Denise Barnes
Denise Barnes was a member of the Anaheim City Council in California, representing District 1. Barnes assumed office on December 13, 2016. Barnes left office on December 8, 2020.
Barnes ran for re-election to the Anaheim City Council to represent District 1 in California. Barnes lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
District 1 was a new district in 2016. In 2014, voters approved a ballot measure to expand the Anaheim City Council in 2016 from four council members to six council members.[1] Starting with the 2016 elections, city council members were also selected in by-district elections rather than at-large elections.[1]
Although Anaheim's city council elections are officially nonpartisan, Barnes is known to be affiliated with the Democratic Party. She changed her party affiliation from Republican to Democrat on June 12, 2020.[2][3]
Biography
As of her 2016 election to the city council, Barnes owned the Anaheim Base Property Management Company with her husband, Scott. Her professional experience also includes work as the accounting supervisor for a technology company in Orange County.[4][5][6]
Barnes has been active in a number of community organizations in Anaheim.[4] She has served on the executive committee for the West Anaheim Neighborhood Development Council and volunteered with the Boy Scouts, the Maxwell Parent-Teacher Association, the American Legion, First Baptist Church of Anaheim Homeless Outreach, and the service project group Love Anaheim.[4][7][8]
Elections
2020
See also: City elections in Anaheim, California (2020)
General election
General election for Anaheim City Council District 1
Jose Diaz defeated incumbent Denise Barnes and Ryan Balius in the general election for Anaheim City Council District 1 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Jose Diaz (Nonpartisan) | 42.2 | 7,791 | |
 | Denise Barnes (Nonpartisan) | 37.9 | 6,997 | |
| Ryan Balius (Nonpartisan) | 19.8 | 3,653 | ||
| Total votes: 18,441 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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2016
The city of Anaheim, California, held elections for city council on November 8, 2016. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was August 12, 2016. Because of a switch from at-large to by-district elections, four of the six city council seats were up for election.[9][10] The following candidates ran in the Anaheim City Council District 1 general election.[11]
| Anaheim City Council, District 1 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Denise Barnes |
27.28% | 3,646 |
| Steven Chavez Lodge | 25.10% | 3,355 |
| Leonard Lahtinen | 21.38% | 2,858 |
| Mark Daniels | 14.22% | 1,901 |
| Orlando Perez | 6.06% | 810 |
| Angel VanStark | 2.99% | 400 |
| Freddy Carvajal | 2.97% | 397 |
| Total Votes | 13,367 | |
| Source: Orange County Elections, "Official Results for Election," accessed December 7, 2016 | ||
Endorsements
Barnes received endorsements from the following in 2016:
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Denise Barnes did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2016
Barnes participated in Ballotpedia's 2016 survey of municipal government candidates. The following sections display her responses to the survey questions. When asked what her top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Repeal the hotel subsidies program and focus my full attention on West Anaheim issues like homelessness, blight and Beach Blvd development[14][15] | ” |
When asked what she would most like to change about the city, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | We need to stop the tax give-aways to well connected hotel developers, We need to keep our tax money for neighbor service like Police, Fire etc[14][15] | ” |
When asked what she is most proud of about the city, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | West Anaheim Neighborhooods are well maintained[14][15] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important:
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| K-12 education | |
| Unemployment | |
| Transportation | |
| Civil rights | |
| Housing | |
| Crime reduction/prevention | |
| Government transparency | |
| City services (trash, utilities, etc.) | |
| Public pensions/retirement funds | |
| Recreational opportunities | |
| Homelessness | |
| NA | |
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer four questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column:
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| Very important | |
| State | |
| Increased police presence/activity | |
| We need a comprehensive approach, West Anaheim suffers blighted commercial properties, strip malls designed in the 50's that do not attract the kind of businesses that are needed. We will need to use redevelopment, incentives, zoning changes and recruiting coupled with a community vision |
Additional themes
Barnes' campaign website listed the following themes for 2016:[16]
| “ |
Safe neighborhoods - We need stronger community policing and more officers in the field. Proposition 47 has robbed our Police Department of the ability to arrest criminals in our neighborhoods. New state legislation, and new voter approved laws (like Prop. 47) have hampered law enforcement’s ability to act as quickly on drug-related offences. We need to work with the county, the state government and local nonprofit and faith communities to develop new solutions to address the issues at the heart of homelessness, drug use, and human trafficking. Homelessness - We need to help our homeless men, women and children get off the streets and into permanent housing. We have an estimated 1,000 motel children living in West Anaheim. We can deal with this issue with caring, kindness, and compassion. Safe neighborhoods are our number one concern. Blighted and Neglected Properties - We have far too many vacant retail properties and run-down strip malls. We have blighted neighborhoods where apartment owners care little about the condition of their properties. We need active code enforcement to address these issues and bring these properties into compliance. Parking - Overcrowding in apartments is causing spill-over parking issues in many West Anaheim neighborhoods. Permit parking is one solution, but it all too often just moves the problem to someone else's neighborhood. More alternatives are needed. Streets and Sidewalks - We should not have to wait to see improvements. Many areas of West Anaheim are badly in need of attention. East Anaheim has long enjoyed well-maintained roads, parkways, and bike trails. It is time for West Anaheim to see the same improvements. Beach Blvd and "Stink’n" Lincoln - Homelessness, prostitution, and crime are what visitors see when passing through Anaheim’s blighted Beach Blvd. We have a junk yard across the street from an amusement park. Strip clubs, motels, and massage parlors add to the negative perception of West Anaheim. Planning has finally begun with the formation of the “Beach Blvd Specific Plan” and the “Westgate Project”. Our mayor has been working with the cities of Buena Park and Stanton to create a consistent look and feel for Beach Blvd. We need to stay on top of these developments to ensure we get the kind of shops, restaurants, and amenities we want so that we can put an end to the years of blight. Park Space and Recreation Programs - There is simply not enough park space in West Anaheim. We are one of the most densely populated areas of the county, but we have less park space per capita than Santa Ana. We need to do better at addressing the needs of our “at risk” youth with more programs in more areas. We need more programs for our seniors. And as the demographics of this area has changed we need to offer better opportunities for our growing number of soccer fans.[15] |
” |
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 City of Anaheim, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed August 31, 2016
- ↑ Anaheim Blog, "District 1: Councilmember Denise Barnes Switches From Republican to Democrat," July 3, 2020
- ↑ Anaheim Blog, "UPDATED: Final List of Anaheim City Council Candidates," August 15, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Denise Barnes for Anaheim City Council District One, "Meet Denise," accessed August 31, 2016
- ↑ Facebook, "Denise Barnes for Anaheim City Council District 1 on July 25, 2016," accessed August 31, 2016
- ↑ Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey, 2016, "Denise Barnes' Responses," October 7, 2016
- ↑ West Anaheim Neighborhood Development Council, "WAND Executive Committee," accessed August 31, 2016
- ↑ City of Anaheim, "Candidate Statement of Qualifications," accessed August 31, 2016
- ↑ City of Anaheim, "Elections 2016," accessed March 11, 2016
- ↑ KPCC, "5 changes for Anaheim now that district elections are coming," February 10, 2016
- ↑ City of Anaheim, "Qualified Candidate List - November 8, 2016 Election," accessed August 15, 2016
- ↑ Facebook, "Anaheim Republican Assembly on August 24, 2016," accessed August 31, 2016
- ↑ Denise Barnes for Anaheim City Council District One, "Home," accessed August 31, 2016
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey, 2016, "Denise Barnes's Responses," October 7, 2016
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Denise Barnes for Anaheim City Council District One, "Issues," accessed August 31, 2016
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by NA |
Anaheim City Council, District 1 2016-2020 |
Succeeded by Jose Diaz |
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