Office Hours
Vallejo Farmer's Market
Georgia Street
9.30am to 12.30pm
Fourth Saturday of the month
Getting to Work
Since being sworn in as a Vallejo City Council Member in December 2009, I’ve begun the daunting task of figuring out where we are, how we got here, and how to move the city forward in a positive direction.
As I’ve surveyed the municipal landscape, I remain concerned about responsibly balancing the city’s budget, ensuring high quality services for our citizens, improving the city's economic development efforts, providing fair wages and benefits for our city employees, and rebuilding our trust in local government.
Increasing the city's revenues and responsibly balancing its expenses are still my top priorities. To solve these complex problems we need to make reality-based choices and stop shooting from the hip. Although it frequently involves agonizing and painful choices, it is possible to achieve meaningful progress by continuing to make the smart choices we've already begun. To that end, my quarterly e-newsletter is an effort to keep you up-to-date on what I'm working on.
NEWSLETTERS
Participatory Budgeting (PB)
PB is a democratic deliberation and decision-making process in which the community decides how to allocate part or all of a municipal or public budget. Learn more about the process by watching these videos.
Speakers:
Joe Moore, 49th Ward, Chicago, Alderman
Josh Lerner, Paritcipatory Budgeting Project, Co-Director
Your DATE with Democracy: Participatory Budgeting in the 49th Ward (2009)
Participatory Budgeting in Rogers Park, Chicago: Residents Reaction (2011)
Budgeting as if YOU Mattered [video]
How do we get the results we need from city government in an age of permanent fiscal crisis?
Learn more about priority-based budgeting and budgeting for outcomes from the City of Fairfield and Ventura Experience.
Speakers:
Rick Cole, City of Ventura, City Manager
Bob Leland, City of Fairfield, Former Director of Finance
Contract Cities? Full Service Cities? [video]
A perspective on contract and full service cities. What's the difference and is there an impact on
the delivery of high quality city services?
Speakers:
Steven Falk , City of Lafayette, City Manager
Bob Archuleta, City of Pico Rivera, Former Mayor
Sam Olivito, Contract Cities Association, Executive Director
Jeff Bradley, M-Group, Principal
Getting the community benefits and services we deserve!
Using an asssessment district to improve our neighborhoods and ensuring high quality amenities and services. Learn more about CBDs
by watching these videos.
Speaker:
Marco LiMandri, New City America and Little Italy District, Executive Director
City Falls Short, Citizens Jump In
Central Market Community Benefit District, San Francisco
Regionalizing and Contracting for Public Safety Services [video]
In these tough fiscal times, what is the future of public safety for cities and how do we improve the delivery of those services?
Speakers:
Jack Hughes, Liebert, Cassidy and Whitmore, Attorney (specializing in public sector employment law)
Mike Oliver, Municipal Resource Group, Managing Consultant - Resource Development and Utilization
Bill McCammon, Municipal Resource Group, Fire Services, Homeland Security and Facility Development