Your questions.
My answers.

MY ANSWER

I am running because our membership deserves leadership that can communicate effectively, build relationships, and deliver results. I still love the job and the memories made at the station. I believe I have more work to do for the people who work beside me.

We need solutions, not division. We need a seat at the table, a voice in the decisions affecting our members, and a plan for the future. That means listening across all ranks and assignments, establishing clear priorities, and being accountable for the work.

MY ANSWER

If showing up, working hard, maintaining standards, and honoring my oath makes me a Department man, then yes. But that does not mean I am a yes-man.

Ask the members who have worked with me how I have supported and protected them through difficult disciplinary and workplace situations. I have stood up to chief officers when my members were right.

My approach is professional, direct, and focused on solutions. Relationships should help us address problems—not compromise our wages, working conditions, or values.

MY ANSWER

I understand the burden of command in the fire station, on the fireground, and when decisions affect the careers and lives of our members. My record, experience, and the people who have worked with me speak for themselves.

I currently lead the LAFD In-Service Training Section. Its success comes from teamwork, relationships, communication, and support from our members in the field. Those are responsibilities I would bring to our union—not a substitute for learning the specifics of union office.

MY ANSWER

My IAFF involvement includes leading the Fire Ground Survival International Program, teaching at conferences, participating in instructor development for 15 consecutive years, and contributing to the current Evidence-Based Fire Ground Operations program.

That experience includes training, instruction, leadership, relationship-building, and working with the organization at multiple levels. My campaign biography also describes 16 years as a lead instructor and attendance and assistance at ALTS, Redmond, and STRIVE conferences.

Instructor development and lead-instructor service are different activities. I want members to understand the responsibilities behind the numbers.

MY ANSWER

I have years of experience communicating, solving problems, developing people, and building relationships. I also recognize that union office requires learning its specific daily operations.

I would approach that responsibility with preparation, accountability, and a commitment to listening. Experience matters, but so does the ability to lead people, bring issues forward, and achieve results.

A successful union cannot depend on one person. It needs a team, clear responsibilities, and the knowledge of past and current members.

MY ANSWER

Members are already overworked and understaffed. Assign Hire, recall, and qualified relief create a complicated system. I want productive dialogue about staffing, vacancies, resource allocation, and a more sustainable approach.

My goal is one consistent system, developed with meaningful union involvement. We need to address the problems at the table, rather than treating legal action as our only play.

There is a time and place for lawyers, contract enforcement, and formal disputes. Productive conversation must not mean giving up members’ rights.

MY ANSWER

My first responsibility is to understand the circumstances, enforce our agreements, and protect the membership. We cannot have one standard for some members and another standard for others.

I would establish clear expectations, determine why the failure occurred, and make sure the contract and department policies are followed. A legitimate reason or a problem with the process must be addressed fairly.

Repeated or unjustified failure to comply must be addressed through the appropriate contractual and disciplinary procedures. I will not ignore the problem, but I will not automatically assume punishment is the answer. My goal is consistent enforcement, due process, and accountability.

MY ANSWER

We must advocate for the resources our members need to safely perform their jobs. My position is to oppose one-and-one staffing and to make staffing standards a clear priority in our representation and discussions with the Department.

Staffing, workload, vacancies, and resource allocation belong in one serious conversation with the membership—not as isolated decisions made without our meaningful involvement.

MY ANSWER

I am concerned about sending ambulances and heavy apparatus to responses that could be handled more effectively. I want a serious review of dispatch practices, resource deployment, fuel and maintenance costs, and the fatigue affecting our members.

I would make improving the existing system a major priority and compare how other departments handle similar issues. The goal is to model and adapt what works for Los Angeles—not assume another department’s system can simply be copied.

The review needs credible workload information and the people responsible for dispatch and emergency care involved in the discussion. The objective is a more effective response system, not an unsupported promise to cut responses.

MY ANSWER

Our dues must be managed responsibly. Members deserve transparency, sound financial controls, and a clear understanding of how money is spent.

I have used Concur for approximately 17 years through my IAFF work. I would propose a similar reimbursement process with appropriate documentation, multiple levels of review, and accountability for improper or ineligible expenses.

Existing safeguards should remain in place. A reimbursement platform is a tool; documented policies, independent review, and consistent enforcement are the responsibility.

MY ANSWER

I want to examine why member issues end up before an arbitrator. Arbitration can be necessary, and protecting members’ rights must remain central.

I am concerned about the cost when a dispute that could be resolved through productive dialogue becomes an expensive legal matter. Legal action cannot be our only play.

I would work toward effective resolution, hold the line when necessary, and evaluate costs alongside the quality of representation and outcomes. Saving money cannot become a reason to abandon a member.

MY ANSWER

My position is that existing proceedings must continue through the appropriate processes. I will maintain safeguards and support accountability.

I cannot promise to stop matters handled by the authorities responsible for them. At the same time, our meetings need to address the business and future of the union, rather than repeatedly revisit the same arguments.

Accountability and moving forward are not opposites. Both matter to our membership.

MY ANSWER

The purpose is accountability, performance, and value for our members. I would review each firm’s responsibilities, contract terms, costs, goals, results, and unresolved work.

For legal services: contract enforcement, grievance outcomes, case management, response times, costs, and strategies for unresolved issues. For consultants: assignments, deliverables, deadlines, and the usefulness of their recommendations.

For financial advisors: financial position, spending, applicable investment performance, fees, risks, and long-term sustainability, measured against appropriate objectives and benchmarks.

I would establish written expectations, measurable objectives, regular reporting, and follow-up. Where appropriate, I would compare qualified providers, consistent with our governing documents and contractual obligations.

MY ANSWER

I believe endorsements should be strategic, transparent, and based on what is best for our membership—not personal friendships or political favors.

I would examine a candidate’s record, positions on issues affecting members, and willingness to work with UFLAC. Members should understand why a candidate is supported and what we expect from that relationship.

We should be willing to work with anyone who is willing to work with us, regardless of party, without compromising our priorities. Building a relationship also means communicating expectations and holding officials accountable.

MY ANSWER

First, identify our priorities and the outcomes we want. Second, understand our contractual rights, the City’s obligations, financial realities, and available legal options. Third, bring the membership together around clear objectives.

The tools include collective bargaining, staffing and workload data, contract enforcement, legislative advocacy, public education, labor coalitions, and coordinated engagement with City leadership.

I would work with our legal team, labor representatives, and membership to select a strategy, set timelines, and identify measurable goals. We should not make threats without a plan, or give away leverage without receiving something meaningful in return.

Unity is leverage. My responsibility would be to turn those strengths into measurable results for members.

MY ANSWER

I am in DROP, with approximately three years and eight months remaining as stated in my announcement. I am not running for another title or a long-term political career. I believe I still have work to do for our members.

My immediate priorities are rebuilding relationships, listening across all ranks and assignments, setting priorities with members, reviewing professional services, and identifying the strongest opportunities through negotiation and contract enforcement.

Within the first 90 days, I would aim to present a clear action plan with defined objectives and a schedule for reporting progress. Some issues will take longer to resolve. Members should not have to wait years to see action, communication, or accountability.

I want to leave the union more united, organized, accountable, and better prepared for the future. I have no intention of spending my remaining years on the sidelines.

MY ANSWER

I want open dialogue with the Department about the plan if Measure FD succeeds and the plan if it does not. Staffing, workload, apparatus, and the needs of our members cannot wait for a campaign slogan.

Our membership should help establish priorities and have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect working conditions. I would use relationships, negotiation, credible information, and contract enforcement to pursue those priorities.

MY ANSWER

Members deserve to understand these funding sources and how they affect the Department. I have experience pursuing and properly using grants, and I want UFLAC engaged in monitoring opportunities and advocating for appropriate investments.

The priorities include training, apparatus, equipment, and firefighter safety. Personnel and station needs also require a plan that separates continuing operating costs from eligible capital investments.

These resources are not interchangeable. I want the right questions asked about eligibility, approvals, costs, and sustainability—not an assumption that a program name means money is already available.

MY ANSWER

These are issues members should understand. My written response invites you to contact me directly so we can discuss your questions and concerns.

Use the private question form to identify the provision or concern you are asking about, without including confidential personnel or grievance records.

MY ANSWER

These are fair questions. Members should understand where dues go, the benefits and resources the IAFF provides, and how California Professional Firefighters supports us.

I have been involved in IAFF benefits for approximately 17 years. I want to help members understand the value of these organizations before considering what we could lose by walking away.

A meaningful answer should distinguish Local dues, IAFF per-capita payments, and other affiliation costs, rather than treating them as one unexplained number.

MY ANSWER

I want succession planning to start early. We should develop future union leaders through training, conferences, mentorship, and the experience of past and current members.

That means documenting priorities, preparing people to take responsibility, and establishing systems that continue serving members when leadership changes.

A successful union needs a team that is prepared to lead, serve, and continue the work long after any one officer transitions.

MY ANSWER

The team named in my announcement is Andy Ruiz for President, Enrique Barboa for 1st Vice President, Chung Ho for 2nd Vice President, Dreon Brown for Secretary, and Rigo Arellano for Treasurer.

I am asking members to give us the opportunity to move UFLAC forward. A successful union takes a prepared team, not one person.

Supporting a team does not change the standard: every member deserves representation, and I will work with the leadership the membership chooses.