Susan Jakubowski said she is proud to be part of a community that cares.
In her quest for a City Council seat in November’s election, Jakubowski said she has been able to reaffirm that mantra as she has entered campaign mode.
“It has been so much fun,” she said. “People have been great. They’ve been forthright. As I talk with people in their homes and in the community, they’re aware of the issues and it really pleases me that they care about the same issues that I do.”
Jakubowski is one of seven candidates for the three open spots on the five-member City Council. The election will be on Nov. 7.
Although it is her first bid for elective office, Jakubowski isn’t a stranger to San Marino operations.
She has served for years on the city’s appointed Planning Commission and was recently selected by her peers to chair the commission.
She also was selected as one of five citizen advisers to an ad hoc committee formed last year to analyze city operations and fiscal matters, many recommendations of which have been adopted by the City Council.
Jakubowski, who formerly owned a business, also has spent years working for the government of Los Angeles, giving her an added familiarity with local government.
With all of that said, she said she has identified one major concern shared by her fellow residents: the traffic.
Jakubowski said that has been the biggest change she’s noticed in her 30 years living in San Marino.
Many call it a “pass-through city” thanks to navigation apps directing people around traffic congestion elsewhere, she said.
“I think most residents would agree that traffic and safety are a bit of a tie-in,” Jakubowski said.
“We know that the rates of accidents have gone up and we’re hearing from parents that they’re very concerned about their children walking to school.”
The increased traffic also has, in Jakubowski’s eyes, made it easier for mobile burglars to scope out residential cities such as San Marino that have seen burglary rates skyrocket.
She said she hopes to coordinate efforts between local cities to analyze traffic patterns and also to promote increased volunteerism to assist law enforcement.
“People are wanting to do more,” she said. “It tells me that our out-of-the-box thinking is what the community wants. They want to put both specialized and unique skills together.”
Jakubowski also has said residents are interested in a better line of communication from and access to city government, which she said is an opportunity to modernize technology for both this interest and also in the interest of fiscal efficiency.
On the business front, she said some residents have wished for a more accessible and sustainable business corridor along Huntington Drive, similar to what the area was like before the road became a virtual freeway for the San Gabriel Valley.
At any rate, Jakubowski said she has relished her campaign thus far because it has helped her connect even more with her community.
“This has really been one of my favorite years in town,” Jakubowski said. “Win, lose or draw, I have really enjoyed myself. I really feel the warmness of the residents.”
