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Mike Bonin

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Mike Bonin
Bonin in 2012
Member of the Los Angeles City Council
from the 11th district
In office
July 1, 2013 – December 11, 2022
Preceded byBill Rosendahl
Succeeded byTraci Park
Personal details
Born
Michael Joseph Bonin

(1967-03-19) March 19, 1967 (age 57)
Clinton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationHarvard University
Websitewww.mikebonin.com

Michael Bonin (born March 19, 1967) is an American politician, who served as a member of the Los Angeles City Council for the 11th district from 2013 to 2022. A progressive member of the Democratic Party, he was previously a reporter and a council staffer.

Early life

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Bonin graduated from Clinton High School in Clinton, Massachusetts, in 1985. His grandfather William P. Constantino was a state representative and a judge in the town of Clinton. His uncle William P. Constantino Jr. also served as a state representative.[1] He had a sister, Maureen, who died of cancer in 2010.[2]

Career

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Bonin and Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2012.

From 1989 to 1996 Bonin worked as a reporter at Springfield Newspapers in Springfield, Massachusetts, and Wave Newspapers in Los Angeles.[citation needed]

Political career

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Bonin began his political career in Los Angeles city politics in 1996, joining the staff of L.A. City Councilmember Ruth Galanter. During his seven years with Galanter he worked as a legislative deputy, district director, and deputy chief of staff. From 2003 to 2004 Bonin worked in the Office of Congresswoman Jane Harman as deputy chief of staff and district director. In 2005 Bonin managed Bill Rosendahl's successful campaign for L.A. city council. Rosendahl subsequently appointed Bonin as his chief of staff.[citation needed]

During the summer of 2012, Rosendahl announced he had been diagnosed with cancer, and in October announced he would not seek reelection. He endorsed Bonin.[3] Bonin won the subsequent election with 61% of the vote.[4] Bonin was re-elected on March 7, 2017, defeating Mark Ryavec and Robin Rudisill. Bonin won with 71% of votes cast supporting him.[5]

Tenure

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Bonin was appointed Chair of the City Council's Transportation Committee,[6] and serves as a member of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board of Directors[7]

On September 4, 2013, Bonin and his colleague Paul Koretz introduced the Los Angeles Fracking Moratorium to the City Council.[8] The motion, which instructed the City Attorney to draft an ordinance that would temporarily ban "unconventional oil and gas drilling" techniques like fracking in Los Angeles until they can be proven safe, was approved by the City Council on February 28, 2014.[9]

On February 18, 2014, Bonin and his colleagues Nury Martinez and Curren Price introduced legislation to establish a living wage of $15.37 per hour for employees at large hotels in Los Angeles.[10] The bill was approved by the Council by a 12-3 vote, setting one of the highest minimum wages in the country.[11]

In the fall of 2014, Bonin was one of four co-authors of legislation that would raise the minimum wage in Los Angeles. While supportive of Mayor Eric Garcetti's initial proposal to incrementally increase the minimum wage to $13.25 per hour by 2017,[12] Bonin called for extending the proposed increase to reach $15.25 by 2019.[13]

On September 15, 2017, a campaign for a recall election to remove Councilman Bonin from office was launched.[14][15][16] The recall campaign failed to receive support from the required five individuals and was abandoned before it ever formally began.[17]

A second recall campaign was launched in 2021.[18] In November 2021, the group sponsoring the recall claimed that it had submitted sufficient signatures to trigger a recall election.[19] On January 18, 2022, the Los Angeles City Clerk announced that although the recall group received 25,965 valid signatures, it fell 1,350 short of the number needed to trigger a recall election.[20]

On January 26, 2022, Bonin announced that he would not seek reelection for a third term, citing depression and health issues.[21] On October 9, 2022, leaked audio came out that records fellow council members Nury Martinez and Kevin de León making racist remarks about Bonin and his son.[22]

Actions on housing

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In 2018, Bonin supported the construction of a Bridge Home facility in a residential area of Venice. Amid resistance from residents,[23] the facility was constructed at a cost of $8.5 million dollars. It provides 100 beds for homeless adults and 54 beds for transitional age youth.[24]

In 2019, Bonin opposed California Senate Bill 50, a zoning reform bill which would allow for dense housing near rail stations, major bus routes and areas with high concentrations of jobs.[25] Bonin said that more housing supply would "ravage" the Del Rey neighborhood and cause the displacement of low-income Latino renters.[25]

In May 2021, Bonin sponsored a motion to study situating temporary homeless housing in parking lots near Will Rogers State Beach.[26] This prompted criticism by some residents.[27]

In August 2021, Bonin voted for a resolution condemning California Senate Bill 9, which would permit multi-family housing in some of the areas zoned exclusively for single-family housing.[28]

Bonin with his husband, Sean Arian, in 2009.

Personal life

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Bonin lives in Mar Vista with his husband, Sean Arian, whom he married in 2014. Mayor Eric Garcetti performed the wedding ceremony.[29] Arian is founder and President of EOS Consulting[30] and also serves as the Founder and Chief Strategist for Bixel Exchange, a technology startup incubator created by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce and Small Business Development Center.[31] The couple has an adopted son who is Black.[22] Bonin is Catholic, a member of St. Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica.[32]

References

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  1. ^ "Clinton native makes his mark on LA politics". The Item, March 15, 2013.
  2. ^ Farragher, Thomas (July 11, 2020). "In Clinton, a tradition of remembrance and respect is rock-solid". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  3. ^ "Bill Rosendahl Endorses Top Adviser for District 11 Seat". Pacific Palisades Patch, October 9, 2012.
  4. ^ "Election Results: Bonin victorious in City Council bid; Zimmer wins second term on school board | the Argonaut Newsweekly".
  5. ^ "Election Results".
  6. ^ Meet Your New Transportation Committee, Chaired by Mike Bonin", July 2, 2013.
  7. ^ " Archived December 16, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. Garcetti Appoints Three L.A. City Representatives to Metro Board, July 3, 2013.
  8. ^ " [1]. 2 L.A. City Council members propose ban on fracking for oil, September 4, 2013.
  9. ^ " angeles-passes-fracking-moratorium/. Breaking: Los Angeles Passes Fracking Moratorium, February 28, 2014.
  10. ^ "LA Lawmakers Propose $15 Per Hour Wage For Hotel Workers", February 18, 2014.
  11. ^ "LA city council raises minimum wage at large hotels", September 24, 2014.
  12. ^ "Bonin backs Garcetti's call for minimum wage hike" Archived December 16, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, September 3, 2014.
  13. ^ "L.A. lawmakers lay out path to $15.25 minimum wage by 2019", October 7, 2014.
  14. ^ "Critics frustrated by 'road diets' launch effort to recall L.A. Councilman Mike Bonin". LA Times. September 15, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  15. ^ Chiland, Elijah (September 17, 2017). "LA Councilmember Mike Bonin target of a recall campaign - Curbed LA". La.curbed.com. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  16. ^ Barnes, Megan (September 15, 2017). "Months after controversial LA 'road diets,' group launches campaign to recall Councilman Mike Bonin – Daily Breeze". Dailybreeze.com. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  17. ^ "Effort to recall Bonin must start again after missed deadline". November 22, 2017.
  18. ^ "Petition Approved for Circulation in Recall Effort Against LA Councilman Mike Bonin". July 13, 2021.
  19. ^ "Group says it has enough signatures to force L.A. Councilman Mike Bonin recall vote". Los Angeles Times. November 10, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  20. ^ Zahniser, David (January 18, 2022). "Mike Bonin recall drive failed to turn in enough valid signatures, city clerk says". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  21. ^ Zahniser, David (January 26, 2022). "Westside Councilman Mike Bonin says he won't seek re-election". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  22. ^ a b "Racist remarks in leaked audio of L.A. council members spark outrage, disgust". Los Angeles Times. October 9, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  23. ^ "'Venice Says No' To Homeless Shelter — Before The Meeting Even Starts". LAist. October 18, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  24. ^ "Venice Homeless Shelter Opens". Yo! Venice!. February 27, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  25. ^ a b "L.A. City Council opposes state bill that would lift local zoning rules". Los Angeles Times. April 16, 2019.
  26. ^ Hall, Matthew (May 14, 2021). "LA to study homeless housing at Will Rogers Beach". Venice Current | Santa Monica Daily Press. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  27. ^ "Videos". May 19, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  28. ^ "LA City Council opposes bills for multi-family housing in single-family zones". Daily News. August 18, 2021.
  29. ^ ". Towleroad.com - L.A. CITY COUNCILMAN MIKE BONIN MARRIES PARTNER SEAN ARIAN.
  30. ^ "EOS Insight Archived April 10, 2019, at the Wayback Machine. Company Website.
  31. ^ [2] Archived October 6, 2019, at the Wayback Machine. Bixel Exchange Website.
  32. ^ "About Mike". Mike Bonin. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
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