On the Issues

Homelessness

Preventing and ending the homeless issue will be one of my main priorities as your Councilmember. This civic and humanitarian crisis will require both innovative and proven solutions to address root problems and generate lasting impacts for our community. There is no one size fits all approach: as your Councilmember I’ll be committed to making sure our city works respectfully with every unhoused Culver City resident, and alongside other regional leaders, assuring that we implement policies that give every resident the opportunity to live a healthy and dignified life.

Establish a trauma-informed system of care that ensures unhoused persons can receive individualized support including mental health treatment and services to address addiction, as needed to achieve stability and safety, and be offered the space to heal.
Ensure that the Project Homekey motel conversions are successfully completed, our unhoused neighbors are assisted with moving in, and continue to provide outreach and access to temporary and permanent supportive housing with services that meets residents' needs.
Fully implement the housing first policy, a research-based solution that prioritizes providing permanent housing which allows an unhoused person the flexibility, autonomy, and the tools they need to remain housed.
Encourage rapid rehousing, shared housing, or master leasing for unhoused persons.
Help prevent people from falling into homelessness through providing services, including increased rental assistance and access to other city and county resources.
Expand local programs to increase workforce training and job opportunities so people can meaningfully contribute back to the community.
Collaborate with neighboring cities and the county to create a regional approach to solving the housing and homeless crisis.

Housing

The state of California is in a housing crisis and the Southern California Association of Governments has charged Culver City with building about 3,300 new homes by 2029. This ambitious goal will require all of us to work together towards a common solution. Since 2000, Culver City has only increased its housing stock by about 689 units, or an average of 35 units per year. Our housing is simply not keeping up with our economic growth. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says we can avoid the most extreme dangers of climate change if we redesign and rezone cities so people live closer to where they work and play. We must be willing to be open to all approaches to increasing housing production.

Promote building housing at all income levels and in all neighborhoods in order to accomplish our housing and sustainability goals.
Streamline the approval process for housing production to respond to our local housing crisis.
Work to implement a 100 percent affordable housing overlay to ensure the viability and efficiency of solving the need for housing in our community.
Eliminate parking minimums and establish parking maximums in order to alleviate the high costs of housing and combat climate change.
Continue to protect Culver City renters and preserve existing affordable housing stock to help create stability and predictability in our neighborhoods.
Promote community land trusts, public banking initiatives, and other opportunities to support the growth of permanently affordable and community-controlled housing.

Transportation

My campaign is about building connections between people, but it also is about building connectivity throughout the city. Not everyone is going to walk, bike, or use public transit all the time, but the more we help people get out of their cars and into alternative modes of transportation, the more it will decrease congestion and reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions. Culver City is quickly becoming a destination that will require bold and thoughtful transportation policies to ensure we can all continue to enjoy the Culver City we know and love, while making the most of the evolving opportunities that allow our city to grow in the direction we desire.

Create mobility infrastructure that meets the needs and understands the intersections of our housing and sustainability goals.
Make our public transit system zero emissions, by fully electrifying it, making it quieter and easier to maintain
Advocate for safe streets that will serve the needs of Culver City residents first.
Create eco-friendly connection points between public transit and people’s homes, including micro-mobility options and shared rides, and implement mobility hubs in multiple locations throughout the city.
Ensure the Vision Zero policy is fully implemented to prevent fatal and severe crashes and injuries to pedestrians..
Expand the network of electric car charging stations throughout the city and in multi-unit dwelling complexes.
Work in partnership with the City of Los Angeles and neighboring municipalities to decrease congestion and increase mobility.

Public Safety

We all deserve to live, work and play in a city where everyone is safe, protected and treated fairly. I believe the best way to create safer neighborhoods is to invest in the community. This can look many different ways and there is not just a single solution that will solve all our problems. We will have to continue to dialogue about what makes a city truly safe and work collaboratively to address the core causes of safety concerns. As your councilmember, I will support what works, and advocate for change when new solutions are necessary.

Support the launch of the Mobile Crisis Intervention Unit and deploy public safety ambassadors or trained medical and behavioral health clinicians to assist people experiencing issues related to mental health, substance abuse, homelessness, and other issues.
All city departments should be held accountable. Establish an independent civilian oversight committee with subpoena power to ensure transparency and efficiency of services.
Increase community participation and prioritize input from those who have been most impacted by over-policing, which includes Black, Indigenous, people of color, the LGBTQ community, specifically trans folk, and low-income people.
Continue to partner with the County and implement its alternatives to incarceration recommendations, especially for Black and LatinX youth, to help reduce racial disparities in current policing strategies.
Create safer neighborhoods by investing in the community and implementing strategies that are proven to reduce crime. Provide access to stable housing and mental health services, and engage community-based organizations.

A Sustainable Future

One of the greatest challenges that Culver City must address is the climate crisis. The United Nations warns that there will be drastic consequences if we do not significantly reduce carbon emissions by 2030. The effects of climate change are real and Culver City should do its part to help mitigate these impacts for our future and for generations to come. In order to accomplish our goals, we need to embrace transformation and resiliency. I’m committed to crafting policies that improve our problems of today with a sustainable future always in mind.

Optimize buildings to become more energy-efficient and to adhere to green building standards. Invest in renewable energy projects.
Incorporate creative housing options that simultaneously reduce vehicular trips by building housing in the areas where people work and play.
Prioritize alternative modes of transportation that supports reducing single-person vehicular trips.
Ensure that the portion of the Inglewood Oil Field located in Culver City safely and completely shuts down based on the five-year amortization plan that was approved in 2021. Encourage our partners in the City and County of L.A. to follow suit.
Support a just transition for workers in the fossil fuel and gas industries to emerging opportunities in the renewable energy industry. Center equity and inclusion in the decision-making process during the transition period.
Advocate for enhanced improvements and protections for the Ballona Creek, an important watershed in our region.
As we enter another severe drought season, find ways to incentivize businesses and residents to conserve and reuse water.
Expand our tree canopy throughout the city.

Our Budget

The budget reflects what a city truly values. As we look ahead in the coming months and years, it will require tough decisions. Equity and inclusion are my highest priorities and will be at the center of any tough decision I am required to make. I am eager to explore options towards a reimagined budget that accurately reflects our values while effectively responding to city needs.

Our city’s budget will be strained for about the next ten years mostly due to pension payouts. Provide for a sustainable and economically responsible future by working collaboratively with city department heads, commissions, and committees.
Reimagine a budget that centers diversity, equity and inclusion to ensure that the City is being responsive to the needs of all of its residents, businesses, and community partners.
Support fair share tax policies – which are proportional to the size of the business – that will go towards supporting and enhancing our City’s services and infrastructure projects.
Create ways to include more public participation in the City’s budget process, such as participatory budgeting.

Connecting to L.A. and Other Cities in the Region

Building connections is at the heart of what I do. I’ve developed relationships with leaders in Culver City and throughout the region from elected officials to academics to nonprofit and business leaders. These local and regional relationships will be critical as Culver City is one of 88 cities in L.A. County and must work in conjunction with all of our regional partners to implement solutions for problems we collectively face.

Encouraging Dialogue

Dialogue starts by clearly identifying the issues and interests of the parties involved, recognizing the obstacles to progress, and then working together to find a solution. At the Culver City Community Conversation, we discussed strategies for civil discourse and respect for others, especially when dealing with controversial issues. I will bring this approach, along with my years of professional communication experience to our city to facilitate robust civic engagement and dialogue that includes all residents working through difficult and necessary issues facing our City.

While we may not always agree on everything, we need to be respectful and be patient with one another. Many changes are called for, but change is often challenging for people to embrace. This is one reason why our leaders need to have the convictions to make decisions that help all people, not just a few. I’m under no illusion that Culver City alone will solve all of the problems we face, but it’s my promise that together we will do our fair share of the work.