SLO supervisor challenger Jeff Eckles touts non-partisanship. Where he stands on the issues
Jeff Eckles has positioned himself as the moderate in the three-way race for the District 2 seat on the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors.
The Morro Bay House of Jerky owner and former director of the Home Builders Association — a No Party Preference voter for a dozen years, he says — bills himself as "socially liberal, fiscally conservative." He said he would help bring comity back to the fractious board in challenging three-term incumbent Bruce Gibson and fellow challenger Patrick Sparks.
The grandson of an immigrant, Eckles is a second-generation Mexican-American. He graduated from California State University, Long Beach, with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1987.
"I am proud of the opportunity I had to pay for my own college education by pushing shopping carts, then working my way up, at Price Club (now Costco) as a member of the Teamsters Union," Eckles wrote in a biography he submitted to The Tribune.
Eckles has served as chair of the Morro Bay Harbor Advisory Board, treasurer of the Del Mar Elementary Parent-Teacher Association, president of the Estero Bay Community Foundation and was the founding president of Morro Bay Fourth, which provides fireworks for the city's Fourth of July celebration, according to his biography.
In addition, Eckles served two years as a Merchant Marine and is a licensed U.S. Coast Guard captain.
"The sea is in my blood," he wrote.
The Tribune sent Eckles a candidate questionnaire asking his position on key issues facing the county. Here are some of his edited responses:
On the issues
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the best performance, please rate how well the county is meeting the following challenges:
Eckles gave the county poor marks on most fronts. He assigned a 3 to the county's handling of affordable housing, homeless services and mental health services (particularly for jail inmates).
To tackle the affordable housing crisis, Eckles called for the county to issue general obligation affordable housing bonds and to either dedicate part of the current sales tax or seek an increase to provide funding. Finally, he wrote that the county should make a general fund expenditure "if the budget allows it."
Eckles called the current homeless shelter availability "grossly inadequate."
"We have less than 100 beds for a homeless population in the thousands," he wrote.
He wrote that modular bunkhouses, providing up to 16 beds, can be installed at a cost of $50,000 each. He said those could be used in conjunction with the new Prado Center.
Eckles wrote that with only 16 psychiatric beds serving a citizen and jail population of over 280,000, "we must do better." He called for making accessible mental health services a priority.
Eckles assigned a 4 to the county for its long-term budget management, including financing of employee pensions, and also for its handling of the Nipomo Mesa air quality violations.
Of the county's handling of employee pensions, Eckles wrote: "Particularly alarming is the fact that in 2006 the unfunded liability equated to one times the total county payroll. Today, the unfunded liability is three times county payroll."
Regarding the Nipomo Mesa, he wrote: "If fact-based reliable data is presented that illustrates conditions on the Mesa are dangerous to the health and welfare of county citizens, appropriate steps should be taken to remedy the situation."
Finally, Eckles rates the county's handling of the impending Diablo Canyon Power Plant closure at 7.
"I am, however, concerned that we are entering a phase of extended analysis without a coherent action plan," he wrote.
The current board has a reputation for being highly partisan, divided and unable to get along. How can that be improved?
"Simple: Elect representatives who are nonpartisan. I am the only independent, nonpartisan running for supervisor in the county; I have not been a member of a political party for over 12 years. ...
"The current solution offered by partisans is to swing the board from a 3-2 majority to an opposing 3-2 majority. This pendulum approach to politics does not result in the best governance and policy for our county. I have a proven track record of working with various factions in the community and building bridges to bring people together.
"The key is to respectfully listen and take into account different perspectives with the recognition we all have the best interest of the county in mind. I would enter policy considerations and debates objectively without a predisposed ideological slant derived of partisan politics."
What is your position on the county's handling of Andrew Holland's death while in custody? Should county employees have been disciplined?
"If any county employee did not follow policy and procedure, they should be disciplined.
"There was a systemic failure that resulted in the tragic and regrettable death of Andrew Holland. It appears culpability existed among various departments in the county. The Board of Supervisors has responsibility because of less than adequate oversight of Health & Human Services, and Public Protection departments.
"This sadly is an instance where complacent bureaucracy resulted in a series of conditions and events that failed Andrew Holland. It speaks to the need for disruptive policies to replace the status quo and make our government more efficient, responsive, and accountable."
Campaign finance
The Jeff Eckles for Supervisor 2018 campaign has recorded $21,382 in political contributions as of April 21, including cash, loans and non-monetary donations, according to an April 26 campaign filing statement.
That includes more than $17,200 in direct contributions and $4,000 that Eckles loaned his campaign.
Top donors include Karen Biaginni of Cayucos ($1,500); Muril Clift of Cambria ($1,000); Smith Held of Cambria ($1,000); and the Laborers Local 220 Political Action Committee, of Nipomo ($1,000).
This story was originally published May 3, 2018 at 4:39 PM with the headline "SLO supervisor challenger Jeff Eckles touts non-partisanship. Where he stands on the issues."