Priorities

Housing in all styles is a human right. While the demand for low and very low-income housing as well as market rate and luxury homes continues to be in demand, we often forget about ensuring that there is also housing for working-class people and middle-income residents.  This “missing middle” gap within the affordable housing system continues to hurt renters, young and old, who often want to be able to continue living here but find themselves stuck in endless cycles of rental prices outpacing that of mortgages.

We need a variety of housing styles to meet our unique needs. From Condos to Apartments to Tiny homes to duplexes and triplexes, housing isn’t always a one-size-fits-all approach. We offer a variety of housing types to meet the needs of residents who have different needs at different times in their lives, while also respecting the value that our historic neighborhoods offer across this district and Santa Rosa.

We need to continue to look at ways to be both practical and at the same time act with compassion. A lot has been done but we need to do more. One of the most complex and challenging issues when combating homelessness is folks who resist being sheltered. Having previously worked in homeless services coupled with the research I’ve done on the topic, points to a clear path forward.

Addressing homelessness must be done in ways built on compassion, but also meeting people where they are. I support the expansion of outreach programs that focus on building trust,case-management, and providing consistent support. By addressing the underlying issues in mental health and addiction, it opens a path toward lasting stability for individuals in need.

The second step is ensuring that these wrap-around services intersect with housing solutions that create independence. I also support expansions in our crisis response teams, which are trained to engage individuals facing critical situations and connect them to appropriate services that best meet their needs. This holistic approach aims to foster a safer, healthier, and more inclusive community for all.

I’m committed to working toward addressing generational poverty and breaking the cycle of homelessness.

While the City has made great strides in this area, decisions are still being made without key stakeholders included in the process.  This needs to change. We need to genuinely commit to being inclusive of all residents and ensure that they are given the opportunity to give input when warranted, especially in regard to any decisions that can affect their homes or livelihood. Ensuring that communication does not break down when utilizing outside consultants who are not familiar with all stakeholders is critical. 

Protecting the environment by continuing to fight climate change.  As we continue to work on lowering greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging residents to use public transit, walking or biking to work, or while doing errands.  We have to do our part to continue to work on connectivity of the transit system and safety for SMART and bus riders, walkers or cyclists.  Promotion of recycling, compost, zero waste; all the things that will contribute to our goal of healthy communities. We also need to look at continuing to utilize open space for parks and recreation for Santa Rosa and the district.  I applaud the City for working with it’s limited resources, and will encourage that we continue to finding ways to ensure our parks stay clean and well maintained.

Many residents have mentioned concerns in regard to traffic congestion that has worsened as residents have gone back to work and/or the new housing development that has been built, largely on the west side of the freeway. We need to address these concerns with traffic calming approaches such as protected bike lanes, traffic clear markings in front of homes or complexes that cannot be accessed during high traffic hours, narrowing wide streets, ensuring that any enhancements added to streets will promote safety for pedestrians, especially children but all pedestrians. Complete Streets applied to many of these areas which will help protect pedestrians of all types, walkers, cyclists, scooters, strollers, etc. These are just some of the ways we can work toward providing safety and ease of access for everyone.

The historic neighborhoods of the 5th District are in many ways what helps to make the District unique.  We need to do everything we can to preserve their existence and to value the history they represent by supporting them for the long term.  We need to continue to encourage and support the Cultural Heritage Board in its work for historic neighborhoods. Public Art is a personal favorite of mine. Expanding on beautifying Santa Rosa with public art is critical to the ecstatic of the city, also assisting it in becoming a Destination.  Acknowledging the details that go into adding an art piece to Santa Rosa’s collection is another part of the city that needs support and recognition.

There are small businesses throughout the 5th District.  We know that things have certainly changed for all of us since the pandemic but especially for these businesses to be successful and sustain their businesses.  Small business is the heart of any community and Santa Rosa is no exception.  In this new environment, we need to support  businesses by listening to what they feel they need and want in order to be successful.  One thing we can do is encourage our community to shop and buy local as well as support programs like GoLocal to promote and help them be competitive in today's marketplace.

When thinking about downtown revitalization, we need to think about how affordable housing, public safety, commercial growth and sustainable development all work together to build a successful downtown that is vibrant and inviting to the community.  At the same time we also need to think outside of the box about what we can offer residents to encourage  them to visit and shop downtown.  A few ideas that come to mind are things like a downtown playground (other cities have already done this successfully); attracting more venues for local talent to be showcased in the evenings; connecting Railroad Square with Downtown so that residents as well as tourists can access both easily. Creating a more permanent pedestrian walkway on 4th Street for example.  So, visitors and shoppers can walk freely and visit small businesses easily.  These are just some ideas to make downtown more inviting to the public.