Quick Take
Lani Faulkner believes her collaborative nature and community ties make her an ideal candidate for supervisor.
Editor’s note: Lookout editors wanted to give you a chance to hear from candidates directly. But we also did not want them to simply repeat their campaign slogans. So we asked them a single question: “How will you provide the sort of leadership our community needs and how are you prepared to meet the moment as it arises?”
We gave them 500 words to answer. We hope their answers will provide one more outlet of information as you decide who to vote for on March 5.
There is a proverb that says, “If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.”
I was fortunate to grow up with a strong sense of community and cultural roots in two multigenerational families, with deep connections to both my father’s Swiss immigrant family and my mother’s native Hawaiian family. In both cultures, when you have a wedding, a baby or celebration, everyone in the community comes together, not just the family. Hawaiians and Swiss love their potlucks. These gatherings served to connect the community. Through a tradition of breaking bread, my family from distinct parts of the world were encouraged to come together, share food and culture and support one another.
These strong extended community ties have informed my values throughout my life, empowered me in the face of personal adversity, and taught me that through listening and service to community we can build bridges that serve a greater purpose. Coming together in community, we can solve problems that at first feel insurmountable. My parents’ values and work ethic gave me the foundation to be the first person in our family to earn a college degree, including a bachelor’s and master’s in physiology from the University of California Davis.
How I lead and show up in community is based on a philosophy that together we are stronger than the sum total of our abilities, that we learn important information through working together and listening to one another, and that no one should be left out. Rolling up my sleeves and getting my hands into the work with community members is at least as important as the work done at a dais. My leadership begins at the ground level, with and within the community, rather than from the top down.
And as a Democratic state delegate, I work to cultivate strong relationships with our legislators and represent our local community, which is critically important if we’re going to get help in acquiring more funds.
I’ve lived in high-fire risk, rural California for most of my life, including Boulder Creek and Happy Valley. Working side by side with neighbors when challenges arise is critical, whether the culverts are plugged and overflowing in a storm or when evacuations are imminent due to fire. As Road Association president in Boulder Creek, I successfully energized neighbors to attend monthly meetings, and we worked and celebrated together.
I’ve taken a similar approach whether working nationally and internationally or with local agencies, like the Office of Response, Recovery and Resilience in support of the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, the Community Traffic Safety Coalition, Santa Cruz Metro or coaching youth mountain biking. I combine a depth and breadth of world experience and volunteerism with a strong belief in creating a sense of community wherever I go.
As a scientist and a systems thinker, I usually am thinking about how sometimes seemingly unrelated things are interconnected and how what we do today might impact our community, not just in five years, but 50-100 years into the future. Our children’s children will inherit the choices we make today, and I put a considerable amount of thought into how we can be better stewards of both people and the land on which we live.
Lani Faulkner’s campaign site is here.