Levon "Lev" Baronian - LA City Council District 4
BACKGROUND & PERSPECTIVE
1. Experience: Please explain your past work on addressing corruption and advancing a more representative government.
Answer:
As a native Angeleno, I am deeply dedicated to the future of our city. My name is Levon Baronian and I am a lifelong community advocate, Sherman Oaks neighborhood councilmember, and founder of a youth non-profit who has always prioritized the needs of our community over special interests. Modern problems require novel innovators. I have dedicated my career to solving the most complex modern problems in business and government. As a senior software development professional, I spent 8 years as a NASA Engineer, garnering awards for introducing technological advancements to the federal agency. To bring us into the 21st century, we need creative specialists who can bring inventive strategies to a city establishment stuck in the repetitive bureaucracy of failed policies. The City of Los Angeles is endowed with unparalleled advantages, but career politicians have continuously squandered the potential of our city and mismanaged our resources for their personal agendas. I am a real member of our community. I am a father and family man who genuinely wants to raise this next generation in the best possible version of Los Angeles. As your representative, I will prioritize the highest standards of safety, and secure economic and technological opportunities for all Angelenos.
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:
1. Infrastructure: Los Angeles is a premier metropolitan city and Southern California in general has the highest potential in the country in terms of advantages. I plan on using my technology background as a former NASA engineer to introduce innovations which will bring our city into the new century. Builders are and always have been the backbone of civilization, I plan on working closely with construction trades to design a modern and cohesive city that will leave a history and legacy of ingenuity and craftsmanship for generations to come. Infrastructure has far reaching psychological consequences and quality of life for residents. For example, “The Broken Window Theory” is a criminological concept introduced by social scientists James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling in 1982. The theory suggests that visible signs of disorder and neglect, such as broken windows or graffiti, can contribute to an environment that fosters crime and antisocial behavior.
2. Homelessness: A study by University of California, San Francisco reported that an extra $300-$500 would have prevented homelessness for a significant number of the currently unhoused. Some 40% of Americans struggle to come up with $400 for an unexpected expense. With rising costs and stagnant wages, it is critical to provide easily accessible vocational and educational programs to train individuals in skills that can bridge this gap. The crisis surrounding the struggles of the unhoused is a multi-pronged economic, public health, and safety issue. Thus far, we have had temporary band-aids from policymakers who are more concerned with superficial optics than putting in the long-term substantive work needed to solve this challenging failure of the system. Homelessness is a manifestation of a combination of issues ranging from a rising cost of living, mental health issues, and substance abuse to the greater failure of our education system and barriers to entry for resources and community support.
3. Crime: Inadequate support has had a demoralizing effect on law enforcement's ability to deter criminal activities. Political policies have undermined the significance of arrests and have resulted in decreased personnel numbers and a surge in smash-and-grab robberies and property theft in Los Angeles.Thefts have increased 14% this year and are up 42% from this time two years ago: Los Angeles has a surge in property crimes due to lenient policies, inadequate consequences, and a decrease in law enforcement personnel. With zero cash bail and the Los Angeles District Attorney’s unwillingness to properly prosecute criminal acts. Implement best practices nationwide and enforce existing laws. Current leadership has severely disincentivized arresting criminals for burglary by declining to prosecute property crimes and putting thieves back on the street within hours with a simple ticket. Close to 50% of murders in Los Angeles go unsolved: Cities can boost their tech advantage by investing in smart infrastructure, using data analytics, adopting cloud tech, fostering innovation, prioritizing cybersecurity, and promoting digital literacy. Rape kit backlogs have ballooned to 12,000 cases & almost 50% of murders in Los Angeles go unsolved: The lack of funding and resources hinders the opportunity to apprehend these individuals, allowing them to persist in criminal activities. Nationwide, murders go unsolved for years while a rape kit from another crime with the killer’s DNA sits untested.
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:
In light of recent corruption in the Los Angeles City, I have made the decision to forgo special interest endorsements in favor of grassroots support as a pledge to voters that I will only be beholden to the interests of the community. Our city deserves leaders that prioritize the needs and concerns of the people over personal gain. Closed-door meetings and backdoor deals must be countered with transparency measures from the next generation of city leadership, ensuring that city time and resources are not allocated towards the political agenda of a select few. Once elected, politicians disappear from public view until the next election. Transparency begins with clear and continuous communication. My office will have designated outreach committed to regularly updating the community about decisions, initiatives, and the use of public resources. I will advocate for regularly scheduled open forums, town hall meetings, and digital platforms that enable residents to stay informed and engaged in the decision-making process. It's time to break down the barriers that have allowed corruption to thrive and ensure that nothing is done behind our backs. Accountability is essential for fostering trust between the government and its citizens. If elected, I will push for independent oversight and audit investigations into allegations of corruption. I will advocate for stronger ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations to ensure that public officials are held to the highest standards of integrity. By fostering a culture of accountability, we can rebuild the public's faith in our local government.
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:
Instead of expanding the size of the Los Angeles City Council, I have been an advocate for. delegating more power to neighborhood councils to directly address issues in their area.
5. Public Financing: Five years ago the City of LA expanded its public matching funds program. 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:
Matching funds were created during the McGovern-Fraser reforms to allow grassroots candidates to compete with big money establishment candidates. They are a tool of a more democratic system and must be preserved. In addition to maintaining the current matching funds system, I believe it is worth exploring the implementation of democracy vouchers as a complementary approach during a pilot program with strict research oversight to study its effectiveness and susceptibility to corruption and possible vote-buying/harvesting efforts that
could undermine the program.
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:
To be present, one must be physically present and actively participating. The people vote to have a representative, who is paid by taxpayers, to show up for them, and that is the foundational promise of the job. Collecting a paycheck while on autopilot or using public time and funds for covert purposes in backdoor meetings is careless and negligent, in my view, and should not be a form of acceptable governance.
“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:
Yes, placing measures on the ballot provides direct citizen involvement in shaping the city's governance structure.
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:
Yes, I support such democratic efforts.
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:
No.
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:
Yes, they cannot forget that they serve the people.