Candidate for
Council Member; City of Monrovia

BUDGET ANALYSIS

• Smart Decisions -- In these challenging times with decreasing tax revenue, the city budget will again be facing revision. Simply making across-the-board cuts disguises important public policy choices that the City Council should be making expressly. The impacts of cuts are different for each city department. The City Council has a responsibility to discuss what the choices really are and to make those hard decisions in the public forum. I support better and more thorough discussion of those vitally important public policy decisions.

• These difficult economic times present tremendous challenges to Monrovia's local business community. City government has an important role to play in improving our local economy. I support the continuing role of the City in finding new and compatible business for vacant commercial space. Because the City neither owns nor controls the commercial property, the City's role is that of facilitator: the City can help our local businesses operate more efficiently through coordinated activities and information sharing. For example, planning activities at the soon-to-be-opened Public Library together with Old Town merchants can bring customers into Old Town as well as showing off our wonderful Public Library.

• For more than eight years I have been championing the preservation of Monrovia's foothills: I co-founded a local nature conservancy and was an original member of the Monrovia Wilderness Preserve Steering Committee, the committee that managed the acquisition of much of the undeveloped hillside lands. As Chair of the Monrovia Community Services Commission, I presided over the Commission's meetings dealing with the Wilderness Preserve Management Plan. I believe that responsible and appropriate public access is important for the Wilderness Preserve. Acquisition of the Wilderness Preserve was paid for by and should benefit all Monrovians, not just those who live next to the Wilderness Preserve. Access for passive recreation must be regulated to ensure fire safety, and to minimize any environmental impact and impact on nearby residents.

• Senior Transportation -- Monrovia Transit provides handy transportation for seniors around Monrovia. However, the service area is limited mostly to Monrovia itself. Unfortunately, most medical facilities - hospitals, clinics, doctors offices - are outside Monrovia. I support developing better inter-city transportation options for seniors.
• Bicycles as Transportation to School -- With childhood obesity at record levels, bicycling to and from school should be a healthy and energy-efficient priority. However, Monrovia is not bicycle friendly, and in many cases bicycling to and from school can be downright unsafe. I support creating safe bicycle routes for children to build a healthy lifestyle.
• Eliminating Hazardous Bicycling -- While bicycling I have observed firsthand the reckless and irresponsible behavior of some bicyclists. Bicyclists who flout the traffic laws are a hazard both to themselves and to drivers who share the road with them. I support better bicycle education about the importance of obeying the law, and for improved enforcement.