Campaign Q&A with Folsom Council candidate Jaya Badiga

In less than six weeks, local residents will be electing two new members to Folsom City Council. The upcoming vacant seats are currently held by council member Ernie Sheldon and appointed council member Andy Morin. A total of seven candidates are now campaigning for the two available seats. Those candidates include Mark Moore, Jaya Badiga, Janine Bedley, Justin Sanders, YK Chalamcherla, Justin Raithel and Rosario Rodriguez. This week, the Folsom Telegraph begins its preview coverage to the 2020 election with a multi-part series that allows the local candidates to address a handful of key questions concerning the city and their views on those topics, in their own words. The question set presented has been selected from a public query, in which the community was asked what they would like to know from their local candidates. In this segment, candidate Jaya Badiga addresses the first round of key questions Why are you running for Folsom City Council? I believe strongly in the role of local government and its connection to residents. This is the first line in my view, in our ability to have an exchange of ideas, issues, problems and solutions. I've been an active volunteer and community member in Folsom. I first ran for council in 2010 and wanted to compete again in a unique election year. Tell us about yourself, your career and what qualities, skills you have that you feel qualify you well to serve the city of Folsom as a council member? I am an attorney and have represented victims in domestic violence cases for more than half my legal career. Prior to that, I worked in advertising/communications. To me, empathy is the biggest quality required for any representative. One also has to have the ability to analyze issues and make decisions that have long-term impact. I have both of these skills and abilities to serve the city of Folsom. Traffic has been a much talked about topic in Folsom as the city continues to grow. Do you believe Folsom has traffic challenges and if so, how do you envision addressing those concerns? When I first ran for Folsom City Council in 2010, it took me less than 10 minutes to get to the freeway. Now, it is double the time. We need to analyze this data and "hotspots" like the intersection of Blue Ravine and Oak Avenue; Iron Point and E. Bidwell, etc. We need to connect with regional partners and prioritize projects like the Capital Southeast Connector. We need to lobby the county and stakeholders and add an additional exit to alleviate the stress on our existing infrastructure. Many residents express concern over Folsom's water supply as Folsom's population grows. If elected, how would you address these concerns for the future? Folsom voters overwhelmingly passed Measure W in order to ensure that south of 50 has an independent water supply. If elected, I will make a commitment to review the current allocations and water supply plans and will also review whether we have been compliant with the wishes of Folsom voters. I will ensure that any new land acquisitions and development plans will be compliant with what Folsom residents have resoundingly voted for. The city of Folsom has great public safety resources in place. Do you see concerns of safety needs in the city in the future and have thoughts on how to address them? The quality, training and commitment of our public safety officers needs to not only be commended, but also kept up in terms of the standards, training and resources. We need to outline and staff new service centers south of 50 and we need to have our officers stay connected to the community and provide regular opportunities to connect communities with both leadership and service staff. Our natural geography, especially south of 50, is without many natural barriers and is at risk for fires. Additionally, we have an increase in burglaries. Lastly, with new developments, an increase in population and traffic, we need to ensure that response times, especially for first-responders, is maintained. How do you envision Folsom's growth in the next 20 to 30 years based on its current pace? I support measured growth and believe that our small-town character is a part of our identity as a city. We're already seeing a divide in terms of people referring to themselves as North or South of Folsom. We need to work to bridge that gap. Along with planned growth come the other issues of traffic, access to transportation, affordable housing, water supply issues and related concerns. This means that we need to account for resource building and resource allocation, so that some parts of the city don't feel the same strain of this growth as others. Homelessness is a much talked about topic in Folsom. Do you see Folsom's homeless concerns continuing to grow and foresee potential solutions? We need to analyze the underlying cause of homelessness and analyze whether it is domestic violence, mental health, drug use/abuse and poverty or other reasons. We need a multi-team and multi-agency approach. We have to reach out to multiple agencies (SETA; Women's Empowerment; Sacramento Housing & Redevelopment, etc.) and local nonprofits to work on a coordinated approach. We need effective enforcement so that those that resort to illegal activities know the consequences of their actions. COVID-19 has taken a toll on Folsom's business community. If elected, what measures would you seek to implement to address a crisis such as this in the future to lessen such a financial impact to local commerce? This pandemic has taught us expensive and heart-breaking lessons around preparedness, prevention and patience. We need to come up with a preparedness plan: medical, fiscal/economic, legal and of course, public safety. This crisis has shown us the importance of being able to pivot – to transform your business model, change hours, product offerings, scalability of services, etc. Those that have been successful at this can empower others. Additionally, the city needs to keep a list of all the ordinances and regulations that have been temporarily suspended and legislate to make this plan B. Final question – state one issue the city of Folsom faces that you feel passionate about addressing during your term and how you would do so, if elected? I am passionate about the issue of representation. I believe that diversity is vital to a thriving democracy and that the ability to think differently and creatively are powerful when faced with challenges that need creative solutions. I will ensure that my appointments to boards and commissions are representative of the wealth of talent that we have in Folsom. I will also prioritize this regarding my ability to shape policy on hiring, within the city's various departments with a focus on representation and equity. Want to learn more about Jaya Badiga? Visit her campaign website at:https://www.jayabadigaforfolsom.com