Priorities

The current phase of homelessness response has focused on expanding the emergency shelter system, including congregate shelters (ABH), project room key, and tiny home villages. This, combined with considerable effort to greatly increase the pipeline of permanent supportive housing will actually have us achieving the goals set within LAHSA’s current Optimal System Framework, which will achieve the capacity to permanently house all people who experience homelessness. Moving forward, much more attention will need to be placed upstream: making sure the 100,000 people on the verge of becoming homeless are supported before they lose their housing.

In my district, we have successfully housed, through interim and permanent housing, 40% of the people experiencing street homelessness as reported in the 2020 LAHSA Homeless Count. I plan to take this model citywide.

My Safer Streets LA Ballot Measure is the only comprehensive housing and accountability plan to eliminate street homelessness in the City of Los Angeles within three years of implementation. Please visit SaferStreets.LA for more information and read about our measurable outcomes:

Amends local municipal code to fully take advantage of the emergency powers conferred upon mayors by the California Emergency Services Act, allowing the mayor, in a declared State of Emergency, to urgently site interim housing, like shelters, tiny homes and safe camping, expedite city processes by cutting red tape
Require the mayor to create - and council to adopt and fund - a comprehensive, citywide plan to achieve “functional zero” chronic homelessness in three years
Outside independent auditors will evaluate progress towards this goal and have the power to cut elected officials pay (mayor, council and city attorney) if they do not meet it.
1. Beds must be provided for 50% of unhoused Los Angeles residents in the first fiscal year, or eighteen months after the next Los Angeles Mayor is sworn-in
2. 90% of unhoused Los Angeles residents must have a bed at the thirty-six month mark
3. If these goals are not met, City Council salaries will be deferred by the percentage deficit between beds available and the goal
4. This accountability clause will ensure politicians meet the moment on the largest humanitarian crisis in LA history.
Bans camping citywide when interim housing is available and offered, and at all times and all circumstances within 1,000 feet of any interim housing location
Persons who were LA residents for one year prior to becoming homeless will be offered two housing options.

No Excuses Homelessness Plan

A Safe City for Everyone

Expanding LAPD to 11,000 officers is absolutely possible but will require leadership from a mayor who's done their homework and knows how to navigate the hoops of city bureaucracy. While my opponents talk about their plans, I've already gotten to work cutting red tape so LAPD can bring on the sworn officers and civilian employees the department needs to keep Angelenos safe. Here is my plan to restore public safety in our city:

Hire civilians to fill the 400+ positions identified in the Controller's 2016 audit that are currently filled by sworn officers. Civilian hiring is quicker than sworn officers, and hiring 400 civilians saves $20 million over hiring 400 officers. I have already made a City Council motion in January putting this in motion.
Hire more background investigators and other staff at Personnel to more quickly process applications, and bring back retired staff from Personnel to assist (Charter section 1164).
Improve technology at Personnel Department to reduce reliance on manual paper processes.
Establish bonus / incentive for lateral transfers from other departments.
Temporarily transfer employees from other departments to assist Personnel (Charter section 233).

Community Safety Partnership, Senior Lead Officer Program & Beyond

Expand the programs to areas with high crime numbers and work with community members to establish a zero tolerance culture for violence of any type
Will work with the City Attorney and District Attorney to prosecute crimes
Community Intervention Workers: CIW’s are frontline workers when it comes to violence in our communities. They are lifelong experts in community relations and historical gang presence in Los Angeles, making them a pivotal part of our public safety system.
Prevention: We need to increase access to after school programs that keep young people away from crime. These programs can be life changing and we must facilitate and increase accessibility.
Rehabilitation: More job training programs that connect incarcerated individuals with opportunities for employment after they’ve served time. We will grow the partnership with labor and building trades to train people into sustainable careers.

Climate Action Plan

Climate change is the most pressing issue facing planet earth today. In the City of Los Angeles, we have made a long term commitment to creating a sustainable and livable city with the Sustain LA Plan. In my District, I have supported efforts to expand mobility choices and housing options to build neighborhoods where residents can live, work and play, thereby reducing their carbon footprint.

As an AQMD board member of nine years, we achieved the following goals:

$1 Billion in investments in clean technology, grants, truck programs, etc.
Pushed the limits of compliance with new rules and regulations that ensure industries are using the best technology and creating jobs.
Required refineries reduce nitrogen oxides emissions by nearly 50%.
Installed fence line sensors around the refineries to update nearby communities and AQMD with real-time emissions data.
Reduced emissions at warehouses through an incentive-based system that encourages solar panels, low emissions trucks, and building efficiency.

Transportation Action Plan

We have spent years expanding the public transportation network in LA, but we are still looking at a broken system. Two recent reports from LADOT and Metro told us what we already know: The transportation system in Los Angeles was not built for the ones who use it the most - women and other vulnerable populations. As Mayor, transportation safety, reliability, and affordability will be my main focus areas - we must have a transportation system that is accessible to everyone.

In my district, we have achieved great success to address the transportation loopholes in our system:

Silver line extension and electrification: In collaboration with the City, County, and LA Metro, created the Silver Line Express which offers a one-seat ride from San Pedro to Downtown LA. We are now supporting efforts to completely electrify the Silver Line.
Promoting transportation innovation: I’ve been the most vocal and proactive Councilmember when it comes to the intersection of transportation and innovation. The 15th district has served as the first pilot neighborhood on many groundbreaking transportation efforts in the public right of way, including electric bikes and scooters, electronic delivery devices, and innovative speed reduction measures. I have started the conversation on developing “smart streets” that are able to accommodate the future of transportation, such as Advanced Aerial Mobility (flying vehicles) and autonomous vehicles (self-driving cars).
Addressing street harassment on public transit and public spaces in the City: I initiated a public education campaign to bring awareness to the serious issue of street harassment and how we can help one another through collaborative measures like by-stander training
Bike surplus pilot: We made it possible to repurpose eligible surplus lost and stolen bikes to get them to youth in underserved communities via Eastside Riders.
2021 budget motion: I asked LADOT to create dedicated funding for women in transportation.
Increase Funding for Street Resurfacing: I led an effort to increase the fees charged to utility companies when they excavate a street to perform maintenance work and provided increased revenue for street resurfacing and slurry sealing.

An Affordable City for Everyone

Housing is too often seen as a divisive issue, where two sides debate whether new housing development is good or bad for existing neighborhoods. But what we’ve been able to accomplish in my city council district shows what’s possible if we bring all parties to the table and build consensus around what we all know – our city needs more affordable housing for our residents. By updating community plans in San Pedro and Wilmington/Harbor City, we’ve been able to green light new housing developments – including almost 800 units of permanent supportive housing for the homeless.

But there’s so much more we need to do citywide. In order to reach our ambitious housing goals – nearly 500,000 new units by 2031 – we have to build more, and we have to build smarter. That means having a clear-eyed focus on building more multi-family housing that is walking or biking distance from local shops, restaurants, and public transit. We need to complete our new zoning code to make the rules for new development easier to understand and employ. And we need to minimize the displacement of existing tenants by encouraging new mixed use development in commercial zones.