Bill Haller

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Bill Haller

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 3, 2020

Personal

Birthplace

Pasadena, Calif.

Religion

Christian

Profession

Music studio owner

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Bill Haller ran for election to the Los Angeles City Council to represent District 6 in California. He lost in the primary on March 3, 2020.

Haller completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Haller grew up in Pasadena, California. He attended Whittier College. His professional experience includes owning a music studio.

Organizations

As of his 2020 campaign, Haller was affiliated with the following organizations:

• SAG/AFTRA and Actor's Equity - member
• Sierra Club - member

Elections

2020

See also: City elections in Los Angeles, California (2020)

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Los Angeles City Council District 6

Incumbent Nury Martinez won election outright against Benito Bernal and Bill Haller in the primary for Los Angeles City Council District 6 on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nury Martinez (Nonpartisan)	71.8	21,126
		Benito Bernal (Nonpartisan)	15.6	4,580
		Bill Haller (Nonpartisan)	12.6	3,698

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 29,404
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Bill Haller completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Haller's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Bill Haller is an award-winning Los Angeles theatre producer and a music educator who has taught specialized programs for LAUSD, Burbank Unified, Las Virgenes Unified and private schools.

The founding president of the Lake Balboa Neighborhood Council, Bill served for several years as the State Chair for Sierra Club California Air Quality Committee, never losing a priority bill.

With the LBNC, he helped negotiate and secure the community's legal name change and also secured $50,000 in funding for emergency preparedness bins for use by first responders and qualified CERT. Those bins are still in place and helped launch an emergency preparedness movement in the Valley that is referred to as the best in Los Angeles. He believes every street in our district needs to be prepared for The Big One and will continually support and push stakeholders to readiness.

Bill believes transparency is the key to good government. Taxpayers should be treated like adults. If elected, he will continue his practice of attending monthly neighborhood council general board meetings in order to problem-solve with stakeholders and leaders.

Bill is running to restore LA city government into the hands of the people and believes in the American Dream for all.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Every Parent's Worst Nightmare Is Gun Violence and Mass Shootings. We don't need or want four million guns to protect four million citizens. Los Angeles needs to be far more proactive and productive in ending gun violence.
• Criminalization Is Not The Solution To Homelessness. Housing Is. Taxpayer dollars are being wasted at the expense of public health and safety. We need state and federal funds along with a Homelessness Czar to provide housing efficiently.
• Los Angeles City Hall Corruption Has Become A Disease That We Need To Wipe Out. Too many FBI investigations. My 30 x 24 Plan will cut councilmember pay by more than half while doubling councilmembers and districts by 2024

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

1. Equality

2. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
3. Clean Air
4. Clean Water
5. Climate Change
6. Public Safety & Public Health
7. Shelter, Housing & Something To Eat
8. Mobility To Grow
9. Education

10. Joy

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

This city office represents 270,000 stakeholders who deserve to have their collective voice heard. Cities, however, do not operate autonomously and state government must be interacted with in order make sure that those at the local level do not suffer needlessly from state overreach or ignorance of our local issues.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to mentors. I would not be here if I didn't have three along the way. And all were teachers in music and theatre.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Shakespeare's "Measure For Measure"

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Transparency.

Integrity.
Commitment to Serve.
Thoughtfulness.
Perspective.
Humor.

Perseverance.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Creativity

Common Sense
Fearlessness
Humor

Drive

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Make sure people are safe.

Make sure people feel secure.
Make sure people feel ownership of their community and its development.
Make sure people can be productive and get to their jobs, stores, schools and back home in a timely manner.

Make sure people have safe parks and places to play, read, write, and rest.

What legacy would you like to leave?

No legacy, just a better world.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Assassination of JFK. I was five at the time and all the cartoons were pre-empted because of the funeral. My favorite historical day was the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969. My grandparents and uncles sat around the television that evening writing down song titles that had "moon" in them.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Mowing lawns for $0.25 from age 7 to 13. That job went for way too many years! But I did finally get a raise to $0.50 per lawn...

What is your favorite book? Why?

"Pride and Prejudice" - I must have read it six or seven times. Great characters, great tension and a great resolution, although it always ends too quickly. Lizzie is one of the great narrative voices.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Spiderman, probably.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

"I'm Beginning To See The Light"

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Parents divorced at age 4

Forrest Gump-like leg braces at age 5-6
No child support, dad disappeared
Severely bullied in 7th and 8th grade. Severely.
Moved out of the house at 14 to go to Catholic school in Northern California
Bullied by teachers there
Moved back home at age 15 and slept on the living room floor until high school graduation.

But without all of these challenges, I never would have found my mentor; my high school choir teacher. Thanks, Mr. Dunton!

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

I would highly recommend that Los Angeles stakeholders do their own research into the veto power each councilmember possesses.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe that it is crucial for holders of this office to have either participated in or have provided leadership to a City Of LA neighborhood council. I also believe that grassroots advocacy in environmental or social justice are extremely helpful in bringing parties together and negotiating for the greater good.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Organizational skills are key. There are a lot of constantly moving parts in this city. Communication skills: Listening before you speak is always helpful. Being able to repeat back key concepts is a good practice. Creativity: No problem or solution is just black or white or even gray. Every issue has texture, shape, size, weight, to be considered and sculpted into thoughtful and productive resolution.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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