City: Los Angeles
Position Seeking: City Council – District 15

Question 1: Please share a meaningful experience you had with art (visual, dance, drama, music, media arts) while growing up and its impact on you.

My God, there are so many! I’m a classically trained pianist, and played trumpet for many years. I also play guitar, bass, percussion, and I sing. I’m a recording engineer/studio designer/ pro audio consultant by trade, so you can see, Music IS my life! When I was 8, I had the opportunity to try out a trumpet at camp, and I begged my parents for one. They surprised me on my 9th birthday with a second hand Holton, and I was over the moon! I still remember exactly how I felt to this day. When I was 14, my dad took us to see the Bolshoi opera at the met performing Boris Gudanov. To this day, I’ve never seen an opera production more magical or spectacular! It’s as if it happened yesterday. All kids should be exposed to the arts regularly. It’s a matter of life!

Question 2: What do you believe the role of City Council should be in developing and supporting the region’s arts and cultural infrastructure?

I believe that arts in schools should be a mandatory and vital part of the curriculum. It’s not possible to have balanced human beings without the arts, yet arts seem to be the first to go when there are budget cuts. When kids play music, for instance, it’s scientifically proven that they do better in other subjects as well. It’s also proven that kids who listen to Mozart when studying get better grades. The City Council should make sure that funding is available for all kids to have access to an arts education and exposure to the arts. Regardless of whether or not kids have programs in schools, we need to create programs on the City’s dime, if they’re not available in schools for certain, and make sure that all our kids have access. It’s essential!

Question 3: What’s your vision for the city? What role, if any, does art and culture play in advancing that vision?

My role for the City is to inspire everyone who think their voice doesn’t matter to get involved! I want to be the Councilman who listens to and hear’s the people of the district. By creating arts programs in all areas and getting people involved, it provides a power creative outlet for everyone to grow. I submit that if everyone practiced some form of the arts daily, compassion, empathy, love for our brothers and sisters, and kindness would increase dramatically, and crime across the board would drop.

Questions 4: A recent report by the Otis College of Design found that 1 in every 6 jobs in LA County supports the creative sector and economy in Los Angeles County. If elected, how will you aim to ensure the continued vitality and growth of the creative economy and the artistic community that it supports?

As you read in my first question, the creative sector and economy is my life. LA is the creative capitol of the world. I would encourage further growth in that sector, and drive to have one in four jobs supported by the Creative economy. We also need to expand diversity in that industry. We should fund a number of mobile recording trucks/learning centers, and start getting kids excited about that even at the elementary level. There are abundant tech jobs in the entertainment industry, and they pay really well!