photo credit - Alex Thompson
Ya gotta love elections.
LA Councilwoman Janice Hahn has an amassed an impressive collection of endorsements since she announced her candidacy to fill the CA-36 congressional seat vacated by Jane Harman. It's a list she's worked very hard to collect, and for good reason. An impressive and extensive list of endorsements convey inferred legitimacy to a candidate. They act as "validators" for the busy voter, who might not be paying very close attention to a politician's policies, but who sees the name of a trusted official or organization endorsing a candidate and thinks their policies and values must closely mirror their own.
As such, endorsements are valuable commodities, not to be given away lightly or for free. In fact, if played correctly, the endorsement can be more beneficial for the person making the endorsement than it is for the person receiving it.
Or, as one politician who's name sits high on the Hahn campaign's endorsement list told me, "Look kid, if Hahn loses, I still have to work with her. If she wins, I have a friend in congress."
Which brings me to Councilman Bill Rosendahl, one of Janice Hahn's first endorsements, and the press release he and Hahn put out on Thursday:
- snip -ROSENDAHL, HAHN MOVE TO ADDRESS CONCERNS AROUND SANTA MONICA AIRPORT
LOS ANGELES – Responding to concerns from residents in Venice, Mar Vista, and West L.A. regarding air pollution and safety, yesterday Councilman Bill Rosendahl and Councilwoman Janice Hahn moved to make it the official policy of the City of Los Angeles to pursue a change in the departure path at Santa Monica Airport (SMO), and to close down its six flight schools, their offices announced Thursday.
Rosendahl and Hahn presented the resolution to Council colleagues during the meeting this morning after local residents expressed concern.
"We can’t sit and wait anymore for the FAA to make this change," said Rosendahl, "we need to start lobbying Washington D.C. for a permanent solution to the suffocating jet emissions from Santa Monica Airport."
Councilwoman Hahn added, “I sat down last week in a West L.A. home and listened to residents talk about the toxic fumes that seep into their neighborhoods from SMO.I heard for myself the jet engines idling on the runway nearby.As a long-time advocate for clean air and a healthy environment, I want to do something now.”
Until last Thursday, Rosendahl was alone amongst his city council colleagues when it came to dealing with sound and air pollution issues coming from Santa Monica's airport. In her 10 years on the LA City Council, Hahn showed little interest in the issue, but with the Congressional election and Rosendahl's endorsement, she's found religion.
Rosendahl should be commended on how well he's parlayed his endorsement.
In fact, I think this is fantastic. I want more of it, because there's a whole laundry list of stuff we need for our part of the district that's been been languishing for years inside the LA City Council bureaucracy.
How about a left turn lane and signal on Rose and Lincoln? Rosendahl's been promising us that one since 2005. How about repaving the Venice boardwalk? Extending the bike path into the Marina Peninsula? An off-leash dog park at Dockweiller Beach? Extra police officers to patrol during the high-traffic summer months?
The possibilities are endless. If I were Rosendahl, I'd be encouraging all my fellow council members to take the plunge,
Eric, Tom, Bernie, the water's great! Jump on into the CA36 race! All the cool kids are doing it!
Bill, we're counting on you. We sure do need that left turn signal on Rose.
No comments:
Post a Comment