Carolyn Ramsay announces plans for Los Angeles City Council District 4 at NWPC LA Westside Fundraiser

With one day left in the race to replace longtime Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge, the battle for the 4th district seat intensifies between David Ryu and Carolyn Ramsay. If Ramsay wins, she will be the first woman to represent the seat and the second woman to serve on LA City Council. If Ryu prevails, however, he will be the first Korean American on the Council.

So who is the most qualified candidate for District 4? It was very clear at last Monday’s NWPC LA Westside event supporting Carolyn Ramsay’s campaign that she is the candidate of choice. During the event gathering, which included many local officials from the City of Los Angeles, LA County and other local cities, Ramsay laid out her three main priorities: (1) to protect and enhance neighborhoods; (2) to fix the city’s infrastructure, particularly streets and sidewalks; and (3) enact an economic development initiative to save jobs and retain the entertainment industry. On this final point, Ramsay’s ambitious plan is to attract new businesses and to incentivize the entertainment industry with tax start-ups in a 20-block area of Hollywood intended to stop business from leaving Los Angeles.

Ramsay emphasized that the combination of her drive for innovative technology, her open collaborations with businesses and local unions, her stance on addressing water conservation measures, and her preeminent experience in the community show her ability to lead the 4th district in a much more inhabitable direction.

“LA City went from the crime capital to the safest big city in America. I’ve seen this huge transformation happen in the City of Los Angeles. I want to be apart of the next wave and I want to work with everyone to make LA the safest, most livable and sustainable big city in America,” Ramsay stated Monday.

So far, Ramsay has amassed a long list of City Hall, community and media endorsements, including Mayor Eric Garcetti, LA City Councilmembers Bob Blumenfield, Paul Koretz, and Council president Herb Wesson, the Police and Firefighters union, labor union, the Sierra Club, the LA City Chamber of Commerce, the Los Angeles Times, the Daily News and the National Women’s Political Caucus.

City Council District 4 stretches from Sherman Oaks to Miracle Mile and includes parts of Hollywood and Los Feliz. Voters in these areas are encouraged to get out and vote in the Tuesday, May 19th run-off. Unfortunately, the primary election, which included fourteen (14) candidates, only had a 16% voter turnout, which was the lowest in history. NWPC LA Westside is proud to support Carolyn Ramsay for CD4 and is encouraging all members and allies to help spread the word about our endorsement and why it is important for everyone in CD4 to get out and vote.

NWPC LA Westside’s goal is to increase the number of stellar women serving in elected and appointed offices. To join our movement, become a member of the NWPC LA Westside Chapter by visiting our website to enroll and joining us in our monthly board meetings. Follow us on Twitter and facebook to stay up-to-date with coming events, elections and workshops.

Catherine J. Hood

NWPC LA Westside Board Member

State Controller Betty Yee announces her endorsement of Carolyn Ramsay's campaign for Los Angeles City Council at NWPC LA Westside Post-Election Breakfast

State Controller Betty Yee announces her endorsement of Carolyn Ramsay's campaign for Los Angeles City Council at NWPC LA Westside Post-Election Breakfast

We were honored and thrilled that California State Controller Betty Yee chose to announce her endorsement of Carolyn Ramsey in the runoff for the Los Angeles City Council District 4 seat at our post-March election breakfast!

The morning of March 26^th, 2015, NWPC LA Westside hosted another successful networking breakfast to discuss post-March election results at Factor’s Famous Deli in West LA. California Controller Betty Yee made an appearance, along with other notable local elected officials, including Mayor Meghan Sahli-Wells (Culver City), Trustees-elect Andra Hoffman and Sydney Kamlager (Los Angeles Community College District), Councilwoman Lauren Meister (West Hollywood), and Boardmember Kathy Paspalis (Culver City Board of Education to not only discuss results of the previous election, but also to share valuable information about the importance of women making the choice to run for elected office. Over bagels and coffee in Sunny Los Angeles, chapter members, their friends and family conversed not only with LA Westside chapter endorsed women, but also reflected on data provided by Dr. Jackie Filla of Mount St. Mary’s University on the dismal turnout of the March elections and the scarcity of women candidates who were elected to serve.

One of the most compelling topics of the breakfast proved to be the prospect of adding Carolyn Ramsey to the 18-member City Council roster. Currently, there is only one woman sitting on the Los Angeles City Council, Councilwoman Nury Martinez, so Ramsey is the one shot that Angelenos have to add another for several years. On May 19^th,  Ramsey, former chief of staff to Councilman Tom LaBonge, will faceoff against healthcare director David Ryu to succeed LaBonge as the representive for Council District 4. Both Ramsay and Ryu advanced to the May 19^th General Elections for Los Angeles City Council District 4 according to the results from the March 3^rd primary elections.

Ramsey is an environmental advocate and was a former freelance journalist for local and national news outlets. She has preeminent experience in servicing the 4^th district community and has spent most of her career as a neighborhood advocate.  In announcing her support for Ramsey, Controller Yee stated,

“I feel tremendous kinship to Carolyn. You can always know that behind the electeds are good people who do the work and are solid in policy. I know she will make her district proud”.

NWPC LA Westside is proud to join with Controller Betty Yee in support of Carolyn Ramsey in her campaign for election to represent Los Angeles City Council District 4. In support of her campaign efforts, NWPC LA Westside chapter is collaborating with other women leaders and organizations to host a fundraiser for Ramsay on May 11^th in West Los Angeles. Details will be released shortly, but, in the meantime, you can help us support Ramsay’s campaign by visiting our website and contributing. No contribution is too small!

HELP NWPC LA WESTSIDE SUPPORT WOMEN CANDIDATES FOR APPOINTED AND ELECTED OFFICE!

It seems like the election cycle is neverending! NWPC LA Westside is dedicated to working with women in the community to take the step towards running for office or seeking appointments to boards and commissions. To join our movement, become a member! Visit our  website to enroll or make a contribution to our endorsed candidates. You can also follow us on Twitter and facebook to stay up-to-date with coming events, including trainings, networking events and more!