■ Provide incentives for businesses to create innovative, flexible work shifts to collapse rush hour congestion. We can provide tax breaks to businesses who aggressively deal with reducing their employees’ commutes. We can provide incentives to curtail rush hour truck deliveries.
As executive director of the Coalition for Clean Air after the 1984 Olympics, I worked on these traffic-calming policies. ■ Ensure that Proposition 42 money — a gasoline tax that California voters want earmarked directly for traffic-easing measures — be spent on mass transit and other traffic mitigation measures. ■ Encourage carpooling, vanpooling, dedicated bus lanes, dedicated bike routes and other measures designed to reduce the one-person/one-car habit. ■ Expand bus service. ■ Support mass transit. Mass transportation must be a state, federal and local priority. I will fight for both long-term, permanent mass transit systems and more flexible transit lines, such as the new Orange Line rapid bus line in the San Fernando Valley. I support the light rail line along the Exposition Corridor, the extension of the Red Line subway to Westwood to relieve traffic on the congested 10 and a north-south line from LAX to the San Fernando Valley. ■ Fight for additional money to meet our transportation needs by levying traffic mitigation fees on new developments and by reducing the voter threshold to pass traffic bonds from two-thirds to 50%. 4. IS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION A PROBLEM? IF SO, WHAT’S THE MOST COST EFFECTIVE AND COMMON SENSE WAY TO SECURE OUR BORDER? DO YOU BELIEVE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION HAS HAD AN OVERALL NEGATIVE OR POSITIVE IMPACT ON CALIFORNIA? WHY?
Illegal is illegal. I favor going after employers who hire — and profit from — illegal workers and do not pay minimum wages, Social Security, workers’ compensation or health benefits. I do not favor President Bush’s proposed “guest worker” program. I believe it’s wrong for corporations to profit from lower wage workers, and then ship them home when they’re through with them. 5. WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IS THE BIGGEST ISSUE FACING SANTA MONICANS? HOW DO YOU INTEND TO ADDRESS IT?
Homelessness and traffic. It’s disgraceful a third of homeless people are veterans — and the Iraq war is creating a new generation of injured vets. California has sent more soldiers to Iraq than any other state; we will have more veterans’ families relying on our state’s social service programs. I vow to fight for these programs. I believe it’s not enough to “bring our troops home.” I believe they should have homes, jobs and health care to come home to.
Regarding traffic, I will: ■ Establish a regional traffic oversight board with responsibility to consider the traffic impacts of new infrastructure. ■ Work with the nine cities in our district to coordinate community plans that not only minimize congestion, but ensure that traffic, parking, mass transit, bike and pedestrian ramifications are fully considered. Each of these cities is currently creating their Master Plans, the 20-year “blueprints” that lay out each community’s vision for future development.
I will author legislation to require that community Master Plans are followed. Too often, piecemeal exemptions are made to the Master Plan, which increase density, traffic, congestion and unplanned drains on the infrastructure. Master Plans should be flexible, but not to the point where they become so “Swiss-cheesed” they are useless. ■ Fight “big box” developments. These monstrous stores drive out local mom-and-pop shops, requiring people to drive further to shop at the “big box” — which increases traffic. Additionally, the several hundred “big box” employees, who usually don’t live nearby, drive to work, increasing congestion. 6. WHAT ARE YOUR TOP THREE PRIORITIES DURING THE FIRST YEAR AS AN ASSEMBLY MEMBER? 1) Clean Money Campaigns: Let’s get special interest money out of elections — and make campaigns about voters, not about donors!
I believe we can’t have a clean environment until we get oil and gas money out of elections. We can’t pass legislation allowing us to purchase prescription drugs more cheaply overseas until pharmaceutical money is out of elections. I am the only major candidate in this race complying with the voluntary Clean Money spending limits — even though I knew I’d face wealthy, developer-funded opponents. I’m tired of politicians claiming they will “play by today’s rules” by raising a lot of money, promising to make changes when they get to Sacramento. I believe it’s possible to run a campaign now based on the values we’d LIKE to see. For more information, please visit www.KellyForAssembly.com/in-reform.htm. 2) Solar panels on every roof! I supported Gov. Schwarzenegger’s Million Solar Roofs plan to provide funding for solar panels for newly constructed homes and commercial buildings. I’d like to expand the program — and be sure it gets implemented. 3) Flexibility in our classrooms: The biggest mistake we are making with education is to treat every kindergartner as if he/she is going to a 4-year college. I favor returning vocational programs to our high schools.
We must begin addressing the needs of the autistic and other students with special needs. Just a decade ago, 1 in 10,000 children were diagnosed with autism; today, it’s 1 in 166 children! 7. IN 100 WORDS OR LESS, WHY SHOULD PEOPLE VOTE FOR YOU? Most of us work hard to make the world a better place. Throughout my life, I’ve challenged injustice. That’s why I went to Iraq before and after the war started. I am the only candidate with Sacramento legislative experience. I’ve successfully fought for legislation to create a more just world for those among us who live without work, homes, health care, or dignity. I’m the only candidate with broad policy experience: I’ve worked on legislation affecting the environment, seniors, workers, women, health care, education. I appreciate your consideration! Please call me at home (310) 392-8715 with your questions. Or join me Sunday afternoon in Malibu for our 53rd meet and greet.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 3, 2006. Read the original PDF.