We live in an area where fire is an existential threat, and the risk demands that our government stay ahead of the next fire instead of behind the last one.

This term, we allocated $1 million to fire readiness and prevention, advanced community wildfire protection planning and defensible space programs, carried out fuel reduction on city properties, and built working partnerships with the CREW and the Ojai Valley Fire Safe Council.

We also ratified the Fire Protection District ordinance to strengthen how our valley funds and coordinates fire protection.

Next, I'll push these programs forward — expanding evacuation readiness so every neighborhood knows its route, building Firewise communities, growing our education and home-hardening outreach, and making sure fire preparedness is built into every budget.

Housing affordability continues to be a growing problem. Ojai cannot be a town where the people who work here can't afford to live here. This term, we secured $12.7 million in state Encampment Resolution Funding, and 30 permanent supportive homes are now under construction. Before that, we had a real problem with the unhoused camping throughout town on city properties. We had to do something, and though we learned a lot along the way, we made compassionate choices that fostered safety in our community.

In addition, we strengthened protections for renters, made our short-term rental policy more robust so homes serve residents rather than speculators, streamlined ADU construction, and allocated $100,000 to HELP of Ojai for rental and utility assistance for neighbors at risk of losing their housing.

We are considering a vacant property or second home tax and a Community Land Trust, and I’d like to see those initiatives through to completion.

Next, I'll see the supportive housing project through to completion, keep approving affordable projects that fit Ojai's character, and defend our renter protections against every attempt to weaken them.

For years, I heard you talk about the need for lighted crosswalks on Ojai Avenue. After hearing about the staff’s bureaucratic limbo with Caltrans to make this happen, I reached out to my personal contact there and advocated on our behalf. I’m pleased to report they’re now in progress. Likewise, when residents of Drown Avenue and Grand expressed concerns about speeding vehicles, I brought the matter before Council, and we now have a Speed Hump Policy to ensure that any residents with traffic concerns can have a pathway to traffic mitigation efforts.

This term, I initiated the creation of Ojai's Public Safety Commission, giving residents a standing voice in how our city approaches safety rather than waiting for a crisis to force the conversation.

We also hired a motorcycle officer to help slow down traffic, and while I didn’t vote for this effort the first time, I voted to keep him in the budget for next time because the response has been so favorable. However, I also voted to have our staff review our overall contract with the Sheriff’s Department to see where cost savings are possible.

I also voted for a speed survey on some of our busiest streets and a reduction in speed limits on several of those.

In my next term, I plan to get those crosswalks built and lit, put the Public Safety Commission to work on the issues residents raise most, especially traffic speed, pedestrian safety, and emergency readiness.

I have built strong relationships with our transit agencies, state, county, and federal officials, and I’ll keep pressing them for the safety funding Ojai deserves.

You should be able to cross your own main street without fear.

Climate action in Ojai includes how we power our buildings, cool our streets, and keep the lights on when the grid fails. This term, we adopted the Energy Modernization Program, created a policy that lets homeowners meet energy goals through practical electrification options, and committed close to $3 million to clean energy over several years, including solar panels and battery backups at key city locations, replacing aging gas appliances, and electrifying 20% of the city's vehicle fleet, with an EV trolley on the way.

We've also planted hundreds of native trees, maintained our 95% healthy tree canopy, and adopted an Earth Friendly Management Policy to eliminate toxic pesticides on city properties.

In my next term, I plan to implement what we’ve started by getting the solar and battery installations built, growing the clean fleet, and making sure the energy savings we've planned for become savings residents can see in our annual budget.

Our community flourishes in the spaces we gather and through the infrastructure we rely upon. These aspects include streets, parks, pools, restaurants, and small businesses.

This term, we repaved 22 streets totaling 18 lane miles as part of a plan to have every street paved by 2029, restored the Arcade's signature red tiles, opened community swim at the new aquatic center through our pilot partnership with OUSD, and built the Pickleball Paradise at Soule Park.

We increased funding for local arts organizations and began building a creative economy strategy, because Ojai's artists are part of our economic future.

We also launched an Economic Development Action Plan to diversify our economy beyond tourism and partnered with the Ojai Chamber of Commerce to support local businesses and entrepreneurs. I spearheaded these initiatives because I was tired of seeing local, long-standing businesses being priced out of town. I was also hearing from residents about the challenges of managing tourism, and I wanted to change that.

In the next term, I plan to support finishing the paving plan, securing the pool program for the long term, and turning the diversification plan into well-paying jobs to attract more families into our community.

I serve on the board of the Economic Development Collaborative of Ventura County, and I have been working countywide to build these efforts. Our growth must be managed to preserve the character of Ojai, and growth can happen without big development if we work smart.

When I was door-knocking four years ago, the thing I heard most was, "I don't know what's happening at City Hall." I promised to change that, and we have.

The Ojai Outlook newsletter, an expanded social media presence, and a communications policy means you hear from your city government before and after decisions are made.

We also moved major planning efforts from small focus groups to community-wide engagement through surveys, open houses, and pop-up events.

In my next term, I'll keep raising the bar, because local government earns trust in the small things or loses it there. You deserve a city that explains itself and a councilmember you can stop at the farmers market with a question. One who doesn’t claim to know all the answers or talk at you, but who listens to your concerns and then works tirelessly behind the scenes to make change happen.

We rely on funds from the TOT for a quarter of our annual budget. That means we would struggle if we have another global pandemic, economic downturn, or natural disaster.

This term, we adopted a balanced budget policy and formal financial management policies that put Ojai's finances on disciplined, transparent footing, and we budget conservatively on purpose.

I supported reinstating our Finance and Budget Committee to offer more transparency to city spending. I also approved updating our salary bases to ensure we can keep the good staff members we hire.

We're also tackling the deeper structural risk. That's why our Economic Development Action Plan focuses on diversification and building revenue streams that don't depend on more visitors. Our clean energy investments are fiscal policy, too. Modernizing our building equipment means decades of lower energy costs for city facilities.

We had an entire audit of our Finance department to determine how to have it run more efficiently and effectively. Now, we have digital tracking of our expenses and revenue through upgraded software systems. We have overhauled our Finance Department, hired new accountants, and modernized the facilities.

In my next term, I plan to support maintaining healthy reserves so one bad year never becomes a crisis, turn the diversification plan into real revenue, and keep every budget decision transparent enough that you can follow the money yourself.

I also plan to continue to build collaborative relationships to prevent legal battles. I have a unique ability to work with others across differences, and we need that kind of unification to protect our community from internal and external conflict.