Candidate for
Council Member; City of Santa Cruz

I own a home in the Lower Ocean district of Santa Cruz where I live with my wife Akiko and two young daughters: Tamarah (age 6) and Emunah (age 1). I have lived in Santa Cruz since graduating from UCSC in 1991. My family and I are actively involved with Neighbors of Lower Ocean, Monarch Public Elementary School, and the West Side Preschool Cooperative. My wife works at the UCSC Farm.

In my twenties I explored the Santa Cruz area by foot and bicycle and led backpacking trips for teenagers from Palo Alto to Waddell Beach north of Davenport. My family recently accompanied me on a 50 mile trip along much of this route. I walk, ride, and surf regularly.

In 1993 and 1994 I served as the Bike to Work Coordinator during which time we extended it to a week long event and included local schools. In 1994 I co-founded Pedaler's Express, a human powered delivery service, where I did deliveries and co-managed the business until 2004. Our customers included New Leaf, Beckmann's, and the Sentinel. I was one of the founders and currently sit on the Board of the Hub for Sustainable Living, a non-profit that leases space on Pacific Ave., and houses the Bike Church. I have recently returned to PedX to help start a Pedicab Project + Santa Cruz Pedicab + which opened this summer.

In 2002 I began to work as the Director of People Power (peoplepowersc.org. In the decade that I have directed the organization, we have grown from 60 to 400 members and interacted with tens of thousands of cyclists at events and on rides. We led successful campaigns for new bike lanes, crosswalks, and walking paths around the city. The county wide rail trail that we have championed is currently in the design phase. We worked for the reduction of local greenhouse gases and successfully opposed a 600 million dollar sales tax proposal to widen Highway One. I received Community Hero awards from the County Transportation Commission, the Good Times, and the United Way.

Over the last two decades I have been effective representing my constituency. If elected to City Council I will serve as your advocate for affordable housing, a strong local economy, sensible transportation, social and environmental justice, and healthy families.