Candidate for
Member, City Council; City of Huntington Beach

TOP PRIORITIES What needs to be done, and how to do it.

1. Clean Ocean: The biggest problem with the beach closures is over-development. There is too much "URBAN", that's the reason for the urban runoff problem. In addition, Orange County is one of the few places that dump untreated SLUDGE SEWAGE into the Ocean, 5 miles out instead of 2.5 miles. Recent data (e.g., the voyages of the Algalita Research vessel) demonstrate that human trash is found in deep Ocean creatures thousands of miles from California. It is foolish to believe that our trash doesn't wash back from only 5 miles out; and even if it didn't, we STILL should not dump it in the Ocean.

1.1 Eliminate all sludge/dirty water waivers, such as 301H waivers to the clean water act.
1.2 Green School Curriculum, including composting and recycling programs, to reduce solid waste and discarded trash in the first place.
1.3 Enhance Recycling/Runoff/Trash-free small business programs: support small business and people in cleaning up, reducing styro, trash, runoff.
1.4 Build more sewage/runoff treatment plants, force new development to fund these requirements.

2. Coastal Open space: If we were to give developers 97% of what they wanted....well, we already did! The Coastal Act was passed to reserve a small part of the Coast, which even 30 years ago was vanishing. Now, when all that is legal is built on, some developers want to take a portion of what little is left. They should instead revitalize older neighborhoods, and leave the Coastal Zone alone.

2.1 Enforce the Coastal Act, that's a good start, but more is needed.
2.2 Promote eco-tourism, the beach is our big asset, let's use it! That's why people come here to spend money, it's to see the beach and birds, and have a good time. NOT to view our appartment buildings, or tour our housing tracts.
2.3 Moratorium on building in the Coastal Zone, at least until the beach closure problem is solved and sewage and urban runoff are contained.
2.4 Increase safety margin for construction runoff: require new development to contain runoff.

3. Infrastructure
3.1 Build more sewage/runoff treatment plants
3.2 Rearrange budget priorities
3.3 Invest in trash/recycling systems, support small business trash reduction programs
3.4 Infrastructure payments for new construction adequate for new needs

We can have a clean Ocean, healthy kids, and good economy. In fact, they all go together. Promote the 4 "B's": BEACH, BEER, BIRDS and BABIES. Promote individual responsibility: Individuals make the difference.

Selected Positions:
1. Redevelopment - must be used, not abused. Separate the Redevelopment Board from the City Council.
2. Bolsa Chica - Save it all!
3. Little Shell - Protecting Little Shell is protecting the Coastal Act.
4. Tidal inlet at Bolsa Chica - Yes, if done right, and create 7 different wetland habitats, following Joy Zeidler.
5. Desalinization plant: NO, Not needed, use existing water wisely.
6. Rent Control -- YES, support landlords and tenants, improve affordable housing.
7. No-Kill animal shelter -- YES, enact an ordinance that all pet shops must feature selected impounded animals, offer at fairs and markets.
8. Unions - YES, no outsourcing, support livable wage.
9. Urban Forest - YES, trees increase property values.
10. Greening the River - YES, filter urban runoff, create new habitat.
11. SurfHenge: NO, fix the beach, not more statues!
12. Waste Water Waivers: NO, stop dumping Sludge into the Ocean!
13. Eminent Domain: NO.
14. New and better sewage/Urban Runoff treatment methods: YES.
15. Green curriculum in schools: YES, combined with intern programs, volunteers at local wetlands, coordinate with local schools.
16. Advanced Recycling Programs: YES, reduce solid waste by local composting at schools sites, rebates for those who reduce.
17. Support Local Merchants - YES, small merchants, not big developers, are with us for the long haul, are the heart of the City.
18. More houses on the beach - NO, keep the beach as a resource for all, and build away from the beach!