BIKEable Communities posed a series of five questions to each of the active candidates for elected positions in Long Beach that will be contested in the upcoming election on Tuesday June 3.

Below are the answers from Long Beach City Council Candidate Misi Tagaloa to the five questions posed by BIKEable Communities regarding active living, Biking and walking in Long Beach.

Active living, bicycling and walking in Long Beach

1. Can having an active living oriented, bike and pedestrian friendly culture be an important business differentiator for Long Beach.  Can it help us attract new businesses and new resident that are looking for a city that promotes an active life style along with a business friendly environment. If so, what as an elected civic leader would you do to help deep us ahead of the pack.As a councilmember I would advocate for a walking and biking campaign not just for the downtown area but throughout the city.  I would expand on the work done thus far and make it more fun.  With your help, I would form a historical bike/cycle fair to visit the historical homes and sites throughout the city as catches on, I would include restaurants, parks, libraries and museums.
2. Studies from Portland other US cities show people on bicycles spend more per month in local business districts than those arriving by other modes.  Bicycling and walk also promote a “shop local” mindset (it’s difficult to get to a far away store to shop if you are walking or biking). What steps would you take to ensure that local businesses in your district are able to benefit from better access by bicyclists?Aside from the bike/walk fair, I would help sponsor a bike and walking fair and invite businesses in each district to host the cyclists and walkers with food, water or some other product.  The event would end in the downtown area.
3. Childhood obesity and chronic weight related health issues are a major problem in the city of Long Beach.  In six of Long Beach’s zip codes residents diagnosed with diabetes, sugar diabetes or pre diabetes is 20% or greater.  As an elected official how would you use your position to foster an active lining agenda that will make measurable improvements in these chronic but often preventable diseases?As an elected official, I would work with Long Beach Unified School District to sponsor a poster contest advertising the benefits of biking and walking.  The contest would be at every school and the winner would receive a savings bond, a picture of their family with the Councilmember and have their poster on city buses, bus shelters and other public venues.   I would also encourage local bicycle shops to have a “bike day” at schools similar to the Red Ribbon Week regarding drug abuse.
   
4. Would you support a business are resident council on active living that would provide guidance for city policy? yes I would support having local businesses and residences on councils to provide technical guidance on the issues of biking and walking policies.
5. Will you commit to using your leadership position in the community to “walk the walk” by personally walking and biking during your tenure in office? yes I will commit to personally walking and biking during my tenure in office.