Sunday, March 01, 2009

Westside race for 5th District City Council seat is wide open - Los Angeles Times

Westside race for 5th District City Council seat is wide open - Los Angeles Times: "Although neighborhood councils and labor unions have expanded their reach into other parts of Los Angeles, homeowner associations remain a potent political force in the 5th, at times hiring their own traffic engineers as they fight the district's many multistory development projects.

Many of those neighborhood groups joined forces in 2007 to mount a recall campaign against Weiss, who is now running for city attorney. Although that effort fizzled, several of the same activists have coalesced this year around neighborhood council member David T. Vahedi, who lost to Weiss in 2005.

Vahedi, 42, made a splash by promising not to accept any contributions from real estate developers who do business with the city, a dramatic break from the current councilman. He also courted neighborhood activists by promoting a constituent bill of rights, one that includes 'the right to have local homeowner association leaders and residents present at all meetings where development projects are discussed.'"

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