Mike Bonin

Mike Bonin
File:Mike Bonin Profile Image.jpg Bonin at the Venice Canals, 2012
Member of the Los Angeles City Council from the 11th district
Incumbent
Assumed office July 1, 2013
Preceded by	Bill Rosendahl
Personal details
Born	Michael Bonin (1967-03-19) March 19, 1967 Clinton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Residence	Mar Vista Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Harvard University
Religion	Catholicism
Website	cd11.lacity.org

Mike Bonin (born March 19, 1967) is an American politician and the Los Angeles Councilmember from the 11th District. He was Chief of Staff on Councilmember Bill Rosendahl's staff. Bonin took office on July 1, 2013.

A member of the Democratic Party, Bonin won the March 5 Primary for the Council seat with 62% of the vote. City Council elections and seats are non-partisan. Bonin is considered politically progressive, and is openly gay.

Born in Clinton, Massachusetts, Bonin is a graduate of Harvard University. He worked as a reporter before entering politics. Bonin worked as deputy chief-of-staff, district director, and legislative deputy for the Office of Ruth Galanter from 1997 to 2003, as deputy chief-of-staff to the office of Congresswoman Jane Harman from 2003 to 2004, and as chief-of-staff for Councilmember Bill Rosendahl from 2005 to 2013.

Early life

Bonin graduated from Clinton High School in Clinton, Massachusetts, in 1985. He served as class president during his Junior and Senior years. William P. Constantino, Bonin's grandfather, was a state representative and later presiding judge in Clinton District Court. His uncle, William P. Constantino, Jr., also served as a state representative.

Professional career

From 1989 to 1996, Bonin worked as a reporter at the Springfield Newspapers in Springfield, Mass., and the Wave Newspapers in Los Angeles, CA.

Political career

Office of Councilwoman Ruth Galanter

Bonin began working in Los Angeles city politics 1996, joining the staff of Los Angeles City Councilmember Ruth Galanter. During his seven years with Galanter, Bonin held various titles, serving as legislative deputy, district director, and eventually as deputy chief of staff. Bonin's work focused primarily on public safety and environmental issues.

Office of Representative Jane Harman

From 2003 to 2004, Bonin worked in the Office of US Representative Jane Harman. He served as Deputy Chief of Staff and District Director for the Congressional District represented by Harman.

Office of Councilman Bill Rosendahl

In 2005, Bonin managed Los Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl’s successful campaign, and was appointed chief-of-staff. Bonin helped broker a landmark legal settlement that jumpstarted modernization of Los Angeles International Airport while preventing airport expansion into neighboring communities. Bonin also crafted a program that helped more than 100 homeless people find permanent housing. He helped Rosendahl win passage of a Citywide Bicycle Master Plan, and cut taxes for internet-based businesses . After being diagnosed with cancer, Rosendahl chose not to seek a third term and endorsed Bonin to succeed him in the 2013 city election.

The district, with a population of 270,000 residents, encompasses the Westside neighborhoods of Los Angeles, including Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, West LA, Mar Vista, Venice, Del Rey, Playa Vista, Playa del Rey and Westchester. It also includes Los Angeles International Airport, Venice Beach, the Getty Museum, the Santa Monica Mountains, and many technology firms, including Google, YouTube and Microsoft.

Activism

Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers

Bonin’s began his political career organizing student and community support for the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers, which won certification as a union during Bonin’s junior year of college.

Obama Campaign

Bonin took a leave of absence from his job as Chief Deputy to work on Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. Bonin served as a Regional Field Organizer for California's 36th Congressional District, which at the time included much of South and West Los Angeles.

Camp Courage

Following the passage of Proposition 8, which stripped the California gay and lesbian community of the right to marry, Bonin co-founded Camp Courage, a training program for LGBT community organizers. The program was affiliated with the Courage Campaign, a California multi-issue progressive organization.

Campaign for City Council, 2013

During the summer of 2012, Rosendahl announced he had been diagnosed with cancer. In October, he decided against seeking reelection. Rosendahl immediately endorsed Bonin and referenced his dedication to public service in the endorsement.

Bonin’s campaign stressed his long-standing community ties, his track record working for local elected officials, and his plans for the district. He campaigned on a theme of “Putting Neighborhoods First,” and promised to “move Los Angeles forward, do good, and get things done.”

During the campaign, Bonin quickly won the support of community leaders, environmental leaders and organizations, and elected officials. He also won the endorsements of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, and the Los Angeles Times.

Bonin earned 22,542 votes, 61.84 percent of votes cast. Since he earned more than 50 percent of the vote in the first round of voting in March, no runoff was held during the June general election Bonin’s opponents were Fred Sutton, Odysseus Bostick, and Tina Hess. After being elected, Bonin hired Sutton as a Constituent Advocate in his West LA office.

During the 2013 mayoral runoff, Bonin endorsed and campaigned heavily for Eric Garcetti, who won the election by 8 points.

"Neighborhoods First" District Work

Access 11

Bonin launched his "Access 11" program shortly after being sworn-into office in order to "bring City Hall to the Westside." The program features "Open Office Hours," where Bonin meets with constituents at Farmers Markets or other community gatherings, "Neighborhood Service Fairs," where Bonin coordinates City departments to come to Westside communities to demonstrate available services (such as emergency preparedness and water conservation programs), "Hikes With Mike," where Bonin meets with neighbors as they hike in areas around the district, "Neighborhood Coffees," where Bonin hosts small, informal gatherings for neighbors to ask questions about the City and "Neighborhood Canvasses," where Bonin, staff and community volunteers go door-to-door in Westside neighborhoods to ask for ideas and service requests

Work With City Crews

On his first day as a Councilmember, Bonin made stops around his district, visiting with constituents, local business owners and helping city employees do the everyday work that keeps neighborhoods clean and safe. In addition to picking up trash with the Bureau of Sanitation, he helped fill potholes and served lunch at a senior center. Bonin has continued to work with city employees in neighborhoods on the Westside throughout his term and has:

• Trimmed trees with the Urban Forestry Division,
• Filled potholes with the Bureau of Street Services,
• Planted bioswales and other landscaping projects with the Bureau of Sanitation,
• Cleaned out storm drains with the Stormwater Protection Division,
• Upgraded street lamps with the Bureau of Street Lighting,
• Picked up bulky items with the Bureau of Sanitation, and
• Installed crosswalks and center lines on roads with the Department of Transportation.

"YES Award"

As a Councilmember, Bonin created a "YES Award" to honor public employees "who refuse to take no for an answer and always 'work to a yes' to help constituents on the Westside." Bonin regularly hosts special presentations during City Council meetings to recognize city employees for their work.

Stopping Illegal Pot Shops

As a candidate for Council, Bonin advocated in favor of Los Angeles Measure D, which allows regulated medicinal marijuana dispensaries, as long as they are not located in residential neighborhoods or schools. In the fall of 2014, Bonin partnered with LA City City Attorney Mike Feuer and neighbors in Mar Vista to oppose the relocation of a large marijuana dispensary in the Mar Vista neighborhood, saying the proposed location did not comply with Proposition D. In January 2014, Bonin and Feuer announced that they had successfully stopped the relocation of the controversial dispensary.

Affordable Housing

SB1818 Reform

Calling the lack of affordable housing in Los Angeles "a threat to neighborhood quality of life," Bonin has spearheaded changes to zoning laws that allow developers a “density bonus” and a free pass on development standards. In the spring of 2014, Bonin joined with colleagues at the state and local level on three efforts to amend California's "density bonus" law, also known as SB 1818:

• Bonin co-sponsored legislation this week with Councilmember Paul Krekorian directing the Planning Department to more strictly enforce SB 1818 provisions and require developers to provide economic data proving that including affordable housing requires additional incentives.
• Bonin co-sponsored legislation this week with Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell asking for a report on how much affordable housing has been lost as a result of SB 1818, and what steps the City is taking to monitor affordable housing covenants.
• Working with Councilmember Paul Krekorian and state Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian, Bonin’s planning staff helped craft Assembly Bill 2222. Sponsored by Nazarian, AB 2222 amended SB 1818 by restricting the density bonus to only those projects that create a net increase in affordable housing, and count existing rent-controlled units as part of the affordability baseline. AB 2222 was signed into law by California Governor Jerry Brown on September 29, 2014.

Mello Act Reform

In February of 2015, Bonin authored legislation that directs the City of Los Angeles to develop a permanent ordinance that would protect affordable housing in the Coastal Zone of Los Angeles. Though the City had been subject to the Mello Act - a state law adopted over 30 years ago, that is intended to preserve, replace, and develop low-income and affordable housing in the Coastal Zone - for the past 15 years, the City has been implementing the Act through a set of interim guidelines. Bonin's motion called for a permanent ordinance "in order to get clear, on-the-record answers about how or whether the City has been complying with the guidelines, and to figure out what more the City can do to protect affordable housing in the Coastal Zone, including by requiring rigorous third-party financial analysis of applications covered by the Mello Act."

Legislative and Policy Accomplishments

Since being elected, Bonin has focused on "putting neighborhoods first" and four specific issue areas: transportation, public safety, the environment and jobs/technology.

Transportation Policy and "LAX Connect"

Bonin was appointed Chair of the City Council's Transportation Committee, serves as a member of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors and is the vice-Chair of Metro's Expo Line Construction Authority. With these key leadership roles, "Bonin is now one of the most important people on transportation policy in the region". Bonin has used these positions to advocate for a light-rail connection between existing rail lines and Los Angeles International Airport and to call for increased investments in multi-modal infrastructure and improved bike and pedestrian safety in neighborhoods.

Los Angeles Fracking Moratorium

On September 4, 2013, Bonin and his colleague Paul Koretz introduced the Los Angeles Fracking Moratorium to the City Council. The motion, which instructed the City Attorney to draft an ordinance that would temporarily ban "unconventional oil and gas drilling" techniques like fracking in Los Angeles until they can be proven safe, was unanimously approved by the City Council on February 28, 2014.

iPads for Firefighters

Bonin proposed equipping Los Angeles City Fire Department first responders with upgraded tablet technology on July 2, 2013. The proposal quickly won the support and praise of the Fire Commission, rank-and-file firefighters and the Los Angeles technology community, and was hailed as a success as the pilot program progressed.

Hotel Workers Living Wage

On February 18, 2014, Bonin and his colleagues Nury Martinez and Curren Price Jr. introduced legislation to establish a living wage of $15.37 per hour for employees at large hotels in Los Angeles. After months of debate, the bill was approved by the Council by a 12-3 vote, setting one of the highest minimum wages in the country.

Citywide Minimum Wage

In the fall of 2014, Bonin became one of four co-authors on the legislation that would raise the minimum wage in Los Angeles. While supportive of Mayor Garcetti's initial proposal to incrementally increase the minimum wage to $13.25 per hour by 2017, Bonin has also called for extending the proposed increase to reach $15.25 by 2019.

Small Business Support Program

On October 24, 2013, Bonin announced that he had partnered with Santa Monica College and the Small Business Development Center to hire a "Small Business Development Consultant" in his office. The Small Business Development Consultant's primary responsibility is serving as a "small business concierge" to offer expert advice to local business owners and to help them "cut through red tape" at City Hall. The partnership, which provides local entrepreneurs one-on-one business consulting as well as free informational workshops, was the first of its kind in Los Angeles.

Other Legislative Work

Broken Parking Meters

Bonin's first motion as a Councilmember was to rescind the City's policy of issuing tickets to cars parked at broken parking meters. The bill, which Bonin said was intended to show that "government should be on your side, not on your back" was unanimously approved by the Council.

Water Conservation

In the fall of 2014, with California in a historic drought, Bonin and his colleague Felipe Fuentes introduced a pair of motions focused on water conservation in Los Angeles. The first motion asked the city to explore recommendations made in a 2013 UCLA report titled "Residential Water Consumption in Los Angeles," including adding extra tiers to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's water rate system. The second motion called on the city to stop watering large lawns on public property in order to conserve water and to make city facilities "showcases for sustainability".

Internet-based Business Tax Rate

In the fall of 2014, Bonin worked with his colleague Bob Blumenfield to extend a reduced tax rate for internet-based businesses in Los Angeles as a way to encourage technology companies to create jobs in Los Angeles.

Awards

In 2014, Bonin was voted "Best Local Public Servant (elected)" in The Argonaut's annual "Best of the Westside" reader poll.

Personal life

Bonin lives in Mar Vista with his husband, Sean Arian whom he married in the summer of 2014. Mayor Eric Garcetti performed the wedding ceremony. Arian is founder and President of EOS Consulting and also serves as the Founder and Chief Strategist for Bixel Exchange, a technology startup incubator created by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and Small Business Development Center.

External links

• Los Angeles Council District 11
• Bonin for LA City Council - Campaign Website