My Record at Council

February 15, 2022

My first time on the record. I asked the council a simple question: when is the new playground going in. Staff said plans were under review and construction would start soon. Small ask, but it set the tone. I wanted to know what was happening to the park near my home, and I wasn't going to wait to find out.

March 15, 2022

Spoke up during the council's first real debate over short-term rental rules. I told the council directly that running an STR is what lets me afford my mortgage in Sand City, and that a hard cap with a waiting list could put my home at risk. I pushed back on requiring six months of prior TOT records, and suggested two to three months was more reasonable. Later in the same meeting I made clear I support STRs, that my own rental gets used by family during the holidays, and that my property has four parking spaces, directly answering the parking concerns other residents raised.

May 17, 2022

Back at council as the STR ordinance took shape. I talked about what owning a home in Sand City has meant for me, said I support the ordinance, and made the point that nobody wants bad actors running short-term rentals in this city. I'm a Superhost, held to Airbnb's own community standards on top of whatever the city requires.

July 5, 2022

Two separate items. First, I asked the city manager directly why Sand City wasn't considering raising the transactions and use tax to 9.5 percent instead of 9.25 percent, and raised concerns about lost desalination plant revenue. Later that night, when the council adopted the short-term rental permit cap and fee structure, I thanked them for not shutting STRs down and said I welcomed home inspections, since they protect property values across the city.

January 17, 2023

Asked a procedural question about when public comment would be heard on an upcoming agenda item, making sure residents would have a real chance to weigh in when it mattered.

February 7, 2023

Spoke on the proposed Monterey County Tourism Improvement District, noting that as an STR owner already paying a 12 percent TOT, it made sense for the city to be part of the district. Staff was directed to follow up with both me and the South of Tioga developer, as TOT-paying tourism businesses, and to bring the item back to council.

February 21, 2023

Public comment on the Housing Element Update presentation from EMC Planning Group, part of the city's long-range work on the 6th Cycle Housing Element.

March 21, 2023

A full night of engagement: spoke on declaring a vacancy on the city council, weighed in on the direction of the we.Mural Festival, and commented on the city budget amendment. Three separate agenda items, three separate times at the podium.

April 4, 2023

Put my name forward to fill a vacant council seat. After candidate presentations, the council's first round of voting placed me among the top three finalists, with two council members listing me as one of their top two choices alongside Michelle Adams and Marilee Diaz. I also spoke during the presentation portion of that meeting.

April 18, 2023

Returned to the dais as a finalist for the vacant council seat, alongside Michelle Adams and Marilee Diaz, and spoke during the SURF! Busway and Bus Rapid Transit presentation from Monterey-Salinas Transit, a project I still support as a way to connect Sand City to the broader region without adding more cars to the road. The council's final vote went to another candidate, but reaching the final round of two appointment processes in three years speaks to the trust I've built with this council and this community.

January 16, 2024

Active across three separate items in one night: general communications, the first reading of the city's new administrative enforcement and citations ordinance, and the Planning and Building Department's fee schedule update.

February 20, 2024

Spoke during communications, on the consent calendar, on the audited financial statements for the prior fiscal year, and on proposed updates to Planning, Building, and Engineering fees. Four separate items, the kind of meeting where staying engaged from start to finish actually matters.

March 5, 2024

A packed agenda. I spoke during communications, weighed in during a presentation on the Catalina Avenue and Contra Costa Avenue stormwater improvement project, addressed how the city should allocate its remaining Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, and spoke in favor of continuing remote public participation in council meetings, a position the council adopted unanimously.

August 20, 2024

Five items in one night. I spoke during communications, on the city's SB 1 road repair project list, on the short-term rental permit cap, where the council ultimately held the cap at fifteen, and on the city's application to the state's Prohousing Designation Program, a status that helps cities access more state housing funding.

September 17, 2024

Spoke on the artist renderings for the 2024 we.Mural Festival and on a revision to the city's Facade Improvement Program, which helps property and business owners upgrade storefronts.

October 1, 2024

Weighed in on the first reading of the city's new commercial cannabis ordinance and spoke during discussion of the RFP for planning and running the 2025 West End Celebration, an event central to Sand City's identity as a creative, business-friendly community.

November 5, 2024

One of my most active nights on record. I spoke during general communications, on the procedures for issuing storefront cannabis retail permits, on the draft conceptual plans for the Sand City Coastal Trail, on the conceptual plans for the city's multiuse trail, and on amending EMC Planning Group's contract to fund long-range planning work through 2027. Five agenda items, each one shaping how this city grows over the next several years.

February 18, 2025

Spoke during general communications and again on the conditional use permit for The Yard, a proposed food truck park and community event space on Dias Avenue, an item that drew significant public turnout on both sides.

September 16, 2025

Active three times in one meeting: during communications, during the recap and planning discussion for the 2025 and 2026 West End Celebrations, and during the council's discussion of joining the Monterey County Tourism Improvement District, a topic I'd first raised back in February 2023.

December 16, 2025

Spoke on declaring a new vacancy on the city council and again on the city's decision to fund a new full-time police officer position, a direct investment in public safety for Sand City residents.

January 20, 2026

A four-item night: communications, the presentation on the city's new website, the purchase of three new city vehicles, and the city's acceptance of a $200,000 state grant to fund an electric street sweeper.

February 3, 2026

Spoke during the consent calendar, then put my name forward a second time to fill a vacant council seat, joining two other finalists for interviews. In the first round of voting, Vice Mayor Blackwelder named me as one of her top two choices. Kim Scudder ultimately won the seat, but it marked the second time in three years that I stepped up to serve when this city needed someone to fill the gap.