Meet the future leaders of Santa Monica
(Questions from the Santa Monica Daily Press):

 Name:   Michael Feinstein

Age:  45

Political affiliation:  Green Party

Profession:  Activist/Author

Alternative career. What you do if you weren’t employed in your current profession?  Wandering Jew.

Educational background:  Bachelors of Arts, Carleton College (Northfield, MN) ’82,  Philosophy Major.

Family: Marital status. Number of children?  Single

How long have you lived in Santa Monica?  Twenty years, since 1984

What neighborhood do you live in?  Ocean Park

Where did you move from?  Minnesota

Why did you choose to live here?  The natural beauty of the area

Rent or own?  Rent

Favorite place in Santa Monica?  The beach, the ocean and Palisades Park

Worst thing about living in Santa Monica?  When the marine layer stays for two weeks at a time and we never see the sun and it feels like we are living inside a cloud.

Public service/political experience?  City Councilmember 1996-present, Mayor 2000-2002, for more see www.feinstein.org/2004/govern.html

How many cars do you own? What do you drive?  I mostly store a classic 1970 blue & white VW Van that I drive once in a while, but mostly just hold onto, until there will be an environmentally sound alternative fuel I can practically convert it to.  In lieu of this, I drive a Toyota Prius gas/electric hybrid.

Philosophy on life?  Son las cosas de la vida.

If you could have dinner with three people from history, alive or dead, who would they be? Why?   Other than having my parents re-united (unfortunately my father passed away in 1992, while fortunately my mother lives three blocks away from me here in Santa Monica), I would start with Albert Einstein and Mohandas Gandhi.  After those two, I’d see what else I needed to learn, and pick a third person then.

Favorite quote?  “Never up, never in” (I used to be a golfer – I even lettered in it in college - and this is a golf quote about putting, author unknown).

What keeps you up at night?  The peace of the night and the clarity that comes with it.

Pet peeves?  People who can’t make a left-turn and don’t get out far enough into the intersection.

How do you take the edge off? (How do you relieve stress)?  Sports, nature, int’l travel.

What’s your biggest accomplishment in life?  Being in the right place at the right time, to be adopted as an orphan in Athens, Greece by wonderful American parents, who brought me back to the United States and gave me all of the love, education and advantages that I could ever want, giving me all the opportunities to be whomever I wanted to be.

What’s your biggest disappointment in life?  The Minnesota Vikings losing four Super Bowls (I was raised in Minnesota and the whole state has a ‘second best’ complex, it’s part of ‘Minnesota Nice’.)

Tell us one thing people would be surprised to know about you.  I was the first sales representatives for Rollerblades in California (I went to high school with the inventor) and helped start the trend here back in the early 1980s.

Fetishes?  Long Council meetings.

Hobbies/interests. How do you spend your recreational time?  Sports, nature. Family.

What’s the last live performance you saw?  R.E.M., October 13th, 2004 at the Greek Theatre, which was the first show of their 2004-2005 World Tour.

Last book you read? “Julian” by Gore Vidal (about 4th century Rome), which I read in Rome itself, as well as in Ravello on the Amalfi Coast (of “Beat the Devil” fame with Humphrey Bogart).  Mixing the book and actually being in Italia at the same time was great.

Endorsed by:  My mother, the Sierra Club and hundreds of your neighbors.

Question #1:

In 300 words or less, answer this: If you were elected into office, what would be the first policy change you would make? How would you ensure a majority vote on that policy?

The major task of the City Council in the next few years will be the update of the City’s General Plan, the first such update in more than twenty years.  That process will involve revisiting all of the zoning ordinances in the entire city, along with the city’s circulation plan, all in a comprehensive manner.  This will shape the future of our community for decades.

Before us are the hard questions about ‘what is the capacity of our infrastructure’, and ‘what land use choices will actually reduce traffic’ by promoting a healthy jobs/housing balance and promoting/retaining community-serving local business.

It is critical that this process to be done well and thoroughly.   We must begin by ensuring the broadest participation of all of Santa Monicans.  At the same time, it is critical that we go forward together, based upon

• a shared foundation of knowledge of applicable local, state and federal laws and standards as regards growth and development, as well as upon
• a shared foundation of knowledge of best land use practices around the nation and the world.   

My goal is to ensure this really happens, as we finalize our work plan, including with the consultant the City has hired.

As an example of how I can make something like this happen, the last time I was elected in 2000 (and was also then chosen as Mayor), I took immediate initiative to propose what became the East-West Corridor Task Force, to look at parking solutions along the elongated commercial corridors of Wilshire, Santa Monica, Pico, Montana, where we’ve had ongoing tension between neighbors and small businesses, both of which are short on parking. 

The recommendations of that Task Force are coming to Council shortly.

Question #2:

In 300 words or less, convince the public on why they should vote for you.

It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve our community over the past eight years, as a City Councilmember and Mayor.  With your support, I would like to continue that work.

I am a twenty-year resident of Santa Monica who loves and knows this city well. I combine enthusiasm with reason and common sense, and I make my decisions from the heart, listening carefully to everyone and trying to do what is best for our community. 

My goals include:

A community of opportunity and quality of life for all – families, youth and seniors, renters and homeowners, workers and small businesses;

A community of awesome natural beauty and a healthy environment, with a clean bay bordering livable, tree-lined residential neighborhoods, where people of all incomes can live and be secure in their tenancies/homes; 

A community of vibrant, walkable commercial districts that mix community-serving small businesses together with regional/national/int’l destinations;  and

A community with an increasing number of parks and public open spaces, with quality education and sufficient child care available to all.

With major development choices before us as part of the General Plan revision, I bring important skills and experience regarding traffic and development.

When first elected in 1996, I was part of a community reaction to large-scale development in the late 1980s/early 1990s, as well the subsequent ongoing development pressure resulting from spiraling land prices.

Immediately I helped enact a variety of interim ordinances designed to respond to these changes and protect our local quality of life. I’ve also served regionally on the Southern California Growth Visioning Task Force, gaining critical experience doing land use, housing and transportation planning for six Southern California counties over the next twenty years.

If re-elected, you will have my commitment 100%, heart and soul.  Please consider me as one of your four choices this November.

Question #3:

In 300 words or less, what will be your top three priorities the first year of holding office?

-  Priority One: To increase transparent and well-planned partnerships between the City, School District and College. In particular I would focus on coordinated land use and ballot strategies that will get the most educational support and open space acquisition for our dollars.

The broader public also has to be involved in the creation of these strategies up front, rather than hearing about them right before they either go to the ballot or the initiative process, as has been the case in recent years.

-  Priority Two: Build upon the momentum here in Santa Monica and across Los Angeles County to achieve effective regional approaches to homelessness, including the siting and funding of affordable housing, social services, health care and other services across the county. 

-  Priority Three: To achieve an integrated, healthy approach to land use and development in the downtown, including

• ensuring that the Expo Rail line will ultimately come to Santa Monica

• coordinating the 4th St./Colorado rail station that will come with it together with the renovations of the Civic Center and Santa Monica Place,  in order to create an interconnected urban fabric between the Pier, Promenade, Civic Center and Light Rail station,

• finalizing a strategy to renovate/relocate the theatres that are currently on the promenade, in order to preserve their role in the vitality of the downtown,

• continuing to promote diversity and balance of uses in the district, so the Promenade and overall downtown does not become devoid of character, like many indoor malls

• moving ahead on the City’s parking plan to add and better distribute parking across the downtown

---