The race to become the next mayor of Los Angeles has reached its pivotal mark with only two days left until the primary election which will likely narrow the field of candidates from five to two. Over the past week many of the candidates, including Wendy Greuel have been pushing out the last few ads and highlighting key endorsements to sway the public's decision.

When Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa started his second term he mentioned five goals:

• Keep L.A. on track as one of the safest big cities in America
• Reconstitute failing schools in the city
• Lead the largest mass transit program in America
• Put L.A. on a path to permanently break its addiction to coal
• Make job creation the top priority

Each goal has met both complications and success. About 10 percent of L.A.'s energy is derived from renewable sources. The mayor was also able to finalize construction of several new transit lines, commit to the building of thousands of affordable housing locations through the newly established Housing That Works program. These successes will be a strong foundation for the entering mayor but won't alleviate the current challenges he or she will have to face.

The first issue the entering mayor will face is budget cuts. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been pulled from Los Angeles' maintenance and service budget. The cuts affect the job force, pensions for city workers and improvements to Los Angeles' parks and recreational facilities.

These facilities are key in providing an environment conducive to learning and growth for youth of the city. This brings up two additional concerns for citizens, education and safety. Currently more than one in five students drop out of the Los Angeles Unified District. The educational system, with frequent budget cuts, lack the teachers, facilities and resources to provide engaging classroom experiences and decrease truancy rates. Former school board member David Tokofsky said that politics are more important to candidates.

"It's about power and politics rather than curriculum and instruction," he told the Los Angeles Times. "It's about getting elected, not kids learning," he said. The candidates' education platforms are "about polling and being safe rather than a city and nation at risk."

Even with these concerns they will need to continue Villaraigosa's aggressive campaign to be a part of the decision making process for L.A. schools. An educated workforce will ultimately provide a stable and thriving economy for the community. Candidates Eric Garcetti and Wendy Greuel have been adamant about education in their campaigning, emphasizing they will increase funding, support school choice and create standards for teacher evaluation.

The need for education reform is also met with the desire to increase Los Angeles' police force to its highest numbers in history.

Candidate Kevin James has expressed his commitment to public safety, stating that the city should focus on increasing assistant to both the fire department and police department while not allowing the cost to fall on L.A. citizens. This, according to all other candidates, can be spearheaded by L.A. Police Chief Charlie Beck. However, James wouldn't want him to have a second term.

All candidates have expressed their committment to decreasing gang violence and continuing Los Angeles' gang reduction and educational programs, like GRYD at the Advancement Project Mayoral Fourm.

Ultimately, as the entering candidate settles into the mayoral seat, he or she will undoubtedly tackle these pressing issues and more over the coming years.

 

Reach Staff Reporter Jacqueline Jackson here.