UCLA hosts election debate
By Juliana Gabrovsky
Feb. 23, 2009 9:57 p.m.
A local election forum was held at UCLA on Monday night featuring Los Angeles Unified School District Board member candidates and representatives from both the “Yes on Measure B” and “No on Measure B” campaigns.
About 30 people attended the event organized by the undergraduate student government external vice president’s office.
“Students are now a force to be reckoned with. We need to not let that energy and enthusiasm die,” said Sonya Mehta, the local affairs director for the external vice president’s office of the Undergraduate Students Association Council at UCLA.
A recent college graduate, James Unger of the “Yes on B” campaign was the first speaker of the evening.
Measure B proposes the installation of solar electrical facilities that would generate 400 megawatts of power for the city of Los Angeles, enough electricity to power 240,000 homes.
The initiative also includes provisions for job training targeted at underprivileged communities and incentives for local manufacturers. This project would be under the mandate of the Department of Water and Power.
“It’s the largest solar initiative done by any American city in the history of this country,” Unger said.
“We have the worst air quality in the country,” Unger said.
Unger argued that Measure B would not only address our current energy and environmental challenges, but would create new jobs and address the economic crisis as well.
Ron Kaye of the “No on B” campaign followed with a rebuttal that the initiative would not deliver on its promises of clean air, jobs and training the poor.
“This doesn’t do any of that,” Kaye said. “This is just promises from the very people that are responsible for why we have the nation’s dirtiest air, dirtiest traffic,” Unger said.
While Unger argued that it could cost about $1 billion to $1.6 billion, Kaye argued that a study shows it could cost up to four times that much.
“This is a textbook example of corruption,” Kaye said.
Solar panels are the least efficient source of energy and most of the panels would be imported from other countries, Kaye said.
He said solar-thermal energy should be explored as a possible source instead of just thermal panels.
“There are people that don’t believe that government can do anything good,” Unger said.
“We can make public investments in things that we care about. Government can help distressed industries,” Unger said.
The evening continued with school board candidate Mike Stryer, who has taught high school for six years after 16 years in international business.
“The problem with our district is not with the students. The problem is with the management of the district,” Stryer said.
Stryer argued that he would bring the needed expertise to financially reform the district.
Stryer was followed by school board candidate Steve Zimmer, a high school teacher and counselor of 17 years.
Zimmer said he created a full-service health clinic at Marshall High School that serves students and their families at no cost to the district other than maintenance of the building.
Zimmer said that, if elected, he would be able to make the program district-wide within his four-year term.
While Stryer offered his financial background as a skill he would bring to the board, Zimmer spoke about his past experience creating little- to no-cost programs at the local level that he argued had a high impact on students.
“I really liked what Zimmer said about demilitarizing the schools,” said John Kernick, a third-year political science student.
“I also liked that Stryer said he would put more funding towards at-risk students and students with learning disabilities,” Kernick said.
“I talk to people that vote for something and they don’t even know what it’s about,” said Kaya Foster, a third-year women’s studies student.
“This is what worries me. People should know what they’re voting
for.”
