I’m proud to say all my efforts have helped produce positive results.

I promised to encourage greater civic participation.

On my motion, the City Council initiated an Irvine Annual Survey to allow Irvine residents to express their interests, ideas and viewpoints. With the unanimous support of the Irvine City Council, the survey has been implemented, allowing Irvine residents the opportunity to provide direct feedback to City leaders.

Last year I joined with Mayor Krom in advancing the “Irvine Democracy Project” to encourage greater civic and voter participation in collaboration with the Orange County Registrar of Voters. Throughout my tenure on the Irvine City Council, I have consistently supported better communication resources and enhanced public engagement, including informational community meetings throughout the City.

I promised to expand support for education.

On my motion, the City Council unanimously supported the establishment of the Irvine Educational Partnership Fund which provides $500,000 annually to support nurses, counselors and nutritional programs in local schools. This initiative has reinforced our partnership with our local school districts, the Irvine Public Schools Foundation and many community non-profits.

In January of this year, I recommended, and earned City Council support for the Irvine Children’s Health Program, or I-CHP, to ensure that all Irvine children will have access to basic healthcare.

I promised consistent support for public safety.

Irvine has been distinguished as the “Safest Big City in America” for 4 years in a row. There is no greater priority we have as a community than preserving the safety and security of our community. That is why I have consistently supported enhanced public safety resources and upgrades to our emergency management program.

I promised to work on behalf of the entire Irvine community.

Throughout my term of office, I have consistently supported initiatives advanced through our Strategic Plan for Children, Youth and Families. From our Earned Income Tax Credit Outreach effort to enhance T.R.I.P.S. senior transportation resources, from our “Full Spectrum Housing” plan to ensure a mix of housing for all income levels and our Universal Design and disability services program, we have an obligation to work on behalf of all Irvine residents.

In addition to my support for these initiatives, I was proud to serve on the Multicultural Affairs Task Force and recognize that the unique diversity of our City is one of our strengths.

I promised to increase public access to local Open Space.

Twenty years ago, the citizens of Irvine passed the historic Open Space Agreement, preserving 16,000 acres of open space in perpetuity. Unfortunately, access to open space has been a challenge. Through my efforts, with cooperation from the City, the Irvine Company and the Irvine Ranch Land Reserve, we now have scheduled hikes into the northern open space and discussions are underway for increased hiking trails throughout our open space reserves.

With the recent dedication of the Quail Hill trail head and planned upgrades to Bommer Canyon, public access to our Open Space resources continues to be a top priority for our community.

I promised to support the planning and design of the Orange County Great Park.

The fight to kill the El Toro Airport had been won before I joined the Irvine City Council. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to participate in the process by which the Orange County Great Park will be planned, designed and constructed. I am proud to have supported the selection of Ken Smith, Mia Lehrer and the entire Great Park Design Studio to create the park master plan. As a member of the Orange County Great Park Corporation Board, I am committed to ensuring that creativity and innovation drive the park development process, and that all our resources are effectively leveraged to the benefit of the project and the people of Orange County.

I promised to support open and effective government.

As elected officials, we hold the public trust. The citizens of Irvine should have confidence that our decisions are made in the public interest and that we will not use our public positions to benefit ourselves financially. For this reason, I was proud to support the Irvine Ethics Ordinance, including the provision that elected officials in the City of Irvine should not work as compensated lobbyists during their term of office or in any way use their public office to enhance themselves financially.

As a proud American, and a proud public servant, I will always dedicate myself to the highest ideals of public service and democracy.

Promises made, promises kept.