I am running for city council because I believe we all have an obligation to embrace community before we lose it. We are at a time in history where we know less about our neighbors, rely on services instead of our “village,” and have replaced personal relationships with social media profiles. I have the qualifications and passion to ignite a conversation around returning to and expanding our roots of community life while leveraging all of the opportunities that the future has to offer.

Ultimately, I take my leadership roles as a husband and father most seriously. I have also sought to maximize my contribution to the community through various leadership roles. Since beginning my professional career in 2011, I have served on at least 15 local, regional, and national boards, committees, and commissions. Most recently, from 2020 to 2025, I served on the boards of East Valley Community Health Center, Hillcrest, House of Ruth, Rotary International District 5300 (and as general counsel), the La Verne Committee on Cultural Awareness and Social Inclusion, San Bernardino County Bar Association, and the City of La Verne Planning Commission. In each of these capacities I further held leadership roles, including board chair, vice chair, secretary, treasurer, audit chair and nominations chair. I have volunteered regularly as a temporary judge in San Bernardino and Los Angeles Counties.

My diverse leadership experience (see above) provides incredible insight and knowledge on matters related to domestic violence and family relationships, personal and public health, senior living, community development, governance, and many other areas that are directly relevant to the work of the city council.

Beyond that, I have a bachelor’s in business administration and ran my own private company and nonprofit organization for more than ten years. I have a law degree with 15 years of litigation experience appearing in courtrooms across the county, state, and nation. More particularly, my more than 15 years of family law practice experience provides me distinct clarity on what families need to be healthy and happy. Finally, my master’s and doctorate degrees in public administration provides me the intellectual framework to optimize my practical and leadership experience.

I have served this city in various leadership roles for more than 10 years. I have lived in La Verne for more than 20 years. I have taught in three of the University of La Verne’s five colleges since 2013, including courses in litigation, legal research and writing, ethics, family law, public policy, governance, and public finance. I am intimately connected with the culture and history of La Verne.

As a councilmember, I will bring all of these qualifications and more to ensuring we have the best leadership possible.

I have had the honor and privilege of serving the City of La Verne in various positions including the city’s general plan advisory committee, planning commission (2020-2025), Committee on Cultural Awareness and Social Inclusion (CASI) (2018-2026). I have coached multiple seasons of soccer in the AYSO 112 league. I launched a city beautification event. I have worked diligently in every capacity that I have held to deliver on sound public policy for the residents of La Verne.

Deep roots + new perspective + demonstrated qualifications + specific ideas + independent judgment = The Leadership District 1 Needs

La Verne is a great city for many reasons, and one of its greatest strengths is the quality of its leadership. Most elections here are contests between capable, dedicated candidates, and I expect this one to be no different. I will not speak negatively about Councilmember Johnson. Our social circles overlap in places, his family’s legacy in La Verne is undeniable, and his wife is one of my family’s favorite people.

I have several ideas that I believe can strengthen our sense of community while embracing the opportunities of the future. Some examples include:

• An annual 10K, 5K, and 1.5-mile run/walk beginning and ending at D Street and Bonita, along with a La Verne running club;

• Promoting, coordinating, and supporting neighborhood watch programs on every block in District 1;

• Restoring the D Street farmers market;

• Expanding intergenerational programming between our seniors and students;

• Creating an easily accessible database of social resources to improve every resident’s quality of life; and

• Advocating for reduced speed limits in areas where children and seniors regularly gather, while working to make our neighborhoods safer through practical measures such as improved street lighting and other defensible city safety initiatives.

These ideas are only the beginning. I have many additional proposals to strengthen community connections, promote public safety, and create an environment where people can confidently raise families, build careers, and enjoy retirement.

Not only do I have the ideas, I can execute on them. I ran a nonprofit for ten years that was devoted to making programs just like the ones listed above occur on a zero budget. I have experience building community programs with limited resources by bringing together volunteers, nonprofits, businesses and community partners. I will bring that same resourcefulness to City Hall.

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