I am today announcing my endorsement of Christine Essel in the special election on December 8th for the seat on Los Angeles City Council from District 2 in the San Fernando Valley.
I am quite certain this announcement will come as a surprise to many members of the Los Angeles political community. I have been quite tough on Christine Essel in my coverage of this election. I had labeled her a "carpetbagger" because she has lived outside of the district for many years. However, the "carpetbagging" issue is now a non-issue, as both Essel and Krekorian lived outside the district at the start of the campaign.
I have poked fun at her stumbles and gaffes along the campaign trail. But Christine Essel is a first time candidate and can be expected to make a few missteps along the way.
I have criticized her taking of large campaign donations from outsiders to the District. But in the world of politics, this type of thing happens all the time.
I criticized her for refusing to go on the Kevin James radio show. She now seems to be making arrangements to settle this issue and answer questions from voters on the air.
None of my criticisms of Essel were ever personal. I thought that Christine Essel showed a lot of class and dignity out there on the campaign trail. She was savagely attacked and ridiculed by media, bloggers, and some of the other candidates. I never saw her attack anyone in return and - if I remember correctly - she was rarely ever critical of the other candidates at the forums. Because of her classy behavior, she doesn't seem to have any enemies. In fact, Christine Essel has reached out to the eight candidates that were defeated in the primary. I am hearing from sources that several of them are planning on endorsing her , and several more are leaning in her direction.
As a Conservative, it is very difficult for me to endorse someone who does not share my political ideologies. However, Christine Essel has a history in business and has promised to work to lower taxes, which is good enough for me, given the choice between her and Krekorian. I am endorsing Essel for three reasons:
(1) Christine Essel is a businesswoman. As an executive at Paramount, she had to make responsible financial decisions to ensure the studios made a profit and stayed in business. If she brings this skill to City Council, that will be a good thing for Los Angeles residents.
(2) Christine Essel is an open book, politically speaking. We are all unsure as to how she will vote on issues or who she will take sides with. Because she is wealthy from her career in the movie industry, she has no pressure to sell her votes or her positions for financial gain.
(3) Christine Essel is not Paul Krekorian. As far as I know, Paramount Pictures never had to file for bankruptcy because of the financial misbehavior of Christine Essel. The same cannot be said of Paul Krekorian. We have already seen his handiwork in Sacramento, and the liberals up there have put California in a state of teetering on the brink of financial Armageddon. We already have a budget-destroying Socialist named "Paul" on the City Council. Adding another one won't help anything or anyone. Krekorian is also a "Runaway Politician" from the Burbank/Glendale area, and that shows that there are issues of trust concerning him and his future plans and commitments.
I encourage Christine Essel to continue to seek peace and cooperation with the other eight candidates. It is their supporters who will decide the outcome of this election.
Chris Essel once offered to have coffee with me. I hope she wins in December so that I can someday take "Councilmember Essel" up on that exact offer.
