the past year, a number of surface streets in the valley have had their speed limits raised. Are these increases a result of the natural order, or an interest that needs to be addressed? What, if anything can be done to reverse these changes?

The speed limit increases are a direct result of a flawed system of determination of traffic flow. Each street is subject to a traffic survey in which the results are in effect for seven years. Once the time period has expired, there can be no enforcement of the speed limit laws with the use of radar. LAPD has adopted the position that no speed enforcement will be done unless it is with the use of Radar. Without speed enforcement, the speed of traffic increases. Over time the average speed increases as well. When the next traffic survey is conducted, the average speed is higher and the limit is set higher.

The law is under review at the State level but even with the current state restrictions, there must be a change in policy which will force LAPD to enforce speed limit violations even without the ability to use Radar.

3) The city is currently studying leasing the rights to its parking meters and certain parking garages for a large cash payment up front. Do you support this kind of financing ideas, and if so what kind of conditions should be part of any agreement with a private firm?

No. Over the past several months we have witnessed the results of poor planning and poor communication with regards to parking meters.

As a consequence, meter rates were increased, hours extended and new meters installed at locations which go against common sense and create additional challenges to small business and theatres.

There must be communication between city departments and local community groups like Neighborhood Councils prior to making such changes. Privatizing the parking meters and parking garages will create an environment which will be even more detrimental.

4) What can the City Council do to reduce and prevent fatal crashes involving pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable users?

Pedestrian Safety has been the topic of discussion at many Neighborhood Council meetings which I have been attending and for good reason. The number of injuries and deaths are also related to question number 2. With the lack of enforcement and increase of speed, there has surfaced another challenge. Motorists have for the most part become immune to recognizing and respecting crosswalks. What has now occurred as common practice is that pedestrians crossing the street in traditional crosswalks have a false sense of security, believing the motorist will stop for them. More often than not, the motorist does not stop and the pedestrian is struck. The City has taken a drastic and I believe unwise position in dealing with this challenge. They have opted to remove the component which gives the "false sense of security" the crosswalk!

Given the primary duty of our electeds to provide for public safety, these crosswalks must be up graded with additional safety items, not less.

Cyclists injures have also been on a dramatic increase. Addressing the issue of street speed and safer road conditions will add to Bicycle Safety.

5) The former Council Woman for CD2, Wendy Greuel, chaired the Transportation Committee. Do you want to be part of the Transportation Committee?

Yes, as a commuter on an Electric Scooter and my interaction with various Bicycle Advocates, this issue and challenge are important to me.

6) One of the ways that a City Council Member can effect change for non-motorized users is by appointing informed activists to the city’s Bicycle Advisory Committee and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. Are you familar with community activists who could best serve an appointed position on these committees?

Yes. Stephen Box has proven to be a strong and knowledgeable advocate for the cyclists’ community. Groups like the BikeWriters Collective will play an important role in my efforts to address these safety concerns. Their Cyclist’ Bill of Rights has provided a sound foundation from which to begin.

7) If you could change one thing about transportation in Los Angeles with the wave of a magic wand, what would it be?

To have the ability to redesign the system of roadways, bike ways, light rail and rapid transportation with the knowledge of how our city would be today. Even without the "magic Wand" we must step up and begin to plan and resolve these issues as the population will be increasing whether we act or not.

Homeless advocate and wasteful spending watchdog David "Zuma Dogg" Saltzburg apparently wanted a head start on the pack when it comes to answering the Streetsblog questionnaire for Council District 2 candidates to succeed Wendy Greuel. Zuma didn't wait for the questionnaire to be emailed, or even finished. Instead, he left his answers in the comments section.

His answers can be found after the jump.  For more on Zuma Dogg, check out his website and the popular L.A. Daily Blog.

1) When you commute to work, how do you do it?  What percentage of the trips that you take don't involve an automobile?

It's a mix of bus and car for ZD, with a lot of rides with friends places when possible. When my car is broke, I rely on the bus more for periods. But I ain't gonna lie, if I'm councilmember, I'll probably never take the bus anymore. You can't waste that much time when you are on taxpayer dollars.

2) Over the past year, a number of surface streets in the valley have had their speed limits raised.  Are these increases a result of the natural order, or an interest that needs to be addressed?  What, if anything can be done to reverse these changes?

Briefly, it's based on driving surveys they take in the area. It's based on averages of how fast people actually drive versus the actual speed limit. So people always speed; so the limit gets inched up. It DOES have to be addressed, because in many cases, the speeds can become a little too inappropriate for the area. I have learned about this through my discussions with CM Grieg Smith who educated me to this issue.

3) The city is currently studying leasing the rights to its parking meters and certain parking garages for a large cash payment up front. Do you support this kind of financing ideas, and if so what kind of conditions should be part of any agreement with a private firm?

NO. A MUCH better deal should for the CITY, not the bankers who are investing in the deal. It'll be a giveaway. The city will get ONE short term payment to fill a ONE TIME hole...and we will be in the same crisis the next year, and will have lost the long-term revenues these garages and meters generate. NO!

4) What can the City Council do to reduce and prevent fatal crashes involving pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable users?

HUGE ISSUE WITH ME. Because my BIGGEST traffic pet peeve relates to this. I FIND IT ODD THAT YOU HAVE PEDESTRIANS/CYCLISTS sharing the same traffic signal as AUTOMOBILES. You have cars competing to make turns, with pedestrians who are in their way. Think about it. Gotta time the signal out differently. YOU JUST HAVE TO. IT'S A TRAFFIC CONGESTION ISSUE, TOO!

5) The former Council Woman for CD2, Wendy Greuel, chaired the Transportation Committee. Do you want to be part of the Transportation Committee?

I don't know about which committees yet. But that's a good one if you can get it!]

6) One of the ways that a City Council Member can effect change for non-motorized users is by appointing informed activists to the city's Bicycle Advisory Committee and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. Are you familar with community activists who could best serve an appointed position on these committees?

You should have one of those people run for City Council!

7) If you could change one thing about transportation in Los Angeles with the wave of a magic wand, what would it be?

Less cars on the road. (Rim shot!) But seriously, I DO think the issue of cars having to wait for pedestrians to cross the road on the same signal IS CRAZY!!! A car will spend the entire cycle waiting for the pedestrians to clear, then the light turns red and you have to go against the red light just for one car to get through, after the fact. THAT'S THE RISK TO PEDESTRIANS, CYCLISTS...AND CREATES TRAFFIC CONGESTION. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

When Wendy Greuel won the election to replace Laura Chick as the City’s Comptroller, it didn’t just create a vacancy at the top of the City Council Transportation Committee, it also created an opening for her City Council seat in the Second District.  The election will be held on September 22.

While the final field has yet to be announced, the election is already in full swing.  The early front runners are "Safe Streets" Sponsor Assemblyman Paul Krekorian, Los Angeles County Commissioner Jozef "Joe" Essavi, and Businesswoman Christine Essell; but when you add in David "Zuma Dogg" Saltzer to the mix anything is possible.  To help put together the best transportation-related questionnaire for the election we can, I’m asking for your help editing and adding to the questions I’ve put together for the candidates available after the jump.

LA Streetsblog Draft CD2 Questionnaire:

1) When you commute to work, how do you do it?  What percentage of the trips that you take don’t involve an automobile?

2) Over the past year, a number of surface streets in the valley have had their speed limits raised.  Are these increases a result of the natural order, or an interest that needs to be addressed?  What, if anything can be done to reverse these changes?

3) The city is currently studying leasing the rights to its parking meters and certain parking garages for a large cash payment up front.  Do you support this kind of financing ideas, and if so what kind of conditions should be part of any agreement with a private firm?

4) What can the City Council do to reduce and prevent fatal crashes involving pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable users?

5) The former Council Woman for CD2, Wendy Greuel, chaired the Transportation Committee.  Do you want to be part of the Transportation Committee?

6) One of the ways that a City Council Member can effect change for non-motorized users is by appointing informed activists to the city’s Bicycle Advisory Committee and Pedestrian Advisory Committee.  Are you familar with community activists who could best serve an appointed position on these committees?

7) If you could change one thing about transportation in Los Angeles with the wave of a magic wand, what would it be?