NOTE: This is the fourth in a series of Culver City Progress election articles detailing the role of former Councilmembers and the views of the challengers on the important issues in Culver City. View the previous articles here, here, and here.
If you are elected to the City Council, what will you do about this issue of domestic violence?
Jim Clarke: Domestic violence is a prevalent and serious issue everywhere and we in Culver City are not immune from it. As such, we need to work in partnership with the County and our surrounding cities to address the issue and to learn best practices from each other. First and foremost we must ensure that our first responders, both police and fire, have been well trained to recognize and deal appropriately with witnessed instances or alleged instances of domestic violence whenever they respond to calls for aid. There are federal funding opportunities available to assist in providing such training. Secondly, we should be aware of and ensure there are an adequate network of service providers and non-profit organizations to respond quickly when needed to remove a violence victim from a living situation and provide shelter and counseling services. Third, we need to utilize our City's service organizations to help educate our residents of the signs of domestic violence and the referral services that are available. Lastly, we need to work closely with the District Attorney's office to ensure they enforce a "zero tolerance" policy on domestic violence offenders.
Stephen Murray: 1 in 4 people are effected by domestic violence every year and Culver City, like many small cities, does not have a victim services department or a hotline. Effectively we rely on external organizations such as Legal Aid to provide these services for our community. These organizations have to raise their own funds. Only the cities where Legal Aid has offices: Los Angeles, Long Beach, Santa Monica and LA County, have given to Legal Aid.(Legal aid is laying off 15 employees this year due to insufficient funding.) In addressing our Domestic Violence I would look to how we handle our homeless services. We have a committee on homelessness, a homeless info hotline, a web page of resources on culvercity.org and the CDC has created a resource guide with referrals. Awareness of resources of where and how to get help should be the initial components of a domestic violence program.
Meghan Sahli-Wells: Domestic violence is a real problem that affects one of every two families in the United States. According to the LAPD, "each year, more than two million women are victims of domestic violence, and one million children are physically abused." Prevention programs are vital tools for cities to reach and help victims before abuse has started, as well as after it has occurred, in order to break the cycle of violence that perpetuates from generation to generation. In tough economic times, domestic violence has a tendency to rise, due to additional stresses on families. It is therefore imperative to support domestic violence organizations, despite any potential strain on the city budget. It is the correct moral stance, and it is a good investment in our future, as crimes committed cost the society as a whole.
Many groups request money or services from Culver City. What method will you use to prioritize these requests?
Jim Clarke: As federal and state funding reductions continue to occur, more and more worthwhile organizations will come to the City to appeal for financial assistance. Unfortunately, our own financial situation will preclude us from helping most. Therefore, we will need to prioritize those requests. There is not a single formula that I would apply but there are several conditions that I would take into account in making a determination to support a funding request. Those would include the amount of the request; efforts undertaken by the organization to raise the funds on their own; the ability of the organization to leverage City funding to obtain additional funding from private or other public sources; whether other organizations are providing similar services and if efforts were made to work together with those organizations; the number of clientele (Culver City residents) being served by the organization and whether our residents can receive those services from other organizations; and the performance and financial track record of the organization to meet its service commitments and goals.
Stephen Murray: It will always be faster and easier to raise money through individuals and business before being able to get anything from the city. The City takes time. The City's funds are are mostly tied up and we are currently looking at imminent lay-offs. On the other hand, the City Council has a very small discretionary fund. The city can offer discounted meeting and event space as well as prioritizing how, where and when services are distributed throughout the city. I would always try to help fund where people are most needy- in the case of Legal Aid I would have offered something. The way to get prioritized funding support from the city is to get it in the budget- then you will almost always get paid. But, by far the best way is to elect council-members who share your progressive priorities. As a progressive I am looking forward to your vote on April 10.
Meghan Sahli-Wells: It is time to stop looking at funding programs on a case-by-case basis, but rather, set out our budget priorities as a whole, making sure the public has ample opportunity to weigh-in. The Council's discretionary fund should be used to support projects and programs that contribute to Culver City resident's health, welfare, and quality of life.
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