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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Business Backs City Hall Vet

In an L.A. Council race that comes down to an experienced City Hall insider versus the outsider with new perspective, business is lining up with the insider. The political action committees of the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and the Los Angeles County Business Federation, or BizFed, have all endorsed Carolyn Ramsay for the District 4 Council seat in the May 19 general election. Ramsay is running against David Ryu to represent the district stretching from the Miracle Mile to Sherman Oaks. The winner will replace Councilman Tom LaBonge, who has been termed out. The business groups all cite Ramsay’s experience at City Hall, where she served as chief of staff to LaBonge. Ryu is director of development and public affairs with L.A. non-profit Kedren Acute Psychiatric Hospital and Community Health Center. He has never held elective office. Ramsay and Ryu do not differ much on the issues, including phasing out the city’s gross receipt tax and speeding up transportation improvements in the San Fernando Valley. But the business groups are placing a high value on someone who has a track record of working with other elected officials. “They may want to get to the same place but who is going to know the most effective way to get there?” asked Ruben Gonzalez, senior vice president for political affairs at the Los Angeles chamber. “Is it someone who has wrestled the beast or someone who hasn’t?” Ryu and Ramsay were the two candidates out of a field of 14 receiving the most votes in the March 3 primary. In that race the Los Angeles chamber and VICA PACs did not endorse any candidates, but BizFed PAC picked four “preferred” candidates, including Ryu and Ramsay. Ramsay also has taken a fundraising lead on Ryu. She has raised $355,490 in the general election as of the most recent filing period ending May 2, while Ryu raised $292,350. Valley business interests have contributed more to Ramsay during the general election. She was outpaced by Ryu during the primary, bringing in only $5,600, but her business-related contributions rose to $7,250 as of May 2. Ryu collected $6,200 from Valley area business interests in the primary but only $3,400 in the general election so far. BizFed PAC contributed the legal limit of $700 to Ramsay’s campaign while the chamber and VICA PACs had not contributed to either candidate. However, Ryu has had an advantage in receiving support from independent groups not affiliated with his campaign [RTF bookmark start: }_GoBack[RTF bookmark end: }_GoBackcalling voters and mailing out campaign literature. Latinos Supporting David Ryu for City Council 2015, Neighbors for a Better LA in Support of David Ryu and the issues and advocacy committee of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party spent a total of $54,486 through May 2. LA Jobs PAC, sponsored by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, by comparison has spent just short of $6,400 on mailers for Ramsay. The oddly shaped district, which was redrawn in 2012, includes a central portion pf the Valley that stretches from Griffith Park west to Coldwater Canyon Drive and Franklin Canyon Park. Two other sections jut out from this – one to the south taking in the Miracle Mile and Hancock Park and the other to the northwest into Sherman Oaks. The Valley portion includes the commercial corridor along Ventura Boulevard as well as the Sherman Oaks Galleria and Westfield Fashion Square mall. The district also contains commercial sectors in Los Feliz and Toluca Lake, and an area of office and retail complexes on Wilshire Boulevard. Ramsay said the election will come down to which candidate can get their goals accomplished at City Hall, both by working inside of its walls and outside with interested groups. She cites her assistance in building a $2.6 million soccer field at Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Park and acquiring 138 acres to expand Griffith Park as examples of working with large groups. “I deserve support for the work I have done and the work plan to do,” she added. Ryu, who is Korean American, is gaining support from that ethnic community, which has drawn interest in the election from those who perhaps had not been involved in City Council elections before. But that might not amount to much at the ballot box. The Koreatown neighborhood is outside the District 4 boundaries, and less than 8 percent of the district’s registered voters are Asian Americans, according to a city analysis from 2012. What’s more, Ryu noted that much of the far-flung district is made up of residential neighborhoods, and connecting with the disparate business districts has been tough. He also has struggled to engage with voters because of what he perceives as a general lack of interest in the election. “The number one struggle is apathy and not just from business, it is everybody,” he said. Concrete ideas BizFed Chief Executive Tracy Rafter said that Ramsay and Ryu were interviewed a second time by the PAC for the general election. Between the two, Ramsay was more in tune with what is needed for strong economic development and providing support for the private sector, Rafter said. “She had more specifics and concrete ideas about moving the city forward,” she added. Ramsay has proposed a Hollywood Innovation Zone, a 20-block area bounded roughly by Sunset Boulevard, Cole Avenue, Melrose Avenue and La Brea Avenue. The idea is to enact land use changes, improve the infrastructure and develop private sector partnerships to attract entrepreneurs and startups in entertainment technology. The chamber based its endorsement on questionnaires, candidate interviews and polling in the district favoring Ramsay, Gonzalez said. And VICA completed interviews with Ramsay and Ryu, as well as hosting an April 29 forum at its Sherman Oaks offices at which the advocacy group’s members asked questions of both candidates. VICA placed strong emphasis on Ramsay’s experience at City Hall. President Stuart Waldman said she will be able to hit the ground running and serve her constituents. “She has a deep understanding on how to balance the needs of the community with the needs of the city (as a whole),” he explained. Despite the endorsement from the business groups, Ramsay has joined Ryu in supporting Mayor Eric Garcetti’s plan to increase the minimum wage to $13.25 over three years. Ramsay said the best scenario would be a state-wide minimum wage hike but if that does not happen, the mayor’s proposal is reasonable. “It will have a meaningful impact on the lives of working people,” she said. And while Ryu supports many ideas supported by businesses, he will not be taking donations from developers. He cites opposition to “mansionization,” the replacement of small homes with larger ones that can often take up an entire lot. “How can you protect neighborhoods when you are accepting support and donations from them?” Ryu asked. At the same time, Ryu said he believes strongly in economic development, especially through increased cooperation and trade with Pacific Rim countries. Despite recent high-profile investments from Asian businesses, including the $1 billion skyscraper Korean Air is building in downtown Los Angeles, Ryu claims elected officials have not done enough to promote such investment. He said he has an advantage in being culturally attuned to how business is done in Asian countries and has served on the board of the Asian Business Association. “It’s easier to explain the process and build trust to help navigate and connect with the right people,” he said.

Mark Madler
Mark Madler
Mark R. Madler covers aviation & aerospace, manufacturing, technology, automotive & transportation, media & entertainment and the Antelope Valley. He joined the company in February 2006. Madler previously worked as a reporter for the Burbank Leader. Before that, he was a reporter for the City News Bureau of Chicago and several daily newspapers in the suburban Chicago area. He has a bachelor’s of science degree in journalism from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

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