Jewish Progressive Mike Feuer envisions LA 2.0 as he makes mayoral bid
Los Angeles City Attorney since 2013, Feuer's focus is on building inclusive communities.
By DONNA RACHEL EDMUNDSLos Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer speaks with volunteer lawyers set up outside the arrivals area after the reinstatement by the U.S. Supreme Court of portions of President Donald Trump's executive order targeting travelers from six predominantly Muslim countries, in Los Angeles, California, U.S.,(photo credit: MIKE BLAKE/REUTERS)
Los Angeles won't be returning to the old normal after the coronavirus pandemic if progressive Democrat Mike Feuer's bid to become Los Angeles Mayor in 2022 is successful."I want to be an architect of building a city that doesn’t just get back to normal, but is more equitable and more sustainable and more livable and more resilient and works for everybody, Feuer told the Jewish Journal in a recent phone interview. "I want to be a unifying leader, and I think that those aspirations meet the moment right now.”Further painting his aspirations, he said that Los Angeles under his stewardship would become “L.A. 2.0, [an] equitable, inclusive place where we show how much we need each other."And the catalyst for that transformation is coronavirus. "With all the enormous challenges the pandemic has posed for us comes an opportunity to think again about what L.A. should be moving forward,” he said.In his current role as Los Angeles City Attorney, which he has held since 2013, Feuer has already had the opportunity to show how his unifying philosophy translates to real world action. In the wake of George Floyd's death, 2,500 protestors were arrested for violating the curfew put in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Feuer opted not to prosecute them, although he said anyone arrested for looting would face charges."It is deplorable people would act that way,” he said. “But … do I think it is indicative of the majority of people who protested? No. Not at all,” he told the Journal.A statement by Feuer on the LA City Attorney's website gives greater insight into his position on Floyd's death."The tragic, appalling murder of George Floyd is an outrage," Feuer said in the statement. "How many times must we bear witness to sickening, deadly mistreatment of unarmed African-Americans by those whose duty is to uphold the law? It's wrong and it degrades all of us. It may have happened two thousand miles away, but its brutality touches every corner of our nation. It touches street corners here in L.A., with every young man of color justifiably wondering if this could ever happen to him."Drawing a distinction between those who protested and those who reacted violently, he said "there is no room for wanton violence, vandalism and looting that victimizes the innocent [and] does nothing to advance a cause that demands our collective action," but added: "Peaceful protest is a hallmark of our democracy. All of us must join in committing to pursue justice."The way to do that, he suggested, was through self-reflection. "We need to struggle, relentlessly, with the legacy of racism that runs so deeply in our society. In the days ahead, all of us must examine ourselves, and the institutions of the justice system, seeking to root out any vestige of unfairness, any vestige of differential treatment possibly based on race."Above all, the incident must not be allowed to drive a wedge between citizens and law enforcement. To that end, Feuer told the Journal that he hoped to facilitate dialogue between protestors and police in order to improve relationships. “No one is saying there should be no police anywhere,” Feuer said. “Some aspects the city is contemplating now is to separate violent incidents when police are necessary from nonviolent ones.”Health care, jobs and education are high on his potential mayoral agenda - "When communities have those elements, they are safer," he said - but building strong communities is also prominent in his thoughts.“What residents want is sustainable living in a city that works for them, and one of the tenets of my campaign is I want to have neighborhood mayors in my office who are actively in touch with the priorities people have on their block,” he said.His commitment to tikkun olam is drawn from his strong Jewish background. A longtime member of Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills and a volunteer with Jewish Family Services Los Angeles, Feuer, 62, was appointed executive director of Bet Tzedek at the age of 28.That focus on community and neighborhoods has been a strong theme of his tenure as City Attorney, where he has nearly tripled the Neighborhood Prosecutor Program which targets community-degrading crimes such as drug sales, prostitution, illegal dumping, and graffiti, and has created the Community Justice Initiative, an array of neighborhood-focused restorative justice programs built around sentencing using alternatives to jail terms and diversionary programs. Under the program, for example, first time offenders of petty crimes were able to have their records expunged if they agreed to work with a panel of volunteers on agreed-upon obligations.Other initiatives have included measures to prevent gun violence, supporting same-sex marriage, and joining with New York City and Santa Clara County in leading a brief in the US Supreme Court supporting LGBTQ+ people in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case. He has also been active on immigration matters; his office leads a coalition of cities on a brief opposing US President Donald Trump's attempt to halt the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program, and was instrumental in securing a nationwide injunction preventing the Trump Administration from imposing civil immigration enforcement considerations on the federal Community-Based Policing grant program.Citing a graduation speech he once gave, Feuer told the Journal: “As you gain more experience in life, what matters to you most will be the way you have grown your family. Have you created a loving close environment there? What have you done for other people? For me, I know enough about myself to know my sense of purpose is deeply tied to making the world better.
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