Candidate for
Council Member; City of El Cerrito

I am honored to serve the residents of El Cerrito. I am running for re-election to the El Cerrito City Council because there is still much to be done to make our wonderful community even stronger. With your support, I will continue to make a difference as we focus on our community's priorities:

Public Safety. We must attract and retain police officers at a level that insures our safety. We must dedicate adequate resources to police and fire services so they can respond quickly to all calls.

Community Services. There is a growing need for recreation services as the number of families expands. The burgeoning strain on our facilities is not sustainable. We must be creative and innovative to meet these needs.

Facilities. We have a number of aging facilities that will not continue to satisfy our needs. These include the public safety building, the library, the senior center, and the community center. We need to work with the community to develop a plan for the future that includes ways to solve this problem.

Streets. We must continue to maintain our streets at a superior level.

San Pablo Avenue and Economic Development. We have improved the public components of San Pablo Avenue + the streets and sidewalks. Now that we are nearing the end of the Great Recession, it is time to turn our attention to the properties along San Pablo Avenue. We should help existing small businesses thrive, find appropriate replacement tenants for empty storefronts and empty lots, attract customers to our city, and increase the number of customers living in our city by providing more housing along San Pablo Avenue.

Environment. We must continue to implement our Climate Action Plan. We need to be sure that we are succeeding in meeting -- or even exceeding -- the goals we have set out for ourselves in the plan. We must also encourage our residents to meet the voluntary goals we have identified for them. My support for the procurement of the Madera open space continues my decades-long commitment to providing a better quality of life for El Cerrito residents.

Transportation. We are a transit-rich city. Where feasible, we should encourage and support the use of alternatives to the single occupant car. This should include a variety of modes such as BART, buses, bikes, carsharing, and walking.

Health. We should incorporate healthy living initiatives into our civic planning process.

Janet Abelson Mayor of El Cerrito