Priorities

Public Safety:

City is virtually bankrupt and a Super Majority City Council that is destroying our trust, operating with limited transparency and little regard for the best interest of the residents . Because the WCCC are elected Officials that are shrouded in politics it is difficult to correct the problems at City Hall!

Public Safety, School Safety and Traffic Safety is my first priority. The residents of West Covina should feel safe in their homes and able to enjoy a drive or walk through their neighborhoods as we did in the past. Some of my neighbors are really concerned about home break-ins. Many people are failing to stop at stop signs, involved in speed contest, burning rubber in circles at intersections and often times damaging and knocking down stop signs. Our Police Force is understaffed and in need of new technology. WCFD Station #1 has been declared unsafe to occupy. Our West Covina City Council should not be wasting money, already approaching a cost of One Million Dollars, to establish a very expensive, unnecessary, unattainable and independent from the L.A. County Health Department, a City of West Covina Health department!

On Tuesday, October 04, 2022 the WCCC voted for a 15% City Employee pay increase and Taxpayer money attempting to transform the West Covina Sportsplex from a baseball venue into a social and destination center is problematic! The greater the debt, the fewer services for the residents!

My solution: Immediately that almost One Million Dollars should be repurposed towards our Public Safety concerns; because, we are already paying Los Angeles County through our property taxes for our Public Health Services and they have an office in our City that we can collaborate with and customize our Public Health Service requirements ! At this time we are wasting money paying twice for our Public Health Service. Increasing the budget for our Police Force will assist our Officers to better fight crime, help reduce response time to calls for service, increase crime prevention patrol, strengthen our investigation Departments and heighten police visibility and availability citywide. Remember our police protect and serve 110,000 people, seven different Unified School Districts, two retail malls, an auto mall, numerous strip malls and hundreds of small businesses in an approximately 17 square mile area. The greater the debt the fewer services for the residents!

We must support and honor our Senior Citizens; especially those in a fixed income situation. To honor them I commissioned the City of West Covina Centenarian Recognition Program.

Disaster relief support and neighborhood watch groups helping understaffed public safety:

To assist our understaffed Public Safety Departments we need to work with Community leaders and form more Neighborhood Watch Groups which we can train residents as "First Responders For Emergencies and Disasters". The City of West Covina needs and can be better prepared for man made and natural disasters. Calls for service to our police station can take up to 30 minutes or more in response time! That is unacceptable in an emergency where time is critical; especially if ones life is at serious risk.

My solution: As a former LA county Deputy Sheriff I know what it's like when there isn't enough Police Officers to help answer calls for service, even more so when a devastating earthquake or other major disaster occurs. I know with our very diverse West Covina residents working together and, where feasible, forming Joint Neighborhood Watch and Crime Watch Groups we can make our community safer without adding more expenses to our budget problems while also adding knowledgeable extra eyes and ears that are attached and have a vested interest in their community to help our police officers better fight crime and serve the public. This will also make our public safety more community based. The community will be more cohesive, involved and there will be improved civic engagement.

Rebuilding our City facilities, and infrastructure:

Too many streets are riddled with potholes. Recreational centers for our youth are falling apart, many of the City Park restrooms are atrocious and our sidewalks are buckling and blocked by overgrown vegetation and illegal dumping of home furnishings and etcetera. While this is going on the City Council would rather keep the focus on issues that line the pocket of their campaign donors, increase their campaign donations and enhance their future political endeavors and deal with the problem later causing more decay to our city facilities and infrastructure which makes fixing the problems more expensive. Currently the City Council is selling the City Yard located at the Southwest corner of Cameron Avenue and Sunset Avenue; so, what is the next irreplaceable City asset to be sold by the West Covina City Council (also known as consultants and silent business partners to Land Developers and some City Contractors)?

My solution: Fire Station #1 has been declared unsafe and must be rebuilt at the original site for the best logistics of the West Covina Fire Department Districts. We should refrain from selling the City Yard, any additional City Parks and other terrestrial resources. We must rebuild and can improve our City's infrastructure through many grants in order to repair streets, sidewalks, our Fire and Police Stations; the same as other Cities have received City improvement grants from philanthropist, the State of California and the Federal Government while also having a balanced budget. With help from these infrastructure grants we can make many improvements without prolonging much needed repairs. Bad roads make our City look bad, are costly in litigation, repairs and inconveniences. With transparency the WCCC and the residents need to discuss can we afford not to pass an increase in sales tax initiative in order to build back our City? And keep in mind that our Athens Services Trash Bill already has a stealth tax (see franchise fee?) and another one is being considered by the current WCCC Super Majority!

Homeless Crisis:

Our homelessness problem must be addressed as a serious threat to our Public Safety and Health, and it increases illegal dumping, blight, littering and calls of all types for police service! Our City Council members must vigorously concentrate all available resources and work with every level of government to bring the services that can humanely solve the cost of housing, the lack of marketable skills, unemployment, drug abuse, mental health challenges and other situations that are the reasons why the homeless are living in the streets and in our Open Green Spaces!

My solution: I will make sure the City collaborates with Federal, State and the L.A. County Department of Public Social Services and use my close connection with our board supervisor Hilda Solis and get our City enough resources to address the ongoing and increasing homeless crisis decimating our beloved City and the neighboring communities.

Getting West Covina Back on track with our most basic services:

I will get our City back to the basics of City Services. Our Mall Jewelry Stores are becoming the targets of smash-and-grab robbers. The residents should feel safe in their homes and able to enjoy a drive or walk through their neighborhoods without fear for the safety as we did in the past. Many people are failing to stop at stop signs, involved in speed contest, burning rubber in circles at intersections and often times damaging and knocking down stop signs. Some of our Open Green Spaces have become unkempt with trees and bushes that are now blocking the views from some homes that are built on the hills of our City. Most of the hillsides in our community have become blemished fire hazards with lots of dead plant debris with some having inoperable irrigation systems. The hiking trail between Giano Ave and Shakespeare Drive is now a locked Greenspace for the homeless and has become an illegal dumping site (and are starting to look a lot like a Municipal Dump)!

My solution: The Residents, our Businesses and City Staff must have town Hall Meeting(s) as soon as possible to help our businesses and clarify the problems in the Landscaping Contract for the residents and ensure that City Staff understands their mission and makes the necessary corrections.

From Bankruptcy to a balanced budget:

Too often the City Council members are involved in the illegal and the legal type of corruption (kickbacks and bribery) and underrepresent the residents when making very important decisions causing deep budget problems. When City Councilmembers are an integral part of the problem, they tend to make matters worse. This is clearly the issue with the City of West Covina in 2022.

Approximately 20 years ago that Majority WCCC failed at their fiduciary responsibility and the current WCCC is committing the same act! The City of West Covina's government started descending towards bankruptcy when the Majority of the City Council put the residents as the lowest priority at City Hall. After the City Council gets re-elected they forget about the voters and resume converting Taxpayer Dollars and Resources into private gain.

I am angry because the residents have been cheated, betrayed and in some cases they were robbed. And, no one has been prosecuted due to the law that limits the time a person can face legal proceedings after they have committed a crime (Statue of limitations)!

Convincing you to vote for them with your tax money is easy when the majority of us do not care and are not involved with our governance and City Hall!

The Community Redevelopment Commission was one way the City Council gave Millionaires Millions of West Covina Taxpayer Dollars; via loans that did not have to be payed back. Then the Land Developers gave to their political campaigns. Different from the majority of the residents the Land Developers, City Contractors and the City Employee Unions know the value of being connected to City Hall (Your Taxpayer Dollars) and ensuring who gets elected.

The 3% at 50 years of age City Employee Retirement Plan plus other post employment benefits are taking away much of the money needed for City Services. The current WCCC for D5 increased the problems by leading vote of the majority in giving a 12% pay raise in 2019 and on Tuesday, October 04, 2022 a 15% raise. The WCFD and WCPD Employee Unions then endorsed his campaign for reelection 2022.

Some people voted for him because they saw him walking on their street. Others because he promised to build a major resort hotel on a former City Dump. Some voted for him because they fail to realize that annual street repairs only get done when that candidate is running for reelection. Voting without verifying is an ongoing problem.

Wu is proceeding to establish an unnecessary and very expensive West Covina Health Department without money in the budget to pay the cost. This constant deficit spending has the West Covina Taxpayers on the path to paying a debt of approximately $300 Million when the City revenue is only approximately $65 Million a year! The question is not if but when will the City of West Covina declare bankruptcy?

My solution: Ignoring our financial problem is not a solution and it is urgent that we stop the taking by false pretenses and the misappropriating of our precious Taxpayer Dollars and City Resources! The Residents and voters of West Covina MUST be a priority at ALL TIMES not just during election season. Establishing budget committees with residents from the city as well as independent auditors will help set us on the right path financially. What will take us off the financial cliff of bankruptcy is the elimination of the very expensive and unattainable West Covina Health Department. And, the West Covina Sportsplex must be redefined so it can help pay for itself!

Restoring Trust and Transparency at City Hall means putting people first:

The City of West Covina's government started progressing towards bankruptcy and away from transparency when the Majority of the City Council put the residents as the lowest priority at City Hall. After they get re-elected they forget about the People and start converting Taxpayer Dollars and Resources into personal and private gain. The residents and the voters only become the paramountcy (important) to the City Council members during election season)!

Our City Council must put the people first and need to listen to the residents. Transparency and trust will not happen at City Hall if we fail to hold Council members accountable for promises made and not delivered.

My solution: "Progress Through Change"; different leadership equals different focus. My character and reputation; combined with my record of a lifetime of dedicated Community Service is proof that I put the people first. And working with my neighbors to keep Shadow Oak Park at 25 acres and to protect and improve our community you can be confident that I will work to advance the best interest of the residents, I will ALWAYS put the people first!

Our City Parks make life better, our open green spaces helps generate oxygen, clean the air, helps to lower the temperature in our densely populated neighborhoods, improves our quality of life and helps us and our pets live longer. When the wrong people are at City Hall our Parks, Paseos and Open Green Spaces are locked, not well maintained, are places for homeless encampments and at risk of being sold to Land Developers!

Natural space has a value that will increase going forward in time. FS

The West Covina co-located Former BKK City Dump can be a Regional Park as once promised and think of its value to the community in the year 3022!

https://www.pressreader.com/usa/los-angeles-times/20220818/281496460074731

https://www.livablewestcovina.org/

Eliminate fraud and corruption. Implement background checks on Elected and Appointed Officials:

Our Council members should not be controlled by the undue influence of anyone or any group! Including Special interest from property developers or big businesses. Because the residents pay for contracted City Services. the residents should have more power regarding the terms of City Contracts, including Trash Hauling and Street Sweeping. The voters control City Hall; but, only when they are involved and vote with awareness and the verification of who can be trusted not to betray the people.

My solution: Short and simple, put the interest of the people first. Must stop the WCCC from profiteering and converting Taxpayer Dollars and Resources into political and personal benefit!

Helping small businesses stay in West Covina & working to keep the unemployment rate low.

The Covid-19 pandemic destroyed many lives and closed our small businesses, some reopened but many didn't come back. People were let go losing their sense of job security. West Covina was voted one of the most business friendly cities to open a business in Southern California. Our current City Council is still business friendly but only if you are BIG business. Often times in West Covina small businesses get bullied and pushed out if they don't bend to the will of my opponent and their BIG business donors. Small businesses are the backbone of the economy for West Covina and deserve just as much of a helping hand as the BIG businesses.

My solution: City Hall must continue to guide new businesses on how to open in the City of West Covina. Give small businesses in West Covina tax incentives if 25% of their workforce are West Covina residents. This will help keep small businesses in West Covina while also tackling the unemployment rate. Another incentive will be cutting the upfront cost for business licenses to new small businesses to help them place roots in West Covina. These Solutions will help West Covina maintain its economy while keeping money local.