ISSUES

I have always believed that Pasadena city government should not wait on the state to fix the problems in our schools, nor should the government renege on its obligation to our children by simply leaving the improvement of education up to elected school boards, parents and teachers. Let's open up the lines of communication by creating a joint commission consisting of representatives from the city council,school board, parents and other community stake holders. The commission would be charged withdeveloping the spending plan for city-allocated funds for education and making recommendations to the school board for its use. The council will hold hearings and facilitate testimony from representatives and determine a role everyone can play in resolving issues. This ensures that everyone gets together in the same room, communicates their concerns and sets goals along with a budget that reflects what needs to be achieved.The council should advocate for a permanent education line item in the city budget that could create ways to more effectively supplement the roles of each group.

Pasadena has undergone a housing boom in the past several years. Currently, developers are allowed to choose between paying a fee or building new affordable housing units in their projects. Many developers choose to pay these "in- lieu" fees so that they can exclusively build luxury apartments and condos. In the end, we are left without affordable housing for families that have lived and worked in Pasadena for decades. I will work to eliminate developer "in-lieu fees" and increase affordable housing to maintain the diversity of our city, increase attendance in our public schools, and control traffic by ensuring that local workers and longtime residents can afford to live here rather than commuting to and from home through our city streets.

Like you, I am deeply concerned with the current wave of violent incidents that have been happening in our District and around the city. We must come together to address this issue. I am committed to working with our local police department to improve relations with District 1 residents through community policing programs. I look forward to collaborating with local businesses and organizations to increase recreational and job opportunities for our youth. I realize the unique challenges of our diverse district and am willing to try new methods that will enhance the overall quality of life for all residents of District 1. We have strength in numbers and need to use it to leverage ourselves within our city dynamics.