By Dianne Anderson

Skip the long lines Election Day lines and head straight to the local polling places for the early vote, just make sure it’s on time to count.

Ahead of next week’s election, local Inland Empire candidates across seven races share some common ground. They’re concerned about where the money is going, if community concerns are being heard,  how residents can get ahead, and who benefits when the region grows.

Lynne B. Kennedy for Rancho Cucamonga Mayor

With more than 45 years as a Rancho Cucamonga resident and 12 years on the City Council, including service as Mayor Pro Tem, Lynne B. Kennedy is focused on maintaining quality of life while managing growth, especially regarding public safety, traffic, infrastructure and housing, is one of Rancho Cucamonga’s most pressing challenges.

If elected, she wants to push for more local control and make sure development keeps pace with roads, utilities, public safety, parks and open space is important, along with prioritizing funding for police and fire services, traffic management and infrastructure.

“Equally important, I would strengthen opportunities for residents to participate in decisions affecting their neighborhoods through community meetings, improved communication, and meaningful public engagement,” she said.

Residents are concerned by state housing mandates that limit local decision-making authority, she said. As mayor, she would push for more local control and make sure development keeps pace with roads, utilities, public safety, parks and open space.

Public safety, fiscal responsibility and protecting quality of life are her top priorities. She supports investments in automated license plate readers and drones as first responders, along with pedestrian safety, education and enforcement related to e-bikes and e-motorcycles.

She also emphasizes long-term financial planning and addressing long-term financial obligations without unnecessary strain on residents and businesses.

“Educate residents about the issues, engage them in the decision-making process, and elevate the quality of life throughout our community. These principles will continue to guide my leadership as mayor,” Kennedy said.

Joseph “Joe” Paulino for Colton City Council, District 4

Joseph “Joe” Paulino, a 32-year law-enforcement veteran, has served as chief of the San Bernardino City Unified School District Police Department. He holds a master’s degree in public administration, a bachelor’s degree in workforce education and graduated from the FBI National Academy, and pursuing a doctorate at Liberty University.

Neighborhood safety, reliable city services and responsive leadership are his priorities. He also points to street conditions, opportunities for children and seniors and building trust with residents are key concerns.

“Like many of you, I care deeply about the safety of our families, the condition of our streets, and the opportunities available to our children and seniors. I’ve spent my career working to solve problems, build trust, and bring people together, and I believe that same steady leadership is needed right here in Colton,” he said.

Danny Tillman for San Bernardino City Unified School District Board of Education

Since 1995, Danny Tillman has served on the San Bernardino City Unified School District board, and said financial stability is a priority. He said his most important experience over the decades has been understanding the needs of students and families, and sticking to a budget.

“If I had a number one, you know you have to maintain a stable financial institution even to be able to give students an education. Then, the key comes down to prioritizing the spending to help the kids in the best way possible, get the best bang for the buck.”

Tillman commended Superintendent Mauricio Arellano for being responsive to the board and students’ needs, and credits Arellano with helping academic gains, including underperforming student groups.

“You see the numbers going up across the board, including for African American kids, which historically has not been happening. That’s because I don’t have to force him to do it. It’s something that he wants to do because he’s been in education for over 30 years and he’s good at it.”

Balancing the budget is always a challenge, and one goal is paying staff enough to attract and retain good workers, but he said fiscal stability is essential.

Tillman highlighted the district’s before and after school programs, which also help parents juggle their schedules, and gives students a safe place to go for extra academic support.

If reelected, Tillman wants to boost graduation rates, improve student test scores and expand college and career readiness options. He supports Career and Technical Education pathways in fields such as health care, emergency services, robotics and computer science. He also highlighted Middle College, which allows students to earn an associate degree while completing high school.

“Right now, make sure we increase our graduation rate to make sure that students are learning more and better, and that’s demonstrated by test scores going up. Then make sure we’re preparing students to be able to go to college or start a career once they graduate,” Tillman said.

DeJonaé Marie Shaw for Rancho Cucamonga City Council, District 2

Growing up in San Bernardino County, working in nursing and advocating for workers has shaped DeJonaé Marie Shaw’s understanding of community needs and her decision to run for City Council.

She helped raise her siblings and put herself through school while working nights to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse. She said those experiences taught her what families need to get ahead and what happens when a neighborhood gets overlooked.

“For more than a decade I’ve cared for patients and stood up for the workers beside me, and today I lead the Inland Empire Labor Council,” she said, adding that she founded Coterie Cares to mentor young people.

Shaw said that unequal investment in District 2 is its most pressing issue. She is running so that District 2 can access the same investment as the rest of Rancho Cucamonga.

“Residents tell me they feel it in rough roads and sidewalks, park improvements that come last, and slow emergency response times. As a councilmember, I’d start by asking for a district-by-district breakdown of where city dollars go, push to repair roads and sidewalks in every neighborhood, and press for equal emergency response times across the city,” she said.

Other priorities are roads and sidewalks, affordable housing, and good jobs with livable wages. She wants transparent district spending made clear in the budget, repairs prioritized by need, and residents involved in decisions about their neighborhoods.

On housing, she supports affordability requirements for new development, along with planning and public input on parking, transit, schools and small businesses before projects move forward.

“Good jobs with livable wages. I’d streamline permitting so small businesses can open and grow, and for big business to hire locally and pay its fair share,” she said.

Stevevonna Evans for Adelanto Mayor

Adelanto City Councilwoman Stevevonna Evans said that personal loss and faith shaped her path to public service, and eventually public office.

HEr family came to Adelanto in 1994, where her mother still lives in the home purchased by her mother and grandparents. Evans also raised her family in the city, but losing her daughter Haven to SIDS in 2013 changed her life, leading her into community advocacy and nonprofit work supporting families.

She has worked alongside residents on water quality, housing justice, public safety, employment and government accountability, and wants new investment to bring local hiring, opportunities for local businesses, training, apprenticeships, and improvements to surrounding neighborhoods.

Her three priorities are Dignity and Civility, opportunities for young adults ages 16–24, and Fight for Every Dollar. She also wants clearer expectations for how city leaders engage residents, better access to information and public participation, and a Civility Pledge developed with residents.

For young adults, she wants the city to connect them with employers, unions, colleges, nonprofits and entrepreneurs. The goal is to open doors to careers, skilled trades, internships, business ownership and homeownership.

Before asking Adelanto taxpayers for another dollar, she said City Hall should demonstrate that the City Council has fought for every dollar available to the city and its residents.

“That means aggressively pursuing grants, strengthening regional partnerships, making sure Adelanto receives its fair share of county, state and federal resources, and creating a more disciplined approach to outside funding and fiscal accountability,” she said.

Anyse Smith for Desert Healthcare District Board, Zone 5, short term

With a mother who was a nurse, and a father and sister who are physicians, growing up in a family of healthcare providers gave Anyse Smith an inside view of their challenges and how those affect communities.

She has also experienced homelessness, substance use disorder and alcoholism. In recovery for more than 13 years, she spent more than a decade working alongside others facing those same struggles.

Unanimously appointed in January, Smith is now seeking election to the Zone 5 seat. She believes quality healthcare is a human right, with equity guiding her board decisions.

The most pressing health care issue is the shortage of providers, she said, citing a recent study that found the Coachella Valley is short roughly 236 physicians. For that reason, she wants to build a local pipeline of future providers through training programs and scholarships for Valley students.

Workforce housing, she says, could help graduates afford to stay and serve the community. Retaining existing providers is another priority.

“Too many are burning out and leaving the field. I will keep listening to nurses and frontline workers, and I will advocate for safe staffing and fair working conditions at our hospitals and clinics.”

Strengthening clinics and community sites is another priority.

“I would like to see a shared site in the middle of the Valley where providers and community partners work side by side, along with more mobile clinics and help getting people to the care that’s available,” she said. “All of this fits within the District’s five year strategic plan, so we can start this work now.”

David Starr Rabb for Perris City Council, District 3

Through 12 years on the Perris City Council, David Starr Rabb has heard just about every complaint, from residents speaking at public comment to emails landing in his inbox.

Cost of living remains a critical issue for residents, he said, but warehouse expansion is the biggest complaint he can address as a councilmember. The city has extended the warehouse moratorium through December 2027, giving time to rezone land and protect neighborhoods from further industrial development, he said.

“If I’m re-elected, we’ve extended the moratorium from December of 2026 to December of 2027, and I want to use the next year to mitigate and even start rezoning some of the land to protect our residents,” he said.

He is also urging Caltrans to speed up repaving on I-215 near Moreno Valley and fix freeway ramps that leave trucks too little room to merge, backing up traffic. He questions whether the region should keep expanding warehouses as consumers pull back from the pandemic-era online shopping boom.

Stricter code enforcement and cleaner residential and commercial properties are other goals. Rabb wants to work with residents to address chain-link fences and yards paved over entirely, while raising standards for commercial properties.

Growing up in a working-class family, attending Stanford and law school, and serving in the Navy gave Rabb experience interacting with people from different backgrounds, he said.

“I really would like to serve one more term. I think I have the experience, the knowledge. I’m a Deputy District Attorney in San Bernardino County, handling elder abuse and domestic violence cases. I’ve lived in Perris most of my life,” he said.

Environmental sustainability is another priority.

Rabb wants to use warehouse-related Good Neighbor funds to plant fire-resistant trees along city medians, creating shade for future generations. Trees take time to grow, but he believes the city needs to think ahead.

In his final term, he wants a political truce through January 2028 to keep the council focused on governing, not campaign rivalries.

“Because this is my last term, I’m not running for higher office or running for another municipal office, so I can be the one who takes that heat. I’ll be a lame duck. I’ll be termed out for life,” he said.

He wants to sit down with whoever serves on the council and focus on the important issues, although he said his race has been cordial. As the most senior council member, he believes his relationships could help ease the negativity.

“If we could just have a good year where we’re just focused on the issues, we’re not trying to tear each other down, and we’re not making videos about each other, we should just focus on getting things done,” he said.

For more information on Candidates, see:

• Lynne Kennedy https://www.lynne4rancho.com/
• Joseph Paulino https://jpcoltond4.org/
• Danny Tillman https://www.sbcusd.com/board-of-education/meet-the-board/danny-tillman
• DeJonaé Marie Shaw https://www.shawforranchocucamonga.com/
• Stevevonna Evans https://stevevonnaevans.com/
• Anyse Smith https://anyse4dhcd.com/

• David Starr Rabb https://www.rabbforperris.com/

In San Bernardino County, early voting is available at the Registrar of Voters office weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 31, during the same hours. Ten additional early-voting locations open Oct. 29, with voting available from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. through Nov. 2, excluding Sunday, Nov. 1. Polling places are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3.

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Where to Vote and Track Your Ballot

• California Voter Status: https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/
• San Bernardino County Registrar of Voters: https://www.sbcountyelections.com/
• Riverside County Registrar of Voters: https://www.voteinfo.net/
• California Online Voter Registration: https://registertovote.ca.gov/
• California Secretary of State Elections: https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections