What can the Council do to modernize San Dimas?

A critical area that we can modernize would be to make it easier for residents to access city services. When we talk about making it easier for residents to access services, aspects of our website and online services can be improved, such as the user experience. For example, when a resident wants to register for a swim class at the Recreation Center, the initial navigation from the San Dimas homepage is good. There’s a link right there that takes you to available classes.

After that, things get confusing, such as figuring out what you learn in a class or who to contact if you have questions. Minor improvements can make a big difference, such as creating a landing page with information on what’s offered, who the instructors are, resident testimonials or reviews, and other things. Other services, such as filing a report with our Sheriff’s station (on the Sheriff’s site), are not possible because the page is offline due to budget constraints, even though there’s a link. We need to remove these links or provide these services; otherwise, it gives residents the impression that our technology is broken. 

Another area we should look into is using technology to improve our operations. I’ve heard anecdotally that city staff spend a lot of time on manual processes that could be automated, but I don’t have specific examples. If elected, I’d like to work with our city manager on identifying what some of these areas might be so that we can evaluate technology solutions that could improve efficiency and productivity.

What possible consequences do you expect for our city now that we are bringing in the Gold Line?

The Gold Line has the opportunity to make both a positive and negative impact on our city. With the Gold Line, we can reduce traffic by giving residents an easy way to access more parts of the Southland without a car. Additionally, the Gold Line can bring in visitors and customers willing to spend money at businesses in our downtown. 

But there is a potential downside. While most studies say that the Gold Line would not increase crime, COVID and the emergence of work from home may have temporarily changed public transportation. Commuters who would typically take the Gold Line to work are doing so less, leaving trains empty or available for transient or criminally-minded riders who could visit San Dimas. 

To counteract this, we should develop and put in place a clear plan to monitor areas around the station and elevate security to realize the benefits of the Gold Line, while also sending a message that if you commit a crime in San Dimas, you will be caught. These interventions don’t have to be expensive. Efforts to work with watch groups in surrounding neighborhoods, install suitable surveillance, and use predictive data could make a significant difference.

Do you think the city of San Dimas should bring in marijuana dispensaries to increase revenues?

It’s a bad idea whenever a city decides to pursue a business simply for the revenue it brings in. The question we should ask ourselves instead should be: will this increase the quality of life for our residents? Concerning cannabis shops, I would defer to residents. I’ve spoken with many residents who use cannabis to treat medical conditions like epilepsy and cancer. My mother used cannabis oil to treat nausea from chemotherapy when she had cancer and to manage her pain when her cancer spread. Therefore, I think the City Council should hear more from residents on this question before the Council renders a final decision.

What are your thoughts on the “Defund the Police” movement, and can you envision a scenario where our own San Dimas Sheriff would need to be defunded?

“Defunding the Police” is a political slogan and is not a serious policy proposal. I also believe it has been harmful. In terms of San Dimas, I’ve met with Captain Ash and other leaders of our Sheriff’s department and reviewed our city’s needs and priorities. I assess that there are areas that we are under-resourcing. An example of this is the number of officers assigned to special projects. We only have two currently, and they split their time between many projects. Some of these officers are focused full-time on tracking and building relationships with the homeless and getting them into services in other cities. As our homeless population rises, I see this as a critical need. The Sheriff’s station has additional needs we should consider, especially in the technology area, which I’ve mentioned in a previous answer.

The value that we get for what we spend on our contract with the Los Angeles County Sheriff is overall very good. Any effort to start our own police department would be far more expensive and would likely not improve existing services or public safety. Our crime rate is comparable to neighboring cities with their own police departments yet costs less overall, and I do not envision a scenario where we would look for an alternative.

Can we look forward to some new businesses downtown?

The Pioneer Square project, which would develop the vacant lot on Bonita Avenue and Cataract Street, has the potential to bring in new restaurants, stores, and a boutique hotel. The success of this project rests on (1) whether it is financially viable and (2) its ability to bring in new shoppers who create demand for more businesses in San Dimas.

I’d like to focus on the underlying financials of the project. We need to ensure that the project has the right mix of restaurants and stores, that there are enough visitors in the area who will stay at the hotel at its higher price point to sustain it, and that the project provides enough parking so that it does not decrease the quality of life for neighboring residents.

If elected, my focus will be to leverage my business background to go into the project’s financials in detail and ensure that its implementation is done to benefit residents while minimizing risks that the project will not be successful. As a former management consultant, I worked with retailers and hotels on their operations and helped build their financial forecasts. I know what a successful project looks like, and I aim to bring these skills to ensure we get new businesses downtown in the most optimal way possible.

Over the past few years, I’ve witnessed a decline in civility in the community and on the City Council. What can we expect you to do to help rebuild our community and bring people back together?

The City Council must model good behavior and work to build consensus on contentious matters. We must embrace the idea that disagreements or split votes are a sign of healthy debate and discussion in a thriving democracy and never allow these disagreements to devolve into personal disputes. Even when passions run high, council members should abide by the idea that there is usually common ground to be found, but also agreeing to disagree is okay.

I model this behavior by working to find common ground with others and am known as a consensus builder. I treat those who have different ideas than me with respect, knowing that their life experiences inform their thought processes and are valid. And I assume that others always have good intentions and try to do the right thing just like I am. To bring people together, I intend to listen carefully, lower the temperature by not attacking others’ ideas or themselves publicly, and invite everyone to the table to weigh in. We will heal our city by building a culture where everyone is heard, every voice matters, and different opinions are valued.

How important is it for a candidate’s experience and ties to the city in creating a strong voice on the City Council?

A candidate’s experience and ties to the city are essential for being a strong voice on the City Council. Our city is facing many challenges, and we need people of different backgrounds and skills that can contribute and put us on a path to sustainability and success.

In my case, I have a Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy, an MBA, a Master’s in Public Policy (MPP), and experiences working with nonprofits, governmental agencies such as the World Bank, and Fortune 500 companies. All of these experiences - public policy, operations, strategic planning, accounting, financial modeling, and organizational management - are directly applicable to the role of a city councilmember.

My ties to San Dimas are also strong. I grew up here, went to school here, played sports here, and volunteered here. One example of my volunteerism is working with a group of residents to start the San Dimas Community Post, a local newspaper written by residents for residents. The intent behind the paper was to help inform residents of what’s going on in their city, publicize local businesses, and provide an opportunity for residents interested in journalism to write for the paper in a volunteer capacity.

I’m proud of our work at the San Dimas Community Post because the stories we publish are multifaceted, feature in-depth analysis, and were overseen by an Editor-in-Chief who was a professor at the University of La Verne’s journalism school. The paper adheres to the highest journalistic standards despite being entirely volunteer-run. The paper allowed me as a writer to have a pulse on the city, and the information I learned while reporting enables me to be a strong voice on the City Council.

In the interest of fairness, we suspended all San Dimas Community Post operations while I run for office to prevent bias in stories about the campaigns. Should I be elected, I intend to resign from the San Dimas Community Post and invite the paper to cover my time on the City Council as critically as any paper would cover local city government. I expect nothing less.

What is your stance on supporting city volunteer groups and the funding that is necessary to support these groups?

Volunteer groups enhance the vibrancy of our city, provide needed services, and offer valuable skills training to volunteers. When a city supports its volunteer community, it creates a multiplier effect that compounds the benefits for the city. For example, suppose a group of volunteers puts on an art show. In that case, residents benefit from the city’s enhanced culture. But they may also bring in out-of-town visitors who support our businesses, showcase the skills of local artists, develop the organizational abilities of volunteers, and beautify the city. 

With that in mind, I support creating a community service and art grant program to help our city’s volunteers. Many cities already do this, such as Santa Clarita, and have found great success. Most grants are below $5,000, and organizations can often solicit additional donations once they are up and running. By implementing such a program, San Dimas would realize a host of benefits with minimal support and investment while unleashing our residents' creative and service-minded talents. This is a no-brainer and would be one of the first items I would work with city staff to explore if elected.