Q&A

Henry Waxman discusses the upcoming election, the top-two primary and the subway in a Weekly exclusive
You mentioned two recent changes to voting, the top-two primary and redistricting, are affecting you. What do you think about those two changes? I think the redistricting commission makes a lot of sense if all the states had redistricting commissions, but because California has one and theres no regard to continuity of representation or protecting senior members, which is the whole idea of the commission, it puts us at a disadvantage, because Congress is still run on a seniority system. For California, were losing a number of senior members, on both the Democrat and Republican sides of the aisle. Congressman David Dreier (R San Dimas) has been chairman of the House Rules Committee, and Republican Congressman Jerry Lewis (RRedlands) has been very active as a subcommittee chairman and active proponent of Californias interest on the Appropriations Committee. On the Democratic side of the aisle, we find Howard Berman (DLos Angeles) who is such an important figure on foreign policy issues and protecting the entertainment industrys interests, forced into a race with another Democrat, Brad Sherman (DSherman Oaks). So we have a whole new situation in California. If all the states had it, I think it would be fair, because the idea of it was to take the redistricting away from the politicians themselves in Sacramento. The idea of the top two running off against each other is an interesting one. I remember talking to Governor [Arnold] Schwarzenegger when [he] advanced this issue. He was having such a difficult time with the Republicans in the legislature who refused to support his budget even though he was a Republican governor. He said if they had to face the prospect of running against another Republican and had to reach out for Democratic and Independent voters that would make them more moderate. Thats an interesting theory and well see whether it works. My opponent William Bloomfield, Jr. actively funded these two ballot proposals. I see such an enormous amount of money being wasted where Democrats are running against Democrats, and Republicans are running against Republicans in the general election. There are two statements that dont fit, one where people say, I want a lot of competitive districts and I want less money in politics, because competitive districts by their nature involve a lot of

money being spent. Its not even competitive between the parties. In a lot of districts, one of the major parties wont even be able to offer candidates in a November election. What do you think about that? Im watching it carefully. I dont think I like it. You mentioned Howard Berman, who is a longtime friend, is in a tough race. Tell us about that. Hes facing another congressman. We tried to talk Brad Sherman into running in another area that would have fit quite well with him. It was a district that the Democrats would have won with Julia Brownley (DSanta Monica) in Ventura County, but Brad Sherman would have won easily because he had represented a small part of it in the past. His view was hed rather roll the dice and fight for a district that will be more secure for a Democrat over the whole 10-year span. I thought that was a little selfish because the party would have picked up another seat without question, and he wouldnt have forced Howard Berman into having to fight for his survival, especially when hes the leading Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Are you helping Berman with his campaign? Im doing everything I can to help him. I didnt even realize I was going to have a race myself, so I was focusing more on his campaign than I was on my own. So, hows it going meeting with constituents this week? Ive been here almost all of August [and the beginning of September]. Ive been taking time to meet with [members of] the aerospace industry [in the South Bay]. Theyre involved in satellite communications as well as national defense. Ive learned that one of the issues that concerns them a great deal is that we continue to have the L.A. Air Force base in the El Segundo area, because a lot of the aerospace industry is tied together by virtue of that base being there. There has been a fear that it could be closed. [Former] Congresswoman Jane Harman (DLos Angeles), who represented that area for many years, was a staunch advocate for the Air Force base. I told people that with my seniority, I will do everything I can [to] help keep that Air Force base there. Im learning new issues, meeting new people and running a campaign actively for the first time in a long time. How does that feel? Its a very interesting process. When I decided to take a poll, my pollster asked me, Can we see the last poll you took? I had to tell him I had never taken a poll before. Ive always had the benefit of a district thats been heavily Democratic. If there had been a challenge it would have been in the party primary. The

Republicans havent really put up serious candidates. Ive never taken any campaign for granted, but for the most part Ive had campaigns where I havent had to use the money Ive raised to fight a campaign; Ive been able to help other Democrats. This time I have to ask people for the first time to help me because I cant write a check to fund my own campaign, and Ive got to ask for people to be active in supporting me financially, and by putting up yard signs and bumper strips and talking to their neighbors. Back to redistricting, how do you think having some of the Beach Cities and Palos Verdes and less of the Valley is going to change the character of the district? The district is very much a coastal district. Ive had a large part of the coast to start with from the Ventura County line through Malibu and Palisades and Santa Monica. Moving south Ill have the rest of the Santa Monica bay area, and there are issues that relate to that territory thats coastal. For example, I recently had a press conference where I released a report of all the anti-environmental proposals the Republicans in the House have made to weaken protections for our coast, including trying to drill right off the coast of California for oil. Showing the record of what the Republicans are pushing is something I want people to know about because I believe that this House of Representatives, which is controlled by the Republicans, has been the most anti-environmental House in the history of our country. They were trying to repeal laws that were passed with overwhelming bipartisan margins, even signed by Presidents Nixon and Bush. Were trying to bring out these issues. I plan to run with President Obama. I strongly support him and was happy to get his [endorsement] this week. Im going to run with Senator [Dianne] Feinstein, who Im supporting for reelection. Im strongly going to support [Governor Jerry Browns] ballot initiative on taxes, and Im strongly opposing Prop. 32, which claims to be a reform of campaign spending, but its targeted strictly at labor unions. Theyre trying to keep them from being able to participate in the campaigns the way that corporations are doing. I think this year exemplifies the role of big money in campaigns. I think its really perverting our democratic system. We have, according to the Supreme Court, the ability for corporations to come in like theyre individuals and provide unlimited funding for campaigns, even funds that are never going to be disclosed. In my campaign, we have a man who has got a fortune, and he wants to just spend that money and become a member of Congress. I think nobody should buy a presidency or a congressional seat, either of his own funds or with the heavy support, in the case of Governor Romney, of the major Q & A cont. on page 10

Last week, you were here in Los Angeles instead of at the Democratic National Convention. Why is that? I decided to stay here and continue talking to people in this district that I represent now and in the district I hope to represent after the next election. The redistricting commissionthank goodnessleft Beverly Hills alone and thats part of the district Im running in, but they added new area, which amounts to 45 percent of the total population in the district. Thats an area that is new to me, so I have to introduce myself to people in the South Coast part of the district. The district used to end at Santa Monica in the south, and the district now extends to Venice and to the Marina, Playa del Rey, Beach cities, all over the Palos Verdes Peninsula, even a little bit of Hawthorne. I have an opponent [Bill Bloomfield] who is quite wealthy and is putting in [over a million] dollars of his own money. Its unusual for me to have such an active and well-financed opponent. If he were running as a Republican, even though the district is less Democratic [now], I feel confident I would beat him easily. But he took advantage of the new law that said the top two candidates will run off in November and switched, after being a lifelong Republican, to being a Decline to State, and he calls himself an Independent. Im certainly not going to take the campaign for granted. Im reaching out to all parts of the district, primarily in the new area, but also in the existing area like Beverly Hills, to talk about the things Ive been doing and to express why I hope people will vote for me again.

September 13- September 19, 2012

Page 7

Q & A cont. from page 7 corporate powers in this country. Looking beyond the election, what are your legislative priorities for the new year? I want to work with President Obama to figure out how to reduce the deficit in a way that doesnt undercut our commitment to seniors and low-income people and children. The Republican proposal would cut back on investments of research at the National Institutes of Health and research in other areas where unless government sponsored that research it just wouldnt get done. They want to cut back on education funds. They want to cut back on the safety net funds. I think we can reduce the deficit once our economy is moving again in a more balanced and fair way, but Republicans have been unwilling to talk about any increases in revenue of any sort and therefore they want everything to come out of cuts. Secondly, I want to work with the president on reforming the tax system. The tax system is chaotic, its full of loopholes, and its generally looked at as unfair. Thirdly, I want to work with the president on comprehensive energy reform that will address our independence from oil being brought into the United States from Saudi Arabia and Venezuela and other places where theres so much uncertainty as well as political opposition to the United States, and move away from oil and coal and other fossil fuels that are causing global warming and climate change. Weve got to take a leadership role and not deny the science and think that the problem doesnt exist, because it does exist. Weve just seen record heat waves all around the country and around the world, and weve seen droughts at our farms in this country. Do you feel environmental issues have taken a backseat because of the economy? I think if we looked at putting a tax on carbon, which would be an incentive for reducing carbon emissions and using alternatives to oil and coal, that it would be a boost to our economy because wed be sending a clear market signal that we

want investment in that area. We want more renewable fuel, we want more alternative systems, we want more technology to reduce pollution. Wed be the leader in the world and wed be selling that technology around the world. That would help us with our economy as well as our environment. Do you think theres a chance the House could shift to the Democrats in the next election? Im hopeful and Im optimistic. I think a lot of people are so upset at Congress. Congress is now at a support level of 10 percent of the population, which means 90 percent think Congress has been doing a terrible job. What they need to understand is that the Congress that theyre angry at has been the Republican Congress. The Republicans control the House and they really control the Senate, because theyve been able to block the presidents proposals by not allowing the measures to come up for a vote and giving the 60 votes necessary to stop a filibuster, even if they want to vote against a proposal. I still hope that well get a majority for the Democrats in the House. The Westside Subway Extension is a hot issue in Beverly Hills. Back in the 1980s after the Ross Dress for Less methane explosion, you withdrew support for the subway extension. Tell us about that. What I did was I insisted that they not tunnel in an area where there was a high possibility of an explosion for methane gas. I insisted I would support the subway, but they had to avoid the Fairfax/Wilshire area, which was the law for quite a long period of time. Mayor [Antonio] Villaraigosa asked me to reconsider my objection to tunneling down Wilshire. Going down Wilshire to the ocean certainly makes a lot of sense in terms of ridership. I said Id be happy to reconsider it, but I just didnt want to take the views of the people who were going to build it; I wanted an independent panel of technical experts to look at it to see whether we have the ability to tunnel safely. My primary concern then and now is that the routes for the subway be driven by safety, and

the best available science. This commission met and said that they felt that the technology was there and that the drilling could be done safely. Based on that I withdrew my opposition, even changed the law so that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority could pick a route down Wilshire Boulevard without having to avoid that Wilshire/Fairfax area. In Beverly Hills theres a real controversy over whether the proposed Century City station at Constellation Boulevard should be accepted because it entails tunneling under the Beverly High campus. Ive heard from people who are very much against doing that. I wrote to the MTA and said to them that I wanted to ensure the voice of Beverly Hills residents is heard on this process. On April 12, I sent a letter to MTA CEO Art Leahy urging the Metro board to carefully consider the data and analysis provided by the independent experts commissioned by the City of Beverly Hills and the Beverly Hills [Unified] School District, and to only tunnel under the high school if it is the safest alternative. I supported MTAs decision to hold a public hearing at the behest of Beverly Hills that was dedicated entirely to reviewing the Century City station location and the implications of tunneling under the high school campus. Where we are today is that the Metro board finalized the Constellation alignment and they determined it is the safest alternative because the seismic hazards posed by fault zones on Santa Monica Boulevard could not be mitigated. On Aug. 14, the Federal Transit Administration granted a record of decision approving the final environmental review and clearing the project for entry into the federal New Starts Program. I know that this decision is being challenged by litigation. [The City of] Beverly Hills [and] BHUSD filed a lawsuit in state court on claims that it violates the California Environmental Quality Act, and the school board voted to extend the contract with their lobbyist [Venable] for $132,062, considerably more than their existing $15,000-a-month contract in order to begin working on a federal suit challenging the subway under the National Environmental Protection Act, and the funds are coming from a bond

initiative for school construction. Whatever the outcome of these lawsuits, Im committed to ensuring that Metro fully complies with safety measures it has proposed for hazard mitigation at every step of the way, particularly the Westside Subway Extension. We all want the subway to be a successful project. It will bring jobs, it will bring mobility and reduce the utter gridlock that paralyzes the Westside of Los Angeles. Some people are saying they would rather have no subway than that particular tunneling underneath the high school. I cant agree with that. I think we need to go forward and rely on the best technical and scientific information to make sure that safety is our No. 1 consideration. Do you feel confident in Metros decision, which proposes tunneling under the high school? They feel confident and its their decision. Some people want to stop the whole subway, and I cant agree with that. Tell us about your family. We have a son and a daughter. Our daughter [Shai] is the mother of three children and theyre living in Israel. [Her] two older kids are in the Israeli Army. They were born in Israel. I regret we dont get to see them as often as we would like. Our son [Michael], who lived in L.A., moved with his wife [Marjorie] to the East Coast because shes an only child and her mother wanted her to be closer, especially when she had children. They have a five-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son. They chose to live in Bethesda, Md. So we get to see them more often because thats right outside Washington. I enjoy all the time I spend with both sets of grandchildren. Im married to the same woman, my first and only wife, for over 40 years, originally Janet Kessler, who attended Fairfax High and lived in Beverlywood. I grew up in South Central L.A. and went to Fremont High School. When I married my wife, one of the local papers had a headlinebecause I was in the state Assembly at the timethat said: Assemblyman weds Fairfax grad. That was a really good local angle.

detention&arrestsummary
Beverly Hills Weekly receives the information that appears below from the Beverly Hills Police Department. This information is released each week to the public. We assume no responsibility for any errors or omissions in the Detention and Arrest Summary. YANCY VERNON CLARK, 27, of Hawthorne, arrested on 8/12/2012 for driving while intoxicated. TIMOTHY TYRONE CLARKE, 61, of Beverly Hills, arrested on 8/12/2012 for outside felony warrant. ESAU MALDONADO, 35, of Van Nuys, arrested on 8/12/2012 for improper display of placard not issued to person. MARCUS ALLEN CORNER, 25, of Pasadena, arrested on 8/11/2012 for outside felony warrant. MADALENA MORGAN, 60, of Los Angeles, arrested on 8/11/2012 for driving without a license.

ERIN CORLEY, 22, of Los Angeles, arrested on 8/11/2012 for driving while intoxicated. KEVIN JASON COOK, 27, of Sherman Oaks, arrested on 8/10/202 for BHPD bench warrantmisdemeanor. GENE YOONBUM KANG, 35, of Los Angeles, arrested on 8/10/2012 for driving while intoxicated. MARVIN DANIEL SIMONIAN, 27, of Los Angeles, arrested on 8/10/2012 for receiving stolen property and acquiring access cards without cardholders or issuers consentto use.

NICOLE ARIANNA MOORE, 22, of Culver City, arrested on 8/10/2012 for BHPD bench warrantmisdemeanor. JENNIFER M. DUENAS, 28, of Los Angeles, arrested on 8/9/2012 for outside misdemeanor warrant and driving with a suspended license. JUAN JOSE ROMERO, 32, of Los Angeles, arrested on 8/9/2012 for driving without a license. DARRELL BRAME, 25, of San Pedro, arrested on 8/8/2012 for deliver/etc. drug paraphernalia.

Page 10 Beverly Hills Weekly