Gigi Hanna is venturing into Yucaipa politics, she said, to spur the interest of the city’s residents in civic affairs and ensure that their opinions and perspectives are taken into consideration by the city’s leaders.
“I am committed to public participation in the government, and I have spent more than 30 years working to help link people to their elected leadership,” Hanna said. She did this, she told the Sentinel, “first, as a newspaper reporter, then in public agency communications, and as a city clerk – the citizens’ main connection to their government.”
Part of her involvement in government evolved from her roots. Her father was a firefighter whose specialized skills in fire science were in demand with different agencies, including ones inside and outside California and inside and outside the United States.
“I come from a public service-oriented family,” Hanna said. “The youngest of four children, I was born in Illinois, spent part of my childhood in Samoa and graduated from high school in Pasadena. I have an undergraduate degree in journalism and completed my master’s studies in communications from Cal State Fullerton. I spent the first 16 years of my professional life as a journalist, then transitioned into public agency publicity and government relations, working for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. I was appointed associate director of the Water Resources Institute at Cal State University San Bernardino, where I earned a master’s degree in public administration.”
At that point, she entered into the arena of elective office.
“I was the elected city clerk for the City of San Bernardino, taking office in 2012, just three months before the city entered into what was to become the longest municipal bankruptcy in the nation’s history,” she said. “It was a challenging time, one that saw budget cuts that took my office staff from 17 to 3, at the same time there was a ten-fold increase in public records requests. Despite that, our on-time fulfillment rate was better than both my predecessor and successor.”
From the vantage point of the elected city clerk in one of the most financially challenged cities in California, Hanna observed not only the rough and tumble of vitriolic internal city politics but the very substantive practical issues that were vital to the community and the efforts to manage municipal operations and maintain vital services to a demanding population that included at the high end extremely functional successful business operators and impoverished residents struggling to stay in their homes at the low end and the multiple levels of citizenry in between. This gave her a deep understanding of the complexity of government and its role in sustaining for the common man and woman quality of life.
“I retired in 2020, and moved to South Dakota to be with family,” Hanna said. “Habitat for Humanity San Bernardino lured me back in 2022 to be their executive director.”
Habitat for Humanity is a non-governmental Christian philanthropic nonprofit organization which engages in the repair and rehabilitation of existing homes and the building of new ones. Those homes are sold at cost to families making 80 percent or less of the area’s median income, giving them an opportunity to own a home and build the stability in their lives that comes with that.
“As a long-time board member, and then a grant writer for the organization, I jumped at the chance to help out, and to get out of South Dakota winters,” Hanna said.
In sizing up the general situation in Yucaipa and why she is leaping into the political fray, Hanna said, “My extensive experience with budget cuts in San Bernardino, as well as my experience overseeing a public agency department and non-profit budgets make me a good candidate to help Yucaipa work itself out of its current crisis. It can be done.”
With regard to Measure S, the citywide sales tax override initiative in Yucaipa which will appear on the November 5 ballot along with her candidacy, Hanna said, “I support the 1 percent sales tax increase for two reasons. First, after living in a city with inadequate public safety, I do not want to see that in Yucaipa. We are in a high fire and flood zone and need to be fully staffed for emergencies before they grow out of control. Secondly, I believe that the county is likely to raise its tax rate in 2026. If Yucaipa has not already apportioned part of the funds for Yucaipa, any tax increase would largely benefit non-Yucaipa residents, while Yucaipa residents would still be paying the tax.”
Hanna said she was nonetheless concerned that the proceeds from the sales tax increase might not be used responsibly or appropriately, and that making sure the tax money is not squandered, if Measure S passes, is part of her motivation for running for a position on the city council.
“The tax increase is not a get-out-of-fiscal-responsibility card,” she said. “With a $7.3 million deficit, Yucaipa needs to eliminate excessive spending in every way possible. Moving forward, I believe the budget needs to be cut—government relations and communications are often the first to go. I know that because I have run those departments, and there are ways to scale back programs when needed.”
She said that even if the city’s residents see their way clear to enhance the city’s revenue stream with the additional sales tax, city officials still need to consider and effectuate the streamlining of city operations in a way that will eliminate unnecessary expenditures.
“There needs to be staff and program cuts,” Hanna said. “There needs to be a salary survey – from the city manager down. This will help inform the coming employee contract negotiations, as well as any contract review of the city manager. Honestly, I would hate to see Yucaipa start cycling through city managers the way that San Bernardino has. It has affected the quality of life, property values and businesses in that city. You cannot have chaos and progress at the same time.”
Still, Hanna averred, “I do believe that the new council should review the city manager’s contract, the list of priorities he was given, and decide if he is the manager to move forward with its goals. It is irresponsible not to, but I do not want to make any changes to the city manager until vigorous debate in closed and open session. Anything else is irresponsible.”
With regard to land use issues and the prospect that development in the 28.3-square mile, 53,733-population city will impact residents for better or worse, Hanna said, “I support thoughtful development that takes into account Yucaipa’s sense of place and rural feel. But some of that will change in order to continue to pay for public safety and the other services that residents enjoy. Mixed use residential, retail and light industrial along the freeway makes sense. I support personal property rights but think that the freeway corridor plan should be imagined without warehouses. We can find a win-win in this. What it takes is a willingness to listen and talk to each other, something that you rarely see in Yucaipa.”
Hanna is competing with Lyle Vick and Judy Woolsey in the District 3 contest. While acknowledging her opponents’ sincerity, civic concern, qualities and value to the Yucaipa community, she said, “I am the superior candidate because I have dealt with many of the issues that face Yucaipa, and have successfully advocated for people at the local, state and federal level in the areas of water quality and supply and housing. I served as communications director on Governor Schwarzenegger’s Alluvial Fan Task Force, which looked at sustainable development along foothills in the southwest, accounting for recreation, landowner, flood control, environmental and housing needs. We spent three years discussing, in depth, the very issues Yucaipa faces. The end result was a model ordinance and a list of best management practices for developers.”
Hanna emphasized that “District 3 needs a voice on the council, a strong, independent, experienced voice who has a heart for the public, and the experience to make sure they get the results they need. I am making several commitments to District 3 and its residents. I will decline the city stipend for council members. It’s not much, but we need to tighten our belts everywhere. I will listen and be respectful of your opinions and encourage you to participate in your government. Every week before a council meeting, I will review the agenda with District 3 constituents, answering questions where I can, and hearing about their concerns about any item on the agenda.”
Hanna said, “Yucaipa needs leaders with passion, knowledge, experience and skills to collaborate successfully with people on the local, regional, and state levels to accomplish that. And District Three needs a leader who understands budgets, general plans, transit overlays and taxing methods, is willing to listen to residents’ concerns, and work to find solutions. I am that candidate.”