Where I Stand

Capitola needs a real financial plan, not just for the next budget cycle, but for the years ahead. We can't keep running our government paycheck to paycheck.

Residents have stepped up for this city time and again by passing tax measures. City Hall owes them the same commitment: clear priorities, disciplined spending, long-term planning, and transparency about where every dollar goes.

I've spent my career managing resources, anticipating needs, and being accountable for outcomes. We shouldn't wait for a financial crisis to start planning for one. We know what is coming. The City Manager stated in his proposed 2026-27 budget that "the General Fund will become structurally imbalanced in FY 2028-29." This is after residents passed Measure Y this past year, which replaced our 0.25% sales tax with a 0.5% tax.

Good government plans ahead.

The beach. The cliffs. Cliff Drive. Depot Hill. The Village. They aren't simply landmarks. They define this community.

Protecting them requires more than good intentions. It requires planning.

Capitola's Local Coastal Program gives us an opportunity to anticipate what's coming, establish clear priorities, and work productively with the California Coastal Commission to protect ALL of our coast, rather than reacting crisis by crisis.

Protect what we can. Prepare for what we can see coming. Collaborate in a way that gets results. And fight for Capitola when we need to.

As your Planning Commissioner, I am working directly with City Staff and the Coastal Commission on a comprehensive plan to protect all of Capitola's coast, ensuring no part of our shoreline is left behind.

The Village is the heart of Capitola and an economic engine for the entire city. Although the Village is a smaller percentage of the City's revenue, Capitola's heartbeat is its tourism and the diverse people it attracts.

Our challenge is to keep it thriving while protecting the quality of life of the people who live here. That means addressing parking, traffic, cleanliness, infrastructure, and the needs of local businesses as interconnected issues, not separate problems.

It also means being open to smart ideas, like an appropriately scaled hotel that could bring overnight visitors, support local businesses, and generate meaningful revenue for the city.

The goal isn't more tourism for tourism's sake. It's bigger than that.

It's a healthier Village that remains an extraordinary place to live.

Capitola is going to change. It's inevitable given State mandates. The question is how we manage that change.

State housing mandates are real, and pretending otherwise won't protect Capitola. My work on the Planning Commission has given me a firsthand understanding of where state law limits us, and where we still have the ability to shape our future.

Additionally, we need realistic housing opportunities for people who work in and contribute to this community.

My approach is very straightforward: understand the facts, listen to residents, know what the law requires, and use every tool available to preserve the scale, character, and livability of our amazing town.

We can accommodate change without surrendering what makes Capitola special.

Our coastline isn't just scenery. It's the backbone of our local economy, our ecosystem, and our way of life. That's why I fully support Santa Cruz County's Measure D.

Measure D amends Chapter 16.55 of the County Code to draw a hard line against offshore drilling and other extractive industries that threaten our water, air quality, agricultural lands, and biodiversity. Just as important, it protects local democracy. No zoning changes to allow onshore support facilities for offshore drilling can happen without a majority vote from county voters. That keeps the power where it belongs, with our community, not fossil fuel corporations.

Measure D governs unincorporated county lands, but protecting our coast doesn't stop at jurisdictional lines. I've also been a vocal supporter of Capitola's decision to formally oppose new federal offshore oil and gas leasing through the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, a critical step in building our region's "Blue Wall" against exploitation of our marine habitats.

On the Council, I'll push to update Capitola's own legacy 1987 ordinance so our local protections are just as strong as the county's, closing gaps that leave us exposed to both offshore drilling and the emerging threat of deep-sea mining.

This is a fight worth winning on every front: county, city, and beyond.

I'm asking for your vote so we can keep our coastline protected, permanently.

Transparency isn't another item on the list. It's the standard that should apply to everything City Hall does.

If we spend taxpayer money, your money, residents should know where it went.

If we make an important decision, we should explain why.

If we establish a priority, we should be able to measure the results.

If something isn't working, we should fix it.

And if we make a mistake, we should own it and learn from it.

I'm not interested in government theater. Drama impedes progress. I'm interested in a government that works and a City Hall willing to be judged by the results.

Transparency. Accountability. Results.