Here is Doug Trussler’s answer to the candidate questionnaire prepared by students in our journalism class at the Police Activities League. For more on Trussler’s campaign, visit his website.
Previous Q and A’s: Brett Morrow, Ashley Oelson, and Lindsay Davis.
If you are elected, what is the first thing you would want to do?
Get a full, honest picture of the City’s finances. When any organization is running short on money, the first step is to understand every dollar coming in and going out: what’s driving each one, how it has changed over time, and where it’s headed. I’ve done this kind of work for 35 years. Within my first 60 days, I would have a clear picture of the City’s financial challenges and a plan to fix them before they get worse.
If you could be remembered for one thing for your work on City Council, what would it be?
Leaving Santa Monica able to afford to solve its own problems. Right now the City doesn’t have much room to take on big challenges like homelessness, housing, affordability, and aging infrastructure. If I do my job well, the City will have the money and stability to tackle those problems for real, long after I’m gone.
What can we/you do to raise more money for schools so we can have better supplies and working water fountains? Do you support Measure ES?
Yes, I support Measure ES. For years, the City has given our school district about $12 million a year, but that agreement ends in 2027 and the City’s budget is stretched. Measure ES would replace that money with a dedicated parcel tax that goes only to our public schools, so school funding no longer depends on the City’s budget each year. Beyond that, I believe in running things efficiently. New tools are coming that can make both the City and our schools work smarter, which frees up money for classroom supplies, more support for teachers, and yes, water fountains that actually work.
How do we help people get around who are too young to drive and might not have easy access to a bus?
First, a tip many students don’t know: if you go to a Santa Monica-Malibu Unified school, you can get a free GoPass TAP card from your school that lets you ride Big Blue Bus and Metro for free all school year. I’d like the City to do more to get those cards into every student’s hands. For places the bus doesn’t reach well, I’d bring back carpooling. When I was growing up, carpooling was normal. Today, apps could make it easy and safe to share rides with families beyond your own friend group, and I’d like the City to help make that happen. Getting around is going to change a lot over the next ten years, and young people should be first in line to benefit.
Bonus: What is something adults in Santa Monica argue about that you think is a waste of time?
We spend a lot of energy arguing about problems the City can’t fix on its own. Climate change is a good example. It matters enormously, but the biggest sources of pollution are national and global, far outside City Hall’s control. I’d rather we spend our local energy on what we can control, like cleaner buses, safer bike lanes, and energy-efficient buildings, and push our state and federal leaders hard on the rest.
If you could interview anyone about a topic of your choice, who would it be and what about?
Warren Buffett. I’ve always admired how he can take a complicated situation and explain it in plain, simple words. He’s been wise since he was very young. I’d ask him one question, once a month for six months: “If you were in high school today, how would you prepare for AI?” I suspect his answer would change as the technology changes. Mine certainly does.
If you had Elon Musk’s money, what would you do to support the people of Santa Monica?
I’d focus on the two things that made the biggest difference in my own life: education and health care. I’d make sure every Santa Monica student could go to college without graduating buried in debt, and that no family here had to choose between getting medical care and going bankrupt. When people are educated and healthy, the whole community does better.
