Candidate for
Council Member; City of Pasadena; District 2

Public Safety # We have entered a new era in Public Safety. Since September 11, 2001, our old ways of providing safety to the community have been proven ineffective. We must look to new and innovative ways of responding to any emergency while keeping costs down and enhancing efficiency in our emergency response providers. This will take work; communication and organization will have to be priorities, not only within our city but also with our neighboring communities, and state and federal agencies. The Office of Homeland Security will bring about many changes to the entire nation in the way we mobilize and respond to catastrophes. We must be ready for these changes and prepare accordingly. We can also be at the forefront of this change; with our present resources we can lead the San Gabriel Valley in reaching a new and more effective level of disaster preparedness.

As a city councilman, I will utilize all of the knowledge and experience I have in large-scale operations, tactical communications, disaster preparedness, and the military's role in civil defense, to enhance our city's ability to act in case of a citywide emergency.

Education # The most important thing we can pass on from generation to generation is knowledge. We can do this in many ways, but the most common is done through our schools. The goal for each generation is to surpass the previous in accomplishing this task. The education our children receive today should be better than the one we received. Technology has changed, and we now have the opportunity to make our schools the best schools in the nation. This will take much work; it will require the cooperation of many entities. Students will need attention from parents, educators, local businesses, community groups, and volunteers. The process will be hard, and will not provide results over night. However, in the future our vision can be that instead of parents looking at private schools before their children are born, they will be putting their name on a waiting list for public schools which provide the very best in education. We owe it to the next generation to do our best to prepare them for the lives they will lead, and the generation they will prepare.

As a city councilman, I will be a strong advocate for involving the different members of our city to act so that our children are better prepared not just in learning all school subjects, but also in learning about their responsibilities and opportunities within our society.