A SERIES of brief candidate profiles for local office. These are provided as a free public service by The Tribune and are not endorsements (Shutterstock).

Name: Kenneth Inouye

City of Residence: Huntington Beach

Resident of Huntington Beach for 49 years

KENNETH INOUYE

Office sought: Huntington Beach City Council

Occupation: Certified public accountant (retired). Human relations/community building advocate.

Why do I want to be elected: I want to be elected so I can serve the people of Huntington Beach in the following areas:

1. As a longtime business owner and certified public accountant, I will ensure that our city is governed with fiscal responsibility.
2. As a 49-year resident of Huntington Beach, I will fight to control the implementation of the affordable housing plan in a manner which will maintain the quality of life for our community while at the same time develop new housing units in a welcoming, inclusive manner.

What are the most important issues facing Huntington Beach?:

1. Public safety. I will work with the HBPD and the HBFD to help reduce crime and the influence of individuals who commit hate crimes within Huntington Beach.
2. I will work with the entire community to develop a city-wide plan for the implementation of an affordable housing plan.

3.  I am concerned about the potential health hazards that are caused by toxic waste sites and in particular the potential health hazards that could be caused by the fact that much of the city is built on abandoned oil fields that continue to release methane gases. We must also address the fact that a portion of our homes are built on landfills which could be “liquefied” should the city experience a major earthquake.

Public service activities: Orange County Human Relations Commission member for 23 years. Founding chair of the Huntington Beach Human Relations Task Force. National President of the Japanese American Citizens League. State president  of the California Association of Human Relations Organizations.

Additional comments: Ultimately, this campaign is about me. It’s about all of us working together to move Huntington Beach forward in a respectful manner for the next generation.