Where do Paso Robles City Council members stand on sales tax, paid parking?
Ballots are on the way to Paso Robles residents, and soon they will have the chance to elect two new City Council members.
To help as you make your decision, The Tribune has compiled a 2024 Election Voter Guide, meant to give easy access to some of the candidate’s basic facts and stances.
Three candidates are running for a two-year term in District 1, while three other candidates are running for a four-year term in District 3.
In District 1, the candidates are nonprofit consultant Kris Beal, retiree Linda “Pinky” George and incumbent Sharon Roden.
In District 3, the candidates include retired electronic systems engineer Jeff Carr, incumbent Steve Gregory and businessman Michael Rivera.
Incumbent Fred Strong is running unopposed in District 4.
Here are the candidates’ responses, organized by candidate and in alphabetical order.
Editor’s note: Some responses have been edited for length or clarity.
District 1
Three candidates are running for a two-year term to represent District 1 on the Paso Robles City Council. Sharon Roden was appointed to the seat on Oct. 3, 2023, when then-Councilmember John Hamon was appointed to mayor. Here’s a look at how those candidates compare.
Kris Beal
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
Kris Beal, Dee Lacey, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers #639
What is your vision for what your city should look like in 5 years? 10 years?
I want young people and working families to be able to afford to stay here if they choose. I want a diversified economic base that offers new career opportunities for our residents, in addition to intentionally creating education and career pathways in existing sectors. I want ample places and activities for our youth that are accessible to families regardless of their neighborhood or means. I want everyone to have the same opportunities that I had — to create a better life and thrive here in the town we love.
What do you believe is the most important issue facing your city today, and what will you do to address it?
Affordable and workforce housing is the top issue for our community. It is identified as a key factor in homelessness, attracting new businesses, public safety recruitment and the quality of life of our hard-working residents. Without addressing this, our community is at risk of losing our hard-working people and families to other areas. This would pose an economic risk to our local businesses, fundamentally change the nature of our town and affect the quality of life of the remaining residents due to lack of service providers. We have a responsibility to elevate the critical need for diverse housing development to ensure health and resiliency of the town that we are passing on to the next generation.
How do you feel about the city’s response to homelessness, and what specific policies and solutions on that front would you pursue if elected?
The city is actively addressing local homelessness through financial investments into the El Camino Homeless Organization shelter, the development of a strategic plan to address homelessness, and the potential commitment to staff a coordinator position. That said, the wait list for the 90-day program at ECHO is 200. Based on the point-in-time count, the No. 1 reason people are experiencing homelessness is the lack of affordable housing. Prioritizing housing production in the low to medium tiers must be addressed to tackle a root cause of homelessness.
How do you feel about the city revoking paid parking and what does that mean for the city budget?
My positions are a function of community input. Based on conversations at 800 doors, the opinions on parking are mixed. Many don’t mention parking at all, others don’t care, others didn’t mind paying for parking and others were opposed to paid parking. Overall, paid parking revenue did not pay for the program’s fixed and variable costs. So while the city lost the revenue, it also decreased staff. Now, what is left is paying for the parking infrastructure, which is now a loss. The ad hoc committee met several times to make a recommendation to the council. Their final recommendation was a compromise to keep two hours free and add two days free mid-week — a benefit for local residents and business owners, while providing weekend parking management. The motion to eliminate all free parking was 180 degrees different from the ad hoc recommendation, which angered residents more and degraded public trust. It’s good this has been resolved for now so we can move forward on other issues.
Do you feel the city is doing enough to support affordable housing and the development of new homes? What more would you do if elected?
The city has made great progress in affordable housing development: new multi-family units, deferredf fees for low-income development, zoning changes to encourage infill development, producing two new affordable housing projects and new ADU production. The city is moving toward meeting its overall Regional Housing Needs Allocation targets, but overall housing production is slanted toward the higher-end market. I’m concerned our housing production is not meeting the needs of those who need housing — not only low-income residents, but also young professionals. The Homeless Services Oversight Council should be reconvened to prioritize work on the diversified housing goals and actions of the housing element. The action steps are already identified in the 2020 adopted plan. The issue is elevating these items as an urgent priority so that projects are ready when funding opportunities arise.
Ballot Measure I-24 aims to indefinitely extend the existing voter-approved half-cent sales tax, generating $5,500,000 annually for general government use including maintaining and improving city infrastructure and services. Do you support or oppose Measure I-24 and why?
I support Measure I-24 to extend the existing half-cent tax that will provide dedicated funds to maintain and repair our roads. These funds are also paid for by our visitors and can be used to leverage grant dollars, thus making our local contribution a small portion of the total funds raised. The city has done an excellent job of objectively rating and prioritizing road projects. These projects and oversight are well documented by the Tax Oversight Committee. Remaining projects include much of the west side, which require significant investments in replacing 100-year-old water and sewer mains before the roads can be addressed. Without Measure I-24, road project funding would have to come from other sources, would fall behind again on needed work, and would have significant impacts to public safety or cuts to other city programs. With 150 lane miles in the city jurisdiction, we must continue to invest in our infrastructure and not lose ground on the progress we’ve made.
Linda ‘Pinky’ George
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
Mike Hruby from Massachusetts, John Roush from Paso Robles, Linda George from Paso Robles
What is your vision for what your city should look like in 5 years? 10 years?
Very simply, downtown Paso Robles should be preserved as it is today to continue to encapsulate its natural charm and maintain the quaintness much like Solvang. The hotels planned for Pine Street, Olive Street and Spring Street are overlay types that will create significant congestion, more trauma to our roads and parking that will start extending into our quaint, quiet neighborhoods. We did not meet the hotel occupancy rate this last year, yet we are staring down approximately 70 rooms and a handful of rentals on top of the insane amount of short-term rentals. I contend that Paso Robles has enough land to place these types of projects on the outskirts of town. I support the completion of the Spring Street bridge widening and rehabilitation project completed.
What do you believe is the most important issue facing your city today, and what will you do to address it?
Lack of transparency.
How do you feel about the city’s response to homelessness, and what specific policies and solutions on that front would you pursue if elected?
The answer to homelessness is to help people by a simple process of assessing and addressing their needs. It is important to help our homeless become enrolled in county, state and federal assistance programs that they qualify for. We should start a job skills program in which we obtain grants to pay our homeless a living wage to clean our city. There are all sorts of transitional or temporary housing that can be done, including safe tent sites and ADU housing for veterans. I also believe we should prioritize finding housing for working veterans and widows.
How do you feel about the city revoking paid parking and what does that mean for the city budget?
It has a very positive effect on the budget. The city is no longer liable for policing and maintaining the program, which was expensive and running at a loss. The locals have returned to downtown, and sales tax has increased. At least one business extended hours of operation, which benefited the employees. It has prevented businesses from leaving. It’s a win-win for everyone. Now we just need to hold Best Best & Krieger accountable for the refunds that need to be paid.
Do you feel the city is doing enough to support affordable housing and the development of new homes? What more would you do if elected?
Absolutely not, the city has not provided enough affordable housing. Yet we have three hotel projects that have recently been approved. It is a travesty that the Planning Commission and City Council are only thinking of tourists.
Ballot Measure I-24 aims to indefinitely extend the existing voter-approved half-cent sales tax, generating $5,500,000 annually for general government use including maintaining and improving city infrastructure and services. Do you support or oppose Measure I-24 and why?
The city has $350,000,000 in deferred road repair. This is actually a very minimal tax and is just an extension of what is already being charged. The money is definitely needed and a good use of the funds. However, the problem with the measure is that there is no sunset clause and the money automatically goes into the general fund. The sales tax oversight committee is supposed to make sure the money is spent appropriately. There is no question that the tax is needed, but the measure could be doomed to failure because it lacks specific language and doesn’t have an end date. This is actually an egregious error and one of the reasons why I am running for office. The public has reason to distrust this council and they might vote it down because of the defects in the way the measure was written.
Sharon Roden
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
Kathleen Hoffman, Robert and Carolyn Roden, Dana Roden
What is your vision for what your city should look like in 5 years? 10 years?
My hope is that we repair and continue to properly maintain our roads within Paso Robles. The city will continue to grow its economic base with local business and create more affordable housing. The city will have fully staffed, trained and supplied police and fire departments.
What do you believe is the most important issue facing your city today, and what will you do to address it?
Making sure our first responders are adequately staffed, trained and have the proper tools for their job. Safety in our community is most important.
How do you feel about the city’s response to homelessness, and what specific policies and solutions on that front would you pursue if elected?
I fully support the work the El Camino Homeless Organization does in our community. Our city, police and fire departments are working together for a successful project. We still need to continue to move people out of the riverbed to protect the ecosystem in our waterways and the safety and security of our infrastructure. I am hopeful that we can create a center for addiction and mental health to help those who want to live a more productive life.
How do you feel about the city revoking paid parking and what does that mean for the city budget?
Though I did not like the system in place at the time, I still feel that paid parking was essential for keeping employees from utilizing all of the prime parking in the downtown area. Had we adopted the $1-per-hour, starting-minute-one-payment plan, we would have been able to pay all expenses related to the parking program and pay off the city’s $500,000 parking debt within 18 months. But it was clear that our residents were not in favor of this option, so we will not have a paid parking program in Paso Robles.
Do you feel the city is doing enough to support affordable housing and the development of new homes? What more would you do if elected?
We on the City Council cannot change what affects development most: the cost of living and interest rates. The City Council has supported and will continue to support the construction of affordable housing, which is essential for all business and government employees. I would like to discuss the option of requiring some homes in these projects to be deed restricted for police and fire department employees. I’m sure the school districts would consider doing the same.
Ballot Measure I-24 aims to indefinitely extend the existing voter-approved half-cent sales tax, generating $5,500,000 annually for general government use including maintaining and improving city infrastructure and services. Do you support or oppose Measure I-24 and why?
I wholeheartedly support Measure I-24. In 2012, the then-City Council vowed to the public that every penny raised by Measure E-12 would be applied to road and infrastructure maintenance and repair. Every penny has gone toward those efforts. I make the same vow now for Measure I-24. Measure I-24 does not have a sunset clause, which allows us to bond and then receive a greater portion of the needed funds through federal and state grants in order to finish projects in a quicker and more efficient manner.
District 3
Meanwhile, in District 3, three candidates are running to for a four-year term on the City Council. Here’s where the candidates stand on everything from paid parking to Measure I-24.
Jeff Carr
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
At this point, the campaign is self-funded.
What is your vision for what your city should look like in 5 years? 10 years?
I want the city to represent the vision of not only me, but all residents. I see a city government that is “in tune” with the people.
I see continued success with local wine and tourism. Hotels, wineries and downtown businesses are thriving. I see a diverse economy with opportunities for professionals, skilled trades, manufacturing, service, retail and more. The city has opportunities for local entrepreneurs and new investment, along with better opportunities and salaries for our residents that stimulate local spending.
To improve the quality of life for all residents and business, I see a city that is on track toward repairing and maintaining roads and infrastructure. Our fire, police and public safety capability is top notch. I see a prosperous city with a small town atmosphere, natural beauty and friendly people that has always defined Paso Robles. We’re a city with a wide range of opportunities for employment, housing, services and leisure.
What do you believe is the most important issue facing your city today, and what will you do to address it?
The city is facing a number of important issues, but road and infrastructure needs may be most important. It is a critical need that affects every resident and business, and infrastructure improvement will touch all in a positive way.
I want an accounting of infrastructure improvement needs with cost estimates and work time schedules. Every street, city property and bridge should be called out. We’ll set priorities and define near- and long-term funding options. We don’t have all the answers or funds at this point, but we can’t solve the problem until it’s clear what we’re facing.
Then we can weigh these road and infrastructure needs against other city spending. The fire and police departments will get what they need, but other city efforts will be scrutinized against the important road and infrastructure needs. Then we would look for new sources of funding.
The supplementary sales tax Measure I-24 figures into this, but the city has failed to provide a viable plan to use these added funds (without a sunset) towards roads. I’ll change that.
How do you feel about the city’s response to homelessness, and what specific policies and solutions on that front would you pursue if elected?
Overall, I have not been satisfied with the city’s response to homelessness. I’ve found the city’s response generally noncommittal and not well planned or thought out.
Most of our focus has been to address the fire risks associated with homeless people living in the Salinas Riverbed. There has also been improvement recently with the Police Department’s development of the Community Action Team and also the El Camino Homeless Organization program. I support continuing these efforts.
The city now has a strategic plan to address homelessness. The plan lacks public involvement and scrutiny, but it still is a needed document that can help the city get county, state and federal funding. As a council member, I would do more to interact with these outside agencies in search of solutions and funding. Visibility, public input and support is crucial to the success of any city plan. I’ll seek more public input and community participation in our plans to address homelessness.
How do you feel about the city revoking paid parking and what does that mean for the city budget?
The paid parking system was a five-year debacle, and I’m happy it has been removed. It was a drag on our city’s budget and a threat to downtown business. Steve Gregory and two other council members were not listening to reason. We had to cut our losses. I am proud of my work on the referendum to remove it.
There are losses from the parking program, but gains in downtown sales after its removal will benefit the city budget. Not to mention the overall happiness residents, business owners and visitors will feel over the removal of paid parking.
The city’s paid parking solution was a failure. However, we can’t turn our back on the downtown parking situation. The incumbent Steve Gregory has become an uncooperative personality in this discussion, so I believe we will make more progress if I am voted in to replace him. As a council member, I would welcome the opportunity to work with city residents and business and property owners to achieve comprehensive and realistic parking strategies.
Do you feel the city is doing enough to support affordable housing and the development of new homes? What more would you do if elected?
There has been progress with housing. Projects are in development, but we are still short in the “affordable” ranges. Many people feel that housing development doesn’t match local needs and that city infrastructure can’t support it.
We need workforce housing for essential workers including firefighters, police officers, nurses and the like. This need is hindering the city’s ability to hire police officers, and complicating staffing for local businesses. The City Council with Steve Gregory has not done enough. It’s time for new blood and new ideas from the council. The city offers incentives for police hires but faces competition from other cities.
I’ll bring all parties together to discuss new ideas and to look at housing solutions including affordability-by-design, loan programs, inclusionary housing programs and deferred development fees. I want more visibility into the effects of new housing on our community, including how it matches local needs and what stress it puts on infrastructure and quality of life.
Ballot Measure I-24 aims to indefinitely extend the existing voter-approved half-cent sales tax, generating $5,500,000 annually for general government use including maintaining and improving city infrastructure and services. Do you support or oppose Measure I-24 and why?
The city has framed Measure I-24 as a continuance of the Measure E-12 sales tax, their severely inadequate solution for road repair funding for the past 12 years. Measure I-24 extends the tax forever, without a sunset date. There has been vague discussion of borrowing on the Measure I-24 revenue with a long-term bond loan. This is not a viable plan. This is a forever tax from a city that refuses to present details of a plan to repair and maintain roads and infrastructure. Instead, the city is putting voters in a bind with threats of reduced services and reduced fire and police safety.
The city needs more revenue for road repairs. A supplemental sales tax is one option. But I want to see a complete and detailed plan for road repairs that includes details of how Measure I-24 will assist. If it’s a 25-year plan, then sunset the tax in 25 years. Until then, I can’t voice support for the measure. This is the type of poor planning that I vow to change as a City Council member.
Steve Gregory
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
Noreen Martin, Mike Rawitser of the Paso Robles Golf Club, Austin Hope Winery
What is your vision for what your city should look like in 5 years? 10 years?
In five years, the main roads and thoroughfares should be paved and repaired. The spaceport should be operating and fully licensed. The Police Department should be staffed and equipped with a substation. The former Boys School site will become a hospitality and wine center, with a bridge built over the Huer Huero Creek. The Ravine Waterpark will be expanded, while the swimming pool complex at the high school and improvements for Niblick Road will be completed. A developer will be building affordable workforce housing. Barrelhouse Brewing Company will be in full operation on Sherwood Road.
In 10 years, the city will have four fire stations and spaceport will be operating with several companies supporting. The Sherwood Park master plan will be completed, the Police Department will be fully staffed and the Majestic Realty project completed. The city will continue to repair its roads.
What do you believe is the most important issue facing your city today, and what will you do to address it?
There are two very important issues facing the city: public safety and road maintenance.
Public safety is always my priority. We must keep our citizens safe. I have always fully supported our Police Department and fire department with funding and approving plans to reduce response times in both departments.
We must also continue to fund road maintenance. Please support Measure I-24, it is a half-cent sales tax that is replacing our existing Measure E-12, which is sunsetting in March of 2025. These funds have helped us raise $78 million dollars, which we spent entirely on roads during the last 12 years. We are starting to make progress on improving the general conditions of our roads and we must continue.
How do you feel about the city’s response to homelessness, and what specific policies and solutions on that front would you pursue if elected?
I feel the city is doing a great job financially supporting the El Camino Homeless Organization’s efforts to permanently house homeless clients. A few years ago, the city started a collaboration with the Housing Authority of the City of San Luis Obispo, People’s Self-Help Housing and the El Camino Homeless Organization. They are operating a 90-day program to get people back on their feet.
ECHO and the city’s Community Action Team have reduced the number of unsheltered people by 30% over the last two years, the city has more volunteers than ever, and ECHO is very effective in managing their facilities. The city is working on reducing encampments and encouraging its unsheltered clients to enter programs. The biggest challenge is coordinating the removal of encampments and finding beds for those clients. We are working with Atascadero to regionalize our efforts. I would like to pursue getting mental health and drug addiction beds in Paso Robles to assist with our public’s needs.
How do you feel about the city revoking paid parking and what does that mean for the city budget?
The citizens worked hard to get the signatures needed to reverse and revoke paid parking. I fully support their effort and we will work together with the community to utilize our employee parking lots and have several 30-minute parking spots to allow for some parking turnover downtown. The parking program was totally removed, which will save the cost of the the employees and administration. After the first year without paid parking, there will be no impacts the budget.
Do you feel the city is doing enough to support affordable housing and the development of new homes? What more would you do if elected?
Our city is developing all facets of housing, from market rate homes to extremely low-income housing. Paso Robles is leading the county in building low and extremely low-income housing. We have several hundred units of all types under construction, including two low-income projects. The Paso Robles Housing Authority is about to complete a 77-unit low-income senior housing project this December. If elected, I would like to get workforce housing projects started as soon as possible. We need affordable homes that our police officers, firefighters and head of household families can afford to buy. That is the most important segment of housing we need to engage in. As the liaison for all the specific plans, that is my primary focus when I am elected.
Ballot Measure I-24 aims to indefinitely extend the existing voter-approved half-cent sales tax, generating $5,500,000 annually for general government use including maintaining and improving city infrastructure and services. Do you support or oppose Measure I-24 and why?
I fully support Measure I-24, which will replace Measure E-12 set to end in March 2025. Measure I-24 will allow us to continue improving our roads. In the last 12 years, the city spent more than $78 million dollars on its roads. The city has a supplemental sales tax oversight committee of private citizens oversees the spending of the funds generated by Measure E-12, which have all been spent on roads. This committee will continue to oversee the spending of Measure I-24. Please support the ballot measure. This would allow us to keep repairing roads and it does not raise our taxes.
Michael Rivera
Who are your top three campaign contributors?
My wife, myself, Ron Cuff
What is your vision for what your city should look like in 5 years? 10 years?
Our road repairs will be well underway with smooth roads, local control, fiscal management and accountability. However, we will have a more than $40 million budget shortfall for the upcoming two-year budgetary cycle, which needs to be corrected.
What do you believe is the most important issue facing your city today, and what will you do to address it?
The city’s most important issue is the significant budget shortfall. They city must diversify business opportunities, be active in recruiting those business opportunities, protect small businesses from over-regulation and costs, find solutions to address workforce housing and focus on infrastructure before additional growth. Local control — which includes our heritage and quality of life — focuses on the city’s permanent residents and their needs first. Stop ignoring them and acknowledge their concerns by listening to them.
How do you feel about the city’s response to homelessness, and what specific policies and solutions on that front would you pursue if elected?
We must work with our county and local government entities to create cohesive policies addressing homelessness. The majority of people who are chronically homeless are dealing with drug, alcohol and mental health issues. Some are not willing to accept any assistance because they want to continue their drug and alcohol abuse, and others are very seriously mentally ill. Then, there are people who experienced serious disruptions in their lives and can get back on their feet with proper direction. They need, in some circumstances, tough love. It is not compassionate to have people living in the riverbed. The exposure to the elements has horrible health implications, and in the Salinas River, homeless encampments are an environmental catastrophe. The city removes debris from the riverbed twice a week. Debris and human waste are contaminating the Salinas River in very negative ways. We need to address this and fix it.
How do you feel about the city revoking paid parking and what does that mean for the city budget?
I was strongly opposed to paid parking and made my feelings know publicly a number of times. This shows another example of my opponent not listening. Only when it became politically untenable to support paid parking did he finally change his mind. My opponent’s unwillingness to listen to his constituents resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars to our city budget. Downtown small businesses also lost revenue. Then, after all of the damage my opponent caused, he added insult to injury by not holding the city’s law firm responsible for its bad legal advice. These actions did not serve our city well.
Do you feel the city is doing enough to support affordable housing and the development of new homes? What more would you do if elected?
Rivera provided the same response to this question that he gave for the city’s response to homelessness.
Ballot Measure I-24 aims to indefinitely extend the existing voter-approved half-cent sales tax, generating $5,500,000 annually for general government use including maintaining and improving city infrastructure and services. Do you support or oppose Measure I-24 and why?
I would only support Measure I-24 if all revenue from this tax was directed toward roads. But because the revenue will go into the general fund, I cannot support this extension. The measure must be reintroduced with those caveats for me to support it. I also have a problem with the idea that this sales tax extension will allow the city to obligate our residents to float a bond of approximately $60 million. Borrowing money is never a good idea, even in the best economic times. The State of California is facing a deficit. That fiscal reality will certainly affect Paso Robles. The city has a total debt obligation of $123,262,406 and an annual debt service payment of $6,411,404, made in yearly payments, I could not, in good conscience, put our city at this sort of additional risk. When you’re in a hole, the first step to getting out of it is to stop digging!
This story was originally published October 6, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
