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My Intentions as Mayor

As Mayor of Ojai and Director of the Agora Foundation and its Ojai Chautauqua project, I'm grateful to have many opportunities to read carefully, listen with patience and an open mind, and strive for prudence, civil discourse, and information sharing. I will continue to do my best in bringing this experience and commitment into everything I do. 

The City of Ojai Goals, and my goals moving forward: 
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  1. Affordable Housing

  2. Wildfire Safety and Risk Mitigation

  3. Arts, Culture, and Recreation

  4. Infrastructure Maintenance and Improvement

  5. Public Safety

  6. Diversifying Economy/Tourism Management

  7. Climate Resiliency

  8. Financial Stability

  9. Communication and Relationships

City of Ojai Goals and Tactics in Detail

We have thousands of people commuting in and out of the Valley everyday... leaving for work outside of the valley and coming in for work from beyond. The strongest climate change mitigation we can enact is to reduce the number of commuters, in and out of the valley, as we can. Lower traffic, lower carbon emissions. 

Steps for Supporting Middle-Income Families:

1. Continue the progress on Affordable Housing, rather than be forced into state deadlines, by supporting projects we would like to have here. Grow the partnership with organizations like Help of Ojai and Habitat for Humanity to acquire and manage existing and new locations to provide increased permanent and temporary affordable options for our residents who need it. Grow affordable housing by collaborating with non-profit and for-profit partners in creating workforce housing (which also reduces traffic), low-income and market-rate mixture projects (allowing viability), and evaluating current vacant properties for housing and conservation project agreements. Please click here to view current projects underway, as well as Permanent Supportive Housing Project funding by the State of California, scheduled to open July 2027. 

2. Further a true partnership with Ojai Unified School District to support affordable housing for teachers, dynamic learning collaborations with non-profits and businesses, and a future where people move to, and stay in, Ojai because the public school system is outstanding. A key metric has been an upturn in enrollment for OUSD for the current year. Projects now in progress include the open Public Pool at Nordhoff and the infrastructure upgrade for Matilija Auditorium. But this is just the beginning.

3. We continue to remove obstacles and Diversify our Economy so our over-dependence on tourism can be managed and our middle class can live and work here. For a long time tourism jobs have increased and professional and highly skilled positions have declined. Our city had made it very hard for a professional business, offering pay that allows people to live here, to want to relocate here, or to stay here. That is changing. We are in progress of several key studies a launch of incubator space private/public collaboration, and a renewed relationship with the Ojai Valley Chamber of Commerce. 

Goal Highlights:​

Affordable Housing

- Establishing a Community Land Trust, - The successful completion of the state-funded Permanent Supporting Housing Project, - Launching the first Habitat for Humanity project on Franklin Drive, - Supporting the launch of Cabrillo Vista project on Bryant, - Building City staff housing at 503 Ventura, - Working with OUSD on a revised, community-centered project at the Downtown location.  - Grow the annual financial support for Help of Ojai

Wildfire Safety and Risk Mitigation

- Co-Develop the goals of the revived Disaster Committee - Utilize the $1 Million budget reserve for: - assessment - clearing - financial help for home hardening - fire-resistant landscape support - Establish the federally funded Valley Emergency Sirens - Spread the Firewise Community projects throughout the City - Renew the FireSafe Council contract with evolved goals - complete install of backup power at City Hall and backup internet.

Arts, Culture, and Recreation

- Complete the Sarzotti Park upgrades - Build the bike path to Soule Park - Establish Soule Park as a City Resource - Support the revived Parks and Rec Commission - Implement the next phase of the Ojai Cultural Contribution, supporting non-profit programs and operations - Initiate the enhancement program for Cluff Vista Park - Launch the City Hall Campus Master Plan with the Ojai Valley Green Coalition - Build the collaboration with Los Padres Forest - Establish a native plant garden and dog park at Grand and Signal - Work on a City-centered agreement with the OUSD downtown property - Continue the thriving City of Ojai Student Council, with an October 17 City-wide dance - Improve the Libbey Bowl bathrooms - Refine the relationship with Ojai Valley Music

Infrastructure Maintenance and Improvement

- Introduce a City speed-hump policy - Keep the 5-year road paving project on track and under budget - Implement the federally funded $25 Million storm drain repair city wide - Implement an evolved ATP Phase II project - Build more bike parking stations through the downtown corridor

Public Safety

- Support the newly-formed Public Safety Commission - Increase the e-bike education program in schools and research more ordinance restrictions - Introduce a City speed-hump policy - Increase Trolly service to every 1/2 hour every day, along with a route back and forth through downtown all day - Support a proposed golf-cart taxi services to reduce car traffic downtown

Diversifying Our Economy / Tourism Management

- Support the private / public incubator spaces currently in development - Refine and enhance the revised relationship with the Ojai Valley Chamber of Commerce - Implement the Economic Diversification Plan now in progress, along with the Creative Economy structure - Increase Trolly service to every 1/2 hour every day, with routes further east and west, and a central line that drives back and forth downtown throughout the day - Develop several alternative parking locations, and potentially open Ojai Avenue to more parking

Climate Resiliency

- Support the Climatec $2 Million 3-year plan to electrify and improve all Ojai properties - Support the Flexpath program for new construction - Rewild portions of the parks in the city (and new Soule Park) - Further develop the relationship with the City and the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy - Introduce the Rain Barrel Project to all residences in the city this fall - Successfully resolve the 11-year Water Adjudication lawsuit, with enhanced stream health and agency collaboration

Financial Stability

- Support the revived Finance and Budget Committee - Research and implement a sound budget reserve policy - Research and implement a sound Measure C spending policy - Continue balanced budget practices and fully implement audit findings, currently underway - Establish an online accounting report framework for easy community access - Revise our fee schedule to reflect current costs - Build current staff capacity and compensation to be competitive in the County - Rewrite policies for greater strength and consistency

Communications and Relationships

- Support frequent joint Commission/Council meetings - Increase the number of panels and workshops the Council undertakes - Further enhance the City website for clarity and functionality - Have clearer minutes and searchable recordings readily available - Increase the number of Council meetings in general

We need to continue our political reset in Ojai, encouraging civility and many points of view. I propose the following commitments to my fellow candidates (as they emerge):
 

  1. We agree on a campaign spending limit and all other support goes to Ojai's non-profits.

  2. Most importantly... when our supporters attack a fellow candidate's personality or irrelevant history, we personally thank them for their support and explain, publicly, that this campaign is going to be focused only on the issues and what we intend to do about them. And that's it!

  3. We agree that whoever is elected into the position will consider the other candidates and their supporters as advisors going forward.

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