Maintaining Monte Sereno’s quality of life, public safety, emergency preparedness and fiscal responsibility are my top priorities.
Quality of Life
Retaining Monte Sereno’s rural environment is important – from the trees to the winding roads – the beauty of our little community is why it’s such an attractive place to live. We need to keep it that way.
Increasing housing density in Monte Sereno shouldn’t be a “Not in My Backyard” issue. Rather, geographic constraints such as hillsides with extreme fire risk, combined with limited road infrastructure, make Monte Sereno unsuitable for increased density.
This message must be communicated effectively to Sacramento.
I believe Monte Sereno should take a stronger leadership role in Silicon Valley. This can be achieved by electing credible City Council members who will fight to maintain our rural community, while partnering with neighboring communities for critical services such as garbage and recycling.
Further, our streets need improvement since they have degraded over the years and traffic is an issue with vehicles cutting through Daves and Ridgecrest to avoid delays on Highway 9 and Highway 17.
Public Safety
I support the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department and will oppose any changes that would result in a decreased level of service. Monte Sereno's single biggest line item in the budget is policing. The cost structure of the police department must be managed and I will endeavor to do so.
Emergency Preparedness
There are two major emergencies facing Monte Sereno residents - wildfires and earthquakes.
Wildfires
This year’s wildfires, coupled with the pandemic, are a wake-up call about the importance of being prepared for emergencies.
Planning wildfire escape routes in a rural community like Monte Sereno takes on new meaning when our neighbors’ homes over the hill are burning.
I will work to help build awareness of what PG&E is doing to manage the 235 kV transmission lines along Highway 85 and the parallel transmission line that goes over the El Sereno hillside. PG&E must increase the priority of installing new equipment to reduce unnecessary power outages affecting Monte Sereno. Specifically, PG&E must install sectionalizers to isolate segments of the power lines between Highway 9 and Highway 85 during PSPS shutoffs.
Earthquakes
Earthquakes are a part of life in California. Monte Sereno is located within miles of the San Andreas fault line so we must be prepared for earthquakes.
The Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department and Santa Clara County Fire Department sponsor CERT – the Community Emergency Response Team. Volunteers joining CERT start with an 8-week course that trains residents to respond to emergencies, particularly earthquakes. There are currently 18 CERT members in the North Santa Cruz Neighborhood that serves most of Monte Sereno. This is not enough if we are to survive “the big one,” when it’s anticipated police will be overwhelmed with calls.
In an earthquake, the cellular phone network will likely be overwhelmed, too. We will be on our own and responsible for ourselves.
That’s why I signed up for the CERT course that was set to start in May but was cancelled due to COVID-19. I will join the next class when the program resumes.
Post-certification, I will promote CERT to recruit new volunteers, resulting in an increased number of Monte Sereno residents who are trained to help.
Fiscal Responsibility
Establishing and managing the budget for the City of Monte Sereno is key to controlling property taxes. City Council has an opportunity to manage ongoing costs while investing in infrastructure. While some may prefer to keep cash on the balance sheet, others want to realize the benefits of improved streets and City-owned facilities.
For example, recent improvements brought our City Hall into compliance with ADA requirements. Also, moving the front desk closer to the parking lot and the new restroom will make life easier for both residents and employees. This investment should not be looked at as an operating expenditure but as a long-overdue capital improvement.
Our litigation costs are excessive and entirely preventable. I would much prefer to see money invested in ways to make our City better rather than paying outrageous legal fees.