He’s been called “annoying” by LA Weekly and an “idiot” by former L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina. But regardless of whether people like Eric Preven, who is also one of the two candidates running for the District 2 City Council seat, it is hard not to respect him. 

The 51-year-old Studio City resident and entertainment consultant has served as a citizen watchdog for almost five years. Amid insults from multiple supervisors, Preven has continued to fight for transparency and forced city officials to pay attention to him. 

“I think the public should be respected, and I try to bring that expectation,” Preven said of his interactions with city government during an interview at his home. 

Preven has become known for showing up to every Board of Supervisors meeting, reading agendas, filing California Public Records Act requests and challenging officials on access and budget use. 

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His watchdog career highlights include a 2012 discovery that two supervisors spent thousands of taxpayer dollars on private drivers during a four-day trip and winning a court case against the County about its billing records (the County has appealed the decision).

For a single citizen, Preven has had quite an affect on local government. 

“There’s no doubt I’ve achieved a degree of respect by them,” Preven said. “I’m not saying they like me, but they certainly understand that I’m somebody to be reckoned with.” 

Background

Preven is from Larchmont, NY and grew up in the suburbs of Manhattan with two younger siblings. A supporter of public schools, he went through the public school system himself and attended the University of Michigan.

After graduating in 1985, Preven moved to Southern California to work in the television business. He worked as a line producer on a soap opera for 10 years, had a stint writing sketches for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and also wrote and produced various sitcoms, including Popular and Reba. 

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Preven’s current day job is working for a production company as a consultant, but it has been clear since his unsuccessful run for the Board of Supervisors last year that he wants local government to be more than a hobby. 

“I make time to be a county advocate because it brings me happiness, and it’s something that fulfills me,” Preven said. 

The Dog That Started It All

The first time Preven spoke during a County Board meeting was in late Sept. 2010. As he called it, the issue was of “dog due process.”

Two of Preven’s mom’s on-leash Labradors had gotten into a fight at their Malibu residence with two off-leash German Shepherds. Without a hearing, the L.A. County Dept. of Animal Care and Control took the Labradors and ultimately held the dogs in a kennel for six months before they were released. 

Preven demanded to be reimbursed the money he paid for the kennel. Week after week, the Supervisors ignored him. Although he was offered some money, Preven didn’t want to settle. Instead, he filed a lawsuit against the County. 

He lost the case, but his lack of success did not stop him from digging deeper into the government.

“After going through all that, I realized ‘Wow, this is a vast wall that’s almost impenetrable. How is this possible?’ And I started to learn about our system,” Preven said. 

Goals

Since he began attending weekly Board meetings, Preven has picked up on what many citizens—and even other reporters—have missed. 

“I started to pay attention, and I realized – is anybody paying attention?” Preven recalled. 

His multiple discoveries indicate that the answer is often “no.” 

Preven’s ability to read between the lines and notice details is his biggest strength, but his main campaign point is an emphasis on transparency. He believes he can improve government by cleaning up the budget and making City Council more accessible.  

 “To those who say you can’t fight City Hall, I say ‘yes you can,’” Preven said. “We need to be clear that our elected officials are held accountable to a high standard and that they do their jobs openly. I feel that my tenacity and my focus on clarity will help people.” 

You can learn more about Eric Preven at his campaign website.

Reach Web Producer Sophia Li here. Follow her on Twitter here.