Liz Lawler introduced she is operating for the District 28 state Meeting seat within the 2022 election.
Lawler, who at present serves on the Monte Sereno Metropolis Council, stated she needs to bolster public security, carry native management to housing growth and enhance psychological well being and academic assets for college kids.
“I’m operating wanting to revive frequent sense, accountability and cooperation in Sacramento. These are my three details,” Lawler stated.
Incumbent Mark Stone introduced earlier this 12 months he wouldn't be looking for re-election after redistricting grouped Santa Cruz with the West Valley and Morgan Hill. Different candidates like Los Gatos Mayor Rob Rennie determined to run for the seat after listening to the information.
Lawler began her political journey again in 2012, when she moved to Monte Sereno from Southern California.
“I wish to say I bought into politics due to potholes,” Lawler stated. “Our avenue had plenty of potholes once we first moved in, and our neighbors… collectively lobbied the town to do one thing about it.”
In response, the town council created the Higher Streets Fee and appointed Lawler and others to create a program to repave all of the streets Monte Sereno. From there, she labored her method to metropolis council, served as mayor in 2020.
Bettering public security is considered one of Lawler’s foremost issues. She stated in gentle of current police reform payments, like Propositions 47 and 57 and AB 109, security in her neighborhood has suffered.
“These current reforms have led to an increase in crime and created a way of lawlessness, and so doing, they’ve put the lives and livelihood of residents in danger,” Lawler stated. “It’s actually essential that our officers, our legislation enforcement, have the instruments and assets they should successfully and thoughtfully implement the legislation.”
Prop 47 reclassified some felony drug and theft expenses to misdemeanors, and allowed each these at present serving or who beforehand served felony sentences to petition for his or her expenses to be modified to misdemeanors. Prop 57 allowed parole consideration for these convicted of nonviolent felonies, and AB 109 which shifted nonviolent offenders to native county jails to alleviate overcrowding in state prisons.
Lawler can be pushing to carry again native management of land use.
“We have to construct extra reasonably priced housing; we want extra housing,” Lawler stated. “Sadly, the way it’s being achieved proper now could be that what we’re constructing finally ends up being market charge, so it’s not serving to the very folks that want it essentially the most.”
Jurisdictions throughout the state are at present drafting their Housing Components to deal with future housing growth and reasonably priced housing quotas. Housing Components, that are up to date each eight years, require every metropolis to plan for a sure variety of new housing items.
Monte Sereno, which has a inhabitants of three,400, is tasked with constructing 193 properties over the subsequent eight years.
“California for years has had housing insurance policies which have persistently did not yield desired outcomes,” Lawler stated. “So as a substitute of fixing these insurance policies and addressing why these aren’t working, Sacramento has determined to punish cities by stripping them of native management and thereby stripping residents of a voice in how their communities are developed.”
Lawler stated she additionally helps the College Selection initiative, which permits public training funds to comply with college students to varsities that finest match their wants quite than routinely going to the colleges of their native district. She additionally helps rising youth psychological well being reforms.