Candidate for
Mayor; City of Salinas

Salinas is the county seat, as such we should be leading and setting an example for the surrounding area. We must improve the cities image to bring in quality jobs that provide a living wage. Our young people need jobs they can raise a family on and plan a future by. Jobs that pay off mortgages and student loans. Our young people have little, or no options for employment, or entertainment. This only leads to negative influences and temptations.

We can't place all the burden on small businesses, who struggle through costly fees. We have to expand our base if we are to compete with our neighbors to the north. We can not survive on Agriculture industry alone, but must look to a balanced approach in industry.

Salinas is a great community with wonderful people. It's a community rich in multi-cultural traditions, yet we continue to be plagued with a negative image. Our failure to link our city together as one has damaged our ability to move forward and feeds into the US vs. THEM mentality our youth emulate. Only by working together can we break the cycle of bully's and gangs that exist.

Our leaders must focus on marketing our best assets. Let's capitalize on our wonderful weather, geographical location and infrastructure which includes a train station, airport and great Highway access. Author, John Steinbeck native to Salinas and Nobel prize winner left us a blueprint of what plagues us. Isn't it time we heeded his words.