Priorities
Every candidate says they'll listen, protect open space and plan responsibly. Here is what I will actually do. Then tell me your thoughts.
Work to meet the forced housing mandates while fighting to protect the character of the Town
The state is requiring Moraga to plan for 1,118 new housing units over the next five years. I will work to meet that mandate while trying to use the Quimby Act to secure new parks and trail access as development moves forward. If the state mandates new housing, we should at least fight for more access to open space and get some parks out of the deal.
That's also why I support Our Neighborhood Voices (ONV) — a growing coalition of California cities and towns pushing a state constitutional amendment to restore local control over zoning and land use. It wouldn't let Moraga say no to growth, but it would give the Council real tools to require the trails, parks, and design standards that keep new development livable, instead of just hoping for them. Read the full case for ONV →
Moraga still needs to be a place people want to live. We are not Walnut Creek, Oakland or Alameda. We are a semi-rural town bordering open space. There is a way to build and still keep what brought most of us here: good schools, open space, parks and trails, and a feeling of safety.
Protect our parks, trails and open space, expand when possible
I personally walked and mapped Moraga's trails: existing, planned, and those at risk of being lost to development forever. Planning means looking not just at what you have, but finding ways to protect what you could have. Existing, planned, and opportunities that should not be lost. In 2018, a team of commissioners did that. That map of existing trails was presented to the Town Council in 2018. Protecting our parks and open spaces isn't a campaign promise for me. It's something I've already spent twenty years doing.
Parks are a passion for me. I served as President of the California Association of Park and Recreation Commissioners and Board Members (CAPRCBM) in 2017–2018.
- Work to acquire more park land, to take pressure off our school fields and busy multi-use parks.
- I love Rancho Laguna exactly as it is.
Disaster preparedness and evacuation routes
Public safety starts with supporting our local police, fire, and disaster-ready volunteers. The Moraga-Orinda Fire District has answered the call here at home and helped other communities through their disasters, and its leadership supports our local CERT teams and personal preparedness training.
I have spent years showing up when asked: hosting preparedness booths, working traffic control, setting up shelters for animals displaced by fires and other emergencies, and assisting with fire watch during the Campo Fire.
Despite how great our community's first responders and volunteers are, they still need the help of residents: supporting Zone Zero, being Firewise, and being ready for other disasters like earthquakes. With a strong El Niño forecast this winter, we should also be ready for flooding and mudslides, and have more than one evacuation route and a shelter-in-place plan. The first reason is to protect lives. The second is protecting our homes and our ability to insure them, as insurance companies pull back from fire-risk areas. I will listen to the experts, and work with them and the members of this community.
Well-maintained streets and clear evacuation corridors save lives. But so does participating in all the available disaster preparedness training offered in our community.
Moraga's budget
Moraga receives the lowest percentage of property tax revenue in Contra Costa County, a structural problem locked in at incorporation. One result is a $55 million backlog of deferred maintenance. Measure K was a great idea, and yes, I did pass out material in support of that effort. As a professional driver, my back appreciates our good roads. It was sold as an infrastructure tax wrapped up in a general fund measure, and that promise has been kept by every elected leader since. If elected, I will carry that promise forward and support using its funds in the manner it was intended.
Shared resources for a growing town
Up to 1,118 new homes may come over the next five years, and with them neighbors who won't have garages or storage space. A community tool lending library and maker space would be worth exploring, with your help of course. If someone asks about Borraga, I might just have an idea worth sharing.