Mike Bonin Visits Palisades as Councilman

Kicking off his first day in office with the same grassroots enthusiasm that helped him win the City Council’s 11th District seat, Mike Bonin toured his coastal territory on Monday and met constituents and City employees face-to-face.
In Pacific Palisades, Bonin visited the branch library and Fire Station 69, discussing public safety and other issues with both local residents and firefighters.
The councilman’s visit here came six days after his predecessor and former boss, Bill Rosendahl, visited the Pacific Palisades Community Council (PPCC). Rosendahl’s visit was emotional, and the outgoing councilman was greeted with a standing ovation.
“You have been around for 40 years, and you are truly a model for community engagement,” Rosendahl told the Council last Thursday, after eight years in office working with its members.
Exhibiting the same exuberance, Bonin arrived in the Palisades after a seven-stop tour of his entire district that started when he picked up trash with Bureau of Sanitation workers in Mar Vista.
“It’s been a busy day of filling pot holes” and other activities, Bonin told about 30 Palisadians, who had gathered at the library to greet him. “We are going to be doing a lot more potholes in the future.”
During his visit, Bonin explained his Access 11 plan, which aims to use personal outreach and technology to connect with residents and neighborhoods, giving them greater access to City government, and multiple platforms to make their voices heard.
“I could be at City Hall, or I could be in the district and talking with the people I work for—it’s all about accessibility,” Bonin told the Palisadian-Post.
At the library, Bonin assured residents that adequate police and fire resources in his district will be huge issues for his administration, “which is why we have asked to be part of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee.”
He also shared some of his ideas for improving traffic on Sunset, including a concept for schools to share shuttle service.
“Archer School has a great model that Brentwood School and St. Martin’s School [also in Brentwood] can follow,” Bonin said. “I can’t wave a magic wand. I think schools are a part of the solution and [some of these concepts] will have a cumulative effect on traffic congestion on Sunset.”
After speaking at the library, Bonin and several of his staffers, including Senior Counsel Norm Kulla, walked to Station 69. Sitting in the chow hall, he listened to some of the key issues affecting local fire crews here, such as inefficient navigation systems on some of their vehicles and maintaining a properly staffed station.
Bonin expressed to the firemen his commitment to public safety and said that he understands the fire-prone nature of the environment in the Palisades.
His time in the Palisades was just a glimpse of how Bonin will interact with his constituents via his Access 11 plan, he claimed.  This approach to public outreach will include holding “neighborhood office hours” at farmer’s markets, local fire and police stations, senior centers, libraries, and/or neighborhood shops.
“One of the qualities I want my staff to have is fairness,” Bonin said, adding the importance of listening to quiet voices and not just the loud minority.
“I think it’s my responsibility to find people not yet engaged in the public process and reach out to them,” he said.
Bonin said he hopes his Access 11 plan, which will include neighborhood service fairs, “Hikes with Mike,” “neighborhood coffees,” and “going door-to-door” will help further bridge the gap between his public office and his constituents.