Last week, Irvine Mayor Christina Shea attacked me on Facebook and accused me of supporting "less police protection and more violence" for supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. After I responded, she deleted post and blocked me on Facebook. For the Mayor of Irvine to use dog whistle tactics to infer that standing up against racism is somehow un-American or un-Patriotic, and equates with supporting violence is unacceptable. This is not what our city is about.

We need elected officials who embrace eradicating implicit bias, racism, and brutality against Black people - PERIOD. This is non-negotiable and the absolute minimum we should expect of any public official. When elected, I will continue to fight against systematic racism and injustice, while ensuring that the Irvine police have the funding necessary to keep our residents safe.