Accomplishments:

Public Safety

  • I have worked with the community to approve the crossing guard in front of Woodcrest Elementary.

  • Added more parking and a crosswalk on Highland Avenue, more parking on Truslow, and added more space to other parking-deficient areas.

  • Conducted traffic safety studies throughout the district and added more traffic and speed mitigation measures, such as stop signs and improving traffic light signals.

  • Advocated bringing back the defunct police motorcycle unit to help with traffic safety and control.

  • I provided more police community liaisons and improved police community outreach into predominantly Latino neighborhoods.

  • Stood against public safety cuts and approved bringing the office of the independent review for police oversight.

  • I installed new cameras for public safety in parts of the city.

Housing Affordability

  • Introduced rent assistance to low-income seniors in mobile parks and Veterans and doubled the rent assistance relief program during Covid.

  • We have approved three homeless Navigation Centers, two regional in Buena Park and Placentia with partnerships with North OC cities, and one local navigation center in Fullerton.

  • We created a safe parking program in our city to address the homeless on Valencia Avenue.

  • Regained our no-camping ordinance and cleaned encampments

  • Introduced solutions for partnership with the state to help manage encampments on Cal Trans freeway off ramps

  • I have added low-income housing units by advocating for low and middle-income housing in our housing plans.

Community Engagement

  • I introduced Spanish translation to meetings.

  • Engaged Latino neighborhoods & Worked actively with nonprofits serving predominantly low-income Latino families.

  • Spearheaded city census committee to register hard-to-count neighborhoods

  • I hosted over 150 Community Meetings, Town halls, business visits, neighborhood walks, and an annual ice cream social for kids.

  • Created a woman and young woman of the year award and was awarded to two Latina active community members

  • Worked with a primary developer to donate machinery to a local nonprofit that sold it for $50K and used that money to build homes in Guanajuato, MX

  • Raised Pride flag during Pride Month & Joined the first pride parade in Fullerton

Covid Relief

  • Introduced mask protection policy to essential businesses

  • Joined food drive efforts, connected residents with available resources, and delivered food, gift cards, masks, and other essentials to seniors and families.

  • Doubled rent assistance funding available

Parks, Open Space & Environment

  • New Pearl Park in the Garnet neighborhood, a low-income, and highly dense area

  • Pacific Drive Park Renovation

  • Fought to protect Union park in a predominantly low-income Latino neighborhood from being disposed

  • Organized park clean-ups

  • Reinstated the Senior mobility program for no/low-cost taxi transportation

  • Reduced rental fees on Maple Community Center and protected it as an asset to the community from being leased out.

  • Supported an efficiency and sustainability project that upgraded city facilities to make them sustainable, bringing solar and saving hundreds of thousands in city funds.

  • I updated our urban forest plan to revitalize our tree canopy and plant more in green-deficient areas.

Education, Public Art & Culture

  • I am working to restore Fullerton Chicano/Mexican heritage murals on Lemon Bridge, including raising funds privately.

  • I fought to approve $150K in Funding to save the Fullerton Museum after it was eliminated from the budget.

  • Negotiated with new developers adding public art into any new development

  • Helped bring back Day of Music and other event activities and advocated more daytime and family businesses and activities in the downtown

  • Supported Hunt Branch Library renovation and creation of a cultural and educational center in South Fullerton

Economic Development & Jobs

  • Added economic development to the city’s strategic plan and created a dedicated economic development staff position

  • Outreached to businesses and helped many through the planning process.

  • Brought county funding to host a job fair in 2019

  • We worked with Goodman Logistics for a $350 million investment in our city to create sustainable industrial buildings attracting significant companies and hundreds of local jobs.

  • Approved a sustainable business grant program to help small businesses become sustainable

Infrastructure & Water

  • During my two years of service on the Orange County Water District Board:

  • We created the first disadvantaged water policy, secured low-income education grants, and secured OC’s first PFAS treatment for groundwater facilities that primarily serve the underprivileged parts of the city.

  • Supported adding nearly $20 million in additional road repair funds over the last four years, including fixing Orangethorpe, Commonwealth, Euclid, and many other roads in the district.

  • I advocated for equity in the distribution of road funds to include south Fullerton roads.

  • I created an infrastructure fund that will allocate additional funds that can only be used for roads and street infrastructure.

  • I worked with SoCal Edison and public works to find real solutions to the old street light grid blowing out the Edison-owned transformers, including having Edison invest in additional transformers, creating a solar energy program to use solar on qualified lights, and advocating for an early design for a complete upgrade and financing solutions.

  • Upgraded our water infrastructure and tackled the water main breaks with a more efficient, fairer, and equitable fee schedule.

  • Installing LED lights where possible to reduce cost and improve sustainability

Financial

  • We refinanced city bonds at a lower interest rate, saving millions in taxpayer funding.

  • Advocated for a balanced budget that reflects the needs of our community and invests in the city workforce and services