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Daniel Malki for Arcadia City Council: Public safety, school system, & transparency
Arcadia Weekly Sep 02, 2022
Daniel Malki. | Courtesy photo
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Daniel Malki is running for Arcadia City Council for District 5 in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.
HeySocal.com: Who is Daniel Malki and why are you running for Arcadia City Council?
Daniel Malki: As a homegrown Arcadian, striving to serve my community as Council Member, I will represent the wave of a new generation of young leaders who will fight for each and everyone’s causes. I grew up in Arcadia and currently reside in the 5th District here. My parents are immigrants from the Middle East and are proud Americans.
I grew up here, I live here, I went to school here, I shop here, I played sports here, it’s my home. To put it simply, I have a special place in my heart for Arcadia and I want to see Arcadia continue to succeed and become an even better place to live.
It has been a long-standing philosophy of mine to use every minute I have wisely. There’s no time wasting with me. I am always on the move, trying to do something productive. Sometimes, this can be a little exhausting for my friends and family, but they have no choice but to accept me. I jest, but in saying that, I have been blessed with a strong education, having spent some time earning my Juris Doctor and Master of Laws after my undergraduate studies in Economics and Political Science. I then spent some time working with the United States House of Representatives, specifically on behalf of the Arcadia community and the 27th District as a whole, and with the United States Senate. I was always highly motivated to learn how the law informs and regulates representation and participation in the political process. The law lays the structural foundation of our society and so I always believed it was imperative to understand it. It is one of the few ways to make long-lasting and positive improvements in our society.
I have worked in a variety of places within the legal field, but I always knew that at some point I would like to wield this experience and run for a public service position. What good is this experience if I can’t use it to improve that which is important to me? It’s just part of my personality to naturally gravitate toward this kind of thing. These finer details influence politics and ultimately the culture in which we live. It has always fascinated me.
I strongly believe that it is most important to note that book smarts prepare you on a technical level to tackle the world – and so does work experience. But there is a human, personal and emotional side – one that deals with not only my passions but the feelings and concerns of those around me. I will bring that to Arcadia. And I am not sure everyone who runs for a public service position truly understands this.
HeySoCal.com: What is the most important goal for you?
First and most importantly, we need to address public safety. Mailbox theft is a problem that I keep hearing from residents. The other is homelessness. We generally like to call them homeless, and by technical definition, that’s what they are – but I think we need to reexamine how we view this unfortunate circumstance that these people find themselves in and the effect it has on the rest of the city residents. I prefer to call them unhoused. This is the number one agenda that can be rapidly implemented with a long-term and well-thought-out strategy of low-cost housing and job programs. The city budget can allow for this. We need to work on getting the “unhoused” dignified places to stay away from constituent homes.
Personal safety is another issue. I will petition to quickly increase police patrol and presence all over Arcadia. Especially around schools and shopping malls, including parking lots and dimly lit spaces like our beautiful parks that are constantly frequented by elderly residents and children.
That being said, it’s a two-pronged solution. The first prong is to address homelessness directly. The second prong is to bolster our public safety measures overall…more patrol presence and training for officers. We have to ensure that our residents are protected from potentially violent people wandering the streets who have a propensity to exhibit antisocial behavior. We should treat everyone with dignity and respect and we also have to balance that with the appropriate actions that need to be taken to protect our residents from harm. Further to that, a welcoming city will keep property values high, attracting investment and ultimately leading to more money in Arcadian’s pockets and more opportunities for the next generation.
HeySoCal.com: What is your idea about governing?
Daniel Malki: I have always understood that being transparent is a just and righteous thing. Voters deserve this. Many constituents that I have spoken to don’t fully know what’s going on in the city despite their best efforts. Given that, I will draft and push legislation that increases council member transparency. This will include publicly reporting their official schedules, work-related meetings, and other forms of related and relevant communication. We must ensure that nobody can profit off of our great constituents. Transparency is the bedrock of any functioning democracy. And so we must demand transparency and accountability from all of our elected officials, including myself. We must seek to gain and maintain the public’s trust.
I will make sure Arcadia’s citizens can come to me, at any time, with any concern, and be heard in a timely manner. I will always strive to respond personally. It is not pleasant to reach out to your elected leaders and to hear back from one of their staffers with prepared responses. On top of that, I will strive to address your concerns with potential solutions. I am here to work and serve.
HeySoCal.com: What are the blind spots in the current council?
Daniel Malki: I will make certain that Arcadian’s tax dollars will not be misused. Arcadians pay taxes directly to the City of Arcadia, thus their tax dollars must only be spent on benefiting the lives of our constituents. We have a reputable public school system. To keep our school system’s reputation high, I will make certain that Arcadians are reaping the benefits of their tax dollars, which are going towards schools in Arcadia.
I am aware that we have students that don’t live in Arcadia. Those students usually use a relative’s address to attend our great public school system. I will draft and drive measures aimed to prohibit future students who live in other cities from taking precedence over our students in Arcadia’s public school system. If elected, my oath and responsibility are to help the people who live in Arcadia. You have my word.
You can reach Daniel Malki at danielmalki.com and via email at daniel@danielmalki.com
