No Old, Gray Mayors Here--These Kids Have Creative Ideas

Several things set Richard Abella apart from your average, run-of-the-mill would-be mayor.

For one, his mayoral aspirations extend only to the Harbor Gateway community, a narrow, eight-mile strip of land that links the harbor area with the rest of Los Angeles. Unless L.A. Mayor Tom Bradley is ready to give up governing that part of the city, there’s really no office for Richard to seek.

And Richard is only 16 years old, so the Carson High School senior couldn’t even vote for himself.

But the things that distinguish Richard Abella most from other would-be mayors--and virtually all political hopefuls, for that matter--are these: If elected, he would cut his own salary. And Richard freely admits that he would also--read his lips--increase taxes to help fight the problems that plague his community.

“(My) program will be funded by a 3% pay cut from city officials, like myself, and a 2% increase in city taxes taken directly from people’s paychecks,” Richard wrote in his one and only campaign position paper. “One must give a little to get a little. Remember, I am suffering a pay cut as well.”

That brand of brutal honesty might not be the best campaign strategy. But it recently helped Richard win an essay contest on the theme, “If I Were Mayor of the Harbor Gateway I Would . . . “

The contest, sponsored by the United Way, was intended to give Harbor Gateway kids a chance to state publicly what they believe to be the needs of their economically distressed community.

Harbor Gateway has a population of about 36,000, but it historically has been overlooked by government agencies. For example, the community has no post office, no police station, no library, no welfare office and no community center. At the same time, it has more than its share of gangs, crime and homeless people.

The lack of governmental social services was so acute that five years ago, the United Way designated Harbor Gateway as an “underserved geographic area.” Since then, the organization has funneled $100,000 to private charities serving the area. It also sponsors programs to assist the community--one of which was the essay contest.

“We wanted to get young people involved in their community,” says Akrevoe Emmanouilides, a member of the United Way’s Community Identity and Pride subcommittee, which organized the contest. “We had 400 submissions, and they all had some really imaginative and caring ideas.”

The entries weren’t always perfect in terms of spelling, grammar or syntax. But the writers’ hopes and aspirations for their community came through loud and clear, unfiltered by the practical concerns and restraints that so often stymie adult efforts to solve problems.

For example, Richard’s essay, winner of the Young Adult/High School category, listed a variety of problems that plague his community--and unique ways to address them.

“The gang problem would be my primary concern,” Richard wrote, “since the majority of gang members deal drugs and destroy property. I plan to crack down heavily on these gang-bangers, even those that are just ‘kickin’ it.’ Once the gang members are caught, they won’t be jailed or given the third degree.”

Instead, Richard wrote, he would “strive to reform gang-bangers through various services in the community. . . . Graffiti cleanup, housing reconstruction to fight slums, and speaking to area high schools about the dangers of gangs, are just some of the jobs . . . which will be given to gang members. Their salaries would be paid by the city. In the long run, this program will save taxpayers’ money since it would eliminate the need for costly public works committees.”

Richard also said he would increase police patrols and seek “an efficient deployment of officers.”

In an interview, Richard, who has lived in the Harbor Gateway area since he was 4, said it took him only a day to write the essay. Asked if he was considering a career in politics, Richard responded, “People have been telling me I should think about politics, and I guess I’ll think about it. But I’ve always wanted to be a doctor.”

Richard said he wants to attend UCLA as a pre-med student after he graduates from Carson High School next year.

Not all of the essay contest winners viewed gangs as their primary concern. Nicole Fayssoux, 11, a student at Van Deene Avenue School, began her essay with, “If I were mayor of the Harbor Gateway Community I would keep my eye on the city.

“I would enhance the area with plenty of green parks and monuments showing the founders of this community . . .” she wrote. “Another part of the community we should fix up is the community visibility. Many places have marks of graffiti from adults, kids and gangs who really have no civic pride. I think we should paint over these marks.”

Nicole added that compassion for the unfortunate would be a hallmark of her administration.

“Many of the times I see homeless people sleeping on benches or looking in garbage cans,” she wrote. “I feel that we should try to provide shelters with old clothes, food and a job opening to support their family or themselves. . . . We probably have many volunteers to help us in our duties, but not enough. We need people who are willing to volunteer for schools such as PTA mothers or fathers, hospital volunteers such as candy stripers, pink ladies, nurses and doctors who can work in open clinics in which everything is free.”

When asked if she would consider a career in politics, Nicole also appeared hesitant. “I wasn’t really thinking about it,” she said.

Chloe Vasquez, a Peary Middle School eighth-grader who won first place in the Teen/Middle School category, began her essay with a proposal to radically expand her constituent base.

If she were mayor, Chloe wrote, “The Harbor Gateway Community would contain all of Gardena, Harbor Gateway, Torrance, portions of Carson, and unincorporated Los Angeles County. If I were elected mayor I would do the best job that I could do. I would not make promises that I could not keep to the people but ones that I could keep.”

Chloe wrote that she also would set up “recycling programs that would keep our environment and city clean . . . programs that would teach the children about the rain forests . . . wild animals, and other important things about our environment . . . programs that would deliver food and groceries to the handicapped or to the elderly people who cannot go out themselves (and) shelters for the homeless open every night and soup kitchens opened daily.”

On a more pedestrian level, Chloe promised that if she were mayor, “I would have potholes filled in and sidewalks repaired where repair is needed. I would push for stoplights where they are needed to reduce accidents and lessen jaywalkers at the same time.”

“They (the kids) certainly put a lot of thought into these essays,” contest organizer and judge Emmanouilides said. She and many other people in the Harbor Gateway community hope that someone--perhaps the current occupants of City Hall--will listen.