Comments
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW - Tonia Arey, a luxury real estate professional with Coldwell Banker, is the sole challenger of first term incumbent Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, the former West Hollywood council member.
We asked Tonia about her candidacy and here is the interview. This is a non-partisan contest that will appear on the June Primary ballot.
Originally from New York City, her family moved to Sherman Oaks and eventually settled in Agoura Hills.
During her high school years she found a passion for the ocean and obtained her certification in SCUBA on Catalina Island.
She pursued her passion and moved to Santa Barbara for her first two years of college at SBCC and transferred to SFSU and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology.
After graduation she settled into a career in the field of Kinesiology and eventually transitioned to residential real estate.
You can visit her website online at www.toniaarey4supervisor.com
Below is the unedited interview with the first-time hopeful:
1. Vision and Priorities:
“What are your top three priorities for Los Angeles County over the next four years, and how will you measure success?”
1.) Fund all public safety to be fully operational; Law Enforcement, FIRE and Probation.
2.) Reassign Emergency Management/Preparedness back to the Sheriff.
3.) Bring back the Jail First, then Care initiative, this will save taxpayers millions of dollars that are otherwise allocated to failed homelessness projects.
I will measure success if my top three priorities are met and if they are not then I will keep fighting. After all, without public safety there is no law and order creating the environment that we are living in today.
2. Charter Reform:
“There is an ongoing conversation about Los Angeles County Charter reform to modernize governance, improve accountability, and make the Board of Supervisors more responsive. What changes — if any — do you support in the County Charter, and why?”
I do not agree with most of the Charter reform due to a lack of transparency. The real issue in local governance is poor leadership. We have a political class that has forgotten that they answer to the people. I am not confident the current reform efforts will resolve this issue.
That said, here are some other thoughts I have regarding Charter Reform:
If one researches online what exactly the measure entails the following is listed: Centralized Executive Power, Departmental Oversight, Appointment Authority, Budgetary Role and Accountability & Term.
Online searches usually present speculation so if I’m answering based on what the LA County website says then what I am in favor of is Ethics Compliance.
I also support adding two more supervisors to create a total of seven supervisors. LA County has had five districts since 1852 and it’s been working, there’s no need to recreate the wheel but a minor upgrade would be beneficial.
As far as the Executive role I strongly oppose this position and I personally think that this role needs to be presented once more to the public with a clear and detailed description of the role, the incumbent does a very good job at burying things that make her look bad and sugarcoating other things to get a favorable outcome.
The position acts as a mayor of the county, will be accountable for the County’s budget and, per the position “County Executive with broad executive and administrative powers, except for oversight of the Legislative Analyst and Clerk of the Board. The County Executive is also responsible for the execution of all laws and ordinances of the County chief administrative officer except where such authority is vested in other County officers.”
This translates to one person having an extreme amount of power as opposed to collective power amongst all supervisors where voting still occurs for an ordinance to be approved or not. The position takes away checks and balances.
3. Housing and Homelessness:
“How will you address the intertwined crises of housing affordability and homelessness, and what specific policies would you propose to increase housing supply while ensuring services for those experiencing homelessness?”
Our issues with homelessness are not about housing. The Independent Institution, a think tank in Oakland CA. has studied current policy, Housing First, and has determined it to be a failed policy. Housing First as implemented in LA County does not prioritize dealing with a homeless person’s underlying condition(s) before placing them in housing. I will fight for programs that will prioritize dealing with the person's addiction and medical conditions first, providing shelter beds during their recovery.
The homeless that violate the law will be prosecuted.
While interacting with the Criminal Justice System, they will be afforded opportunities for treatment via Drug and Mental Health Courts. I will call for the expansion of programs like the Rapid Diversion Program, which was designed with the help of senior members of all aspects of the Criminal Justice System. It currently has a 92% success rate. This is where I differ from my opponent, I see a role for Law Enforcement and the Criminal Justice System in solving the problem of the homeless.
Regarding increasing housing. As a realtor I know first hand the cost of Government regulations and Taxes. The Mansion Tax has disincentivized the building of new homes in Los Angeles. Rent Control stunts the growth of rental units. My goal will be to reduce regulations, reduce taxes like the LA County Transfer Tax, and speed up the permitting process for all construction.
4. Public Safety and Justice:
“How do you plan to balance investments in law enforcement, community-based prevention programs, and reforms within the criminal justice system to improve safety and equity across diverse communities?”
Law Enforcement needs to be fully funded in order to perform their job efficiently and safely. If the LASD is fully staffed then it will be more attainable to offer community-based prevention programs to cover the vast diverse landscape that LA County is.
5. Economic Opportunity and Workforce:
“What strategies would you champion to support economic recovery, job creation, and workforce development — especially for communities disproportionately affected by unemployment and inflation?”
The role of a supervisor can only advocate for small business and I would advocate to cut taxes, fees and regulations that hamper business growth for and to be eligible for economic opportunity grants and small business resiliency funds.
6. Public Health and Emergency Preparedness:
“Given the lessons from COVID-19 and other public health emergencies, what reforms or investments would you pursue to strengthen the County’s public health infrastructure and emergency response capabilities?”
I think the current leadership of Los Angeles County Public Health failed our most vulnerable during the COVID 19 outbreak. An Inspector General Report that looked into the high number of deaths in the Counties Assisted Living Facilities and Skilled Nursing Facilities found dysfunctional oversight by the Department of Public Health, including downgrading deficiencies, life-threatening conditions and a failure to refer cases of elder abuse.
Emergency Management must be restored back to the sheriff, it should never have been removed. The BOS are incapable of facilitating emergency response on their own, the role of the supervisor does not outline law enforcement duties. Money saved from homeless projects with no execution can be money put into the County’s public health infrastructure.
7. Environmental Sustainability and Climate Resilience:
“With climate change increasing risks like wildfires, heatwaves, and drought, how will you lead Los Angeles County in building climate resilience, reducing emissions, and protecting vulnerable communities?”
Protecting communities from wildfires starts with one’s backyard. People that live in single family residences should be diligent on brush mitigation surrounding and on their own property. This entails cutting bushes, shrubs and trees back. People that live in apartment buildings and or condos, the building owners and homeowners association shall perform the same.
(Nick Antonicello is a thirty-three-year resident of Venice who is covering the race for Third District Los Angeles Supervisor. Have a take or a tip? Contact him online at [email protected])
