AJA BROWN

I research best practices and recipes for success and failure to craft personalised policies for my city.

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.

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.

I dedicated my career to really working in under-served communities and really just being in the trenches.

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.

I have always believed women have so many natural leadership qualities. They just need opportunities and access.

The majority of people, especially young people, know Dr. Dre because of Beats by Dre, not necessarily from him being a rap artist.

The only difference between Compton and other cities is the ZIP Code, you know, and the mindset - it's just really about challenging people to take ownership of our community.

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 think we are living in an age where we really need to have bilingual leaders so that we can communicate with our constituents.

I think Compton is a really attractive place for young families.

The Resource Center will be able to map all of the resources in and around the Compton community while providing customized assistance that will be a vital asset to improving our ability to service our youth, adults, and families.

Kendrick Lamar represents Compton's evolution, embodying the New Vision for Compton - Purpose, Prosperity, and Progress.

Sometimes, growth isn't always equal to success. You may fall forward and continue to make some mistakes, but it's all about growth and really finding the lessons that needs to be learned in order to get to the next level.

Some people don't have a home or a place where they can cook a warm meal, and so we're thankful for the generosity of YG and the 4Hundred Waze Foundation to feed the community in the city of Compton.

I've always been calm, and I'm very good in a crisis.

I don't think it's my job, single-handedly, to fix anything. I think it's my job to have a vision and have a plan that is reasonable and workable and get as many people to the table to effect change as possible.

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.

I actually grew up in the City of Pasadena.

We all have a social responsibility and have to be mindful of what we do and say.

I believe the people of Compton are ready for change. They've spoken. Their voice has clearly been heard that they don't want to go backward. They want to go forward.

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.

I think there is always room for improvement.

It's critical to be able to see things in other people that sometimes they don't see in themselves.