Madame Mayor Takes the Helm of Carson

After Lula Davis-Holmes’ election as mayor of Carson, her first order of business was her vacant seat on the city council. Since the city switched from an at-large system to a district-based one. Davis-Holmes is keenly aware of the new circumstances.

Davis-Holmes said that a process will have to be formed to fill the seat given that the city now has district voting. Each district has more than 20,000 residents and the city is working out how to function under the circumstances. Under the new state of affairs, the electeds will have to be more conscious of the particular needs of their districts while the mayor’s focus as the chief executive will be focused on how Carson will function as a city. 

“Well … that means you don’t run all over the city … [it means] you have your district with specific interests,” Davis Holmes said. “But our commonalities will remain [the] city as far as the big developments … coming into the city and parks. My desire is not to say, ‘OK, now that you’re in District 3 you get less revenue than another district.’” 

Davis-Holmes explained that she had already begun working with consultants on how to govern going forward.

“What I’m going to be asking when we start appointing commissioners and board members is that they come from all over the city,” Davis-Holmes said. “As a resident and if you’re my elected official, I’d want to know that I’m represented in your district and how are you going to govern.

“We’re going to start having workshops, once I’ve laid down the bones. This is not new to other cities. I will look at how other cities function, but we’re not LA. We’re not that big. We have 14 parks in the city and they all will remain beautiful.”

Due to the census, a change in the population could change the political boundaries. Davis-Holmes noted she opposed changing the city’s governance to a district-based system so quickly.

“Like I told my colleagues last night, I’m not a last-minute person,” the new mayor said. “Those districts were picked, even though we looked at them because of the lawsuit.”

Davis-Holmes was referring to the lawsuit filed by the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project used to push for districts in Carson in 2019. 

“In my mind, we should have fought it because no judge has yet told us that we were in violation. We jumped the gun,” Davis-Holmes said. “At the end of the day, everything they were trying to do, it didn’t happen. We still have the same elected officials.” 

Davis-Holmes noted that if she wanted to be divisive she could ensure there are four African-Americans on the city council instead of three.

“My seat is open,” Davis-Holmes said. “All we need are three people to say ‘OK, appoint this person.’ That is my district and I’m going to have a lot to say on who gets elected or appointed to that seat. I want a diverse council because it’s so diverse.”

When asked about what’s needed to have the council to be even more reflective of the city it serves, she replied that residents need to get involved.

“You must take ownership of what’s going on in your city and not just come to council to tell us what a terrible job we’re doing,” she said. “What are you doing to help change that?”

Davis-Holmes noted the city has put out a call for residents to submit applications to serve on the city’s advisory boards.

“We have over a hundred applications in right now today.” Davis-Holmes said. “I want new blood in and I want new people. I’m gonna have some of the old ones because they have the knowledge and expertise, but you got to get involved in your city.” 

Helping Small Businesses through the Pandemic

On helping small businesses through the pandemic, Davis-Holmes noted that Carson has been receiving community development block grants and directing them to small businesses. The new mayor said the city council was looking to help 50 businesses with the money but is tasking staff with reducing some hurdles in the application process.

“What I’m asking my consultant to now do is to streamline the process…” Davis-Holmes explained. “The [application process for the] CDBG money is so cumbersome. You have to have all your data in order. What I’m finding is that with our small businesses, they don’t have all that information, the whos, whats and whens in order.” 

Affordable Housing and Struggling Families

Another of Davis-Holmes priorities is wrestling with the question of how the city is going to live after the pandemic.

“The city is not going to look the same and we need to address homelessness, even though we don’t have a large [homeless] population,” Davis-Holmes said.

She pointed to the city’s rental assistance program and expressed shock that only 10 people applied for the assistance, which offered $1,000 a month for three months for struggling renters.

“Are you kidding me?” Davis-Holmes asked incredulously. “It’s like I told the city manager (Sharon Landers, the first female city manager in the city’s history), if you have not identified every apartment building where there are renters, then you have dropped the ball. Not everybody is on social media.” 

Davis-Holmes described seeing lines wrapped around the corner filled with struggling Carsonites and a number of them mobile home park residents, during recent food giveaways during the pandemic. 

“We got some 20 mobile home parks in the city. Are you telling me those people don’t need help paying their rent?” asked Davis-Holmes, rhetorically. “I don’t believe that. But they’re in line three days a week for food.”

The four-time former city councilwoman recounted the circumstances of one resident she encountered. The resident was behind four months in lot rental fees for her mobile home and found the process for rental assistance to be too cumbersome.

“I don’t want to be the person, or the city staff that’s keeping you from paying your mortgage when we know we have $3,000 we can give you,” Davis-Holmes said. “There are a lot of people out there … we’re having a party, but nobody knows we’re having it.”

The new mayor noted that the city only has so much power to stop the sale of a mobile home park. 

“There is a process that you must go through,” Davis-Holmes said. “Once the owner meets that criteria the park is for sale, but we as a council, we can’t stop it.” 

With that said, Davis-Holmes explained that there are things the city can do to protect residents. She cited the Imperial Mobile Home Park as an example. 

“Never in the history of a sale of mobile home parks have residents received a package like we’re putting together,” Davis-Holmes said. “My request for them was this … if you take this park (and they could have told me no), I want you to allow x number of people to move back in at the same rate that they were paying right now.” 

The residential housing complex being planned for the site is going to be a senior city. Davis-Holmes requested that Imperial’s residents be given relocation expenses and that they be allowed to move into the residential complex and allowed to stay there as long as they live. Davis-Holmes noted that the cheapest price the developer can purchase a mobile home coach was for $85,000. 

“Now we have some people that’ve been in that mobile home park who paid $35,000 for their coach, so you’re gonna walk away with $85,000 in relocation fees and the opportunity to come back,” the new mayor said.

“I’ve also asked and the Faring Company has been very amenable to me,” Davis-Holmes said. “I have some seniors who cannot move and are never going to move. I don’t want them stressed out.”

In response to the organizing efforts of mobile home park residents, she believes it is the doing of Donald Trump-supporting outsiders.

“What we have right now going on is a lot of outsiders coming in, you know, the Trump mentality inciting them,” Davis-Holmes said. “The park across the street, Avalon, they got wind of the offer, because they were upset too. But when they realized the package that we as a council had put together to assist our residents, they said we want that same package.” 

Davis-Holmes concluded that it’s a good deal and noted that it’s changing the landscape because the City of Carson is changing. 

While the city is replacing its affordable housing stock, Mayor Davis-Holmes has pledged to refocus her attention on middle-income housing. The mayor noted that she has been approached by a developer wanting to purchase the Renaissance at the City Center and retooled a bit for middle-income buyers.

“We have to look at all of these, but we also need to know that to be a viable city our residents have to have some disposable income,” Davis-Holmes said. “Because we’re talking about bringing in retail and these restaurants, we have to have people with the disposable income and I think Carson is that city. 

“We are the fifth highest-grossing income level in the South Bay. You need to look at where we’re spending our money. Our monies are going outside Carson. I want our dollars to stay here in Carson. We live, work and play in Carson.” 

“My philosophy is to wait and the right developer will come along,” the mayor said. “I’m waiting on a project right now that everybody says is going to be a landfill. But as soon as I won the election….”

Davis-Holmes refrained from saying the name of the developers, who’ve shown interest in the city. But she described Carson as more than just a warehouse city or a low-income city. 

“We need to attract those businesses that will bring those high-end technology jobs into our city, she said.  “If they can do it in Silicon Valley, we could be the Diamond of the South Bay.”

Read the online version of this story to learn what Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes had to say about the city of Carson’s relationship with Cal State University of Dominguez Hills and Dignity Health Sports Park.

On diesel truck traffic in Carson, she said she and most Carsonites are “trucked out.”

“They tear up our infrastructure when they come in,” Davis-Holmes said. “I know the warehouse people are upset with me, but at the end of the day who elected me? 

“How do you want our city to look in the next five or 10 years? Do you want to be known as the city close to the ports that has trucks running up and down affecting the quality of life for all of our residents? We need to come up with a plan that addresses where we are with trucks running through our communities, because at the end of the day, it affects my residents.”

On Cal State Dominguez

Davis-Holmes noted she mentioned twice that she would be working to build a better working relationship with Cal State Dominguez Hills. She already has a good personal relationship with Dr. Thomas Parham.

“I’ve already met with Dr. Parham and we’ve had this conversation about partnering,” Davis-Holmes said. 

“What I’ve wanted in this city since forever is a performing arts center … and a museum which talks about the greatness of this city and the university,” the mayor said. “Let’s tie all those things together and let’s spin off of each other because you know, we need to be promoting Cal State Dominguez Hills.”  

In describing why the city and the university have had such a rocky relationship over the past few years, she gave an answer that obliquely pointed to the aggressive stance taken by former Mayor Albert Robles, particularly when the university broke ground on University Village without taking the city under consideration.

“We had it, then it dropped,” the new mayor said. “We changed presidents … you got different personalities of your mayors and your councils … I’m an alumni of Cal State University and I know that’s a jewel of the South Bay. When you’re a diamond of the South Bay with a university, we should be touting that, we should be saying, our banners and everything should be saying Cal State University Dominguez Hills.” 

With Dr. Parham, Davis-Holmes sees wonderful things happening.  

“I’m gonna continue to build the relationship with him from when he came on board,” the mayor said. “I’m not here to fight the university. I understand that we are local government and that they are state property. How can I work with you to help move these projects? I don’t need to be a hindrance to you and ruin projects that’s going to benefit our city. That’s what happened in the last administration.”

While the mayor is conciliatory in regards to the university and touts her positive relationship with Dr. Parham, she’s clear about wanting a seat at the table when it comes to development issues. 

“I don’t want to delay their projects, which was about to happen at one time,” she said. “I want to be the vehicle that helps them and we will have that partnership and how we can look at things that may not happen during my tenure but they’re on the table for future councils.” 

On the Dignity Health Sports Park, the mayor is adamant that the relationship between the sports complex and the city has to grow. 

“Everybody in this city needs to pay their fair share when [the city is] supporting it,” the mayor said. The owners of the Dignity of Health Center have the same owners as the Staples Center. They have a wonderful relationship up there and the city of LA is benefiting from the Staples Center being there.”

Davis-Holmes noted that the majority of the people who come to the soccer games don’t live in the city of Carson.

“How are we gonna develop a relationship where the city benefits also?” the mayor asked. “ I have residents who have not ever put a foot on that site. So how do we build a relationship that is all inclusive?” 

The mayor says that this sense of everyone paying their fair share is the reason why the sales tax passed. 

“It’s not just for our residents [who are paying]. Most of the sales tax will be passed on to people who come through our city because of the daytime population,” Davis-Holmes said.

Davis-Holmes said she would not dwell on her conflict with former Mayor Albert Robles  because of a pending lawsuit.

The mayor concluded the interview noting that she is the people’s champ following the election and pledged to continue to be the voice of all of Carson. 

“We are one city, one people,” she said. “We’re in this together. I have not changed. I’m unbought and unbossed.”