Maybe it’s how I was raised-modest upbringing and parents who were farmworkers-but I got involved in public service, because I like to figure out how to provide opportunities for people to move up in the world.
My vision for the city of Alhambra-provide all the basic municipal services. The rest is the icing on the cake: parks, senior services, youth services that we can all be proud of!
I want this city to prosper and have a good reputation, so others outside our city limits will want to visit and help the local economy flourish.
But we face an uphill battle.
There is a disconnect between the state and local governments-it’s almost a rivalry amongst the two.
That’s why I believe California Forward can help.
California Forward-a non-profit, non-partisan organization, pushes for state and local governments to work better together– is tackling financial and structural reforms to increase transparency and accountability at all government levels, to improve results for Californians. How? By getting citizens like you and me involved in the process.
I believe this organization is having an honest conversation about moving this state forward.
Right now there is such distrust in our government. The more we make an effort to be as transparent as possible, the better off we’re going to be in terms of having you trust us and work with us – your city council – to make these changes.
Recently, I spearheaded a decision to fund the recording of our council meetings and putting them online. Our meetings were only viewed on Charter cable to 20% of our citizens. Now, everyone can catch them.
Some may say we are already in compliance when it comes to airing our meetings, but it’s not about complying with the law, it’s about going above and beyond.
The next step is to make our agendas available online, including staff memos and analysis of each project. I’m pushing for more transparency, but I’m only one vote, we need everyone on board.
I feel it’s crucial to be held accountable for my actions as an elected official.
What I need from you-come to our meetings, get involved. Numbers and words speak. The more residents come out, the more we’re going to be forced to make these changes.