Ahead of the March primary, The Orange County Register compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates who wish to represent you. You can find the full questionnaire below. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar, length and, in some instances, to remove hate speech and offensive language.
MORE: Read all the candidate responses in our Voter Guide
Name: Frances Marquez
Current Job Title: Cypress City Councilmember
Political Party Affiliation: Nonpartisan
Incumbent: No
Other political positions held: Cypress City Councilmember since 2020
City where you reside: Cypress
Campaign website or social media: www.francesmarquezforsupervisor.com
What experiences and priorities do you bring to the table? What have you learned in prior leadership roles that make you the person for this job?
As a county supervisor, I’ll fight for greater transparency and accountability, bring more economic opportunities to working families and ensure we have a rapid turnaround in the delivery of county services. I’ve been a public servant in local and federal government for over 20 years, earning a reputation as a fighter who never backs down from doing what’s right.
Throughout my career, I’ve helped create more opportunities for students, working families, small businesses, veterans and seniors. I was elected to the Cypress City Council in 2020, where I helped families and small businesses weather the COVID-19 pandemic. I’ve been a watchdog for taxpayers by demanding transparency before voting on city spending and calling out wasteful misuse of taxpayer dollars. I’m experienced and uniquely qualified to be a county supervisor, offering a fresh perspective and stable leadership to secure a safer, more sustainable and more economically vibrant future for Orange County.
Where in the county are we effectively putting money toward solutions to tackle homelessness? Where are the gaps in care when it comes to the homelessness issue? Are all communities being served or doing their fair share?
Orange County needs to do more to increase holistic support for unhoused residents. I want to ensure our county is proactive in delivering services and treating everyone seeking support with dignity and empathy. We must focus on intervention, rehabilitation and prevention. It takes too long to coordinate solutions for people experiencing housing instability. I was working with a veteran who passed away before the county could transfer his housing voucher to Los Angeles County.
We need every department to work together more urgently. I will bring more oversight to the Office of Care Coordination and ensure every jurisdiction in our county is doing its part. I will work closely with department leadership to evaluate county programs and ensure we increase temporary shelter capacity and access to mental health and substance use treatment programs.
I’ll work to increase the board’s ability to confront the substance abuse crisis affecting our communities. Opioids and illicit drug use ruin countless lives. We must treat addiction as a severe health emergency. The Orange County Office of Care Coordination’s 2023 Homeless Survey reported that 49% of the population with a substance use disorder said they either received treatment or wanted treatment but could not access it. I believe the county needs to prioritize expanding affordable and accessible treatment services and stricter enforcement of drug traffickers. As a supervisor, I’ll work to create programs that connect unhoused people to the essential services they need to come indoors.
Looking at the county’s yearly budget, is there a department or project that has not received the attention it needs? How would you make sure those needs are addressed?
I will advocate for targeting more funds for climate resiliency and green energy production. One of the most significant challenges we face is the timeline to prepare for the impacts of climate change on our communities, especially along our coastline. Every department, from public safety to health services, should have a climate sustainability plan and strategies to respond to natural disasters caused by the impacts of climate change.
I will work with federal, state, city and school board officials to deliver resources to our county that will allow us to institute sustainable building standards, create the infrastructure we need to adapt to a changing climate and extend energy-efficient programs to more working families. We must all do our part to meet the state’s carbon neutrality and renewable energy production timeline, making it easier for families to participate in this green transition.
The public expects full transparency from public leaders. How can this be achieved? How can the county do better in this area?
Elected officials must hold themselves and their colleagues to a higher standard. The era of reckless misuse of funds and politicians’ unethical practices in Orange County must end. We live in Orange County because we love the sunshine. It’s time for the sunlight to wash over our county government.
Accountability and transparency have been core tenets of my professional, political and personal life, guiding the hard choices I’ve made throughout my career. As a county supervisor, I will prioritize strengthening and enforcing current ethics rules so those who violate them are immediately held accountable. I have a track record of pushing back against the majority when what I’m advocating for benefits residents and working families. My colleagues on the Cypress City Council have tried to silence me repeatedly, but I feel very strongly that residents deserve to know the truth.
The county oversees unincorporated territories where it can encourage housing, how else can it stimulate the development of affordable rent/housing in Orange County?
Increasing our housing stock is a crucial step in solving the homelessness and affordability crisis in Orange County. We need to comply with state law to reach our regional housing goals and ensure city governments follow our lead. I support evaluating each unincorporated area prone to natural disasters to ensure our growth is not creating unintended consequences for our residents and public safety officers.
I support smart growth housing strategies that look at community benefits and affordability. I support strengthening renters’ rights to reduce evictions and provide tenants with greater legal protection, recourse and information. I will work to ensure Orange County gets its fair share of resources and leverages local investment to attract grants and funding from federal and state governments.
