Candidate for
Council Member; City of Los Angeles; District 12

My platform on progress in the city of Los Angeles The city of Los Angeles has accomplished much in the past few decades. We have one of the most aggressive clean air policies in the country due to citizens demanding better air quality. As a society, we recognized that poor air quality results in an unhealthy population and an unhealthy population is an unproductive population. The result is a local economy on a downward spiral as employment drops and disability claims rise. Another concern that we are addressing as a city is accessibility for the Angelenos among us who use mobility devices: we have initiated policies to address accessibility to public transit and availability to paratransit services because we recognize that community integration is the key to our future.

Downtown Los Angeles has been remarkably transformed and it's only right that the 12th district area should follow suit. While preserving the historic character of the district, we must still spearhead a campaign to increase commercial activity and make our unique area a must-see for tourists. Here, too, we must improve upon and emphasize accessibility. By making "accessibility" a business opportunity instead of a business inconvenience, we will encourage growth all across Los Angeles and unite our neighborhoods and communities.

The 12th district has an opportunity to be a community leader and champion plans to create partnerships with other regions across the city and across the nation. We want to make a new social contract with the city of Los Angeles, one that will ignite passion for clean air, accessible transportation, and housing that's not only affordable and accessible, but energy efficient. We can start with our sidewalks - we need a city ordinance that limits the type of trees planted for civic beautification to varieties that do not encroach on and destroy sidewalks, driveways, and other areas needed for safe passage.

My campaign platform on community. An accessible and well integrated community makes a city more inclusive and more welcoming to visitors, residents, and to businesses. As your public servant, I will perform to the best of my ability in order to promote the community that we all cherish. I will always be open to discussing your thoughts and ideas on how we can improve our community. 12th district residents need representation that truly expresses the full diversity of our inclusive community and that representations must be someone who is not only resolved to put people first in order to uphold the principles of democracy that we all hold dear, but also to invest in job growth and access to opportunities for residents and the community as a whole.

One thing we need is a more diverse and accessible neighborhood council in order to engage in a genuinely productive dialogue. What good is spending time and resources debating on fixing pot holes in the street when citizens cannot even walk safely because of broken sidewalks?

We need a neighborhood council that takes everything into consideration, not just what is popular at the moment. We need a neighborhood council that will work with City Hall and bring to its attention the matters of job creation, accessible workplaces, public transit and paratransit, development of affordable and accessible housing, and safety on and off the street. Social, commercial, and political integration of people of all backgrounds and all levels of ability is what make cities prosper. My platform on job creation. While the 12th district of Los Angeles has seen noticeable changes over the past few years, we have also managed to preserve our environment. By continuing this effort, we can create an incredible job opportunity for our residents.

As your duly-elected public servant, one of my first duties will be to invest in our future by building and improving the infrastructure necessary to keep up the demand for affordable and accessible housing, accessible and safe sidewalks, and more public transportation, especially in relation to the hospital and commercial areas. I believe these areas will see increased job opportunities, particularly in the high-tech and film sectors. That means we need to not only implement job-training and business educational programs to prepare workers and business owners for new economic trends, but also strengthen those areas featuring transportation hubs and accessible housing communities so that local small businesses have the opportunity to expand growth and productivity.

For too long, some of our communities have had to choose between non-accessible jobs and no jobs. We've felt our neighborhood is segregated by physical barriers and lack of enforcement of common-sense laws. That is the challenge that we Angelenos of the 12th district can strive to meet and, in so doing, feel proud that we are building a more accessible future in which everyone feels at home with a more productive livelihood than ever before. In order to be more accessible and business friendly, the 12th district must elect a person who understands the demographic of the people and shares common values, but yet puts his or her ideas to work for the betterment of everyone. I ask that you vote for me, and entrust me to do the best that I can to create more jobs, more business opportunities, more accessibility and a brighter future for all in the 12th district.