What should the city do when confronted with homeless individuals who refuse to go into a shelter or temporary housing? 

If people who are experiencing housing insecurity are refusing a shelter or temporary housing then I would want to know what is the main barrier discouraging them. This could be fear, lack of safety from previous experiences or lack of trust. 

I would want this individual to get assessed in a safe place to determine the root cause and to see if there are any underlying or unmet mental health challenges. My recommendation would be a hospital to a rehabilitation facility before entering a shelter or transitional living. 

How would you address crime in the city? 

This is a broad question because there are a lot of contributions to crime. One of them is if people are able to meet their basic needs, crime would decrease. So my priority would be to evaluate what our city is doing or not doing to allow for people to have equitable access to health care, education, stable jobs, and housing security to prevent crime before it happens. I would come from a lens of prevention to address crime so that we can have long term success with increasing public safety for all. 

The state is requiring Long Beach to make room for 26,502 new housing units by 2029. How should the 3rd District be a part of that plan? 

As a district we should look at all options since this is such an important issue. We should look at buying land from vacant businesses and lots and using that land for further housing and parking. We should also encourage developers to build affordable yet comfortable housing in all available spaces. One idea I’ve heard is to encourage developers to build more neighborhoods with efficient housing designs. 

What would you do about the high cost of housing in Long Beach? 

This issue is directly connected to the available housing in Long Beach. It’s basic economics. More housing means more supply and more supply means prices go down. We should be looking at other options as well such as rent controls in certain areas and limiting the number of rental homes owned by a single entity. 

Do you believe the city is doing enough to alleviate climate change and the effect it’s having on the city? If not, what additional actions should be taken?

While Long Beach is doing better than the average American city on this issue, we are not doing enough to fight climate change. There are a number of exciting ideas from around the world that we should be looking at to help fight climate change. 

There are small things we can do like offering business tax breaks for installing solar panels or offering more plant-based options. We can also make bigger investments such as building 3D Printed Housing or create Green Bonds that allow the local authority to fund green initiatives like rewilding projects, solar panel installations and electric-car infrastructure. 

Parking is a huge quality of life issue in the 3rd District. What, if anything, would you do about parking? 

One of many parking concerns in District 3 is Second Street in Belmont Shore. Most of the parking congestion there comes from those working, eating or shopping on Second Street. In the past we have discussed those working in the 3rd District to have access to a parking lot and then shuttled to their place of work. I would like to reassess this option. 

We want to create more infrastructure regarding public transportation from electric buses, bike lanes and more accessibility so residents in Long Beach don’t have to drive throughout the city. If the City of Long Beach could give a tax break to business owners and locals could get a discounted percentage at restaurants or shops for showing proof of public transportation, we could incentivize residents to find other means of transportation to decrease congestion.

What should the city do when confronted with homeless individuals who refuse to go into a shelter or temporary housing?   

The city has an anti-camping ordinance that needs to be enforced. With many of the homeless population in Long Beach refusing to go to a shelter, temporary or permanent housing, the REACH team [Restorative Engagement to Achieve Collective Health] is one of the resources that could be successful in this situation especially when working in partnership with quality-of-life officers.

How would you address crime in the city?

I believe public safety and combating criminal activity needs to be our highest priority. With potential budget deficits over the next few years, it is essential that all departments are managing their funds wisely so the city can consistently fund public safety and ensure there is a short-term goal to increase our budgeted personnel as well as a long-term plan in place for police to hire and retain personnel as needed. My office would develop opportunities to strengthen the relationship between police and residents and support programs that encourage block captains and community watch.

The state is requiring Long Beach to make room for 26,502 new housing units by 2029. How should the 3rd District be a part of that plan?

The character of neighborhoods, available space for development and integration into communities should be studied keeping in mind traffic impacts, parking impacts, availability of local public-school resources and adding additional population to our aging infrastructure.  Strong city planning will be essential, and committees involved should include local residents and business owners, local developers and urban planning experts.  

What would you do about the high cost of housing in Long Beach? 

The cost of housing, both for-sale and rental, has increased significantly in California over the past decade. From a purchase perspective, supply and demand tells us we need more housing stock. However, as a region, most of the new housing needs to occur outside of already built cities such as Long Beach. 

In regard to rental housing, increased rules and regulations both city and statewide have resulted in increased costs for property owners, which has then been passed on to those who rent apartments and single-family residences. We need to look for ways to decrease the cost of housing at all levels in order to reduce the cost of housing for both home buyers and renters.

Do you believe the city is doing enough to alleviate climate change and the effect it’s having on the city? If not, what additional actions should be taken? 

The city’s CAAP [Climate Action and Adaptation Plan] has outlined specific goals to help adapt Long Beach to climate change and reduce the city’s contribution to its causes. Policymakers need to review recommendations and make decisions on the fiscal impact of the changes as well as assess the changes to policy for both long-term and short-term goals. I believe that Long Beach needs to consider reasonable mitigation of environmental issues that can be implemented but not at the expense of residents and business owners.

Parking is a huge quality of life issue in the 3rd District. What, if anything, would you do about parking?

I would consult with urban planners to analyze if there is additional parking that can be identified and review if parking lots that are under-utilized during the day can be used as additional parking. My office would review all options that have already been considered—something that may not have been appealing 10 years ago may be an option that 3^rd District residents and business owners want to reconsider.