Jim Clarke, new to City Council but a veteran of council affairs

Michael Miller

Jim Clarke, one of two newly elected Culver City Council members, brings a unique perspective to his job on the dais at City Hall. He has worked in local government and politics since 1976, and while this is his first elected office, he brings a wealth of experience to the position.

Jim’s current “day job” is Director of the Mayor’s Office of Grants for the City of Los Angeles. He helps to secure federal, state, non-profit and foundation grant funding and serves as the point person in the Mayor’s Office overseeing $611 million dollars of federal stimulus funds. He previously headed the City of Los Angeles’ federal relations program, which involved frequent contact with California’s two U.S. Senators and the L.A. area’s 14-member Congressional Delegation to obtain nearly $10 million annually in federal appropriations.

Jim has also served as chief of staff to Congresswoman Diane Watson and Congressman Brad Sherman.

In addition, he has been an executive recruiter specializing in public agency boards and city councils. Jim holds a Master of Public Administration degree from California State University, Long Beach, and a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Coastguard Academy in New London, CT. Commissioned as an Ensign, he served in the Coast Guard  on active and reserve duty, retiring as a Commander.

So why, with all this experience under his belt, did Jim decide to run for Culver City Council? “It was very sudden. I went to an event last year that (California State Assemblywoman) Holly Mitchell was running, called Christmas in July, for underprivileged children, and I became a volunteer. It sparked my interest in what was happening in Culver City on the political level.”

With four spots open on the City Council after Scott Malsin resigned and Chris Armenta decided not to run again because his job was taking him to Sacramento, Jim saw his opportunity and announced his candidacy last December.

But he knew he was facing an uphill battle. "I had to put together a new campaign from scratch.  I had no group, no campaign committee, nothing.” But undaunted, Jim set about contact ring previous mayors, school board members and anyone else who he thought could help his fledgling run for office.

Jim sees the fiscal issue as the most important facing the city. “We are not San Bernardino or Stockton, but we do have a structural deficit of $7 million to $8 million a year. While we can cover it at the moment, in four or five years we will run out of reserves, so we have to figure out how to move forward.”

The loss of Redevelopment Agency money has hurt the city badly and left a legal mess over projects that can no longer move forward. It has also cut into the city’s Cultural Affairs programs, which were funded by Redevelopment Agency money.  The concert series is now privately funded and has been reduced to four concerts instead of eight. This, said Jim, is an example of how the city needs sponsorship and public support to keep cultural programs going.

When California decided to terminate Redevelopment Agencies and take away their funding, it left many projects in Culver City in the lurch, including Parcel B, the unused parking lot stretching from the Culver Hotel along Venice Blvd. to Trader Joe’s, which was to have become a mixed use project of high end stores and condominiums.

It also impacts the development of a boutique hotel and stores adjacent to the new Metro Line station at Washington Blvd. and National Blvd.

Culver City is part of a group of eight to ten California cities considering taking the state to court over what are known as “obligated expenditures,” or projects that had been agreed on with developers before Redevelopment Agencies were cut off.

“The waters are very muddy and it will be to the end of the year before we see any sort of determination. Developers may drop out and we need to force this issue to get a determination that these are valid contracts and the sale is valid,” said Jim,

But the outcome is very much in the air. “Everyone is waiting to see if you’re going to get your head handed to you.”

The first step in the city’s battle comes during the third week in August when it will argue before the Oversight Board that the contracts between the city and the developers are valid and should go forward. “If they veto this we will go to court with the other cities, “ said Jim.

Michael Miller is a staff writer for Culver City Progress and the co-founder of the Culver City Downtown Neighborhood Association.