A Proven Record of Accomplishment

I have worked at UCSB since moving to the Santa Barbara community in 1997. My 27-year career at UCSB includes 17 years as an analyst in the Academic Senate (the faculty governance office) and 10 years in housing and student services where I supported student success in and out of the classroom. I have worked five years in live-in residential student housing on campus and in Isla Vista, and another five years as the Director of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Resources. 

My time at UCSB -- in addition to several other colleges I worked at previously -- has provided a wealth of experience in higher education administration: budgeting, campus planning, academic resource management, and a wide range of administrative responsibilities. This  knowledge of higher education, paired with my deep community connections, will allow me to get to work quickly to address the serious challenges facing Santa Barbara City College.

I have an extensive record of community service. I am currently finishing my second term on the Goleta City Council, having served our City and its residents for the past eight years, since 2016. In this role I have also served on various other community agencies, including as a Policy Board member of our City's power provider, Central Coast Community Energy (3CE); Board liaison to the Santa Barbara Airport Commission; Board member of the regional agency BEACON (Beach Erosion Authority for Clean Oceans & Nourishment); Girsh Park Foundation; Goleta Community Center; and others. 

Prior to my term on the City Council, I was an appointed member of the Parks & Recreation Commission, and I have also served as Board Co-President of the Fund for Santa Barbara and as President of my homeowners' association.

These experiences attest to my deep commitment to our community and my dedication to being a part of the solution. My life's philosophy embraces the words of sociologist Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

My experience ensuring fiscal responsibility at the City of Goleta will be invaluable as an SBCC Trustee. The College is currently experiencing potential dire budget challenges. 

I have experience strengthening the City's budget reserves, improving our investment policy, and supporting sound financial actions like the purchase of our City Hall and exploring ways to increase our revenues. In June we passed a balanced budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year, despite economic challenges and growing expenses.

As a City Councilmember I have been on the Finance & Audit Committee for the past 8 years, providing a close examination of our city's financial policies and helping to ensure our fiscal health. 

I have endorsed Measure P, and I encourage voters to support this important proposition to bring necessary funding to ensure affordable college education and career training and to address the maintenance needs of SBCC's campus facilities. 

SBCC students increasingly struggle with the high cost of living, especially housing and childcare. This has created a moral imperative to find better ways to address the affordability gap. The promise of a community college education is to allow anyone the ability to reach their educational goals, whether they are in the professional trades, as a means of transferring to another college/university to receive a higher degree, or to benefit from the life-long learning program. But this promise is being eroded as the cost of attending SBCC – in direct costs as well as the cost of living in our community – is increasingly out of reach for more and more of our residents.

There are a number of ways to address the budget deficit, but the bottom line is that SBCC’s ongoing costs need to be in line with revenues. While salaries and benefits are the largest expense at the college, we cannot rely on its faculty and staff to shoulder all the burden of reducing its costs. There are also increased savings that can be realized by investigating class sizes, faculty-student ratios, and other administrative inefficiencies.

Students and faculty at the college deserve to have high-quality facilities where they can learn and teach. The amount of deferred maintenance is increasing exponentially, and has become a downward spiral that is getting more and more difficult to get out of. Whether through a bond measure or other means of increasing revenue, additional sources must be found to maintain the campus facilities and reduce the skyrocketing deferred maintenance costs. This will mean having a long-term plan in place to address the capital needs of the campus over several years. A failure to address the needs of the facilities now will mean that it will be increasingly expensive to keep pace with the upkeep.

As a City Councilmember I have a proven record of stewardship for our capital assets that I will bring with me to City College, whose facilities are in need of upgrades and renewal. SBCC has millions in deferred maintenance needs that cannot be ignored. Under my leadership as a City Councilmember, Goleta has acquired our City Hall building -- which we had previously leased -- thereby saving taxpayers over $100,000 per year while building equity in a new facility. Last year the City also began construction of major seismic, health & safety, and accessibility upgrades to the Goleta Community Center, which will help take our 100-year old facility into the next century. I will apply my experience in protecting and maintaining capital and space assets to my role as a Trustee of City College.

Everyone in our community should have an opportunity for a City College education, but this ideal is not being realized. There continue to be disparities and inequities for underrepresented students, based on racial and socio-economic barriers. As I have as a Councilmember with the City of Goleta, I will support campus policies and initiatives that promote equity and ensure the accessibility of a City College education for all of our residents, no matter their race, ethnicity, gender identity, nationality, or economic status.
I have been an advocate for programs that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and initiatives that advance racial equality at the City of Goleta, including;

• The creation of a staff DEI Team to advise the City Manager on operationalizing the commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all dimensions of City government, and to design, coordinate, and organize the City’s DEI Plan and activities. 
• The creation of an Ad Hoc Committee of the City Council, the development of a DEI Plan, and outreach to the community and our regional peers.
• The designation of a DEI Officer in the Human Resources Division to support the DEI initiative by coordinating data collection and reporting, planning events and trainings, and monitoring best practices in the field of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in local government.

My time on the City Council has been defined by a very collaborative spirit which has led to many positive outcomes for our city and its residents. I have worked collaboratively with regional partners to reach mutually beneficial solutions, including issues relating to UCSB, Isla Vista, the City and County of Santa Barbara, and beyond. My experience has taught me the value of regional partnership, listening respectfully, and finding consensus whenever possible.