Kari Windes is the City Council Candidate with a Vision and a Plan
Throughout her whole campaign for Brea City Council, Kari Windes has consistently advocated for better representation in City Council, increased safety in the community, and more responsible development within the city. More often than not, these are buzzwords in political discourse, so Windes took the time to explain her intentions if she is elected to the Brea City Council in a short interview:
1. Brea is a city of people with diverse lifestyles. How do you plan on representing the citizens of Brea?
Reach out. Go to places where people meet to talk about their concerns; host common ground events at coffee houses to gain community feedback. Do not rely on, or wait for an invitation to engage. My kids tell me I never leave a grocery store line without making a friend. I think they may be correct.
2. Safety is always going to be a concern. How do you plan to make Brea safer?
Safety can be defined in many ways. Are children and their families safe as they walk to school? Recently there have been two pedestrian accidents at school crosswalks, or intersections near them. Parents are frightened. Are there adequate safety personnel assigned to be crossing guards around schools? Does the signage, lighting and traffic flow around schools produce a safe-to-travel environment? As the city becomes more crowded–and rest assured, it will–we have to make sure we have pedestrian and bike rider safety programs and practices in place.
I also encourage safety surrounding schools, and balancing small business needs with the surrounding environment. An example of this was when a group of concerned citizens invited me to join them in suggesting an alternate location for a proposed gun shop, instead of the location across the street from an elementary school. Many small businesses can be safely established within Brea’s boundaries in a way that considers the good of the community.
Maybe safety means traffic reduction? Can Brea encourage home offices and bike riding by establishing bike paths and providing incentives for businesses that utilize a carpool program?
3. Brea is an old city. It is always developing. How do you plan on making city development responsible?
Working with an architect, my sister in law and her husband were, nearly two decades ago, one of the first families to build a sustainable home in Costa Mesa. It was difficult. We are lucky now, as sustainable building is more widely accepted, and the process has been simplified. Brea will have to put in more housing to meet the state mandates for low income and very low income housing. Can we integrate forward thinking, sustainable design and its benefits into those plans for housing? How does Brea position itself at the forefront of expectations for housing in Orange County?
What about Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)? Brea needs to acknowledge that these will become more prevalent in the city. What can the city do about establishing any standards for construction, and encouraging sustainable use design in ADUs? We have an opportunity to not drag our “collective” feet resisting change. Change will happen; let’s control what we can and establish enviable programs, sooner rather than later.
In the meantime, adequate staffing to establish partnerships with developers specializing in low income and very low income, as well as sustainable housing should be put in place. Are there state grants available to encourage these endeavors? How can these be explored? Hiring a dedicated staff member to handle these goals will pay off in the long run.
