Strengthening City Services

On the City Council I have prioritized the things that matter to Goleta residents.

We have increased road maintenance funding by over 600% in the past four years. Last year we spent over $10.5 million towards fixing our roads.

We have added new sidewalks, trees, landscaping, and bike lanes throughout Old Town. Residents no longer need to walk in the street to get to the store or nearby parks!

The City created a Pride of Place grant program that awarded $120,000 to Old Town small businesses that was used to improve storefronts, support grassroots events like free art walks and dance classes, add new signage and even to paint new murals that enhance the experience for all of us!

Our Goleta Library Express is now open and soon our modernized and expanded Goleta Valley Library will re-open!

Our historic Goleta Community Center has been renovated and re-opened to the public! Soon our new Goleta Train Station will be completed, providing new transportation options for commuters, tourists and residents.

The City funded free Summer Concerts through the Meet Me in Old Town events that brought the community out to mingle, enjoy music, games and activities, all while supporting local small businesses.

Finally our new Community Gardens and Splash Pad have been a "big hit" in Old Town! Kids are keeping cool during the hot summer months in a safe and welcoming environment. The gardens are providing residents who don't have a yard the ability to plant food, herbs and flowers to improve their quality of life.

Affordable Housing & Childcare Solutions

We need more affordable housing in our city. Affordable housing development should respect our environmental and agricultural resources. Planning should be comprehensive and geared toward providing housing linked with transportation like protected bike lanes, high quality sidewalks and transit to minimize both pollution and sprawl, and “green building” should be required.

I provided leadership that charted a new direction on the issue of child care access for working families. After years of dedicated, focus effort Goleta is now respected as a local, regional, and state wide leader and innovator in providing solutions to our local child care needs.

I advocated for creation of our city's new Child Care Initiative that dedicates $250,000 annually to local nonprofits and child care providers for teacher training, scholarships for needy families and creating more licensed child care spaces. Our community can't work if our children don't have access to high quality, affordable child care.

Addressing Homelessness with Compassion & Common Sense Approaches

On the City Council I have led with both compassion and common sense solutions. I voted to support the Buena Tierra Permanent Supportive Housing project that is housing 60 individuals and providing them with the help they need to get on their feet and improve their lives.

I voted to fund continuing efforts of our Homelessness Outreach Coordinator position that has been so effective in working with neighborhoods, businesses and unhoused individuals to get results.

While homelessness is down by 50%, we can't stop there. There is a need for new planning and strategies to assist unhoused people living in their vehicles on city streets. This is unsafe and unsanitary, and must be addressed by future efforts.