Turning Priorities into Progress.
Public service starts with a commitment to doing what’s right for the community. But making a difference takes more than good intentions alone. After 13 years on the Oxnard City Council, I’ve seen firsthand what it takes to turn priorities into progress. It requires knowing how the city works, understanding the needs of our neighborhoods and staying committed to seeing projects through.
Knowing How the City Really Works
Serving on the council teaches you how the city actually runs: how public money is raised and spent, what our infrastructure needs and how each decision lands in residents’ daily lives. Most of what residents want does not happen in a single vote. Funding has to be found, approvals secured and the county or the state is often involved. Experience is knowing each step, who needs to sign off at each stage and how to keep a project on track.
The same is true of budgeting. Reserves, bond ratings and long-term obligations carry over from one year to the next, so financial decisions require a long-term perspective. Oxnard has had to make difficult choices to strengthen its financial footing, and that work has paid off. Today, the city has balanced, on-time budgets, more than $60 million in reserves and 11 Standard & Poor’s rating upgrades across five categories of city debt and credit since 2021. Results like these require looking beyond the next budget cycle and making decisions with the city's long-term financial health in mind.
Progress Takes Persistence
Complex projects do not move forward on their own. They take sustained effort, coordination among agencies and follow-through at every step. The Santa Clara River levee work has been underway since 2018, and this year the council approved funding for the Levee 5 project. I have served on the Channel Islands Harbor Task Force since 2018, working to bring Ventura County into discussions about harbor water quality and infrastructure. That effort led to the City-County Cooperation Agreement in 2021. More recently, Gonzales Road has been resurfaced, and a second contract awarded in May 2026 will resurface Oxnard Boulevard, Ventura Road, Fifth Street and Saviers Road.
When you stay with projects like these, you see what works, what does not and what needs attention next. You also learn who needs to be at the table and when. That is how a good idea becomes a finished project.
Knowing the Neighborhoods
Every neighborhood in District 1 has its own priorities. Around Channel Islands and Mandalay Bay, residents are concerned about seawalls and harbor water quality. Along Ventura Road, safer crossings and bike lanes are a priority, which is why we secured $1.07 million, mostly from state and local grants, for upgrades that are now funded and in design. At Dunkirk Park, new playground equipment is moving forward, while $2.2 million in developer-paid park funds has been committed to a new Seaview Park. Understanding what each neighborhood needs starts with showing up and listening to the people who live there.
I live in the South Bank neighborhood, and my start in public life was there. I chaired the South Bank Neighborhood Council and the citywide Inter-Neighborhood Council Forum. As president of Flood Zone Justice, I helped take on FEMA when its maps would have put 6,000 homes in a mandatory flood zone, and FEMA withdrew the flawed map before it took effect. I still attend as many neighborhood council meetings as I can, because I learned a long time ago that everything is local.
Experience Comes With Accountability
Years on the council don’t mean much on their own, what matters is what you accomplish during that time. At recent forums, I encouraged voters to ask every candidate, including me, a simple question: What have you actually done? Here’s what my record shows.
I voted to invest about $8 million in rebuilding police staffing and upgrading fire equipment, including a ladder truck, two fire engines and a paramedic squad. As chair of the Public Works Committee, I pushed for a pavement plan that would address road conditions before they deteriorated further. We also restored the River Ridge Clubhouse for the first time since 1986. In public meetings, I ask questions about spending and staff recommendations, and I explain my votes so residents can understand my reasoning. I also know there is still work left to do, and I expect to be held accountable for it.
Seeing It Through
Oxnard’s needs do not disappear between election cycles. The Mandalay Bay seawall repairs still need to move forward, and harbor water quality remains a concern. Road improvements are also continuing across the city. Someone who already understands these challenges can help keep that work moving, and I want to stay on the council to see it through.
Finishing What We Started
Values tell you what to fight for, experience tells you how to move it forward, and commitment is what gets it finished. District 1 deserves a council member who knows the work and stays with it until it is complete. I am asking for your vote so I can finish what we started.
