The two candidates for the 5th District City Council position squared off in a debate held in Kerckhoff Hall on Monday in preparation for the Los Angeles City runoff elections on May 19.
Hosted by Bruins for Traffic Relief, a UCLA student group, the discussion allowed students and members of the UCLA community to see candidates Paul Koretz and David T. Vahedi square off on issues such as traffic congestion and uses for the federal stimulus package funds.
KABC-TV televised the debate, and ABC-7 newscaster Adrienne Alpert moderated. Questions drafted by members of Bruins for Traffic Relief were used throughout the event, and were supplemented with questions from ABC-7 viewers.
Discussion commenced with the issue of traffic congestion in the 5th District, of which UCLA is a part. Vahedi proposed the ideas of creating more carpooling options and increasing parking on public boulevards.
Koretz had similar ideas, but added that in the future, he would like to create a personalized rapid transit line that would function much like a monorail and get a commuter directly to his or her destination without any stops.
As a follow-up question, Alpert asked about the candidates’ plans for the federal stimulus package money, should they be elected. Koretz said that he would rank transportation as his highest priority, closely followed by district infrastructure including sidewalk and street maintenance, and affordable housing options.
In contrast, Vahedi said that he would first focus on ensuring that the district had a sufficient number of hospitals, and then concentrate on improving transportation and schools. He added that he would work to provide a greater amount of scholarships for local students.
The debate also focused on the issue of under-policing in the 5th District. Vahedi said that he thought that the district was shortchanged on police officers and argued that he would “demand our fair share of officers.”
Koretz said he agreed, adding that the district needed to increase police presence before crime increased.
“We’ve reached the point that we are vulnerable,” he said. “Criminals know this is an under-policed area and we’re starting to see the results of this.”
Toward the end of the debate, the conversation turned to the candidates’ ideas to reduce the district’s carbon footprint. Koretz said that he supported the increased use of solar energy and encouraged the extension of Los Angeles’ mass transit lines all the way to the Los Angeles International Airport, instead of stopping prior to this location, to increase efficiency.
Vahedi also expressed his support of solar power and said that Los Angeles “needs to go green.” He said that Los Angeles needs to encourage the development of green industries in order to increase employment opportunities.
Many students attended the debate to listen to the discussion, and they constituted a large part of the audience.
“Many people only pay attention to major elections, but this (election) is important for young college students,” said Valeria Cuevas, a first-year political science student. “I want to stay involved, even though I’m not a citizen.”
Some attendees commented on lack of questions directly pertaining to UCLA students.
“There weren’t enough questions that addressed UCLA concerns,” said Melanie Schmidt, a graduate history student. “I think there should have been at least one question that pertained to the school.”