Priorities

Too many people who grew up here, or who work here, can no longer afford to live here. Wages keep falling behind the cost of living, and the private market alone won’t fix a problem this big. Affordability isn't a slogan. It's whether the next generation of Petalumans can still afford to call this city their home.

As your councilmember, I'll work to:

• Build 100% Genuinely Affordable Housing

  • Champion innovative projects by prioritizing relationships with nonprofit builders, partnering with community land trusts, and incentivize Resident-Owned Communities without compromising community and environmental standards.

• Create New Solutions for Financing Projects

  • Create a revolving loan fund so housing fees the city already collects get lent, repaid, and lent again, doubling local dollars with state matching funds.

• Build Infill and Missing Middle Housing Near Transit

  • Encourage housing near our SMART stations, where infrastructure already exists, to ensure that projects reflect our environmental values.

• Stop Making Good Projects Wait Years

  • Streamline permitting for mission-driven builders so affordable units don’t stall in red tape while families wait.

• Reform How the State Decides Who Counts

  • Push for stronger state laws that consider the income barriers that still keep Petaluma families from qualifying for housing.

Petaluma has one of the strongest mobile home rent stabilization ordinances in the state, yet park operators continue to undermine the city’s efforts to protect our residents in the courts. I'm on the side of our residents, without hesitation.

As your councilmember, I'll work to:

• Defend Our Rent Stabilization Ordinance From Outside Interest Groups

  • Park operators and private interest groups are fighting our ordinance in the courts to push rents past the city's limits. I'll stand with residents, not corporate landlords.

• Keep Families and Seniors In Their Homes

  • In 2023, the Petaluma City Council passed an ordinance that strengthened a tenant's ability to renew their long-term lease agreements, protecting them from frivolous eviction attempts. I fully support this and strengthening it where needed

• Protect Renters Across the City

  • I firmly support our city’s 2023 Just Cause eviction ordinance that protects our residents. I will also push to make sure working families know their rights and do not have to live in fear of unfair evictions.

Growing up, I used to ride Petaluma’s buses with my grandmother. I know what it means when the bus shows up on time, and what it means when it doesn't. I support a transit system built around the people who actually rely on it: seniors, students, and working families without reliable transportation.

As your councilmember, I'll work to:

• Keep Our Buses Fare-Free and Grow the Program

  • Petaluma’s fare-free program is working. I’ll support expanding it as a model for how public transit ought to run.

• Move Toward a Cleaner Fleet

  • Keep replacing aging buses with electric ones as they retire.

• Expand Evening and Weekend Service

  • Add hours on routes that don't have them now, including Routes 3 and 24.

• Bring in More Funding Partners

  • Work with the county, SMART, Sonoma County Transit, SRJC, and private partners to close coverage gaps and diversify our funding sources.

A reliable bus isn't a convenience. For many Petalumans, it's the only way they get where they need to go.

Petaluma's roads have earned a "rocky" reputation for years. Real investment is finally turning that around, but we're not done. We still rank near the bottom of Bay Area cities, with the regional Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) putting our road quality in the "at-risk" range. I want to finish the job and stop leaving money on the table. 

As your councilmember, I'll work to:

• Push the Caulfield Crosstown Connector Forward

  • We need to relieve the congestion that backs up our whole city.  

• Fix the Sidewalk Repair Program to Work for Low-Income Households

  • Reform it so the cost of safe sidewalks doesn't fall on lower-income or house-poor homeowners.

• Make Our Pedestrian Crossings Safer

  • Improve crossings and intersections in our transit corridors, like Highway 101 and Lakeville Street for people walking and biking, in line with our Active Transportation Plan.

• Hold Big Developers Accountable for Their Impact

  • Make sure large projects pay their fair share of the costs for the sidewalks, signage, and road repairs they create. Good development is a two-way street.

Good roads aren't glamorous, but they're the most basic promise a city makes to the people who live here.

The Petaluma River is the reason our city exists. Our protection of it and its adjacent land is what connects us to everything else we care about: housing, recreation, and the long-term health of our community. I don't see environmental stewardship as separate from economic justice. They're the same fight.

As your councilmember, I'll work to:

• Build the Petaluma River Park

  • I will work from day one to support the park concepts, including a new pedestrian bridge connecting the city's east and west sides.

• Restore our Historic Trestle

  • Bring this piece of Petaluma's history back to life by working with local leaders and neighbors committed to completing this project.

• Protect the Floodplains and Habitat from Unnecessary Development

  • Safeguard sensitive land and floodplains from unnecessary development as the city updates its General Plan.

• Hold the Line on Sprawl and Protect our Urban Growth Boundary

  • Defend our Urban Growth Boundary and the North Bay greenbelts

Downtown is one of Petaluma's greatest assets, but small business owners are facing real cost pressures, from parking and permitting to rent. I support a downtown that works for the people who run our small businesses and the residents who want the opportunity to shop there, not just the tourists who visit us.

As your councilmember, I'll work to:

• Finish the Downtown Parking Plan the Right Way

  • Build it with real input from workers, small business owners, and local experts, not just property owners and consultants.

• Keep Dollars Circulating Locally

  • Support buy-local efforts like Shop Petaluma that keep money here at home.

• Cut Red Tape for Small Businesses

  • Streamline their permitting the same way we should for affordable housing.

• Make New Development Mean Local, Quality Jobs

  • Tie downtown growth to jobs with dignity and livable wages by utilizing Economic Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Project Labor Agreements (PLAs).

Downtown is the cultural heart of our city. Honoring its past means keeping it accessible for the businesses we love.

Parks and how well they're cared for are among the clearest signs of whether every neighborhood is treated fairly. I grew up playing at Miwok Park, and I know what good, safe play structures and real upkeep mean for our neighborhoods.

As your councilmember, I'll work to:

• Finish the Kenilworth Park Revitalization

  • Secure full funding through the same grants and state sources already behind it.

• Use and Support the Renewal of Measure M’s Park Funding for Accessibility

  • Put it toward accessibility upgrades at parks across every neighborhood.

• Invest East and West Alike

  • Making sure park funding reflects the whole city, not just parts of it.

Our police and fire departments deserve the facilities and staffing to do their jobs, and residents deserve a public safety system that's both accountable and careful with the money it's given. Public safety works best when our agencies collaborate alongside the communities they serve, not apart from them.

As your councilmember, I'll work to:

• Back the New Centralized Public Safety Facility

  • Equal access to our first responders means quicker response times and better outcomes across the city.

• Protect Frontline Responders

  • Safe staffing benefits everyone – from our first responders to the people who rely on them the most.

• Keep Oversight Strong

  • Maintain independent civilian oversight through our SAFE Team and the new Public Safety Committee.

• Invest in Prevention

  • Fund mental health responses, de-escalation training, and community partnership programs. Stopping crises before they start benefits us all without compromising our resources.

Government works better when people can see how decisions are made and feel like they can be part of the process. Too often, city business happens in language and at hours that leave working people out. I want a city hall that explains itself in plain terms, meets residents where they are, and treats being reachable as part of the job.

As your councilmember, I'll work to:

• Be Reachable and Accountable

  • Hold regular district office hours, answer the people I represent, and report back on how I vote and why. You should never have to guess where your councilmember stands.

• Improve the Accessibility of our Public Finances 

  • Make the city budget easier to read and track, so residents can see where their dollars go and hold us accountable.