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Los Angeles County, CA June 6, 2006 Election
Smart Voter Full Biography for Brian Alan Ulaszewski

Candidate for
City Council; City of Long Beach; District 2

This information is provided by the candidate

I came to Long Beach with my family when my father, Terence Ulaszewski, was stationed at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard. Both my father and my mother Anna were part of the team charged with the Shipyard and Station's decommissioning. I was witness to a significant shift in the economic identity of Long Beach.

After graduating from Wilson High School, I attended the University of Southern California where I graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Architecture. I spent some time living and working in West Los Angeles and in the South Bay before returning to Long Beach with my then-fiancée Gina. We bought a home in the Craftsman Village Historic District and immediately became involved in our community. This was in part a coping mechanism with our new surroundings. We found ourselves in a neighborhood with strong community resources but suffering under blight and crime and a decline in its physical infrastructure: curbs crumbling, weeds and trash overtaking alleys.

We also got involved in the neighborhood because of the sense of community that comes with being part of an active neighborhood group. I served as co-chair for the Craftsman Village Historic District Focus Group, and then as facilitator for the larger Hellman Area Neighborhood Association (HANA), which provides a forum for residents from Alamitos to Cherry and 4th to 10th to discuss neighborhood issues with a variety of City agencies and officials, as well as with the Long Beach Police Department South Division.

Our neighborhood group has made positive change in the neighborhood by rolling up our sleeves and taking the blight head-on. Our efforts have included bi-weekly street cleanups, parkway plantings, code enforcement, and multi-lingual newsletters, as well as educating the community about the benefits of historic preservation. This neighborhood empowerment has led to significant improvements in our community; the Craftsman Village Historic District Focus Group has been recognized locally and nationally for its efforts. Our awards include a 2005 "Neighborhood of the Year" award from Neighborhoods USA (NUSA), a national organization devoted to supporting local communities. Our work has also bridged divides between speakers of different languages and between renters and homeowners, bringing everyone together to contribute their unique strengths to better the physical and social infrastructure of the neighborhood. The Hellman Area Neighborhood Association has incorporated senior citizens into community activities and has initiated community code enforcement as well as collaboration with the 7th Street Community Police Center.

I have also taken a broader approach to improving our community, participating in the Central Project Area Committee for Redevelopment (CPAC) as well as the Southwest Cluster and City-wide steering committee for Long Beach's General Plan update. In addition, more recently I have taken active roles on the Cultural Heritage Commission (serving as Commissioner) and the Arts Council of Long Beach.

My personal efforts to improve the quality of life for residents of our community have focused in large part on expanding open space opportunities in the First and Second Districts, including the proposed Armory Park and Orange Avenue Nursery, both of which I am spearheading. Click here to see details of my Armory Park proposal, click here to see details of my Orange Avenue Nursery proposal, click here to see details of my Alamitos Beach Park proposal, and click here to see details of my Daryle Black Park proposal. I have also volunteered my abilities, providing advice on planning and development issues as well as looking for opportunities for positive change in our diverse communities.

As someone practicing architecture in Long Beach, I am very familiar with planning and development efforts in the downtown as well as throughout Long Beach. Working with City staff, elected officials, community organizations and neighborhood groups, I have developed the abilities to deliver good planning principles that are sensitive to our existing communities.

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: May 30, 2006 15:27
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