PRIORITIES

George’s goal is to make West Hollywood more Affordable, to get us Back to the Basics, and redirect our focus on Community Livability and Safety.

AFFORDABILTY FOR RESIDENTS

Situation

Residents are dealing with unaffordable housing. Due to changes and new laws at the state level, developers are able demolish existing housing that is affordable, displacing West Hollywood tenants in order to create new and expensive luxury apartment buildings and condominiums. The token “affordable housing” that is created is not a one-for-one replacement of the units destroyed, nor are the displaced guaranteed immediate relocation to comparable housing.

Solution

• As your Councilmember, George will work to protect existing affordable units and advocate for a one-to-one replacement of all rent stabilized units which are being demolished to create new, but not necessarily affordable, housing.

AFFORDABILITY FOR BUSINESSES

Situation

The Minimum Wage Ordinance passed by the Council majority in 2021, just as local businesses were starting the long road to recovery after COVID, has shuttered businesses and forced those who have survived to pass along their rising costs to residents. Meanwhile, skyrocketing commercial rents have pushed many small businesses out of our city.

Solutions

• While respecting gains in the minimum wage and with the input of small business owners and workers, on City Council, George will work to reform the parts of the ordinance, like the Paid Time Off provisions, which are hurting local businesses and raising costs for residents.
• George will review the CPI increases to see if lowering the cap, or freezing increases for 1 to 2 years, will help small businesses recover and keep prices down for residents.
• George will advocate for a Commercial Vacancy Tax to help lower inflated commercial rents and to fill our empty storefronts with thriving local businesses.

BACK TO BASICS: COMMONSENSE GOVERNANCE

Situation

Back to Basics doesn’t mean going backwards or losing the progress we’ve made. It means recapturing why our City was founded.

Residents have become skeptical of the hiring practices at City Hall, and the influence developers have over staff and councilmembers. It is imperative that West Hollywood lead by ensuring Transparency in government.    

Commonsense Governance has been missing from our City Council majority. It is the cornerstone of George’s campaign.

Solutions

• George will fight for Ethical Reforms aimed at regaining the trust of residents and ensuring that the very best and most qualified people run our City.
• Every decision George makes will be driven by the need to do the most good for the most people.
• George is dedicated always to doing his best to find the root cause of an issue and then working to solve it.
• Decisions must be made based on facts and data, not ideology.

BACK TO BASICS: PROVIDING NECESSARY CITY SERVICES

Situation

West Hollywood has two Fire Stations, Fire Station 7 on the west side and Fire Station 8 on the east side. Station 8 houses the majority of our firefighters, paramedics, and engines. The LA County Fire Department has outgrown Fire Station 8 and of more concern, the building itself has been deemed vulnerable to collapse in a major earthquake by the county. The U.S. Geological Survey says that within the next 30 years the probability is 60% that an earthquake measuring magnitude 6.7, and 46% that an earthquake measuring magnitude 7, will occur in our area.  

The everyday needs of Residents must be efficiently addressed, from providing our First Responders what they need to serve the city effectively, to protecting tenants and identifying and improving conditions specific to our Older Adults and those with disabilities, to filling potholes and picking up trash. The basics.

 Solutions

• As a Councilmember, George will advocate expediting the replacement of Fire Station 8 and work with county officials to get it done. The replacement of Fire Station 8 must be a priority. During his first meeting as a Public Safety Commissioner, George brought up his concerns about Station 8 and he is committed to resolving this important safety issue.
• George consistently will push for resources to be reoriented to the basics, for the good of all Residents. West Hollywood is a city with a lot of resources. Necessary City Services should take priority over the flashier personal projects of any staff member or Councilmember.

BACK TO BASICS: HELPING OUR RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES THRIVE

Situation

Recovery should be a given; however, barely surviving is simply not good enough for our city's businesses. This is West Hollywood and here, both our residents and our businesses should thrive! Yet we see businesses struggling and closing, residents concerned about unsafe neighborhoods, stalled and abandoned developments, and infrastructure which needs to be renewed.

Solution

• Everything in our City’s 1.9 square miles is connected, so many of the solutions to making sure our Residents and Business thrive are found through the solutions in George’s Priorities. It is important to recognize not only how interconnected these issues are, but also the ultimate goal in solving them: a thriving West Hollywood with prosperous businesses, a vibrant residential community, and a safe city.

COMMUNITY SAFETY

Situation

Community Safety is George’s number one priority. He moved to West Hollywood because of its reputation as a safe place to live, not just for the LGBTQ+ community, but for everyone. While crime is down overall 6.08% in 2023 from 2022, it must be put into context. This is down from the historic highs of 2022. While many categories of lesser crimes are down, far more alarming crimes have risen. Armed and Strong Arm Street Robberies and Residential Burglaries are all up (Link to see 2022 vs 2023 Data).

Just as George predicted, cutting sworn deputies from our West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station and attempting to replace them with a glut of unarmed Block by Block Security Ambassadors and a mishmash of social services is not working.  

Solutions

• On City Council, George will push to raise the number of Sworn Personnel at our West Hollywood Sheriff’s station to be more in line with what is necessary based upon the actual public safety needs of our city. While our city population may be around 37,000, due to the city's active night life and special events, our city swells way beyond that number on any given weeknight or weekend. 
• Replacing sworn deputies with Block by Block Security Ambassadors is the Privatization of Public Safety. George will push for cuts in this program, in favor of Sworn Personnel, to a level that makes sense.  
• George will continue supporting the implementation and effective use of 21st Century technology in policing, like fixed cameras, drones, and a Real Time Watch Center.
• George will look for ways to expand and strengthen the Volunteer Program at our Sheriff’s Department. These volunteers perform a variety of tasks that make residents safer and free up Sworn Personnel to do their vital duties.

COMMUNITY LIVABILITY

Situation

Livability is also on the ballot, and that covers a lot: Overdevelopment, inappropriately large developments applied for under the Builder’s Remedy, lack of green spaces, the presence of E-Scooters on West Hollywood’s streets and sidewalks, attempts to remove parking spaces (and/or car lanes) on Fountain Avenue and Gardner, increasingly large billboards and digital signage, and Homeless issues.

Solutions

• George will push for lobbying efforts to make small cities like West Hollywood, that have met their RHNA goals in previous cycles, to be exempt from State control over housing and development in our city. We must regain control over our own destiny.
• George has been an outspoken supporter of the preservation of our parks, old-growth trees, and community gardens. He will continue to do so on City Council as trees and plants combat climate change, improve the mental health of residents, and make our city more livable.
• E-Scooters are a danger to pedestrians, an impediment to the disabled, and a contributor to climate change (66% of E-Scooter riders used them not in place of driving a car, but instead of walking). As a City Councilmember, George would not have voted for the current contracts, which greatly favor the E-Scooter providers, and he will work to end the program.
• George is opposed to removing parking spaces and car lanes on Fountain and parking spaces on Gardner, although he does support efforts to beautify the streets and make Fountain sidewalks ADA compliant. Parking spaces on Fountain and Gardner have always been relied upon by residents who do not have access to on-site parking. And the removal of heavily used car lanes on Fountain for bike lanes in the hope that drivers will be encouraged to — or forced to — choose bikes instead of cars is not practical or realistic. If the City wants to reduce carbon emission from cars, the City should encourage the use of electric vehicles. We need more, and more efficient, charging stations. Bike safety is, and should be, a priority. The City should work to find alternative routes for bike lanes which will not inconvenience residents and disrupt the flow of traffic.   
• Homelessness impacts us all and the current situation is untenable. George’s plan is to reallocate money currently being spent on ineffective services to providing housing for those on our streets who are ready for it, and mental health care and addiction treatment for those who need it. He supports the use of the CARE Court when necessary — allowing people to continue living on the streets is not a viable option.
  
  

COMMUNITY ORIENTATION

Situation

Election to West Hollywood City Council should not be seen primarily as a steppingstone to higher political office or as a chance to push pet projects, ideology, and personal interests on Residents. The purpose of public service is to care for community above self.

Solution

Vote for George. He is committed to doing the work of his constituents, not special interests and outside forces. He refuses to take money from big developers, and he is not seeking higher office. He only wants to serve on City Council to make West Hollywood a better and safer place to live.