ENDORSEMENTS
Blue Values Burbank 2022 Endorsements
Our Endorsement Committee consisted of Burbank residents who do not hold any positions in any political parties, candidate campaigns or business organizations. We care about finding solutions to the problems we all face. These endorsed candidates are clearly committed to improving the present and future of Burbank. Based on their responses to our questionnaire, they prove that they understand the challenges we face as a city. Even more important, they show their commitment to taking responsibility for finding solutions.
Burbank City Council Endorsements
These three candidates reflect the Burbank of 2022. We know Burbank will benefit from their diversity of backgrounds and life experiences, their focus on clearly seeing our challenges, and their drive to research solutions and not depend on easy, simplistic, and ultimately insufficient answers.
All these candidates have a history of working as part of a team to bring beneficial change for those in need. Each will bring her own sets of skills to City Council and we know that together they will act to improve the quality of life for all Burbank residents.
Carmenita Helligar
Carmenita is a small business owner, renter, mother and grandmother, and has proven to be an effective Burbank activist. She has the drive and ability to bring creative solutions based on her proven collaboration skills. For example, she works directly with the Burbank Police Department to improve their relationship with marginalized communities. She recognizes that how the City functions as a system through all City departments needs to change in order for our quality of life to improve. We appreciate Carmenita’s commitment to take innovative action to address challenges such as homelessness and mental health in the community.
Nikki Perez
Nikki is the face of the young and upcoming Burbank generation. As a life long resident and renter, she understands our challenges and what has and hasn’t been done for our city on many levels. Her experience as a nonprofit program manager and the results she has achieved show that she knows how to overcome government bureaucracy to design and implement effective solutions. We are confident that Nikki will work to transition our local government departments from being a stifling, discouraging and frustrating experience for residents into a streamlined process that will effectively address the needs of our city.
Tamala Takahashi
Tamala’s BVB questionnaire responses show a depth of thought and knowledge about what has worked and what has not worked to address our on-going problems. She wants to implement solutions that don’t just check a box but actually incorporate values. For example, Tamala strives to connect housing solutions with sustainability solutions. We appreciate how Tamala sees how our city functions as a complex ecosystem where a change on one level will be reflected through all levels of Burbank. It is important that an appreciation of this multi-layered cause and effect be part of City Council’s decisions.
Burbank Board of Education Endorsement
One of the goals of the Blue Values Burbank endorsement process is to level the playing field for all candidates so that they can be heard and considered based on their ideas, commitment and what they have to offer Burbank. The voters should not have to depend on a candidate’s fundraising and connections in order to be an informed voter.
The Blue Values Burbank Endorsement Committee has decided to endorse one candidate for School Board even though there are two positions up for election. Only one candidate showed us a serious, intelligent, creative and forward-looking approach to solving problems and creating a better education for all students.
Michael Morgan
Michael Morgan is the only candidate who grew up in Burbank and attended our schools as a student. He has shown through his questionnaire responses that he is highly knowledgeable about BUSD’s strengths and weaknesses. He understands the importance and complexities of bringing DEI instruction to our schools and is ready to find the funding to bring this process forward. He has a detailed plan on how to make our schools sustainable and reduce food waste. As he experienced bullying firsthand as a student, he is prepared to go beyond superficial action to protect all kids. He addresses pandemic readiness, the need to update the curriculum and other issues with research, deliberation and sensitivity to how these decisions affect parents and students.
Michael’s life experience as a global traveler and as a Burbank resident for over 20 years, and his work as an educator within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, all give him a unique perspective that is lacking from our current School Board.
We have found his solutions to be grounded in a realistic view of Burbank and BUSD.
He is a creative person and this is reflected in his passion for art and creation of a “megaverse” concept. You can find his answers to our questionnaire HERE.
About our endorsement process:
Blue Values Burbank has attempted to cut through the campaign rhetoric and let Burbank voters know where the candidates stand – on the record – on the issues we are all concerned about.
Candidates solicit endorsements from other politicians, community leaders, local unions and business groups. These endorsements are given with little or no information revealed to voters as to why that candidate received this endorsement. We are not privy to an organization’s endorsement process, the questions they ask, and what is expected from candidates in order for them to gain that endorsement.
All we hear is that the endorsement has been given and voters are left to guess why.
We have posted the candidates’ answers to our questionnaires verbatim on our website. We have also posted the follow-up questions we asked and the answers received.
Blue Values Burbank has only endorsed those candidates who are clearly committed to changing the present and future of Burbank. We have shared with you why we see certain candidates as understanding the challenges we face. Even more important, we have examined how the candidates have shown their commitment to taking responsibility for finding solutions.
We encourage you to read the responses directly from the candidates:
City Council Candidate responses CLICK HERE
School Board Candidate responses CLICK HERE
contact@bluevaluesburbank.org
Paid for by Blue Values Burbank
Committee ID# 1438291
Blue Values Burbank is a General Purpose Political Action Committee
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