Here’s what Joe Buscaino says about his tenure as LA’s District 15 councilmember
Joe Buscaino was a beat cop for the Los Angeles Police Department when he decided to run for LA City Council’s 15th District.
He won that race, succeeding former Councilmember Janice Hahn — who had been elected to Congress (and now serves on the Board of Supervisors) — as the representative of San Pedro, Wilmington, Harbor City, Harbor Gateway and Watts.
Then, he was reelected. And reelected again. Both times handily.
Now, nearly 11 years later, the 48-year-old San Pedro native son — born and raised in the port town — leaves office with a long list of accomplishments, as well as having survived the challenges of working through the bureaucratic maze that is the city of Los Angeles. Councilmember-elect Tim McOsker, who will be sworn in on Saturday, Dec. 10, will succeed him.
The Southern California News Group spoke with Buscaino via phone earlier this week to discuss his tenure on the LA City Council and what’s ahead. Below is what Buscaino had to say, slightly edited for style and clarity.
Related: Here’s what San Pedro’s Tim McOsker says about becoming LA’s 15th District councilmember.
Q: What was the transition from police officer to councilmember like?
A: My background was as a first responder and I led that way, responding to emergencies and crises. The reason (for the career change) was to leave a mark on the district. I came with the lens of knowing what was happening at the street level.
Q: What’s the big-picture view of what you feel you’ve accomplished?
A: How symbolic that my last groundbreaking (on Thursday, Dec. 8) was for a housing project that’s so needed at a time when there’s a housing crisis. I’ll never forget the days, early on, when I’d have investors in my car, from Watts to San Pedro, driving them around and encouraging them to invest in my district.
(Development) of waterfront property, retail and (outdoor) dining coming online, a Little Italy district established, we have 1,000 housing units being built or have already been built in a 1-mile radius of the epicenter of downtown. Those studies (for those kinds of projects) have been done for years and it’s been “check-check-check;” now, the shovels are in the ground. The reopening of the LAPD Harbor Jail, Crafted at the Port of Los Angeles, the development of Cabrillo Marina parcels.
On the north end of the district, completing the redevelopment of Jordan Downs (housing development) in Watts. I always felt that no one should have to live with bars on their windows and in World War II housing stock. We brought commercial development, including a Nike flagship store, to Watts, a quality grocery store, things that other parts of the city take for granted.
My efforts to bring more green space and more park space to the district, I promised each community a skate park and we checked off that. The waterfront (in San Pedro and Wilmington) had been talked about for decades, and getting that started has spurred the economic and housing development at the waterline. We’re seeing a new San Pedro emerge.
Homelessness has long been in the forefront of our minds. We worked to get solutions (providing temporary shelter space), but at the same time, (having) the balance to ensure our sidewalks were safe and clean and passable.
Q: What was the biggest challenge?
A: Because of expectations, I’d say it was my sense of responding to and fixing problems with a “Code 3 lights-and-sirens” approach. (Code 3 refers to emergency response.)
City Hall had to pull me back a little bit because of all the layers we had to go through (to get things done). (Former Councilmember) Tom LaBonge, on my first day, pulled me aside and said, “Find one or two projects you want to get done.” I said, Tom, I’ve got like 10 projects. So I had to be mindful of the sense of urgency (to do things) but also knowing the levels of bureaucracies I had to overcome.
Q: Is there anything you’d do differently?
A: There’s no elected official who will never be wrong or who will always get it right. Being 1/15th of a city council, looking back, it was a challenge to get equitable distribution of city services because the city is so big. I would have encouraged and motivated the mayor and city departments (more) to focus on more city services. If we divided the city into four buroughs, I think we’d get equitable distribution. I felt often times that the city’s just too damn big and it was painful for me to explain to my constituents and business owners that we’re not the only ones asking for services.
Q: What are your thoughts on some of the resistance to change that often comes with new projects?
“Change is the law of life,” to quote JFK. We have to embrace it. Of course, it’s part of the democratic process for everyone to be heard. I get that and see that but you’re elected as a leader to make change for the good of the city and the good of the district, and yeah, it wasn’t easy. But I know at the end of the day, when my term is up at midnight Sunday, I will sleep well at night and know that we left a mark on this district.
Q: Do you have any advice for new Councilmember Tim McOsker?
A: I know he already knows this, but I’ve told him to lead with balance. We’re seeing the radical left and radical right in our country and our city right now, but just lead with your heart and keep a balance. Tim knows City Hall well, he knows how to buck bureaucracy. He’s going to do well.
Q: What’s next for Joe Buscaino?
A: Good question. I’ve been offered a job at Big Nick’s (Pizza). I don’t know, I’ve put in 30 years of service with this city. There are a few opportunities that have been presented to me, but I want to give it a month or so to figure things out, to have some reflection and prayer with my family.