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: Michelle Johnson
Current job title: Irvine Planning Commissioner
Political party affiliation: Non-Partisan
Incumbent: No
Other political positions held: None
City where you reside: Irvine
Campaign website or social media: http://www.michelle4irvine.com
Irvine is in the process of its first major general plan update in well over a decade. Since Irvine has traditionally been a master-planned community, what is your vision for the city as it continues to grow? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)
The Irvine master plan has served the community well by balancing development with open space, parks, trails and excellent quality schools and public safety. As a maturing city, Irvine needs to focus on building a balanced economy that attracts jobs for the future while developing and implementing a sustainable transportation plan to provide connectivity to the major business areas and entertainment destinations. We need to focus on preserving our high-ranking quality of life that is rooted in our foundational pillars of exceptional educational institutions and public safety.
As our residents’ needs continue to evolve, we should invest in innovative housing solutions for our younger workforce as well as for our increasing senior population. The master plan has been a successful blueprint for our city, and it should continue to adapt and serve us well into the future.
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? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)
The city should consider meeting the demand for affordable housing by starting with good planning for the necessary services (e.g., parks, schools, city services, transportation). We need to develop innovative solutions for homeownership for our younger workforce who may want a simplified lifestyle but also a chance to build equity for the future. This would include not just more density, but new floorplans and layouts, smaller square footage and locations that have walkable access to retail and entertainment. The city’s housing element identified the Spectrum area and the Irvine Business Complex as two areas that could accommodate new housing and the existing village concept could co-exist with these areas so long as we take a “planning first” approach.
Irvine has a goal to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2030. That will take a lot of city outreach to accomplish. Where does climate change fall in your list of priorities? (Please limit your answer to 200 words or less.)
Climate issues are indelibly linked to the growth of our city and new development. The projected increases in our population in a finite area require us to address the issues of air and noise pollution and the impacts on our infrastructure and energy usage. The city should advance the urban forestation plan to add thousands of trees and increase our canopy from 19% to 30%.
The city should have a rooftop solar/battery storage program for all residents starting with our older housing stock and lower-income and senior households. We can fund this by exiting the Orange County Power Authority which is costing the city over $1 million per year in utility costs and our ratepayers almost $40 million that have gone into reserves instead of lower rates for the same energy SCE delivers. District 1 is affected by the Bowerman Landfill with the planned expansion due to the closure of the Brea landfill which will result in increased truck traffic, noise and air pollution including methane gas. We must work to stop importing trash from outside Orange County which accounts for 30% of our solid waste disposal.
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.)
The largest issues facing District 1 in Irvine are:
– The final development of 1,300 homes and the resulting impact on our schools and traffic,
– The need for a wildfire management and evacuation plan, including a plan to address the lack of availability and increasing costs of homeowners insurance,
– Building our first community center and public library branch for our more than 50,000 residents who are in the only area of the city without these services,
– Establishing the Gateway Preserve — over 700 acres of new open space — replacing the closed All American Asphalt plant, and
– Working with the county to reduce the impact of the Bowerman Landfill expansion, including re-routing truck traffic and eliminating out of county trash importation.
My policy issues for the city include advancement of the Great Park framework plan with an emphasis on the development of the park/open space aspects, continued support and funding for our public safety and schools and a “planning first” approach to new development.
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.)
I’m running for office to be an advocate for all residents in District 1 while giving a voice to their concerns and delivering results. District 1 has never had a councilmember who lived in their neighborhood, and this is why it took four years to address the health issues caused by the All American Asphalt plant.
I have extensive experience in executive leadership during my 24 years in corporate finance and banking and was a managing director of a national business unit consisting of Fortune 500 and large private corporations in real estate and land development. I am also a city of Irvine planning commissioner. I also understand the challenges of owning and operating a small business. I have lived in the district for 23 years and worked on resident issues during this time, delivering results to improve the quality of life for the residents. I will also work collaboratively with all councilmembers to move the city of Irvine forward with an emphasis on common sense sustainability, transportation, housing affordability and support for our public safety and schools.
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