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Part of what makes Walnut Creek such a vibrant and wonderful place to live is our thriving downtown and the diverse small business community. Our city has worked hard to make our downtown a destination for people all over the Bay Area and beyond. We need to continue to invest in and support our small business community.
I have attended meetings and met with leaders in the business community including President of the Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce Bob Lincheid, past and current Chair of the Chamber Audrey Gee and Matt Guichard, The Walnut Creek Downtown Association Executive Director Kathy Hemmenway and President Brian Hirahara, as well as many other member of these organizations and others. These organizations are well run, collaborative and are doing great things for the community. In addition to supporting our business community they are responsible for the winter ice rink, the annual Women’s Leadership Conference at the Lesher, the Arts and Wine Festival, beautiful art, sculptures and murals downtown, painted pianos and much more.
Housing and the business community are closely tied. The business owners I have spoken with often tell me how difficult it is to find good employees and the loss of skilled labor to more affordable communities.
I believe we need to create a multifaceted approach that includes housing density, transportation and small business success. This not only benefits and enhances our community but also makes Walnut Creek a thriving economy and creates the coveted live and work possibilities.
By focusing on building our higher density units downtown it makes it easier to hire local workers which benefits workers by reducing commutes as well as reducing labor costs to the employer.
The Shadeland District: This is an area of tremendous potential business and community growth. I foresee Shadelands becoming another healthcare, sports and tech hub attracting medical research, AI development, and vibrant new startups. Making this space attractive would have numerous benefits such as relieving congestion in the downtown area and attracting more services for the local residents.
Make the building and development process smoother and more efficient. I advocate for working with builders and the city to find where the friction is in our current processes.
Downtown enjoyment: I would like to bring back the outdoor dining and the partial road closures and outdoor entertainment that have proven to be such a success during Covid years.
My vision for Walnut Creek is a city that is admired for an exceptional quality of life; a beautiful, diverse, sustainable city, with a thriving innovative economy, beautiful open space and arts, a downtown with unique experiences, dining and shopping, top notch healthcare and education.
We have all witnessed the recent disturbing trend in politics. The most extreme voices from the fringes have begun to dominate the conversation. We’ve seen what has happened in our neighboring bay area communities when the rational voices from the middle are lost and I know we don’t want that to happen here.
I believe my 20+ years of experience in the ER provides the skills of leadership, listening, empathy, problem solving and collaboration that are required to serve on the City Council.
Did you know that 28% of the companies in Walnut Creek are in healthcare? When forming a leadership council I believe great value comes from leaders with a diversity of backgrounds, perspectives and experience. Currently there are no members of the City Council with a Healthcare background. I believe my experience and perspective will be a valuable addition to our current council.
I have spent the last 23 years practicing medicine. My experience in the ER is not just about medicine, it is about empathy, listening, digesting large quantities of information in a relatively short period of time and solving problems.
Walnut Creek, CA 94596