Tackling Orange County’s homelessness and housing crises will be one of my top priorities on the OC Board of Supervisors. Central Orange County has long been at the center of the homelessness emergency while political bickering, lip service, and a failure of County leadership has made the problem worse—while offering little relief to residents.
We need action. It's not for a lack of ideas, but a lack of courage from career politicians that homelessness has gone from crisis to catastrophe. As a Garden Grove City Councilmember, I have been on the frontlines of our homelessness crisis and have a proven record of action.
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Championed the Garden Grove Be Well Mobile Response Team Pilot Program providing free, emergency response to mental health and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) services for homeless and unhoused individuals in Garden Grove.
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Worked to prioritize a Continuum of Care plan for Garden Grove and strongly advocated for the City to do its fair share and create its own shelter beds.
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Pushed for Permanent Supportive Housing. I am proud to say the first ones will be in my district in East Garden Grove.
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Urged the City to review its HUD (Section 8) Voucher waitlist and remove outdated information, decreasing the list from more than 10,000 to less than 4,000. In the process we were able to refer residents to other programs or offer other resources.
Ensure a fair, county-wide participation
Central Orange County has done more than its share to house our most vulnerable residents, specifically Santa Ana. South Orange County must follow state law and build its fair share of court ordered housing. For too long, the right-wing Board of Supervisors has kowtowed to their wealthy South OC donor base at the expense of the rest of the county. As Supervisor, I will enforce these provisions and not let cities like Anaheim, Santa Ana, and Orange continue to be the dumping ground for other cities homeless.
Mandate professional management of supportive housing facilities
“Warehousing the homeless” in poorly run and underfunded facilities will only create more problems and not offer long term solutions. Permanent supportive housing facilities must be professionally managed, properly funded, and responsibly overseen. As Supervisor I will work with local governments to ensure cities and school districts have the funds necessary for these crucial programs and services.
Increase affordable housing options, especially near job centers
Reducing crime and tackling the county’s homelessness epidemic requires an equally aggressive approach to housing. We can support the needs of local communities and protect the character of neighborhoods while planning new construction, especially near job centers. Families and individuals of all income levels that work in Orange County should be able to live in Orange County.
Since 2019, the city of Garden Grove has facilitated the development of nearly 1,200 units of affordable housing and created a 5-year strategic plan to address homelessness and housing. Orange County hasn’t updated their plan since 2012—and I will change that as Supervisor. I will bring an “all-of-the-above” approach to housing, working with cities to incentivize new affordable housing units, speed up the process for building new homes, and increase our housing stock in Central Orange County.
Collaborate with law enforcement and increase prevention efforts
Combatting our county’s homelessness crisis requires us to partner and collaborate with local law enforcement and public safety groups. As Supervisor, I will always work to fully fund our police and ensure public safety groups have the resources they need to keep our neighborhoods safe. Expanding and improving community policing practices remains one of my top priorities. I will also lead efforts that collaborate with public safety groups to focus on homelessness prevention that addresses the root of the problem and provides programming for children and adults at risk of homelessness.
Prioritize “whole person care” and both acknowledge and address the Substance Abuse Disorder (SUD) and mental health crises in Orange County.
Healthcare is a critical component of this plan—we need to have a “whole person care” approach to these crises. For years, Orange County has been woefully underfunded and mismanaged SUD and mental health services — straining local non-profits, hospitals, and care facilities. As Supervisor, I will leverage my near 10 years of experience in Medi-Cal to work with the Department of Healthcare Services to secure more state resources to address the gaps in funding, programs, and services at the county level and create working partnerships countywide.
The 18-month pilot program with Be Well OC in Garden Grove has effectively taken pressure off law enforcement while working with certified crisis counselors and responding to hundreds of service calls for non-violent situations. I plan to work with existing County personnel to ensure they are adequately paid and staffed in order to expand Mobile Crisis Stabilization Unit Programs.
