Keeping my campaign promise
In my 2020 City Council campaign I pledged to manage new development to better match the character and needs of the City; protect our trees, environment, and historic resources; invest in rehabilitation of the YWCA building and local business; and connect residents to City Hall. Despite something called COVID that required us to pivot as we continue to deal with the repercussions, I am proud of fulfilling many of my campaign promises by working with my Council colleagues:
Connecting residents to City Hall and uniting the community
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Held 20+ community events, including traditional town halls, Coffees with a Cop, and CERT training; new formats like the first ever Small Business Saturday D2 Block Party, D2 Dodger night, women’s self-defense class, walk and talk with City Department heads, Block 5 beautification and Foothill Unity Center community service days
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Collaborated with PUSD on key programs such as expanding career technical education, Science Fest, Women’s History month, and hiring three amazing summer interns from Marshall Fundamental in partnership with Polytechnic School
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Acquired Jefferson Elementary School to expand City library, fire, and police services for the community
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Gathered community feedback on your new $1.2 billion Burbank Airport terminal and leading the construction process as the President of Burbank Airport Commission
Managing new development and preserving the character of our City and neighborhoods
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Total of 1,975 housing units approved/under construction/completed citywide, including 704 affordable
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Converted 618 existing housing units citywide from market rate to workforce/affordable rents
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Approved ordinance to allow housing on religious sites with my amendment for 100% affordable housing
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Updated the Historic Preservation code and further limited “mansionization”
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Received community input for 3 affordable housing projects in District 2 – community input makes projects better
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Incorporating community benefits into new projects, including local hire, traffic/pedestrian improvements, and affordable housing
Protecting our trees and environment
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Approved ordinance banning gas powered leaf blowers while working with small businesses to apply for rebates to comply
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Planted 794 trees citywide (94 in District 2!)
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Implemented organics recycling with the first community composting facility in McDonald Park
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Added new pickleball courts at the Jefferson campus and painted pickleball lines at McDonald Park while preserving the sand volleyball court
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Led the City Council resolution declaring a climate emergency and setting a goal of 100% carbon free energy by 2030 while balancing reliability and affordability
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Implementing the purchase of 33 new hydrogen buses as your representative on the Foothill Transit Board
Looking to the future of our City
We are facing unprecedented challenges and now is the time for continuity and leadership, not political divisiveness. I am committed to listening to everyone and making thoughtful decisions that affect your homes, businesses, families, and quality of life. In the next four years I plan continue my work with a focus on the following:
Expand City services for those in need – complete the LA County-Pasadena outpatient mental health and housing project on the former Kaiser clinic site; long-term lease for city services at Jefferson campus; consider reuse of the YWCA as a community/non profit center; expand PORT homeless outreach and HOPE mental health teams; continue investing in early childhood development, mental health, and re-integration programs for formerly incarcerated individuals
Create opportunities for good jobs and careers – create a citywide Community Benefits Agreement to ensure new development benefits Pasadena residents with jobs, affordable housing, and street improvements; invest in career technical education/apprenticeships in partnership with PUSD and PCC; promote Pasadena as a life science and tech hub with STEM programs to prepare our students for jobs of the future
Multi-faceted approach to address homelessness – start with prevention through rent subsidies and preserving existing below market rate housing; expand programs that address root causes of homelessness including mental health, substance use, domestic violence, and trauma; support the construction of mixed income housing with community input and support
Reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer – evaluate ways to improve and modernize policing to ensure everyone’s civil rights are respected; promote community policing and local hiring of police officers to strengthen police-community relations; expand the use of smart technologies that improve crime detection and prevention while respecting privacy; improve pedestrian/bike safety with traffic enforcement and improvements identified through community input