Assembly Candidates Address SOHA, Residents

The Sherman Oaks Homeowner’s Association held its monthly community meeting on Wednesday night at Notre Dame High School, featuring a brief debate between the four candidates running for State Assembly.

Current Assembly member Michael Feuer is termed out of office, and the candidates running to fill Feuer's seat are Laurette Healey, Brian Johnson, Andrew Lachman and Adrian Nazarian, all of whom were on hand Wednesday to speak in front of the 200 or so locals in attendance.

The four candidates addressed questions ranging from Proposition 13, a long-standing piece of legislation that has controlled property tax rates in California, to SB 810, which would support single-payer health care coverage.

Johnson, former executive director of Teach for America in Los Angeles, spent much of his speaking time referencing his experience in the education field.

“I decided to run because we need real reformers and real change agents,” Johnson said. “We don’t need people who just talk about reform and think about reform, but those that have made it happen.”

Johnson is credited in helping dramatically increase TFA revenue in Los Angeles during his tenure as executive director, and Johnson currently serves as executive director of the Larchmont Schools.

Healey, a resident of Sherman Oaks and former entertainment industry executive, piggy-backed off of Johnson’s theme of reform, citing several influential positions she has held locally and statewide

“When you talk about reform, another way to look at it is innovation and leadership,” said Healey, a former board member for the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley. “What I want to do is stick up for my community.”

Lachman is currently an adjunct professor at Woodbury University in Burbank and Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley board member, and focused on his experiences in education, legal affairs, and community outreach when speaking to the audience in attendance.

“We all have supporters in this community,” Lachman said. “The difference is who’s going to stand up for your voice in Sacramento and make sure you have leadership.”

Nazarian currently serves as the chief-of-staff to L.A. City Councilmember Paul Krekorian, who represents Sherman Oaks and other local cities.

“I love public service," Nazarian said. "I've dedicated my life to public service. I’d be honored to have your support.”

The candidates had a bit of trouble abiding by the strict time limits put in place by the SOHA, speaking quickly and using their response time on certain questions to answer prior questions. 

At the end of Wednesday's meeting, the candidates were asked if elected to represent the 42nd District, would they come back and debate in front of the SOHA once again.

"Yes, but I would enjoy if we had double the time," Nazarian said.