Candidate for
Mayor; City of Long Beach

Education

No one can argue that education must be a top priority for Long Beach.

One way we currently do this is the Long Beach College Promise, which focuses on preparing Long Beach students for college. It is a contract signed in middle school by Long Beach Unified School District families which assures their sons and daughters that, if they take appropriate courses and maintain a certain grade point average, they will be entitled to a free semester at Long Beach City College and guaranteed admission to Cal State Long Beach, the most popular university in the CSU system.

The net effect of this program is that dramatically greater numbers of Long Beach students are prepared to go to college and can attend college locally. We must grow this program and, as Mayor, I will bring school district and colleges together to make this happen.

The Environment

It almost seems inevitable there will be tension between economic growth and a quality environment. But not only do I believe we can have both, I believe that in the 21st Century it is impossible to have economic growth in a city that does not respect its environment or the quality of life for its residents. It is our duty to keep Long Beach a livable and sustainable city, while continuing to grow our economy.

We must protect our beaches and recreation areas, continue on a path toward a clean and pollution free environment, protect our air and water quality, and focus on our built environment, making the best use of the footprint of our built-out city with innovative use, design, and materials.

Equality

Long Beach must be a good place to live for all our people. Studies show that upward income mobility tends to be higher where the middle class is dispersed throughout the community, where there are more strong family units, better schools, and more civic engagement, including membership in religious and community groups.

Equality in our city means strategies for enabling people to get involved and invested in their community. We accomplish this by engaging our diverse populations, promoting civic pride in neighborhoods, and providing opportunities for our citizens to be engaged in our community and with each other. It means a city with sincere attention given to the obstacles faced by the poor, the homeless, and the disadvantaged.

Public Safety

For us all to thrive, our city needs to be a safe city. We have a remarkable group of first responders protecting our city, but their manpower must match the need. And, the fact is, we need more police officers and fire fighters. New police and fire academies are a good start, but not enough. And while achieving that goal is daunting in these difficult economic times, I believe it is a necessity.