Bio:
Emergency preparedness coordinator for Kaiser Permanente of Sonoma and Marin counties. Appointed to City Council in 2011 after vacancy created with Dave Glass becoming mayor. Parliamentarian for California Young Democrats and one of five delegates from Sonoma County to Democratic National Convention. Eastside resident.
Age: 30
Why I’m Running:
“In the past year and a half, we’ve done a lot to get Petaluma back on track in terms of our finances and I think the response to my tenure from people in the community has been favorable...I love every minute of being on the council. I don’t sleep a lot, it’s affected my personal life, but I love being able to give back to my community and help steer us in the right direction as a city to where we are thriving again.”
Top Three Issues:
-Budget and making sure we are financially stable going forward
-Public safety provide appropriate level of service for our size city
-Roads and parks
On Making Petaluma More Business-Friendly:
“Before when businesses wanted to expand, they often moved out of Petaluma because they didn’t want to pay linkage fees (which fund affordable housing), so we weren’t getting any of that money. Now, we’ve lowered our linkage fees and within months we had four large businesses move here. So it helps us be a more attractive place for businesses...How City Hall has handled new businesses has gotten a lot better in the past year and a half.”
On “Big Box” Development:
“It’s not fair to call Friedman’s a big-box store. It’s a local, family-owned store that pays its employees a living wage and contributes a great deal to the community. But in general, we have to look at each project individually...if we didn’t have some of the projects coming in now, we’d be looking at laying off more employees because we don’t have money. I don’t think we can continue without the added sales tax revenue.”
“We’re not putting any mom and pop stores out of business with the Deer Creek project. The Downtown Association and Chamber of Commerce both supported it and I have a hard time seeing how it will affect downtown businesses.”
How I See Myself in This Race:
“I’ve voted with both sides depending on the issue and I stay pretty independent and I think people appreciate that. My campaign will be completely independent of anyone else. I am able to work with everyone, even if I don’t agree with them. My ego is never on the line...it’s all about what’s best for the community.”
Other Issues I’d Like to Focus On:
"I’d like to see us implement the COPE (Citizens Organizing to Prepare for Emergencies) program that Sonoma, Santa Rosa and many other cities in area have. It’s a Neighborhood Watch-styled model where neighbors help each other during a disaster."
Why I First Got Involved in Politics:
"I was 16 and the city was discussing domestic partner benefits. There were people who came to council and said some really offensive things about the gay community, including people who go to the same church as me (St. James Catholic Church). We prevailed and Petaluma became one of first cities in Bay Area to offer domestic partner benefits for its employees. At the time it affected maybe 1 employee, but it was an important thing to acknowledge."
Campaign site:
https://www.facebook.com/gabe4petaluma
Want to see more Q&As with candidates running in the municipal election? Check out http://petaluma.patch.com/topics/fall-election-guide
