Portfolio > Government
 
Partnering with government is the most effective way to advance private, neighborhood and community initiatives. Whether it is a private land development or solving neighborhood problems, a positive working relationship assures that both parties are respecting their individual needs while working towards a common solution.
 
Recent Issues

• I have been a private advisor and outspoken participant on public policy issues as diverse as redistricting, formation of a managing entity for a business improvement district, medical marijuana, fire pits, beach advertising, parks, coastal access, farmer's market, privately-funded public art, and, protecting community engagement in city processes.

 
Recent Appointments

• Member, Avenida de la Playa Construction Mitigation Advisory Group.
• Member, Captain's Advisory Board, Northern Division, San Diego Police Department.
• Member, Mid-Coast Corridor Transit Project Working Group, San Diego Association of Governments.
• Chair, City of San Diego Wireless Stakeholder's Review Committee.

 
Recent Speaking Engagements

• Community Education Session, North Coast Highway 101 Streetscape Project, Encinitas, CA.
• Product Demonstration Showcase (Roundabouts), Federal Highway Administration.
• Monthly Walking Tour, WalkSanDiego
• Center City Advisory Committee
• University of San Diego Graduate Real Estate Program

 
Coast & Canyons Plan - The New Council District 1, Lead Advocate
2011

• Accelerated grassroots campaign to define the new Council District 1 as part of the City of San Diego redistricting. Prepare plan and campaign, secure endorsements, coordinate with core community leaders, coordinate with commission staff and advocates of competing proposals, frequent speaker at the public hearings. Plan received unanimous support across the proposed district, endorsement by major community organizations, and was adopted in whole by the Commission.

 
City of San Diego Wireless Stakeholder's Review Committee, Chair
2010

• Appointed by Mayor Jerry Sanders to chair the Stakeholders Review Committee (SRC) to review implementation of the Wireless Regulations and provide recommendations for potential modifications to the policy and/or the municipal code. A renewal process for existing sites and other modifications may be considered to ensure that the Wireless Regulations are effective and take all potential impacts into account, including the impact of removal of an existing site on wireless communications in the City. SRC was composed of 8 members of the wireless industry and 8 members appointed by each of the city councilmembers.

 
Formation of Bird Rock Maintenance Assessment District
2005

• As a community leader I helped organize and advance a grass-roots effort to form the district, successfully navigating the regulatory process and leading an community outreach program. The District was the first in the city to be formed in an existing neighborhood based on a collaboration between residents and merchants. Upon formation, I led the district from start-up to stabilized operation including negotiating the local management contract; hiring the landscape contractor, a day to day manager, and an auditor; and, establishing internal protocols and processes with the city.

 
Education

• I chaired the School Site Council at my daughter's elementary school and was involved in budgeting discretionary funding. I later served on the School Governance Team at the middle school. Both groups operated on a shared-decision model involving parents, school staff, and the principal.

 
Public Facilities, Project Engineer

• I started my professional life as a civil engineer including my first job at the U.S. Forest Service and then embarking on study and design of a diverse set of public projects. In the San Diego area, representative projects that I engineered include the Bayfront and the 12th&Imperial Trolley Stations, El Cajon Boulevard Median Improvements, Valley Verde Park, school science buildings, public libraries, railroad tracks at naval facilities, and, infrastructure repairs at nearly every naval installation in San Diego and Imperial County.