The Mayoral Candidate Interview Series: Kevin James
Filmed, directed, and edited by Shireen Alihaji and Kris Fortin
Produced by Damien Newton for Streetsblog Los Angeles
Questions from: Bus Riders Union, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, Los Angeles Walks, Occidental College UEPI, Southern California Transit Advocates and Streetsblog Los Angeles.
Previous Video: Emanuel Pleitez
Following our interview with Emanuel Pleitez, Streetsblog L.A. visited Kevin James at his campaign headquarters on Ventura Boulevard. We interviewed James right on the street.
James sprinkled his support for better transit, bicycling and walking with some specifics. He stated a clear priority for completing rail access to LAX, a Crenshaw Line with a station at Leimert Park, and finishing the Westside Subway. James also notes that previous bike plans have gathered dust or had very partial implementation… so, if L.A. wants to move up the bike friendly city hierarchy it’s going to have to actually implement the plans it has.
One of the differences between James and the other interviews is his emphasis on how money put in the city’s special parking revenue fund aren’t being used to improve the community where they come from or the transportation infrastructure in Los Angeles. A little Shoupian theory from the only Republican in the field? We’re not in New York.
The primary election is March 5. Assuming there is a runoff, it will be held on May 21. For more information on our film series, see this post announcing the series from last Friday.
Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.