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Capitola City Council Candidates: Vote Nov. 8
COMMUNITY NEWS
Capitola City Council Candidates: Vote Nov. 8
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The Capitola-Soquel Times asked the five Capitola City Council candidates in the Nov. 8 election three questions.
Here are their answers:
Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the head of the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said she plans to overhaul the agency, saying it failed to meet expectations during the Covid-19 pandemic. She wants an action-oriented culture that emphasizes accountability, collaboration, communication, and timeliness. Are you satisfied with the safety measures the council took during the Covid pandemic? If yes, give examples. If not, what would you have done differently?
Yvette Brooks: I think no one could have ever imagined experiencing a worldwide pandemic in their lifetime, nor having to lead a City, State or Country through it. I believe that we have all learned a lot through this experience, and although we all hope to never have to do it again, this pandemic has garnered a lot of opportunity to be better prepared should we have to.
The City of Capitola did a tremendous job in supporting its community by offering small business loans, creating child care for essential workers, funding food service agencies and offering rental assistance.
In addition, I suggested creating a COVID relief fund for any future unforeseen circumstances. I am proud to have been Capitola’s Mayor during this time and of the collaborative efforts of my fellow countywide Mayors.
Joe Clarke: The past two years of the pandemic have taken a lot out of us all. I believe the City Council did the right thing with all the information they had at the time, so many unknowns. From the Federal government to the State government, things changed weekly if not daily.
The City did a good job following federal and state mandates and keeping the community informed. The only thing I would have pushed to do away with would have been, teleconferencing meetings and bringing back in-person meetings sooner.
Enrique Dolmo Jr.: Yes, I was satisfied with the safety measures the council took during the Covid pandemic. I believe having all meetings virtual during the pandemic at the time was an excellent decision.
Although shutting the beaches down and closing indoor restaurants was more of a county and state regulation, that was fine at the time of the unknown.
But the council made fast adjustments and allowed outdoor eating, which was a great response during the pandemic.
Gerry Jensen: During the Covid-19 pandemic, our council followed the
Yvette Brooks Joe Clarke Enrique Dolmo Jr. Gerry Jensen Alexander Pedersen
direction and guidance of the Santa Cruz County Health Officer Dr. Gail Newel, to provide a safe environment within this guidance.
Our council and city staff were proactive and worked with the business community to allow for outdoor dining and opened businesses as directed by the Health Officer.
I supported this approach by our council, as the city needs to rely on health professionals at the county, state, or federal level that have better insights into data and trends to keep our community safe.
Alexander Pedersen: I’m very satisfied with the actions taken by our city council during the pandemic. Although the majority of our safety decisions were made by county and state governments, our city council was able to act quickly and decisively in protecting our community.
The city council was able to facilitate rent relief to keep people safely in their homes, allowed parklets to keep businesses open and customers at a safe distance from one another, and waived to-go food fees to help community members access food in a safe manner.
Through my work with the Santa Cruz County Small Business Development Center, I saw first hand how effective our city council’s policy was in protecting our community. I worked directly with the City to administer COVID relief grants and we’re still working day in and day out to get emergency funding to struggling businesses.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I saw our city, our business owners, and our community come together and rise to the occasion and I’m proud of the dedication and hard work displayed by our city council.
What’s your take on the name for the Rispin Mansion park property?
Yvette Brooks: It has been a long time since Capitola has had the opportunity to name a new park, and what better time than now to seize the opportunity.
It would be fun to ask our community for suggestions.
Joe Clarke: I live next to the Rispin Mansion and have seen it sit unused for decades. Its historic value should mean something to the community. I’m excited that the grounds of the park will be refurbished and made safe for public use in the near future.
I believe the name should remain the same. We have a unique opportunity to educate the community so we don’t lose the history of this beautiful property. I have enjoyed sharing all the stories that go with the Rispin Mansion and telling it to my children and now to my 12-year-old grandson and his friends.
Enrique Dolmo Jr.: Regarding my take on the Rispin Mansion park property, I do have concerns about using Rispin’s name on the park project in part because of racial exclusionary language in the land deeds.
Gerry Jensen: The new park at the Rispin Mansion has not been named yet. I am a firm believer that if the citizens of Capitola want to have any park in the city named or renamed, there should be a committee selected to establish a list of names from the community.
We should then poll the citizens and let the citizens make the decision to rename any park, not the city council.
Alexander Pedersen: I’m thrilled that we’re dedicating the time and resources to build out more parks and green spaces in Capitola.
I think this could be a great opportunity to get the community more involved and solicit ideas. I hope that this process will bring people together and that we can come up with a name that everyone can get behind.
What’s your take on the idea for Capitola to ask voters to OK an Empty Home Tax?
Why might it be needed? What should the revenue be spent on?
Yvette Brooks: The City of Capitola in 5 years will be facing an imbalanced budget due to increasing CalPERS (public employee retirement pension) cost and needs to find a solution fast.
If we do not, the City will have to begin making hard decisions on where to make cuts on things like staffing, roads, and community grants. The Empty Home Tax may be the solution.
At this time, the City has the opportunity to learn from other jurisdictions like Oakland, San Francisco, Healdsburg and Santa Cruz on how to create a balanced, defensible policy around homes that are not occupied for most of the year.
We need more time to do so and to write something that is right for both homeowners and the City.
Joe Clarke: I’m not sure the time is right to go after an “Empty Home Tax” for a couple reasons, one being, inflation is through the roof and almost all people I spoke with about this are already feeling strapped.
Homeowners already pay property taxes and don’t need to be burdened by additional taxes. A bigger issue is how are you going to enforce the tax without invading an individual’s rights as a property owner?
Perhaps we could consider other ways to increase taxes that can help the community. One way to do this would be to raise “TOT” or Transient Occupancy Tax, so we are on par with other California cities.
Another might be by extending Measure F the 0.25 percent sales tax that is due to expire in a few years and was voted in with over 80% of the voters backing in 2017.
Enrique Dolmo Jr.: This is a very complicated question and I see both sides. I suggest we listen to our community and I think more study needs to happen around this issue.
I am 100% all in favor of our teachers, service workers, health care workers, caregivers as well as state and county workers to be able to afford to live where they work.
If the Empty Home Tax Measures passes, then I believe the revenue should be spent providing housing for our essential workers, fostering a family-friendly environment, creating programs for all youth and their parents, implementing smart traffic solutions and focusing on making Capitola a more walkable community.
Gerry Jensen: I didn’t support the idea of a second home tax as discussed at the June 9 city council meeting, nor did ⅔ of the surveyed community.
