Carson's COVID-19 Response

I am committed to strengthening and streamlining the City of Carson's COVID-19 response. I will continue to work closely with my fellow Council Members to ensure that the City of Carson's employees, residents, businesses, and other visitors remain healthy and safe and ensure that adequate resources and support is made available to assist them in navigating these most challenging times. Specifically, I will:     

• Advocate for County, State, and Federal COVID-19 resources for Carson residents and businesses.

• Ensure that the City Manager prepares, publishes, implements, and updates a comprehensive city-wide plan that addresses current pandemic issues as well as strategies to recover and to address potential future outbreaks.

• Work with local schools, nonprofits, and other groups to educate residents about available resources and infection prevention, and provide on-going COVID-19 information and updates. 

Political Gridlock at City Hall

The political game playing and manipulation must stop! The City Council is not a place for backdoor alliances, negotiated support, or self-service. As Council Members, we are each charged with using our expertise, critical analysis, and resident input to shape our decisions and votes on council issues. Unfortunately, some of Carson's City Council Members have developed patterns of self-interest and politicking such that many issues are at a standstill. I am committed to addressing and ending this practice that has handicapped our effectiveness in many ways. Specifically, I will:

• Remain independent, but collaborative, in my analysis of Council issues and will vote according to what is best for Carson without political pressure or influence from my colleagues.

• Work in partnership with my fellow Council Members, City Management, and other key persons to ensure that we establish and affirm a culture void of political rhetoric and grandstanding, and is focused on resident and fiscal impact.

• Ensure that all City Council and City activity is transparent at every level and that myself and my colleagues are individually and collectively held accountable for our actions made on behalf of the city. 

Emergency Response Times

I am extremely concerned about reported delays in local emergency response times for resident and business public safety and medical needs. Having the most efficient and timely response during these times of crisis is imperative to ensuring that all of our city stakeholders are healthy and safe. I am especially concerned about our youth and our senior citizens and will work to ensure that emergency response times are expedited. Specifically, I will:

• Research and analyze city-wide emergency response time data to identify existing gaps in service, delay patterns, and areas of need.

• Work with local first-responder departments and personnel to address emergency response time inadequacies and to develop strategies to increase and expedite these local services.

• Connect with city leaders and first-responders in cities throughout the South Bay and other similar municipalities to identify best practices and models for more adequate service. 

Green Spaces & Parks

One of the things that makes Carson special are our various parks and other recreational areas. However, the vast majority of Carson parks are in dire need of improvement. There is also a lingering need to increase green spaces in many of our neighborhoods. Not only do these resources help with resident health and community support, they are also vital to improving air quality alongside various other environmental benefits. I am committed to improving our existing parks and to increasing the number of localized green spaces throughout the city.  Specifically, I will:·     

• Work with City staff to identify private, business, charitable, and government funds to update and improve Carson parks.    

• Analyze the various abandoned properties and long-standing vacant areas to determine the feasibility of converting them into additional green spaces.

• Strategize with and encourage current and future developers prioritize the availability of green and recreational spaces throughout their residential and commercial projects. 

Education

A strong educational foundation is critical to the development and success of our youth. It is also imperative that residents have access to life-long learning opportunities. Carson area schools are in continued need for additional funding, local support, and improved learning outcomes. As a parent and as a Bishop, this issue is of significant concern to me. I am committed to allocating my time to work with local educators to improve our K-12 schools and to increase opportunities for additional education and training for our adult residents. Specifically, I will:·     

• Research, analyze, and compare performance outcomes and funding levels for Carson schools to identify gaps in the budget and areas of need for educational support.

• Work with the Carson Community of Schools team to increase local awareness and support of Carson schools among our residents, businesses, and other city stakeholders.

• Establish linkages between various regional postsecondary educational institutions as well as other education and training providers to improve, increase, and expand opportunities for life-long learning. 

Immigrant Rights

The current climate of the federal government and the White House administration has placed an extremely high level of scrutiny on our nation's immigrants. These detrimental behaviors have had many negative consequences that impact everything from immigrant safety, hate crimes, and even Census response levels. Carson is a city that prides itself on diversity and we are home to a significant number of immigrants. I want to ensure that Carson immigrants are provided with the same level of service, protection, and care as the rest of our residents. Specifically, I will:

• Partner with local community leaders to uplift, celebrate, and affirm the various nations and cultures that are represented throughout Carson.

• Review, monitor, and address any reports of discrimination, inadequate services, or other needs expressed by Carson's immigrant population.

• Work with local leaders and law enforcement to ensure that our residents do not fall victim to harmful federal immigration practices and that Carson remains a safe-haven for all of our residents regardless of their ethnic background or national origin. 

Carson Small Businesses

The City of Carson's primary source of revenue are our business taxes. In many ways, small businesses enable our city to thrive. While our local businesses were already in need of additional resources, the COVIC-19 pandemic has exponentiated  that need. Many of Carson's small businesses are struggling to remain in operation - Carson is not alone in that regard. However, it is vital that the City of Carson exhausts every available resource to provide our small businesses with the tools and support they need to survive this pandemic and begin to thrive once again. I will continue to work on behalf of our small businesses and help them navigate these uniquely challenging times. Specifically, I will:

• Utilize the City of Carson's various communication channels to publicize local, regional, state, and federal small business funding resources and other opportunities for sustaining their businesses.

• Establish a Small Business Task Force that will serve as a hub for developing strategies for Carson small businesses to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and identify and share ideas and plans for post-pandemic recovery.

• Regularly communicate with Carson small business owners to provide on-going access to local government to express their needs, concerns, and sharable resources, with an emphasis on local restaurants and other basic needs providers. 

North Carson Food Desert

Better fresh food options are necessary for our North Carson community where small box discount stores  saturate the area. While many factors influence what stores come and go in a neighborhood, research shows that convenience stores persist where poverty does. It has also been shown that food access aligns with historical patterns of racial segregation. In low-income neighborhoods - and even more so in those that are predominantly areas of color - researchers have found that the number of convenience stores increases with poverty, while supermarket availability decreases. This is what Jerry Shannon, a geographer at the University of Georgia, calls "supermarket redlining," a term more commonly used to describe housing discrimination. I am committed to increasing fresh food options in the North Carson community. Specifically, I will:

• Work to prevent additional discount stores from opening in Carson.

• Communicate and strategize with more desirable grocers to encourage and support them in opening locations in North Carson.

• Partner with City staff and local community organizations to educate residents on healthy eating options throughout the city. 

Black Lives Matter

I am extremely proud to have spearheaded a peaceful protest in Carson this past June in light of the George Floyd murder and ongoing occurrences of police brutality throughout this nation, particularly against People of Color, and especially against Black men. As a Black man I am keenly aware of the intensified dangers we face when engaging with law enforcement and self-appointed vigilantes who are guided by hate and not by goodwill. As an elected official, I am uniquely positioned to coordinate efforts across various entities in the city to bring awareness to the ongoing need to eradicate hate and to advocate for the need to protect Black men, and other People of Color, from these vicious acts of violence. I am committed to continuing my work in this area and to uplifting and affirming the innate value of Black Lives. Specifically, I will:

• Work with city management and staff to prevent, identify, and address any reported incidences of racial discrimination and to prioritize services that support that effort.

• Coordinate and participate in peaceful protests and boycotts in Carson and neighboring areas to bring awareness to issues of local, regional, national, and global significance involving acts of discrimination, bigotry, xenophobia, and hate.

• Partner with local community groups, law enforcement, and other city officials to promote diversity and inclusion throughout all sectors of the community, including within schools, amongst local businesses, throughout the Carson Sheriff's Station, and within our various neighborhoods and residential areas.