We have come a long way as a community since I took office in 2011 in the depths of the Great Recession. Our city’s unemployment rate was 18% and our budget was running a multi-million dollar deficit. Within a few months of being sworn into office, the cities of Stockton, San Bernardino and Mammoth Lakes had filed for bankruptcy. I was concerned for our city’s fiscal health and was determined that we would change our course so that we would not follow them. Although the city council only acts as a collective body, I am happy to say that I was a driving force in implementing many policy changes that we are benefiting from today. Here are a few examples:

Economic Development Accomplishments

City fees reduced by 55%. I promised that I would fight hard to reduce the cost of doing business in Merced for companies that want to relocate or expand here and employ our residents. I worked many hours with our business community, city staff and my city council colleagues to reduce fees by 55%. This has had a significant impact on job growth locally. Others talked about doing this, I was one of the key players that made it a reality.

$1,000 business retention and attraction plan. I introduced a business attraction and retention plan for small businesses. Under my plan, new or expanding businesses receive $1,000 from the city if they open or expand in our city and we ensure that they get free help with their business plan from the Small Business Development Center in order to be successful. Numerous small businesses have taken advantage of this opportunity. This money can be used to purchase inventory, renovate their building, market their services or other related activities.

Downtown Venture Lab. I reached out to partner with UC Merced to create a business accelerator for young entrepreneurs that want to build start-ups in Merced. Drawing on my background working in Silicon Valley, UC Merced partnered with the city and opened the UC Merced Venture Lab in 2015 in a previously vacant office space downtown. Entrepreneurs now fill the space and I mentor many of the young founders.

Crime Reduction Accomplishments

Disruptive Area Response Team. The city council added a new unit of officers to the police department. I was supportive of our police chief’s recommendation that a DART squad be created that would focus on enforcing laws with respect to aggressive panhandling, prostitution, illegal camping and similar issues that plague our city. This team has made a significant impact in combating these issues.

Crime fighting technology. Our police officers have access to new technology to prevent and solve crime, such as license plate reading cameras and predictive policing software that have proven effective in larger cities.

Feet Changing Lives. A group of local clergy have begun walking the most violent neighborhoods of our city each week encouraging local residents to take back their streets. When these clergy introduced me to their desire to start this program in Merced that has been successful in other cities, we traveled together to learn more about these programs and how we could implement them here. They are now making a real impact in our neighborhoods and I support their efforts on the city council and provide pro bono legal help to their organization.

Fiscal Accomplishments

Balanced budgets.  Despite reduced revenue, I have fought hard to achieve balanced budgets. Our city staff knows that I will not approve an unbalanced budget and I spend hours finding ways to reduce expenses and redundancies and return local tax dollars back from Sacramento.

Online budgeting tool for the public. I was key in getting the city to make all of its real-time financial data available to the public through a partnership that I proposed with OpenGov. Today, any member of the public can easily understand the sources of the city’s revenue and how we spend each dollar.

No police or firefighter layoffs. Despite reduced revenues, I fought hard to ensure that no police officers or firefighters would be laid off. Recently, I have fought hard to add additional officers to our ranks.

Quality of Life Accomplishments

125th Anniversary Celebration. I saw the need to celebrate our city’s 125th anniversary and was the co-chairman of the year’s festivities that included the return of Mercy Gulch Days (a longstanding downtown tradition that had disappeared), a daylong concert in Courthouse Park, and a special ceremony in the Merced Theatre on founders’ day.

Swimming pools, downtown Art Hop, Boys and Girls Club, youth activities. During my time on the city council, we opened the swimming pool at McNamara Park that a prior city council closed. I have been an advocate for keeping the community pool at Stephen Leonard Park and have provided funding to the Art Hop, a quarterly family-friendly artistic gathering, and the Boys and Girls Club. I have also supported the recent opening of two youth centers in south Merced.

UC Merced expansion. UC Merced has plans to double its footprint and increase its student body population to 10,000 students by 2020. In order to do so, the campus is relying on increased water and sewer service from the city. I was influential in helping the city and the campus negotiate a mutually beneficial arrangement that will be the legal framework between the parties for years to come.

Light Up the Night. I believe that when neighbors know each other and their homes are well lit their neighborhoods become safer. I partnered with PG&E who provided free energy efficient light bulbs to residents around McNamara Park. Residents gathered at the park and used the light bulbs to keep their porches lit at night. The event was so successful that we did the event the following year in the Loughborough neighborhood.

Water conservation. Faced with a multiyear drought and a state mandate to reduce citywide water consumption by 36%, I helped convene a citizen’s committee to address the issue. Through the use of better water management policies and public cooperation, our city has met (and in some cases exceeded) this requirement.