Why are you running, and what makes you qualified to serve on City Council?

I’ve called this community home for three-quarters of my life. My deep local roots give me a direct, lived understanding of our neighborhoods. You don’t need a seat on an advisory board to know what’s happening in your own community.

At the same time, effective governance requires technical skill. With a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University and over a decade of professional policy and communications experience, I bring the analytical discipline needed to audit multi-million dollar budgets, scrutinize land-use agreements, and deliver fiscally sensible, data-driven solutions for our residents on day one.

There has been media coverage about your past public comments on the proposed Sutter Health project. What is your stance on this development?

My previous public comments evaluated the initial, unmitigated concept proposal as first presented to city bodies. Based on the initial numbers, that draft proposal lacked necessary financial mitigations, community benefits, and infrastructure protections for Emeryville residents. Pointing out those initial flaws was necessary to ensure the city mandated a comprehensive Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and technical review.

An EIR naturally transforms any development. The project that ultimately comes before the City Council after environmental review will look substantially different from the original draft proposal. If elected, I will judge the revised proposal strictly on its merits, the environmental record, and the evidence presented at the formal public hearing. My commitment is not to blind opposition or rubber-stamping, but to holding every project applicant to the highest standard of fiscal and community accountability.

For more information, check out my Sutter Health page.

Will you have to recuse yourself from voting on the Sutter Health project due to where you live?

No. California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) rules govern real property conflicts of interest through precise geographic thresholds and financial impact tests.

Under FPPC Regulation 18702.2:

• Property Ownership: FPPC real property rules exist to prevent public officials from voting on matters that directly enrich their personal property values. Because I am a renter and do not own real estate, I have no personal financial ownership interest in neighboring land values.
• Proximity: My residence is roughly 1,320 feet (a quarter of a mile) from the hospital site—well outside the 500-foot “presumed conflict” zone established by state law.

Because I have no disqualifying financial interest under California law, I am fully eligible and legally prepared to review, question, and vote on the final project on the dais.

Have you previously served on an Emeryville City Board or Commission?

No, and that brings a fresh, highly independent perspective to City Hall. Having lived in or around Emeryville for three-quarters of my life, my understanding of our community comes from decades of lived experience—growing up here and seeing how city policies affect everyday residents in the Triangle, Emery Bay Village, and other Emeryville (and North Oakland) neighborhoods.

While appointed boards provide advisory input, City Council requires direct policy leadership, fiscal oversight, and executive governance. With a Master’s in Public Policy from Georgetown University and more than ten years of professional experience analyzing and communicating about complex policy, I bring the technical readiness to read 500-page EIRs, audit municipal budgets, and deliver results for our residents on day one.

Do you want to “de-Flock” Emeryville?

Yes. While the idea behind technology like automated license plate readers (ALPRs, commonly referred to as “Flock cameras”) is sound, Flock has proven time and again that they are not a trustworthy steward of personal information. While I’m confident that Emeryville PD is using this technology ethically, bad actors can access Flock data they shouldn’t, despite what Flock and some elected officials will tell you. Some level of monitoring is beneficial in preventing crime, so I would like the City of Emeryville to terminate any agreements with Flock as soon as possible and form a local coalition with Oakland and Berkeley to implement closed circuit monitoring that is insulated from any and all access by private entities or the federal government.