Position Statements

I’ll fight to take back Santa Monica! I’ve had it with the current council and city staff. They don’t listen to residents. They are destroying the Santa Monica we love. Let’s take back Santa Monica!

Development

I want to do everything I can to see Santa Monica retain what’s left of its small beach town atmosphere. I’m opposed to the growth, density and height being proposed by City Hall.

I’m fed up with the disconnect between City Hall and the residents of Santa Monica. Every day the small beach community we love is being changed into what I’ve labeled “Playa Vista North” with the specter of more such rampant development in the very near future under LUCE. Plans are in the works for 6 to 9 story buildings around the city. The community is being sacrificed for development. That’s a tragedy for Santa Monica. My vote on City Council can stop that.

Housing / Rent Control

People in rent control apartments are being forced out for development. We need to insure that Santa Monicans are not priced out of Santa Monica. We need to retain an economically diverse population. We must not let developers make Santa Monica into a wealthy suburb of Los Angeles. Santa Monica is unique. We must retain that uniqueness.

Traffic / Gridlock

There is talk of fewer vehicle trips (which I am all for) but then there is talk of building up Santa Monica to compete with the Grove which will create mass influxes of more vehicles into an already grid-locked Santa Monica. Talk about disconnect and inconsistency. We don’t need more Third Street Promenades. We don’t need an expanded downtown. I support rapid transit and making the city very bicycle friendly.

Trees / Urban Forestry

I want to reverse the failure of the City to preserve, protect and enhance our urban forest. Despite the broad-based community support (all the neighborhood associations and over 10,000 petition signatures to save the Ficus trees on 2nd and 4th Streets), the City persisted with its baseless, ecologically unsound and costly power play to destroy healthy, beautiful Ficus trees. Next they targeted 300 carob trees. With the current Council, no tree is safe in Santa Monica. I’ll change that.

Airport

I want to see curtailment of the pollution the neighbors of Santa Monica Airport have to endure daily. I worked hard for and support the ban of C and D aircraft from Santa Monica Airport. I would like to see mandatory tug usage by aircraft instead of the current taxiing up and down the runway which results in more polluting fumes. I want to see the city support, not thwart, health risk of the air quality around Santa Monica Airport. The airport must be closed in 2015 when the agreement with the FAA expires.

Beaches

I want to see immediate clean-up of our beaches, especially in the vicinity of the Pier which has been labeled the worst polluted beach on the continental west coast. City Council is permitting migrating fecal matter where families swim! I consider that continued failing grade, even though Measure V passed 2 years ago, a disgrace for Santa Monica. City Council needs to quit stalling and clean up our beaches.

Homeless / Panhandling

We must eliminate homelessness in our city. We cannot have people living in alleys and parks. Working regionally needs to continue. Housing First is a good start. All feeding must be indoors and coupled with mandatory rehabilitation programs. Panhandling restrictions are a necessary deterrent. Tracking and evaluating the homeless needs to continue. Over 40% of the homeless are veterans. That’s a disgrace. Getting the VA to open up vacant buildings for homeless vets and their families can’t happen fast enough.

Schools

As a former teacher and mother of a daughter educated in the SMMUSD schools, I want the City to continue to join with the school district in striving for excellence in education and equal educational opportunity for all students in Santa Monica.

Vote for me so we can take back Santa Monica! Let’s work together to keep the Santa Monica we love.