I support the State Street Master Plan and the pedestrian-focused approach to our downtown corridor. This is a critical infrastructure plan to revitalize the heart of our downtown that we must move forward. I also appreciate that the plan is designed with flexibility and adaptability built in so we can continue to respond to the evolving needs of our community.

I'm excited for the plan's vision of three distinct districts, each with its own character. I believe investing in arts, live music, and events downtown is one of the most powerful ways to bring locals back and create the energy that makes a corridor thrive.

Housing is the foundation that makes all of it possible. Delivering the 1,000 to 2,000 units the Master Plan calls for will bring the residents, foot traffic, and energy a downtown corridor needs. That requires doing the policy work necessary to make housing financially viable and supporting small businesses during construction.

My approach is built around three tracks: subsidy, stabilization, and supply.

On subsidy, I support securing a dedicated revenue stream for the Local Housing Trust Fund and converting city-owned assets including downtown surface parking lots to affordable and workforce housing. City-owned assets are our most powerful tool for delivering genuine affordability.

On stabilization, I wrote an op-ed on the importance of getting the details right to ensure this ordinance is administered effectively and creates real stability for long-term renters.

Supply is the piece that will determine whether we close the gap between what we say about housing and what we deliver. That means solving the stormwater barrier, increasing density, rezoning to prioritize mixed-use development so land identified for housing actually delivers it, expanding adaptive reuse, moving forward with the Better Buildings Program that prioritizes community benefits, and implementing the Pathways to Yes Initiative to make city hall work better for locals navigating our permitting processes.

The State Street Master Plan is the most important street design opportunity we have right now. Widening sidewalks creates genuine pedestrian space and supports the outdoor dining that makes downtown vibrant. Dedicated bike lanes separate cyclists from pedestrians. Thoughtful street grading and texturalization can naturally discourage unsafe cycling in high pedestrian areas while encouraging it where it belongs. I also believe the State Street infrastructure design should preserve the ability to introduce a trolley in the future to ensure multi modal transit.

Beyond State Street, making District 4 safer requires a coordinated response across multiple city departments. Our narrow hillside roads present unique challenges and any street change must be acceptable to Fire first to ensure emergency vehicles can respond effectively. I support proven traffic calming best practices, additional crosswalks, painted safety improvements, and protected bike infrastructure ensuring a safer and more walkable community.

The number one responsibility of local government is a balanced budget, which depends on growing our revenue base and exercising fiscal discipline.

On revenue, my priority is economic development. A thriving local economy generates the sales tax, TOT, and business license revenue that funds everything else. We must make Santa Barbara a place where people want to do business and stay. I support adopting proven best practices from other cities such as a a hotel linkage fee so new hotel developments contribute proportionally to the workforce housing demand they create, and hiring a grants manager to pursue every available dollar.

On spending, fiscal responsibility starts with protecting our emergency reserves. I support cutting our reliance on outside consultants, deploying technology in Planning and Building to maximize staff efficiency, and evaluating every major spending decision against our long-term ability to maintain a balanced budget.

The investments I support prioritizing are the State Street Master Plan, downtown stormwater, fire station rebuilds, and the Sea Level Rise Adaptation Plan.

Local small businesses are the backbone of what makes Santa Barbara special, and City Hall needs to be a genuine partner rather than an obstacle.

I support waiving business license fees for the first year for new businesses to signal clearly that Santa Barbara is a place where entrepreneurs are welcome and where the City wants them to succeed and stay. Too often businesses tell us that our own bureaucracy gets in the way. Streamlining permitting, reducing unnecessary process, and making City Hall genuinely responsive to the businesses that drive our local economy is how we change that. I support working closely with our local community organizations already doing the ground-level work of strengthening our commercial corridors, and bringing on a dedicated Economic Development Manager focused on attracting new businesses and retaining the ones we already have. And I support ensuring that small businesses on State Street receive the construction grants called for in the Master Plan so they have the support they need while the city completes the infrastructure improvements downtown requires.

State Street should be the heart of Santa Barbara again: a place where people live, work, shop, and gather. I support implementing the State Street Master Plan and keeping the promenade that works car-free. We've debated long enough. It's time to build. The hybrid model is something to consider for the Granada and the blocks leading up to it. We definitely need to open the street up to parades!

My priorities: fund and build the infrastructure first, including stormwater, utilities, and wider sidewalks. Protect taxpayers with an independent audit of the plan's costs, strict cost controls on every contract, and phased construction, block by block, so we pay as we go and businesses stay open. Bring people to live downtown, in empty offices and above shops. Keep the promenade safe and welcoming for everyone, with clear e-bike rules that are enforced. And fill the empty storefronts by making it easy to open a business downtown. With e-bikes, there is great opportunity for residents to move around the city safely and efficiently. I will promote and invite residents to make the switch!

On council, I led the effort on our inclusionary housing ordinance and voted for the city's first tenant protections. Now I want to make it easier to build the right homes in the right places:

• Downtown housing: improve fast-track conversion of empty offices and upper floors into apartments.

• Objective standards: clear rules up front, so projects that meet them get approved without endless rounds of review.

• Small-scale housing: make ADUs and duplexes simple, with pre-approved plans that look like Santa Barbara.

• Homeownership: down-payment assistance so renters can become owners.

• City-owned land: use it for housing for workers and families.

• Work to improve height limits

Incremental, human-scale housing near jobs and transit is how we add homes without losing what makes Santa Barbara special. Ultimately, state and federal tax laws need to change to incentivize housing mobility. Empty nesters don't move downtown because supply is limited and capital gains and property taxes are prohibitive.

I've supported biking in Santa Barbara for years, including SBBIKE, now SB MOVE, and Open Streets, and I supported the Bicycle Master Plan. My priorities:

• Complete a connected bike network, so people can ride safely from their neighborhoods to downtown, schools and the beach.

• Safer crossings and slower speeds near schools, parks, and busy corridors.

• Separated bike lanes where they fit, so bikes, pedestrians, and cars aren't competing for the same space.

• Work with MTD, so buses come often enough to be a real choice.

• E-bike safety: education with our schools and enforcement against reckless riding, so everyone feels safe sharing the street.

Safer streets are good for business, good for health, and good for our climate.

Fix what we have before we build what we can't afford to maintain. As Finance Committee chair, I balanced the budget and grew our reserves, and that discipline matters even more now:

• Control construction costs: any change order over 3% of a phase budget, or $100,000, whichever is lower, comes back to council for a public vote.

• Stop paying expensive out-of-town consultants for work our staff can do.

• Protect reserves for real emergencies.

Investments worth making: the stormwater and utility work under State Street, the fire stations we promised with Measure C, and safe streets for walking and biking. And protect our coast. I authored the City's resolution opposing offshore oil drilling, because our economy depends on a clean coastline.

Small businesses are the backbone of Santa Barbara. On council, I helped bring the Funk Zone and Coast Village Road back to life, and my own office is at State and Victoria. I would:

• Make permits faster and simpler, with over-the-counter approval for simple tenant improvements and one point of contact at City Hall for each project.

• Make it easy to open pop-ups, restaurants, and new uses in empty storefronts.

• Keep downtown clean, safe, and well lit, so people want to come back.

• Add downtown housing, which puts customers within walking distance.

• Protect what our economy depends on: a clean coast, a working harbor, and local arts and culture.

A diverse economy is a resilient one, and it starts with a city that says yes to local entrepreneurs.

My vision is a vibrant downtown that supports local businesses, creates housing, and provides a thriving environment for all.

I support many goals of the State Street Master Plan, but I don’t support keeping the entire corridor closed to cars. I favor reopening portions to traffic while preserving pedestrian areas, outdoor dining, bicycle access, and event closures. We can move forward only with compromise from both sides.

The sales tax data raises serious concerns that we must address. The Central Business District was our #1 source of revenue with about $5.33 million in 2019 and $5.38 million in 2025, essentially flat.

During that same period, Coast Village increased about 42 percent, the Waterfront 33 percent, and the Funk Zone 15 percent. That does not prove the street closure caused the difference, but it warrants deep discussion on how we can bring it back before committing substantial public funds.

Santa Barbara needs more housing, but approving housing and building it are different things.

I would focus on reducing the time, cost, and uncertainty of development by establishing predictable permitting timelines, expanding parallel rather than sequential departmental review, and expediting projects that comply with zoning and clear objective standards.

Downtown should play an important role. I support converting underused commercial properties and upper floors into housing and encouraging mixed-use development along appropriate commercial corridors.

I would also continue making ADUs easier to build and support partnerships with nonprofit and private developers for affordable housing.

Every new regulation or requirement should also be evaluated for its effect on project feasibility.

Requirements intended to improve affordability do little good if they make projects financially impossible to build. Our goal should be more housing at a range of price points while protecting Santa Barbara’s character.

I support safer streets for pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, and drivers. These goals don't have to conflict.

I would prioritize projects based on documented safety problems, including dangerous intersections, missing bicycle connections, unsafe pedestrian crossings, poor lighting, and locations with significant collision histories.

I support completing important gaps in the bicycle network, improving sidewalks and crosswalks, and making transit stops safer and more reliable.

Where I may differ from some advocates is that I do not believe every transportation challenge requires eliminating automobile access. Streets must also serve seniors, people with disabilities, families, businesses making deliveries, emergency services, and residents who depend on their cars.

I would use data to determine where investments will produce the greatest safety benefit and focus limited transportation dollars on projects with measurable results.

The City’s first obligation should be maintaining the infrastructure, public safety and essential services we already have within our budget.

Santa Barbara faces significant needs involving streets, sidewalks, storm drains, water systems, public buildings, parks, and public safety facilities. At the same time, operating costs are rising, which continues our financial pressure.

Every major new investment should answer basic questions: What problem are we solving? What measurable public benefit will result? What will it cost to build before we develop elaborate plans? What will it cost annually to maintain? How will we pay for it? What existing programs might be impacted?

I would prioritize basic infrastructure, public safety facilities, transportation safety, wildfire preparedness and infrastructure that helps enable housing and economic development.

Good fiscal management is not simply deciding what we want to build. It is making sure we can afford to operate and maintain those investments for decades.

As the only candidate who is a State Street business owner, I understand better than most how delays, uncertainty, and unnecessary costs affect small businesses.  

I would make economic development a priority. First, I would fast-track permitting so businesses opening in existing commercial spaces receive faster, predictable approvals.  

Second, I would develop a more proactive strategy to fill vacant storefronts and attract employers, rather than waiting for businesses to find Santa Barbara on their own.  

Third, I would work to diversify our economy beyond tourism and hospitality by supporting opportunities in technology, healthcare, professional services, education, the arts, quantum computing, and the space economy.  

Finally, I would ask the City Council to regularly track vacancies, business openings/closures, sales tax performance, permit processing times, and employment trends.  

A vibrant economy comes from making Santa Barbara a place where entrepreneurs and employers want to invest, create jobs, and stay long-term.

My family and I are avid users of State Street; we love that it is a place to gather, enjoy cultural events, dine and shop. I support moving forward with the State Street Master Plan. The indecision has taken too long and cost the City through consultants and temporary fixes. After more than five years of planning and community input, it is time for implementation.

I support a pedestrian promenade with access for deliveries, emergencies and events, and a clearly defined bike lane to reduce conflicts among pedestrians, cyclists and e-bikes.

Much of the required investment is infrastructure we need regardless, including stormwater, utilities and other aging systems. Above ground, we should prioritize shade, trees, lighting, public spaces and upper-floor housing. The goal should be a downtown active throughout the day and evening, with more residents, businesses, arts and cultural activity.

Santa Barbara has a significant housing shortage, and increasing supply and speed to market must be part of any affordability strategy. Downtown offers opportunities to add housing without expanding the city’s footprint, including converting underused commercial space and upper floors to residential use and evaluating underutilized city-owned property. Housing is also a climate issue, so focusing growth downtown near jobs, transit and services makes sense. We should also support missing-middle housing and appropriate infill throughout the city.

Parking requirements should reflect location and actual need, particularly downtown and near transit, where excessive requirements increase housing costs.

We also need a faster, more predictable permitting process. I support assigning one case manager from submittal through approval, establishing clear review deadlines, using objective design standards, expanding pre-approved ADU plans and template designs, and improving online permit tracking so applicants know where their projects stand.

Biking and walking are primary modes of transportation for my family, so we know our bike routes well. Unfortunately, last year my son was hit by a car while biking. One of my biggest frustrations is that our bike network is not better connected. Too often a protected lane ends abruptly, leaving cyclists in a much less safe section of road.

Safe passage to schools should be a priority. Students need connected routes, protected bike lanes where appropriate, safer intersections, improved crosswalks and traffic-calming measures.

More broadly, road safety should guide transportation investments. I support implementing the City’s Safe Streets Action Plan and using collision data, traffic data and resident concerns to prioritize dangerous streets and intersections. Residents also need a more responsive process for reporting safety concerns.

On State Street, a clearly separated route for bikes and e-bikes would reduce pedestrian conflicts and make the promenade safer for everyone.

Santa Barbara needs to evaluate infrastructure decisions based not only on construction costs, but also on the long-term cost of maintaining what we build. I support a comprehensive asset-management approach that identifies the condition and lifespan of City infrastructure and prioritizes maintenance before adding new obligations. Measure C revenues should remain focused on the infrastructure voters were promised, and the City should continue responsibly addressing long-term pension liabilities.

We also need to replenish our reserves to protect the City’s long-term financial health. At the same time, deferring necessary infrastructure can ultimately cost taxpayers more. Investments in aging utilities and stormwater systems, wildfire resilience and transportation safety protect existing assets and reduce future risk.

Fiscal sustainability requires understanding the full lifecycle cost and benefit of today’s decisions.

Small businesses need a regulatory environment that is clear, predictable and efficient. I support a single point of contact for business permits, tenant improvements and signage, along with published review timelines and better online tracking. The City should also make it easier to activate vacant storefronts through temporary and pop-up uses while longer-term tenants are identified.

State Street construction will require particular attention to existing businesses. The City should phase construction carefully, maintain access and visibility, provide clear signage and communicate directly with affected businesses throughout the project.

Long-term economic resilience also requires more people downtown. Adding housing, supporting year-round arts and cultural programming, and maintaining clean and safe public spaces will create more consistent foot traffic. Tourism is important to Santa Barbara, but a resilient economy should also support locally owned businesses, trades, professional services, entrepreneurs and emerging industries.