Jillian Burgos - LA City Council District 2
BACKGROUND & PERSPECTIVE
1. Experience: Please explain your past work on addressing corruption and advancing a more representative government.
Answer: In 2020, I noticed a lack of BIPOC representation in my neighborhood council. Our district is 60% renters and 43% Latino, but my neighborhood council at the time was mostly cis white male homeowners. This inspired me to run in 2021 and I was elected and able to advocate for renters and just treatment of my unhoused neighbors. My first act was to become chair of the Homelessness Committee and change the name to Housing and Services because Homelessness is a housing issue. I’m proud to say that the NoHo Neighborhood Council is known for writing a multitude of Community Impact Statements to let our City Council know exactly how we feel about the issues going on in Los Angeles.
In addition, I joined as many social justice groups doing the work on the ground and in 2023 I was able to advocate for Unarmed Crisis Response with LA Forward. We went to City Council meetings, wrote in public comment, and got many organizations to join us in our advocacy. We were able to change the Mayor’s 2023 budget from $0 allocated to additional mental health services to $16M and rally for the expansion of the CIRCLE program which at the time was only in two council districts. Our work is still in progress as now we have pivoted to ensuring the funds get allocated to these life saving services. I’ve also pushed for Charter reform and City Council expansion and used my campaign platform to push for Housing as a Human Right, transparency and accountability in City Hall, and built community solidarity by being on the strike lines, showing up to protests, utilizing social media to teach the community about important ballot measures, issues in our city and how to use essential city services.
I am a corporate free candidate and have been very vocal about addressing the wrongs the establishment has committed and helping our community truly heal. This is why I am the first candidate to receive the endorsement of our City Controller Kenneth Mejia and have been featured in nearly every progressive voter guide. I am committed to serving the people of CD2 and the people of Los Angeles as long as they will have me and have no plans to use this seat as a means to higher office.
2. Priorities: Councilmembers have many issues on their plate, and limited political capital. List your top three policy priorities for addressing corruption or advancing government reform that you intend to lead on?
Answer: Los Angeles has been rocked by corruption. From the LA Fed tapes revealing that our very own district was gerrymandered to four (at last count) council members being indicted for crimes, the people of our city have been not only ignored, but disrespected. We even saw antics right before our very eyes with the ethics commission appointment of Jamie York. The languageof the item to approve York was covertly changed to disapprove and no public comment was allowed. As a neighborhood council member, this set off alarms and it was disheartening to see every member who was present vote no to one of the most ethical and qualified candidates to ever have been nominated. I am not beholden to any special interests and will bring transparency and accountability to the City Council. This is why I’m endorsed by our City Controller and have built a strong relationship with his office and other current council member offices. We also see this type of corruption in our elections.
My priorities: I would move that election costs should be capped, ban corporate donations, and instate democracy vouchers to give the power to the people with the best ideas, and not just those with the deepest pockets or those who have been anointed in backroom deals. We also need serious conversations about charter reform. It shouldn’t just be about expanding the City Council. We all know that needs to happen to properly represent the people. We should also talk about ways in which the council is kept in check. One idea is an elected Public Advocate in the manner that New York City has. But the reality is that we cannot continue to allow Councilmembers run amok with power and money, and we cannot have entire districts, quarter of a million people at a time, left without representation for extended periods of time when those Councilmembers are caught abusing the public trust. Finally, we need to change one city council meeting to an evening or weekend so the people can engage with their government on a working class schedule, not a privileged one.
3. Fundraising: City candidates are prohibited from accepting direct contributions from city lobbyists, restricted developers, and certain contractors/contract applicants. Beyond the restrictions covered by city law, are there any industries or interest groups from which you are declining contributions? Any additional efforts you are making to run a “clean money” campaign?
Answer: I am the true grassroots candidate choice and running a clean campaign by walking the walk and not taking campaign funds from police, realtors, fossil fuel companies, insurance companies or corporations. I have made this pledge on video and in writing numerous times.
OPEN POLICY QUESTIONS
4. Council Size: What is your perspective on potentially expanding the membership of the LA City Council? What Council size will you advocate for? (If you do not have a specific number in mind, you are welcome to provide a range. You are also welcome to suggest ideas other than single member Council districts, like multi-member districts or having a combination of district & regional representation on the Council)
Answer: I highly support City Council expansion and would love to see the council expanded to 29-31 seats. Currently it is nearly impossible for community members to engage with their council office, let alone their city council member. This is why the Valley wanted to secede and the neighborhood councils were intended to bridge that gap. The Neighborhood Council system was well intended, but even as a neighborhood council member at times it’s very difficult to reach a council member’s office or get any collaboration. We need to create a system that’s more similar to other metropolitan cities like NY or Chicago so there’s more fair and equitable representation. Our City Councilmembers should not have more power than the Mayor. Each district needs to represent no more than 150,000 people and have larger staff to address constituents' concerns. More voices of the community being represented is a good thing and I hope to help pave the way for this.
5. Public Financing: Five years ago the City of LA expanded its public matching funds program. The City Council will soon receive a report on a number of options for overhauling our public financing system. What is your vision for the future of public financing of elections in the City of LA? (Please specify if you would like to build upon the current program, move in a different direction with democracy vouchers, or utilize one of the hybrid approaches detailed in the motion to achieve full public financing).
Answer: We need to do everything in our power to remove ALL special interest groups from buying our City Council seats. The only group that should have influence over who is elected are the actual constituents of the district. I would push for a cap on all elections and for them to be publicly funded. Every registered voter should receive democracy vouchers and candidates/incumbents should have to earn the confidence and funding of the people. We need to remove special interest groups from being able to fund candidates through mailers or fundraisers. The idea of what a public servant is must be preserved as an official that represents the will of the people. About the matching funds program: We need to streamline the program and make it more transparent and straightforward for candidates to apply. Currently, the approval process is subjective depending on the person processing the application and this is not fair to all candidates. There is a disconnect between what Ethics believes is communicated and what communication is received by the campaigns. We have heard from longtime fundraisers who are also frustrated with this process, citing cities like Washington DC and Berkeley that do not require jumping through half the hoops that Los Angeles does. The end goal should be to encourage everyday people to run for office who otherwise would not be able to, due to financial constraints, to have viable campaigns.
6. Council Rules & Voting: Council Rules permit a member to be counted as present, even while off the council floor. In fact, so long as the audio of the meeting is running, a member may meet privately with lobbyists in rooms behind council chambers during a meeting. Unless a member is at their desk and presses a button, they are automatically registered as an affirmative vote on items being considered. What are your thoughts on these Council Rules? What do you think is the right approach?
Answer: I think this is completely unethical and each council member should have to be present in order to vote. As a Neighborhood Council Member we are required to be present and the same rules should be followed on the City level.
“YES / NO / DEPENDS” POLICY QUESTIONS
(If you would like to provide additional context you are welcome to provide a max of 1 sentence w/ more info on your answer)
7. Charter Commission Powers: The City Council is currently considering the potential creation of a charter commission to undertake the first comprehensive review of our charter in nearly a quarter century. The proposal recently floated at committee would not grant any authority to this commission, and it would merely be advisory. Some cities, like Portland, give their charter review commission the power, if necessary, to place a measure on the ballot if it secures the support of 15 out of 20 commissioners. In the 90s, Council was forced to negotiate with the unified charter commission in good faith because the elected commission retained the power to put a measure on the ballot.
Would you support giving the charter commission the power to place a measure on the ballot, if necessary, so long as it receives the support of 75% of the commission?
● Yes/No/Depends:
● Additional context: I support any proposal that will keep our government in check. The time of corruption at the cost of the people must come to an end.
8. 2024 Charter Ethics Reform: The City Council has had varying levels of discussions about enhancing the independence and authority of the City Ethics Commission. It is currently unclear if council will be undertaking the work necessary to refine those proposals and place them on the November 2024 ballot, or if these proposals will be sent to the previously mentioned charter commission for further consideration and placement on the 2026 ballot. Do you believe these Charter Ethics Reforms should be on the November 2024 Ballot?
● Yes/No/Depends:
● Additional context: We have waited for far too long to have Charter Ethics reform. In order to reestablish trust, the City can and should be prioritizing this for the November 2024 Ballot.
9. Ballot Qualification: LA City Council candidates are required to secure at least 500 valid in-district signatures to appear on the ballot, significantly more than required by most other jurisdictions.
Would you support cutting this threshold in half to 250 valid in-district signatures?
● Yes/No/Depends:
● Additional context: As a candidate who had to go through this process, I can attest that this process puts everyday people who want to run for office at a severe disadvantage. Corporate candidates hire signature gathers and put zero effort into meeting their future constituents. It’s misleading to say that only 500 signatures are necessary. In order to get 500 accurate signatures, you must actually get nearly 700-1000. We had two holidays during this time and a Democratic convention that cut into our signature gathering opportunities.
10. Remote Comment: When LA City Council resumed in-person committee meetings last year, they ended remote public comment at committees.
Will you advocate for the restoration of remote public comment at committees?
● Yes/No/Depends:
● Additional context: I believe that remote public comment should be restored at committee meetings and public comment should be taken at the beginning of regular City Council meetings. It’s gravely disappointing for the public to not have an opportunity to engage with their government. It is our right.