Planning for the Future
Climate change is an existential threat to our current way of life. We must use all of the tools at our disposal to plan for the future - that includes how we think about transportation, housing and development. How do we drive less and walk more? How do we use less water? How do we make our infrastructure more resilient? How do we use less energy in the face of rising utility costs?
I've spent the last ten years working on these issues. In my first year on City Council, I led the charge to hire a City Energy and Sustainability Manager who has brought city electric vehicles, charging stations, energy efficiency and waste reduction projects forward, to name a few. Together with Council members Reynolds and Harlan, we made Environmental Sustainability an official Citywide priority for 2022. In the last four years, we've created dozens of miles of bike lanes (including the protected lanes on Bristol!). I believe that more walkable streets are safer streets! As a member of the Costa Mesa Bikeability and Walkability Committee back in 2016, I worked to create an Active Transportation Plan. Since then, we have been aggressively making those projects come to life. If I am re-elected, I will continue working to make this City safer for cyclists, pedestrians and skateboarders while doing everything I can to fight climate change.
I've spent the last ten years working on these issues. In my first year on City Council, I led the charge to hire a City Energy and Sustainability Manager who has brought city electric vehicles, charging stations, energy efficiency and waste reduction projects forward, to name a few. Together with Council members Reynolds and Harlan, we made Environmental Sustainability an official Citywide priority for 2022. In the last four years, we've created dozens of miles of bike lanes (including the protected lanes on Bristol!). I believe that more walkable streets are safer streets! As a member of the Costa Mesa Bikeability and Walkability Committee back in 2016, I worked to create an Active Transportation Plan. Since then, we have been aggressively making those projects come to life. If I am re-elected, I will continue working to make this City safer for cyclists, pedestrians and skateboarders while doing everything I can to fight climate change.
Homelessness
While Costa Mesa has significant resources dedicated to relieving homelessness including several social workers who collaborate with the police department, I believe that the solution to homelessness will require regional collaboration with other city councils and with the Board of Supervisors. I am supportive of AB448 which would create a regional funding mechanism and better enable cities to coordinate managing their homeless populations. Costa Mesa can’t do this alone and we cannot become the County "dumping ground" for other cities. BUT we must find a way to get some of these people off of the streets and into permanent supportive housing. There are no easy answers to this issue but it all starts with regional collaboration.
Fiscal Responsibility
Costa Mesa benefits tremendously from our retail community, including South Coast Plaza, and our vibrant culinary and arts scenes. We need to preserve our status as a destination city for shopping and dinner-dates alike by investing in our infrastructure and in public safety. Simultaneously, we need to maintain a balanced budget and build our reserves to insulate us against the next economic downturn. When I am elected, I will work to reduce the number of outsourced consulting contracts we spend money on. I will also use my experience as an energy efficiency engineer to look for opportunities to reduce our utilities budget while promoting projects that have a positive return on investment (like solar carports and EV charging stations).
Sober Living Homes
Costa Mesa has passed two ordinances to regulate sober living homes but I believe that we need to do more to continue to address the nuisance complaints of neighbors while preventing the mistreatment of patients. At one point California had a Certificate of Need law that required operators to show a community need before opening a facility. That law was repealed but we need something similar in place at the state level to reduce over-concentration of sober living homes in our neighborhoods.
You can read more about my position here: https://lat.ms/2L38bHw
OC Fair Master Plan
The OC Fair must be more engaged with the neighboring community, especially as it relates to any future planning or expansion. Residents have repeatedly asked for more greenery, more community activities, less development and preservation of the equestrian center. The Board of the OC Fair as well as the administration of the Fair should honor those requests and listen to its neighbors as they plan for the future of the site.
Infrastructure and Technology
From preemptive traffic control for first responders to public WiFi, Costa Mesa has failed to make investments in technology and infrastructure that could enable our city to work smarter on behalf of residents. In the interest of reducing costs in the short term, we have failed to think long term. As a mechanical engineer who has worked on Smart City projects across California, I know that a connected, modern city has the potential to save costs, be more transparent and make life easier for residents.
Development
We’ve seen the effect of inappropriate and unchecked development in Costa Mesa. But we also know that there are areas of the City that could be revitalized, especially if we took the opportunity to add bike lanes and amenities that encouraged walking and served families. We need members of City Council who will think critically about every development - from parking standards to setbacks - to make sure that we are retaining the character and the charm of our City while looking for opportunities to make our City better.
