April Verlato

April Verlato was born and raised in Arcadia, California. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from UCLA and a law degree from Southwestern School of Law. Verlato's career experience includes working as a businesswoman and an attorney. Verlato was elected to the city council in 2016 and then served as a mayor, beginning in 2020.[1]

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Campaign website

Verlato’s campaign website stated the following:

April Verlato’s vision stands on pillars of fiscal responsibility, unwavering support for law enforcement, bolstering national security, securing our borders, championing market-driven healthcare solutions, prioritizing our veterans’ needs, and tackling the pressing issue of national debt. Her platform embodies a commitment to safeguarding our economy, protecting our communities, and ensuring a stronger, more secure future for all.

Creating Jobs And Growing Our Economy

Mayor Verlato led the revitalization of Downtown Arcadia, advocating for and promoting small businesses. She was one of the founding board members of the Downton Arcadia Improvement Association, a Community Benefits District. The primary vision and goal Mayor Verlato had for the DAIA was to bring events into the area in order to enhance the Downtown Arcadia experience. She knew what it took to be successful and kickstart the economy, all the time advocating for opportunities for minority-owned businesses. She understands our economy is strong in spite of government, not because of it. She opposes job-killing policies that crush workers and small businesses.

Gas, housing, and everyday items like groceries are soaring in price faster than the increase in wages, making it harder and harder to stay afloat. Because of record inflation unleashed by a multi-trillion-dollar spending spree, our families and businesses are on the brink of collapse. Mayor Verlato knows what it’s like to raise a family and run a business. That’s why she will push for a Constitutional amendment to require a balanced federal budget, fight to stop reckless spending, cut taxes, and seek energy independence.

Mayor Verlato will go to Congress and fight for our community to create a climate that brings good-paying jobs and economic vitality back to California and our Country.

Homelessness

Our homelessness crisis has evolved into a threat to public safety and economic opportunity in California and throughout the Nation. Mayor Verlato has not been afraid to address homelessness and bring forth strategies to combat it. She knows that there are those who have experienced financial hardships beyond their control due to failed economic policies of the government, but there is also a substantial segment of the unhoused population that suffers from drug/alcohol abuse and mental health disorders. An emphasis needs to be placed on addressing these root causes of homelessness, such as expanded mental health facilities and drug/alcohol treatment centers. Funding for facilities, shelters, and housing gets tied up in government bureaucracy and prevents resources from going to where they are needed most. Mayor Verlato experienced this bottleneck when the City of Arcadia applied for Measure H funding for a case manager in 2017. It took a year and a half of red tape to finally get funding for a part-time case manager for the City of Arcadia. Based on this experience, Mayor Verlato supported the creation of the San Gabriel Valley Regional Housing Trust Fund, a joint powers authority, in 2018 which gives quicker access to funding with local oversight.

Mayor Verlato wants to focus on loosening restrictions on funding meant to address mental health and drug/alcohol treatment to prevent homelessness. Direct funding to local regulatory boards can then fund those projects within their local community quickly and efficiently, with local oversight and accountability that provides the assurances that taxpayer dollars are not being wasted.

Securing Our Border

Mayor Verlato believes that the Federal Government has a duty and obligation to enforce our laws at international borders, and protect our Nation from human traffickers, gangs, drug smugglers and terrorists. She finds it alarming that more than 100,000 young people will die this year from drugs that have come across our borders through drug dealers crossing into our Country illegally. Over 159 people on the Nation’s Terrorist Watch List have been caught entering the Country illegally at the southern border this year alone. This poses a national threat to the security of our neighborhoods here in California. There were more than 2.4 million apprehensions of immigrants entering outside of a port of entry on the southern border in the 2023 fiscal year, which ended in September. That tops the previous record, set a year earlier, of more than 2.3 million, according to government data. During the 2021 fiscal year, there were more than 1.7 million apprehensions.

Americans and Californians are getting squeezed by the highest tax rates in decades. Mayor Verlato believes the federal government has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. Therefore, a smaller government and lower taxes are the keys to economic growth. A proud signer of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, Mayor Verlato will fight for legislation to stop the unprecedented growth in mandatory spending, oppose any attempts to increase the federal income tax and work to restore the state and local tax (SALT) and mortgage interest deductions (MID). She also recognizes Prop 13 as a key driver of economic success and independence in California and supports the full reinstatement of its provisions despite California’s courts eroding it.

Public Safety For All

Crime is on the rise, across the nation, but especially in Los Angeles County. While politicians in Washington and Sacramento push to defund the police and fail to deliver justice for victims, Mayor Verlato has consistently shown unwavering support towards law enforcement. She has, for every year in her 2 terms on the city council, voted to support all plans, ordinances, and budget requests from the Police Chief. She has voted to add 4 new sworn officers to Arcadia’s police force since taking office. She asked to put it on the agenda and got 3 other Council Members to vote No Confidence in George Gascon. Furthermore, she has been instrumental in organizing support for the lawsuit against the zero bail policy. Having been endorsed by numerous law enforcement unions and former District Attorney Steve Cooley, Mayor Verlato has shown her commitment to public safety and those who protect our community.

Taxes And A Balanced Budget

Americans and Californians are getting squeezed by the highest tax rates in decades. Mayor Verlato believes the federal government has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. Therefore, a smaller government and lower taxes are the keys to economic growth. A proud signer of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, Mayor Verlato will fight for legislation to stop the unprecedented growth in mandatory spending, oppose any attempts to increase the federal income tax and work to restore the state and local tax (SALT) and mortgage interest deductions (MID). She also recognizes Prop 13 as a key driver of economic success and independence in California and supports the full reinstatement of its provisions despite California’s courts eroding it.

National Security

Currently, America’s arsenals are empty, our stockpiles are bare, the Treasury is drained, and our military ranks are being hollowed out. Mayor Verlato will fight for peace through a strong foreign policy that puts America’s interests first and ensures the US military is stronger than ever before. She understands that America’s need to get involved in foreign conflicts stems from economic dependence on foreign oil sources. Mayor Verlato supports American energy independence as a pillar of national security and will fight to expand domestic production of oil, natural gas, and renewables, in order to reduce dependence on foreign oil. She will also support America’s critical supply chains and lead Congress to reduce America’s reliance on foreign nations for essential products.

National Debt

“The single biggest threat to our national security is debt,” Navy Admiral and Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Michael Mullen has said. Mayor Verlato says the country’s $22 trillion in debt is unsustainable and will be back-breaking in the long run. Unless we do something about it, the interest payments on our debt will soon exceed the military budget and Medicaid. That poses problems for readiness and national security. She will introduce an amendment every year to balance the federal budget.

Caring For Our Veterans

Our nation’s veterans have sacrificed for our country and deserve the best possible care. One of Mayor Verlato’s top priorities is to ensure veterans have access to quality and timely medical care, housing, employment, and educational opportunities. She will strive to see the addition of more clinics for veterans, with her eye on building a major veteran’s hospital and medical center in the San Gabriel Valley.[2]

—April Verlato’s campaign website (2024)[3]