Issues

Here are Arianna's top priorities elected Mayor of Orange.

You can also scroll down and see where she stands on various issues affecting our city.

Given Orange's roughly $30 million structural deficit, no single lever solves the problem - it requires structural change at city Hall from top to bottom. We need a clear plan of how we will fundamentally fix our operation so we don't end up here again.

Here's My Plan:

STOP THE BLEEDING. With or without new revenue we must live within our means, stop deficit spending, and change how we manage our operations. Austerity is the key. Once a budget is passed for the year, new discretionary spending should not be allowed outside a dire emergency.
RADICAL TRANSPARENCY. Before asking for new revenue, the City owes residents a transparent accounting of where discretionary spending will go. Fiscal credibility should have come before a new tax ask, not after. This includes an honest conversation about what we are facing if a sales tax doesn't pass - what are the risks?
PRIORITIZE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT that grows the base without new subsidies. Streamlined permitting, AI enhanced processes, and targeted investment in underused commercial corridors expand revenue without raising rates.
TACKLE PENSION LIABILITIES with actuarial honesty, not by deferring the true cost onto future budgets — including scrutinizing any proposed benefit enhancements against their long-term liability impact, not just year-one cost.
BUILD RESERVES AS A DISCIPLINE, not an afterthought — a fixed percentage of any new revenue, sales tax included, should be walled off for reserves before new programs. And no new programs should be brought forward or adopted without an identified, ongoing funding source or cutting elsewhere out of the budget.
FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE. Conduct a comprehensive assessment of every department, position, process within the City that measures what is working, what is flawed, where is waste, and how we can improve. The City did this in a review of our library system and found $2 million dollars in obsolete operational inefficiencies. Imagine what we would find (and could save) if we did this across the board?

NEW REVENUE VIA SALES TAX: I support the sales tax measure before Orange voters this November. However, I have consistently warned that it must be paired with structural reform and real accountability — not as a standalone fix for problems the City has failed to address operationally. To date, our city's leadership has not shown fiscal discipline, a willingness to fix the fundamentals, or the ability to reimagine our operations. It is this, more than anything else, that guided my decision to run for Mayor; to provide strong leadership and fiscal discipline over any new revenue residents entrust us with.

My 10 Point Urgency Plan

A Roadmap for Change

MORE KEY ISSUES

MEASURE I - SALES TAX INITIATIVE.

I spearheaded the revival of the Sales Tax Measure - building consensus and crafting the resolution now before voters - it is the runway our City needs to stop the bleeding and rebuild a new, fiscally disciplined and competitive operation. I've grown increasingly concerned that the current Council leadership isn't equipped to handle its passage, or failure, responsibly and that became my impetus for seeking the Mayor's office this November.

The auto dealer rebate is a striking example. The City picked winners and losers, rewarding five franchise dealerships a lucrative rebate while ignoring the other 30+ independent (used car) dealers in our community. That isn't right, and it reflects the same crony-driven mindset we need to move past. And, as I've said before, there is no Plan B. The Council majority has consistently failed to govern with fiscal discipline, reform City Hall practices, build in accountability, or chart a new way of doing business. Instead, it waited until now to go back to voters, hoping the sales tax measure alone will solve our problems. That isn't leadership, and it isn't fiscally responsible.

MEASURE K - CITY CHARTER INITIATIVE.

I oppose Measure K, not on the general concept of a charter city, but on how this one was written. A change to Orange's governing structure of this magnitude deserved development through an independent, resident-driven charter commission with sustained public engagement - not a council-driven initiative and finalized through floor amendments on a contested vote in one meeting.

That process failure is compounded by the substance of what passed: Unprecedented control of our City Council! Measure K gives the current council majority a complete reset on their elected offices, all of whom would have otherwise been termed out in the next two (2) years. Not only does Measure K allow them to run again, if they win re-election they can serve for 12 more years on top of the 8 they've already completed. Measure K makes it possible for the current Council Mjority to serve a total of 20 years.

The final ballot language was also stripped of strong, fiscal controls. Language that would have stopped deficit spending unless an emergency was declared was removed during debate and other language inserted protects predatory real estate practices and hurts working families. The measure was placed on the ballot by a slim 4-3 majority, even though I and two of my colleagues pushed hard to preserve something closer to the current term limits and were voted down.

Voters deserve a charter built with them in partnership and good faith, not one written by Council Majority to protect their interests.

PILOT PROGRAMS

Many have already heard me speak about Chapman University and pushing for a PILOT (Payment In Lieu of Taxes) Program. PILOT programs help cover the costs of city services that large, land-owning non-profits don't pay for because their status shields them from paying property taxes - money hard working residents of Orange have to cover. That's not right and its certainly not fair. Every Ivy League school and colleges across the East Coast support their home towns through PILOT Programs. Stanford University pays millions a year to the Palo Alto Fire Department and the Santa Clara Sheriff’s Dept for Oversight removing those costs from that city’s general Fund. Orange deserves no less.

RECRUITING & RETAINING POLICE OFFICERS / TEAM MEMBERS.

How do we recruit and retain good police officers and City staff?

I believe we're asking the wrong question. The issue isn't simply adding more officers or staff; it's whether we're offering competitive pay and benefits to retain good, well-trained, experienced team members who do the job with exceptional professionalism. This calls for a larger, strategic conversation that reimagines our operations from the ground up. In my view, we're still managing the City the way we did 20 years ago. That's the wrong direction, and it isn't equipping us to meet the challenges of today's environment, let alone tomorrow's

A CITY THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE.

Whether it's staffing levels or pension formulas, decisions should go through fiscal analysis and genuine public input — not be decided in a single meeting by whoever holds the majority that night. Orange’s $30 million structural deficit didn't appear overnight; it's the result of years of decisions made without a consistent framework for fiscal discipline or accountability. This erodes public trust, which then makes every subsequent ask of voters harder, because residents reasonably wonder if City Hall can be trusted.