Why Should I Be Elected? – L.A. City Council District 11
By Mike Newhouse

It’s no secret that I’ve been encouraged to run for City Council for a long time.
I’ve thought long and hard about the question.
I’ve thought about it for ten years.

Honestly, until recently, the answer was simple; I didn’t want the job.

I wanted to be a father to my two young sons and a husband to my wife.
I wanted to be fulfilled and challenged by my professional life and build a small business.

I felt I could serve by simply volunteering my time to the City, “for free and for fun” – be it as President of the Venice Neighborhood Council, Chair of the Westside Regional Alliance of Councils, or President of the City’s Planning Commission for the Westside of L.A.

With two decades of public service under my belt, I felt I understood how the City worked and how to solve everyday problems.
I felt that I was being of service by providing answers to whoever needed them.
The professionals could handle City Hall.

But, I was guilty of the same things many of us are – I deferred to the system.

And then I saw the cracks. Small, at first:

A pothole that went unfixed for too long.
An unusable sidewalk.
An unusable alley.
A business boarded up for what seemed forever.

Then larger:

A tent that arrived one day and never moved.
A person passed out on the sidewalk.
A seemingly endless stream of severely mentally ill people wandering without hope.
A concussive drumbeat of crime, after crime, after crime.

None of it made sense, when it seemed the answers were always within reach.

Yet, things never got better, never got easier.

More tents.
More addicts.
More severely mentally ill people cast adrift.
Less business opportunities.
Trash piled up on our streets.

I realized that the “commonwealth,” the social contract, the ties that bind us were crumbling in Los Angeles; in our city, the “commonwealth” lacked common sense.

No matter how hard I looked for it.
No matter what elected officials I engaged.
No matter how many electeds told us our challenges were too complicated, too intractable, unsolvable…

It became painfully apparent to me; it simply isn’t true.

Instead, I believe we can solve our problems.
I believe in Cincinnatus, the citizen-statesperson.

I believe now is the time for all of us to come together and bring back the civil discourse that rewards common sense and common ground.

I believe in open doors, speaking my mind, respecting every voice but being beholden to no one.

I believe in the Westside. I believe in Abbot Kinney Blvd., and the Venice and Mar Vista Farmer’s Markets. I believe in Sawtelle Japantown and the Brentwood Country Mart. I believe in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area and the Ballona Wetlands. I believe in Palms and Will Rodgers State Park. I believe in LAX.

I believe change is possible with the right leadership.

I am the only candidate that is prepared on Day-One to begin solving our problems:

Ending homelessness.
Making our neighborhoods safer.
Creating an affordable and functional housing market.
Protecting our environment.
Promoting economic growth and opportunities for all.

I can, and will, lead the charge with two decades of first-hand experience to make the Westside, and Los Angeles, a better place for all.

So why should I be elected? Because I care … deeply.
And today, we need that more than ever.

I hope you will join me. Let’s renew the Westside … together
www.NewhouseForLA.com