McOsker began his first term in office referring to the district as the \u201cOne-Five\u201d as a way to emphasize that it is made up of five communities: San Pedro, Wilmington, Harbor City, Harbor Gateway and Watts. The reference has stuck.<\/p>\n
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Tim McOsker is a candidate for Los Angeles City Council District 15 in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Tim McOsker\u2019s campaign)\n<\/p>\n
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Jordan Rivers\n<\/p>\n
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Tim McOsker is a candidate for Los Angeles City Council District 15 in 2026. (Photo courtesy of Tim McOsker\u2019s campaign)\n<\/p>\n
Expand<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI am focused on the greatest challenges facing Los Angeles: Supporting our working families, making our neighborhoods healthy and safe, and delivering reliable city services,\u201d McOsker said in his response to the Voter Guide questionnaire<\/a>. \u201cI work collaboratively with labor, business groups, nonprofits, community leaders and stakeholders to advance policies that help the people of CD 15, or \u2018One-Five\u2019 as I call it, thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n His other priorities, McOsker said, include supporting working families, good-paying jobs and small, family-owned businesses that hire locally; workforce training programs, community programs that promote safe neighborhoods, afterschool programs and jobs; access to parks and libraries; and environmental justice issues, including air and water quality.<\/p>\n On the issue of homelessness, Rivers said he would \u201cimplement a proposal for mandatory quotas for the existing housing agencies and organizations, such as the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to have a gradual construction of facilities to house people one at a time,\u201d he said, \u201cto monitor and determine any discrepancies before more funds are added for transitional housing arrangements.\u201d<\/p>\n McOsker, for his part, said housing affordability and homelessness have become \u201ctwo of the greatest missions we face as a city and it is the moral challenge of our time.\u201d<\/p>\n The incumbent advocates for building more housing \u201cat every income level\u201d and for a process that speeds up approvals to ensure that housing \u201cactually gets delivered efficiently and responsibly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt the same time,\u201d he added, \u201cwe must continue bringing people indoors, holding ourselves accountable for results and making sure our neighborhoods remain livable as we tackle this crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n Rivers said he would replace the signs for \u201cSpecial Enforcement Zones\u201d with \u201cSafe Shelter Zones.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSpecial Enforcement Zones\u201d typically refer to designated areas where the city strictly enforces ordinances banning or restricting sitting, lying or storing personal property.<\/p>\n \u201cSafe Shelter Zones\u201d refer to emergency housing and support areas.<\/p>\n \u201cThe language surrounding \u2018Special Enforcement Zones\u2019 is dehumanizing toward the issue of homelessness,\u201d Rivers said. \u201cSigns stating where homelessness can be moved instead of solved don\u2019t address the issue of homelessness.<\/p>\n \u201cI would invest in 311 to create a robust relief, recovery, response and rescue effort for residents to dial in place of 911,\u201d he added, \u201cso that individuals facing neglect who are disadvantaged and are exposed to volatility are getting the immediate long-term care and housing accommodations needed to ensure that they\u2019re not a threat or danger to themselves or others.\u201d<\/p>\n Rivers also he wants to address how best to improve transparency and accountability at City Hall via \u201croutine engagements with neighborhood councils and a media network connecting local stations to local issues.\u201d<\/p>\n He said he would mandate staffers be assigned to certain areas of the district to attend neighborhood council meetings. He would also advocates for those neighborhood councils to host community events, and provide facilities for town halls and local fairs \u2014 so they can interact more with the communities they represent.<\/p>\n McOsker said he\u2019s long been a strong supporter of neighborhood councils, stressing that \u201cpeople should not have to travel downtown to feel heard.\u201d<\/p>\n City services, personal meetings and decision-making need to be \u201ccloser to the community,\u201d he said. And neighborhood councils \u201care closest to the issues and understand the needs of their communities better than anyone. Government works best when it is accessible, responsive and rooted in the neighborhoods it serves.\u201d<\/p>\n McOsker pledged to \u201ccontinue working closely with neighborhood councils and community groups by maintaining open communication, attending meetings and ensuring city departments are responsive to local concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n Looking at City Hall itself, McOsker said, he supports holding public hearings on major contracts, leases and spending decisions \u201cso residents can see how their tax dollars are being used and provide input.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTransparency is not just a goal,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is a mandate.<\/p>\n \u201cI also support modernizing city systems by creating transparent digital tools, such as dashboards that track permits, projects and service requests in real time,\u201d McOsker added. \u201cJust as important, the government must meet people where they are. Expanding access to district offices and community engagement ensures residents to not have to navigate a distant bureaucracy to be heard.\u201d<\/p>\n Weighing in on the issue of public safety, Rivers suggested looking at the issue through a lens of public health rather than public safety \u201cwhen it comes to mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMany people facing neglect are facing dire circumstances beyond their immediate means of support,\u201d he said, adding that they \u201cneed additional assistance, as they have either nowhere else to go or no means to sustain themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Long-term social care and quality assistance, Rivers said, are needed \u201cto improve humane treatment and access to transitional housing accommodations.\u201d<\/p>\n Those accommodations, Rivers added, must be around the clock.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reason many deprived people are not staying in shelters is because these services do not operate for a full day,\u201d he said. \u201cThat needs to change, and we need to create incentives for more public health workers and social workers to be employed by making attractive job offers.<\/p>\n \u201cI would invest more in public health and human services,\u201d Rivers added, \u201cso that these resources will be more accessible for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n McOsker, for his part, called public safety \u201cfoundational.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEvery resident deserves to feel safe in their home, on their street and in their community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Approaching the matter, however, needs to reflect \u201cthe full needs of our neighborhoods, including mental health and prevention.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI support a balanced approach that ensures our police and emergency services are properly staffed and able to respond when needed, while also expanding unarmed crisis response programs like CIRCLE<\/a>\u00a0 and UMCR<\/a>,\u201d McOsker said. \u201cThese teams are critical in responding to nonviolent calls and helping individuals experiencing mental health crises receive the care they need, while allowing sworn officers to focus on serious and violent crime.\u201d<\/p>\n CIRCLE stands for Crisis and Incident Response through Community-led Engagement, and it\u2019s a 24\/7 unarmed response program in Los Angeles that deploys mental health professionals and outreach workers. UMCR stands for Unarmed Model of Crisis Response, and that\u2019s a citywide initiative that dispatches trained mental health professionals and social workers to handle non-violent 911 calls.<\/p>\n Prevention, he said, \u201cis just as important.\u201d<\/p>\n