Tribune endorses Kristen Barneich, Caren Ray for Arroyo Grande City Council

Kristen Barneich is seeking her first full term on the Arroyo Grande City Council; she was appointed to a vacant seat in November 2013, and had previously served on the city Planning Commission as well as on other advisory boards.

She’s dedicated to Arroyo Grande — in addition to her service on the council, she co-founded the Tree Guild, which has planted more than 300 trees in the city — she’s willing to compromise and she’s respectful. That says a lot about her character given that she’s been the target of some vicious online trolling. (Among the slimy comments: referring to Barneich’s firefighter husband as an “overpaid parasite.”)

Overall, Barneich’s record on the council and Planning Commission shows strong support for maintaining the character of Arroyo Grande while supporting some much-needed housing and commercial development.

On the key issue of water and development, we agree with her position that it’s premature to enact a building moratorium. Instead of pulling the plug on all building, she recently voted with the council majority in requesting staff to bring back a report on a range of actions to be considered — including a building moratorium — along with the circumstances that would trigger those actions.

Along those lines, we urge Barneich to revisit a suggestion she raised last year. During a discussion of water conservation measures, she floated the idea of prohibiting installation of turf in new homes. That makes sense to us.

We’ve been impressed, too, with Barneich’s emphasis on quality-of-life issues. One example: She’s been a big supporter of keeping the Elm Street dog park operating. While that may seem like a small matter compared with issues like water, traffic and economic development, the dog park is an amenity that makes a big difference in the day-to-day lives of many South County residents. It needs a champion at City Hall.

The Tribune strongly endorses Kristen Barneich for Arroyo Grande City Council.

Caren Ray has previously served on both the Arroyo Grande City Council and San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors — she was appointed to the board in 2013 to fill the vacancy created by the death of Paul Teixeira. The following year, she lost a bid to retain the seat to Lynn Compton.

We endorsed Ray for county supervisor for the following reasons: She’s independent; she scrupulously analyzes every side of every issue; she’s accessible and responsive; and she’s not afraid to take on a tough challenge.

When she served on the board, we were especially impressed by her focus on encouraging construction of workforce housing for buyers who are stuck in the middle: They can’t afford a market-rate home, but don’t qualify for subsidized housing. That remains a major issue in every area of the county, and we’re frankly disappointed the county hasn’t done more in that regard over the past couple of years.

We believe Ray would make an excellent City Council member for all the above reasons, and we especially would like to see her tackle the issue on the minds of so many voters: water.

One more thing about Ray: She calls things as she sees them.

When she decided to run for City Council, for example, she sent The Tribune a letter to the editor explaining her decision: “It’s time to leave behind the negativity and rancor that has been the norm in Arroyo Grande,” she said.

We agree. Negativity is evident, and unfortunately, it’s not confined to Arroyo Grande; it’s spilled over to the South County Sanitation District, which operates the treatment plant that serves Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach and Oceano. Just a couple of weeks ago, Arroyo Grande Mayor Jim Hill, who sits on the sanitation district’s Board of Directors, moved to censure fellow board member Mary Lucey for comments about the district that she posted on Facebook. Lucey, in turn, moved to censure him.

As one public speaker put it: “Talk about creating chaos and wasting time.”

Exactly.

It’s time to set aside the political battles and focus on the issues facing Arroyo Grande.

The Tribune strongly endorses Caren Ray for Arroyo Grande City Council.

This story was originally published October 5, 2016 at 1:22 AM with the headline "Tribune endorses Kristen Barneich, Caren Ray for Arroyo Grande City Council."