"My heart is really in building coalitions."
"When we look at the investment decisions into the city of Compton, the small business community and global corporations and retailers and all of those types of services that decide to come into the community to serve it, they look at the perception, how does the brand work with the local community."
"Having a diverse council is necessary in order to make sure that all constituents are represented well."
"When I was a kid, I thought I would be an entrepreneur and maybe at some point go into law school."
"I have always believed women have so many natural leadership qualities. They just need opportunities and access."
"I've always understood that, as a woman and as a person of color, I would always have to work harder; I would have to have thicker skin. I would have to be more mindful of my reactions, the way I spoke to people."
"People who come from Compton - they're overcoming so many challenges that most people don't have to overcome, but that creates special tenacity and different skills that you just can't manufacture."
"Compton is this amazing place with a rich history. I see it as a new Brooklyn."
"We all have a social responsibility and have to be mindful of what we do and say."
"I'm very tough. Come to a council meeting, and you'll see it."
"I research best practices and recipes for success and failure to craft personalised policies for my city."
"I think when people think of Compton, of course, they always think of gangster rap. But if you ever had an opportunity to go to Compton, you would know that Compton is a beautiful city."
"I actually grew up in the City of Pasadena."
"I've always been calm, and I'm very good in a crisis."
"I didn't have a traditional college experience. I didn't have a social aspect to it. I was always involved in working and going to school."
"From a planning perspective, I thought Compton was phenomenal. It has a huge potential to be a great city, and I always bet on the underdog."
"There's so many opportunities, economically and socially, and just the location advantage and all the great institutions that are here, that this community is definitely poised for a huge revival. And so, when I think about Compton, I think about redemption."
"I thought I could make change by just working at ground level, but to change a community, you have to change policies."
"The Compton I knew was from my mother, and it was beautiful. It was this close-knit community, and people cared about one another, and it was safe."
"Progress comes at a price. You have to be willing to make tough calls and take the hits."
"Political positions do not belong to the officeholder; they belong to the people that place us in office."
"I think there is always room for improvement."
"I knew I would work in a community that I would like to live in, but I had no idea that I would ever go into politics, even though some of my classmates thought I would."
"Compton looks a lot of different. Residents are now able to go out and grab a bite, go to dinner, go to Target, Best Buy or a gym or Marshall's. We're now able to experience more amenities. I want to see that grow."
"Compton is a much safer Compton than it was in the '80s. People play in parks. People aren't afraid to be out at night."
