Krisiloff vs. Rosendahl in City Council Runoff

Tuesday’s election turned out to be the preliminary event, not only in the race for mayor of Los Angeles but also for the Council District 11 seat. The final tally from Tuesday’s race forced a runoff campaign between grassroots activist Flora Gil Krisiloff and former public affairs television host Bill Rosendahl to replace termed out Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski. Out of 37, 472 votes cast, Rosendahl garnered 44.7 percent, Krisiloff collected 41.4 percent, and lawyer/entrepreneur Angela Reddock received 13.8 percent. But despite the three-point spread, the runoff candidates took the final vote as an encouraging sign, heading toward the May 17 election. ‘I will continue to visit every community, meet with the leadership in each community and with groups to talk about issues,’ Rosendahl told the Palisadian-Post Wednesday morning. Krisiloff told the Post that she was pleased to have another two months to ‘meet the people so they can learn what I’ve done,’ especially in parts of the district such as Westchester where she is not as well known. ‘I feel now, after a year, I’ve built a broad-based coalition of supporters who are ready to take it much further for me. I’ve gotten phone calls from all over the district from people who want to be more active.’ While on the campaign trail, both candidates learned that quality-of-life issues dominate debate in the Palisades. ‘The Palisades is very focused and does provide more leadership in terms of commitment to keep their quality of life positive,’ Rosendahl said. When talking about specifics, he mentioned his desire to keep the Commuter Express line 430 to downtown in service. ‘The community wants to save the line, but the Department of Transportation says it’s not cost-effective. If we keep saying that it’s not cost-effective, nothing will go to the Palisades. These are hardworking people, they pay taxes, they deserve services.’ Rosendahl added that part of the problem is the government bureaucracy. ‘The bureaucracy needs to be energized. With DOT, we have to motivate them, they need to be part of the solution.’ Krisiloff reiterated that quality of life”the city services one expects”remains the leading issue in the Palisades. Talking specifically about the increased traffic on Sunset, from 26th Street to the 405, she recommended looking into the possibility of a reversible lane, a remedy that was used during the 1984 Olympics. She also stressed the need to coordinate with Caltrans to change the meter time on the entrance to the San Diego Freeway. While the issues for all three candidates in the primary were largely identical, the challenge was traversing the large district to get their name known and stand out to the voters. Reddock, who garnered 5,172 votes, told the Post that her campaign was focused and targeted, but was stymied by limited finances. ‘Unfortunately, what happens when your campaign is not well-financed, it is difficult to reach people.’ Contributions for Rosendahl and Krisiloff were robust, each taking in more than $250,000, most of which was used to pepper the district with campaign mailers that boasted endorsements, outlined plans, and in some cases, lambasted the other candidate. Rosendahl accused Krisiloff of negative campaigning, adding that he would not participate in a debate unless the ‘discourse is uplifting. ‘I’m certainly not going to tolerate her negativity, half-statements, lies, low-road stuff,’ he said. Krisiloff defended her mailers, calling Rosendahl ‘disingenuous for acting as if he wasn’t involved in negative campaigning.’ While agreeing that ‘the presentation [in the mailers] needs to be discussed,’ she claimed that ‘what my campaign sent out were facts. The facts are really important for voters to understand who their choices are. I’ve been transparent in putting out my 20-year track record. Bill did not reveal his track record, and I feel he has really concealed his role in the cable industry, and given a lot of misinformation. I believe if he can’t be transparent and make it an open book, then it is my campaign’s job to do so.’ Both candidates look forward to a spirited campaign. ‘Letting the people become well informed about their choice, that’s what we need to do,’ Krisiloff said. Rosendahl says, ‘I will continue to stay on the high road, be positive and talk about the issues.’