Per a UCSF survey of unhoused individuals, most believe an extra $300-$500 could prevent homelessness for a significant number of the currently unhoused. With rising costs and stagnant wages, it’s critical to provide vocational and educational programs to train individuals in skills that can bridge this gap. Inflated cost of living tied to rising real estate prices have been linked to large-scale acquisitions by institutional investors. Congress recently proposed the End Hedge Fund Control of American Homes Act to stop this practice and the city should implement similar measures. We must create local community-based investment incentives to counteract speculative acquisitions along with strictly enforcing existing affordable housing incentives for new developments.

Navigating the process of accessing government resources can be exceedingly complex. Insufficient awareness regarding government services, coupled with a lack of substantial time, expertise and resources required to comprehend the intricacies of applying to multiple programs and obtaining assistance, constitutes a significant impediment to entry for many individuals. Scale street medical programs to provide service to the unhoused wherever possible. Housing-first sites must have on-premise casework offices to preempt the formation of criminal environments, slum-like conditions and marginalized neighborhoods. Providing extended housing assistance in conjunction with active participation in appropriate vocational training, educational programs and rehab.

With pedestrian fatalities on the rise, the city must look to evidence-based innovations to counteract the root causes. Driver and pedestrian distractions, paired with low visibility and limited mobility, must be met with urban planning tools to improve safety. We must apply studies of high-traffic and speed areas in conjunction with high-risk pedestrian areas, with a focus on streets with heavy foot and vehicle traffic like commercial zones, main streets, and high-risk crash areas: Predominantly minority communities, and areas with school and senior centers are at a higher risk for traffic fatalities.

Also increasing visibility: Well-lit crosswalks make drivers more likely to yield to pedestrians. Lighting at midblock and intersection crossways lower the probability of severe injury and fatalities. Install overhead street lights, in-road flashing lights, and lights on bollards and signage alerting drivers of speed and upcoming crosswalks with design that includes narrow streets and shorter and high-contrast crossways. Gateway interventions narrow the crosswalk area to create contrast and encourage speed calming for drivers and shorten the distance for pedestrians. Decorative pavers create high contrast and counter distractions. Increasing mobility can be accomplished by providing short-distance transit in high-traffic areas to increase ease and safety of movement on wide boulevards and to reduce travel time and parking. Another intervention is introducing electric/eco-friendly trackless trolleys on main street routes like those utilized in Dana Point and Laguna Beach.

Lax policies, lack of consequences and a loss of law enforcement personnel have resulted in a rise in property crimes. With zero cash bail and the L.A. District Attorney’s unwillingness to properly prosecute criminal acts and implement three strikes, thefts have increased 14% this year and are up 42% from this time two years ago. We must institute best practices from across the country and implement laws already on the books. The current leadership has severely disincentivized arresting criminals for burglary by declining to prosecute property crimes and putting thieves back on the street within hours with a simple ticket.

Although violent crime is down, the city is dealing with unsolved murders and rape kit backlogs. There are criminals on our streets that we have an opportunity to apprehend, but we allow them to continue to increase their criminal activities because of lack of resources and proper allocation of funds. For example: In Massachussets, the murder of Marlene Rose went unsolved for eight years while a rape kit from another crime with her killer’s DNA sat untested. As a solution to clear backlogs, the Manhattan District Attorney committed $38 million in forfeiture money to help jurisdictions test rape kits. Since then, the evidence kits have led to more than 165 prosecutions.

In light of recent corruption in Los Angeles City, I have made the decision to forgo special interest endorsements in favor of grassroots support as a pledge to voters that I will be beholden only to the interests of the community. Our city deserves leaders who prioritize the needs and concerns of the people over personal gain. Closed door meetings and backdoor deals must be countered with transparency measures from the next generation of city leadership. Once elected, politicians disappear from public view until the next election. Transparency begins with clear communication.

As a candidate, I commit to regularly updating the community about decisions, initiatives and the use of public resources. I will advocate for open forums, town hall meetings, and digital platforms that enable residents to stay informed and engaged in the decision-making process. It's time to break down the barriers that have allowed corruption to thrive and build a government that works for the people. Accountability is essential for fostering trust between the government and its citizens. If elected, I will push for independent oversight and thorough investigations into any allegations of corruption. I will advocate for stronger ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations to ensure that public officials are held to the highest standards.

I believe allocating resources to support youth programs and creating spaces for healthy community activities is one of the most important investments a city can make for the future. I see the lack of access to equal opportunities for quality educational, vocational and recreational programs as a root cause of many societal ills, including crime and the perpetuation of generational poverty. These programs create the foundation for healthy adults, foster a sense of community and teach youth how to become productive members of society.

One of my main objectives is to develop open spaces and vacant land into themed outdoor parks for specialized community activities, such as art parks, drive-in theaters, community gardens, children's playgrounds and sports courts. Recreational programs and spaces are vital for building a healthy community and keeping youth off the streets by providing them with low to no-cost daily activity centers for a strong body and mind. Depression and loneliness have significantly increased after the pandemic & outdoor public attractions are necessary to rebuild the mental and physical health of residents. I will work with the city and community organizations to provide residents with wholesome environments to spend time outside, learning and enjoying life in the city of Los Angeles.

A creative skill I acquired during my teens growing up as a native Angeleno is that in the little spare time that I have I still enjoy the art of composing and producing hip-hop music instrumentals .

Our housing crisis in Los Angeles is out of control but too often, city hall’s red tape and government roadblocks have stopped us from building new homes. Soaring costs have put homeownership out of reach for working families, and too many Angelenos struggle to pay rent each month. I understand this first-hand — my fiancé Michael and I live in a studio apartment, and we understand what renters are going through in this city. On the City Council, I will fight to build more housing and use innovative solutions like repurposing unused commercial space to solve our housing crisis. Los Angeles has a massive glut of underutilized commercial spaces that are being used inefficiently. I support adaptive reuse zoning reforms to repurpose this space for housing — especially near public transportation hubs and high traffic corridors — and innovative approaches like modifying our laws around adaptive reuse of underutilized commercial properties.

The City must also cut the massive bureaucratic red tape and waste in our permitting system. The biggest obstacle to building new housing is a permitting system that is fundamentally broken. Developers refused to build in Los Angeles because the city is so impossible to work with. I’m committed to breaking down those barriers to construction to reduce the city-imposed cost and time burdens in building new housing.

Pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities are devastating and unacceptable — as is the city’s inaction. We need to urgently invest in infrastructure improvements that redesign streets to create dedicated bike lanes and pedestrian paths. I also believe in the importance of community and expert input, and would work closely with advocacy organizations, community members and local transportation authorities to identify the most dangerous areas and work to immediately implement more stringent safety measures.

I’m committed to rebuilding community trust with law enforcement and reducing crime by fully funding the LAPD. Unlike my opponent, I would have supported Mayor Bass’s LAPD contract, especially given the public safety challenges our city faces. In my time as Deputy City Attorney — working as a neighborhood prosecutor — I spearheaded several efforts to improve the quality-of-life in our community, including, cracking down on smash-and-grabs' fentanyl-dealing and consumer fraud and prosecuting domestic abusers and drunk drivers, all crimes of which our most vulnerable community members are more likely to be victims.

As a city council member, I will work to restore public trust in both action and policy. First and foremost, trust is earned by being accessible and accountable to the voters. Too many city council members hide in city hall and send their field deputies to deal with the community. As a city council member, I will be extremely active out in the field in my community, answering tough questions and being accountable for my actions. I will hold regular office hours in my district office, where members of the community can sign up for meetings directly with me.

From a policy perspective, we need to remove the incentives for corruption as much as possible. Because our land-use system is so broken, it relies on the tremendous discretionary power of our city council members. It is this discretionary power that has been the source of many of our recent corruption scandals. I will work to make our planning system operate by law, not by discretion.

I am running for City Council to put the needs of our neighborhoods in the 4th District first — and I have a clear vision to fight for the change our residents deserve. I will work to reform how the city approaches homelessness, including working with Mayor Bass and first responders to accelerate the use of Care Courts to help get unhoused people struggling with mental illness off the streets and into the treatment and support services they need.

Los Angeles suffers from a shortage of firefighters and paramedics. Despite being the second largest city in America, we have fewer firefighters and paramedics than places like Chicago and Houston. I will fight to increase funding for firefighters and paramedics to reduce 911 emergency response time, modernize and upgrade the LAFD, and improve neighborhood safety for local communities.

And I will work to crack down on illegal guns and enact tougher gun safety laws to protect our children in schools and our local neighborhoods. I will fight to restrict gun and ammunition sales by schools and youth centers, increase funding for gun buybacks, work with police to get weapons of war off our streets, and collaborate with state leaders to eliminate ghost guns. In addition to these priorities, I want to restore a voice for the LGBTQ+ community on the Council — Los Angeles is the only Top 10 city in the country without LGBTQ+ representation in city government.

I am very active in the local gay community supporting gay candidates. The first time I volunteered on a campaign for a gay candidate, I canvased for signatures at a local gay bar. I am also a lifelong fan of the Peanuts comics.

Los Angeles has a severe housing shortage that affects every resident of the city and everyone who aspires to make their home here. That shortage is the product of city policy. One of my core priorities in office has been to streamline planning processes to help housing move forward — with an emphasis on the affordable units where we face the largest gaps. Two of the greatest impediments to new housing construction are the city’s often unpredictable approval process and our zoning code, which limits where new housing can be built in L.A.

To streamline approvals for affordable housing, I worked during last year’s budget process to secure new positions in Planning and other departments that are projected to cut permitting times. I’ve also helped codify Mayor Bass’s Executive Directive 1, which prioritizes affordable development and led to many new approved units, into permanent city law while championing new planning initiatives like Affordable Housing Overlay Zones for high-resource neighborhoods like those in my district When it comes to zoning, we have a powerful opportunity to build more housing in LA in the near future: through the update of our Housing Element. I’ve been working with both the Planning Department and with constituents to ensure that we find more opportunities for growth. The new Housing Element and Community Plan updates will ensure that more projects will have ministerial approval processes, and will be built with greater density and affordability.

Despite offering ideal weather conditions for cyclists and pedestrians, L.A. has prioritized car travel in our civic design for more than a century to the detriment of many cyclists and pedestrians who face serious risk of injury or fatality. I’ve sought to reverse these impacts in all of my land use decisions.

Within my district, I’ve championed active transportation improvements to encourage safe alternative travel modes. My office developed and built our district’s first protected bike lanes and added many more new bike lanes in the district overall. We also closed a street to automobiles in Griffith Park leaving it safe for bikes and pedestrians. We’ve also fought for safe street infrastructure, like four new signalized crosswalks along Ventura Boulevard, and have more protected lanes in the works across the district. We’re also working on plans to build better bike connectivity between the Valley and central L.A., and creating an equitable process for really implementing L.A.’s Mobility Plan 2035.

However, saving lives on L.A. streets will require slowing traffic down. I have been a vocal advocate of efforts to reduce speed limits on L.A.'s streets, made possible by the passage of AB 43, and for the implementation of speed safety cameras. I’ve also pushed for a system of installing speed tables along arterial roads, and for adding speed bumps around schools. Slowing traffic will always generate some pushback, but we must respond with urgency to this growing public health issue.

Public safety response is among the most important services a local government provides. Currently, we have a system plagued by long wait times for 911 calls, staffing shortages, and a lack of appropriately trained personnel to respond to non-violent calls for service. We have a powerful obligation to ensure that whenever a resident calls for assistance, someone shows up — and is the appropriate person to deal with whatever emergency that resident is facing.

Because more than 90% of calls for service to 911 are for non-violent incidents, and especially considering the growing staffing shortages in the LAPD, I support deep investments in alternative crisis response models to shore up our emergency response. We’ve made some progress in this area, like the CIRCLE program, which routes non-emergency calls related to homelessness to crisis response teams that include clinicians and outreach practitioners who can provide a wide range of services, including helping them get into shelter.

I’ve successfully advocated for the expansion of these teams in my district, and my staff and I have personally experienced how quickly they respond to calls quickly and effectively. With additional training for dispatch operators and additional resources for staffing, alternative crisis response available through 911 could be expanded further to include other response teams. All of these resources would free up LAPD capacity to both respond urgently to and investigate violent and serious crime.

I share Angelenos’ shock and disappointment in the string of City Council scandals, from self-dealing and corruption to overt racism behind closed doors. Each represents a blow to public trust in city hall, and each has made it increasingly difficult for this body to do its work. Without the faith and support of our residents, we cannot move meaningful policy forward. I believe the only way we can rebuild confidence in city governance is by taking bold, concrete, and highly visible action to transform the way the council does business.

I wrote the motion to create the new Ad Hoc Committee on Governance Reform, and have advocated for both a truly independent redistricting process and increasing the number of seats on the city council. Independent redistricting is now thankfully moving forward to the ballot, but I still support council expansion as an essential piece of the reform project. L.A. has the largest council districts of anywhere in the country by far, leading to harmful consolidation of power and underrepresentation for many communities.

I also support reducing council member discretion over land use, which will end up shifting more decision making power to ministerial bodies in combination with rigorous and timely updates of our community and general plans. The role of a council member should be limited to the development of clear guidelines for land use. Reducing councilmember discretion over individual projects will reduce opportunities for corruption and graft.

I ran for office because I wanted to demonstrate that addressing homelessness with urgency and with a person-centered approach would make a difference in our neighborhoods. That is exactly what my team and I have done in our district. We’ve built the largest homelessness team of any council office, and made major expansions to outreach and shelter availability in the district, leading to hundreds of people moving indoors, and the first reduction in street homelessness in our district in six years under my leadership. We were able to sustainably house every person at many large encampments that were there when I got elected, such as those under the Coldwater Canyon/101 underpass and at the Hollywood Bowl Park and Ride in Studio City.

I’ve served as the chair of the council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee which, in partnership with Mayor Bass, has brought a sense of urgency and focus to this issue in her first year. I’ve worked towards institutionalizing a holistic and citywide approach to homelessness. To prevent people from falling into homelessness, our office spearheaded the most significant expansion of protections for renters in more than 40 years. Finally, we are leading efforts to make housing construction, particularly affordable housing, faster and cheaper to build. But we have far to go to end homelessness and make LA affordable for workers. The interconnected issues of housing and homelessness will continue to be my top priority if I win a second term.

I was trained in classical Indian dance at a young age, and toured with a dance company when I lived in India in my 20’s. I still love dancing — I’m usually the first and last person on the dance floor at our office parties, to the mortal embarrassment of my staff and my kids.