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Integrity
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Commitment
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Experience
Meet Paul
Meet Paul
Latest
Healthy Community Initiative:
Facilitate public-private partnerships to increase and expand a robust parks, trails and recreation program.
Establish a Parks, Recreation and Trails Committee: This committee will make use of open public meetings to strike the right balance between sports fields and recreational facilities and programs. For example, non-sports field uses should be available to adjacent residences. It will revise and update the 2020 Parks Master Plan.
It’s important to get citizens involved in the decisions affecting current and future recreation and parks for Oakley.
Platform Highlights
Civilian Committees and Commission to Work for our piece of mind!
In my opinion, a system of checks and balances has been missing for too long in Oakley. When we go to the city to voice our "three minutes" of concern the public are often dismissed with the notion that we need just leave it to the professionals.
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Yet it's almost impossible to track projects, direction for the city or to get a straight answer. When I'm elected I will work with my fellow Council Members and City Manager to create a more inclusive forum for discussions.
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I will never take the mind-set of "just trust me."
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I will work to reestablish the Planning Commission and respect their decisions. This is counter-intuitive for those running the city government for the last several years.
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In preparation/lead up to General Plan update:
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Hear land use proposals
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Review and revise as necessary Oakley's Residential & Commercial Design Guidelines
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Create platform and public forums for input several months before any decisions are made.
Oakley's General Plan*
Is due to expire in 2020; therefore, creating a new Plan is THE most important and influential task for the incoming City Council. A General Plan is a state-mandated document which outlines goals, policies, and programs that provide the framework for the next 10-20 years of development in the city.
Selecting Paul will ensure that the General Plan Update will be a collaborative effort between the City and its residents with no hidden agendas. Administration will be required to create a most honest and transparent process.
Because a General Plan addresses land use, all modes of transportation, housing, safety, conservation, open space, noise, public health, sustainability, economic development and more, Paul will establish citizen committees and commissions charged with fact-finding and communicating with the residents.
It is important for residents to get the full scope of the many opportunities Oakley has for our future; to discover and deliberate all of the priorities and projects which currently drive the City’s decisions, in order to contribute meaningfully.
Economic Development for the 21st Century:
Front-load investment in a local, independently owned business infrastructure; Create and populate an Economic Development Committee with diverse voices and public meetings to be an additional resource for city staff and business interests.
Smart Growth,
To Slow the Growth or Not:
In considering future growth, mindfulness towards residents’ health, safety and welfare is priority number one. For example: are crowded schools and traffic congestion a problem?
Other contentious conditions in the City, such as building more neighborhoods, which pressure already overburdened emergency services, for example, are escalated because Oakley's rapid and irresponsible residential growth is outpacing infrastructural improvements, causing rash “band-aid” tax hikes.
Economic Development for the 21st Century:
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Can we enhance and capitalize on our small-town character, whilst promoting development? Of course we can! Paul will work towards investing in a local, independently-owned business infrastructure; create and populate an Economic Development Committee with diverse voices and public meetings.
In the economically healthiest cities, most dollars are spent at locally owned businesses, where they re-circulate several times in the community. This multiplier effect is a critical, but often overlooked factor in creating community wealth. Sustaining local ownership isn’t just important for sustaining our community character; it’s key to the long-term economic vitality of East Contra Costa County.
​Oakley deserves unique shopping and dining experiences, making it an attractive and fun place to live and visit.
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Please click here for a press release regarding a 2009 Oakley Chamber of Commerce forum which Paul organized.
“...the City of Oakley will be recognized as a model of civic participation...”
~ Oakley Vision Statement
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It's time Oakley creates processes and builds systems of meaningful civic participation that will last and help bring prosperity to Oakley.
The formation of an Economic Development Committee, Citizens' Finance Advisory Committee, Parks and Recreation Commission, and Citizens' Transportation Advisory Committee to serve the residents and the city council.
All of these entities will be required to meet publicly and maintain open and honest communication with the community.
"I will always remember that I work for the people of Oakley, not the other way around."
Safety: More than
Police & Fire
I will work for fully funded police and fire protection, but we must do more. Committing to preventative safety measures means slowing the growth so that roads and crowded schools have time to absorb the influx.
It meabs more programs to the interest of at-risk youth; get them into healthy recreation and activity before it's too late.
Oakley City Council Meeting
Tonight, Tuesday June 13, 2017 @ 6:30P.M.
Please take one minute to tell Oakley Council that now that
"THEY" have a big, fat juicy budget in front of them...
ASK the COUNCIL to table their decision and allow the community to mull it over!!!
Dear Oakley Friends:
Are you still interested in how Oakley conducts their business?
In my humble opinion, having closely followed its politics for over a decade, a system of checks and balances has been missing for too long in Oakley. When we go to the city to voice our "three minutes" of concern, the public are often dismissed with the notion that we need just “leave it to the professionals.”
Once again, not one single council person is willing to commit one-cent for open and transparent governance! The city has too many expensive projects which get a momentary glance from the council and wham...we're facing another mess we have to live with, while our opinion is once again ignored. I propose that a couple of citizen advisory committees would allow the community to check in during several phases of each project crossing their desks...but we'll have to demand the change.
Oakley Staff published the “finalized” FY2017-2018 budget just a few days ago and will be in a rush to pump it through before we are any the wiser! In actuality, NO finalized budget was published in this week's bi-monthly agenda, but they referred to a DRAFT from a few weeks ago.
Did you know that Oakley has a significant increase in revenues and spending? Contrary to the politicians' beliefs, the more eyes, the more official public scrutiny on each project will make them that much better and more along the beliefs of everyone who is concerned enough to participate. That's a great way to build a community!
Please take a moment to make a statement to the council, tell them that now that they have a big, fat juicy budget in front of them, and to please table their decision and allow the community to mull it over...and get back to them at the June 27th Council meeting. (It literally takes a minute.)
Please make your comments here: http://www.ci.oakley.ca.us/agendas-minutes-videos-archive/
Include: name, address, meeting date [ June 13, 2017 ], agenda item # 5.5
You don't have to speak - they made this the last item on a very, very long agenda.
Please keep you comment short and sweet!
Sample: Table this item until June 27. I have waited until this finalized budget was completed and released to the public. It is a long and complicated item and therefore my family, my neighbors and I need time to mull it over. Thank you.
5.5 Approve a Resolution Adopting the FY 2017-2018 Recommended Budget, Statement of Financial Policies, Appropriations Limit and 5-Year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for Fiscal Years 2017-2018 through 2021-2022 and Making Findings Related Thereto (Deborah Sultan, Finance Director and Kevin Rohani, Director of Public Works/City Engineer)
"I will always remember that I work for the people of Oakley, not the other way around."
Meet Paul
Paul and his wife Nancy moved to Oakley in 2006, when captivated by its small town charm and its sense of community. They love the outdoors, their dogs, horses and ducks.
He earned his Economics degree from California State University, Long Beach and his History/Social Science Teaching Credentials from Humboldt State. In addition to teaching in the classroom, Paul coached high school football, track and soccer, until retiring from teaching to become more active as a community organizer.
Currently Director of “The Garden” in Brentwood, a community garden which serves the disabled, senior citizens and low income families; run by at-risk youth.
Paul is running to offer voters an honest choice; standing for responsible and progressive local government. As your City Councilperson, I will dedicate myself 100% to represent the 99%.