Candidate for
Council Member; City of Anaheim

My political philosophy is to apply common sense to local government. I want to implement that philosophy in these key areas:

Public Safety: I think we all agree that public safety must have the highest priority. But there simply is not enough money available today to hire additional police and fire resources. In fact, our Police and Fire Departments are being cut along with other city services. Times are tough. I get that. So we need to find innovative ways to strengthen public safety. We need to get as many police officers as possible on the street in this city that covers nearly 50 square miles. As your Council member, I will explore my plan to establish a Volunteer Reserve Officer Program using qualified recent Police Academy graduates. We can put more "boots on the ground" for a safer city while helping young people build experience and achieve their dreams, and do so at very little additional cost to Anaheim taxpayers. This program has been successful in other communities, and I need your support to make this plan for Anaheim a reality.

Local Economy: Plenty of politicians will promise jobs. Honestly, there is very little that City government can do to create jobs, and I will not make promises I cannot keep. I can tell you that I will stand by the Chamber of Commerce's efforts to bring Enterprise Zones to Anaheim, creating incentives (not subsidies or handouts) to employers who locate here and offer jobs to Anaheim's residents. Our current focus on supposedly "freedom-friendly" government sounds admirable, but it has had many unintended negative consequences. For one, it has failed to jump-start needed jobs. At 12%, Anaheim's unemployment rate is comparable to other North County communities despite our advantages, and well above the County average for many South County cities. Rather than improve our economy, I think our "freedom-friendly" approach is really "look-the-other-way" government, and that has resulted in a free-for-all for those businesses that wish to dodge any minimum standard for doing business in Anaheim. Others call that "extraction economics," and I plan to rein it in. The people of Anaheim deserve better than cut-rate deals made in back rooms. We deserve quality retail experiences, and residential developments that create a dignified place to live + not the high-density, subsidized shoeboxes we have been cramming onto every open lot in the City at taxpayer expense!

Revitalize Our Neighborhoods: In my 17 years as a resident, I have seen Anaheim increasingly neglect our neighborhoods. You see it every day, too; the shopping carts, the graffiti, weekend swap meets in people's front yards, landlords who fail to maintain their properties, and the list goes on. Current city officials have reduced the once-useful Code Enforcement to a reactive department, one with limited resources and enforcement capabilities. Sadly, that philosophy has destroyed neighborhoods, depressed our property values, and I believe it discourages retailers and other employers from locating here. That needs to change. Code Enforcement needs once again to have the resources to enforce the laws of the city and to be backed by a City Attorney who prosecutes those who violate them. I'm also a big believer in the city and volunteers working together + I have seen it work. I have a plan to partner city staff with volunteers and non-profit groups to improve neighborhoods block by block to revitalize our city. Regaining our sense of community pride will also help bring additional employers, and quality jobs, to Anaheim. It is time to take pride in Anaheim again.

Crumbling Infrastructure in Our Neighborhoods: Anaheim is falling behind other cities in North Orange County in offering a quality environment for families, and employers. Our aging infrastructure is now crumbling in areas all over the city, from West Anaheim to Anaheim Hills. Yet Anaheim has a unique and tremendous tax base from the Resort District that surrounding cities don't have + why don't our streets look better than theirs do? Let's re-prioritize our city budgets to restore the infrastructure in our neighborhoods. We need a city we can be proud to live in, and employers need a city they are proud to work in!

Affordable Housing Crisis: Much of Anaheim's economy is based on lower wage service industry jobs. That creates special challenges in meeting our state-mandated housing requirements, particularly since the State of California clearly has its own agenda that cities like Anaheim must follow. But our misguided City Council has been pushing a policy of building additional low-cost, high-density "housing projects" for subsidized rentals, often putting them in blighted areas already dealing with crime and crowding. In fact, Anaheim already has many times more affordable rental housing projects than Santa Ana. That makes no sense.

As your Council member, I would ask for a temporary halt to all projects not yet approved so we can review the program. Let's rehabilitate existing housing first before cramming new housing into our neighborhoods, concentrating on fixing our current Level 3 and Level 4 areas while staying flexible to meet needs as they arise. We also need to listen closely to neighborhood concerns, such as adequate parking considerations or an overabundance of affordable housing in a particular area. These concerns are important, so let's consider them early in the design stages. That's certainly not how it is being done now. Let's change that. As your Council member, I will listen to the residents of Anaheim, and insist on a new, better policy that meets our State requirements without unchecked development of new, high-density taxpayer subsidized rental projects.