Make your voice count!

Code Enforcement/Blight: The reality is Code Enforcement remains overwhelmed and understaffed. I would advocate building up staff, including hiring a code enforcement officer per district, and one specifically for commercial properties. This would 

include evaluating commercial properties that have an elevated amount of criminal activity and blight complaints.

Public Safety: Continue pursuing 21st century policing. Evaluate current methods, and work with command staff to provde resources to recruit, create, and develop specialty units. This would include rebuilding the traffic division (focusing on sideshows), a vice unit to help combat human trafficking on Sonoma Blvd, and a retail robbery unit to help combat organized theft in the community. I would advocate for the continued development of the previously approved Oversight Commission, and quarterly updates on VPD's progress with the recommendations of the Consent Decree.

Auditor: Use the policy under Measure P to hire an independent firm to not only evaluate the use of Measure P funds, but to evaluate the use of all general funds. One of the main goals would be to determine how much is transferred from one department to another after the budget has been created.

Housing: Large housing projects have continued to result in millions in cost overruns, yet have assisted in less than three percent of the unhoused in our community. Our unhoused policy should meet the federal requirements of ensuring a bed for each member of our unhoused community, have dedicated sites for camping and RV sites, and working in concert with the County to assist unhoused in identifying possible benefits. Another goal would be to control sprawling encampments by creating city-sanctioned sites with trash pick-up and bathroom services.  

Business Development: One of the biggest complaints new businesses have, and businesses renovating, is the amount of time it takes to complete the permit process. I would advocate hiring consultants to assist with workflow, and to review processes for optimization opportunities. 

Infrastructure: Work with city staff on their execution of their long-term plan to address road repaving and development, and increase sideshow and road calming measures. Consideration would be given for temporary calming measures while long-term solutions are being completed. 

Youth Programs: Council recognized the need for youth programs when assigning and prioritizing Measure P funds, and the question now becomes how to move forward advocating it. In an effort to ensure equity throughout the city, I recommend a two step process. Each District would receive 1/2 percent of total Measure P revenue, and an additional 1 1/2 percent would be split between districts based on the amount of children enrolled in that district. We could then work with council, our youth coordinator, and nonprofits to provide youth and diversion programs. The more children we can engage, the better off we are as a society.