Newcomer running for Agoura Hills City Council has big plans

By Stephanie Bertholdo Acorn Staff Writer

John Edelston

John Edelston is a man with a plan, many plans that is. After entering the race for one of the two open Agoura Hills City Council seats about two months ago, he worked out details on various issues.

Edelston’s campaign slogan, "Certain Leadership for Uncertain Times," speaks volumes about his style of leadership. Even when speaking off the cuff, Edelston sounds decisive. He welcomes the opportunity, he said, to debate the issues.

Edelston pushes a theme of cost neutrality.

While many candidates discuss the importance of collaboration, Edelston takes it a step further. Regarding public policy, Edelston said if it’s under review by the city council, he would call upon Pepperdine University’s Davenport Graduate School of Public Policy and request that an intern take a hard look at the issue, conduct research and present findings to the city council. The student obtains valuable, practical experience, while the city gets a fresh approach to a troublesome problem.

Traffic is a top priority for Edelston. He discovered in a poll that area residents consider traffic among the biggest issues facing Agoura Hills. Traffic problems are becoming a "quality of life" issue for many people, he said.

The budget and how the city deals with California’s financial dilemma are central to Edelston’s plan for change. He said that after the 2003/2004 budget was completed by the city, $200,000 was lost in vehicle licensing fees and $750,000 was lost in sales tax revenue when the state decided to keep the cities’ sales tax while promising to reimburse that loss with greater sharing of property taxes.

Edelston would like to control the allocation of property tax money. A significant issue, he said, "is how to properly fiscally manage the funds we have so we live within our means."

Edelston said he’s the "right candidate to lead in a time of economic uncertainty." He said that Agoura Hills must be ready if the federal government won’t contribute a promised $5 million in funds for the Kanan Road/101 Freeway interchange project. Edelston said he speaks from experience. He worked with a medical company, he said, that sought and got federal funds.

As senior advisor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Edelston said he’s worked through government red tape. He chaired public hearings on hospital closures and hospital emergency rooms. He is also commissioner and chairman of the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Commission and he’s Supervisor Zev Yaroslovsky’s appointee to the advisory committee to oversee the privatization of Los Angeles County Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center. Edelston is also Yaroslovsky’s brother-in-law.

Prior to opening his own consulting firm, HealthPro Associates, Edelston served as vice president of operations and management for the Hospital Council of Southern California. He was responsible for helping 246 hospitals deal with operational and financial issues, he said.

With connections in local, state and federal government agencies, Edelston said he has the experience to bring new sources of funding into the city.

Regarding high vacancy rates of office buildings in Agoura Hills, Edelston said that he’d work more with the Chamber of Commerce and create a business retention task force that would keep local entrepreneurs happy so "they don’t look to relocate."

Edelston would like Agoura Hills to purchase 9½ acres from the school district to convert to active and passive park use. He said he’s currently working on a plan to identify and obtain money to purchase the property. Edelston said he fears that if the city doesn’t purchase the land, high density housing and restaurants will be developed.

Edelston earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from UCLA and an MBA from Pepperdine University. He’s a frequent speaker in the medical industry, he said, and has published numerous articles on a wide variety of issues.