A run-off debate between the two candidates for the Los Angeles City Council 5th District seat will be hosted at the Charles E. Young Grand Salon in Kerckhoff Hall at 6:30 p.m. today.
The event, which will be taped for broadcast by KABC-TV, will consist of six questions compiled by students that relate to issues such as housing in Westwood and land-use policies.
The debate, which is between candidates Paul Koretz and David Vahedi, is hosted by the student group Bruins for Traffic Relief and is sponsored by the Graduate Students Association and the Undergraduate Students Association Council. ABC7 newscaster Adrienne Alpert will serve as the debate’s moderator.
“I think it’s important for students to get involved with local politics because these issues can be taken care of by (local politicians),” said Mikhail Silin, a fourth-year communication studies student and the president of Bruins for Traffic Relief.
“Since there’s apathy in student voting, politicians don’t count them as part of the constituents,” he added.
As a transit-oriented organization, Bruins for Traffic Relief began to take an interest in local politics after they campaigned for Measure R, the November ballot initiative that supported funding for transportation.
Through their involvement, members met local politicians such as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and began to realize the impact that these officials had on the lives of students, Silin said.
From there, the group worked together to conceive the idea of a run-off debate between Koretz and Vahedi and drafted a list of questions relevant to 18- to 35-year-olds.
Members of the club are concerned with the zoning and land-use policies in Westwood.
Based on these policies, nightclubs cannot be built in the area, said Sirinya Tritipeskul, an urban planning graduate student.
She added that residents are wary of such establishments and usually oppose measures that would reverse the current policies.
Because of this attitude, she said that UCLA students are forced to travel to Hollywood if they want to attend a nightclub.
“There’s not a place for undergraduates to go,” she said.
“There’s not a place for anyone to go, and just because we’re students doesn’t mean we roll over dead and can’t share the retail district with the constituents.”
Housing issues will also be emphasized during the debate, particularly in light of the increasing numbers of veterans returning from overseas and the growing problem of homelessness.
“Since most graduate student housing is in (the 5th district), it’s important to be better educated with our two choices,” said Juan Matute, a member of Bruins for Traffic Relief and an urban planning graduate student.
Silin said other issues that may be addressed are the candidates’ ideas on improving traffic conditions in Westwood and commuter traffic from the San Fernando Valley, as well as the importance of sustainability and energy and the candidates’ stance on billboards and intrusive ads.
“Council people have a huge influence in what happens here and what the neighborhood looks like,” Tritipeskul said.
“There’s a lot to pay attention to.”