Make "affordability" a Town priority

Affordability goes beyond housing. We need to make it a top priority for our Town Council. There are over 17,000 words in the Town Council priorities and workplan, but "affordability" only appears once. Let's change that.

Raise income caps on workforce housing

Truckee has been investing in workforce housing, but many of our programs have income caps that are too low. For example, a local firefighter and nurse would make too much money to qualify for deed-restricted workforce two-bedroom under current policy. We need to fix that.

Make investment & improvement easier & faster

If you want to invest in your home or business, we should support that. It should be fast and easy to get Town approvals. Time is money, and our processes today could be dramatically faster.

Lead by listening

As a Planning Commissioner for Truckee, I prepare for each hearing by meeting with both project supporters and opponents. I bring a background as a Community Organizer and believe elected leaders should always focus on listening to the community first.

Build a vibrant, welcoming community

Truckee's local businesses, non-profits, and local residents make Truckee special. I have contributed to the Truckee Community by helping organize Truckee Pride every year and developing more Truckee-centered activities for the North Tahoe Hebrew Congregation.

Protect our local environment

Truckee is unique because of its natural environment. We must protect it. We should continue efforts to reduce waste and litter while encouraging recycling. We should continue to rehabilitate the Truckee River and invest in our trails, open spaces, wetlands, and parks.

Improve access to recreation

Many of us live in Truckee because of the wonderful access to the outdoors. We must continue to expand and enhance our paved and dirt trail networks. We should support regional trail efforts, such as the Resort Triangle and Pines to Mines trails.

Reduce traffic on our roads

Traffic is one of the biggest concerns locals have. We need to partner with the resorts to meaningfully reduce ski weekend traffic. In addition, we need to fund and encourage alternative transportation methods, such as TART, bike trails, and the bike share program.

Encourage second homeowners to rent to locals

Truckee has an abundance of second homes that sit empty most of the year. Our Town's most successful housing program, Lease to Locals, converts approximately 1% of these to full-time rentals to locals. Let's double or triple that.

Support diverse housing types: studios, one-bedrooms, tiny homes, and townhomes

If we look at the number of single-family homes per capita, Truckee has almost 2x the National and California averages. In other words, we have a lot of 2,000 sq ft, three-bedroom, two-bath, single-family homes. But we're missing other types of housing: ADUs, one-bedrooms, two-bedrooms, tiny homes, and townhomes. We're missing the types of homes that young people and senior citizens need.

Maintain a small town feel while speeding up the process and providing more certainty

In Truckee, development should match our community character. But some of our standards add cost without contributing to a small town feel. We need to relax those and strengthen the most important standards while also moving faster and providing more certainty.

Advocate for better fire insurance solutions

Truckee is one of the only towns in California with a dedicated wildfire mitigation budget (funded by Measure T). Yet we pay the same fire insurance rates as the rest of the Sierra. We need the Fair Plan to offer discounts to communities like ours with significant mitigation efforts.

Support local small business owners and non-profits

Our local businesses and non-profits are essential to the fabric of Truckee life, and we need to support and partner with them. We need a Truckee where anyone can start a business and thrive, and where we celebrate the unique, funky ideas that make Truckee, Truckee.

Speed up permitting processes

If you dream of opening a business, we should support and celebrate that. It should be easy and affordable to do so in Truckee. The reality is that it can take months or even years to get all your approvals. Let's fix that and the lower costs for everyone.

Support investment in our community

Whether you want to open a business, renovate your deck, or install a heat pump, it should be fast, easy, and affordable to do so. Let's reimagine our Town processes to make the experience as streamlined as possible.

Issue permits in days, not months

Time is money, and long waits add to the cost of living here. For example, a recently-opened coffeeshop took 11 months to get an approval. We can do better. A permit should take days, not months.

Set measurable goals for all Town priorities

Truckee has a great list of priorities developed from years of community input. But beyond priorities, we need goals with measurable outcomes and regular tracking toward those. We need to show the public our actual impact, not just our activities.