ArleenRojas4Carson2026.com<\/a><\/p>\nHow 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
Meeting state housing mandates responsibly means focusing growth strictly along designated commercial and mixed-use transit corridors rather than encroaching on single- family residential zones. On the City Council, I consistently champion smart-growth initiatives that protect our neighborhood fabric while expanding our housing supply. For instance, I proudly supported the comprehensive Carson 2040 General Plan, which establishes sustainable building guidelines and localized environmental protections to preserve air quality and green spaces. Furthermore, I have worked with the Carson Housing Authority to break ground on affordable housing developments, while passing strict measures to protect mobile home park residents from predatory rent spikes under our municipal mobile home rent stabilization ordinances. This balanced approach to housing security is why my reelection campaign is strongly endorsed by Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes, Councilmember Cedric Hicks and Councilmember Dr. Jawane Hilton. By prioritizing urban infill and repurposing major underutilized commercial areas \u2014 such as our landmark 157-acre regional development project \u2014 we can successfully fulfill state-mandated affordable housing goals, support working families, and maintain local municipal control without ever sacrificing the distinct quality of life that defines our diverse Carson neighborhoods.<\/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
Balancing a municipal budget requires a multipronged strategy centered around proactive economic development and strict fiscal responsibility, ensuring we do not burden residents. Over the last four years, Carson has successfully maintained a structurally balanced budget without raising taxes, demonstrating our disciplined stewardship of public funds. My approach prioritizes expanding our local tax base by attracting high-quality commercial investments rather than cutting essential services. On the City Council, I voted to revitalizethe Avalon Boulevard and Main Street corridors, delivering streetscape and lighting enhancements that have drawn robust business to Carson. Additionally, I delivered $1 million in grants to help our small businesses grow. Crucially, I am fighting to strategically deploy our historic $370 million Tesoro\/Marathon Petroleum settlement to fund long-term infrastructure and fortify our city reserves. By combining this settlement with major revenue-generating initiatives like our landmark 157-acre regional development project, we secure the recurring revenue necessary to pay down long-term pension liabilities. This robust financial foundation allows us to maintain top-tier public services while keeping Carson genuinely affordable for our working families.<\/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
True transparency requires accessible data, clear communication and institutionalized community oversight. To ensure every public dollar is spent responsibly, we must bring localgovernment directly into the neighborhoods. Over the past four years, I have modeled this collaborative approach by hosting multiple community town halls and expanding our localized public safety task forces, giving residents direct communication lines to voice concerns and track city initiatives. To do better, Carson should modernize its digital portals to offer user-friendly, real-time tracking of city expenditures, contracts and progress on major infrastructure projects. Furthermore, transparency means standing firm for the public interest, even when it is difficult. For example, I led the fight regarding the proposed battery energy storage system in Carson, prioritizing long-term safety and infrastructure through a rigorous, open public review process. By formalizing more resident-led advisory panels and simplifying municipal reporting, we can ensure every resident is an active participant in our city\u2019s governance.<\/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
The most critical need facing Carson today is ensuring comprehensive public safety while completing the major economic investments currently underway. Neighborhood security isthe absolute foundation of a thriving city. To address this, I helped establish the city\u2019s Public Safety Task Force, reactivated the Safety First Act Now initiative, and launched the Community Oriented Policing initiative to directly curb property crime and illegal street takeovers. We have expanded code enforcement and partnered closely with our Sheriff\u2019s Department to minimize emergency response times. However, public safety also means economic stability. I am addressing this by pushing our historic 157-acre project forward, ensuring project labor agreements require large developers to hire local union workers under our local hiring preference ordinances. My focus on safety and local jobs has earned the strong endorsements of the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs and the Los Angeles County Firefighters Association. By pairing robust neighborhood protection with smart economic growth, we create a secure environment where families, seniors, and local business owners can genuinely thrive for generations.<\/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
Good leadership requires collaborative governance, deep professional experience and an unyielding commitment to service. As the daughter of immigrants who grew up in Carson, my values are rooted in hard work and community duty. These principles guided my historic 35-year career in public service, where I broke barriers as the first Filipina American to join the Los Angeles Police Department, and they shape my daily decisions on the City Council under our municipal equity mandates. I represent our diverse community by building broad coalitions and celebrating our rich heritage. I have proudly championed local cultural landmarks, including our annual Philippine Independence Day celebration, Filipino American History Month events, and our city\u2019s vibrant Cinco de Mayo and Juneteenth festivities. My leadership is trusted by our frontline emergency personnel and state lawmakers, earning the strong endorsements of the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, the Los Angeles County Firefighters Association, Assemblymember Mike Gipson, and Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal. I lead by listening and executing equitable policies that safeguard our seniors, fund our youth and uplift every diverse neighborhood.<\/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":489655,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[1400,7,126915,204,205,131,133,132,137,100,13],"class_list":["post-489654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-long-beach","tag-2026-elections","tag-california","tag-candidate-questionnaire","tag-election","tag-local-politics","tag-long-beach","tag-long-beach-headlines","tag-long-beach-news","tag-los-angeles-county","tag-news","tag-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489654","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=489654"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489654\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/489655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=489654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=489654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=489654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}