One vote can make a difference!
In the CD2 election between Wendy Greuel and Tony Cardenas, the difference was only a few hundred votes!
About the common "my vote doesn't make a difference" misconception, well-known community activist, neighborhood council board member, and accomplished horsewoman Royan Herman makes the following observation:
I just heard a horse person say that he/she did not plan to vote for Mary Benson because it would waste a vote. Thought I would send some info so that people can make better educated decisions.
CD2 has roughly 250,000 residents, including children. If half are adults, registered to vote, that's 125,000. This being a special election, expectations normally run at about 10% turn out by voters, That's 15,000 people to elect one of ten (10) candidates. Seven of those candidates have Studio City -Sherman Oaks as a base. If Shadow Hills, Lake View Terrace and La Tuna stick together, we can seat the candidate of our choosing.
For me that candidate would be Mary Benson. She has already devoted two decades of her life to preserving and improving our horse and foothill communities. Did you know that Wendy Greuel won her first election by about 400 votes - that's hundred, not thousands?
If you care a lot or not at all who sits for us in City Council, but you worry about horse rights or developers along Foothill Blvd. in Lake View Terrace, the foothills of Shadow Hills now that McBroom is paved and people killing horse keeping in La Tuna with huge storage buildings on large parcels and you can vote, you can seat a local candidate who who knows many of us personally, knows our needs and understands our worries for the future and the kids coming up.
Should we decide to seat a local candidate, there will be no vote wasted. We can do it.
Please think about this!
Royan
Walter Moore — 2008 Los Angeles Mayoral Candidate:
The DWP is going forward with removing the annual 10% cap and quarterly rate adjustments based on the cost of energy.
DWP projects that the cost of energy will increase over the next year by 14.1% and nearly double by the year 2014. This is a pass through of energy costs officially titled -Energy Cost Adjustment Factor (ECAF) It's all based on higher costs of energy from existing sources and the integration of wind power. Rate payers that use less than 500 KWH (basically apartment dwellers) will be subsidized by those using over 1300 KWH per month. Those customer's bills will jump from $280 per month to nearly $350 per month according to the new tier rate chart.
Outside the DWP, this looks like a $20 billion plan to re-implement Measure B, which the public wisely voted down earlier this year. While the argument is that the increases will fund repairing infrastructure, it is only ONE of several rate structure increases that the DWP has planned for you in the short term.
What's shocking is that the alternative to removing this cap is - according to DWP - to cut back on Capital Programs for infrastructure. Nowhere do they mention the obvious cost savings measures that could be achieved by cost cutting or scaling back the massive unfunded pension and retirement costs for the DWP union.
As a City Council member, I would ask for more accountability. DWP would need to show actual cost reduction in their operations. An independant ratepayer advocate than has access to DWP records is the best way to achieve that accountability.
Mary K. Benson
"...I always thought our politicans were doing a great job for us. Originally, Howard Finn Represented the whole North East San Fernando and Tujunga Valleys. We've been abandoned up here in CD2 by more council members. They've run for office, got elected, then run out after they were elected. I'm told that's what career politicians do, always campaigning, always climbing the ladder of political asention.
"Now that I've officially been added to the ballot since before noon on Tuesday, I'm finding out some even more fascinating info that pertains to being a perpetual candidate. This election is for filling out the two year remainder of the term for vacant CD#2 office. Friday July 31 is the final day to report how many dollars the professionals have raised since their campaign offices began stocking their war chests since MARCH of this year. March, one month after Greuel was elected controller is when the pros knew they could start socking the money away. The Campaign Office never goes away, and one has to wonder how much off duty time staff put in to keep it going.
"After the September 22 Primary, it all starts over again, because the window opens in OCTOBER 2009 for the 2011 Election! Candidates wanting to take a second shot will be gearing up even before the final results of who gets the job is even decided. No wonder incumbents have such a lock on the seat. And what an encumbancy - a total of 14 years.
"Of the current office jumpers, who will stick around before they take off and move out to qualify somewhere else?
"I never had to do any moving to qualify for the race, nor do I intend to move out, regardless of the outcome of the election. As a first time candidate, I have never worked for City Government. My husband and I run a private business, and our income doesn't "keep on coming" as I take time to campaign. Good thing my husband is the computer genius, and I manage the office paperwork. We don't have the benefit of a paid time off to campaign. "
Mary K. Benson
