Homelessness is a growing crisis in Costa Mesa that shows no signs of slowing down. The crisis is merciless and leaves those, who find themselves without a home, suffering from devastating and traumatizing physical and psychological costs. Furthermore, homelessness imposes considerable economic costs on the communities in which it exists. There is no shortage of conflicting viewpoints related to the etiology of homelessness and solutions to the crisis. There seems to be a predominant consensus that the main causes of homelessness are economic instability, substance abuse and mental health issues. The approach cities have taken to address the issue differ greatly. Costa Mesa leadership has taken the recent position that taxpayer funds should be directed toward efforts to provide housing for the current and future homeless population.

It is my view that directing millions of taxpayer dollars toward new construction of housing for the homeless is shortsighted. We must do more than just moving them out of sight. This is not to suggest there should be no effort to fund housing for the homeless.  A more humane and fiscally responsible approach would be to develop a blended plan that would include going after the issues that lead to homelessness in the first place; substance abuse and mental illness, concurrently with an effort to support housing.   I have the education and experience required to bring to this fight. I have spent the last 9 years of my nursing career in the private sector and Federal Government working in the field of substance abuse and mental illness. I have spent the last 6 years in leadership positions that focused on leading nursing teams to address the very same struggles the homeless population of Costa Mesa face currently every day.

High-density housing and rezoning in Costa Mesa will involve significant changes to the urban landscape and community dynamics. In Costa Mesa, discussions and debates surrounding high-density housing and rezoning are ongoing as the city seeks to balance the need for growth and development with maintaining quality of life and preserving community character. To anyone paying attention, our current city leadership sides primarily with the developer side of the debate and pays little attention to the will of the people. I pledge to encourage smart development that prioritizes the consensus of my constituency.

The freedoms we enjoy in this country are preserved within the social contract that we are a nation of laws. We entrust the enforcement of these laws to our law enforcement agencies. Trust between law enforcement and our community is vital for the safety and stability of our city and the effective delivery of policing services. Police who understand our community can deploy resources at critical times and effectively collaborate with local leadership to improve public safety in a sustainable way.

I have become disheartened by the negative, broad brush our police have been painted with considering recent accounts of police brutality reported in the national news. To be clear, there should be zero tolerance for gross abuse of authority. Police officers who violate the law should be held accountable to the same legal standard as regular citizens. However, I do not believe the actions of a few apply to all. I reject the calls for “defunding the police.” I stand with law enforcement and intend to push for hiring more police and fire personnel.

Costa Mesa City Hall got drunk on Federal Covid relief money starting in 2020 and the buzz should be starting to subside. My concern is that old habits die hard. I will emphasize the importance of long-term financial planning and sustainability, avoiding short-term fixes that could lead to fiscal instability in the future. This could involve implementing measures to address unfunded liabilities, such as pension reform, and ensuring that infrastructure investments are made wisely to maximize returns for taxpayers. Overall, my vision of fiscal responsibility in Costa Mesa would be about promoting fiscal discipline, accountability, and transparency in government spending while fostering an environment conducive to economic prosperity and opportunity for all residents.