What are the top issues for the 2nd district?
The top issues for the 2nd District include affordable housing, homelessness, climate adaptation, equity, social justice, disaster resiliency, transportation, public safety, public health, and community welfare.
What thoughts do you have on boosting affordable housing, finding real solutions for homelessness and the daily traffic jams on highway 1?
Increasing affordable housing, decreasing homelessness, and lessening daily traffic jams on Highway 1 require not only County resources, but also State and Federal resources.
It all begins with good leadership and working collaboratively. Water is a limitation on housing and my leadership at the Soquel Creek Water District and the Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Agency is helping solve the water crisis.
I would like to serve the County, as a supervisor, to increase affordable house, find real solutions to homelessness, and the daily traffic jams on Highway 1.
Can you talk about your housing situation? Homeowner or renter? How does that help you relate to 2nd District constituents?
I am currently a homeowner, but I rented for the first 40 years of my life.
I can relate to the issues of both homeowners and renters.
Can you describe your family situation? Married/single? Children/pets?
Happily married, 2 children college age, 2 dogs.
Your favorite spot in the 2nd district?
So many great spots in the 2nd District. I love the outdoors; my favorite spots are the beach and redwoods.
I especially like the stretch of beach from Manresa Beach to the Pajaro River. My favorite redwoods are Forest of Nisene Marks.
You spend your free time doing what?
When my body is healthy enough, I play beach volleyball.
I also enjoy biking and hiking.
How long have you lived in Santa Cruz County? What brought you here?
I have been here for 43 years.
I came to Santa Cruz County because of the quality of life here. We have the beach, ocean, and redwoods.
What prompted you to run?
I know it sounds cliché, but I am running for supervisor to make a difference.
My background includes working on climate change, sea level rise, and disaster response with world experts as a professional geologist/oceanographer. I have a PhD in Earth Sciences from UC Santa Cruz and a Master’s in Oceanography.
My comprehensive understanding of environmental challenges positions me uniquely to tackle pressing issues such as disaster resilience and climate change and its impacts on the county. As a Director on the Soquel Creek Water Board for 21 years, now servings as the President of the Board, I have contributed to solutions to water sustainability for our County.
When I was first elected to the water board, our community was facing seawater intrusion that would contaminate our water sources.
I worked collaborative with the County, City of Santa Cruz, private well pumpers, the Central Water District and smaller water agencies to solve the problem of seawater intrusion by being instrumental in forming the Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Agency (MGA) and served as its first chair.
The MGA also is working to collaborative solve the problem of water during droughts. Among my personal qualities that prepare me for being an effective supervisor are good listening skills, open mindedness, patience, pragmatism, transparency, and being a critical thinker.
Will you push back against the state demands for more housing, as the state auditor says those numbers were based on unsupported assumptions? See www.auditor.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2021-125.pdf
Maintaining the quality of life for the County requires thoughtful planning for future housing. The state is requiring Santa Cruz County to plan for an increase in housing; this is being done in an update to the Housing Element of the General Plan that substantially complies with state law.
If the County does not have a plan that is in substantial compliance, developers can invoke the so-called “Builders Remedy” that, according the Association of Bay Area Government, “requires a local agency to approve an eligible housing development project despite its noncompliance with local development standards.”
The actions of the current Board of Supervisors indicate that they do not want others to control the future of housing in the County. I agree.
People in this district feel we are running out of room for new residents. Not enough water, not enough electricity — PG&E brownouts — and potholes instead of well-maintained roads. What do you say?
Room for new residents, enough water, reliable electricity, and maintenance of roads are challenging issues for our County. I can address what is being done to ensure a safe, reliable, sustainable water supply for Soquel Creek Water District, where I have elected to the Board for six terms and am current the President of the Board.
The Board realized the need for additional water beyond what nature can provide through rainfall. The need for additional water is even more pressing given that droughts are forecast to become more frequent and more severe with climate change.
The Soquel Creek Water District is implementing a water purification and seawater intrusion prevention (seawater contaminating our groundwater would make it unusable) that is slated to be operational next year. This project will provide the additional clean water needed by the customers and will improve environment at the same time.
The possibility to increase the water production of the project in the future holds the promise of water for parts of the County outside of the Soquel Creek Water District if it environmentally feasible.
What’s your position on legal cannabis business, growing and selling?
In this district, legal cannabis entrepreneurs have been restricted, and the industry has found other counties more welcoming, bring them more sales tax revenue.
I haven’t formulated an opinion.
