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. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar, length and, in some instances, to remove hate speech and offensive language.
MORE: Read all the candidate responses in our Voter Guide
Name: Alisa Lopez
Current job title: Business owner/mother
Incumbent: No
Other political positions held: None
City where you reside: Moreno Valley
Campaign website or social media: lopezformorenovalley.com, instagram.com/alisalopezforcitycouncil
How can the city best meet the demand and mandates for more housing, including at lower prices, while also preserving the quality of life for existing neighborhoods and residents?
I understand the challenges families face when looking for affordable housing options in our city. As a renter, I know that housing is a major part of any household’s budget and that it is currently extremely difficult to find affordable housing in the Inland Empire. We currently have plans to grow housing in the city by tens of thousands of units over the next decade. I believe we should do everything we can to make sure that infill housing is affordable, easy to approve, and is done to protect open space. That means dense infill housing with provision of inclusionary zoning to make sure that new developments are affordable.
Moreno Valley is a city experiencing tremendous growth and one of my top priorities is to make sure that development in the city is not meant only for high-income families. Middle-income families deserve to be able to live and work in the same city and I want to make sure that Moreno Valley’s future guarantees that for our residents.
How should the city balance paying off debts, such as pension liabilities, and building reserves all while meeting residents’ needs? Should a solution involve finding new revenue, trimming the budget, or something else entirely?
Because we are a city experiencing fast growth, we need to make sure that we develop a balance between new developments and the infrastructure to support them. Currently, Moreno Valley is in an excellent financial position, and I look forward to working with the mayor and other members of the council to ensure that we keep it that way.
We currently have a balanced budget and emergency reserves that have been set aside year and year. We need to make sure that our economic growth is attracting good middle-class jobs and that our residential and commercial developments promote rising property values. Doing that while making strategic investments in infrastructure will allow us to maintain and balance and mixed economy that will deliver the future revenues we need to meet liabilities that will arise in future budgets.
In your opinion, what is the biggest need your city faces, and how would you address it?
The things that my community talks to me about and the priorities I am focused on are attracting high-wage jobs to Moreno Valley, affordable housing, and increasing educational and childcare opportunities for our families.
As a renter and a mother of a young child, I understand the difficulty young parents have finding housing they can afford while being able to afford childcare that allows parents to work in the city they live in. I want to increase funding for family-friendly community events and more resources for education, entrepreneurship, sports and community involvement.
We need jobs that can provide for a family and housing that allows new families to live near where they work. Otherwise, our cities and our state will continually lose working people to lower cost states.
Moreno Valley has a large number of vacant properties and the opportunity to grow quickly over the next two decades. That means opportunities for both commercial and residential development that will attract significant investments in our city. We can leverage these investment opportunities to attract businesses that provide good paying jobs to our regions and deliver the high quality of life that our residents deserve.
Why would you make a good leader, and how would you represent the diverse communities of your city?
When I first moved to Moreno Valley, I saw that our moms needed community and a space to share information and tips on parenting in this modern age. So, I started the organization Moreno Valley Mamas and since then, we have hosted countless events which have brought families together and connected mamas to community services and small businesses.
I’m a public servant who has been working with underserved communities since the age of 15. That includes working internationally, throughout America, and locally to administer youth and inner-city rehabilitation programs while leading teams to uplift underprivileged communities. I have seen how important efficient and well managed public services are to alleviating poverty, decreasing crime, and bringing a community together.
I am committed to building community within our city, supporting working families and ensuring a better future for all residents.
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