Candidate for
Councilmember; City of San Leandro; District 5

Balancing the budget
The city has been using its reserves to balance the budget for the past three years. I would like to create a balanced budget using only current revenue streams and then begin to restore our reserves. I will use my experience managing large public sector budgets to move the city to multi-year budgeting to reflect our long-term vision for the community.

Creating jobs and promoting local businesses
We must help put people back to work by stimulating the local economy and focusing on creating jobs. I support a "shop local" marketing approach to help rebuild local sales tax revenue. I also envision a safe and vibrant downtown that offers a variety of local shopping and dining opportunities that keep people in town. Our shopping districts should be safe and welcoming. We must offer incentives for quality businesses to locate in San Leandro.

Ensuring a safe community
As a parent of three and a 34-year resident, I am invested in the future of our city and want to make sure it remains a great place to live, work and raise a family. I will work tirelessly to preserve essential police and fire services and support bring public safety to full force.

Encouraging city-school joint use to save money
I believe the City and the School District can work more closely together to make better use of the scarce resources we have. As Councilmember, I will be able to leverage strong civic relationships forged over the past 12 years as a longtime member of the City-District Liaison Committee.

Increase citizen involvement at City Hall
It is important that we provide people with information on how they can be involved in their community. I believe in open government through televised Council meetings and webcasts of all public meetings. To make sure a cross-section of San Leandro is always represented at the table, I will actively seek more voices and opinions when decisions are made and ensure the City's advisory committees and commissions are representative of our diverse community.