My priorities

Santa Barbara is one of the most extraordinary places in the world to call home. But for too many people, it’s becoming harder to afford everyday life. Housing costs continue to rise. Starting a business can be an uphill battle. Families are paying more for the things they need, and too often City Hall makes it harder, not easier, to fix these glaring problems.

Almost everyone living here in Santa Barbara are making sacrifices to live here. We all pay a lot, and I think you deserve more for your money. We need our city government to deliver value to folks who go to work every day. 

As your City Councilmember, I’ll focus on improving quality of life for  everyone who calls Santa Barbara home. That means making our community more affordable, ensuring City Hall works for the people it serves, and protecting the character that makes Santa Barbara unlike anywhere else. For me, that means above all else protecting the people who make Santa Barbara special by making sure they can live and work here. 

A More Affordable Santa Barbara

I have spent much of my life in public office focused on addressing housing affordability, and as your councilmemeber, I will continue to deliver affordable housing to our city. But making our community a better and more affordable place to live is about more than housing. It’s about whether working families can afford to build a future here, whether young people can stay in the community they grew up in, and whether everyday necessities remain within reach.

We need more housing that local workers can actually afford, thoughtfully planned in the right places and designed to fit the character of our city. We also need to recognize that the cost of living is affected by the decisions City Hall makes every day.

One of my primary goals is to create a permanent funding stream for nonprofit housing projects in our city, like those from our Housing Authority. 

When unnecessary delays, outdated regulations, or excessive fees make it more expensive to open a restaurant, launch a small business, or build affordable housing, those costs don’t disappear, they’re passed on to our community through higher prices. Whether you’re buying dinner, shopping at a neighborhood store, or looking for a place to live, inefficient government makes Santa Barbara more expensive.

I’ll work to remove unnecessary barriers, modernize outdated processes, and ensure City Hall is helping solve problems instead of creating them. Lower costs for local businesses mean more opportunity, a more affordable community, and a more alive and fun place to live.

A City Hall That Delivers

Government should make your life easier—not more complicated.

Residents deserve a City Hall that is responsive, transparent, and focused on results. That means maintaining our streets and sidewalks, investing in reliable infrastructure, keeping our public spaces clean and welcoming, and being responsible for your hard earned tax dollars. 

It also means changing the culture at City Hall. Whether you’re opening a small business, renovating your home, or trying to navigate the permitting process, you should be met with clear expectations, timely decisions, and a government that sees itself as a partner and not a barrier.

I’ll bring a collaborative, solutions-oriented approach to make sure City Hall works more efficiently and more effectively for everyone.

Protecting What Makes Santa Barbara Special

 Santa Barbara’s quality of life is what draws people here and what keeps generations of families rooted in our community.

That means protecting the character of our neighborhoods, preserving our parks, beaches, and open spaces, investing in public safety, and ensuring that growth is thoughtful and balanced.

It also means supporting the local businesses that bring our neighborhoods to life. Great restaurants, neighborhood cafés, locally owned shops, arts and cultural venues, and vibrant commercial districts are essential parts of what makes Santa Barbara feel like Santa Barbara. We should make it easier for these businesses to succeed while preserving the unique charm that defines our city.

Growth and preservation are not competing values. With thoughtful planning and good leadership, we can welcome the future while protecting everything that makes this community extraordinary.

Bringing People Together

The challenges facing Santa Barbara are too important for more decisions to be kicked down the road. The time for change is now. .

My experience on the School Board and Planning Commission has taught me that the best solutions come from listening carefully, bringing people together, and making thoughtful decisions that deliver for people, and quickly. 

I’ll always be accessible, transparent, and focused on practical results. My commitment is simple: to improve the everyday lives of Santa Barbara residents who go to work every day  and leave our community stronger for the next generation.