Campaign Platform

I’m running for Mayor to improve government transparency and accountability. Our campaign is people-powered, not bought by special interests with deep pockets. And I have demonstrated that with my voting record.

As a Councilmember, I fought for policies that ensure working families and immigrants are able to live and thrive in Santa Ana. For example, I voted to:

Protect rent control, ensuring that our families can afford to live in the city amidst rising housing costs. Special interest should not keep our families from being able to afford a good quality of life in Santa Ana.

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Increase funding for parks and investment in youth because our children deserve neighborhoods that provide a good quality of life for them to grow up healthy. Keeping youth busy and in positive environments is one way to mitigate crime in the city.

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Approve responsible development projects with community labor agreements, because we need good paying union jobs in Santa Ana.

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MY PLAN AS MAYOR

Rising housing costs and insufficient number of affordable housing units are some of the main issues our city is facing. We have recently seen 30,000 families leave the city due to high housing costs. Santa Ana has taken a holistic, two-prong approach to addressing a complex issue by addressing current homelessness in a humane way and enacting preventative legislation such as Rent Control that helps keep people housed. We can and should do more.

As Santa Ana Mayor I will:

Fight to protect the city’s Rent Stabilization and Just Cause Eviction Ordinance (Rent Control) that prohibits landlords from increasing rent more than 3% per year and provides stronger protections for tenants from getting unjustly evicted.
- Corporate landlords have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to get rid of rent control and continue to drastically increase rent for working families living paycheck to paycheck.

Increasing the supply of affordable housing directly addresses the shortage of housing options available to low- and moderate-income families.
- By constructing new, affordable units and renovating existing ones, we can reduce competition for housing, lower rent prices, and provide more opportunities for people to find stable, affordable places to live.

Partner with CalWorks to manage unhoused populations on state property and railroad tracks to bring additional resources and quicker access to state-owned areas where the City lacks jurisdiction to enter and address unhoused encampments quickly.
- In addition, we need to expand the Quality of Life Team from two to four units to ensure faster, more personalized services. And increasing shelter capacity at our year-round shelter and converting motels into transitional housing are crucial steps for immediate relief and long-term solutions.

Hold the OC Sheriff’s Department accountable for relocating unhoused individuals to Santa Ana and for not pushing other cities to address their homelessness issues.
- Santa Ana has long unfairly carried this burden for far too long. Santa Ana sued the County and in doing so, did not address practices by the Sheriff's that made our city the dumping ground for all the homeless throughout the County.

Special interests groups with deep pockets and their influence over city hall is a big problem for our city. Over the last decade, our city hall has seen top leadership management exit multiple times, which include city managers and police chiefs, due to special interests’ political grip over our municipal government such as the Police Officers Association.

As Santa Ana Mayor I will:

Fight to ensure city hall is not controlled by the Police Officers Association or Corporate Landlords.
- We have seen the negative impact that special interests have had in city hall, and I will fight to ensure our city budget does not become a buffet for them. In the coming years, our city will have to make hard decisions regarding spending cuts, and we must prioritize the needs of our residents, young and adult.
Protect the freedom of press inside and outside city chambers.
- Under the leadership of our current Mayor, Santa Ana has made negative headlines for restricting journalists from reporting city council meetings. In addition, the Mayor has shown disdain for the free press time and time again. We cannot allow city hall to become hostile to journalists doing their job of informing the community.

Santa Ana city is facing a fiscal deficit in the next 5 years as Measure X sales tax sunsets. We need leadership that will work hard to ensure Santa Ana can mitigate the impact of reduced sales tax revenue while positioning itself for future growth and resilience by adopting balanced spending and strategic investment to address the anticipated revenue shortfall from Measure X’s expiration.

As Santa Ana Mayor I will:

Prioritize essential services for our families.
- Protecting funding for critical areas like housing, youth investment and senior services is my priority to maintain a good quality of life that our neighborhoods need.
Implement cost-saving measures and optimize efficiency in city departments.
- I will work with city leadership to conduct a comprehensive review of city departments to identify inefficiencies and potential cost savings, reducing administrative overhead. In addition, we can leverage the newly formed Police Oversight Commission to guide police culture reform, enhance training, and hold officers accountable for misconduct, reducing costly lawsuits.
Invest in responsible economic development.
- Attract high-value industries and create good paying union jobs through business incentives, commercial revitalization, and infrastructure improvements.
- Invest in worker-owned cooperative initiatives that can create a vibrant economy and ensure our dollars remain local.
Enhance workforce development and support innovation.
- Collaborate with local educational institutions to align training programs with market needs, ensuring a skilled workforce for growing industries.
- Foster a business-friendly environment by reducing regulatory barriers and establishing a New Business Liaison to streamline the process for new ventures.
Explore Alternative Revenue Streams.
- Investigate options like public-private partnerships, grants, and expanding the rental use of city facilities to generate revenue.

As one of the youngest cities in the nation, it’s imperative that we champion increased investments in our youth services and programs. Our future depends on the strength and vitality of our young people, and we must commit to providing them with the resources they need to thrive.

As Santa Ana Mayor I will:

Invest in Youth
- Direct funding towards after school programs and job opportunities for the city’s youth
- Increase funding for arts and youth event programming.
- Propose the creation of youth civic engagement programs, such as democracy-in-action clubs in our community centers and schools. These initiatives will empower our young people, fostering leadership skills and a sense of civic responsibility.
Increase collaboration with School Districts
- Work to enhance our collaboration with the Santa Ana Unified School District and the Garden Grove Unified School District. By strengthening these partnerships, we can better coordinate after-school programs and ensure our youth have access to open spaces for recreation and growth.
- Work with the Joint SAUSD and City Council committee to promote joint use agreements that opens up green spaces and park amenities for our community.
Support Youth Activism
- I will continue to support youth in their calls for an immediate ceasefire
- Support the calls for more affordable housing solutions for young people so they can live in the community they were raised in.

Together, let’s invest in our youth and build a brighter future for Santa Ana.

Immigrants and refugees are the economic backbone of Santa Ana. Many of our households in the city are mixed status families. Our city has made great progress in ensuring our immigrant communities are safe by adopting a Sanctuary Ordinance and an Immigrant Legal Defense Fund.

As Santa Ana Mayor I will:

Champion democratic elections in the city by ensuring all Santa Ana residents can vote regardless of their immigration status. No taxation without representation.
- Noncitizen voting is legal in California and many parts of the nation; nearly 1 out of 3 adult residents in the city currently do not have political representation in city hall. Santa Ana voters will decide in November on a ballot measure that will expand voting rights. If approved, I will ensure the city moves to properly implement it.