San Leandro faces tremendous challenges. Our local economy, businesses, school and families are all feeling the stress of less revenue and budget cuts. We need strong leadership, clear thinking and collaborative efforts to solve these issues as a community.
It’s important that that we find solutions by working together. I offer my experience as a longtime San Leandro resident and my understanding of our local government as a School Board Member for the past 12 years to address the following:
Solutions to the budget
We must put people back to work by stimulating the local economy and focusing on creating jobs. I support a “Shop San Leandro” attitude to preserve local sales tax revenue and basic city services like police, fire and our branch libraries. I envision a safe and vibrant downtown that offers a variety of local shopping and dining opportunities that keep people in town, as well as a flourishing Bayfair Center that provides choices to shop locally. While we must be mindful of protecting the services and programs we care about the most, we must also make thoughtful decisions that do not pass financial burdens down to future generations.
Ensuring city-school cooperation
I believe in pooling the resources of our two biggest agencies – the city and the school district – to run our city more efficiently and save precious dollars. We must build on successful joint-use projects such as the soccer field at John Muir, the Bancroft track and now the new Performing Arts Center to make sure our schools, parks and city facilities can be better utilized as shared resources. By coordinating operational functions such as vehicle maintenance, waste management and the upkeep of our playfields, we can save money that can be used to add back community-based services that have been cut during this tough economy.
Preserving San Leandro
San Leandro is a uniquely special place, and I am devoted to making it a first-class community to live, work and raise a family. Our rich history and diversity make our city a wonderful place to call home. We need leadership to maintain and improve our quality of life not at the expense of those who depend on city government the most - children, seniors, and the less fortunate – but in a way that balances often-competing interests and viewpoints within the community. I will insist we seek citizen input when the Council makes decisions that have wide-reaching effects on the community. I believe in fostering well-designed, sustainable and viable neighborhoods that compliment the character of our town and do not overtax our neighborhoods, schools and essential city services.
Citizen involvement in government
It is important that we provide people with information on how they can be involved in their community and ensure their voices are heard for themselves and for those who want to become involved. When people have the same information about an issue, they most likely will arrive at a consensus and respect the outcome of the decision. I believe in open goverment and through public workshops and forums, we can help inform the community about the issues facing the city and seek their valued input. To make sure a cross-section of San Leandro is always represented at the table, I will actively seek more voices and opinions when decisions are made and ensure the city’s advisory committees and commissions are representative of our diverse community. |
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