Megan's Platform
Infrastructure and Quality of Life - As Councilwoman and as Chair of the Mobility, Ports, & Infrastructure Committee, Megan has supported and highlighted infrastructure projects and initiatives that aim to improve safety, mobility, and quality of life in our 5th District neighborhoods and across Long Beach. She has worked closely with the city’s Public Works Department to ensure residents, particularly those most impacted by a given project, are well-informed and given the opportunity to share their input. As an active member of the community, Megan walks, bikes, drives, and uses public transit around our district and throughout the city, and knows the importance of making safe, functional, accessible streets for everyone on the road, no matter how you get around.
Megan knows that maintaining essential services is crucial for a successful and thriving city. She continues to advocate for the needs of our residents and is committed to resolving resident concerns as quickly as possible.
Supporting Small Business - Locally-owned small businesses are what make our neighborhood business corridors so special and unique. As a City, we must continue to support them where they are and meet their needs as they arise. Megan has successfully advocated for the continuation of such programs as the Visual Improvement Program (VIP) grants to support businesses who have been targets of vandalism and/or theft, and continues to push for the onset of the Safe & Secure Program designed to help businesses acquire safety and visual improvements to deter bad actors and prevent future incidents. She has also helped support small business and non-profit collaborations, by hosting round table discussions and bringing community leaders together in alignment of a shared goal: improving the ways we serve our communities
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Protecting our Environment and Open Spaces - Protecting and supporting our natural environment supports the health and wellbeing of all who call Long Beach home. Megan is proud to have ushered in the long-awaited dedication of 46 acres of Willow Springs Park as park space in perpetuity, and is committed to seeing a community-led vision come together as the park continues to be restored to support recreation in one of our city’s most natural spaces.
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Megan also continues to advocate for the care and investment in all our parks in the 5th District, particularly Heartwell Park, one of the city’s most active city parks. From youth sports to daily recreation for families and neighbors, Heartwell Park serves as a central gathering space for both the city and 5th District. Megan is committed to maintaining and improving this vital park so it remains a welcoming place for everyone and community life for generations to come.
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Long Beach Airport and the Environment - In further support of a healthy environment for all, Megan has successfully advocated for the continuation of subsidies to encourage the use of the unleaded fuel available at Long Beach Airport, as well as for focused attention on planting new trees in our neighborhoods most impacted by airport pollution. As Vice Chair of the city’s Intergovernmental Affairs Committee, Megan has also travelled to Washington, DC, to meet with federal officials to advocate for increased urgency in the efforts to eliminate the use of leaded fuel altogether. While we await federal regulation and national infrastructure to support the ban of leaded fuel, Megan will continue to relay our local concerns to state and federal partners, urge the city’s support of related policies at the state and federal levels, and seek what meaningful local avenues we can to mitigate concerns in the meantime
Public Safety and Addressing Crime - Megan understands the importance of feeling safe in the city in which we live and work. She supports strong, community-based policing and is committed to promoting efficient police and fire services through investments in personnel and equipment. We can provide officers with the tools they need to protect our community, while also increasing transparency, accountability, and training. Let’s continue to work with public safety to make sure they are funded and trained to work with and care for our communities in their response to the needs that arise. Safety is the cornerstone of a thriving community, and Megan will continue the work to ensure that residents in the 5th District and throughout Long Beach are well served and well protected.
Housing for All - We must address the serious issue around lack of housing and homelessness by tackling the issue through different approaches. One avenue is to provide a full spectrum of housing options throughout the city, with a focus on affordable, but quality housing. Incentives and inclusionary housing for new development and collaboration with community-based organizations to build sustainable and affordable housing are critical. Building more shelters and transitional housing is an important first step but we also need more long-term solutions. Creating more diversion programs connecting our homeless population with supportive services like job training, mental health services and addiction treatment will provide our homeless population with resources to help get their lives back on track and stay in housing.
Inclusive, Well-informed, and Engaged Constituency - Megan has made every effort to keep the community informed of decisions and projects that may impact their daily lives. She regularly hosts community meetings during which she invites city leaders, department heads, and partner organizations to meet residents where they are, to discuss topics of local interest and answer community questions. Megan also regularly meets with neighborhood leaders, whether they lead formal neighborhood associations or simply gather their neighbors on their block to discuss hyperlocal issues.
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Megan knows how important it is for residents to provide input on the projects and policies that affect their day to day lives. That’s why she goes out of her way to ensure our residents, business owners, nonprofits, and neighborhoods are well-informed of potential Council action and any opportunities to provide engagement and feedback.