Megan Diaz Alley

Hello. My name is Megan Diaz Alley, and I am a candidate for Santa Barbara City Council.

I want to continue the work I have been doing in our community to work to protect our environment, improve our local transportation infrastructure, implement practical solutions to help local businesses and entrepreneurs prosper, and ensure that opportunities and advantages are extended equally to all neighborhoods. I am honored to serve on our City’s Parks and Recreation Commission, where I fight to ensure that budget and policy decisions enhance our community and benefit all residents, with a focus on our children, working families and seniors.

My own family – my father’s parents and my mother’s grandparents – emigrated from Mexico to build a better life in America, and I am running to give a voice to people who have traditionally not had a lot of representation. That includes working families, people of color, young people, renters, and people who walk, bicycle or ride the bus. I believe that the City Council can do an even better job of helping our schools and many community organizations to improve and expand opportunities for the under-served, through better coordination and communication – we need to make our existing investment of tax dollars go further and serve more people in need.

I have spent the majority of my time in Santa Barbara working with our non-profit community. At the Community Environmental Council, I coordinated our annual Holiday Light Exchange, and other programs that helped reduce our carbon footprint. I was a founding member of ECOFaith, which brings faith-based communities together to work towards protecting our environment.

At Surgical Eye Expeditions International, I promoted our Santa Barbara Vision Care Program, which provides free vision services to low-income, uninsured residents in our County. As the producer and host of Non-Profit Spotlight, I worked with our amazing non-profit community to connect their programs and mission to families and potential partners in our City. I have taken a leadership role in working with my neighbors, on Santa Barbara’s Eastside, to deal with traffic issues and develop safety improvements.

I know first-hand that government cannot and should not go it alone. I believe that government should lead by positive example, by listening to all residents and engaging them in the decision-making process. Together, we can ensure that our environment and our economy are healthy. We can keep a balanced budget, prioritize services for our youth and disadvantaged populations, encourage vibrant and safe neighborhoods, plan for a safe and efficient transportation system, and grow an economy which preserves and enhances our natural environment for present and future generations.

I am Megan Diaz Alley.

I hope you will cast one of your three votes for me in this important election.