Candidate Profile: Lori Greene Gordon, Beverly Hills City Council

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — There are five candidates and one write-in candidate vying for two City Council positions in Beverly Hills for the election on March 3.

Patch asked them to describe their qualifications and visions for Beverly Hills.

Lori Greene Gordon, 64, is running for a spot on the Beverly Hills City Council.

Family

I have been married to my husband, Neil Gordon, since 1992. We have two daughters, both of whom are alumnae of Hawthorne Elementary School, Beverly Hills High School and USC. I'm a third-generation resident, and my two brothers are also 50+-year residents of Beverly Hills.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No.

Education

Beverly Hills High School, 1973
B.A., Theater Arts, UCLA, 1978 - Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude
M.B.A., UCLA Anderson School of Management, 1980

Occupation

Owner/Manager of Commercial Real Estate Portfolio - 39 years

Campaign website

www.votelori2020.com

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Member and Former Chair, Beverly Hills Planning Commission
Member of the Board of Advisors, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs

The single most pressing issue facing our (state, district, community, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The State of California is mandating that our city create more that 3100 new housing units during this next decade. This is a sea change for our community with a stable population of 35,000 for more than 50 years. How are we going to accomplish this? We must look at our R-4 multi family zones, which currently have many two-story apartment buildings, as the first place to rezone with moderately increased height and smaller apartments that will allow younger residents to remain in the city and our seniors to age in place. Additionally, as a member of the Planning Commission, I am working on enabling our city to create mixed use properties. This will be a boon to our ability to increase our housing stock and to create "villages within the village" that will allow for walkable communities within Beverly Hills.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I am the only candidate with nearly 40 years of direct business and management experience. I am also the only candidate endorsed by all five members of the Board of Education, 5 Beverly Hills mayors, and every living city treasurer.

Most importantly, though, I've raised two now-adult daughters who, despite being busy young professionals, have chosen to be active leaders in my campaign. This is nearly unprecedented in our community, as children of candidates are almost never involved in their parents' campaigns, but my daughters have volunteered all of their free time for me.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

Our current officeholders have been bolstered in this election by a PAC called Beverly Hills United for Bosse and Gold. The PAC has raised nearly $90,000 to see the two incumbents re-elected, yet most of the contributors are not Beverly Hills voters or even residents. They own property in the city and clearly believe that the incumbents will help them when these developers come to the city with projects that require special entitlements.

Neither incumbent has sufficiently disavowed the PAC; while both have stated that they were not responsible for the PAC campaign, neither has denounced the use of special interest funds in our election, and neither has refused the PAC's support. This disappoints me greatly because I feel that elected officials should represent the residents of their community, not property owners who hope to make money at the expense of residents. I have firmly and adamantly opposed special interest involvement in this election and will continue to oppose special interest money infiltrating our city.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

—Protecting our residential neighborhoods in the face of state-mandated development
—Prioritizing real solutions for cut-through traffic
—Demystifying and streamlining our planning process and making city hall more accessible to all
—Developing our retail community for the 21st century and beyond by courting new and unique experiential businesses
—Reducing and/or eliminating extraneous fees for water, refuse, and residential permit parking
—Repairing the city's fractured relationship with the Beverly Hills Unified School District

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I've been on the Planning Commission since 2015, where I've made decisions that have touched every neighborhood of the city. Residents from throughout our small town have come to me with their concerns about one development or another, and I've always taken the time to listen to them and evaluate their needs above developers'. I've run a business in this city, which has allowed me to see the process from the "other side" of the table and spot needs in our system.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office as a success?

I would like to see a return to resident-focused policy. We are so focused on throwing fancy parties and organizing flash mobs that we forget that our residents are not ATMs. We also have a sizable population living below the poverty line and/or at the "extremely low income" level (per HUD), and we do so little to provide them with the necessary support to remain in our city. Putting our efforts into more accessible housing, fewer fees for residents, and an emphasis on helping our community at large instead of holding street fairs would make me feel that I'd accomplished something meaningful while in office.

Why should voters trust you?

My work on the Planning Commission, where I have never been afraid to stand alone against a project that would have an adverse impact on our residents, should reassure residents that I will always stick up for their needs, even if my doing so makes me less popular. I'm also not an insider; I don't belong to the same clubs, religious institutions, or social groups as the "elite" of Beverly Hills politics, and I make decisions independently based on what is best for residents.

What are your views on fiscal policy, government spending and the use of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking?

I believe in careful financial management. We currently have over $280 million in "unfunded liabilities" — pensions that we are not prepared to pay (for example, if every city employee chose to retire today, we would need more than a quarter of a billion dollars immediately, and we aren't ready for that). I want to prioritize cleaning up our financial affairs by decreasing extraneous spending, streamlining our city budget (a document so complicated that experienced analysts struggle to comprehend it!), and redoubling our efforts to save for rainy days and future expenses. As I've said before, residents are not ATMs, and their money is extremely valuable. Taxpayer dollars are for projects and services that benefit our residents — everything from improved street quality to better parking. I intend to use taxpayer money wisely and work to decrease the fees they're expected to pay.

Is there any reason you would not serve your full term of office, other than those of health or family?

None whatsoever.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

• "When they go low, we go high." — Michelle Obama
• "Family first." — my mother, Silvia Katz Greene
• "Never buy a cheap hose." — my father-in-law, Al Gordon
• "Don't run for office." — just about everyone I met when exploring my candidacy

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I've enjoyed the process of getting to know my fellow residents and community while running for office, and I hope that my record, experience, and fresh ideas allow me to serve on Council as the new voice for a new decade.

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