Protecting, Serving —with Balance

One of the first things that one notices about Jay Garacochea is how forthright he is. A former Culver City police officer, Garacochea makes it clear that his background in law enforcement is a skill set that he and his supporters believe will serve him well if he wins one of the three seats on the City Council this spring.

“Public safety is a big issue for me,” said Garacochea, who runs a corporate security communication company for Honda Motors in Torrance.

Adam Treanor, a past Culver City Police Assn. president and detective, has known Garocochea since the mid-1990s when they both joined the police force. “Police officers are like social observers and Jay was one of the best when he was interacting with people and observing them. That’s one of the skills that I think he’ll bring to the city council,” said Treanor, who has left the department and now works for another law enforcement agency

A long time Culver City resident, Garacochea would be the first former police officer elected to the council since Ron Perkins in the late 1970s. Electing him, Garacochea says, will create an anchor of sorts on the council, due to the varied personalities on the current body.

“I want to see a balance on the council,” the former police officer said in an interview at his home recently. “I’ve seen this city inside and out, which not everyone can say.

“I’ve helped people at their worst times as a police officer and I have the compassion and the listening skills that you need for this position.”

His ties to one of Culver City’s most well-known and admired political and philanthropic families extends several decades. “I used to walk for [former mayor Albert Vera Sr.) when he was running for office and [Sorrento Market proprietor] Albert Vera Jr. is one of my biggest supporters,” Garacochea said proudly.

One of Garacochea’s top priorities will be trying to add to the city’s police force. He questions the top brass’ claims about how statistically safe Culver City is and points to the loss of motorcycle officers as an area in sore need of improvement. “[Culver City} is as safe as it can be for what it has.  But we definitely need more boots on the ground,” he says.

A proud conservative politically, Garacochea says his governing philosophy is another pathway toward achieving a balance on the city council, a theme that he returned to throughout the interview.  “We need to be very careful when it comes to wasteful spending. If we have too many [political liberals], spending could get very loose,” he asserted.

Reminded that municipal government is almost always less ideological than state and federal governments, Garacochea agreed but noted that how the city spends money would likely illustrate  a  contrast between his philosophy and  those of some of his council colleagues- if he is elected.

One example of that type of expenditure is a call from certain sectors of the city to sue the Federal Aviation Administration over what some residents say are aircraft flying too low and too close to their homes as part of a regional restructuring of flight paths to and from Los Angele International Airport.

“We’re already spending money on a [noise and aerospace} consultant to monitor noise. I think the community should get together and join other cities that might be suing at a later date,” Garacochea suggests. “In the long run if we sue, it’s going to be an extreme waste of money.”

Another asset that Treanor thinks his friend will bring to city government is that of a civic-minded resident who has not held public office before and has a fresh perspective on things,   a sentiment that a block of voters on the state and national levels find appealing. “Jay’s not a professional politician. He knows the city and I think he’s going to bring a degree of honesty to the council,” Treanor said.

Treanor also sees Garacochea’s bid for city council as an extension of his public service as a police officer.  “One of the things that you learn early as a policy officer is that you are an operator, not a policy maker,” he said. “Because he’s lived in the city and knows how it works, this gives Jay the chance to actively be involved in shaping the direction of the police and the fire departments.”

In an earlier news story regarding rent stabilization, which is quietly becoming a topic of discussion in the campaign, Garacochea stated his opposition to the idea. “I do not believe that rent stabilization should be imposed in Culver City, now or in the future. If we impose rent stabilization, it will negatively affect the property values not only of multi-family dwellings but single-family dwellings as well,” Garacochea asserted.  “The value of an income-producing property is largely determined by the rental income. By imposing such an ordinance, we will inevitably see rental properties deteriorate and become eye sores as is common in Los Angeles.”

He also is against a proposed municipal minimum wage, offering a generally conservative approach that it would have “an adverse effect on local businesses.”

Raising the minimum wage “doesn’t allow businesses to manage their employees that way that they want to,” Garacochea continued, adding that his philosophy is a combination of “free market principles and the belief that businesses should have the freedom to run their business how they choose to.”

Business- related organizations have consistently stated the opinions shared by Garacochea. But according to the U.S. Dept. of Labor, raising the minimum wage does not hurt restaurants, cites academic research that states that sharply reduce employee turnover and notes in a 2015 survey that three out of five small businesses supported raising the minimum wage.

Garacochea has installed solar panels on the roof of his home and would like the city to add more solar panels to its municipal buildings where it can. “I’ve seen the financial and environmental benefits that solar can bring,” he said.

“Just because I’m conservative doesn’t mean that I won’t try to work with others who might have a different philosophy than mine,” Garacochea concluded. “I’m going to try and bring balance to the council.”

Gary Walker contributed to this story.