Mar Vista Community Council

Election 2007

Candidate Qualification and Vision Statements

Candidates are listed in random order here and on the ballot.

At Large (7 positions)

Bill Scheding

As a co-founder of MVCC and Treasurer I am very familiar with Neighborhood Councils. I have demonstrated advocacy for the improvement of the quality of life in Mar Vista. I am very active in trying to mitigate traffic issues that face the  Mar Vista Stakeholders and have been a voice of support for Mar Vista at the Santa Monica Airport Commission, Santa Monica City Council, Santa Monica College, LA Dept. of Transportation, Council District Office 11, Hilltop
Neighbors Association , as well as State-wide elected offices.  I have and will to continue to work with community organizations, like those mentioned, to the betterment of Mar Vista; but not unfairly to other communities.

We in Mar Vista share an eclectic and special neighborhood. We have our own special climate, community and place within Los Angeles. I have liven in Mar Vista for over 30 Years. I support the local schools, Little League, the Parks and all of the facilities that make Mar Vista so special. I will continue to be an advocate for Mar Vista and improve our shared quality of Life. I enjoy working for our community and I look forward to your support.

Christopher McKinnon

I am a 26 year resident of Los Angeles, 9 year homeowner in Mar Vista. I received my Bachelor of Science degree from Northeastern University in Boston, MA. I was trained as a civil engineer but make my living in the film and video business, most recently co-owner of a company that produced TV commercials for Japanese advertising agencies filming in the US. I recently received a certificate in Feature Film Screenwriting from UCLA.

Throughout my career, I have met and worked with a broad spectrum of people with a great diversity of cultural, political, geographic and economic status. I have been a volunteer on historic house tours, graffiti paint outs and street mural projects. I do community outreach at the MVCC booth in the Mar Vista Farmers Market, talking with people and prospecting for future South Mar Vista Neighborhood Association members of which I am the treasurer. I also serve as the treasurer of the Venice Boulevard Streetscape Improvement Association. I often attend meetings of the Urban Planning committee of the MVCC.

As a former extension student of LACC, SMC and UCLA, a renter, a worker, a small business owner and renovator of historic property in the City of Los Angeles, I feel I have the qualifications to give a strong grass roots perspective to the board of the MVCC. I have the ability to support and fight for the needs of the individual stakeholder while understanding the views of business owners, developers, government employees and elected representatives that make up the diverse landscape of Mar Vista.

My vision for Mar Vista is:

- to maintain the low-rise residential character of the community. I see more green spaces by developing pocket parks on county/city property with more dog, bicycle and running paths. I see a Community Design Overlay Zone for Venice Boulevard and a Business Improvement District along the same corridor. This will interface with the ongoing efforts of the Venice Boulevard Streetscape Improvement Association to improve the medians with trees and plants and sidewalk areas with street furniture, trash receptacles, bike racks, plants and brick work.

- the rebuilding, beautification and maintenance of all City infrastructure including parks, buildings, streets, alleys, curbs, sidewalks, parkways, lighting and storm drains. I see an improving partnership with the city employees and officials so they act more pro-actively to infrastructure problems before reacting to citizen complaints. I see the use of native drought-tolerant plants, recycled building materials, solar and wind power, and gray water irrigation in all city projects.

- mandatory recycling at all MVCC board, stakeholder and committee meetings as well as outside/inside of all city facilities. I see no more litter because we have educated the populace and placed recycling containers alongside trash receptacles at all bus stops and on business corridors.

- no more graffiti because we have involved disaffected youth in productive, artistic and money making activities as an alternative to gangs and tagging.

- an alternative fuel powered historic “Spirit of Mar Vista” trolley bus operating down Venice Boulevard from Culver City to Venice Beach circling back through Washington Boulevard/Place with several stops in Mar Vista. I see an electric overhead Disneyland-like monorail running the same route helping to alleviate traffic already eased by synchronized signals and left hand turn signals on all major thoroughfares.

Bob Fitzpatrick

I have lived with my family in Mar Vista for thirty-five years. My wife and I moved to Mar Vista in 1970 with two infant children and another on the way. It seemed like a good place to live and raise a family. This has proven to be very true. My familial roots are here in Mar Vista which has been the center of our family life.

I was quite active in the North Venice Little League where all four of our children played baseball. We met and socialized with many families who are still our friends.

I graduated from USC Law School and practiced law for some twenty-five years as a real estate attorney, for then Security Pacific National Bank. I no longer practice law, but of late have been involved in real estate in downtown Los Angeles.

I have become active in the Mar Vista Community by attending meeting of the Mar Vista Community Council and its subcommittees: Urban Planning, Transportation, Traffic and Bundy Campus ad hoc Committees. I also attend meetings of the Santa Monica City Council, Santa Monica Airport Commission and Board of Trustees of Santa Monica College. I am active with Concerned Citizens against Airport Pollution and was a parade monitor in the recent Santa Monica Airport demonstration. I was appointed by Councilman Rosendahl to the Los Angeles City Council District 11 Seniors Committee in which I participate. I will use my legal and community activist experience for the betterment of our Mar Vista Community.

I very much like living in Mar Vista. We have a wonderful diversity of people along with excellent weather and location.

I would like to see the diminution of traffic, especially in our residential neighborhoods. We should have area wide efforts to minimize these adverse traffic impacts. The Cities of Los Angeles and Santa Monica and Santa Monica College should be coordinating their traffic mitigation efforts. The City of Los Angeles should have direct participation in the decision of the City of Santa Monica and Santa Monica College, which produce adverse traffic impacts on our Mar Vista Neighborhood. Perhaps state law could be enacted which mandates such participation.

Transportation options other than the single passenger combustible engine automobile should be made available to our residents. Electrical neighborhood shuttle, and passenger pick up service are two that should be considered along with the planned mass transit. Mass transit is great, but there should be cheap and ecological friendly means of getting residents from their neighborhoods to the mass transit portals

The continues Greening of our community and meeting the needs of seniors who are in need of financial and/or quality of life assistance should be a priority of all of us who live in Mar Vista.

I will work towards a broader participation of Mar Vista residents in the Mar Vista Community Council and the various local and state governmental bodies. It is important that our residents have a feeling of ownership in their government.

Robert (Rob) Kadota

If you’ve been to the Mar Vista Farmers Market in the past year, you’ve probably seen me at the MVCC information booth. I’ve had the privilege to be at the market almost every week since the market opened last August. It’s been a wonderful opportunity to meet a broad cross-section of people both within and outside Mar Vista proper and to talk with them about what they like and don’t like about life in and around Mar Vista. If you’ve not been to the market, I encourage you to stop by for a visit. It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet your neighbors over a French pastry and organic cup of coffee while doing a little shopping from local farmers.

I’ve been an At Large Director for two (4 years total) terms now and look forward to the opportunity to serve a third term. As the current Chair, I’m proud of MVCC’s many accomplishment these past four years yet understand there is more that we can do to better represent and serve the greater Mar Vista community. I am a volunteer Red Cross CPR/First Aid Instructor, a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Level II member and certified CERT trainer. I also serve as a board member on both Mar Vista Neighborhood Association (MVNA) and the LAPD Pacific Division’s Community Police Advisory Board.

On a more personal note, My family (wife, two daughters, and pets) and I have lived in Mar Vista for close to twelve years. My daughters now attend Palms Middle School and Venice HS.  I work at UCLA in student housing. My partner works at USC’s Rossier School of Education. Having worked at both schools, I’m proud to be a Bruin/Trojan! I have a background in counseling, program development and evaluation, crisis intervention, and rape awareness education.

As we approach the celebration of Mar Vista’s 80^th anniversary of joining the city of LA. One can’t help but marvel at the incredible growth that has occurred since sleepy Mar Vista was the Lima Bean capital of the world.

The Mar Vista of tomorrow must retain its charming roots while integrating itself into the urban landscape of one of the most diverse and complex cities of the world. We need to encourage the development of small businesses over chain store conglomerates. We need to create a sense of community and care for our neighborhood, city, state and globe. We need to create a place that encourages neighbors to attend and support our local public schools, use our local parks, shops, library, and restaurants; a place where all have an opportunity to feel safe, acknowledged and cared for.

As a Neighborhood Council we’ve accomplished much since our certification. Our quarterly stakeholder meetings often can draw close to a hundred people and have covered a board range of important topics. We are seen by many as a model neighborhood council. We’ve arranged and participated in special community meetings and demonstrations to address things like the Playa Vista Development, LA City Council District 11 elections, Santa Monica dog park policies, school safety and gang violence.

My priorities in the past have been safety and security, emergency preparedness, education, arts and culture, and outreach. Emerging issues and opportunities that I would like us to attend to are the need to build closer relationships with existing community groups and neighboring communities like Santa Monica, Culver City, Venice and Palms. Chronic traffic congestion, inadequate mass transportation, lack of affordable housing, unrestrained development, failing city infrastructure, overcrowded parks and lack of adequate open space are all issues MVCC must weigh in on and work towards resolving.

Sharon Commins

My qualifications are:

• Mar Vista resident [MVCC Zone 6], since 1977-first as renter, then as homeowner residing at the same address since 1979
• Personal
• married for 33 years; mother of two
• Professional Background
• UCLA class of 1972
• Additional training Art Center College of Design and UCLA Extension Computer Graphics programs
• Worked for a zoning consultant for three years after college. Wrote Draft Environmental Impact reports, conditional use and zone variance applications for clients
• Fiber and textile artist with work in a couple of international collections
• Community Volunteer Activities
• Past Director and Vice President, Los Angeles Junior Chamber of Commerce
• Presently serving as Chairman of the Board, Pacific Coast Soccer Club, a youth soccer organization serving kids U10-U19 affiliated with Coast Soccer League
• Mar Vista Community Council Volunteer Experience
• Member, Urban Planning/Land Use Committee
• Chair, Concept Plan Committee
• Put on the highly successful May 5 Quarterly Stakeholders meeting
• Member, Council District 11 Empowerment Congress

My community vision:

I would like to help plan Mar Vista’s future: to enhance our community with continued beautification of our streets, more open space, transit-wise housing, bike paths, and good commercial projects which encourage small businesses and entrepreneurship. Our Farmers’ Market is creating that ambiance already; I’d like to help it grow.

I feel it is important to advance our MVCC Concept Plan efforts by maintaining strong outreach to all our Zones and a good working relationship with our City Planning Staff. I’d like to develop more methods to get our information out to all our stakeholders to encourage greater inclusion and participation—build bridges—especially to our youth. No one should feel left out.

I believe our neighborhood council system is the best thing to happen to Los Angeles because it is truly grass roots driven democracy. It brings us together to work constructively on community issues and develop consensus to achieve community goals. And, I want to see it grow.

Colin Hatton

I’ve lived in Mar Vista since 1971.

My two boys were schooled at Clover Avenue, Webster Junior High, and Venice High.

I was born in London, England - survived the Blitz.

Came over to the US in 1960; became a citizen in 1971.

My background is engineering where I worked in industrial process control.

Later I moved into high tech marketing communications, working for companies such as Computer Sciences, Cardkey Systems and ADP.

I ran my own advertising/marketing communications business for about fifteen years.

For ten years, my major client was Xerox Printing Systems in El Segundo.

Started with AYSO Region 19 soccer in 1974 coaching and refereeing

I’ve reffed at all age groups both inside and outside of AYSO so I’m used to dealing with conflict resolution.

I still ref on a regular basis and had the honor of being elected to the AYSO Area P Referees Hall of Fame in 2005.

Outside of soccer I’m interested in good wine and good food, supporting local theater and going to decent movies.

I keep busy doing some cooking now that I’m retired and my wife still works.

I watch mostly the History channel and other documentaries rather than network TV. Plus, of course, Fox Soccer Channel.

When I first moved to Mar Vista in 1971, having lived in various other parts of the country, I knew I would never leave, and it wasn’t just the climate. It was very smoggy then – one thing that has improved. But then I could easily roam the freeways as part of my job. I could commute out to Chatsworth or downtown when I worked there. Now I don’t think I could handle that.

As we all know the traffic in LA is horrendous and on the Westside it’s even worse and it doesn’t look like improving in the near term. The street on which I live has changed from a quiet, pleasant street into one with a constant stream of traffic during commute times. But that’s just one item to tackle.

Things to work toward:

• Rapid transit from downtown to the beach.
• The Green Line into and beyond LAX.
• No jets in and out of Santa Monica Airport
• Slow growth or even no growth.
• Better communications with our unruly neighbors like the cities of Santa Monica, Culver City, and developers like Playa Vista.
• More open space – we’ve got just one park for our 55,000 people.
• A reduction of traffic through our neighborhood streets.
• A safer environment for all Mar Vista residents.

How to get there?

Slowly, one step at a time.

I look forward to being able to help all Mar Vista residents.

Albert Olson

I purchased a home in the beautiful Mar Vista community in 2000, where I have lived with my family for the past seven years. Our five-year-old, Alaina, is currently enrolled at the New School West preschool in Mar Vista, and will be attending kindergarten at Mar Vista Elementary starting in the fall of 2007. In addition to the wonderful education opportunities offered at the neighborhood level, we love the small-town interaction and camaraderie shared by the people of our community, combined with close proximity to the unique big-city opportunities of the greater West L.A. area.

I graduated from the University of California at Riverside with a B.A. in Political Science, and completed a Master’s degree at the University of Southern California in Music. My career path has been in the field of music for film and television.

I have been active for the past year and a half on the MVCC traffic committees (Neighborhood Traffic Management, and Traffic & Infrastructure) searching for ways to solve the issue of traffic congestion in our community. It is a daunting challenge requiring a complex balancing of all the needs of the various neighborhoods in Mar Vista.

I believe that we as individuals can make a difference in our community’s quality of life. If we make the choice to take action and make our voices heard at the neighborhood and community level, we can affect change. I believe my organizational and communication skills will be an asset to the MVCC in the furtherance of these aims.

As the proud father of a five-year-old, I am passionately concerned with finding ways to increase the safety and livability of all neighborhoods in the Mar Vista Community Council. Our little city within a city is full of young families with children, retired senior citizens, and all of those in-between, who deserve to be able to live, play, and walk freely in their neighborhoods and parks.

I will push to find additional ways to register our concerns that large-scale development projects in Mar Vista and surrounding areas do not negatively impact our residential neighborhoods. While recognizing that we live in the middle of a large and vibrant city---and that growth and traffic will always be with us---we must demand that residential neighborhoods not be made the scapegoats for new real-estate development traffic overflows.

I will be a strong advocate for finding solutions to the traffic congestion problems in our neighborhoods, and for using MVCC resources to encourage the city of Los Angeles to adopt appropriate public transit solutions in West L.A.

I am concerned about the amount of jet traffic at the Santa Monica Airport. This is an ongoing problem that cannot easily be solved, but those of us most affected by it must remain vigilant to further encroachments, and continue to search for ways to curtail it.

I will strongly support the ongoing activities of the MVCC to provide a forum for all parts of Mar Vista. The MVCC should be a vehicle for all members of our community to express grievances, create and take part in desired programs, and help in the beautification of our unique community.

Kenneth S. Alpern

1) Dedicated efforts to create, strengthen and expand MVCC outreach and operations prior to and since its certification four years ago

2) Extensive experience and aggressive efforts in its Urban Planning/Land Use, Transportation/Infrastructure and Outreach Committees

3) Consistent support of projects to benefit all MVCC stakeholders in all six zones: schools, commuters, homeowners, renters, and businesses

4) Has aggressively encouraged and empowered Committee participation and project leadership of non-Boardmembers as well as fellow Boardmembers

5) Strong support of both local and regional Transportation and Planning efforts, as well as efforts to combine Transportation and Planning with respect to development and traffic projects

6) Has fought both within and outside of the MVCC for regional signal synchronization, freeway and light rail funding (such as the 405 HOV Lane project, Expo Line, Green Line connection to LAX, studies to explore northern Green Line expansions to Westside, Mid-City and Downtown via Lincoln and Crenshaw Blvds. and via Harbor Subdivision Rail Right of Way to Union Station)

7) Enjoys close ties with the CD11 office, and co-chairs Bill Rosendahl’s CD11 Neighborhood Empowerment Congress Transportation Committee

8) Boardmember of local homeowners association (Westside Village Civic Association) and has also consistently fought for outreach and empowerment of renters throughout the MVCC

9) As Urban Planning/Land Use Committee co-chair, has supported affordable housing but has also defended the rights of property owners in order to create cooperative efforts between renters and landlords while also preserving the quality of life of residential neighborhoods

10) Has successfully written and passed motions favoring traffic improvements, light rail projects, commercial corridor development, treeplantings, school beautification and education projects

11) Has stood up for, communicated with, represented and empowered individual MVCC stakeholders on a daily basis for over five years

1) Preservation of single-family home, or R1-zoned, neighborhoods while expanding affordable housing for renters, students, seniors in R3/4-zoned neighborhoods along our major commercial corridors (Venice, Sepulveda, Centinela, Palms and National Blvds., among others)

2) Creation and expansion of mass transit to serve individuals of all socioeconomic backgrounds, particularly along our major commercial corridors in order to create truly affordable housing for those who cannot or prefer not to use an automobile, while enhancing the ease and effectiveness of rail, bus and van mass transit

3) Traffic improvements such as signal synchronization, prevention of residential neighborhood cut-through traffic, facilitation of access to and through our major commercial corridors to protect residents and to improve our environment and collective quality of life

4) Beautification and development of commercial corridors to create regions of Venice and other boulevards as places to go to, and not just through

5) Elimination of jets that utilize Santa Monica Airport, opening of Airport Dog Park to non-Santa Monica residents, and permanent limitation of student/faculty population of Santa Monica Bundy Campus to a level that avoids negative impacts on MVCC neighbors

5) Funding and construction of an Exposition Light Rail Line that best serves the needs of Westside commuters, as well as a Metro Green Line that is expanded to LAX and the Westside

6) Work with the City Planning and Traffic departments to improve our environment and collective quality of life

7) More treeplantings and school/library beautification and facility improvement projects

8) Expand and encourage block captain, neighborhood watch and cooperative efforts with our police and fire departments

9) Establish the MVCC as a forum for individual stakeholders to link with City and other governmental departments and political leaders, and as an entity to encourage grassroots projects and organizations

William A. Koontz

I have been living and working here in Mar Vista Zone 2 for the past four and a half years. While in the army I traveled and lived all over the U.S. I have been a part of many different communities, but none I have felt as strongly about as Mar Vista.

I currently co-own a construction company. We are general maintenance contractors and construction consultants, specializing in the retail industry. My job has been to advise large retail conglomerates on how to more efficiently and effectively run, maintain and beautify their stores on an individual basis right here in Southern California; not unlike this small community buried in the heart of a huge city mired in bureaucracy which sometimes loses sight of the smaller picture.

It is this experience I will draw from when dealing with the city council, the mayor’s office or whomever I need to, to get the job done.

Since I was a boy I have always been interested in politics. Growing up I watched my father go from school board to city council to mayor of a small town, and was dragged to more council meetings that I can count. In addition, my time in the boy scouts also prepared me for a more active role in my community. Many of the activities I lead as an eagle scout revolved around citizenship and our duties that go above and beyond the average citizen.

This volunteer spirit, experience and drive make me an excellent candidate for a position on the Mar Vista Community Council, and I look forward to serving you and our community in the future. Thank you for your time.

If you are reading this you are concerned with what is going on in Mar Vista. You are a true stakeholder and are ready to take action. Whether that be just voting for your community leadership or lending a hand at a tree planting, or just visiting the farmer’s market some Sunday morning, either way I thank you for the participation in the process. It is exactly this spirit that makes this such a great little neighborhood. Whether you are raising a family, retiring here, or even just renting for a few years, anyway you slice it Mar Vista is a fantastic little community, with a few nagging problems. We are lucky here to not have the crime levels, poverty, homelessness, and excessive drug use that plague other communities in Los Angeles, and we would like to keep it that way.

What we do deal with is cut through grid lock traffic, airport noise and jet wash pollution, and a bully of a neighbor in the city of Santa Monica and SMCC. Besides that we have great little parks, some fantastic schools, and all in all pretty clean streets, we have neighbors that care about each other and our community as a whole. It is this caring and sense of community and action that I want to tap into as a resource to power the engine of change.

In addition to some of the concerns I have raised above I would also like to address some bike safety issues, a more comprehensive recycling program for some of our larger apartment complexes, and some more possible sources of funding, both state and federal for future projects here in Mar Vista. I look forward to both representing you and serving you for the good of our community. Thank you for your time.