Monterey CountyCandidate for Supervisor, Supervisorial District 4

As a fourth-generation Monterey County resident who is raising my family in Marina, I have been committed to working on behalf of our community for decades. I am a mother to a young child, wife to an architect, and daughter to both a parent educator and retired Army Colonel.    For the past decade, I have been serving the residents of Sand City, Del Rey Oaks, Marina, East Garrison, CSUMB, Salinas, Seaside, and Ft. Ord as a top Legislative Aide to outgoing  Supervisor Jane Parker, with a particular focus on healthcare, homeless services, and public safety in our neighborhoods and schools and as an elected representative on the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District since 2015. I am uniquely qualified and ready to hit the ground running as your next supervisor to keep our communities safe, spur living-wage job creation, protect our rich ecosystems, and address the housing needs of current residents and future generations.    Prior to working for the County, I built and sold an industrial food brokerage business and worked as a non-profit fundraiser. With experience in the non-profit, private, and government sectors, I am known as a highly motivated self-starter with a strong reputation for principled action: getting things done that make life better for regular hard-working people.    I offer experienced County leadership on a wide range of issues, including responsible land use and water policy, climate change, compassionate responses to the homelessness and regional housing crises, and strong fiscal stewardship.  My broad grassroots support is evidenced by the nearly 2,000 contributions made in support of my campaign and a growing list of endorsements from in-district, County, and Regional leaders. 

As one of the County’s top COVID response coordinators, I’ve led efforts in Seaside, Marina and Salinas responding to this crisis and keeping your family safe.

I’ve convened weekly sessions to provide health updates, delivered on free local testing, housing, and financial support to residents; distribution of thousands of masks/free meals; and connected families/businesses together with life-saving resources.

I’ve continued to prioritize safe, healthy schools – and established free childcare so teachers can focus on quality instruction as we work towards safe returns to the classroom.  

Voting for me ensures we’ll be ready for any emergency – and a comprehensive approach to leading Monterey County through the tough weeks ahead.  I stand for:

• Social Equity where every resident is treated with compassion and receives the housing and food support they need.

• Results-oriented, regional leadership to help our local businesses and eco-tourism economy recover from this devastating recession.  

• Job creation and local economic revitalization to put our residents back to work and ensure our essential First Responders, teachers, and agricultural workers stay healthy and safe. 

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I am a strong proponent of fiscal responsibility, and take seriously my responsibility as a steward of the trust that tax-payers place in government.

Public Safety: Every family, worker, and visitor in Monterey County deserves to feel safe. As MPUSD Trustee, I’ve worked to keep our kids safe making decisions based on reducing real risks faced by our youth, such as mental health support and accident prevention. As a County legislative aide, I’ve brought millions of dollars to District 4 to reduce and prevent gang and youth violence. I started a Monterey County Moms Demand Action group for common sense gun control. I view public safety in its broadest sense to include safe streets, strong public health systems, and communities that are well connected.

Good Jobs & Economic Development: We must prioritize the creation of local, living-wage jobs that allow families to live in the community where they work. At the same time we must support the growth of local businesses that enhance our quality of life, protect our valuable natural resources, maintain our thriving tourism and agriculture industries, and create good-paying local jobs. The transition to clean energy offers an opportunity for investment that creates local union jobs while protecting our environment.

Housing for All: Our workforce must be able to live where they work, and future generations, which include my own son and countless other children, should be able to stay and raise their families here. As an MPUSD Trustee, I’ve led the effort to build faculty housing on surplus District property. As a founding member of the Monterey Peninsula Housing Coalition, I believe that we can and must support growth within the boundaries of existing development areas, prioritizing in District 4 the redevelopment of blighted land on Fort Ord. 

Compassionate Response to Homelessness: I led the effort to create a safe parking program in 2017 that welcomes men and RV’s despite significant community protest and legal challenges. I led the effort to open the first homeless warming shelter on the Monterey Peninsula securing full support of the Seaside City Council. I am fully committed to ensuring that everyone has a safe and legal place to sleep at night.

Climate Action and Environmental Protections: Climate change threatens the Monterey County environment and economic future and demands regional action, beyond an internal focus on conservation. I championed the creation of Monterey Bay Community Power. The County must continue to fight to uphold the voter approved 2016 Measure Z ban on fracking. Essential to environmental health is balancing the placement of housing near jobs, designing transportation systems that support the efficient movement of people, and working collaboratively on solutions to ensure a long term supply of fresh water and clean energy that our residents and businesses can afford and rely on. 

Women and Families: Iamilies deserve social safety net services that are easy to navigate and destigmatized to ensure nutrition, health, and safety; freedom from domestic or workplace violence; paid parental leave and high quality childcare that supports the ability of parents to engage fully in our economy; and equal pay and access to professional growth.

Early Education: I championed the Bright Beginnings Early Childhood Initiative to coordinate regional investments in early care and learning. I secured the expansion of transitional-kindergarten at MPUSD doubling the number of 4 year old eligible and including TK at every elementary school. I championed the investment of millions of Measure P funds into facilities improvements at our preschools in Marina and Seaside, expanded the number of pre-school spaces available for low income families, started a subsidized preschool program benefit for district employees, and created a private-pay preschool program for families who do not qualify for state subsidy programs.

Equity: I am a firm advocate for addressing systemic disparities via policy that is rooted in racial and social equity. This awareness and commitment to equity must be embedded at every level of County Government with leadership from the Board. I worked to build public and political will necessary to have the County join the Government Alliance for Race and Equity and participated in the initial training cohort.  On the School Board I championed the formal adoption of our Equity Pillar as a guiding principle for all School District action. I led the initiatives to increase revenue with the 2010 and 2018 facilities bonds and I have consistently voted to allocate resources to the schools, communities, and programs where they are needed most.

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I am committed to honest and accountable leadership.  

We may not always agree, but I will always strive to be truthful about where I stand. 

 

I welcome an open and transparent relationship with ALL residents, voters, and stakeholders in Monterey County.