#greuel

While hubs are developing along the Expo line and on the West Side, barriers remain to reaping the full benefits of a rising technology industry. The restrictive covenants are gone, but Los Angeles schools continue to severely under-serve our youth, as evidenced by a higher drop-out rate than graduation rate from LAUSD high schools. Our business environment remains troublesome with arbitrary taxes and poor infrastructure.

In Emanuel Pleitez, we get a mayor who will eliminate the barriers to Silicon Beach and strategically leverage our assets. Emanuel will balance the city’s budget by addressing our unfunded liabilities, freeing up resources to bring our education, public safety, and infrastructure into the 21st century. Traditional education will be supplemented with skill building in data, technology. Critical thinking and educational opportunities will be provided beyond the final school bell, for all ages. This will give Angelenos from all walks of life the skills necessary to qualify for  good jobs in the technology industry.

In terms of leveraging our assets, Emanuel plans to invest over a billion dollars in designated economic development zones over the next ten years. These areas include South LA, the Eastside, Pico-Union, Westlake, and the East Valley– areas that for too long have been undervalued and overlooked by our city’s political establishment. Entrepreneurship hubs will be created across the city, one for each council district. This will provide the support, consultation, resources, and the “meeting of the minds” necessary for start-ups to be successful.

Lastly, Pleitez will improve Los Angeles’ business environment, getting rid of arbitrary taxes and simplifying regulation to decrease bureaucratic red tape that discourages both start-up investors and small business creators. This will help create an easier platform from which to lobby for investment into our city and for technology companies to come to LA and take advantage of the many resources we have to offer.

The potential of a new tech boom brings jobs, more responsive and efficient services, and new hope for the city, especially in its under-served areas. Imagine the next Google setting up shop in Boyle Heights, Crenshaw, or Pacoima? The tire factories may not be coming back but Silicon Beach as a driver of prosperity does not have to remain a pipe dream. All it needs to become a reality is the right catalyst, and that catalyst is Emanuel Pleitez for Los Angeles Mayor.

Read more about Emanuel Alberto Pleitez’ policy plans for technology and the economy at http://bit.ly/EPtech, http://bit.ly/EPgrowth, and http://bit.ly/EPecon.

http://www.pleitezforla.com

Blog written by Luis Garcia, Fellow and Field Organizer for the Emanuel Pleitez for Los Angeles Mayor 2013 campaign.

Emanuel Alberto Pleitez is a progressive Los Angeles native, he’s committed to uniting, serving, and inspiring his community. Son of Mexican and Salvadoran immigrants, and experienced in the private and public sector, he hopes to re-energize Los Angeles with a grassroots campaign the likes of which the city has never seen before.

Unfortunately for Angelenos, the message in “Every Child” contradicts Controller Greuel’s financial vision for Los Angeles, which she recently shared at a debate. She plans to add 2,000 LAPD officers and 800 firefighters over the next seven years. When asked how this will be financed, Controller Greuel failed to provide a plan. 

The city’s public safety departments already account for close to 70% of the budget. The city’s deficit, which sits at $238 million, is projected to pass the $400 million mark within two years. 

Given the numbers above, it seems irresponsible for Controller Greuel to say she will be a mayor for “every school, every child” given her pledge to beef up our public safety departments without a plan to finance it. 

Angelenos should also consider Controller Greuel’s omission in “Every Child” and most of her campaign messaging of her time as a Councilwoman. City Hall’s poor decision-making put Los Angeles in the situation it’s in – a massive deficit, highest unemployment and dropout rates of any major city, and a community so turned off by city politics that less than 20% of voters are projected to come out on the March 5th election.

Los Angeles needs a mayor who will address issues by going to the root problem and not by using band-aid solutions, like adding staff to public safety departments without tackling the issues that cause crime in the first place.

Emanuel Alberto Pleitez is the right leader for Los Angeles because he has the most diverse experience of any candidate on the ballot, has no special interest ties, and has lived L.A.’s problems firsthand. He is also the breath of young, fresh energy the city’s bleak and outdated leadership needs. 

Learn about Emanuel’s vision for L.A.’s education at http://bit.ly/EPedu and for the city’s budget at http://bit.ly/EPbudget. 

Watch City Controller Wendy Greuel's TV video commercial "Every Child"

http://www.pleitezforla.com

http://www.facebook.com/pleitez

Blog written by staff for the Emanuel Pleitez for Los Angeles Mayor 2013 campaign. 

Emanuel Alberto Pleitez is a progressive Los Angeles native, he’s committed to uniting, serving, and inspiring his community. Son of Mexican and Salvadoran immigrants, and experienced in the private and public sector, he hopes to re-energize Los Angeles with a grassroots campaign the likes of which the city has never seen before.