Delivering the Services You Care About
We have an amazing city with an extensive network of bike paths and greenbelts, a Farmer’s Market that draws people from all over the region, music, art, and a world-class university. Many of us came here to live or stayed here after graduating from UC Davis because we appreciate the quality of life Davis offers. If re-elected, I will dedicate myself to ensuring that we keep and enhance what makes Davis so unique.
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If re-elected, I will do the following:​
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Ensure that we make needed improvements to our roads and bike paths, including making our bike paths safer.
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Work to be sure that those services you depend on are available, including response to a fire or other emergency and be sure that our safety and public works employees have the resources they need to serve you.
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Listen to your concerns and work hard to address them.
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Work to address traffic concerns around the City and promote the ongoing traffic calming program.
Responsible Planning for Our Future
Our City faces many challenges and opportunities in the coming years: tackling climate change by implementing the Climate Action Adaptation Plan (CAAP), revitalizing our downtown through our updated downtown plan, and planning for our future through a general plan update. Based on my many years of professional and City commission experience I have the skillset to best serve the community through these crucial processes. To achieve these goals, I will be a leader in fiscal resiliency, community engagement, and climate action.
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One of the most important responsibilities of a City Council member is to act as a wise and careful steward of public funds (your money). If re-elected, I will continue to make fiscal resiliency—sound financial planning and good, citizen-involved decision making—a top priority. Serving as chairperson of the City of Davis Finance and Budget Commission gave me a bird’s eye view of our fiscal situation. While serving on that commission I made specific recommendations that increased the transparency of the City’s finances and saved the City money. During the past year and a half on city council i have continued that approach.
We also need to act now to make smart choices that create climate change resiliency. The time is now for us to take responsibility for doing whatever we can to address climate change and mitigate its impacts. The progress made so far on updating our Climate Action and Adaptation Plan is critically important. But now we need to exercise assertive leadership and put that plan into action. We also need to promote greater community awareness about the actions that all of us can take to address climate change and we need to continue to work with our regional partners and the experts on the UC Campus so that we tackle this issue.
If re-elected I will do the following to ensure fiscal resiliency:
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Continue to address the City’s revenue shortfall through careful long-range planning, paying close attention to the details of our budget, and asking the hard questions.
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Increase public participation in the biannual City budget process by requesting each City department to present its budget to council in an open, public workshop.
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Promote greater public information by enhancing the City’s communication and outreach about the City’s fiscal circumstances.
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Advocate for the effective and efficient implementation of the new computer system to modernize City operations and improve the efficiency and delivery of services such as the permit approval process.
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Address City staffing shortages so that our community receives timely and efficient city services.
If re-elected, I will do the following to ensure climate change resiliency:
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Turn our Climate Action and Adaptation Plan from plan to action.
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Base policy decisions on science and accurate information.
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Promote the establishment of resilience hubs—centers throughout the City that are accessible to all—that will provide essential services during emergency situations.
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Work with City staff to identify state and federal funding sources that will incentivize the transition to greater energy efficiency.
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Provide additional information throughout the community about the specific actions we can all take to address climate change.
Tackling Housing Issues
It’s no secret that we have a national housing crisis and housing is unaffordable for far too many. The median home price in Davis is $890,000—we need to work hard to make housing more available and more affordable in Davis. The solutions are not simple, and they require us to work together to find common ground concerning the vision for our city’s future. If re-elected, my priority is to make Davis a more welcoming, inclusive, and affordable city.
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Actions I will take to address homelessness:
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Support the newly formed Department of Social Services and Housing by ensuring it has the staffing and resources to be effective, and support the newly instituted Downtown Streets Team, which provides employment and resources to those experiencing homelessness and empowers them.
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Advocate for the creation of a public outreach program to destigmatize unhoused members of our community and promote greater awareness about the causes of homelessness and the solutions.
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Promote multi-use community support and housing centers like Paul’s Place and the development of similar housing.
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Back ongoing efforts by the Department of Social Services and Housing to streamline the process for accepting housing choice vouchers (Section 8) so more people can get into stable housing.
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Support continuing collaboration between the City and nonprofit organizations (e.g. Davis Community Meals, Communicare) to ensure unsheltered individuals have access to all available resources.
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Actions I will take to promote affordability:
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Promote the development of affordable infill housing by continuing to streamline the permitting process, while continuing to ensure environmental protection.
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Identify a stable revenue stream to support the Housing Trust Fund that will make housing more affordable for first time home buyers, seniors and others.
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Increase collaboration with the Davis Joint Unified School District to encourage the district to identify and sell surplus property that can be used for locating housing within existing City limits.
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Oversee the implementation of the City’s Housing element, ensuring we capitalize on existing housing opportunities.
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Continuing the collaboration with UC Davis to urge UCD to build its fair share of housing.
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Support the streamlined development permitting process so that accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and tiny homes can be built more quickly.