Philosophy on life? Don’t do to others what you would not have done to you.
What keeps you up at night? Running for City Council.
Moved from: Santa Monica.
Age: 55
Profession: Board of directors, non-profit organizations.
Alternative career. What you do if you weren’t employed in your current profession? As a child, I wanted to be a geologist when I grew up.
How long have you lived in Santa Monica? 25 years.
What neighborhood do you live in? Northeast.
Why did you choose to live here? Before we were married, I agreed to go to Seattle with Gene if he would agree to move back here when he completed his residency. I love Santa Monica. This is where my heart is. It is a wonderful place to live, work and raise children. Someday, it will be a wonderful place for us to retire.
Rent or own? Own.
Favorite place in Santa Monica? I love being at home.
Worst thing about living in Santa Monica? The lack of a broad circulation daily paper — my apologies to the SMDP.
How many cars do you own? What do you drive? I drive a 2000 Toyota minivan.
If you could have dinner with three people from history, alive or dead, who would they be? Why? Cesar Chavez, Dr. Maya Angelou and Groucho Marx.
Cesar Chavez was one of the most charismatic people that I have ever met. I admire his passion and commitment. Maya Angelou is a brilliant poet, educator and author, as well as being a civil rights activist. Both of these people have made huge contributions to improving our lives. Groucho Marx has always fascinated me. I grew up knowing that, “Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it is too dark to read.”
782, Anyone who thinks that way would be great fun.
Favorite quote? “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” To me, this is the heart of the Constitution and has an impact on our everyday lives.
Pet peeves? The phone ringing early in the morning.
How do you take the edge off? (How do you relieve stress?) My antidote to nearly everything is coffee.
What’s your biggest accomplishment in life? Trite but true, my sons have turned into wonderful, well-adjusted adults who are all college graduates and all do community service in the communities in which they live.
What’s your biggest disappointment in life? Not going further with my own education.
Tell us one thing people would be surprised to know about you. I love dolls and have a number of them scattered about my bedroom. I wake up each morning to a room full of smiling faces.
Hobbies/interests. How do you spend your recreational time? I read a lot and I like to work with my hands. I do crafts with my 9-year-old cousin.
What’s the last live performance you saw? The Santa Monica Civic Light Opera and Viking Underground’s production of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” at Santa Monica High School.
Last book you read? “Reason” by Robert Reich.
Have you ever been arrested? If yes, what for? No.
Family: Marital status. Number of children? Married to Gene Oppenheim, M.D., M.P.H., three grown sons: Jonas, Lucas and Jed Hoffman Oppenheim.
Endorsed by: I have been endorsed by many local elected officials and community members as well as State Sen. Sheila Kuehl, Assemblymember Fran Pavley, former State Sen. Tom Hayden, former Council PTA President Rick Gates and SMMUSD Classroom Teachers Association President Harry Keiley.
6CC, I have also been endorsed by the Coalition of Santa Monica City Employees, the Coalition to Protect the Living Wage, the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, the National Women’s Political Caucus /LA Westside, the Santa Monica Police Officers’ Association, the Santa Monica Democratic Club, Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights, Service Employees International Union Local 660, Southern California Americans for Democratic Action and the 41st Assembly District Democratic Committee and the Committee for Excellent Public Schools gave me their highest ranking as a reliable school supporter.
Public service/political experience. I served on the Santa Monica Commission on the Status of Women 1983-1985; the city of Santa Monica Task Force on Youth 1986-1988 and the Charter Review Commission 1989-1991. I was elected to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education in 1986 and was reelected in 1990. I was twice elected the president of the board.
In 2000, I was appointed as a member city’s Bayside District Board, which runs downtown Santa Monica. I have been vice-president of the board since 2002. I am a member of the board and executive committee of Community Corpor-ation of Santa Monica (CCSM). CCSM builds and maintains affordable housing in Santa Monica. I am the immediate past president of the Santa Monica Democratic Club. I am also an appointed member to both the financial oversight and the Intercultural Committees of the school district.
Political affiliation: Democrat.
Educational background: I went to UCLA.
Question #1:
In 300 words or less, answer this: If you were elected into office, what would be the first policy change you would make? How would you ensure a majority vote on that policy?
650,I don’t see the city as having a consistent policy of evaluating what they do. I think that programs should be carefully planned and, where possible and desirable, implemented on a pilot basis. The pilot should then undergo a thorough evaluation before the program is enacted citywide. I also would like to see long-term programs evaluated regularly to make sure that they are still serving the people.
Often, it seems as though the evaluation component of programs and people falls through the cracks. It is important to assess whether the program is working. I also think that evaluation of the employees who report directly to City Council needs to be done on an annual basis. This should be a normal part of goal-setting and should be seen as an opportunity to improve and fine-tune rather than as a threatening experience. I appreciate the fact that the school board shares the results of its evaluation of the superintendent with the public.
Developing a majority vote for this would not be too difficult since the city already does this with some programs. For example, the grants to social service agencies are reviewed on a regular basis. The fact that you have received funding in the past is no guarantee that you will continue to do so. The agency must regularly demonstrate that it is still doing their job. The council also regularly schedules evaluation of its key administrators; however, we sometimes see the same closed session evaluation carried for months on the agenda. We can tighten up the process.
Question #2:
In 300 words or less, convince the public on why they should vote for you.
8CF,I have 25 years of service to the community of Santa Monica. I have spent countless hours in front of the City Council, school board, planning commission and Architectural Review Board lobbying for the things that make our city such a great place. I will continue to work for high quality education for all students in our schools and college, clean air and water, accessible public transportation, public art and cultural opportunities, parks, beaches and open space, public safety and neighborhood serving businesses.
I served on the Santa Monica Commission on the Status of Women 1983-1985, the city of Santa Monica Task Force on Youth 1986-1988 and the Charter Review Commission 1989-1991. I was elected to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education in 1986 and was reelected in 1990. I was twice elected the president of the board.
In 2000, I was appointed as a member city’s Bayside District Board, which runs downtown Santa Monica I have been vice-president of the Board since 2002. I am a member of the board and executive committee of Community Corp-oration of Santa Monica. We build and maintain affordable housing for working families and individuals, seniors and the disabled in Santa Monica. I am the immediate past president of the Santa Monica Democratic Club. I am also an appointed member to both the Financial Oversight and the Intercultural Committees of the School District.
I have the experience, knowledge and ability to get things done.
Question #3:
In 300 words or less, what will be your top three priorities the first year of holding office?
I will start with growth and development issues. The next council will be updating the land use and circulation elements. This is going to set the standards by which we will develop for the next twenty years. I would want to ensure extensive public discussion and review before synthesizing a plan based on community input and sound planning principles. Also, under this umbrella, we need to work with the planning department on improving efficiency in the delivery of services. The processes need to be more user-friendly. Enforcement should focus on some of the more egregious violations. Implementing the Matrix recommendations is a good first step.
9B7, Growth and development needs to be slow and thoughtful, and it must be sustainable. As the population in the region grows, Santa Monica will be required to absorb its share of this growth.
We should not allow hundreds of thousands of square feet of development. Controlled growth through careful planning best serves the needs of the community. The city should also continue to acquire land for open space and public use.
Second, we need to address the issues of housing and homelessness in our community. Homelessness is a national and local disgrace. We are the richest country in the world and there are people sleeping on our streets. I would like to follow the example of the large cities that are taking a multifaceted approach, such as those in New York, San Francisco and the most recent addition, “Bring LA Home.” Housing, social services and job training programs are part of this approach. We need livable wages in addition to the safety nets of child care and health care that were once a larger part of the federal and state budgets.
There are no quick fixes. The solutions must be addressed at regional, state and federal levels. The prevention of homelessness is the first step. This includes a safety net to catch those who have lost their job or housing before they start a downward spiral. Once people become homeless, the best way to help them is to provide housing and services as quickly as possible. This is the surest way to keep the person or family off the streets and on a safe pathway. It is not illegal to be homeless, so it should not be treated as a crime. People who commit illegal acts should be dealt with by law enforcement.
Lastly, traffic and congestion must be addressed. We all have a role in reducing the number of automobiles on our streets. We must improve public transportation and decrease individual car trips. We can encourage combining trips, carpooling, walking and bicycle riding. We need the light rail. Also, while Santa Monica has about 85,000 residents, our daytime population is well over 200,000. Much of the traffic is generated by employees of the area businesses.
The council could do more to create and publicize incentives for traffic reduction plans. It could also seek out smarter traffic flow devices. There is very little synchronization of signals, and while there is a blight of signs in the city, there is no signage that helps people find better flowing routes into, around, and out of our city.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 23, 2004. Read the original PDF.