Arlis Reynolds (Costa Mesa City Council District 5, California, candidate 2022)

Arlis Reynolds (Democratic Party) ran for election to Costa Mesa City Council District 5 in California on November 8, 2022.^[1]

Elections

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

Arlis Reynolds completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Reynolds' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in Costa Mesa's District 5 (the "Westside") and have always been a proud member of our westside community. I attended all the local schools, volunteered in community organizations and care deeply about giving back to the community that has helped shape me. The westside has long been the underserved part of our city, in part due to under-representation, lower incomes, and language barriers. I am a well-respected leader with strong relationships across our diverse neighborhoods and who can help overcome those barriers. In my first four years, I've improved representation and engagement in our local government, increased the investment in our districts, and focused our city services on community-specific needs and goals. We've planted many seeds as a westside community during my first term, and my re-election will help make sure those seeds get watered and blossom!

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Housing - 58% of the residents in my district rent, and the cost of housing continues to rise and is now considered a health issue. Families are paying a huge percentage of their incomes for housing, and housing cost and instability are affecting every aspect of peoples lives. Our local hospital lists housing instability among the top issues affecting children's health. We must find/implement solutions to make housing more affordable so families can have stability and ability to save, invest, and contribute to the local economy.
Infrastructure/Transportation - I am committed to making Costa Mesa a walkable city, making our roads safe, comfortable, and pleasant for people walking, biking, skating, scooting, and taking public transit. Our reliance on cars has made us less safe (vehicle collisions are the number one killer of children), less healthy, less wealthy, and less happy, and less friendly. A walkable city is a safe and vibrant environment for all residents that benefits our environment (fewer vehicle emissions), benefits our local economy, and benefits our health and resilience through better social infrastructure. I am pushing safe streets through advocacy, community engagement, traffic calming projects, active transportation projects, and improved road des
Climate Crisis / Environmental Issues - The climate crisis is an existential and global issue, but many of the actions we need are based on land-use decisions that we control at the local government level. We need to adjust our urban planning strategies and building codes to reduce energy consumption, vehicle miles, and greenhouse gas emissions in our communities. We also need to grow green space and plant more trees to encourage environmental cooling and carbon capture while creating more healthy spaces for our residents.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Costa Mesa District 5 is home. This is the neighborhood I grew up in and where many of my close friends still live, now with their children. I was shaped by growing up on our diverse westside, I'm proud of this neighborhood, and I love both its beauty and its scars. Others who have run for this office or served on our city council see the westside as a prime target for "revitalization," and past city councils have made decisions affecting westside residents without honest engagement with those residents. That is not appropriate representation. I want to make sure that our westside community is respected and represented at city hall.

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