District 1: Anne Hertz-Mallari - Cypress City Council Candidate Profile Questionnaire

Candidate General Information 1. Candidate full name Anne Hertz-Mallari Thanks for reading EYES ON CYPRESS CA ~ A COMMUNITY VOICE! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work. 2. How long have you lived in Cypress and what council voting district do you reside in? I moved to Cypress in 1994. I have lived in District 1 for the past 10 years and previously lived in what are now Districts 3 and 4. Having lived in several parts of Cypress has given me a broad perspective on our neighborhoods and the issues residents experience throughout the city. 3. What is the URL for your campaign website? www.AnneforCypress.com 4. What are the URL(s) for any public facing social media accounts you may have such as Facebook, Instagram and X? @AnneForCypress 5. Please tell us about yourself and your family. Cypress is where I raised my family and built much of my professional and community life. My husband, Valentino, and I have a blended family that includes four adult children, two granddaughters, two dogs, and a very large extended family. We married after our children were grown, and one of the unexpected joys has been watching our children become friends and truly become family to one another. Family gatherings are a big part of our lives. We love to host, although in our family a 'small' gathering can easily mean 40 people! We enjoy barbecuing, swimming with the kids, walking the dogs, and spending time together whenever everyone's schedules allow. I have spent more than 30 years working with children, families, nonprofits, schools, businesses, and community organizations throughout Orange County. Today, I serve as CEO of We Care Orange County, where I work to help individuals and families facing financial crisis remain safely housed, fed, and financially stable. Cypress is much more than the city where I live. It is where I raised my children, where my granddaughters are now making their own memories, and where I have had the privilege of serving my community. That personal connection is a large part of why I care so deeply about Cypress and its future. 6. How do you plan to contact voters in your district? The most important part of campaigning is listening. I plan to spend as much time as possible talking directly with District 1 residents - walking neighborhoods, knocking on doors, attending community events, meeting with neighborhood groups and local businesses, and making myself available to residents who have questions or concerns. I will also use mail, email, social media, my campaign website, and other communications to reach residents who may not have the opportunity to meet me in person. My goal is not simply to tell residents what I think. I want to hear what they think. Good representation begins with listening. 7. What are the top three attributes of the city that make you proud to be a resident? First, oursense of community. Cypress still has the feeling of a city where neighbors know and care about one another. Second, ourquality of life. Safe neighborhoods, excellent schools, parks, recreation opportunities, well-maintained infrastructure, and responsive public services make Cypress an exceptional place to live and raise a family. Third, ourpeople. Our residents, volunteers, businesses, schools, faith communities, nonprofits, public safety personnel, and City employees continually demonstrate how much they care about Cypress. These qualities did not happen by accident. They are the result of decades of thoughtful decisions and community involvement, and they are worth protecting as Cypress grows and changes. 8. Why did you decide to run for City Council? I decided to run because Cypress is entering an important period of change, and I believe experience, collaboration, and thoughtful leadership will matter tremendously in the decisions ahead. Issues involving development, housing, the future of the racecourse property, economic development along Lincoln Avenue, traffic, public safety, infrastructure, and our long-term financial health will shape Cypress for decades. Having previously served on the City Council and as Mayor, I understand both the opportunities and responsibilities that come with these decisions. I also know that good government requires more than having strong opinions. It requires listening, understanding the facts, respecting different perspectives, building consensus, and making decisions based on what is best for the entire community. I am running because I love Cypress and want to help ensure that the qualities that have made this city such a wonderful place to live are protected for the next generation. 9. Prior to being elected or appointed to City Council, have you ever run for and/or been elected to any other office? Prior to my election to the Cypress City Council in 2020, I had not held another elected office. I served on the Cypress City Council from 2020–2024 and served as Mayor in 2023. 10. What is your official statement of qualification? 11. What does common sense mean to you as a City Council member? Common sense means remembering that government exists to serve the community. For me, that means asking some basic questions before making a decision: What problem are we trying to solve? Is this necessary? What will it cost? Is there a simpler or more effective solution? What are the unintended consequences? And how will this decision affect the people who actually live and do business in Cypress? Common sense also means recognizing that not every problem requires a new program, regulation, fee, or layer of government. Council members should listen to professional staff and experts, but we also have a responsibility to ask questions, challenge assumptions when appropriate, listen to residents, and use our own judgment. The best solution is usually the one that is practical, financially responsible, understandable to residents, and actually solves the problem. 12. How would you approach resolving conflict among your Council peers? Disagreement is not necessarily a bad thing. Five Council members will not always see an issue the same way, and residents benefit when different perspectives are respectfully considered. My approach is to listen first, understand where we agree, identify the actual point of disagreement, and look for a solution that addresses the underlying concerns. During my previous service on the Council, I learned that relationships matter. You can disagree strongly on one issue and still work together effectively on the next. Personal attacks and political games make that much harder. I believe Council members should debate issues vigorously but respectfully, focus on facts, and remember that once a decision is made, we still have a responsibility to work together on behalf of Cypress. Education & Professional Background 13. Resume/LinkedIn 14. What is your current profession/title and employer? I am the CEO of We Care Orange County, a nonprofit organization that works to prevent homelessness by helping individuals and families experiencing financial crisis remain safely housed and return to financial stability. My career has been devoted largely to strengthening children, families, and communities. Prior to joining We Care, I served for approximately 17 years as CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Anaheim-Cypress. During my tenure, the organization grew significantly in both reach and resources, expanding to approximately 13 locations serving roughly 1,500 young people each day. Earlier in my career, I worked with the Orange County Department of Education and the Cypress School District. That experience has given me extensive experience in nonprofit management, budgeting, fundraising, organizational growth, partnerships, youth development, homelessness prevention, and bringing public, private, nonprofit, and community partners together to solve problems. Community Service & Engagement 15. What is your Cypress community involvement outside of your official Council member/candidate capacity? My involvement in Cypress extends well beyond my service on the City Council. For decades, my professional and volunteer work has connected me with Cypress schools, families, businesses, nonprofits, service clubs, faith communities, and community organizations. I served as PTA President at Landell Elementary for three years and as PTA Council President for two years. During that time, I worked with other parents to raise funds to install air conditioning, replace playground equipment, expand opportunities for students, create community events such as the Landell Carnival, and provide parent education programs that encouraged greater family engagement in their children's education. Over the years, I have also helped manage local blood drives, health fairs, and clothing distribution events. I've been a team mom and volunteered in many other ways, and I am grateful for the friendships and community connections that grew from those experiences. As School Readiness Coordinator for the Cypress School District, I obtained funding for and managed the creation of the Jumpstart School Readiness Center, a free drop-in educational program designed to help children enter kindergarten healthy and ready to learn. The program included developmental assessments by a nurse, parent education, and a summer kindergarten-readiness program for incoming kindergartners who had not attended preschool. As Public Education Program Manager for the Orange County Department of Education, I worked with families throughout Orange County to help parents understand developmental milestones and connect them with childcare, healthcare, early education, and other resources that support healthy development from pregnancy through age five. As the longtime CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Anaheim-Cypress, I worked extensively with Cypress families and schools and helped expand opportunities and services for local young people. Under my leadership, we remodeled the Cypress Club, built a teen center, and replaced playground equipment and the sports court at Cedar Glen Park. During COVID, we operated full-day Clubs as needed so children had a safe, supportive place to learn while their parents continued working. Today, as CEO of We Care Orange County, I work with Cypress residents and community partners to prevent homelessness, provide food assistance, and help families experiencing financial emergencies regain stability. I also serve on the Orange County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, where I have been involved in examining issues affecting women and families throughout Orange County. Most recently, I have begun spearheading the creation of a Cypress Historical Society to help preserve and celebrate our city's history as Cypress experiences significant growth and change. For me, community involvement isn't something that begins or ends with elected office. It has been a consistent part of my life in Cypress. 16. During the May 2026 emergency evacuation due to the Garden Grove GKN chemical incident, did you assist your fellow community members? Yes. The chemical emergency affected thousands of residents in and around Garden Grove and created immediate financial challenges for families who were evacuated, missed work, lost groceries, incurred temporary lodging expenses, or faced other unexpected costs. Through my role as CEO of We Care Orange County, I worked to make sure affected families, including residents in the communities we serve, knew assistance was available. We reached out to current and former clients, shared information about available resources, and made residents aware of We Care's food pantry and potential rent and utility assistance. The incident reinforced something I see frequently in my nonprofit work: for many working families, one unexpected emergency can quickly become a financial or housing crisis. Community resilience requires both an effective emergency response and strong local organizations that can help residents recover afterward. Questions for Candidates that Currently Serve on Council or have Served in the Past 17. Is there anything you wish you had done differently? I am proud of what Cypress accomplished during my time on the City Council. We maintained a balanced budget, invested in new and improved parks, supported projects such as the award-winning Citrus Square development and Trader Joe's, and kept public safety a top funding priority. Looking back, I wish I had pushed even harder and earlier for more consistent communication and community engagement on major issues. Residents should not first learn about an important decision when it appears on a Council agenda or after much of the work has already occurred. On issues involving development, traffic, housing, public safety, or significant changes to neighborhoods, communication should begin early and continue throughout the process. I also learned that sometimes the desire to build consensus can cause you to wait too long to raise a concern or push an issue forward. Collaboration remains extremely important to me, but experience has taught me that leadership sometimes means respectfully asking the difficult question sooner. I would bring that lesson back to the Council: communicate earlier, listen more broadly, ask difficult questions, and make sure residents have meaningful opportunities to participate before major decisions are made. General Questions 18. What do you believe are the current top three challenges Cypress is facing? 1. Managing growth while protecting our quality of life. Cypress is entering a period of significant change. The challenge is not simply whether development occurs, but whether it is thoughtful, fiscally responsible, supported by adequate infrastructure, and compatible with existing neighborhoods. As the Town Center & Commons Plan moves forward, we need the right balance of housing, retail and restaurants, open and green space, community amenities, and meaningful traffic mitigation. We also need to carefully consider the cumulative impact of development throughout the city rather than evaluating each project in isolation. 2. Revitalizing our business community, particularly Lincoln Avenue and District 1. Lincoln Avenue is one of Cypress's most important commercial corridors, but parts of it do not reflect the quality of the rest of our city. Aging infrastructure, deteriorating sidewalks and storefronts, parking challenges, homelessness-related concerns, and other issues make it more difficult for businesses to succeed. I want the City to become a more active partner with these businesses. I would like to create aLincoln Avenue Business Collaborativethat regularly brings together business owners, property owners, City staff, law enforcement, and other partners. The first job would be to listen: What are the obstacles to doing business here, and what can the City realistically do about them? From there, I would like to develop a practical revitalization strategy for Lincoln Avenue that improves infrastructure and appearance, supports existing businesses, attracts new investment, and celebrates the history and character of this important part of Cypress. 3. Rebuilding trust, communication, and community connection. Residents should feel that City Hall listens to them, communicates with them early, and welcomes their participation - especially before major decisions are made. I believe we need to improve communication among residents, businesses, City staff, and the Council and create more meaningful opportunities for people to participate. That extends beyond City Hall. I would like to strengthen the City's relationships with our school districts, businesses, nonprofits, service organizations, and other community partners. Cypress is strongest when we work together rather than allowing political labels or disagreements to define our relationships. Public safety and fiscal responsibility are foundational to all three priorities. I will continue to advocate for a well-equipped Police Department and the resources our officers need to do their jobs safely, while applying fiscal discipline to every major City decision. 19. What are the top three objectives you would like to achieve should you be elected to City Council? 1. Revitalize Lincoln Avenue and strengthen Cypress's business community. Four years from now, I want Lincoln Avenue to look and feel like an important gateway to Cypress - a corridor that proudly reflects both our history and our future. That means improving sidewalks and aging infrastructure, addressing parking and public safety concerns, encouraging façade and property improvements, supporting existing businesses, attracting new investment, and creating regular communication between the City and business community. I also see an opportunity to incorporate Cypress's history into the revitalization of Lincoln Avenue. As we identify and preserve historically significant places, we can celebrate where Cypress came from while creating an attractive and economically vibrant corridor for the future. 2. Manage development so that Cypress remains a great place to live for generations to come. The decisions made over the next four years will shape Cypress for decades. I want development to produce more than housing units. It should contribute to a complete community. As the Town Center & Commons area develops, I will advocate for meaningful green and open space, a thoughtful housing mix, restaurants and retail, community amenities, adequate infrastructure, and real solutions to traffic impacts. I also want us to think about who will be able to call Cypress home in the future. Young adults who grew up here increasingly cannot afford to buy a home in the community where they were raised. While a City Council cannot solve Southern California's housing affordability problem alone, we should look for responsible ways to expand housing opportunities for different generations and income levels while protecting established neighborhoods. 3. Rebuild connections and strengthen the sense of community that makes Cypress special. I want Cypress to be a community where residents feel heard, businesses feel supported, our schools and City work together, and people can disagree without treating one another as enemies. That means earlier and better communication from City Hall, stronger relationships with our school districts and community organizations, and more opportunities for residents to participate before decisions are made. It also means celebrating what connects us. Cypress has a rich history that deserves to be preserved and shared even as we plan for our future. Four years from now, I would like residents to feel that Cypress didn't simply grow—we became a stronger, more connected community in the process. Finance Questions 20. What is your position on raising taxes and fees? I do not support raising taxes. Before asking residents or businesses to pay more, the City should demonstrate that existing resources are being used efficiently, that the expenditure is necessary, and that alternatives have been seriously considered. Fees should have a reasonable relationship to the actual cost of providing the service rather than simply becoming another source of general revenue. There may be circumstances when a fee adjustment is justified—for example, when the cost of providing a specific service has materially increased—but those decisions should be transparent, supported by data, and carefully evaluated. Cypress has a history of strong financial management. Protecting that tradition means living within our means, prioritizing essential services, planning ahead, and treating taxpayer dollars with the same care we would expect residents to use with their own money. 21. What is your approach to balancing services against limited financial resources? Financial stability gives Cypress choices, but it should never be an excuse to become complacent about spending. My approach is to prioritize the City's core responsibilities first: public safety, infrastructure, streets, parks, and the basic services residents rely upon every day. From there, I would evaluate spending based on need, community benefit, measurable results, ongoing costs, and whether another organization or partner could provide the service more effectively. My nonprofit leadership experience has taught me to accomplish a great deal with limited resources. Partnerships with schools, businesses, nonprofits, service organizations, and other government agencies can often expand what we provide without placing the entire cost on taxpayers. Good budgeting is not simply about spending less. It is about establishing priorities and making sure every dollar advances them. Law Enforcement 22. What are your views on public safety? Public safety is government's most fundamental responsibility and should remain one of Cypress's highest priorities. During my previous Council service, I supported fully funding our Police Department and providing our officers with the resources they need to keep Cypress safe. I will continue to advocate for our officers to have the staffing, training, technology, and appropriate safety equipment they need to do their jobs effectively and return home safely. But public safety involves more than responding after a crime occurs. I strongly believe in prevention—particularly youth development, early intervention, mental health and social-service partnerships, homelessness prevention, traffic safety, and strong relationships between law enforcement and the community. My professional career has reinforced that belief. Investing early in children and families and helping people before they reach a crisis can prevent much more serious—and expensive—problems later. Cypress should continue to support strong, professional policing while also investing in the partnerships and prevention strategies that help keep our community safe in the first place. Questions on a Variety of Topics 23. What is your plan to attract and retain more businesses to Cypress? Cypress needs to approach economic development as a partnership rather than simply a permitting process. First, we should actively communicate with our existing businesses. We need to understand why businesses choose Cypress, what makes it difficult to operate here, and what might cause them to leave. Second, Cypress should proactively recruit businesses that complement our community and that residents want—particularly restaurants, retail, professional services, and employers that strengthen our tax base and create quality jobs. Third, we should examine our permitting and approval processes to make sure they are predictable, timely, and business-friendly without compromising appropriate community standards. Lincoln Avenue presents a particularly important opportunity. Rather than waiting for redevelopment to happen property by property, I believe the City should work with property owners, businesses, and residents on a more intentional strategy for revitalizing this important corridor. 24. How would you provide additional programs, services and amenities if elected to Council? Before creating a new City-funded program, I would first ask whether the City needs to provide it directly. Cypress has tremendous community resources—schools, nonprofits, service clubs, faith organizations, businesses, county agencies, and neighboring cities. Partnerships can often provide residents with additional programs and amenities without creating permanent new City staffing and overhead. I would also pursue grants, sponsorships, shared-use agreements, public-private partnerships, and regional collaborations. When residents identify something they want, our first response should not automatically be, 'We can't afford it.' It should be, 'What is the most effective and financially responsible way to make it happen?' 25. What is your favorite Cypress event? My favorite Cypress event is Summer Concerts on the Green. I started taking my children to the concerts when they were very little, and now my granddaughters love going too. One of my favorite things is watching them roll down the same grassy hills where their older family members played nearly 30 years ago. There is something special about seeing several generations of Cypress families spread out on blankets, visiting with neighbors, listening to music, and enjoying a summer evening together. It is a simple tradition, but I think those traditions are part of what turns a city into a community. As Cypress grows and changes, I want to make sure we continue creating—and preserving—places, events, and traditions where families can make memories together. For me, Concerts on the Green represents exactly that. 26. What will you do to address traffic in neighborhoods adjacent to schools, including aggressive drivers? Traffic around schools is both a quality-of-life issue and a public safety issue. I would support a coordinated approach involving the City, Police Department, school districts, parents, and surrounding neighborhoods. That includes evaluating traffic patterns and drop-off procedures, targeted enforcement where speeding or dangerous driving is occurring, appropriate signage and street improvements, and education for parents and students. I also believe we should listen closely to residents who live near our schools. They experience these conditions every day and often identify problems before they appear in formal traffic studies. Where recurring problems exist, I would support using traffic and collision data along with resident input to determine whether additional enforcement, engineering changes, crossing improvements, or other traffic-calming measures are appropriate. 27. Do you support implementation of the Cypress Town Center & Commons Plan 3.0 as approved by voters under Measure S? Yes. Cypress voters approved Measure S, and I believe the City has a responsibility to respect that decision and implement the plan consistent with what voters approved. At the same time, implementation matters. As individual projects move forward, the City must carefully evaluate traffic, infrastructure, public safety, schools, compatibility with surrounding neighborhoods, fiscal impacts, and other community concerns. The Town Center & Commons area represents one of the most significant opportunities in Cypress's future. Done well, it can create housing, economic activity, restaurants and retail, open space, community amenities, and new revenue while maintaining the qualities residents value about Cypress. My focus would be on ensuring that implementation is thoughtful, transparent, fiscally responsible, and consistent with the commitment made to voters. 28. Do you support the development of residential housing in the business park? I believe this question requires a more nuanced answer than simply yes or no. Cypress must comply with state housing requirements, but we also need to protect the long-term economic value of our business park. Land designated for employment and commercial uses is an important part of our City's tax base and economic future, and once it is converted to residential use, it is difficult to get back. I would evaluate residential proposals based on location, compatibility with surrounding uses, infrastructure and traffic impacts, fiscal consequences, and whether the project contributes to a thoughtful overall land-use strategy. Housing should be located where it makes sense—not simply wherever land happens to be available. I support meeting our housing obligations while preserving sufficient employment and commercial land to maintain a diverse and financially sustainable Cypress economy. Based on those criteria, I am generally not supportive of converting business park land to residential use. Cypress needs to preserve enough employment and commercial land to maintain a strong tax base and long-term economic vitality. 29. What are your views on affordable housing? How do you believe Cypress can achieve its RHNA objective? Housing affordability is one of the most difficult challenges facing Orange County. Through my work in homelessness prevention, I see firsthand what happens when housing costs rise faster than household incomes. Many families we assist are working, responsible households who are one unexpected expense away from losing their housing. Cypress also has obligations under state housing law, including planning for housing affordable to people at different income levels. I believe our responsibility is to meet those requirements thoughtfully. That means identifying appropriate sites, encouraging developers to incorporate affordable units into projects, pursuing available state and federal housing resources, considering partnerships with experienced affordable-housing organizations, and looking for opportunities to create housing without unnecessarily destabilizing established neighborhoods. I am also concerned about the next generation of Cypress residents. Young adults who grew up here should have opportunities to remain in the community if they choose. We should be open to responsible approaches that provide housing choices for young families, working households, seniors, and others at different stages of life. We should also recognize that preserving existing affordable housing and preventing homelessness are part of the housing solution. The goal should be a balanced approach: comply with state law, expand housing opportunities, protect neighborhoods, maintain our economic base, and make sure infrastructure keeps pace with growth. Thanks for reading EYES ON CYPRESS CA ~ A COMMUNITY VOICE! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.