Getting to know those who would govern

There are six candidates running for office in City Council District 2. This week The Star-news features answers from three of those six. The two candidates with the most votes in June move on to the November runoff election.

Where do you stand on Measure A, a sales tax increase, and why?

PATRICK MACFARLAND: I support Measure A. The number one priority of any level of government is to keep its residents safe. We have had a staffing crisis for too long and we cannot keep kicking the can down the road. Public safety response times equals patient outcomes. Since a vast majority of responses from CVFD are medical calls, we should not only have additional staffing, but fund training to ensure that appropriate fire staff are certified paramedics. It is also important to consider all avenues in order to make sure this does not happen again, and that we don’t fund something through sales tax measures in the future.

STEPHEN STENBERG: Chula Vista is a great place to live and raise a family. Our city has been fortunate to have one of the best police departments in the state. However, we now have the lowest level of police staffing in the county per population. The city council needs to do something about this if we are going to maintain our good quality of life. As a former law enforcement officer and firefighter, I know the challenges the police and fire departments face when trying to protect our citizens. On June 5 our citizens will have an opportunity to let their voices be heard by voting on Measure A. No matter what the outcome of Measure A, I will focus on the needs of the citizens and of our law enforcement and fire departments. Our citizens deserve to feel safe in their community.

MAX ZAKER: Public safety is a core function of government and unfortunately is in absolute need of funding support. With the future anticipated growth taking place in Chula Vista, we must continue to care for our neighborhoods and residents. We must create revenue sources that support highly-responsive, fully-staffed, well-equipped, public safety forces – better enabling our police and fire fighters. Measure A is a necessary step in that direction, but it’s not a long-term solution. We must support economic expansion and stimulate revenue growth that is not dependent on tax increases.

What is the role of Chula Vista in enforcing immigration laws?

STENBERG: The enforcement of immigration laws is the responsibility of the federal government. This is not within the jurisdiction of local, county, or state law enforcement departments. It is imperative that our immigrants in Chula Vista know that our Chula Vista police officers are there to protect and serve, and are not immigration officers.

ZAKER: As an immigrant to this great nation, I have been blessed with the opportunity to build businesses, create jobs, have a wonderful family, and the privilege to run for public office. Chula Vista is an immigrant community. Our Chula Vista Police department is already understaffed, and should not be burdened with enforcing immigration laws.

MACFARLAND: Chula Vista police officers do not play a role in enforcing immigration laws.

Is more housing needed in Chula Vista?

ZAKER: Chula Vista’s population is projected to grow to 350,000 by the year 2035. To prepare for this significant growth, we must implement policies that improve the economic well-being and quality of life for our residents. We must provide a variety of housing options to address the current housing crisis and to better prepare for future growth. Our children and our children’s children should have the opportunity to live and thrive in Chula Vista.

MACFARLAND: We have a housing crisis in California. As a commissioner on the Chula Vista Housing Advisory Commission, I am an advocate for more affordable housing and have been a voice for the renters in our city. High cost of rent and low availability of affordable units causes many families to live paycheck to paycheck. Chula Vista has the highest homeless population in South County, leaving children, veterans, and persons with disabilities to fend for themselves on the streets. We should create additional incentives to developers who go beyond the minimum required number of affordable units. We should also dedicate a percentage of developer fees in lieu of affordable housing set aside for homelessness services.

STENBERG: Chula Vista has been one of the fastest growing cities in the county, with a variety of housing and high density projects in the eastern areas of our city. The city needs to focus on redeveloping some of the areas on the west side of Chula Vista with policies that will encourage upgrading homes and businesses. We have an incredible opportunity on our Bayfront with high rise condominiums, hotels, and convention center. This will help create a stronger tax base and more vibrant city.

We need to focus on developing a balance of housing types to meet the needs of the range of family income levels and lifestyles.

The older areas of our city have always made Chula Vista a lovely bedroom community, which is part of its charm. A large percentage of these homes are considered affordable compared to several areas in the county.

As our city continues to grow we need to put more focus on making sure that our sidewalks and streets are maintained. We need to make sure that our city is a safe city. And we must have adequate parks and library services that help keep Chula Vista a place we want to call home.

What is the number one challenge facing your district and how will you address it?

MACFARLAND: We need to bring back basic city services—repairing our sidewalks and roads, put more lighting on our streets, restore our parks and recreation services—that were cut drastically during the budget crisis. District 2 is the place Chula Vista began and we must work to restore our neighborhoods while preserving our rich history.

STENBERG: Our citizens need to feel safe in their communities, homes, and schools. We have only eight school resource officers for 61 schools. Without adequately staffed community safety agencies, we cannot meet the response times necessary to fully protect our citizens and save lives.
Third Avenue is blossoming and people are now coming to enjoy the variety of restaurants and other businesses in the area. It is clean, with nice infrastructure and more inviting. We need to do that for Broadway, E Street, and H Street to help create more tax revenue for our city. This will also be a big plus for the Chula Vista Bayfront Project. Revitalizing these business districts, as well as the housing in these areas, will help attract more potential buyers and visitors to come and enjoy our Bayfront and natural resources.
One rapidly growing industry that currently threatens our economy is unlicensed, short-term rental vacation homes, such as Airbnb. These vacation rentals threaten the revenue that the city gains from local hotels, and disrupts our quiet neighborhoods. This industry needs to be limited and regulated, or our economy will continue to suffer, resulting in a threat to the safety of our children and families

ZAKER: According to economic studies, residents make a majority of their purchases outside of Chula Vista. This economic leakage coupled with significant loss of sales tax revenue to online shopping, has placed Chula Vista in one of the lowest positions in the region for general fund expenditure per person among San Diego County’s 18 cities.

As your next council member, I will tackle this issue head on by working closely with our city’s economic development staff and the business community to introduce programs to encourage residents to shop locally, but to also attract people from throughout San Diego to spend money in Chula Vista.

What makes you a better person for this office than your opponents?

STENBERG: As a military veteran, former law enforcement officer, retired firefighter, and small business owner, I bring a broad base of experience to the table. I went to school in Chula Vista, my wife is a teacher here, and this is where we raised our children. Our grandchildren are growing up here. Because of this strong and deep connection with other Chula Vistans, I can relate to them, and they to me. It’s a special, unique bond. I will draw upon my lifetime of experiences to give back to the community that I love and to which I owe so much.

Unlike my competitors, I am not a career politician. I have no hidden agenda to use this as a stepping-stone. Chula Vista is my home- always has been, and always will be. My goal is to make Chula Vista an even better place to live and raise a family. I want to preserve and protect our sense of community for my grandchildren and great grandchildren. I am a life-long Chula Vistan, a family man who has the qualifications and experience to relate to and represent the citizens of Chula Vista. I would be honored to earn your vote.

ZAKER: My career in community economic development spans over 25 years starting with owning several businesses and directing several publicly-funded organizations throughout San Diego County. In those roles, I was able to help create hundreds of jobs. These organizations were tasked with revitalizing under-developed neighborhoods into thriving communities. I am currently a Chula Vista Planning Commissioner and serve on the Growth Management Oversight Commission as well. Serving as a Commissioner for two years has prepared me to assume the responsibility to care for our neighborhoods and our residents.
I am the only candidate that has this level of relevant economic development experience. I have a proven track-record, and the passion and commitment to help create a thriving Chula Vista.

MACFARLAND: I grew up in Chula Vista and I have experienced the strengths and pitfalls of our communities first-hand my entire life. Both my own experience growing up, and my experience as a teacher has given me a unique perspective on the problems faced by different sectors of our community and how they impact quality of life and the ability to thrive. I don’t have a vacation home, I don’t own stocks in a variety of companies, and I cannot self-fund my campaign. I’m just like the hardworking families that live in Northwest Chula Vista and I understand that when you struggle to make ends meet or when you’re worried about how you’re going to pay for rent next month- that is a problem and a problem our politicians need to address. No other candidate in this race can understand the way policy impacts Chula Vista’s children—our future—the way that I can. I am also one of two candidates that speak Spanish and it makes a huge difference when I connect with an overwhelming majority of the Latino community. We need an elected official that represents the entire community, not just a select few.

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