The Issues

By Chris Salabaj

Education Reform, Gang and Graffiti Removal, Job Creation, Port Relations and Wasteful Spending

- LAUSD needs to be reformed. There has been an absence of the education committee. We need to invest in our youth. They can provide vital improvement in our communities. I intend on working with the communities schools and students to create pride in our community. I have been an educator for over 15 years in private and public schools. I know what it takes to make our schools more productive. With Supt. Cortines leading the way, the district and city will have a better working relationship. Who is the candidate that has worked inside the district and knows about the current issues? I am the candidate that will be the most effective.

Gangs and Graffiti:

- Gangs and graffiti continue to plague our city. I intend on educating the children, in our schools, about gangs and how they destroy lives. We don't spend enough time showing our youth the road to success; many get lost and find themselves in very bad situations. Our community also offers guidance in many different forms. Coming together to raise our youth as a community should be our vision. The LAPD offers the support that we need, but it will take the community to accomplish this goal. I intend on leading our communities and create a progressive plan that eliminates gangs and taggers. Together we can succeed. I plan to devise a plan that will increase the number of officers on the street. Compared to other big cities, we don't have the same population to officer ratio.

Job Creation:

- As many businesses are closing, many people are losing their job. There hasn't been any intervention from the city. In fact, Los Angeles is the 5th most expensive city, in the nation, to do business in. We need to make our city more attractable to businesses. We need to look at the fees and taxes that we charge. I intend on making our district an attractive location for businesses, which will create jobs. I will research the best incentives that will support growth in our economy.

Port Relations:

- The ports are a vital part of our nation's economy. We should expedite the improvements that have been proposed and funded. The families should benefit from this as well. We need to rebuild the Wilmington and San Pedro waterfronts and neighborhoods to what they once were. In other words, we need less talk and more action. The men and women working at the ports should be a priority for our district. I intend to support them when called upon.

Wasteful Spending:

- I will not allow wasteful spending. There have been many projects in our district that have wasted millions of dollars. There are many sites that the city has that remain dirt fields. Some of these were promised to the community to be locations for parks. Furthermore, the San Pedro "Welcome Park" is never used. What was it's purpose? I will research every investment that is planned to guarantee it will be a valuable addition to our district.

For the Record:
- My first motion on the council will be that the city council members take a temporary pay-cut of 10% for two years. If we are going to fix our budget, we need to start making sacrifices ourselves. It is not fair that our elected officials are driving city vehicles paid for by the citizens, and they make much more than a majority of us. As a fellow citizen, making a teacher's salary and a father of five, I, like all of you, pay for my transportation. I think I will be able to paying for my own transportation if I am elected.