The Appearance of Our Town

I will ensure that Martinez remains in the Top 50 Safest Cities in California. However since the Pandemic, our City has become intolerably messy from litter and debris that conveys an unwelcome feel. Left unchecked, this will affect our safety.

 As Mayor, I will be able to make this the priority issue that I have been advocating for as a Council member, but finding little support. The Mayor sets the direction of a town, and this issue will be at the top of my agenda immediately- an unsightly town and unsafe needles at our parks just are not acceptable to both you and me. I have and will continue to work with our garbage hauler and will guide City staff to dramatically change the appearance of our community.

I will continue honoring voter approved Measure X and maintain an enhanced, progressive police department. Everyone in our community deserves the right to feel safe and protected.

As Mayor, I will focus on maintaining and increasing the effectiveness and size of our police force, and will insist we work with the school districts to prepare for the safety of our children.

Understanding the need for more paving, I championed increased funding by our community to significantly increase

the street paving program.

 As a result, since 2018 our overall paving condition has improved 50% according to the Bay Area Transportation Commission Pavement Quality Index.

We still have much more paving and infrastructure improvements that as Mayor I will prioritize, such as:

-Cleaner entryways to our community.

 As you enter our town from any of the 6 main entryways, there's considerable room for improvement to make our residents and visitors alike feel welcome and expected.

-Downtown infrastructure

The sidewalks, curbs, rails, lights all are in need of a refresh or even a rethink. I have repeatedly asked that we concentrate on improving the look of our aging town core- especially the sidewalk bricks that need replacement or fixing.

-Roadways & Medians 

Our pavement is doing better, but the medians and landscaping need to be improved. It's time.

-Sidewalks around town

Improving sidewalks will be a priority for our safety

I will continue fighting for cleaner air and less climate changing emissions in Martinez and the Bay Area.

For years I have represented Martinez as a Director on the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and have been a leader in reducing refinery emissions into our community, and greenhouse gases into our planet’s atmosphere.

Martinez residents deserve cleaner air, with less toxic pollutants and particulate matter (soot) that can be severely damaging to our health.

Our planet’s climate affects Martinez greatly:

-Sea-level rise contributes to inundating the Marina and adds to the flooding potential

in Downtown Martinez. I was instrumental in creating a better bulkhead in the Marina and spearheaded the day lighting and widening of Alhambra Creek downtown to reduce flooding (and it attracted beavers and other  flora & fauna as well!)

- Warmer temperatures have dried out our precious and beautiful landscape, creating the potential for catastrophic wildfires in our town. To this end,as Mayor, I will remain diligent in making sure emergency exit strategies are in place for our most vulnerable neighborhoods.

I will strive to maintain our newly updated City Parks, and will continue adding to the nearly 1,000 acres of open space I have helped provide- including the newly approved 297 Acre Alhambra Highlands Open Space which I championed with our citizens-increasing our Open Space by 50%!

As Mayor I will continue my current push for a comprehensive access and management plan to ensure access and safety of this and the rest of our beautiful array of parks and open space we have created in Martinez.

Martinez is amongst the top cities for open space in the area, and we can improve the experience tremendously with a thoughtful approach to trail markings, mapping and making these great areas of our community known and utilized by everyone.

We are just finishing the renovation of all of our parks through Measure H which I helped pass. It will be my priority to make sure our investments are maintained well- especially the pool, which needs to operated correctly and staffed properly. 

Our  open space and parks will be a prime focus as your Mayor in the adopted hometown of John Muir. 

Our City’s future will depend on detailed attention to the needs of our citizens, visitors and all businesses. By helping to make downtown a popular destination and a healthy mercantile environment, we have  attracted many more residents and visitors looking for the unique dining and retail experience Martinez now offers the region.

My vision has included working with the existing businesses and attracting new small businesses looking for a City that is welcoming and is being discovered by younger and older demographics alike to rave reviews- but we can do even better :

We can build on this renaissance and grow it steadily as a dining and entertainment destination-one that is clean, safe, and welcoming to all.

In addition, at my direction, our marketing has included all 4 areas of our town- each unique and valued by me.

  The addition of a new government center and the current demolition of the tall county administration building is also evidence of the growing, thriving change in the Main Street experience.

As your Mayor, I will help foster our downtown progress, along with our other commercial areas, in a sensible and successful manner.

After a long effort, the City of Martinez now owns the Marina. This will allow for my vision of the Marina to be a well-functioning boating/kayaking center with a restaurant/banquet facility.

Currently my focus is restoring the fishing pier to a safe status via the repair plan we have in place.

The process of creating a new Marina Master Plan has begun, and I will ensure the jewel of our town be a destination for safe walking, dining, water activities, and special events at a banquet facility overlooking the Carquinez Strait.

The amphitheater was built as a result of my initiative and a lot of volunteers, and I will ensure it will return to being used for its original purpose within 6 months of becoming your next Mayor.

I will also work with the appropriate agencies including the East Bay Regional Park District to make visiting our jewel a safe and pleasant experience

A healthy, vibrant updated Waterfront Park, home to Bocce Ball and many of our local baseball teams, can be a strong quality of life attraction for residents and visitors alike, and adds to our economic base.

Everyone in our community deserves to feel safe and protected.

I will continue to enhance our progressively staffed police force and support the elimination of any systemic racism for a more inclusive and equitable City government.

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