Create new housing at all levels to build the community we know is possible.

The Monterey Peninsula’s extremely high rents make it difficult for residents to live in our community. We must create a County where everyone who contributes to our economy can afford to live here and a community where neighborhoods of our teachers, nurses, government workers, first responders, local small business owners, tradespeople, hospitality workers, childcare workers, agricultural workers, veterans, parents, and grandparents can live side by side. Kate will fight to build more mixed-income and multi-family housing where any opportunity exists. 

Fight tirelessly for a sustainable water supply.

Everything depends on water. New water connections, changes in use, affordable housing construction, and the replenishment of the Seaside Basin will fall into place when we have an adequate water supply. Kate will fight tirelessly to secure a reliable, sustainable, and affordable water supply for the 5th District and Monterey County.

Bring a renewed sense of urgency to tackle the homelessness emergency.

It is unacceptable that more than 2,000 children in the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District qualify as homeless. The most any student at this age should have to worry about is learning. It is unacceptable that as many as 500 women – predominantly older, longtime residents – are living unsheltered on the Monterey Peninsula. It is unacceptable that we have essential workers such as firefighters who live in their cars when their shifts are over. When everyone is housed, we all benefit. Kate believes the best prevention against homelessness is keeping homeowners and renters in their homes. 

Protect our community from natural disasters.

Fires and flooding are becoming the new normal. With proactive leadership, we can both prevent the spread of wildfire into the more densely populated areas of the district and promote healthy forests. As periods of drought and wildfire are increasingly followed by heavy rainfall and atmospheric rivers, the frequency of flooding and landslides in Monterey County has increased. As Supervisor, building safer, more resilient communities will be top priorities for Kate. She will work to ensure long awaited flood control projects are completed.

Invest in our county’s aging infrastructure and in new forward-thinking projects.

Throughout Monterey County, many aging roadways need attention. Our overhead utilities are a wildfire risk and are vulnerable to falling trees, leading to extended power outages throughout the district. What was once seasonal traffic is now year-round. It is time to match Monterey County’s incomparable beauty with quality roadways, upgraded utilities, and modern multi-modal transportation opportunities for locals and visitors alike. As Supervisor, Kate will promote these critical forward-thinking infrastructure projects.

Protect the natural beauty and resources of one of the most spectacular coastlines on Earth.

District 5 has more coastline than any supervisorial district in the state. Kate is a fierce protector of our local coastal area land use plans for Big Sur, the Carmel Area, and the Del Monte Forest, and a proponent of better preparation for increased extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and the impacts of climate change on the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary.

Work collaboratively for the common good.

As a team, the Board of Supervisors can form a countywide vision to move forward together. Kate is a collaborative leader. She will not lose sight of the importance of forging consensus for the common good. She will listen, and she will lead.