_edited.png)
Issues
Last updated: August 18, 2022
additional updates coming soon!
Public Safety
Public Safety must always be a top priority for any local government, and Huntington Beach is no exception. As an experienced community activist, I have had the privilege of working alongside the men and women of the Huntington Beach Police Dept. on numerous occasions, and I also have the utmost respect for our Fire, and Marine Safety Departments. These are terrific public servants, but our uniformed 1st responders cannot do it all alone. Public Safety is something our entire community must embrace.
I support all efforts focused on recruitment and retention of staff, advance disaster training and community preparedness, enhance and modernize our systems and equipment, and ensure adequate funding across for all elements of our public safety services. I also strongly believe public safety requires a community-wide commitment for maintaining safe and inclusive public environments.
If our community is to remain safe for all, we must actively pursue a Public Safety for All agenda.
City Charter
The Huntington Beach City Charter is a tool for governing. It establishes basic organization and function for our local government and reflects our evolving priorities and business operations. I believe our City Charter should be updated and clarified based on the recommendations of the Charter Revision Committee.
Per Section 804 of the Charter, the City Council is required to determine at least once every 10 years if it should convene a Charter Revision Committee. Our Charter was last amended via a citizen-led Committee in 2010. On August 3, 2021, the City Council approved Council Member Mike Posey's recommendation to form a citizen-led Committee to conduct a Charter review and recommend changes as needed.
In their final report, the Charter Revision Committee forwarded 18 recommendations to the City Council for consideration.
I support this effort to update our Charter. I appreciate the process's transparency and commend the Charter Revision Committee members for their hard work and service to our community.
This shouldn't be a controversial topic. This is simply about the function of our city and taking care of city business. It is counterproductive and regretful to view this as a political matter.
Homelessness
Our community has taken steps to address the challenge of homelessness, but additional steps are required. Housed and unhoused residents, non-residents, and business owners benefit when the City of Huntington Beach puts in place a nuanced approach to managing and servicing our community’s most vulnerable residents: the unhoused.
Addressing homelessness is a complex yet very human challenge. Homelessness is about people and focusing on the needs of our housed and unhoused residents, non-residents, and business owners. There are homeless residents living in communities throughout southern California, and Huntington Beach is no exception. I am proud that our community has made meeting the challenges of homelessness a priority, but these efforts must continue. We must do all we can to expand the cooperative efforts between local government entities and non-governmental organizations while pursuing all available public funding to support this work. Perhaps most importantly, we must never lose our humanity.
-
Cities have also struggled to decide whether to house homeless people or not. More and more, cities have concluded homeless shelters are essential to effectively managing homelessness. So far, 10 OC cities have homeless shelters.
Supporting Small Businesses
COVID has challenged our community and our small local businesses. Our goal now must be to commit to building our community of thriving consumers to support the small businesses of Huntington Beach home.
Huntington Beach is blessed. We have beautiful beaches, wonderful weather, and a vibrant community. I strongly support our city's efforts to increase tourism, but we must simultaneously provide the goods and services that residents need. I believe these are the economic building blocks for crafting a long-term sustainable local economy.