Candidates Carolyn Ramsay and David Ryu continued to spar over a wide variety of issues during a Monday debate, including those that most impact the Los Feliz community.

Candidates Carolyn Ramsay and David Ryu outlined their plans during a debate at the Autry National Center. (photo by Jonathan Van Dyke)

Dozens of people gathered at the Autry National Center for the debate, which was hosted by the Los Feliz Improvement Association.

“I want to do everything I can to preserve Griffith Park the way it is,” said Ryu, who is a community health director, adding that it is important for the city staff to examine ways to add pocket parks to increase green space across the 4th District.

Ryu also said he was interested in the possibility of the Hollywood Central Park project, which would cap the Hollywood (101) Freeway to create a new park in East Hollywood.

Ramsay touted her time as a member of Councilman Tom LaBonge’s staff, when she took the lead in the early part of the decade to acquire 138 acres of land for Griffith Park expansion. She said it is important to keep the area pristine and free of motorists.

“My vision … is to decrease the car traffic going into Griffith Park by adding shuttles and maybe even limiting access to shuttles only at certain times of the day or on the weekends,” she said.

When asked about access to Griffith Park from Mount Hollywood Drive, Ryu said he would wait until results were available from a recent pilot program regarding traffic on the road.

“I want to be responsible,” he said. “The study is being done and I want to find out what it says.”

Ramsay said she didn’t need to wait.

“I do not support opening Mount Hollywood Drive for parking, period,” she said.

The candidates presented similar views regarding issues involving the Greek Theatre and who will run it in the future. Currently, Nederlander Concerts is running the venue, and has done so for several decades, but the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks is moving forward with a plan to run the site itself as an open venue.

“I’m very concerned about the current status of the Greek Theatre,” Ryu said, adding that he would support extending Nederlander for one more year while the department figures out an updated request for proposal (RFP) process. “If we truly want to say the community input means more, then we make sure the [RFP] scoring [emphasizes it more].”

Ramsay said the issue boils down to traffic, noise and safety issues. She touted her time at protests and at city hall, working on behalf the community.

“I stood with this community in city hall for Nederlander,” she said.

Candidates expressed a variety of ideas regarding how parking could be improved in the area.

Ramsay said she would work to add more parking spaces and extend parking hours at meters in Los Feliz Village to two hours. She added that the city or county should invest in a transportation system that could move people from the Hollywood Hills to the Metro station, whether that be a bus — “or even a rickshaw” — which would encourage those residents to leave their cars at home.

Ryu said the underlying problems with the area’s parking and traffic stem from improper city planning.

“People don’t see a bike rack and say, ‘I’m going to sell my car’,” he said, alluding to the fact that large developments have received parking exemptions that allow them to swap parking spots for bicycle racks. Ryu also proposed the possibility of the city creating a universal charge card that could be used on buses, for bicycle share program kiosks and parking meters.

Ramsay said she would work with neighboring cities and the department of transportation to move traffic off main streets and onto the Hollywood (101) Freeway, redirecting traffic with signage where necessary.

Ryu’s pledge to refuse developer money came up again at the Los Feliz debate. He said he didn’t want it to be thought of as a gimmick, so the pledge has been made for his entire time in city council, if elected.

“This is a gimmick, I’m glad David called it out as such,” Ramsay countered, adding that she has pledged to be as transparent as possible during her term, including on developer money and district discretionary funds.

Ryu countered that he is glad Ramsay is following his lead in regards to transparency and discretionary funds, but he vowed to go a step further by creating a community task force to advise him on how to use the money.

Ryu said he would examine ways in which the city could streamline multiple infrastructure projects at the same time.

“I’m so happy my opponent has endorsed my ‘dig once’ philosophy,” Ramsay said, alluding to her policy that the city should combine infrastructure and environmental efforts whenever possible.

Ryu countered that the “dig once” philosophy was not new, adding that he and other candidates in the primary had mentioned similar ideas.

Both candidates put forth creative solutions to the city’s homeless problems.

Ramsay spoke of adaptive reuse projects as a solution, such as converting old and vacant hotels into homeless housing.

“These are the creative solutions we need going forward,” she said, adding that she has experience negotiating with the county and community to find the right answers.

Ryu said it is important to increase police training in regards to the homeless, perhaps creating a mandatory class in the police academy. He also called for an increase in Smart Teams — pairing police officers and mental health professionals to go into the community, find homeless individuals and connect them with the proper services.

Ryu said he plans to be just as energetic as LaBonge, but with more follow through and with an outsider’s perspective.

“I’ll meet with you once, twice, three times and again and again until we get it right,” he said. “We need a systematic approach, and even if I don’t see it, I still want to make sure it’s picked up.”

Ramsay said her community connections from years of service would be an asset, adding that almost everyone already has her cellphone number.

“It’s a partnership, that’s the way I’ve always operated,” she added.