Candidate for
Council Member; City of Santa Cruz

Promoting Safe and Vibrant Neighborhoods:

I would work towards strengthening neighborhoods through city-wide communication activities and by promoting programs that engage residents to make our community safer. In this regard, my goal would be to allocate City resources towards beautification projects and to work with neighborhood groups to ensure that parks and open spaces are well-maintained and safe for kids. A critical goal will be to work with Downtown businesses, residents and community groups to promote a business district that both visitors and residents can enjoy. Initial steps would be to schedule regularly sidewalk cleaning and methods to combat the increased prevalence of graffiti.

Economic Development:

I would advocate for programs that encourage meaningful economic development that values the size and scale of our community, respects the needs of our workforce and builds the city's tax base so we can continue to provide the services our community needs. In this regard, my goal is to bring diverse members of the community together to identify opportunities to strengthen economic ties and to reassess current City policies that may unnecessarily restrict employers and hinder good paying employment opportunities. I would work in with small business owners to identify opportunities to increase existing businesses and work with UCSC researchers and recent graduates to support new companies and research.

Environmental Stewardship:

I am a professional who works in the transportation industry and a graduate of a highly-selective national leadership training program offered by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) which provided me with extensive training in transportation planning and management. I support comprehensive transportation planning and providing residents with opportunities to travel by a variety of transportation modes. Whether by automobile, bicycle, bus or walking, balanced transportation planning requires that residents be afforded the opportunity to choose the best method to get where they need to go. I will promote improved transportation planning to increase the variety and choices for people to travel within our region. In this regard, my goal is to advocate for new methods to fund transportation projects, such as improved pedestrian walkways and a city-wide bike route program, using Traffic Impact Fees and to create opportunities to reduce traffic congestion to create a sustainable community.