2023 Accomplishments:
-Secondhand Smoke Prevention Policies banning all smoking in Multi-Family Residential (2+ Units) and Public Events https://youtu.be/-Y4Whgt6eig
-Continued "Their Ought to Be a Law" program under my office
-Hosted Free Community Bike Ride & Education Event
-Attended CivicWell's annual Policymakers Conference
-Resolution Month of April Arts, Culture, & Creativity Month
-Gilroy City Purchasing Policy Updated to Include Wage Theft
-Hosted Bike to Work Day Station at Gilroy Transit Center
-Continued Bike Person of the Year Award
-8 legislative items added to our City Council work plan for FY24 & FY25
-Tabled at Gilroy Library's Free Bike Repair Day
-I am proud to have worked with State Senator John Laird, SD-17 on identifying the Gateway Senior Apartments Pedestrian Crossing Safety Improvements project and excited to announce that the City of Gilroy will be receiving $350,000 as a part of the recently adopted 2023-2024 State Budget. This project will install a High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk (HAWK), high visibility crosswalk improvements, and curb ramps to provide a safe pedestrian crossing of Monterey Road in front of the Gateway Senior Apartments, and build off the recent successes of community based programs that are a benefit to our residents
-Worked with Gavilan College Board of Trustees and President in providing letter of support for the Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program to provide student housing
-Worked with Gilroy's AFSCME Local 101 and Gilroy Firefighters Local 2805 to ensure a daily increase of 3 to our Public Safety Dispatchers for FY25
-Sponsored the New Ballet | San Jose Nutcracker for a performance during Third Friday Art Walk in Downtown Gilroy
-City of Gilroy Housing Element 2023-2031 (Gilroy's 8 Year Housing Plan) Approved
-La Ofrenda Festival | Gilroy's Inaugural Dia de Muertos Festival & Wellness Fair, Festival Lead for our first bike/ped/walk/transit oriented festival with the creation of Cycle, Health, and Transit Plaza. Hosted a booth at the festival to provide resources about city services.
-Wrote a letter of support to the Santa Clara County Board of Education in support of Members and Staff in support for the Gilroy Gateway School to remain open for grades 6-12.
-Wrote dozens of letters of support for community based organizations who are seeking grant funding to help our residents.
-Supported and testified on many important State legislative bills in collaboration with our State elected's- SB423 allows streamlined, ministerial approval process for infill developments in local jurisdictions that have failed to meet their Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) goals or adopt a compliant housing element, provided that the development is located on a site that is both, urban infill and zoned for residential or mixed-use. AB 821 creates a specific written notification process and time limit for jurisdictions to align their zoning code with the land use element of the general plan when there is a live project application. AB1469 makes changes to the Santa Clara Valley Water District Act to allow the agency to do more to assist unsheltered people living along creeks and streams, including providing housing or improved outcomes for unsheltered individuals.
-We have sponsored, tabled, hosted a booth, and attended over 100 community events in 2023. Handed out free resources, bike lights, listened to constituents, and provided free bike helmets, including Chalk Fest, La Ofrenda Festival, Registrar of Voters High School Education Events, Free Bike Repair and Bike Days, Community Posadas, and School Family Resource Fairs.
2022 Accomplishments:
-Continued "Their Ought to Be a Law" program under my office
-Attended CivicWell's annual Policymakers Conference
-Joined a coalition and made history with the first resolution approved by the Gilroy Unified School District Board to support June Pride LGBTQ+ Month
-Brought forward the RV Towing Policy Legislative Work Plan item and the City re-affirmed it's commitment to not further displace our homeless families and individuals who are struggling to not end up in a tent on our streets.
-The Arts are alive in Gilroy. Last year I was contacted by SV Creates (Santa Clara County Arts Council) to build a relationship that wasn’t here prior in Gilroy. From those initial meetings with SV Creates which blossomed into an Arts Círculo held at 6th Street Studios and Art Center and the Neon Exchange. Today we have a monthly Arts Roundtable, with so many doors continuing to open. Blueshield partnered and offered a grant for a mural in our Downtown.
-Resolution Month of May as Affordable Housing Month
-Updated Complete Streets Policy
-Secondhand Smoke Prevention Policies from Santa Clara County Public Health Healthy Cities Initiatives to future agenda
-Zoning Code Amendments carried forward to Zoning Code Updates in 2023
-Added Modular Transitional Housing "County Challenge Grant" to future agenda
-Attended Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalitions annual Bike Summit
-Climate Action Benchmarks REACH Codes (EV Charging, Bike Parking) and Climate Action Benchmarks have made huge strides forward. Later this year we will see these items adopted alongside the State's 2022 CAL Green Building Code.
-Parking Management for all Downtown Districts was approved and will be brought back late next year for implementation.
-MOU established with the Office of Supportive Housing for 8th/Alexander Project
-Supported and testified on many important State legislative bills in collaboration with our State elected's- AB2011 allows for ministerial, by-right approval for affordable housing on commercially-zoned lands; allows such approvals for mixed-income housing along commercial corridors as long as the projects meet specified affordability, labor, and environmental criteria. AB2097 which eliminates parking mandates for homes and commercial buildings around transit. AB2234 Post entitlement timeline requirements when building permits are pulled based on how many units are proposed. AB2221/SB897 Requiring ministerial approval of ADU applications within 60 days, prohibiting local agencies from imposing height and setback standards beyond state-set limits, and requiring local agencies to allow ADUs to be sold separately from the lot’s primary dwelling if specified conditions are met.
-Secondhand Smoke Prevention Policies for Public Event, Multi-Family Housing, Multi-Family Housing Common Areas
-Climate Action Benchmarks Solar Power Purchase and Site Lease Agreement with Jua Capital, LLC
-Continuing to manage my Bike Match program with over 120 bike matches.
-Worked with our Assembly Member Robert Rivas and the Gilroy Library so the community has a chance to meet Dolores and listen to a panel discussion yesterday. This all started as a vision from Gilroy Librarian Elizabeth Muñoz-Rosas and the Dolores Huerta Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service is at the Gilroy Library from Saturday, November 5, 2022 to Monday, January 23, 2023.
-Worked with developer at Royal Way Townhomes to be the second housing development in Gilroy to incorporate TDM Measures and provide pre-loaded Clipper Transit cards to every residence.
-Worked with the community collecting signatures for the Progressive Pride Flag to be flown at City Hall June 2023, approved at City Council December 5, 2022.
-I am proud to have worked with Rep. Zoe Lofgren, CA-19 on identifying two projects for her Community Project Funding Requests FY23 and excited to announce that the City of Gilroy will be receiving $4,500,000 as a part of the Omnibus Federal Spending Bill.These two projects will benefit opposite ends of our community, and build off the recent successes of community based programs that are a benefit to our residents. The government funding package builds on the successes of President Biden and House Democrats and will create jobs, provide aid to families struggling with inflation, and protect healthcare access. This funding for California’s 19th District, coupled with the increases for critical government programs, will help communities in the South Bay and across our nation.
2021 Accomplishments:
-Established Student Internship Program with five highly qualified interns working in my office on different legislative items and office duties
-Ran the first "Their Ought to Be a Law" program under my office
-Established a Gilroy City Council Voting Record spreadsheet
-8 legislative items added to our City Council work plan for FY22 & FY23
-Made history with the first resolution to support June Pride LGBTQ+ Month & Pride Flag
-Hosted multiple Town Halls via Zoom covering topics from digital divide, wildfire preparation, fireworks safety, general open topics, go to Media Tab for all of them
-Issued press releases and wrote OpEd's to keep you informed of decisions being made
-Supported and testified on many important State legislative bills- SB9 and SB10
-Supported SCC Supervisor Simitian/Lee- Referral to Administration and County Counsel to enter into negotiations regarding a "Challenge Grant", to fund the development of up to ten modular, supportive interim housing sites across the county
-Wrote a joint letter of call to action on the digital divide and sent to CPUC Commissioners Letter to CPUC
-The Arts are alive in Gilroy. I was contacted by SV Creates (Santa Clara County Arts Council) to build a relationship that wasn’t here prior in Gilroy. From those first initial meetings blossomed into an Arts Círculo held at 6th St Art Studios and around the corner at the Neon Exchange and monthly arts roundtable meetings.
-City of Gilroy joins Community Plan to End Homelessness, OpEd by my student intern, Destination Home Video This gave us a seat at the table regionally to end homelessness, funding, and regular meetings between the City Administrator, Office of Supportive Housing, Destination Home and more. This in return brought the city $1.39 million dollars that we had left on the table with the Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) Plan Consortium Agreement with the County of Santa Clara County.
-City Chrysalis was implemented as a six-month proof of concept. The goal was to demonstrate the intersectional benefits of investing in electric bikes (e-bikes) and supportive infrastructure. Pilot Program Promo Video
-Worked with developer at Kern Cottages to be the first housing development in Gilroy to incorporate TDM Measures and provide pre-loaded Clipper Transit cards to every residence.
-Attended many regional and local meetings representing an elected office from Gilroy and rebuilt relationships.
-Attended every opportunity I could to gain professional development and training through webinars and in-person trainings.
-Became a member of the CivicWell who will be able to provide technical assistance and resources for legislation. They have an annual conference which I will be attending as an elected from Gilroy.
-Continuing to manage my Bike Match program with over 120 bike matches.
2020 Accomplishments:
-Drafted and Introduced Citywide Gilroy Bike Parking Ordinance
-Worked with State Assemblymember Robert Rivas’s (AD 30) in drafting up AB 3153
-Brought together Caltrans District 4 Director and Assemblymember Robert Rivas’s Office to clear back and trim up over 90 historic deodar cedar trees along Hecker Pass/SR 152, and clear the shoulders to make it more walkable/bikeable. Project should be completed summer 2020.
2019 Accomplishments:
-Do Not Block the Bike Lane Campaign
-Gilroy Adventure Park (Brought together outside organizations like Bay Area Ridge Trail, Santa Clara County Parks, Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz, Silicon Valley Mountain Bikers, Bike Therapy, Garlic City BMX, Trailhead Cyclery, and over 200 emailed public comments in support)
-Measure B E&E Work Plans Drafted and Introduced
-E-Bike/E-Scooter City Council moves forward for RFP process 1st quarter of 2020
-Caltrans Re-Striping Complete Streets on SR 152 built into project
-SRTS Gilroy Task Force
-Submitted and wrote Asphalt Art Grant Bloomberg Philanthropies
2018 Accomplishments:
-Drafted and Introduced the Downtown Bicycle Parking Plan
-Downtown Artistic Bicycle Racks
-Gilroy BPAC Governing Ordinance Adopted & Drafted
-LimeBike Bike Share Approved
-Riding for Focus Specialized Grant
-Bike Dirt Pump Track CHP/Drafted MOU/Drafted Emergency Response Plan
-Introduced E-Scooters/E-Bikes
-Commissions apart of budget process
-Safe Routes to School/Bicycle Parking Reports in All Residential/Commercial Projects
-League of American Bicyclists Bike Friendly Community Bronze Award 2018-2022
-Speaker at SVBC Bike Summit
-SR 152 Bike/Ped Improvements Study Approved
-Training Budget for Commission
-Access to Water Policy Drafted, Introduced, Approved
2017 Accomplishments:
-Developed and drafted the Strategic Plan for the first time in the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission history, it’s my task each year to draft and update it for us
-Established a Monthly Award for the Commission to increase public engagement