Steve Napolitano’s job as a chief of staff for recently termed out Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe had its share of challenges. Knabe’s office handled everyday life concerns of the Fourth Supervisorial District; with 27 independent cities and various incorporated areas totalling more than 2 million people, it has a constituency larger than the population of 15 U.S. states.
But for Napolitano, perhaps the hardest part was staying quiet.
A former three-term member of the Manhattan Beach City Council, Napolitano followed events in Manhattan with the avid interest of a resident who cares deeply about his hometown. His position in county government, however, prevented him from speaking up.
So when the calls and emails started coming in, urging him to run once more for City Council, Napolitano reacted with more aplomb than some might have expected. There wasn’t much time in between the filing deadline and the Nov. 8 election, in which Napolitano lost to Janice Hahn in the race to replace his former boss on the Board of Supervisors. But anyone worried that Napolitano was still tender from the surprisingly close race hadn’t taken into account how long he had kept his desire to more actively serve his hometown bottled up.
“I had just finished a 12-year job where I couldn’t weigh in. I had to stay neutral, otherwise I would have spoken out,” Napolitano said.
Napolitano is one of eight candidates seeking three City Council seats available in the upcoming March election. Amidst the crowded field, Napolitano’s political experience stands out. But his campaign is marked by humility instead of presumptiveness. (A reporter’s initial attempts to schedule an interview for this story were delayed by Napolitano’s busy precinct-walking schedule.) The city council position, he insists, is not a springboard to further elected office.
“I’m not running in order to run for anything else. Absolutely not,” Napolitano said.
It’s a common thing for politicians to say, but Napolitano’s long dedication to public service lends credence to his assertion. After graduating from law school, he passed on a corporate job in order to work in education law because, as he said, he preferred interesting work to the more lucrative drudgery of billable hours.
In his previous tenure on the council, Napolitano left an indelible mark on the city’s downtown, helping finalize the renovation of the city’s police and fire facilities and Metlox Plaza, which had sat as an empty dirt pit for more than 10 years.
“I like to think we put a lot in place,” Napolitano said.
It is Napolitano’s experience as a deputy for Knabe, however, that has helped build his lengthy list of endorsements, which includes all sitting City Council members.
“He was a great councilmember, but I am even more excited to have him for his experience with the county under Supervisor Don Knabe,” said Mayor Pro tem Amy Howorth.
Howorth complemented Napolitano for helping the city secure a grant from the county to help complete its Marine Avenue skatepark. Looking ahead, she sees Napolitano’s county experience helping the city with issues like stormwater that serve as a reminder that the city, despite its high quality of life, is implicated in broader regional issues.
“We really can’t put our heads in the sand, so to speak. He understands that,” Howorth said.
If elected, Napolitano hopes to jostle the city out of habits of excessive deliberation and dithering that, he said, lead to excessive expenditures on consultants with too few results.
“We study a lot, we delay a lot, and we spend money on things we don’t necessarily need. It’s time to get things done,” he said.
Napolitano said that if elected he would prioritize upgrades to the city’s aging infrastructure, particularly the Joslyn and Manhattan Heights community centers. He also identified Begg Pool and Fire Station 2 as particularly in need of attention.
His governing style seems to be defined by knowing when to compromise and when to stick to principal. He recalls being on the losing end of several 4-1 votes in his previous tenure, and other instances, like putting the city’s trash contract out to bid, where his initial opposition eventually swayed other councilmembers.
Other concerns, however, require more give and take. Every budget, he said, “is a compromise.” As long as councilmembers avoid animosity — which he said the current council has done — then what is important is that elected officials stand for what they believe in.
“There’s nothing inherently wrong with 3-2 votes. 3-2 votes can be healthy. It depends on what they are. But if we are not getting enough done because we are avoiding votes, that’s a problem,” Napolitano said.
