PRIORITIES
TACKLING OUR HOMELESSNESS & AFFORDABLE HOUSING CRISES
The homelessness crisis in our city is the worst it has been in my lifetime. It is clear that we need a much more focused, coordinated and proactive approach to addressing homelessness and housing insecurity by investing in greater affordable housing units and preventative care like mental health and emergency services. I believe we need to be creative in shelter options, vigorous in services, and persistent in encouraging people to “come in.”
As a Board member of the Linc Housing Corporation, which provides affordable housing solutions for Angelenos, I’ve seen firsthand the grave consequences of our region’s lack of affordable housing. I support more community plans that include incentives for developers to build more affordable housing, and provide supportive services. I’ve had the opportunity to fight for more supportive housing and will continue to advocate for supportive housing as a City Councilmember.
We must act with greater urgency. The City Council and Mayor need to focus on immediate shelter, while keeping the pipeline full on permanent housing solutions and supportive services. We need to embrace creative housing solutions like container construction, tiny homes, renovation of existing facilities (whether private or publicly owned).
We don’t lack funding or public interest in solving homelessness. We lack political will, coordination within and between agencies, and imagination for solutions. I am ready to take on these challenges.
REBUILDING OUR ECONOMY & CREATING MORE JOBS
The pandemic has brought about a devastating economic crisis that has intensified the wage gap, with many Angelenos out of work and small businesses crumbling across Los Angeles. In the aftermath of the pandemic, we will bring prosperity back to Los Angeles, and build our city back better by ensuring that every Angeleno benefits from our economic recovery. That means focusing on small business in our Main Streets and creating good, family-sustaining union jobs that provide working Angelenos with a pathway to the middle class.
REIMAGINING & IMPROVING PUBLIC HEALTH & SAFETY
Every neighborhood and resident is entitled to a safe and healthy community. Public safety officers must be engaged in their communities, trained to provide effective, transparent and constitutional service to every resident, and law enforcement must be in partnership with the public to achieve safe neighborhoods. I support hiring LAPD officers to the authorized level and ensuring there are full hiring classes month by month to replenish our numbers of available officers.
Tragically, at this moment in time, our city, state, and country are experiencing increases in serious crime, driven by a gun violence epidemic. To attack gun violence, we need the resources to track and staff appropriately in affected neighborhoods. We need the ability to enforce current gun laws - to crack down on illegal guns, better enforce and regulate gun shows, eliminate ghost guns, and ensure thorough background checks.
I am deeply committed to advancing community based public safety and promoting trust and partnerships between local residents, community stakeholders, and the LAPD.
COMBATING CLIMATE CHANGE & ENSURING ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
On the City Council, I will work to prioritize communities that have been hardest hit by climate change and pollution and work with these same communities to develop innovative strategies to ensure clean air and water for every Angeleno.
The climate crisis is wreaking havoc on California and we feel the effects of climate change right here in the 15th City Council District. It is clear that we must take action to preserve and protect our environment and combat the worsening climate crisis facing our globe. However, it’s critical that we do so with our local ports and workers in mind. This means ensuring that the green technologies and innovations are advanced to the benefit of workers, and not to their exclusion. Clean air and good jobs are not mutually exclusive. The transition of fuels and evolution of equipment must plan for the retention of jobs and, in some cases, training and transition to new, secure, well-compensated positions.
RESTORING TRUST & TRANSPARENCY IN OUR CITY GOVERNMENT
One of the primary reasons I’m running for City Council is to bring my three decades of experience in government and locally-grounded leadership to City Hall, to tackle the challenges unique to the 15th District. Our City needs leaders in elected office who will champion innovative policies and ideas to solve the issues, while empowering local neighborhoods and promoting government transparency. Together, we can build a more responsive, efficient, and effective city government that better delivers for everyday Angelenos.