Ahead of the November general election, the Southern California News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates who wish to represent you. You can find the full questionnaire below.<\/p>\n
Name: Jozef Maldonado<\/p>\n
Age: 30<\/p>\n
Current job title: Production Chemist<\/p>\n
Incumbent: No<\/p>\n
Other political positions held: Fullerton Parks and Recreation Commissioner; California Democratic Party Assembly District Delegate and Executive Board Member<\/p>\n
City where you reside: Fullerton<\/p>\n
Campaign website or social media: www.JozefForFullerton.com<\/p>\n
How can the city best meet the demand and mandates for more housing, including at lower price points, while also preserving local control and the quality of life for existing neighborhoods and residents? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)<\/p>\n
Fullerton needs more housing, but we need to be thoughtful about where and how we build it. I support adding housing along major corridors and in underused commercial areas where development makes sense, while protecting established neighborhoods from poorly planned projects.<\/p>\n
We also need housing at different price points. That means making it easier to build starter homes, apartments and affordable housing while cutting unnecessary delays and costs in the permitting process. At the same time, new development needs to account for infrastructure, traffic, parking, parks and other services.<\/p>\n
The answer cannot simply be saying yes to every project or saying no to everything. We need a housing strategy that meets our obligations, increases supply and gives working families a realistic chance to afford living in Fullerton.<\/p>\n
How should the city balance rising costs, paying off debts, such as pension liabilities, and building reserves, all while meeting residents\u2019 needs? Should a solution involve finding new revenue, economic development, trimming the budget, or something else entirely? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)<\/p>\n
Fullerton cannot cut its way to long term financial stability. We should absolutely look for efficiencies and eliminate waste, but repeatedly cutting services and delaying infrastructure maintenance only creates bigger costs later.<\/p>\n
My priority is economic development. Fullerton needs a real strategy to attract businesses, support the ones already here and grow our tax base. We should streamline permitting, make it easier to open and expand a business and better utilize commercial areas throughout the city.<\/p>\n
We also need disciplined budgeting. That means responsibly addressing pension liabilities, rebuilding reserves and being honest about the long term cost of decisions we make today. If additional revenue is ultimately necessary to maintain the services residents expect, I am open to that conversation, but the city first needs to demonstrate that it is using existing dollars responsibly and rebuilding public trust.<\/p>\n
The public expects transparency from public leaders in spending and governance. How can this be achieved? How can the city do better in this area? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)<\/p>\n
Transparency should mean residents can understand not only what the city decided, but how and why it made that decision.<\/p>\n
I want city budgets, contracts and major policy proposals presented in language residents can actually understand. Important information should be easy to find online, and significant decisions should come before the public early enough for residents to meaningfully participate rather than after the direction has effectively been decided.<\/p>\n
I also believe Councilmembers need to be accessible. That means holding community meetings, being present in neighborhoods and responding to residents even when we disagree.<\/p>\n
Trust in government is earned. The best way Fullerton can rebuild it is by making decisions openly, explaining where taxpayer dollars are going and giving residents a genuine opportunity to participate in their city government.<\/p>\n
In your opinion, what is the biggest need your city faces, and how would you address it? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)<\/p>\n
Fullerton\u2019s biggest need is getting its financial house in order so we can reliably provide the basic services residents expect.<\/p>\n
Our budget problems show up everywhere: deteriorating roads, reduced library services, aging infrastructure and difficulty making the long term investments our neighborhoods need. We cannot solve each of those problems separately without addressing the underlying financial situation.<\/p>\n
I would focus on growing our local economy, supporting small businesses, attracting new investment and making Fullerton easier to do business in. At the same time, we need to prioritize core services and infrastructure and make sure taxpayers are getting value for what we spend.<\/p>\n
My goal is not simply to balance one year\u2019s budget. It is to put Fullerton on a sustainable path where we can maintain our roads, parks, libraries and public safety while planning for the future instead of constantly reacting to the next fiscal crisis.<\/p>\n
Why would you make a good leader, and how would you represent the diverse communities of your city? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)<\/p>\n
I grew up in a working class family just a few miles from Fullerton, and I was the first in my family to attend college. Those experiences shaped how I see public service and why I believe local government needs to work for people who do not always have the time, money or connections to make their voices heard.<\/p>\n
As a chemist, I learned to follow evidence, ask questions and make decisions based on facts. As a Parks and Recreation Commissioner and community organizer, I learned something equally important: good leadership starts with listening.<\/p>\n
Fullerton is incredibly diverse, and representing it means showing up. I have spent this campaign knocking on doors, attending neighborhood meetings and talking directly with residents about what they want from their city.<\/p>\n
I will not agree with every resident on every issue, but I will listen, explain my decisions and treat people with respect. I want residents in every neighborhood to know that their Councilmember is accessible and working for them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ahead of the November general election, the Southern California News Group compiled a list of questions to pose…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":488005,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[1400,163,165,164,7,126915,204,205,100,13],"class_list":["post-488004","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-anaheim","tag-2026-elections","tag-anaheim","tag-anaheim-headlines","tag-anaheim-news","tag-california","tag-candidate-questionnaire","tag-election","tag-local-politics","tag-news","tag-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=488004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/488004\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/488005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=488004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=488004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=488004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}