Tell us about your background. How does this qualify you to lead the city?

I first moved to Burbank in 2004 from my hometown in northern California. Since then, I

have lived all over southern California and returned to Burbank several times.

My years of experience in property management and lease negotiation makes me

uniquely qualified to tackle Burbank’s rising housing costs, which in turn adversely affect

local businesses run by local citizens. Property owners who are out of touch with the

local economy tend to make uninformed investments and expansions. My goal is to keep

the informational power in the hands of thriving local small businesses.

As a ride-share operator, I have seen first-hand an increase in the number of carpool

users and a maximized use of clean-air vehicles. I am currently in talks with these

rideshare companies to get involved at the city level and revamp the Burbank bus

system, in hopes of lowering the total number of cars owned and increasing total bus

ridership.

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For the last year, I have been a community manager and content curator for Disability

Action for America (formerly Disability Action for Hillary). Since 2014, I have been an

active member of the Autism Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), joining protests and

marches to bring awareness and reduce stigma about mental health and autism rights.

For the last 15 years, I have been a performer, teacher, and manager for ComedySportz,

an improv theater company with 30 locations nationwide. Being committed to a single

organization for such a long time, I have become accustomed to working with the good

and the bad changes and not letting disappointment cloud or dissuade my efforts.

 

Why are you running for city council? What are the outcomes you intend to work

towards if elected?

I'm running because Burbank is a vibrant city mired in old thinking. I firmly believe that a

new voice needs to be heard in Burbank. Many large projects and expansions are

underway or soon to be underway in the city, and my concern is that growth without

oversight would do much to harm working families and the environment and compromise

our small-town legacy. I want to be an agent of change for the betterment of Burbank.

In my four-year term as Burbank City Council member, I aim to:

1. Pass twenty-first-century rent control in the City of Burbank

2. Build a homeless shelter and ensure it is staffed with dedicated caseworkers

3. Increase our total number of full-time police officers by incentivizing community-based

hiring practices

 

What are the biggest challenges facing Burbank?

During the lead-up to November 8, there was a large misinformation campaign

presented to Burbank residents in favor of Measure B. I call it a “misinformation”

campaign not because people knew the truth and presented the opposite, but because

no one knew the truth and speculation was rampant. As your elected official, I will make

certain that more concrete plans are presented to the public to create a more informed

constituency.

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As a city, we must strive to maintain absolute transparency. Any association that works

with city funds must be held to the highest standard. As your city council member, I will

work to pass legislation that will mandate that all independent associations that work

with city funds record their meetings and publish these recordings within 24 hours of

completion.

 

A lot of the panic from the larger players in Burbank politics is about our city’s deficit.

That’s all that I hear from the top dogs in town. What it looks like to me is that the City

Council is trying to be the solvers of problems for a very specific group of people. They

want to bring in large developments, to increase taxes and jobs, and “fix the city.” Largescale

developments and high-priced housing do not benefit the middle class – the

backbone of any suburban city with a small-town legacy. As council member, I will work

with any developers who want to build in Burbank as long as they seek to build

affordable housing, add well-paying jobs, are pro-union, pro-environment, and seek to

reinvest their profits back into the city.

 

Residents love Burbank for its "Maywood" feel. How do we preserve it?

Maywood, California, east of Los Angeles, has its own individuality and issues, and I

think Burbank needs to solve its own unique problems. However, as an avid watcher of

The Andy Griffith Show in my youth, I love the small-town feel of his fictional home of

Mayberry. The only way Burbank can preserve its integrity as a quiet suburb is to enact

a rent stabilization ordinance that allows long-term residents the power to control their

own destinies.

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Everyone in our neighborhood loves Magnolia Park, but we see many small

businesses struggle. What can the city do to help this situation?

Property Value Transparency. Burbank needs a dependable system that allows both the

property owner and tenant to accurately and anonymously assess the real property

value of their lot based on quarterly earnings divided by square footage. This will allow a

level playing field for more equitable contract negotiations. When shop owners can

communicate their profit margin effectively with landlords, more symbiotic relationships

can develop in Magnolia Park, allowing small businesses to thrive.

 

Housing is becoming increasingly unaffordable in Burbank, but many residents

also don't want to see the population and housing becoming denser. Is there any

way to reconcile this problem? What is your position on what needs to be done?

How would an increase in population affect our schools?

You cannot have it both ways. Either the city grows, or the city stagnates. I propose that

we maintain high-quality education, affordable housing, and safe streets while allowing

the city to grow organically. We do this by keeping a close eye on which developers we

allow to build, and which policies work best for the middle class – the prosperity of which

is the hallmark of any successful city. You cannot stop growth. Progress is a straight

line, and the best way to navigate is to stay in front of it.

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With the new airport, planned hotels and high-density residences on Hollywood

Way, many residents are concerned about traffic congestion. What is your

position on this?

The City of Burbank has already implemented timers on the stoplights downtown to

create a better flow of traffic. I would like to add these timers city-wide and also invest in

alternative transportation options like Metro Bike Share, a partnership with Lyft to invent

a new style of on-demand city shuttle, and investment in light rail to connect North

Hollywood with Glendale.

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Speaking of the new airport, what is planned for the property adjacent to the

airport which was sold to Overton Moore Properties? And what is becoming of the

planned transportation hub now that the bullet train is being built from the North

to the South with the Burbank portion not being completed until at least 2029?

The Avion space has yet to be finalized, but if you'd like to keep track of its progress,

here's an excellent resource on the Burbank website. I myself will be keeping a close

eye on this. If you have any concerns please contact me.

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With regards to the high-speed rail, we will have a long construction period, but I'm

confident that the people of the surrounding area will appreciate the transportation

services, the increased tax revenue, and the higher attention paid by the city to keeping

services and public work in tip-top shape in neighboring communities.

 

The voter participation rate for the last city council election was 16.6% in 2015. It

seems unhealthy for a democracy to have such a low rate of participation. What

can the city council do to increase citizens' involvement in their local government?

When elected officials fail to interact with their citizens, fewer people vote. The heart of

my campaign and the very core of my belief is that I want to reach out to the people

whom I represent. I make it a point to be at public functions, to join local political events

and rallies, and above all, capitalize on the availability and ubiquity of social media. The

ability to pull out your phone and voice a concern directly to your council member will

change the very nature of how citizens participate in their city government.

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