A Fresh Approach--Planning Together : Mayor’s race: To put Los Angeles on track, retrain workers, listen to people and cut officials’ salaries.

My vision for Los Angeles is of a unified city devoid of racial strife and economic inequality. I will offer new leadership with a fresh approach to decision-making. I am not accountable to any special-interest groups.

My economic revitalization plan addresses the causes of business flight, unemployment and job loss. The mayor of Los Angeles must work closely with the county, state and federal agencies to help those in need. We must retrain our laid-off workers. A strong commitment to secondary and vocational educational is directly linked to economic recovery. We need more institutions such as the Maxine Waters Job Training Center.

It is imperative for the mayor to work closely with the City Council to identify potential crises before they get to the “critical” phase. But cuts will have to be made where there is inefficiency and duplication of services. We must engage in long-range planning on the salient issues affecting the city’s future. Vision, leadership and communication skills are required of our next mayor. There should be regularly updated contingency plans for all crises, from civil unrest to earthquakes.

In dealing with ethnic and racial conflicts in Los Angeles, we must listen to all the people. Racial and ethnic conflicts are inevitable in an environment as heterogeneous as Los Angeles. I would seek out qualified staff representatives of our various ethnic groups to assist me. I am fluent in Spanish, and can reach thousands of people who have been excluded from the political process.

I favor cuts in the salaries of the mayor, City Council members and department heads. Why should City Council members make more than $90,000 a year when the city is broke?

Let’s evaluate the city bureaucracy and “find the beef.”