What are the top issues for the 2nd district?
The top issues for second district include issues with the planning department, with citizens waiting many years for permits, complaints about roads and lack of maintenance, lack of infrastructure for cell phone service and internet connection and disruptions in electricity. The cost of housing is a top issue for all districts.
Top issues countywide include the need for housing at all levels from low-income to market-rate housing. Our teachers and staff, medical professionals and first responders deserve to live in a community where they can afford to buy a home. In terms of low-income housing, our county currently has long or closed waiting lists for senior housing and almost no disabled housing available for people with mobility issues who require accessibility.
The state asked us to update our housing element in our unincorporated areas and it appears that we will need to identify and build nearly 5,000 units. If we do not approve these units, developers will be able to build in identified locations without potentially planning approvals.
Our lack of housing is impacting our county’s workforce needs in negative ways. It’s so expensive to live in our county that it’s hard to recruit and retain excellent staff to fill vacancies in all levels of employment across many sectors.
What thoughts do you have on boosting affordable housing, finding real solutions for homelessness and the daily traffic jams on highway 1?
Working collaboratively with other jurisdictions will assist with a comprehensive plan for affordable & other housing. Allowing stakeholders to advise on these issues is key to identifying, assessing, planning and executing efforts towards solutions.
Recently the school district and citizens in the Santa Cruz area passed a school bond which includes a plan for workforce housing. This will assist their district in recruiting new teachers and staff. Surrounding districts are looking into implementing a similar model.
I would focus on capturing housing dollars from all sources including grants from state and federal agencies, working with the housing authority to maximize programs on the local level, supporting our partners like Eden, Adobe, Mid Pen and Chispa among others to build our affordable housing. I will pledge to include our local experts from our realtor and developer groups in order to understand risks and barriers to projects that will benefit our local populations and need for increased housing.
Regarding unhoused peoples, our state and governor are making historic investments in services for our unhoused populations. In our county we have moved the needle a great deal, thanks to targeted housing navigation and case management and increased housing ie hotel conversions. This focus has housed a great deal of vulnerable people. This takes a tremendous amount of work. I know this because of my work as a medical social worker. I have personally housed many medically fragile, unhoused people with health, disabilities or mental health needs.
From start to finish, this work is extremely difficult and even after securing a section 8 voucher, finding suitable housing remains challenging. Often times unhoused people need multiple supports including case management in order preserve their housing. I will continue to advance policies to expand efforts in providing our most vulnerable citizens housing, health care and behavioral health supports in order to stabilize their lives. These efforts should be equally offered county wide with cooperation throughout the region.
With regard to Highway 1 traffic, it’s a battle that has been going on for several decades. I commuted on Highway 1 for several years and it pains me to see the backups often extending past Buena Vista in the mornings. Our citizen workforce is required to spend at least two extra hours of their lives commuting, taking them away from precious time with their families.
The local electorate overwhelmingly struck down Measure D, definitively opening the way to continue with plans for a mass transit solution on the railway. I hope to advance plans for this during my tenure. Additionally, auxiliary lanes along with a bike trail is underway and should be built with expediency. Multi-modal transportation should continue to be offered in our county with bus transit, safe biking, housing built closer to services and transit corridors and other innovative solutions should be explored.
Homeowner or renter? How does that help you relate to 2nd District constituents?
I have been a homeowner since 1998 after purchasing my first home in Seacliff.
In 2003 I moved out into the rural Aptos area where I’ve owned a home for the last 20 years. I do think I can relate to many in my district and in particular in terms of rural needs.
I also have served our county as a social worker and understand the crisis of how expensive our rental market is. I have seen several families living in homes or even garages.
Can you describe your family situation? Married/single? Children/pets?
I am married to a wonderful physician who is a local neonatologist serving all local hospitals but employed by Stanford.
Together we have 6 grown children, many of them young adults. One of our daughters has special needs and her condition informs my knowledge of local services how they work or do not work to serve our local disabled population.
Our pets include three dogs, two cats and a beta fish.
Your favorite spot in the 2nd district?
My favorite spot in the second district is Nisene Marks.
I love the redwoods and am a graduate of Humboldt State and really love the beauty of our forests.
You spend your free time doing what?
In my free time I enjoy gardening, cooking and spending time with my family.
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
I am a firm believer that we do need more housing in our county. The limited stock has driven up home prices & caused rents to become astronomical.
Our medical staff, teachers, firefighters and law enforcement as well as our general workforce have trouble affording to live here putting strain on our systems and economic vitality. Our county suffers because we struggle to attract the excellent workforce our population needs.
I will push back if county staff and stakeholders indicate that our environment cannot support the increases that have been proposed.
I did read the auditor’s report and it appears errors were made in the calculations in some counties with not enough housing proposed. I pledge to collaborate with county staff, regional groups and other stakeholders to ascertain what works best in our areas. I am known for standing up for constituents and for doing the right thing.
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?
Because I’ve lived in a rural area of Aptos over the last 26 years I am well aware of these issues. I believe our county needs a fair share of revenue in order to improve road maintenance, emergency services, cell phone and broadband coverage, access to homeowners’ insurance, improved permitting processes and alternate energy sources.
I too am concerned about water issues and hope we can find innovative ways to conserve and store water. As far as running out of room, I think we need to build smartly in terms of design and in areas near work and transit corridors.
This serves to reduce pressures on scarce agricultural land as well as make it more convenient for our workforce to access alternative transportation and services. I will fight for increased revenue for our county in order to better meet the needs of our infrastructure.
In this district, legal cannabis entrepreneurs have been restricted, and the industry has found other counties more welcoming, bring them more sales tax revenue.
What’s your position on legal cannabis businesses, growing and selling?
I am in favor of legalized cannabis. I graduated from Humboldt State University and was aware of the industry (though not legal at that time) as far back as the 1980s.
After legalization, the state and counties were anticipating tax revenues that have been untenable due to the highly regulated nature of production and sales. Our county has made amendments easing some of these rules.
Many growers in our region have not been able to break even due to oversaturation of production and the very expensive taxes and fees locally and at the state level.
Santa Cruz County has been more mindful compared to nearby counties. Also hurting our legalized growers is the black market.
Nonetheless according to projections, the industry will continue to grow by about 12% per year.
This industry will continue to provide employment for workforce across our region. Some people point to a need for more dispensaries or other places to sell product including pharmacies and perhaps this would increase revenue.
I believe responsible use of cannabis products and resulting revenues generated are a positive development.
