1) What do you do and why are you qualified to be Mayor of a city of 4 million people?

I am the Business Manager of Dawson's Book Shop, Antiquarian Booksellers since 1905. In the 12 years I have worked at the shop, I have had the unique opportunity to immerse myself in the past and present of Los Angeles. As the oldest book store in the city of Los Angeles, Dawson's not only specializes in Los Angeles history, it has helped to shape it, going back to the days when Job Harriman held campaign meetings in the shop's old downtown location. Currently, Dawson's hosts the Los Angeles Salon Series, a monthly series focusing on the issues confronting Southern California. Through this series and our customer base, I've had the opportunity to interact with the people who are intertwined in Los Angeles history (Catherine Mulholland, Kendrick Kinney) and those who have documented it (Mike Davis, Bill Deverell) I have negotiated operating a small business in this city, and the shop continues to contribute to its social fabric through our existence and outreach.

I am also on the Board of Directors of the Open Fist Theatre Co. I have nurtured this non-profit organization in the heart of Hollywood for 10 years. While providing award winning theatre, we have also prided ourselves in contributing to the community at large, throwing benefits for Children of the Night, the Rape Crisis Hotline, and the PJ Blake Memorial Fund of the Gay and Lesbian Center, among others. I am a creator and Director of the Edge of the World Theater Festival, spawned by the Big Cheap Theater Roundtable, now entering its second year of supporting the best of L.A.'s theater.

I have also been a professional actor, and though am no longer pursuing that career, I remain a member of 3 labor unions: Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, and Actors Equity Association.

In short, I live a life not unlike many Angelenos, although I have the good fortune of being able to live in many of their shoes at one time. I am a small business operator, non-profit director, festival organizer, and union member. Like 61% of L.A., residents, I do not own my home, and I make about the median income. I moved to Los Angeles sixteen years ago, and have been married nearly 11 years. I view life in this city from all of these perspectives. I contend that this makes me more qualified to be mayor than someone who has spent years entrenched in a bureaucratic position, whether in this city, Sacramento, or Washington DC. I live with the real issues confronting our citizens every day.

Further, I believe that the electorate cares far less about ideology or promises than it does about accountability. Through use of the internet, I am offering the citizens of Los Angeles total accountability. If others embrace the technology, I would immediately consider them more qualified than the rest of the field. I dislike the notion of professional politicians. In the America I learned about in school, people should stand for office, serve the public, then return to the private sector and live in accordance with the policies they have enacted, as they live a productive, non-governmental life. I believe we should return to that model.

2) Why are you running for mayor?

Here I must share the quote instigated by a conversation with my banker. She had only known me from my personal account relationships, and I suppose she assumed I was opening another personal account. As I was sitting at her desk, opening the campaign account, she looked up at me when she realized the nature of the account she was opening. She said, "I didn't know you were one of THEM." I said, "Hmm...Well, who's THEM" She replied, "You know...you're too honest to be a politician." So I'm running precisely because I'm NOT one of THEM.

We've grown very complacent as a city, and a country. The majority does not vote, and has left governance to a small clique of politicians. This clique governs largely outside of the public's view, rewards its contributors more often than it serves the public good, and rarely faces the consequences of the policies it enacts, leaving the public to deal with the mess created by our 'leaders' e.g. Rampart, MTA subway debacle, Belmont Learning Complex fiasco.

I concentrate on five issues of concern:
1. Education
2. Transportation
3. Police protection/reform
4. Housing/homelessness
5. Physical quality of life (safe air, water, etc.)

Los Angeles does none of these well. Many among us have given up on these ever improving, giving rise to a new social paradigm: Let me just make enough money so that I personally am not affected as our social structure crumbles. I believe this is a very dangerous road for a society to travel. Therefore, I am using this campaign to pose possible solutions to our city's problems.

3) What are the goals of your campaign?

1. Enact real world campaign finance reform. Run the campaign on the internet. We don't take in huge sums of money, we don't spend huge sums of money. No big favors to repay.

2. Bring accountability to government. With the web cam on me every working minute, there will be no back room deals, no quid pro quos. The public will see how its money is spent, and how their public servants spend their time.

3. Create a public forum. Throughout the campaign, we will webcast citizen panels on various topics. An example is when we rode the buses, and asked drivers and passengers how they would like to improve the mass transit system. We will revisit many issues from different angles and viewpoints over the next 10 months. Instead of making promises now, I will be gathering the suggestions of the real people of this city, to see how they want it to improve. Then, since I will not be beholden to large contributors or cronyism, I will aim to enact policies that will do the most good for the greatest number.

4. Encourage other quality candidates to run. As I show that an effective message can be disseminated for a fraction of what the modern campaign costs, and by spotlighting honesty and accountability as vote getters, I hope to inspire other quality non-professional politicians to stand for office. I anticipate more creative uses of the internet and other grassroots technologies to really shake up our political system.

5. Create a website that will remain as a public service to this city. When the campaign is finished, win or lose, WatchTheMayor.com will remain as a valuable resource. There will be hours of video of the citizen panels, video that people in the community create highlighting issues with which they are concerned, links to sources to get the electorate energized about local issues, chat rooms to discuss current topics. The website will remain as long as the public has use for it.

6. Energize a discontented electorate. This campaign is already being embraced by young people, and by people who have not voted in years, if ever. These are the people neglected by our current system, those who never see a candidate who resonates with the lives they lead. The campaign speaks to a wired generation. Those under 25 need no explanation as to the rationale of this idea. They see the potential of this technology to give them their government back.

Though lofty goals, I think that subjecting myself to public scrutiny is worth the outcome. Even small success in any of these areas means that, win or lose, I win.