Clear skies, clean water, beautiful beaches, open spaces—that’s the best of Ventura, and I want to maintain that Quality of Life. Living here for over four decades, I am running for City Council because I want to give back to the community that has given me so much. My husband and I raised our son here; enjoying after-school soccer and baseball, scouts, weekend barbeques, and picnics at the beach, embracing that sense of community that living here provides. Well-maintained streets, beautiful parks, and safe sidewalks for moms with strollers, our little ones, and our seniors—these are my priorities.
I started my own business and worked with some great entities including the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Patagonia, as well as startups and mid-sized companies. After 25 years, BBM&D Strategic Branding sold in 2019 to a San Francisco-based firm, and now I have the time to pursue my passion, working on behalf of the residents of Ventura. As a business owner, I am especially concerned about our local small businesses and families without a paycheck. I want to engage leaders in problem-solving solutions. There is much we can do—like extending the eviction moratorium for as long as is needed, using motels/hotels for COVID positive essential workers, providing food and transportation, and opening up opportunity spaces for businesses, because a bustling local economy is as important to Ventura as its beaches are.
As a leader for the Ventura Botanical Gardens, I helped build this transformative vision on the hillside. I believe in open spaces for both our mental and physical health. I support the Ventura Land Trust and the Rancho San Buenaventura Conservancy Trust. Maintaining clean air and water, reducing waste, eliminating one-time use plastics, and creating a more bicycle-friendly community are issues that I plan to tackle. Over the last two years, I worked on a bipartisan federal climate change initiative—the carbon fee and dividend legislation, H.R. 763—co-sponsored by Congressman Salud Carbajal, in an effort to address global heating on a national scale.
Resolving our vagrancy issues by engaging state and county governments, non-profits, and faith-based communities is important. I worked for nearly twelve years on the boards of Interface Children and Family Services, Ventura County’s most comprehensive provider of social services, and Goodwill Industries, which focuses on vocational training for economic justice. I understand the challenges the city faces in the area of homelessness and believe we need to be creative and collaborative in mitigating its effects on our community.
I am optimistic about our future and I believe together, we can accomplish anything. I want to maintain and enhance the Quality of Life that defines Ventura, for everyone who calls this city home.
I hope you’ll honor me with your vote on November 3.
