SLO City Council race: 4 questions for the candidates

Six political newcomers are the candidates for two seats on the San Luis Obispo City Council on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Retired Army Col. Mike Clark, jewelry store owner Aaron Gomez, Cal Poly student Christopher D. Lopez, architect Andrea “Andy” Pease, engineering supervisor Brett Strickland and teacher Mila Vujovich-La Barre are competing for the two, four-year council seats.

The seats are being vacated by Dan Carpenter, who is running for 3rd District county supervisor, and John Ashbaugh, who has reached his term limits.

The candidates responded to four questions asked by The Tribune:

Q: Do you support the current rental housing inspection program? If revisions are needed, what specific changes should be made?

Clark: Not as currently implemented. It was designed to address health and safety issues and pay for itself, not to collect “delinquent” permit fees and fines. It appears only those who found below market-rate rentals have been displaced, but not for health or safety reasons. Older homes may have sketchy permit histories; city records were destroyed by natural disaster and by negligence. Records held by the county and offered to the city were declined and, therefore, destroyed. The council should thoroughly review the program.

Gomez: I do not support the rental housing inspection program in its current form. I base this opinion from the perspective of the large amount of renters who have been impacted by this. SLO U40, 90 percent of which are renters, has come out in opposition to this ordinance. Creating a program that emphasizes renters’ rights, renter advocacy groups and stiffer penalties for irresponsible landlords. Utilizing reporting tools already in existence that do work.

Lopez: An August memorandum regarding an update to the RHIP reported that nearly 12 percent of units inspected passed on first inspection. I believe that the reason behind the RHIP is an admirable one; however, I do not believe this is the answer, and many residents agree. I have advocated in support of the previous system, with an emphasis on education. If the resources that went into the RHIP were to be applied to the previous system, it would be successful.

Pease: I believe the current RHIP is having unintended negative consequences and needs to be revamped. Safety and neighborhood wellness are important, and we need to craft a program that identifies the few substandard properties without inspecting every rental in the city. We should suspend the current blanket inspections, then conduct an inclusive process to develop strategies that hold irresponsible landlords accountable and empower tenants, and the community, to take action when needed.

Strickland: As a renter myself, I oppose the rental inspection program. I will actively work to repeal and dismantle said program, which has been met with hostility from both renters and landlords. The program is unnecessary as tenants, or anyone for that matter, already have the ability to report unsafe living conditions to the city. The only outcomes of this program will be the violation of privacy, rising rents, displaced residents and litigation, which we will all have to pay for.

Vujovich-La Barre: No. The current rental housing inspection program was established to safeguard tenants and to make sure that owners had rental properties that were built according to code and in good condition. It has morphed into a “money maker” for the city, an invasion of privacy for tenants and a nightmare for property owners. According to a recent City Council meeting, this matter will be fine-tuned in March 2017. An option needs to be created that is user-friendly and not so punitive.

Q: What is the most important action the city should take in your first six months to enhance the quality of life for residents?

Clark: Begin serious discussions with Cal Poly about adding significant on-campus housing. Over the years, Cal Poly added thousands of students without providing the requisite housing, forcing them to seek housing within the city, thus consuming our once-affordable workforce housing. Now we are caught in an endless loop of trying to build affordable workforce housing, with lots of it being rented by students — but not at affordable rates. Cal Poly can and should provide much of the solution.

Gomez: Continuing its push for creating true workforce housing. Many people have an amazing quality of life in SLO. For those of us that work here, yet cannot find an affordable rental or get anywhere close to purchasing a home, we do not have that same quality of life. A diverse community is a healthy and vibrant community. Diversity is achieved through a multiple levels of affordability. We need to continue to make that a top priority.

Lopez: In the next six months, the city will need to address our housing situation. The public and private sector need to come together to create a solution that will foster additional developments within our neighborhood, but enhance or maintain the quality of life that we know. In addition, the city will need to understand what updates our infrastructure will need in order to be compatible with additional residents; this can range from pedestrian traffic to parking.

Pease: Our biggest issues — housing affordability, water security, climate action — do not have quick fixes, so I would focus on establishing inclusive processes for making decisions and taking action. For these and other issues, we need to bring stakeholders together in a facilitated setting to share ideas, concerns and solutions. At the same time, we should take the first six months to consider short-term policies to relieve housing pressure, such as suspending blanket rental inspections and updating policies on tiny homes.

Strickland: Repealing the rental inspection program should be the first action taken by the council. The cost of living in San Luis Obispo is already staggeringly high. The city should not be making it worse, directly or indirectly. The best way to enhance the quality of life here is to make living here more affordable. The repeal of the rental inspection program would go a long way to prevent future cost increases on the 64 percent of our population that are renters.

Vujovich-La Barre: The city should ensure the availability of quality water for city residents and property owners. Currently, every property owner and tenant has cut water use, out of respect for the epic drought, to be a good citizen. Instead of being rewarded, they have seen their water bills escalate. In addition, they continue to hear about new developments being planned. It defies logic. The plan for future growth needs to be transparent, supported by existing resources and a sound, traffic infrastructure.

Q: Given concerns about water supply because of the drought, as well as complaints that housing is increasingly unaffordable, what are your views on new development in the city?

Clark: Last year’s much-anticipated El Niño failed to materialize, and John Lindsey wrote rain this year is unlikely. It seems prudent to take another look at proposed residential and commercial projects and evaluate their water usage. As the climate continues to change, we must reconcile the impact of all new construction on greenhouse gasses and, among other things, ensure that any new construction meets Net Zero Energy standards or is, at a minimum, Net Zero Energy ready.

Gomez: My overall goal is to help our city stay focused on sustainability. Through great planning, we have one of the most secure water portfolios in our county, with plans to further increase that security through conservation and increased water reclamation and reuse. Our general plan clearly lays out, based on our resources, that we have the ability to grow. Through smart growth we create the ability for people to live where they work. That is very important.

Lopez: With neither reservoir near 40 percent capacity, we need to routinely monitor our water supply. Additional housing units are needed and so we must work with developers to ensure they use water conservation technologies. Cal Poly also intends to grow in the coming years. We must take caution and see that we do not grow too fast. In addition to using recycled water for our city’s parks and large private development lawns, the city should create a turf removal rebate program.

Pease: Due to the jobs-housing imbalance, our city is losing many people who make up our vibrant community — teachers, artists, firefighters, young families, retirees and more. In addition, the long commutes are contributing to climate change, increased traffic, hardship on businesses and employees, and lost spending in our city. We need a mix of new housing (within our annual growth cap of 1 percent) to create more affordable options, and we need water recycling and targeted conservation to provide long-term water security.

Strickland: I believe that the city should be encouraging smaller, more economical development to address the ever-rising cost of homes in SLO. Smaller homes mean smaller price tags. As to the water situation, I believe that being secure in our water supply is paramount not only to the future development of SLO but also to the security of existing residents. I would continue the push for conversion of our recycled water to potable use to decrease our reliance on rainfall.

Vujovich-La Barre: There should be a tiered moratorium put in place until the availability of water can be verified. We are a generation experiencing climate change and global warming. In our county, we are in the midst of an epic drought. Why should we sell a home to someone, an investor or resident, if water may not be available? We do not need more commercial space, we need workforce housing. Any new development should embrace the mandates of futuristic, “2020” construction standards.

Q: Will the city face financial repercussions when Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant closes, and what specifically should the city do to prepare for and counteract those repercussions?

Clark: About 220 of 1,500 Diablo Canyon employees live in the city. Spread over 10 years, we can expect about two per month to retire or move. Those who retire may stay. The city will grow by more than 220 residents over that time; Diablo’s impact will not be significant. Unlike San Luis Coastal Unified School District or the county, our loss of property taxes will be minimal. The city needs to be alert to unexpected changes in PG&E’s plan, but repercussions should be minimal.

Gomez: The Diablo shutdown does create a very unique challenge. Very careful economic planning is key over the next four to nine years. Key areas to focus on are what jobs can replace the jobs lost and continuing our work on creation of more affordable housing. Tech and specialized manufacturing are two promising sectors of growth, but the average wage is well below the $157,000 per year wage that will be lost. There is not an easy solution at this point.

Lopez: The shutdown of Diablo Canyon will have a significant impact to the local economy. Senate Bill 968 will help assess the unfavorable and beneficial impacts to San Luis Obispo. The city must work with the public and private sector, to create solutions that will alleviate the loss of thousands of jobs and tax revenue to our local schools. To prepare, the city needs to shape a community that fosters the creation of new companies and supports the expansion of existing companies.

Pease: Yes, there will be financial repercussions, and we need to continue with the good work of our Economic Development Strategic Plan and partnerships with the Economic Vitality Corporation, the Chamber of Commerce, Cal Poly and others to support businesses with head-of-household jobs. In addition, I believe we have the opportunity to be a leader in energy efficiency and new renewable energy projects, which create jobs, reduce utility costs for residents and businesses, and address climate action.

Strickland: There are about 250 Diablo employees that live in SLO, (who earn) an average salary of roughly $136,000 per year. That’s $34 million leaving SLO, and that’s not counting what the employees that don’t live here spend at local businesses. So yes, there will be repercussions. The tech industry is one of the fastest-growing and highest-paying fields. I believe the expansion of that industry here would give SLO the best shot to dampen the economic blow of the plant closure.

Vujovich-La Barre: Yes. The closure will result in the loss of approximately 1,500 head-of-household jobs. We should keep our airport viable to attract employers who provide jobs that these skilled professionals can transition to. The San Luis Coastal Unified School District will take a severe financial hit. They could build three separate specialized educational facilities for teens with eating disorders, teens with mental health issues and teens with drug dependency problems. These would serve a void in our county and provide significant income.

This story was originally published September 30, 2016 at 4:10 PM with the headline "SLO City Council race: 4 questions for the candidates."