Council Member, Distrito 1 — Ciudad de El Cajon

Fletcher Hills west of Interstate 8 is already built out with single family homes. I would not support any increased density in that area. I believe in smart growth, meaning we should establish quality mixed-use multi-family housing east of Interstate 8, especially near the Transit Center.

Under my leadership, the City has approved the conversion of 3,000 apartment units to condominiums, giving first-time homeowners the opportunity to achieve the American Dream.

Our multi-faceted approach has reduced homelessness in El Cajon by 11%, despite the rest of the East County Region experiencing a 25% increase in homelessness. I voted to hire a housing navigator, who has helped 60 people attain permanent housing in the last 6 months. There is a lot of work to be done, but I am proud of the progress we have made.

The Downtown Business Partners have experienced tremendous success in their downtown cleanup program. I propose that the City expands this program city-wide. We will partner with non-profit service providers who will provide a job and housing for individuals who are willing to give up alcohol and drug use. These individuals go through rigorous screening before being employed by our partners to clean up litter in the city, allowing them to re-join society in a meaningful way. The advantage of the non-profit partnership is twofold; firstly, these folks are experts in the field of homeless services, meaning they are uniquely equipped to evaluate and supervise their formerly homeless employees. Secondly, this partnership will prevent the city from incurring tremendously increased insurance costs associated with hiring these individuals directly.

The City of El Cajon has the second-lowest development impact fees in the County. We need to continue our track record of being growth-friendly. This includes expediting permits and building quality houses and condominiums. The City has already approved the conversion of more than 3,000 apartment units to condominiums, and I intend to expand this program. This provides increased revenue for more police and firefighters and provides entry level home ownership, so our residents can achieve their American Dream.

I propose that the City uses our increased revenue from new hotels and car dealerships to hire more police officers.

Police shootings are investigated by the District Attorney and the FBI, which services as an independent watchdog. The police serve as an apolitical institution in the interest of the people. It should not be politicized.

In only 2 years on the council. I brought the Marriott Hotel, struck a deal LIVE NATION to re-open ECPAC and working on bringing in the Hampton Hotel where the old Police Station was. I am a great negotiator and businessman. I can find the right businesses which will improve the general image of our city. We need more councilmembers like me, with fresh new ideas that will make El Cajon compete with Santee and La Mesa. Before I got there, we were losing to those cities on every category. 

I support the idea of Mixed Use where it's approperiate. Smart growth by integrating technology to better our roads and improve our travel times. I will continue to work hard to bring in companies like APPLE, TESLA or INTEL to our industerial areas. Work to hire locals and raise the quality of life for our future.