Decision ’93 / A Look at the Elections in Los Angeles County : Los Angeles City Council / 3rd DISTRICT : Q AND A

CONTENDERS

Laura Newman Chick, 48, of Tarzana was an aide to Councilwoman Joy Picus for three years before working as a community relations consultant. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history from UCLA and a master’s degree in social work from USC. She has never before run for public office.

Morton S. Diamond, 61, of Canoga Park is a free-lance paralegal. He holds an associate’s degree in business administration from Chaffey Community College and studied agriculture, marketing and sales at Cal Poly Pomona. He ran for the 3rd District City Council seat in 1989.

Robert J. Gross, 60, of Woodland Hills is a purchasing manager in the aerospace industry and studied business at the University of Wisconsin. He has served as president of the Woodland Hills Homeowners Organization since 1989 and is making his first bid for elected public office.

Charles Dana Nixon III, 49, of Woodland Hills is a building contractor. A Vietnam veteran, he returned to Vietnam in 1990 to help build a health clinic with the Veterans Vietnam Restoration Project. He holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Cal State Northridge and a master’s degree in family counseling from Azuza Pacific College. This is his first attempt at public office.

Joy Picus, 62, of Woodland Hills has been councilwoman of the 3rd District since 1977. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin. Before she went into public office, she was a community relations officer for the Jewish Federation Council and a community activist.

Dennis P. Zine, 45, of West Hills is a sergeant with the Los Angeles Police Department who heads up the West Valley Traffic Division. This is his first bid at public office.

Significant Problem

Q. What do you believe is the most significant problem facing the district?

Chick: Crime and graffiti. I will work to streamline the LAPD and redeploy all uniformed officers to active street duty. We also should retrain city employees in nonessential positions to fill LAPD “desk” jobs. We must create a crime-prevention plan using all our resources to offer productive alternatives to crime and gangs.

Diamond: Candidates not being able to get their message out through the media causing us to get the same incumbents elected.

Gross: I believe that the most significant problem facing the 3rd Council District is leadership. The current leadership representing the San Fernando Valley has failed to recognize the need for a comprehensive and consistent agenda designed to protect and preserve our valuable community resources. The preservation of our open spaces in the Sepulveda Basin and the farmland at Pierce College are two examples of inconsistent policy-making on the part of our standing incumbent.

Nixon: A lack of leadership on the City Council. Lobbyists and special-interest money corrupt the electoral and political process. This legal bribery will only be changed by replacing entrenched career politicians with reform-oriented citizens.

Picus: Wherever I go, people are concerned about crime and violence. I have always supported increasing the number of police and officers on our streets and I worked with West Valley LAPD to develop “community-based policing” long before that became a popular buzzword. Combatting crime must be a community effort involving all of us--the police, local businesses, residents and other government and social agencies.

Zine: Crime and fear, which is displayed by graffiti and the business flight from the area. Streamline the Police Department to better serve the needs of the community, and bring additional police officers to the Valley. Establish within my office a community empowerment program to work hand-in-hand with the Police Department, establishing safety as the priority.

City Services

Q. Do you believe the San Fernando Valley gets its fair share of city services?

Chick: No. The Valley does not receive services proportional to its population. For example, though LAPD officers are assigned to the Valley, many of their actual hours are spent in other parts of the city.

Diamond: No, the city cannot afford to give us our share at this time.

Gross: I do not believe that the San Fernando Valley is getting its fair share of city services. I attribute this mainly to ineffectual leadership on the part of the incumbent. Police services, street and maintenance services and the timely processing of applications addressing planning and land-use issues must receive greater priority from the City Council member representing the 3rd District.

Nixon: The argument that we do not get our fair share of police services is specious. Though we are one-third of the city’s population, we have less than 20% of its crime and therefore 20% of law enforcement deployment.

Picus: My efforts have always been directed at obtaining a fair share of services for the Valley and for the 3rd District. It’s difficult to combat the impression among some council members that the Valley is all wealthy and problem-free. Valley council members must continue joint efforts and work with our colleagues who represent other parts of the city to make sure the Valley gets its fair share.

Zine: No. We represent 45% of the voters and at least half of the city’s population. We are shortchanged on all city services--transportation, public safety, education and cultural arts to name a few.

Government Efficiency

Q. Do you believe there is any city department that is doing an inadequate job of delivering services?

Chick: I believe there is waste, inefficiency and a lack of responsiveness to the public in all city departments. The Department of Transportation doesn’t coordinate its activities with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. We have state funding for traffic-signal synchronization, yet the program has not been implemented.

Diamond: Yes, all departments need to be improved and audited.

Gross: The city Planning Department should be totally reorganized, with the emphasis placed on fewer chiefs and more Indians. The department seems top-heavy with several levels of management with only a handful of people doing the work. It is no wonder that a relatively simple matter takes months or years to process.

Nixon: There is waste and duplication of services in many city departments. With the decline in city revenues, all departments are subject to downsizing and reorganization.

Picus: All city departments are striving hard to carry out their tasks in spite of a hiring freeze and budget cuts. The city has several thousand fewer employees than we had a couple of years ago. We continue to search for more cost-effective ways to do more with less and to provide the best possible level of service.

Zine: Many city departments are not providing the best possible service to the law-abiding taxpayer. Street maintenance and public works can be improved. City purchases can be more effective in stretching the tax dollar.

Privatization Possibilities

Q. Do you support privatization of some city services?

Chick: Yes. I would look at virtually every area. I would also allow city departments and labor organizations to bid on the contracts.

Diamond: Absolutely not.

Gross: I support privatization of trash collection using union contractors. Other city services must be evaluated as well. All should be considered as prime candidates for privatization based on private-sector interest.

Nixon: The benefits of privatization are largely illusory. Private contractors often pay subsistence wages and provide no health benefits. The other problem with privatization is that with each lucrative private contract the possibility of graft and bribery increases.

Picus: The Airport Department is an excellent example of a city department that should be considered for privatization. Either leasing or selling the airport to a private operator will create substantial revenue for the city and make it possible to hire more police, improve public safety and services. I have been a leader in calling attention to the current absurd situation under which excess airport revenues are used to lower landing fees for the airlines.

Zine: I recognize that the civil service system is antiquated and must be modified. The civil service system is in need of reform. We must recognize that it is much more cost-effective to contract for certain services.

Charter Reforms

Q. Do you believe in the need for City Charter reforms?

Chick: Yes. Our City Charter is out of date and does not adequately address the many changes that have occurred in our city in the last decades. The mayor’s position needs to be strengthened and the commissioner system and proprietary city departments also need revision.

Diamond: Yes, times have changed.

Gross: City Charter reform over the next few years must be considered a top priority by both newly elected officials as well as by those not facing reelection this year. I would press for a complete overhaul of our commissioner form of government. In particular, I would press for a major change that would find the electorate participating in the commissioner selection process by way of the ballot box, thus eliminating the existing mayoral appointment/City Council confirmation procedure that suggests favoritism and special-interest priorities.

Nixon: Yes, I believe they are needed to reduce the influence of lobbyists and special interests.

Picus: The City Charter, which dates from 1925, is outmoded and does not serve Los Angeles in the 1990s. I support broad charter reform which will better balance power between the executive and legislative branches, will remove general managers of city departments from civil service protection and will provide more accountable, effective and businesslike government.

Zine: Yes. The Police Department was reorganized by Charter F changes. We need to analyze the City Charter and modify it. It is no longer effective.

Term Limits

Q. Do you favor term limits for elected city officials?

Chick: Yes--two terms or 10 years, should a person be elected to fill a partial term.

Diamond: Yes, two to four years.

Gross: I support the two-term initiative qualified by the Richard Riordan effort. I do not support the initiative placed on the April 20 ballot by our Los Angeles City Council.

Nixon: Unlike the incumbent, I support term limits. I prefer modified rather than absolute term limits. After two terms in office an incumbent would have to step down, but after one term out of office he or she would be allowed to run again.

Picus: We already have term limits. Every four years, each elected official must stand before the voters to run on his or her record. We are accountable to our constituents. Term limits take away from the voters’ right to choose the best, most experienced and most responsible elected representatives.

Zine: Yes. Maximum two terms. Keeps the political system clean.

Business Climate

Q. What can City Hall do to improve the business climate in Los Angeles?

Chick: Streamline the permit process, work with other government levels and agencies to create uniform regulations, and make it easier for business to comply. Depoliticize the Planning Department to offer incentives to businesses who provide jobs in the community.

Diamond: Encourage business to stay in L.A. Coordinate a control over operating permits. Create a strong small-business department within the city to help solve the many problems of business.

Gross: Reorganize the city Planning Department; streamline the permit process; fast track affordable housing applications; expand business permit procedures to a higher capture rate, thus increasing permit revenues and reducing individual fees; create a City Council ad-hoc committee tasked with the obligation of reviewing all of the components of business costs with a goal of cost reduction implementation for all businesses, large and small. Private sector interface with this special committee will most certainly enlighten and inform our elected officials.

Nixon: We must realize that we are in competition with other states and other countries for jobs and industry. City Hall must avoid excessive taxation and regulation that would force businesses to close or to move out of the area. I believe the North American Free Trade Agreement will remove thousands of manufacturing jobs from the Los Angeles area due to our proximity to the Mexican border. Instead of free trade, we should limit trade with any country that violates its citizens’ human rights, as Mexico has. We cannot afford to export any more of the manufacturing jobs in Los Angeles.

Picus: I have always advocated streamlining the permit process and the bureaucracy, and holding down taxes for business. My staff and I have helped many businesses in my district cut through red tape and we work closely with local chambers of commerce and other business groups. I go to bat for the kinds of business that improve the community and fight those, such as liquor outlets and adult-oriented establishments, which are detrimental to a commercial area. Los Angeles must adjust to the current economic realities. Our city government must be careful not to take actions that cause an undue burden on our city’s businesses, particularly smaller entrepreneurial enterprises which provide many of the new jobs our city needs.

Zine: Reduce the business tax and put out the welcome mat for businesses. Reduce the red tape and excessive regulations that are driving businesses away. Make it safe for business to operate in Los Angeles.

Illegal Immigrants

Q. Do you believe illegal immigrants have any impact on crime or the downturn in the Los Angeles economy?

Chick: Yes. The federal government must reimburse local government for the costs associated with the impact of illegal immigrants.

Diamond: You bet. Check our county hospitals.

Gross: Illegal immigrants have a major impact on crime in our streets and in all of our communities. Illegals also impact other city and county services that create a serious financial drain on all of our resources. However, I cannot accept the thought that illegal immigrants are the cause of the downturn in the Los Angeles economy. The many forces contributing to this downturn are far more specific and definable.

Nixon: It is a myth that illegal immigrants are responsible for the epidemic of crime from which L.A. is suffering. If the myth were true, we could then simply deport our crime wave and our crime problem would be solved. There is no evidence that illegal immigrants commit more crime than other residents of the same economic status. We have lost hundreds of thousands of jobs in Los Angeles in the past five years (100,000 aerospace and 120,000 in high-paid manufacturing). Did the illegal immigrants cause those jobs to leave? In a depressed economy it is not unusual for demagogues to blame the weakest members of society for failed economic policies.

Picus: The deportation process for those illegal immigrants who are charged with criminal acts should begin at the time of their arrest, and not wait until--and if--they are convicted, as is the current policy. After passage of the immigration bill in 1986, the federal government’s commitment was to provide the funds necessary to relieve state and local government from the financial burden of illegal immigration. This federal commitment has not been kept and I applaud the bipartisan efforts of our congressional delegation in Washington to secure this federal commitment from the new administration in Washington.

Zine: Absolutely. We have too many illegal immigrants who refuse to become part of our community. We are spending $75 million a year housing illegal immigrants in jail who commit crimes. A portion of the illegal immigrants are destroying our city block by block. As our community fails, so does the economy.

Police Officers

Q. Do you favor a proposal on the June ballot to increase property taxes to pay for 1,000 new police officers?

Chick: No. There are better ways to pay for more police by streamlining existing city departments, including the LAPD. We can also eliminate or merge nonessential departments and redirect CRA, airport and harbor monies to the general fund.

Diamond: No. Use Proposition K and increase landing fees at LAX to the same level of other cities. We can gain an extra $55 million by increasing the landing fees five times the present rate.

Gross: I do not support any proposal that would increase property taxes.

Nixon: No. We can put more officers on patrol without raising property taxes. Less than half of the total sworn officers are assigned to patrol. Many of the officers on desks could be redeployed to the street and replaced with civilians and police reservists.

Picus: I support increasing the number of police officers and I voted to place the ballot measure before the voters in April. I also support restructuring city priorities to place public safety first. We must cut nonessential expenditures in order to increase the number of police.

Zine: No. We can obtain additional officers without establishing additional taxes.

Excessive Force

Q. Do you believe excessive force by the Los Angeles Police Department is a consistent and systematic problem?

Chick: I support Chief Willie Williams’ plans to retrain and sensitize police on this issue.

Diamond: Not since the Rodney King incident.

Gross: No.

Nixon: I believe that the Christopher Commission concluded that excessive force, particularly directed toward minorities, is a serious problem in the LAPD. In the last three years, the City Council has approved payments to settle excessive-force lawsuits totaling $7 million, $11 million and, last year, $18 million. If excessive force had not been used in the Rodney King case, there would not have been a riot last spring and Los Angeles would not have lost an estimated $1 billion in property damage and tens of thousands of jobs.

Picus: The current leadership of the LAPD has made it clear that it will not tolerate the use of excessive force, racism or sexism. Police do a difficult and very dangerous job in today’s society, coming up against violent and heavily armed criminals. Chief Williams has taken firm control to ensure that the LAPD carries out its mission without resorting to excessive force.

Zine: No. It is unfortunate that the criminal element is bold and does not wish to comply with our laws or respect our police officers. It has been reported that one in seven LAPD officers have been assaulted by suspects. This lack of respect for law and order forces our officers to respond with force. We must find better non-lethal devices for our police against combative suspects.

Police Complaints

Q. Do you believe complaints against the Police Department are handled properly?

Chick: There is always room for improvement. However, the system appears to be working. Public town hall meetings should be held regularly in communities where citizens and officers can share concerns.

Diamond: I have no way of knowing, neither does any other citizen. When is your paper going to truly inform us on this subject?

Gross: Yes.

Nixon: No. There are indications that police personnel routinely discourage and minimize complaints.

Picus: The Christopher Commission found that certain officers had lengthy records of complaints which had not been adequately responded to by the department’s internal procedures. The current Police Commission and Chief Williams have established new policies to investigate complaints and counsel or discipline officers who have a record of complaints being made against them. Because most of our officers do an outstanding job, I have proposed a “Commend-a-cop” program so that people can demonstrate their appreciation.

Zine: Yes. The Internal Affairs process of the Police Department does a fine job. The Charter F changes have strengthened the complaint and disciplinary process within the LAPD.

Sensitivity Training

Q. Do you believe police officers need racial sensitivity training?

Chick: Most definitely.

Diamond: Some may need training.

Gross: Yes. I also believe that all city employees and elected officials should receive this same training.

Nixon: The problem is more serious than mere insensitivity. In a recent survey of minority high school students from Van Nuys, over 50% of them had witnessed uniformed LAPD officers using racial slurs. Police dogs have been allowed to bite unresisting minority suspects as a reward. Racism, sexism and homophobia should not be tolerated by any city employees, particularly in the Police Department.

Picus: For many years LAPD officers have received instruction in sensitivity to different races and cultures as part of their Police Academy course of study. That instruction has been strengthened and expanded as the cultural diversity of our city has increased. I fully support these efforts.

Zine: Yes. Los Angeles is a diverse community. It is a very important subject that has been ignored. We need to not only provide sensitivity training to our police officers but for those who are not aware of our standards of conduct.

Improving Relations

Q. What have you done to improve race relations?

Chick: As a businesswoman, I initiated outreach efforts to train and employ minority high school students in my retail business. I also worked to diversify boards of directors of several nonprofit organizations.

Diamond: As a private citizen, I associate with people of all races all my life. I am “color blind” and await the day that this type of question need not be asked.

Gross: As a manager in the aerospace industry for over 35 years I have set an example for my peers to follow in requiring tolerance and fairness in both hiring and promotional opportunities. Race has never been an issue with me.

Nixon: I held racial sensitivity groups for the Los Angeles County Probation Department.

Picus: My office has worked closely with the minority groups in the 3rd District, including the Hispanic community and the growing Asian communities. We have coordinated with city agencies to facilitate communication with minority groups and respond to their needs.

Zine: I have worked with representatives from the NAACP and other groups, like Family Services of Los Angeles, to help improve race relations in Los Angeles.

District Breakup

Q. Do you believe the Los Angeles Unified School District should be broken up?

Chick: Yes. The issue of quality education for our children is more important than preserving any bureaucracy.

Diamond: Yes, but it must not be duplicated on a smaller scale. The whole community must be involved.

Gross: The existing structure does not work and the children of our communities are not getting a quality education. I believe that LAUSD must be decentralized. We must be very cautious in how we go about the redistribution. Existing facilities in our inner city are in short supply. Whatever we do with our schools must be well thought out.

Nixon: Yes. I believe in community-based schools and this would bring control of the schools much closer to the community. Also, the separation process would be an opportunity to reorganize and eliminate much of the waste and bureaucracy that plagues the LAUSD.

Picus: I support the breaking up of the LAUSD into smaller, more responsive units as long as the results are fiscally responsible and educationally sound, and I’ve worked closely with the group which is advocating the formation of a separate district for the Valley. I support Sen. David Roberti’s legislation which would explore breaking up LAUSD. I also support LEARN’s proposal to empower local schools in order to improve the quality of education.

Zine: Yes. The school district, with a mammoth 640,000-student population, has not been working. We need to return to neighborhood schools where we can control the out-of-control system. We must involve the parents in the educational process. Parents are not going to travel miles to meet with teachers. Community schools means community pride and community involvement.

School Attendance

Q. Do your children attend private or public schools?

Chick: All four of my husband’s and my children attended public schools.

Diamond: My children attended public schools.

Gross: Over the years of their education our three sons attended both public and private schools.

Nixon: My son attended public school throughout his education. However, if I had a school-age child now I would not enroll him or her in the L.A. school system. California is now 41st in the nation in per-pupil spending. I would move to a state that cares about its children and the future.

Picus: My children, now grown, attended public schools from kindergarten through college. I was an active PTA mom, serving as PTA president at Hughes Junior High, and on the PTA boards at Collins Street Elementary School and El Camino Real High School. I’m in close contact with the public schools in my district and I meet with junior high and high school principals to show my concern and support.

Zine: My children live with their mother. She has chosen a private school. I would prefer a public school.

Elevated Rail

Q. Do you support an east-west elevated rail line over the Ventura Freeway as approved by the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission?

Chick: At this point, I believe it is irresponsible to select a route for rail in the Valley because we do not have all of the facts before us. It is outrageous that after years of political posturing and wasted money we still do not have adequate information about the true costs, environmental impacts and technological feasibility for either route.

Diamond: Yes. I supported this issue four years ago.

Gross: No. In its place I support a short-term program that has received little, if any, discussion. The existing RTD bus system should be expanded as a means of improving mobility throughout the city and increasing the use of public transportation. The elimination of diesel-fueled buses through methanol conversion, and the electrification of major bus routes such as the Ventura Boulevard corridor, will be much more cost-effective and serve many more residents than any of the proposals currently under discussion. In addition, neighborhood shuttles that would bring our residents to bus stops and community retail establishments could be utilized as part of the overall program.

Nixon: No. Nowhere is the lack of leadership in Los Angeles more apparent that in public transportation. Designing a transportation system one step at a time is like trying to build a house without a set of plans. It just does not make much sense.

Picus: The County Transportation Commission purchased the right-of-way along the Burbank-Chandler route for an extension of the Metro Rail subway line through the Valley. I believe this is the best route to serve the needs of the Valley. An elevated line over the Ventura Freeway would have too many negative impacts on the environment.

Zine: I do not believe that the rail line will work. It will have a negative impact on the community. I believe that we must determine community needs and blend our transportation programs into the community. We are going to spend $183 billion over the next 30 years to improve our transit system. We need to invest in a program that will work and not destroy our environment.

Campaign Financing

Q. Are you satisfied with public financing of election campaigns?

Chick: It appears to be working.

Diamond: We must change our system so that all candidates can be considered “serious.” Today, money is the key factor that determines if a candidate is serious.

Gross: No. I do not believe that the “level playing field” is being achieved. Incumbents hold a significant advantage over the newcomers in both fund raising as well as media attention. I feel that the threshold for qualification for matching funds should be lowered and there should be an established maximum contribution level established to remain qualified.

Nixon: No. It is counterproductive. It was supposed to make a more level playing field but it has made it less so. The minimum qualifying level is set so high ($25,000) that the average citizen cannot obtain matching funds. Therefore, the only candidates who qualify for matching funds are the political insiders. The qualifying level for council candidates should be no higher than $10,000, an amount that would be achievable by non-insider candidates.

Picus: Public financing helps to counteract the influence of special interests in a political campaign by providing a “match” for modest contributions. It also provides a more level playing field for candidates who do not have large personal wealth to put into their campaigns.

Zine: Yes. The public voted for this change. It provides the opportunity for all serious individuals to seek public office. This program helps clean out the special-interest involvement in campaigns.

College Land

Q. Do you believe vacant land at Pierce College should be sold and developed to help finance public education?

Chick: Yes. However, we should attempt to find development which would be compatible with the college.

Diamond: No. We must save all farmland. There are other means to support public education.

Gross: Absolutely not. Pierce College must be preserved for educational uses only. The time will come when the San Fernando Valley will require an additional four-year college. Where will this facility be located? What will the cost of just the land alone amount to? We must think ahead to our future.

Nixon: No. It should be made into a park or be developed and leased by the city with the profits going into education.

Picus: I strongly oppose the development of the Pierce College farm area and have introduced a motion to the City Council to rezone the property from agricultural to open space to provide additional protection against commercial use of that land.

Zine: No. We do not need additional development at Pierce College.

Local Development

Q. Do you believe there has been too much development in the 3rd District

Chick: There has been too much inadequately planned development without including community concerns or addressing long-range environmental and traffic impacts.

Diamond: If elected to office I will appoint a Citizen Advisory Committee to determine how many office buildings are empty, the same for condominiums and commercial buildings.

Gross: Not necessarily, but there has been some inappropriate and irresponsible development that has caused neighborhoods and whole communities to become adversaries of business interests throughout the 3rd Council District. This cannot go on.

Nixon: No.

Picus: I have worked hard to control development and to encourage it in areas which have the appropriate infrastructure, such as Warner Center. Concentrating development in an urban center protects surrounding single-family neighborhoods while creating opportunities for people to work close to where they live.

Zine: Yes. The development is patchwork. We need to establish a plan and follow the plan. We need to continue development, but control and planning must be included.

Warner Center

Q. Do you favor the continuation of huge mixed-used developments such as Warner Ridge and Warner Center in the West Valley?

Chick: I favor development consistent with geographic and demographic considerations, traffic and good suburban planning.

Diamond: All development must be reasonable. We need to create jobs, jobs, jobs.

Gross: Major commercial development in the West Valley must be contained within the established Warner Center Specific Plan boundaries. The Warner Ridge site does not meet this criteria and is therefore inappropriate and irresponsible.

Nixon: I think the Warner Center development is one of the best examples of mixed-use projects in the city. It provides jobs and is an aesthetically pleasing business park.

Picus: I fought Warner Ridge until the courts ruled against us because that is the wrong place for commercial development. Warner Ridge would severely impact a neighborhood of single-family homes. In contrast, Warner Center is the right place for development since it was planned as an urban center. The new Warner Center Plan will make sure that development takes place as the necessary infrastructure, largely paid for by developers, is in place.

Zine: No. I favor the concept of a jobs-housing balance development. I believe that the Warner Ridge development will have a negative impact on the community. I am not opposed to all development, but believe that it must be well-planned to benefit the entire community. The transportation and other needs are ignored where these massive developments are established.

Ahmanson Ranch

Q. Do you favor the massive Ahmanson Ranch development approved earlier this year in nearby Ventura County? If not, what would you do to block this project?

Chick: No. However, it may be too late to block it. L.A. city officials should have been involved in the negotiating process years ago, from the project’s inception, to have a stronger impact.

Diamond: There is a bigger question. If the city of L.A. can dictate to Ventura County, can Ventura County run the city of Los Angeles? This is a jurisdictional problem and needs more compromise and cooperation and less rhetoric. It would take the courts years to solve this problem.

Gross: I oppose the Ahmanson Ranch development as approved. The access to Victory Boulevard called for in the plan will have a devastating effect on our West Valley streets that cannot be mitigated. Indeed, how could any mitigation for from 22,000 to 37,000 trips per day be effectively devised? As the councilperson for the 3rd District, I would resist any access to Victory Boulevard. Placing gates or guards at the Victory Boulevard entrance will not be enforceable over time.

Nixon: I favor the low-density residential housing and the great park that is planned. Neighbors to the undeveloped land always oppose development of the next development after theirs.

Picus: I fought the Ahmanson project because of the plan to create a road system which will lure thousands of motorists to bypass the Ventura Freeway and use Victory Boulevard. That will severely impact the single-family homes along the west end of Victory. At my urging, the city of Los Angeles has filed a lawsuit against the Ahmanson Co. to challenge the project on environmental grounds.

Zine: No. I would work with the city attorney, the developer, Ventura County officials, other elected state and local officials, and community groups to establish a workable plan for the Ahmanson Ranch project.