Thank you for your consideration in support of my candidacy for Los Angeles City Council's First District one. I am continually encouraged with the programs and progress that I have made over the last four years as a community advocate and ambassador.

As many people know, I have been working hard in the community meeting with police officers in the gang Crash Force Unit, meetings with District Attorneys, community organizations, religious leaders, attending community meetings within and outside Council District One.

I am very thankful to have such diverse support throughout the City of Los Angeles and surrounding cities that have taken a strong stand toward getting me elected to City Council. Business owners, residents, and community stakeholders are supporting my candidacy, because they see I have a strong track record in solving problems and creating programs in our community that others have not properly addressed or seemly avoid.

While preparing to run for Los Angeles City Council, the information that I have researched is astonishing. Please allow me to share a few of the statistics that will put greater strain on the fabric of our neighborhoods. Between 1983 to 1993, there has been a 737% increase in the gang population within Los Angeles and Orange County areas. Since 1993, some areas of Los Angeles have seen an increase of over 117% in the gang population with no measurable decrease in site. In America right now we have 50.4 million children 12 years old and under. The largest population of children we have ever had in our nation. It seems reasonable to project that in 2 to 17 years there may be a substantial increase in the gang population, over what we already experience. No one may know the number of unfortunate children that will fall prey to gangs; but the percentage will be much higher than we may have ever anticipated.

The estimate is approaching 250,000 gang members in the city of Los Angeles. We already know that there are second and third generation gang members and this life style has become more common and accepted within their culture. Reports suggest that gang members encourage their kids to enter gangs and they're committing to gang life at an earlier age without a chance to experience simply being a kid. These kids do not know the long term effects of their actions but they do understand the short term: friends die young.

This problem has already affected our schools, families, and communities. Our nation has built more camps, more juvenile detention centers, more jails and the problems continue to grow exponentially. The current budget short falls have created a reduction of available funds to incarcerate criminal offenders who truly present a threat to our families, but now are more likely to be given probation.

Crime may be down today because we have locked criminals up for longer sentences, but even they are aware that this is a short-term solution. The City of Los Angeles or our State will never have enough tax dollars to handle the anticipated thousands of new criminals.

There is not one solution to solving this problem. In fact, it is going to take a collaborative effort ranging from the Police Department, District Attorney Office, Judicial branch, schools, not-for-profits, community centers, parks department, parents and churches to help resolve this issue. It is time we held ourselves accountable.

This is an opportunity to show our family and friends throughout the Los Angeles community that we are willing and able to hold our leaders and ourselves accountable. Improving the quality of life within Los Angeles and standing together on this issue, will become the foundation for safer communities and more hopeful tomorrow's.

One of the proposed solutions that I am working hard to develop in conjunction with the Los Angeles Police Department is real reform modernization and measurable change . I'm doing just that with the fund-raising of money to privately fund my program. I have launch www.SupportLAPD.org and comprehensive internal task force of safety, police, security and technology specialist in the field of surveillance.

My second proposed solution is targeted to support and promote rehabilitation efforts in our jails and prison systems. In addition, I am researching alternatives that will revise judicial reviews of inmates seeking early release or reduced sentencing. It is my belief, that simply passing time should no longer be the only prerequisite for release from prison. Job skills training, G.E.D preparation, trade school classes, anger management, alcohol and drug treatments and psychiatrist counseling should be extended as a mandatory part of the exit tests and review process. Some of these programs are currently existing but need to be redesign, upgraded, reviewed.

After release and for up to 3 years we should support those who may benefit from additional services there should be extended work education training skill program, meaningful family and personal psychiatrist counseling to help rebuild the lives of these individuals and there families.

I am determined and working closely with police and probation professionals to refocus our expectations, objectives and measures that will enable each person to take steps towards becoming confident and self-sufficient members of our community. We have a responsibility to the victims of crime to give criminals their fair and just punishments.

I also believe, as a community, we have a responsibility to properly rehabilitate those persons before their release giving families piece of mind that more victims will not be created. Our community must extend opportunity and trust to those who have proven their desire and willingness to reenter society. This is one of the first steps towards preventing the “revolving door” of career criminals – enforcement and continual rehabilitation after release. This is a preventative measure and investment in our communities.

We must modernize our strategy of policing and its effects on our quality of life. This includes the way we patrol our streets, alleys, parks and schools. I believe that surveillance equipment would enable officers to monitor the same area more efficiently with less taxpayer cost. This effort would lead to more arrests and a higher percentage of convictions. I have information on my web site at www.SupportLAPD.org that details a new innovative program and the proactive measures we look to implement in the First District with the help of Morgan Stanley and BLEND.

I believe that increasing the quality of life in our community is my most important mission from fighting crime to delivering city services. It is for this reason that issues regarding improved lighting, street maintenance, programming and maintenance for our parks, additional support for our schools all play a significant role in reinforcing the positive image our residents deserve. I will fight to make sure that the First District receives its fair share of local and state and federal funds that will be used to make the improvements we have all been waiting to long for. I believe it is time to hold our elected officials accountable to deliver the services and the improvements that will make our community a healthier place to live and play.

You can help make a difference in Los Angeles by supporting me with a contribution and your vote. Please talk to your friends and ask them to vote and contribute to Joseph Lucey for Los Angeles City Council District One. Help me get elected to Los Angeles City Council, and experience the positive improvements throughout our community. I will not stop until the job is completed and you, my neighbors, are satisfied. I want your vote in 2005 and I look forward to serving the First District. Together we will make District One, Number One in 2005!

Thank you in advance for your support.

Sincerely,

Joseph Lucey

U N I O N S

While there is no question that our unions are in a state of need, from whom and how we obtain this aid appears be the question of the hour.

Ask yourself this question: Do you support fair wages within a safe work environment like myself? Where did the days go when the loyalty you gave a company over the years would in turn earn you a retirement pension and life long medical benefits?

I ask you, are there truly any winners when negotiations break down and strikes are called for or lockouts persist ?

MTA STRIKE

Were you aware of the many debilitating effects that the recent MTA strike had on tens of thousands of Angelinos? Without a means of transportation, many were left stranded and forced to find ways to get back and forth to work, attend doctor/dental appointments and children struggled to attend school in a timely fashion. Further, many people were unable to bring their children to day-care centers nor baby sisters. Because of this strike, so many people lost out. The MTA workers that lost earnings, individuals that lost wages at work, people lost time out of their day in extended hours looking and finding alternative means to get to work, insurance companies paying out claims from stolen vehicles, and the list goes on. I know for a fact that car theft rose dramatically during that time because the weakest of people took a low road in finding their solution in theft. Consumers were strained as their cost of  transportation increased substantially for the period of the strike.

I ask you, are there truly any winners when negotiations brake down and strikes are called for?

GROCER'S STRIKE

As if the MTA situation was a precursor of things to come, we are now embroiled in a bitter and lengthy Grocer's strike. Workman compensation has gone through the roof and health care costs continue to increase as competition always plays a part in business pricing models. Along with the cost of expansion comes the increase in rents, shortly followed by a subtle increase in taxes.

Businesses need help as well. I believe the unions and businesses need to work closer together and join forces to find common solutions to their problems in a proactive way. That is why I'm reaching out to the unions and to corporations to create the relationships and solutions we need. I look to be a proactive leader for the city of Los Angeles.

EDUCATION K - 12

Sadly enough, we have seen and experienced shortages again and again in areas of education. While the lottery was initially designed to bring significant capital resources to our schools - leaving the opportunity for teacher pay hikes and new construction - just the opposite has occurred. State politicians have reduced the educational budget as the youth population has grown incrementally. Instead, we now have school bonds that are suppose to fix this problem.

While I'm all for the kids, past experiences has lead me to believe that the Board of Education's ability to properly manage fiscal affairs doesn't hold a promising record. Perhaps it's time to remove some of their responsibilities and create an agency that has more experience or expertise, as some would put it. Monies need to be directed towards our schools construction, educational  programs, supplies, maintenance and salaries. Nonetheless, Unions are hard pressed to ask for increasing salaries when the state doesn't or can't properly allocate funding for proper educational budgets.

LIMITED VISION

These problems have solutions and they need political leadership to head the problem off. But where is the political leadership? I don't always see it. I especially don't see it when politicians spend our tax dollars foolishly on impeachment trials. I don't see it when the Republicans recall our governor, then later vote against the recall because their republican leadership wasn't going to win the seat. What a taxpayer's rip off that election was. Republicans did the state of California a disservice in this election. More  importantly, the money and time that was foolishly allocated could have been better spent in a bipartisan effort creating solutions to the health care problems, housing, homelessness, the closures of hospitals, fighting the increase in workman  compensation, crime, education and the list goes on. We need politicians that will work for us for the good of the people in a non partisan way. Not what we have in political leadership today.

CONCLUSION

The unions and corporate America would be wise to start putting their money, voices, votes and power behind the candidates who are willing to sit down and get to work in and effort to find real solutions to real problems. Our focus should be on reducing overall costs to our people and to the state, thus moving us forward in a direction of a better way of life. I, for one, am tired of  seeing the small minded political jargon that takes place at the expense of the American people with no advancement for our people at the same time. If these so called leaders had to earn that money or take it out of their own pocket to throw it away on their political tricks do you think they would do it?

Doubtful.

- Joe Lucey


Candidate for Los Angeles City Council First District