Why I’m Running

For more than five decades, I have been fortunate to call San Marino home and, since 2006, to give back to this remarkable community as a community volunteer. I am committed to preserving San Marino’s unique character, beauty, and small-town spirit, and I would be honored to continue serving the residents of San Marino.

Finance

San Marino is largely reliant on property tax revenue, which provides welcome stability, but means we have a limited ability to increase revenue. The recently established sewer fee and the modest increase in the local sales tax will both provide additional funds to the city. Looking ahead, the renewal of the utility user’s tax will be a vital source of funds. We must consider where expenses can be reduced but in a careful, thoughtful fashion. This is a high service community and residents have high expectations for the essential services provided. The city should revisit the findings of the 2020 economic development committee, which were largely unused and consider actionable solutions to develop a more thriving business community. 

Safety

Historically, our community has strongly supported the safety tax which ensures our exceptional fire and police services. It is important to continue this priority. While professional emergency response does the heavy lifting in creating a safe community, the next most effective tool is residents looking out for each other. A neighborhood with residents who all know each other, and watch out for each other, is more resistant to crime. Another safety aspect of the city that I am personally passionate about as an avid walker is pedestrian safety. I see many residents who enjoy walking our streets, and I think there are modest measures the city could explore to enhance safety.

Preservation

San Marino will need to anticipate changing state housing laws. While these new laws can be limiting, I believe there are ways to meet these mandates while ensuring proactive protection of the charm of our city. San Marino has done well meeting current mandates by encouraging development of ADUs, and firmly limiting zoning for mixed-use and multi-family residences to our commercial rather than our residential areas. There are, however, enhancements we can explore to our design standards to better prepare for future restrictions to preserve the character of our residential neighborhoods. The environment is an increasing concern today, San Marino has made efforts to incorporate environmental best practices in certain areas such as replacing fossil fuel parks equipment with electric alternatives. Efforts at environmental sustainability are not optimally addressed by such piecemeal approaches. It is more effective to take a unified approach such as including a climate action plan into the city’s general plan.

Transparency

I strongly support transparency in all city endeavors, but I also recognize that it can take significant time and effort to be informed, and not every resident has that time. As a champion of engaged and informed residents, I am committed to being a resource for the community to ask questions and to learn about potential barriers to accessing information. Successful collaboration is the result of better informed residents and quality data to drive decisionmaking.