More than 55% of the City’s General Fund comes from property taxes, while about 17% comes from sales tax. I’m not proposing new taxes. I want Yorba Linda to have a stronger, more balanced foundation for the services residents rely on. Supporting dining, shopping, services, and employers that fit our community can give residents more useful choices close to home and help strengthen the City’s long-term financial foundation.

In my public-service career, I managed a small-business assistance office and opened three satellite locations. I learned how important it is for government to give businesses practical guidance as they navigate requirements, open, remodel, or expand. Yorba Linda already has economic-development resources and programs that support local businesses, and I want to build on that work.

I will work with residents, local businesses, property owners, and City staff to use local data and community input to identify realistic opportunities. I will support the recommended retail and service gap analysis, encourage the businesses and services that fit Yorba Linda, and help make sure residents have clear information about the City’s economic-development efforts and results.

Yorba Linda has taken meaningful steps to prepare for wildfire and other emergencies through updated safety planning, evacuation zones, and coordination with public-safety partners. The City’s updated Safety Element identifies neighborhoods with only one way out, including three in the highest fire-hazard area, and evacuation planning relies heavily on a limited number of major routes.

Continued preparedness requires clear communication, practical planning for families and neighborhoods, and coordination among the City, OCFA, OCSD, and the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District. Families should be able to understand school evacuation and reunification procedures well before an emergency occurs.

I will revisit the City’s feasibility and capacity studies, ask what improvements are realistic, and press for projects that improve everyday mobility and emergency access. I will also make sure evacuation readiness is considered whenever the City makes decisions about transportation, development, streets, and capital improvements.

Yorba Linda already provides public agendas, televised meetings, and budget information. The next opportunity is making major decisions easier for residents to understand and engage with before a vote is taken.

Good government works best when people have clear information, meaningful opportunities to participate, and confidence that their questions and perspectives will be considered. Major contracts, amendments, and change orders should receive the same careful public review as any other use of taxpayer dollars.

During more than 11 years on the Planning Commission, I visited project sites and met with residents, applicants, neighbors, and business owners before decisions were made. I will hold regular office hours on both sides of Yorba Linda, explain major decisions in plain language, invite residents to participate early in the process, and carefully review major contracts and their changes.

Through Yorba Linda’s Right-to-Vote Amendment, residents have an unusual and important role in major land-use decisions. Through a resident working group and extensive community engagement, our community helped shape the revised Housing Element and the related Measure JJ framework that voters approved by more than 90% in 2024.

I served on the Planning Commission that reviewed the revised Housing Element and made the motion recommending that the City Council adopt it. My focus is on carrying out the plan responsibly while respecting the voter-approved limits on density and building height.

I will support clear, objective standards for design, setbacks, parking, landscaping, traffic, and infrastructure where the City has authority. I will also insist that applicants meet those standards.

Yorba Linda’s trails are part of what makes our community special. More than 100 miles of trails are shared by hikers, bikers, and equestrians. The City has also adopted e-bike safety rules and created the Ride Ready program to help riders and parents understand them.

Safe streets and trails require consistent maintenance, safe connections, visible crossings near schools, practical improvements for pedestrians and riders, clear communication about e-bike rules, and accountability for reckless or unlawful riding.

I will support continued maintenance of the streets and trails residents use every day, more visible crosswalks and safer crossings near schools, and expanded education through Ride Ready. I will also support clear communication about e-bike rules and evaluate how the current approach is working before considering future changes.

Yorba Linda residents expect reliable police, fire, and emergency services. The City works with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and Orange County Fire Authority to provide those services, and public safety is one of the City’s most important responsibilities.

Safe neighborhoods depend on strong emergency response, clear expectations, coordination with community partners, and practical prevention. That includes safer public spaces, youth education, emergency readiness, and neighborhood partnerships, along with regular information about the services residents receive.

I will support reliable police, fire, and emergency services, ask for clear goals and measurable results, and make sure the City’s major public-safety contracts receive careful review. I will work with residents, public-safety partners, schools, and community organizations to strengthen prevention and preparedness.

Yorba Linda’s schools are central to family life and to the future of our community. The Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District and its elected Board of Education are responsible for school operations, curriculum, teachers, school budgets, and school emergency procedures.

The City has an important role in the issues that overlap with daily life outside the classroom. That includes safe crossings, traffic around schools, crossing guards, Safe Routes to School, e-bike education, shared facilities, and coordination with PYLUSD and public-safety agencies on community-wide emergency planning and communication.

Kathie and I raised our three sons here, and they attended our local public schools. I will support a strong partnership between the City and PYLUSD, keep school-area safety a priority, and help make sure families understand which decisions belong to the City Council and which belong to the School Board.

Yorba Linda is more than roads and development. Our parks, trails, library, cultural programs, sports fields, community facilities, and volunteer organizations help make this a place where people can raise a family, remain active, and stay connected through every stage of life.

Seniors deserve practical opportunities to stay mobile, independent, and connected to the community. Young people deserve safe places to gather, positive recreation programs, and meaningful opportunities to learn, serve, and lead. Strong libraries, cultural programs, parks, fields, trails, and well-maintained community facilities benefit residents of every age.

Yorba Linda is where Kathie and I raised our three sons, where I coached soccer, basketball, and baseball, and where I have volunteered for decades. I will work to keep the programs, facilities, and community partnerships residents value well maintained, accessible, and ready to serve Yorba Linda today and for the next generation.

Yorba Linda’s Capital Improvement Program identifies the streets, sidewalks, trails, drainage, parks, public buildings, traffic systems, accessibility improvements, and other public assets our community needs to maintain and improve. Many of those projects depend on transportation funding, restricted revenue, and competitive grants from regional, state, and federal sources.

Successful projects need to be planned, designed, reviewed, and ready when funding opportunities become available. That requires clear priorities, disciplined project management, and regular public accountability for what is funded, what is moving forward, and what remains to be done. Every project should have a clear public purpose, a realistic funding plan, and regular updates on its progress.

During more than 11 years on the Planning Commission, I reviewed the City’s Capital Improvement Program and saw how long-term planning shapes everyday life. As your Councilmember, I will support clear capital priorities, make sure the City is prepared to compete for available outside funding, advocate for Yorba Linda projects with regional, state, and federal partners, and hold projects accountable for results.

Yorba Linda has a balanced budget, strong reserves, and a record of using year-end savings to strengthen long-term financial obligations and prepare for future capital needs. That is a responsible foundation for the services residents depend on.

Maintaining that foundation requires careful budgeting, realistic revenue assumptions, disciplined use of one-time funds, and clear public review of major contracts, amendments, and change orders. The City should continue planning for pension and retiree-health obligations while protecting the reserves that help it manage unexpected challenges.

I hold an MBA in accounting, worked as a State tax auditor, and managed contracts and bid packages during my public-service career. I will bring that experience to the budget process, ask careful questions about major financial commitments, and work to protect the City’s long-term financial stability.

Yorba Linda is an expensive place to live, and many families, young adults, seniors, and workers feel the pressure of housing, insurance, groceries, utilities, and everyday costs. A City Council cannot set mortgage rates, insurance premiums, grocery prices, or utility rates. It should be honest about that.

The Council can still make a difference by protecting local control over growth, supporting a stronger local economy, and ensuring that development is planned with the roads, public facilities, and infrastructure it requires.

I will focus on the parts of affordability the City can influence, explain clearly what the Council can and cannot control, and make sure residents have a meaningful voice in the decisions that affect the cost and character of our community.

City decisions affect everyday costs through fees, permit timelines, assessments, franchise agreements, and the way we plan for growth. Residents and local businesses deserve to understand those costs clearly and know what they are receiving in return.

Keeping City costs fair and predictable means reviewing fees carefully, making permits clear and predictable, managing assessments transparently, and representing residents’ interests when the City negotiates major service agreements. It also means planning responsibly so new development is supported by the infrastructure and public improvements it requires.

I spent more than 11 years on the Planning Commission working on the decisions that affect what gets built and how projects move forward. I will scrutinize City fees before I vote, watch permit timelines closely, support clear information about assessments, and represent residents and ratepayers at the table when the City negotiates major franchise and service contracts.