Why are you interested in this position?
Long Beach is where I was born, went to school and raised my family. Long Beach is my home and as my home, I have watched with growing concern as our taxes rise with little accountability as to where and how the money is spent. We can do better.
My years of professional experience and expertise make me uniquely qualified to serve as your City Auditor. I will bring a new perspective built on integrity, as to how we spend our money, transparency as to where we spend our money and hold the spenders accountable for why we spend our money
What relative experience do you have in this career field?
In 1983, I graduated from CSU Long Beach and began my audit career with leading businesses such as Ernst and Young, Coors and Pepsi. I finished my audit and finance career as the CFO with a local publicly traded beverage company Reed’s Inc. During my career, I also worked at the Port of Long Beach, where I produced the budget, annual report and performed various financing analysis of the International Gateway Bridge, new Port Headquarters and Middle Harbor projects.
What are 3 changes you would like to make while in office?
Integrity - do the right thing even when nobody is watching. Follow best practices and close the "work-arounds".
Transparency - implement an open check book, similar to many states and cities in the United States with the first 3 months in office.
Accountable - rebuild the department by filling open positions enabling the performance audits on such important topics such as affordable housing, user fee effectiveness and departmental statistical reporting practices.
What are your top priorities for small businesses ?
Ensuring money appropriated by the council is spent where, when and how our money is supposed to be spent, and
1) Ensuring that small business taxes are not spent on large business projects, and
2) Calling out inefficient use of our money BEFORE it is spent.
If elected, what steps you would take to put Long Beach on a firmer financial footing?
The California Supreme Court just upheld a lower court's ruling that the tax scheme used by the City leadership, that included the current auditor, to be unlawful.
I will:
Promote the return of funds to the water department rate payers in the same proportion that the money was illegally taken from them which will reduce further costly litigation that the City will lose, and
Provide guidance and financial analysis to the council that aligns the City essential services with the available revenue, and
Focus the City on living within our means.
What sectors in Long Beach do you feel can significantly improve to reduce financial waste?
Open the books for everyone to see where every penny is spent, and
The rebuilding of the Audit Department so that we can resume performance audits on how our money is spent, and
Engage the community on ways on implementing better spending activity.