Youthful vision
City Council District 1 candidate Penaloza relies on community input, work ethic during campaign
“When I travel from up north or down south and I enter the city and see these hills,” said City Council District 1 candidate Daniel Penaloza, “I feel like I’m home.”
Penaloza, a 25-year-old Porterville resident, stands on a firm platform for the upcoming November election. His campaign is fueled by a community engaged approach, and Penaloza has been knocking on the doors of District 1 voters for approximately four months to gather his community’s concerns. Based on the responses he received, Penaloza built a platform pushing for advancements in three areas: community programs, local development and economic justice.
Penaloza explained that constituents in his district have expressed that there is a lack of programs for children and senior citizens.
“What more can we do as a city to ensure that our citizens have more things to do?” Penaloza asked. His answer was simple — increase funding for youth and senior programs through the city or build a community center where events and activities are put on for those who need and want them.
Penaloza emphasized the need for infrastructure improvements around the city as well.
“One of my biggest concerns right now is infrastructure, especially between Putnam and Tomah,” said Penaloza. “Close to West Putnam Elementary, the kids don’t have sidewalks to walk on to get to their houses. The students walk in the street, I’ve seen it. It’s super dangerous.”
Penaloza stated that he would push for funding for the streets, but also realizes that his district is one of five, and that infrastructure improvements must be equally spread throughout the city.
Streets and sidewalks were not the only point Penaloza made regarding improvements that could be made.
“Maintenance of our parks, that is one thing that I’m really pushing for when it comes to local development,” said Penaloza. He mentioned that there are not a lot of child-friendly things to do at most of the parks around town, and that the sports complex is too far out of town for children to utilize unless their parents take them there.
Penaloza is adamant about promoting local business, and said he has spoken to many business owners about how the city could help them generate a larger customer base.
“I think there is a strong desire from local owners to have conversations to see that they are able to run their business in a way that brings in more business for them, and it will help us boost our local economy,” he said.
Penaloza explained why he is qualified to become the new face of District 1.
“I’m willing to do the work that needs to be done. Even after the
campaign is over, we are not going to stop. We are going to continue to have town hall meetings. We are going to continue having community events,” Penaloza expressed. “I
know how to organize a community. I knock on doors and I’m willing to invest. I know how to create a stronger bridge between the community and the constituents to City Hall.”
Penaloza stood firm in his position and did not shy away from speaking
about the issues that are prevalent in Porterville.
“When it comes to the homeless population, there is not a one size fits all solution,” Penaloza said about the growing homelessness problem the city is facing. “We have to look at this issue. We cannot ignore. We need to look into solutions that are really going to help so that we do not continue to have an increase in the homeless population. Instead, we can reduce it and really help point people to resources that they need.”
Penaloza offered a possible remedy to this issue, “I want to invest in finding resources for the homeless by working together with non-profits that already provide some of the resources collectively. First, we need to find
ways that the city can survey and find out their [the homeless population’s] needs. If we could invest in to a program that could look in to that it would be helpful.”
Penaloza belives that communication with the pubic is crucial to a successful relationship with his district.
“I believe strongly that our democracy flourishes the best when we are a civic engaged community and we know what’s going on and we are engaging in our local government,” he stated. He went on to explain that some of the residents in his district were uninformed of the tax increase measure that will be on ballot.
When asked where he stood on Measure I, he responded, “As a candidate
I have decided to stay neutral on this. The reason I’m staying neutral is because I think when it comes to taxes you have to let the voters decide.”
Emphasizing communication with the community and being transparent as a City Council representative is an important component of Penaloza’s campaign. He explained some of the frustrations constituents in his district have expressed about the construction of the streets and offered a possible solution to ease those frustrations.
“One of the things I’ve noticed is that a lot of people want to see their streets repaired, but they don’t understand the process of things. I would like to have town halls and invite members of the
community to have these discussions to understand how roads are repaired and how we come to the decision which roads we invest in,” explained Penaloza. “One of the biggest things I want to do is have these conversations so people can understand. I want to be able to explain to the constituents why we are fixing one road over the other. That is a part of transparency.”
Penaloza offered some final words of encouragement for those voting on November 6.
“Regardless of who you are going to vote for, if you are registered to vote, go out and vote,” he said. “Encourage others to vote. Your vote matters, especially at a local level. Use your power. You are not voiceless.”