Candidate for
Council Member; City of Santa Barbara

1. City finances and budget planning in a down economy.

"There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed." ~ Mohandas Gandhi

Poor financial decision-making at all levels of government is what's affecting our economy. Spending and borrowing beyond our means and short-sighted thinking has committed our community to financial obligations we cannot afford to repay. Imposing excessive taxes and fines on hard working citizens, is no way to support dreams of financial independence. We need to re-invest in our community wisely, preserve what revenue we have and not waste any future revenue we generate. The City attempts to balance a large budget among many departments; each contending for a bigger piece of the pie. Before any re-prioritizing of the budget can be properly done, we need to perform a thorough independent audit with full detailed transparency to the public. The people have the right to know what is being spent on individual salaries and other departmental expenses. Only then can we see who is being over paid and where else we can economize. Only then will we be able to see where excessive spending can be reallocated to support our infrastructure and social service needs. Public safety is not limited to police and fire protection. First and foremost the public needs a council which properly manages city funds to "safeguard" the community against financial collapse.

2. Dealing with homelessness

"Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow-men. ~ Mohandas Gandhi

"Our prime purpose in this life is to help others." ~ Dalai Lama

"Love all serve all. Service to man is service to God." ~ Sathya Sai Baba

It's time that our community lives up to the fact that we are in the position of power. Along with this comes ultimate responsibility. Everyone in the city administration from the Mayor on down are public servants and must answer to us. If you want to have a more balanced budget, "We the people" need to take a more active role in shaping our community by taking care of our selves and each other as much as possible. Our "standard of living" is directly related to our "manner of living". The residents and environment are a city's most valuable assets and resources. Their needs should be given top priority. Supporting individual autonomy creates more productive citizens and reduces dependency on government intervention and budget needs. I'm a 20 year resident of Santa Barbara. I enjoy connecting with people and being a positive impact in their lives. What I bring to this council and community, is my compassion for people and un-bias perspective. I am "solution-orientated", aiming on improving the efficiency of existing programs and creating new systems to support societal sustainability. I look forward to working with our council as a team to serve the needs of ALL the people in our community.

3. Plan Santa Barbara (local building and development)

The preservation of Santa Barbara's environment and natural resources and historic "picturesque" quality is of foremost importance. Passing a General Plan promoting high-density building does not support this. It does not consider the reliability of our water supply, our ability to treat the additional waste-water; nor preserve enough open space to allow for new green building methods such as water catchments, gray water systems, solar water heating and lighting systems. All building designs need to provide sufficient off-street parking for all of its occupants. Santa Barbara is a beautiful tapestry in need of some critical mending in order to restore its integrity. My vision for Santa Barbara is to inspire a co-operative "Earth-conscious" lifestyle by maintaining balanced and measured growth which is both green and self-sustainable. By shifting our attitudes of "consumerism, competition and conflict" to attitudes of "conservation, co-operation and compassion" we can co-create a harmonious and prosperous community for everyone.