Here’s the Questionnaire We’re Sending to the 10 Candidates for City Council

Santa Monica Next has just sent out the following letter to every registered candidate for City Council. If you know someone running for office, please make sure they return this to us in the next two weeks so we can share all 10 candidates’ answers on our website.

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Candidates,

Thank you for making the commitment to running for the City Council of Santa Monica.

To help prepare voters for the election as part of our Vote Local campaign, Santa Monica Next will run 10 articles between Wednesday, September 7 and the election. Each article will feature all candidates’ answer to one of the following questions. For example, the first article we publish will have every candidates’ verbatim response to “How are you voting on Measure LV? Why?” And the candidates’ answers will be listed in random order.

Please return this questionnaire by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 6 to insure that we can publish all of your answers. Again, your answers will be published verbatim. If we receive your answers after this deadline, your answers will appear on every article published AFTER we receive your answers but will not be included retroactively in articles we have already published.

Each article will appear with a “meme-ready” picture/pull quote featuring one of the candidates. Every candidate will get their turn as the featured meme that will be used to promote the story on social media. Please submit a picture of you that you would like us to use for your meme. If we don’t get a picture from you, we will use your campaign logo.

Thank you again for your commitment to the City of Santa Monica, and best of luck in November. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at damien@streetsblog.org.

All the Best,

Damien Newton
Santa Monica Next

Candidate Questionnaire:

1. How are you voting on Measure LV? Why?
2. How are you voting on the college bond measure? Why?
3. How will you vote on Measures GS and GSH, the transaction and use tax and its advisory measure? Why?
4. Describe Santa Monica’s 2010 Land Use and Circulation Element in 100 words.
5. When is the last time you walked or rode a bicycle? Where did you go?
6. What’s your favorite place to go on the Expo Line?
7. Santa Monica’s Pedestrian Action Plan calls for “Vision Zero.” What does Vision Zero mean to you? How do you think the city is doing in meeting that expectation/policy goal? What does the city need to do more of in order to accomplish Vision Zero? As a Council member, how would you make that happen?
8. What role, if any, do you believe cities like Santa Monica should play in addressing the root causes of global climate change? In what ways do you think Santa Monica is doing its part? In what ways do you believe Santa Monica should be doing more?
9. Roughly 25% of Santa Monicans are between 18 and 35 years old (2010 census). What should the City do to prepare for their needs as they enter the workforce and form families?
10. Despite the fact that roughly 25% of Santa Monicans are between 18 and 35 years old (2010 census), there is currently nobody in this age group on the City Council. Why do you believe this age group is underrepresented? Do you believe it is the responsibility of our current leadership to help cultivate young leaders? If so, what can our current leaders be doing to better facilitate the growth of young leaders? What can you do, if anything, personally?
11. Roughly 13% of Santa Monicans are over 65 years old. What should the City do to help aging Santa Monicans prosper and live socially vibrant lives?