Tribune endorses Marcia Guthrie, Erik Howell for Pismo Beach City Council

The Tribune Editorial Board endorsed Marcia Guthrie two years ago when she ran for council. She narrowly lost that election and now is trying again.

Here’s what we said then: “While she’s been highly involved in Price Canyon, Guthrie is not a single-issue candidate; she has a good understanding of city finances, housing needs and downtown revitalization. She is especially concerned about water use — a legitimate worry, given water will be one of the biggest challenges in California for many years to come.”

We remain impressed with Guthrie; she’s articulate, she has a strong grasp of a range of issues and she’s especially concerned with protecting Pismo’s quality of life. Example: Two years ago, she was involved in drafting Measure H, which requires voter approval of large developments in Price Canyon. It passed overwhelmingly.

We like Guthrie’s ideas for maintaining the personality of Pismo Beach, which include redefining design criteria for various sections of the city, and her focus on securing a dependable water supply.

Guthrie hasn’t held an elected position in Pismo Beach, but her experience on the Measure H campaign and her service on the city’s Parks, Recreation and Beautification Commission makes her an excellent choice for council.

The Tribune urges voters to elect Marcia Guthrie to the Pismo Beach City Council.

Based on his experience and performance on the Pismo Beach City Council, we recommend Erik Howell for re-election.

As we’ve noted before, Howell brings a more liberal perspective to the council, which ensures all points of view are considered. When the council was considering large developments for Price Canyon, for example, it was Howell who dug for information about the impacts.

We also like what he has to say about water; he supports focusing conservation efforts on the biggest users, such as hotels, schools and city facilities.

We also agree with his position on the Chapman House — he wants to make it more accessible to Pismo Beach residents, while allowing a limited number of special fundraising events and pursuing grants to pay for its upkeep.

That said, Howell’s perfomance on the state Coastal Commission is less than stellar.

Howell has been criticized for accepting a $1,000 campaign donation from Antoinette DeVargas, who is the domestic partner of Susan McCabe, a lobbyist who frequently represents clients who have projects before the Coastal Commission. Howell said he didn’t realize the women were partners when he accepted the contribution.

And Howell has been sued for allegedly violating the commission’s ex parte rules, which require commissioners to declare any private communications with applicants and other parties that have business before the commission.

These allegations are concerning. Howell’s explanation that he didn’t know the $1,000 donation came from a lobbyist’s partner isn’t good enough. As soon as he learned of the connection, he should have returned the $1,000 donation to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest.

In the final analysis, though, we believe voters should select who is the best candidate for City Council — not for Coastal Commission — and after reviewing the qualifications and experience of the other candidates, we believe Erik Howell is that person.

This story was originally published October 11, 2016 at 10:53 PM with the headline "Tribune endorses Marcia Guthrie, Erik Howell for Pismo Beach City Council."