 Good evening. I think we're ready to begin Welcome to the candidates forum for the Santa Rosa City Council Which is co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Sonoma County and the American Association of University women My name is Paula Hawks spelled differently than that but close enough. I am a member of the league The mission of the League of Women Voters is to encourage informed and active participation in government and to influence public policy through education and advocacy The League does not support or oppose any political party or candidate We are the League of Women Voters, but men are welcome to join and some actually have the mission of the AAUW is to advance equality for women and girls through advocacy education philanthropy and research This program is being recorded by the Community Media Center of the North Bay and is being broadcast live on Comcast Channel 30 in Santa Rosa As well as on AT&T Uverse Channel 99 It will be rebroadcast on KRCB and on Comcast Information on the rebroadcasts is in the back of the room Here is the format for tonight First each candidate has two minutes to make an opening statement. The order was chosen by law I will then ask questions prepared by the co-sponsors Candidates have up to one minute to answer each question During this time members of the audience may write questions on cards provided to you which runners will collect and I think already have started Please raise your hand if you need a card Questions will be sorted to prevent duplication and ensure that they are pertinent to the issues All questions asked will be directed to all candidates who will have up to one minute to respond At the end of the question period each candidate will have two minutes for a closing statement Audience please withhold applause until the end of the forum and make sure that you turn off cell phones Or any other devices that might interrupt our timekeeper is Amy Southwick seated here in front She will hold up a 30 second card to the candidates Please note when you have 30 seconds left and a red stop card when your time is up Please ask if you would like a question repeat it. We adhere strictly to time limits to ensure fairness All this said I would like to introduce the candidates in the positions. They drew First Ernesto olivares second along here is Julie cones Aaron Carlstrom Don Taylor Hans Dippel Sean Vandenberg and Gary wise sake did I leave anybody out a Caroline when will those terribly sorry I had the names written down and then had to Go back in number Thank you all for being here We are going to proceed now to opening statements first candidate to speak is mr. Olivares Thank you very much. Good evening and thank you to our sponsors for hosting this forum and thank all of you for your civic engagement as well Four years ago, you elected me to the San Francisco City Council during one of the toughest Recessions of our of our history since then I've been working hard to try to bring us back up to actually get us back on our feet I've been working on three very critical areas the first of course is our economic recovery And I've done this by implementing changes to ensure San Rosa continues to be a business friendly community These changes have already helped generate over 1,000 new jobs in approximately 1900 jobs are on the drying board now I've also focused on pension reform by bringing together police and fire to the table for a meaningful reform To our pension issues and this is the first time in the history of Santa Rosa that that was done Thirdly, I've also concentrated continue to concentrate on our youth violence and gang prevention efforts today We continue to enjoy a national model for violence prevention and youth development through our mayor's game prevention task force And finally more recently. I've joined City Council candidate Aaron Colstrom to begin addressing the political divide on the City Council While Aaron and I have not agreed on many issues facing the city We do agree on a vision for the future that heals the political rifts of Santa Rosa and Focuses on bringing people together to solve the problems that are facing our community So I asked your vote on November 6th. Thank you Thank you to the league and to the aAUW for hosting this important forum And it's wonderful to see so many Santa Rosans coming out to meet your candidates tonight I'm running for City Council to provide the vision and leadership our city needs to stimulate our economy creating Good paying and local jobs Actively engage our residents and neighborhoods in our city governance Balance our city budget finding a permanent solution to our unfunded pension liability while ensuring our essential basic services are maintained and Protect our natural resources open spaces and ensure we have safe water to drink and clean air My experience both in the public and private sectors uniquely qualifies me to be your neighborhood Advocate on the City Council with a degree in engineering and as the past employee of an engineering design firm and the current Co-owner of a small business. I have learned the struggles businesses face and the need for a vibrant economy In the public sector I have been an urban plans reviewer on a county planning commission and the executive director of a state building code related agency I know the importance of balanced oversight and predictability in permitting planning and zoning action I also have a degree in psychology and have worked in social services with autistic adolescents and adults with challenged with mental health disabilities and designed adaptive equipment for severely disabled people I Can nurture creative solutions involving the public sector and not for profits and private enterprise I've already been working as your advocate. We live in a beautiful place. This is a great city But we can do better. I will be your neighborhood advocate on the City Council My pledge to you is always be available Listen carefully and take a stand that puts your needs your safety and your quality of life as my first priority. Thank you Good evening everyone. I'm Aaron Carlstrom. I'm honored to be here with you tonight to have the chance to earn your support I'm running for Santa Rosa City Council because I believe in Santa Rosa I believe we can be a healthy and safe city with ample job opportunities We can do this by supporting our local and value-added businesses We can do this by beefing up our gang prevention and youth programming and we can do this by supporting our community parks Open spaces and our neighborhoods Almost four years ago. I expanded my business into Santa Rosa. I Council and support other small and local businesses. So I understand the challenges of opening up shop here in Santa Rosa I'm committed to doing everything I can to ensure that we are fostering local businesses and supporting our local economy Additionally as a member of our public safety funding oversight committee known as measure O I've worked with our public safety departments to ensure accountability in our city's expenditures. I Applaud the innovative steps that we have taken as a city to reduce crime through our gang profession efforts But it's clear that we need to do more I've been walking door-to-door since February and in neighborhoods from Coffee Park to Oakmont I'm hearing about recent burglaries and increased gang activity I pledge to do everything to make sure that our citizens are safe here in Santa Rosa Santa Rosa is a great city, but often the people who have stepped up to make it greater have worked at cross-purposes There is an environmental agenda in Santa Rosa to keep our water and air clean To protect our open spaces and to reduce our impact on the planet I will be and want to be a part of that agenda There is a neighborhood agenda in Santa Rosa to increase the community's involvement to protect our history and to provide healthier Opportunities for families. I will be and want to be a part of that agenda And there is a business agenda in Santa Rosa to improve our economy and create local jobs for our residents I will be and want to be a part of that agenda I believe that if we work hard enough Well, good evening. Thanks for coming tonight. My name is Don Taylor I've been in Santa Rosa for 35 years and I've raised three children with my lovely wife Lori Back in 1977 My family moved to Santa Rosa and we opened up a fairly well-known establishment in what was to become Railroad Square So we've been invested in the community for 35 strong years After graduating from the University of Oregon with a degree in business administration I returned to Santa Rosa in 1987 and took over the family business During that time I gained a lot of experience. I was a planning commissioner for the city of Santa Rosa I was on the community advisory board member of the historic railroad square association president for four years and The list goes on and I do have that on my flyer up there at the table But what's important is we need that kind of experience on the city council right now the ability to rejuvenate an area of the downtown To understand what it is to make a payroll to have a budget to balance it Job creation is very critical And I'm proud to say five years ago at the beginning of the recession That I opened up a second location and created 15 jobs and it was a struggle But I do have that hands-on experience that I think is really critical So I would love to bring that to the city council a real hands-on business experience that I think is needed with fiscal responsibility I've been involved in the community in numerous ways. I've been president of the Bukjeju sister city committee and actually I'm very proud that I took the first Snoopy to Korea last February So for proven business leadership proven community involvement. I would really appreciate your vote for don taylor this year. Thank you Thank you Good evening It's an honor to be here tonight with the League of Women Voters in the American Association of University of Women My name is Caroline by Nualos and I came here to Santa Rosa almost 30 years ago During that time. I've seen Santa Rosa change and grow and become what I believe is a full-fledged city Also during that time. I was working in every sector Small business corporate environment the county government and also the nonprofit sector I've served on many nonprofit boards as a volunteer and served on various boards and commissions for the city of Santa Rosa The last four as a planning commissioner But the work that I enjoy the most is the work that I do in the community I am neighborhood oriented and the community is what concerns me the most That is why I'm running I firmly believe that every decision that's made at every level of government whether it be federal state or local affects our lives that following that every Decision that the council makes affects every resident of Santa Rosa and what concerns me most are the people of Santa Rosa And I want to make sure that they're heard and that they are part of the decision-making process As a planning commissioner I've worked hard to balance the needs of the business community protecting the environment and the needs of the community at large It's not always easy to do that But putting the community first is what I'm really all about and I think that's what's most important And that's where my decision-making process begins So I thank you those of you that are here in the audience today Those of you that are watching at home, and I really look forward to your questions. Thank you Thank you, Mr. Dippel. Just push that First of all, I want to thank the League of Women Voters all of you that are sitting here tonight and All those watching on Community Media Center. I think we all have had some aha moments in our life I've had two recently that motivated me to run for city council the first my oldest son who's married Expecting their first child was at Sonoma State with my dardel raw could not find a job and could not afford to live here So now they live in San Jose. I Don't like San Jose. I grew up in San Jose, and that's why I'm here And I don't want to see Santa Rosa's To be a San Jose and I don't want to go to I want to create jobs here that are gonna Prevent people from losing their families and the legacies that we need to have here in Santa Rosa my second aha moment for my motivation for running was when I Witnessed the city manager addressing the city council with the state of the city address saying we're 55 miles north of San Francisco We're the gateway to agriculture. We're the gateway to Family living we're the gateway to wine country, and I thought wait a minute We shouldn't be the gateway we're Santa Rosa We should be the destination and that's what I want us to be because with all the issues that everyone brings up We can't do it without money, and we've got a 26% vacancy rate with our retail industrial and Office space we need to start filling those up by inviting people in and becoming more friendly I've currently Serving us on the advisory board for the pediatric dental initiative. I've worked with several nonprofits including social advocates for youth YMCA Sonoma County Children's Charities kid street when it was kid street theater Currently working with council on aging and YWCA. We've been raising money for these funds I know about generating money, and that's what we're gonna need to get out of the situation And we're gonna need someone to make it happen. Thank you Mr. Vandenberg Good evening. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak to you tonight. My name is Sean Vandenberg And I was born and raised here in Santa Rosa I went through our public school system through eighth grade Cardinal Newman High School and I attended Sac State I Worked for sire industries, and I'm a member of the operating engineers for the last 21 years I came back to Santa Rosa in 1995 when my father fell ill to help my family care for Him. I have a beautiful wife Vicki and two children Alexander 10 and Julia 8. I want them to have the same opportunities. I did here growing up good paying jobs Affordable housing and the opportunity to raise their families here while feeling safe in their own homes I'm running for city council to bring a fresh perspective to city government I will look past the ideological divide and find a common middle ground to solve our city's issues And I'm asking for your support on November 6th. Thank you Mr. Wise hockey Good evening. Thanks to all for attending. Thanks to the league and the American Association University women for putting this on I appreciate that very much your efforts Four years ago. I was the highest vote getter in the election And it's been my pleasure to serve the city as a CPA small business owner I know what it takes to survive tough economic times. We've had the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression This is what I do as a businessman and as an advisor. We address tough questions. I Fought hard to fully support our local park and rec seniors Recreation and youth services while ensuring our tax dollars are used as intended especially on gang prevention We can all all admit we've got a lot more work to do there Financial issues that we've yet to address meaningful Pension reform the system right now is upside down almost 200 million dollars at the last financial statement in unfunded employee liabilities Our budget is balanced, but only because of a temporary sales tax increase that expires in six years And we've yet to address how we're going to make the budget balance after that This job demands hard work and inquisitive mind. That's what I do as a CPA to my clients That's what I've done as your councilman I'm proud of my record I've brought in meal real money in these last four years the lead counsel negotiator for the solid waste extension five million dollars a Private partnership with the hospitality industry which funded the Amgen tour seven million dollars in economic activity this year as a Rep on the transportation authority. I found the funding to complete the sixth Street under crossing I know what it takes to run a business. I've done it 30 years And as a former teacher at Sonoma State and Piner High School. I know the value of leaving something for our next generation As the president of the junior college neighborhood Association, I know the value of community input This is what we need for the future to go forward together. I ask for your vote. Thank you The brief statement here Apologies to the candidates apparently there was some sort of mix up about whether you were allowed to bring Campaign materials and have them up at the back of the room. Some people did some people didn't I was asked by the league and AAUW to Express apologies for that and apparently not being clear to people. So there is some campaign material available But not from everyone We will now go on to the prepared questions and we're gonna go around in the same order the Questions you are up to one minute response time. So the timers will warn you about that first question How do you propose to balance the city's budget in the next four years and would your plan include pension reform? Sorry, we have had a balanced budget this past year no longer are we pulling our budget together with bailing wire? We have a I believe a critical a credible budget and that has been through the hard work of our employees Reduction in some services consolidations of some departments some blending of some services All of our employees have stepped up to the table to make sacrifices. It's been a shared responsibility You know our recession was a community a big community issue was a national issue And we've taken ownership of it and that means everybody has a role to play in that recovery and that has been happening For the first time in 2010 for the first time in our history I pulled together a pension reform task force that included our public safety officers and others from the community to look For viable solutions to start addressing our pension issues. We're doing that. We're on the right track for it We're not done yet There's so much to do and I believe that with the continued work of our employees our Community and all those at the table that we will continue to find more solutions to that and that includes an upcoming Hopefully thank you. I think that it's very important for us to have an honest balanced budget And one factor in that is that we have now Hanging over our heads a large unfunded liability approximately two hundred million dollars and bound it's sort of like making only the payment on your Interest on your mortgage. It does not solve a fundamental problem to just make ends meet at the end of each year We have to do something about our large unfunded pension liability So if we're gonna have a balanced budget, let's have an honest one and include all of the figures in it We have tax measures that are about to expire one of the first things we can do is stop linking raises and Budgetary issues to the consumer price index which we do now There's not sufficient time in a minute to explain the fact that one of our measures links our budget requires Our budget to follow the consumer price index our revenues do not follow the consumer price index So we have to unlink those two. Thank you Well before my time ran out I was trying to tell you that my Priorities for the new budget will be getting funding back into community services like parks and pools We'll be supporting our local businesses and we'll be increasing our gang prevention and youth programming with respect to whether Pension reform will play a part of my budget or the budget that I would vote for certainly Certainly pension reform and salary salaries need to be addressed I think it's important to recognize though that we did have two of our public employee bargaining units Voluntarily come to the table and I'm speaking about the police and fire departments They came to the table voluntarily to offer concessions very few departments across the state have done that so certainly yes We need to continue that work Pensions and salary are a part of that but we need to honor a budget that doesn't balance itself on the backs of our public employees Well to take a slightly different tack We need to market Santa Rosa as a planning commissioner I've seen what it's like for a person to come to our community to try to open up a business as someone who's opened up a new Restaurant in Windsor. I understand what I like to see as a customer. So I bring that experience We're competing with a lot of cities and jurisdictions in California at this point We have to be receptive and inviting to the rest of the business community So I like the best program that we have with the chamber. We have to reach out We have to convince people that if they come here There won't be a lot of uncertainty and that they can expect a decent procedure to start a business And there's no room in this recession for someone to go through a process and start over So we need to increase revenues and we need to get back on track and quit, you know cutting services So I think we have to also bring some more money into our community Thank you Well, I also I think the city manager when she Proposed the budget for this year stated that we had a balance while we had a balanced budget We still had a structural deficit and what that means simply is that we're still Spending more money than we're taking in and that that is still a reality So given that I I too think that most economists will agree in order to create growth You have to have both spending cuts and growth We have to we cannot just remove people's jobs for example and expect them to be able to put money back into the System so I'm looking at also creating revenues for the city I also proposed making Santa Rosa a destination city making it a place where people can come and Spend money which would create tax dollars for the city because we need that would my budget include pension reform Yes, I think a lot has been done, but more needs to be done I think we need to go back and revisit there has to be some more cost sharing There were steps taken, but it's not enough and as it was mentioned before we have the unfunded Liability all of those things need to be addressed because first and foremost we have to remember that the city has to be kept solvent Thank you. I don't know about you, but I don't think I want to live in a community that doesn't have fire or Police protection so the answer is not cutting the answer is generating more revenue And I think where we have an identity crisis as a city is National Geographic in December rated Sonoma County is one of the top 10 destination spots in the world for 2012 We haven't seen anything To promote that or to leverage that that would generate more revenue Sunset magazine two months ago for the first time ever rated us the better wine country to come to over Napa That's big news. So we need to welcome businesses. We need to we don't need to invite the men They're already coming everyone knows we're great. So let's get them here Let's get them planted setting up business and generate the revenue so we don't have to cut any programs or services for the city I think our current city council has already started the the process at hand the mayor's Economic competitive task force is a step in the right direction But I think we have to follow that up and follow through with that Continuing streamlining our business process and allowing business the opportunity to come here Santa Rosa Our business has to know that Santa Rosa is open for business as far as pinch reform, I think we're on the right track and More does need to be done However, with that being said, I think our city employees have really stepped up and and Came to the table and they realize that there's a problem too and I think we need to continue to work together Hand-in-hand to solve our problem. Thank you Well as I said in my opening statement We need more meaningful financial reform as a CPA my clients pay me for my honesty the numbers don't lie here I wish that how I wish they they weren't true We're almost 200 million dollars underfunded with this system We took out pension bonds of almost 50 million dollars. That's debt. We've paid down 8 million That's a heavy load for our future generation The two-tier system which is all that came out of the pension reformed task force Just kicks the can down the road to the next generation That is as un-American as it gets we are not facing the problem as I said about measure P That's what's bouncing our budget. It's temporary one of my colleagues said let's make it permanent I objected strongly to that The percentage of the budget to the other services such as youth and parks and road maintenance has continued to shrink We need to take a hard look and ask the hard questions. We have not done that Thank you question to What are your top two priorities for the city and how will you work to address them? Thank you, we have to continue with our recovery We are in the recovery mode and we all need to get together to make that happen So and of course that goes hand-in-hand with continuing to work to balance our budget and to and to deal with that structural deficit The other thing we need to do is increase revenues. It's not just about cutting and cutting and cutting It's also how do we how do we increase revenues here in Santa Rosa to get us back on our feet? We've talked about being a destination a center. Mr. Dippel brought up some very good points You know, we're looking at over a billion dollars annually in tourism for example Those are the things that we need to continue to capitalize on and continue to give people a reason to come to our community Which we all know is a beautiful place to live. Otherwise, we wouldn't be here So how do we get others to come here and enjoy that? So it has to do with increasing revenues not just cutting and identify more problems But how do we continue to increase revenues so that we can get back on our feet and get back to be that community that we used to really enjoy? When I discovered that there was no neighborhood association in my neighborhood. I organized one When I discovered that we had a Wonderful opportunity with the highway 12 right of way. We became the southeast Greenway campaign and I co-founded that I Have also been an advocate for you as a member of the city's economic development subcommittee So it seems very much that we have to improve our quality of life And there are two ways that we can really go about doing that And one of them is to improve the quality of where we live in our neighborhoods and the other one involves economic development I have a three-point plan on my website for Economic development and I hope you will check it out at combs4council.com My top two priorities for the city I've probably already reiterated them a couple of times this evening the first is finding new ways to bolster our local economy We've got a lot of opportunities With the smart train coming to town I'd like to see the city looking into some rezoning along that smart line to offer some manufacturing Distribution opportunities for local job creation and access to clean food And that goes hand-in-hand with increasing our revenues here in the community and putting them right back into the community Services that make Santa Rosa such a wonderful place We need to be getting funding back into our parks back into our pools and back into our community centers That make this a destination city for the workers of those businesses that we're looking to attract without a healthy business and local economy We can't support the quality of life that we've all come to enjoy and without that quality of life We won't be able to attract the local businesses that we're looking to have come to Santa Rosa So those are my two priorities Turn on the microphone similar vein at the top two programs marketing of Santa Rosa The citizen groups like the Chamber's best program. We are in competition with lots of Bay Area City So people need to feel comfortable welcomed and invited to our community the other hurdle the city has a program to make the Zoning and the permitting a little bit more streamlined and a little bit more friendly so it's easy to come to community you shouldn't have to struggle to get a sign permit and Those are the top two things and I have the experience of enjoying it from both ends on the planning Commission And as a person who opened the business in this community Balancing the budget the mayor mentioned that we have a balanced budget. They're on track. They're doing a good job I want to be a part of that and I bring the experience of having two payrolls and 25 years business experience running a business So I think we're on track with that. I'm just going to continue what everybody's been working on at this point. Thank you Well my top two I Touched on briefly in my last answer first and foremost I want to do everything that we can to rebuild our local economy And that is as I've been saying to create a destination city make Santa Rosa the place that people come I believe it is the gateway to the wine country And one of the things the council took a step recently for example to have tasting rooms in downtown Santa Rosa I think that's a really positive thing. That's something that's going to bring people People who live here as well as tourists But we also need to find more things for people to do that will attract them to Santa Rosa So that they don't just come here and then go to Napa and other neighboring cities That's the first thing. Secondly, I think we need to do what we can to strengthen and Support local small existing businesses. I think they're really the backbone of Santa Rosa And I think we need to do everything that we can to support them So that would be another area in terms of build rebuilding the economy and then just to get to my second Biggest priority it would be in protecting the environment, which is something that I really tried to do as a planning commissioner I want to make sure that we have walkable and bikeable communities and that and I guess I'm done I like the fact that everyone's starting to refer to Santa Rosa as a destination city now first thing we do is job creation and What the mayor and the council have done recently with opening the tasting rooms is a great start It opens the door for businesses to come in but now we need to take it one further step and that's where I come in I have the contacts being in the wine industry for over 30 years 20 of them here in Sonoma County and we've got Casa Brown winery they live here Number one wine in the world Guy Fieri probably one of the most popular Santa Rosa sons Has a winery now and he wants a tasting room here So it's great to have all these things But the the last component of this is someone's got to take action to make the phone call and get these people here Thank you So there are many states that are offering huge incentive programs right now to get companies to move to that state We cannot do that here in California because of California's budget crisis So we have to think out of the box. We're gonna have to offer incentives that we can hear To attract quality businesses that pay good paying jobs So we might have to waive permit fees look at Changing use fees whatever we can do to attract business excuse me Because we need business here. We need the tax dollar to fix our infrastructure our roads are it some of our roads are in Very bad shape. There's potholes everywhere. So I think all this is Goes hand-in-hand that we have to first attract business To accomplish our second goal of fixing our infrastructure. Thank you, you know businesses want consistency most of all And we also need to be mindful of our existing businesses to be fair to them I'm proud to have chaired the meeting where the first economic augments came through and that brought Santa Rosa Nissan and Santa Rosa Kia that activity on Santa Rosa Avenue that's bringing jobs That's bringing money to our city the smart trainman. I'm also proud to have been an advocate for I Worked and got the initial operating segment to end at Cottingtown not railroad Square again more jobs more money I agree with President Obama. This recovery comes from the middle out I will do what I can to help the middle middle class and the working class so that they have jobs I've consistently argued against reclassing industrial zoning. So we have working-class jobs in our town We can all be small starter retail jobs. It will not work. Thank you Thank you This time we're gonna start which I should have done last time excuse me with miss combs for the first answer We'll go around and then come back Question safety is always a concern for the citizens of Santa Rosa Do you feel that the city is doing enough to curtail gang violence? If not, what suggestions for improvement would you support? I'm very proud that our city our citizens stepped up and raised taxes on themselves with the measure of Tax for safety But I'm very concerned about how we're spending it Our kids are still joining gangs at the same rate as they were in 0 for The gate the gang activities have quadrupled I Have some genuine concerns that our oversight board our measure o oversight board has no teeth I think we need to give measure o oversight board more authority And I think we need to look at how we're spending our measure o dollars We get almost seven million dollars a year for gang activity prevention and I think we can Put it into our schools much more effectively When there was a a gang action of violent death at Kiwana elementary school I immediately went there and assisted the parents in organizing a Dia del Nino festival And I think we can do more things like that. Thank you Well, I think the question was are we doing enough to curb gang violence and The the short answer is no We have had an increase in gang activity here in Santa Rosa That's because we're having gangs infiltrating Santa Rosa at a far greater rate from outside of the community That's why I talk about it at every door I go to we need to be increasing our gang prevention and youth programming to offer our young people Healthier opportunities to let them know that the community cares that there are alternatives that even once you're in we can help you get out I had the opportunity To attend with with the mayor as a member of the measure o oversight committee a conference That was held in Sacramento where I learned a lot more about what Santa Rosa is doing But I also got to learn how far ahead of some of our sister communities We actually are our programming while it is still getting off the ground is Somewhat light years ahead of some of our bigger communities like Sacramento who are still struggling to put together The same type of response that we're beginning to foster through measure o so we're on the way we do need to do more Well, I'm proud to say that I was a business crime prevention task force committee member and actually an award participant in neighborhood orientated Policing in 1999 the railroad Square Association has always had issues and always worked with the police And I guess the best example is we understood the cost of having a police officer just make one arrest So we would have numerous meeting and we'd have police officers give us ideas on how we could handle issues in railroad Square So it's understanding the resources You don't want to take a police officer off the street for six hours to write up a report Unless it's really important. So we would be sort of the triage. We would look at our neighborhood We would work with the kitchen and we would bring the police in when needed Maximizing their efficiency so it is about neighborhood involvement and working with the police and I think everybody's an agreement on that. Thank you Well, I voted for measure o just like many of you and well, I think it has had some impact I don't think it's near enough. I have some really a real concerns about the reporting process. It changed midway From the time that it was implemented till now So I think it's really hard to track how many kids are really staying out of gangs who've been involved in the early prevention programs That's my first concern. Secondly from the start, which is one of the things that's really disappointed me Is that we haven't involved the community enough the community hasn't been really allowed to come to the table and give suggestions And if you look at what they're doing in LA, for example, that's where all the solutions come from We can't just say that the community is part of the solution We have to let them be a part of the solution and I think they know better than anyone how to curb violence And that's what I would advocate for and that's what I'd like to see the third part is jobs Having real jobs for these kids to have is going to stop some of the violence particularly in terms of intervention Those are the things that we need to be focusing on and I think we need to look for the community And let them have input into the process which currently they do not thank you I think there's always room for improvement and there's always Room for reviewing and see how we can do things better again It comes back to money if we can get more resources and more tools for the police to help prevent gang activity if we can get more money generated for the Social good social advocates for youth and the YMCA and the YWCA all those programs kid street That would help keep keep the kids off the street and give them something to do I think the laps that you're talking about in Measure L was quite appropriately addressed by chief Shvedham And I think we need to move forward on that and again, let's generate some more money So these programs will be available for our kids and we have the appropriate tools for our safety officers Can you repeat the question to me? Sure? Safety is always Safety is always a concern for the citizens of Santa Rosa Do you feel that the city is doing enough to curtail gang violence? If not, what suggestions for improvement would you support? Thank you. I think our city is doing as much as we can However, there is room for improvement, you know, I don't think there's a solution to Gangs and we're never going to eliminate eliminate gangs. However, I do feel that through education and Community involvement that we can limit the amount of gang activity in our city Thank you. Well, I do feel there is a solution to gangs. It's called jobs It's called giving these kids a fair shot I taught at Planner High School some of the roughest neighbors neighborhoods in the city. These kids just want a chance I'm very concerned about measure O. We spent millions on promises that we've cut gang crime The numbers received this year show it going the other way violent crime gang related instances Multiply higher. It's just what the numbers show. That's not a success Also, the city council within the past year was presented with a report saying we've overspent on administration $40,000 for the top position alone. We spend $50,000 to affirm in Alameda to discern Questionnaires given to kids these kids need a shot. We don't just throw money at it We got to change the programs. I look forward to supporting the city manager's recent recommendations to make some structural changes We do need we can do much better Thank you the next question It's quite all right, I don't know if we can ever really do enough to keep our community safe From a youth and gang violence, but you know what? Thank you for passing measure O because it gives us about a little over a million dollars a year to try to do some of That work Gang prevention work is difficult difficult work and there's a lot of great people out there in a trench Just trying to do the best they can by taking ownership of this issue and not making it just a police issue We're looking for only prison only solutions We have great people like Donna support up there who's running great mentoring program the leadership programs that help This is an issue that needs to be owned by everybody in this community and everybody in this community needs to ask How they can play a role in resolving some of these issues and many of you have stepped up And if you don't know what your role is ask and we will help you find a role Because there are so many things that people in our community can be doing and are doing to address some of these issues Including providing jobs and job training skills and also getting our kids ready when they're coming back from Juneau Hall Or from state prison to make sure that they are productive members of our community because at the end They are our children and we do we need to do the best we can to help them. Thank you Sorry about that Next question number four. We'll start with miss Carlstrom How will you encourage companies with higher paying jobs to locate in Santa Rosa? No pressure, right? It's a great question We've all talked this evening about the need for value-added jobs the need for jobs that are going to pay a living wage And one way to do that is to be an ambassador on behalf of the city I mentioned earlier that I'd like to see us looking into rezoning along the smart line That's going to bring us some opportunities for manufacturing here in Santa Rosa I'd like to see us pursuing that with respect to our wine industry, which is an industry that's already located here We currently don't have a bottling industry and we don't have a barrel creation industry And I'd like to see us pursuing that I had a great conversation the other day with our Chamber of Commerce representatives And they let me know that they are looking for those value-added businesses as well So working in partnership with those organizations that are seeking to support our local economy As an ambassador on behalf of the city we can we can advocate for those value-added local jobs Well, it's always going to be a question, you know the level of pay and what jobs We need to kind of have a community that's well balanced And there's certainly been quite a few restaurants opening up recently in Santa Rosa and that's important too But it's back to marketing Santa Rosa as everybody has pointed out as an attractive place to come to It's a desirable place to live And I think that when we look at some of the companies that have chosen to go other places we get back to creating an environment where people feel welcome and want to come to our community and In the heydays of the economy you could be pretty selective and you still can but you're gonna have to go looking for them You're gonna have to market it and you're gonna have to see what you're missing in your community and be very Proactive and go out and try to find it And so I think that's back to what's different with our economy this time If you want some good companies and some good businesses call them up on the phone and invite them to Santa Rosa and explain To them why this is a great place to start a business And I think that would be the real first big step that we need to take Well, it's already been mentioned that marketing is number one I think we need to let people know that we we need we need these companies just as much as they need us And it is it is very true that people come here because of the beauty and the environment and we want to maintain that But we also want to make sure that whatever jobs we have here And we do want them to be better paying so that we can actually live here and work here that We also want to make sure that they actually benefit the community that there's going to be housing Affordable housing available for people to live so they can live and work in the same place All of that has to be planned out and mapped out so that these businesses will come here But also there will be people to fill those jobs and the question becomes what type of jobs and I think again It goes back to what is going to benefit the community the most and I think the marketing plan is the first thing We got to make sure that we're letting companies know that we want them to come here and that they are going to be welcomed But also we want to make sure that they're going to ultimately benefit the people of Santa Rosa. Thank you Well, I think National Geographic and Sunset magazine has already done the marketing for it Really what we have to do is get rid of our identity crisis. Everyone seems to know what a great spot we are except for us So what I'd like to do is by welcoming them in it's not only just calling them on the phone But when they get here, how are they treated? We need to provide customer service to them So we make it as easy as possible for them to set up shop here Maybe pre permitting some office or retail or industrial space like you get pre approved for a loan for a house So then people know what they're looking for when they get in they could start from day one And there's not a lot of paperwork to be handled I just think customer service is something that we really would need to work on if we're going to welcome business here Yes, I think the first week thing we need to do is invite them here I think once you're here Santa Rosa pretty much sells itself Also, as I stated before we have to streamline our business process here Creation of a business advocate with the city to actually expedite the whole process and Help it help companies get on track here CEOs make the decision where we're to move their businesses and basically they make it because of quality of life and where they want to live We're a very desirable spot to live, but that also means it's got to be crime-free. It also refers back to the earlier question Chambers said for many years north-south traffic congestion has been the number one problem with the widening of one-on-one of the smart train that's been addressed But no one's talking about education. We need to support the schools to turn out Good workers. That means gang-free schools Crime-free areas for our children if that happens, we're going to be fine This is a very desirable spot in a very desirable country People will come here. We need to keep our quality of life. We need to keep consistency. We already have it Sure, we have horror stories and for instances, but Overall, we've been fair to our businesses. They're locating here. They're happy. Let's not get let's not get in a downward spiral Santa Rosa is a great place to live Thank you. I want to give our schools and our children more credit We do not have gang-infested schools They're relatively safe and they work very closely with the city and other programs that we have to keep our children safe They have to be cheap that they have to be safe. That is economic development education We have done so much already in our community the economic competitive task force has come up with a lot of great Things that have even changed our reputation as a place to do business We have changed that reputation and that was that was a big obstacle for us in the past is that we were we did not have a Good reputation but to continue to work with organizations like best the Chamber of Commerce and others to change and to listen and And to start the retooling our recovery process. We keep talking about the new normal We have a say in what that new normal looks like but how we get involved in how we prepare for this recovery effort So first Before we talk about bringing in new businesses. We have to make our local businesses happy The people who are here now we have to respect them and make them happy So I'll come back to that if I have time We can develop a city that attracts new people and new businesses to locate in the region But in order to compete with the world for the technology and creative class businesses We must ensure that Santa Rosa is a desirable location to move to and that means our quality of life must be second to none We must offer employers and their employees schools Parks activities neighborhoods and nightlife in our right-sized city With the resources fun options that will attract those companies with creative young people starting families It includes funding enough staff to ensure speedy and predictable permitting It includes building on our infrastructure investments. Thank you. The next question. We'll start with mr. Taylor The Santa Rosa City Council is committed to being a leader in Environmental initiatives and reducing greenhouse gas emissions Should the council support a program that would require solar panels and all new major construction Well, thank you We have one of the oldest buildings around the omelette Express was built in 1935 and when I opened up my new location in Windsor, I discovered some of the technical improvements that had occurred So yes, I do think we got to start thinking about all new construction and certainly Getting some of the older builders buildings in line also So I'm a firm believer in you know getting rid of the old-fashioned light bulbs and getting more modern ones Most of the refrigerate refrigeration equipment is improved and more efficient So there's a lot of that and I do think we do as a city council need to understand that and Incorporated into some of our rules and regulations to save energy And I would like to point out that I'm a lifetime member of the Sierra Club Well, this is something that both the planning commission and the council of course have just revisited recently with the climate action plan And what always comes up is that sticky word of require if that's what I heard right Whether or not you're gonna require all new major construction. I think the question was yes to have solar panels And one of the things that came up for us. I think at the planning commission was how much Decrease in greenhouse gas emissions. We haven't had Even though we have the city already had a target of 25% so And but we know that actually as we're coming up on our first anniversary of 2015 We've only had about 2% decrease So with that in mind, I would be in favor of requiring it although I know that many Businesses are really concerned about that But I think if we really want to start moving our climate in the right direction and really help Climate action, we really need to start taking some bigger steps in order to really make change. Thank you Okay, everybody talks about how we're gonna welcome business in and the first thing we're gonna do is mandate that they have requirements to for their building It doesn't make sense. I think the city should not mandate anything if especially if it's not going to add any value to the property There are gonna be other ways that we can work with environmentalists to make sure that we get a little bit greener But to mandate something that doesn't need to have happen It's not very welcoming to business. It's gonna it won't generate any revenue for us So I think I too am concerned especially on smaller projects It it might just not be cost affordable for For that to be done. However, I think that it would be a consideration on larger projects And and I would like to explore that On a base-by-base basis. Thanks No, I wouldn't like to mend it I think a smarter way would be to support which I have the community choice aggregation which allows us to opt out of PG&E's Power purchasing grid and we cannot for greener pastures, which is just what the county of Marin has done as a representative of the Climate Protection Agency as part of the Sonoma County Transportation Agency We are pushing forward with that and that would be a very good thing. I personally have had solar for six years It's just right now at the tipping point where it's going to start paying me money And the rates for my energy have gone down and I live in a house with three women So I can attest that it does pay for itself It's a federal issue where we need to stop the subsidies for oil and gas. I would be very supportive of that I'm very proud Sonoma County Conservation Action has always given me an A for my service in the past three and a half years on the council Thank you. I support mr. Dippel's comments. This is not the time to be forcing anything on anybody I have been serving on this third committee for the community choice aggregation I think that is the way to go. I have been so impressed though by number of businesses schools nonprofits and homes that have been voluntarily going to solar which I think is a great thing that is what we need to Continue to promote and also explore options for the city to start leading the way as well by by looking at where We can start demonstrating some of those efforts by installing solar. We have done that with some of our newer buildings So our city climate action plan calls for a significant reduction in energy usage by about 80% of our existing buildings including residential and commercial structures right now and In order to meet our climate action plan goals We have to figure out how to do that Those are goals previously set by the earlier council Solar panels in all new major construction isn't going to really get to the heart of it The heart of it is in retrofitting energy conservation and reduction in transportation So we could incentivize I don't support mandates, but we could incentivize solar panels But I think again going with the Sonoma clean power Which others are referring to as community choice aggregation is a great option And I would look more closely at how we can assist buildings in retrofitting for energy conservation and lowering our transportation greenhouse gases For new major construction that has taken a great deal of public subsidy I think solar paneling is an absolutely appropriate thing for the city to encourage our applicants to utilize As a couple of other people have mentioned this evening We're putting these mandates on new construction Unfortunately is not going to address the issue fast enough what we need to be addressing is our existing stock where the city has a several opportunities to offer subsidies and Incentive programs like Windsor's pay as you save program that offers the homeowner or renter the opportunity to make some money back after installing energy efficient appliances so other efficiency models like Windsor's pays program and other Energy retrofits through the city's incentives program are the way that I would support moving forward on our goals of deep greenhouse gas reductions Thank you all very much We are going to go next to the audience questions, which we have many of and will not be able I'm sorry to get to all of them, but we'll do what we can here the first one We'll start with miss Boon Walos and this one is Why do you think the ideological divide? On the council is more pronounced than in other communities and what should be done about it? Well, first of all, I don't think that our Ideological divide is is more or greater than other communities necessarily. I don't know where you would get could prove that Otherwise, but I have a feeling it's not any different than other community or many other communities in fact I think it's a reflection of what's happening at the federal level and the state level and And for and it's it's gone down into the local level, which is really unfortunate There's a lot of reasons for it and I've been a council watcher for a long time What I have seen over time is that? You see that certain council members will not speak to you and It doesn't need to be that way, but you know that it's that way at the federal level and I've seen that boil down to the local level I Think the question was why and so that's what I've seen and I and for a long time I've seen that that you can't even be seen talking to one another and that's been what I've been watching I think that needs to change. We've had this question at many other forms that we've been at You know the thing is it debate is a healthy thing We have the right to debate and unfortunately I can't go on but I love this topic. Thank you I think the reason it's happening is because people are forgetting that we should be Focusing on what we have in common and not what our differences are If we want to make things happen in Santa Rosa, we can get those done by focusing on what is bringing us together Why are these people the council members on council because they care about Santa Rosa and they want to make some good things happen? When I'm elected to council I will make sure that everyone starts with a clean slate and we're going to focus only on the things that we have in common because Just focusing on that will have a lot of work to do and then I will not focus on the things that we that Separate us it's not productive and I think the people that are on the council now know that and I think they're willing to make some changes I think the divide is so great because we have some very strong personalities on our council and we have a huge divide between What people call more progressive environmental candidates and business candidates and and I think that we've forgotten What the real issue here is how to make Santa Rosa better not whether One agenda is more important than the other and so I think we have to just have some common sense and and get back to what is The best thing for Santa Rosa. Thanks. I can appreciate the desire to work together It's something I've done throughout my first term with councilman ours He opposed how with park parking fees He also supported me in the constitutional right to peaceful assemble during the Occupy movement I reached across and work with councilman Bartley on the SWAT weapons automatic display in a community event That was very inappropriate. I even work with Marin County But the smart station to get it up to Coddingtown so I know how to reach my handout to me This is an election year issue. It's just a stunt. I wish this would have happened four years ago And not six weeks prior to the election I've participated at all meetings and that includes the city manager's meeting selection. I didn't walk out I didn't send a letter. Mr. Oliver. She sent a letter saying only these four can speak for Santa Rosa the very first morning You were mayor that was very inappropriate So I work with people all the time in business. I'll continue to do so as your councillor It is something that has existed for many years I've probably gone out for 20 some odd years and I think at the end it comes down to that accountability that we have on our city council We need to be accountable to each other And accountable to you as the voters in every four years you make those decisions I have come out publicly with candidate Aaron Carlstrom to say that we are committed to doing this and we came out publicly because We want to be held accountable. It's just I've said it before I said, yes I will work with anybody on the city council and as much as we try as individuals I think at the end we need to really step out and say this is what we are committed to doing for the Betterment of our community and we ask you as the voters to hold us accountable because you are that you are our boss You're the ones that elected us into that position and if we're not doing the job And we're not behaving up here as we should be as colleagues Then you need to call us on it hold us accountable and not bring us back into this this position at a future election We have council members now Who are listening to their private interests and not to the best for our whole city for our city as a whole? In one example, we had a council that split recently four votes to three votes To not include our neighborhoods in the long-range planning goal setting for our city Neighborhoods should be included in our city And we need to step across that divide of our own interests of our own special interests and Recognize the needs of our whole city and the strengths and value our neighborhoods have in our city I think that measure Q the district elections will help in this process Because instead of having folks who are tussling over the whole city Folks will be committed to working together to improve our city for myself I pledge to be available to listen carefully and to take a stand that puts all our residents needs first Thank you Regardless of who they endorse Go ahead miss Carlson Well, I believe the question was why is the council so divided and that's because the people on the council are very passionate They're here at this day us because they have the best interests of Santa Rosa at their heart And they have legitimate disagreements and that's important. It's important to acknowledge But it's also important to do whatever we can to find common ground on those tough issues and to work together In a way that keeps Santa Rosa moving. I believe one part of the question was what are you going to do about it? Hopefully, I've already demonstrated that to you When I did take the step of endorsing four of my fellow candidates up here at the dais including Mayor Oliveris with whom I have pretty some pretty significant disagreement on policy issues But it's important that we come together for a new future for Santa Rosa that acknowledges those Disagreements but works collaboratively together to find solutions When I was first appointed to the planning commission now We had an incredibly diverse board and the chairman said here's the rules We go to the meeting and we respect each other's opinion and they're going to be a variety of opinions And then after the meeting we're going to go out to dinner and we're going to be friends And he said is that is that okay with you mr. Taylor? I said absolutely So I'm going to respect everybody's opinion as I have in the past with many city council members And I see Marsha boss to pre up there. I know we're not on the same page on everything But we've always respected each other and so I'm going to give that oath right now I want to be a part of the mayor Oliveris plan of respecting each other's opinion and in expecting respect back and Being happy that we have seven completely different people not seven people exactly the same or two sides I want to see an interesting collection of people that bring something different and that we just you know We respect each other and we cherish the fact that we can get along together for the betterment of the city So I want to be a part of that Thank you next question. We'll start with mr. Dippel With all the ideas for bringing new businesses to Sonoma County How will you ensure that the quality of life for those of us in Santa Rosa will not be degraded? Well, first of all you welcome in businesses to fill up that twenty six percent of vacant retail industrial and office space So you're not doing any big development projects Second of all we focus on tourism The best part about this is people come from all over spent two or three days in our hotels at a restaurants That are store shopping and then they go home That's my plan and I'm sticking to it What we need to have is welcoming businesses To fill the to create the infill of this the vacancies We currently have and then focus on our tourism and use tourism to bring dollars here without bringing the people Well being a lifelong resident here in Santa Rosa It would be easy for me to say geez. I don't want anybody else to come to my community I love my community and this is a great place to live But I think we can't do that we have to operate Everyone the opportunity to live here and work and I think by bringing new business new jobs more tax Bigger tax base into our community that our quality of life will not deteriorate it will actually get better. Thank you Can you restate the question, please? Yes With all the ideas for bringing new businesses to Sonoma County How will you ensure that the quality of life for those of us in Santa Rosa will not be degraded? Thank you. Well, I think we can all agree that this is an area We all agree on we want a vibrant economy. We want jobs and we want opportunity for everyone I think the ideological divide is that some council members feel neighborhood involvement in the planning process isn't appropriate. I Agree with Julie Combs. It's very important appropriate business wants consistency more than it wants anything else If you involve the neighborhoods early, there's no last-minute turns at the very end We saw this in the reverse just recently on the 4th Street pass through through downtown Plaza I've had staffers tell me they know that easement's there Staff staff wants to go look for it. They need direction from the council if we give consistency To businesses they'll come to this quality of life if we involve the neighborhoods. We have that consistency Thank you, you know, we are the fifth largest city in the Bay Area And we are we have grown to be a regional center for a lot of people around us And but we do have a lot of vacancies here with Retail space that needs to be filled. It's getting that right mix for us I mean, we don't want to be traveling around all over the Bay Area looking for the things that we need It's making sure that we have those and I agree tourism is I think is the next best thing for us as As we go through this recovery process is just a bit amazing to me to see how we are coming out with this new Look of Sonoma County as being a tourist destination from around the world And I think that is amazing You know the Anton tour the mr. Weissock you mentioned earlier great thing for not just Santa Rosa for Sonoma County filling up our hotels and like Mr Dipple says at the end they go home Which is kind of nice But it's trying to get that that new money into Santa Rosa, so we don't have the same dollars just circulating through here You know relying more on some export for example would be another good idea for us as well But it's it's it's again. It goes back to what I said about us Creating what that new reality is going to be for Santa Rosa. Thank you neighborhoods are the foundation of a healthy city We have had ongoing concern about neighborhood support and Ensuring that our basic services in our neighborhoods are provided our street lights our roads our park bathrooms are locked We need to be able to clean them. We need them to be open I have a lot of concern that our neighborhoods are not listened to and that we can't increase and improve our quality of life If we don't take care of our neighborhoods, we've had at least three Major issues come forward out of our neighborhoods the Bodine asphalt plant Santa Rosa Avenue corridor plan and the north station area plan each have Major neighborhood involvement neighborhood support in the planning process and each time when those neighborhood leaders came before Council supporting or disagreeing with a plan. They were shot down from their position by our current council majority We have to support our existing neighborhoods. Thank you You all may know that I didn't grow up here But when I moved to this community, I was shocked that communities like Santa Rosa still exist I remember driving along the 101 freeway and realizing I could tell when I left Santa Rosa and when I let when I entered Windsor I had to be told what an urban growth boundary was But what wonderful work that has been and what a wonderful benefit to our community It is the way that we're gonna keep our quality of life here and keep people like me here is by Implementing community impact reports on our major projects. That's something that I've advocated for in the past I will continue to support those they offer information about the real impact of a project I will support the implementation of project labor agreements that encourage local hiring and Standardized labor policies. We have to enforce our environmental review on projects Sequa is an incredible tool that we need to be utilizing Protecting our urban growth boundaries our community separators these this is work that's been done already and we need to honor that and protect it I also support formalizing the neighborhood's role in planning for our city Well, I'm gonna try to remember what the original question was Railroad square. I'll use as an example is some new businesses. I think in the last year We got two bicycle shops and an Arthur Murray dance studio. So I don't believe anybody's not gonna say that's not a great addition a lot of people brought up the wine industry and Building bottles and you know that would be an interesting idea But that's when you would start getting a lot of neighborhood input on you know having an actual glass plant And where would it go and what are the trade-offs? So we do need to think out of the box You do need to welcome some of those types of industries But I think all in all we get some nice businesses and there is a lot of neighborhood involvement Nothing goes into railroad square without a lot of input. Nothing goes on in the West End neighborhood without a lot of input Very little happens in Oakmont without a lot of input Then and so there's areas that we need to improve neighborhood input But I'm pretty sure there's a lot of that going on and it can always be improved but Again, let's just be positive and go out and think of what kind of businesses we want in our community and invite them and find A place for them. Well, this is something that I've really focused on as a planning commissioner I really feel that Preserving our quality of life should be then the number one focus and first and foremost If there's a project involved of course that we have proper environmental review there There are times when as we know with the Baudin project where that whole aspect was rejected I voted against it because I really felt strongly that besides looking at all the Different impacts and whether or not something is actually an expansion or not that we also have a duty to protect the people of Santa Rosa So that's really important to me. Also. I also have been advocating for community impact reports I think along with doing EIRs environmental impact reports. We need to be doing community impact reports as well We really need to see what all the impacts are to any Job excuse me business that's going to be coming to Santa Rosa and whether or not it really benefits the people Whether it's going to be a high paying jobs or what type of jobs affordable housing What is it going to be located near all of those things need? We also just lastly because I have to stop having neighborhood input is very important. Thank you Thank you. The next question from a member of the audience. We'll start with mr. Vandenberg There has been more than one plan to revitalize Revitalize excuse me courthouse square Do you have any comments about what would improve the square and make it a more vital place? Yes, I do and and this is a little bit controversial. I Know that parking is a huge revenue source for a city. However, I can tell you as a family member It's really hard to Go downtown and park It's hard to find a spot and I don't like the idea of paying when I just want to run into a store So I think we have to incorporate I would like to see incorporated in the plan down there Where there's an an hour or an hour and a half of free parking on our streets And I think that's again I think it's going to help out our businesses down there and it's going to let people run into a store Grab a bite to eat or whatever they need to do without without having to pay for parking and also I'd like to add Since I've been running for city council I think I've had three occasions where I just couldn't make it out to the meter in time and it's cost me $99 And I don't think that's fair. Thank you the question was about courthouse square and Courthouse square is is the next big step for our for our town We need more people spaces in courthouse square the museum on the square project Which I helped get going I selected that'll add Activity to the southwest corner if we close off the square because we already have enough traffic capacity on the surrounding streets We'll have even more people in that square because we already have a pretty vibrant eastern side of the square We don't need a designer plan that the root app plan that came in and said 10 to 15 million dollars with a string of lights and a Water of water wall We can be a lot simpler than that Prescott, Arizona is a great example of a simple town square That's vibrant that has people we could have a timeline like they do of local history We just need that one corner People spaces will be fine Thank you courthouse square is our living room, and I think it's time for a little bit of a makeover with our living room there It's the right time, and I do believe that that will be one of our next efforts is the downtown core We do need to reunify the courthouse square. We do need to complete the museum on the square Those are all elements of that There's a lot of great people downtown with a lot of great ideas on our downtown to make that more vibrant and robust And I think that can happen and again It's going to be a matter of working with our downtown merches and other businesses because there's not just retail downtown as well We have a lot of other services and parking is going to be one of those things that we have to address as we move forward and And have those discussions about what we want for our downtown, which is getting a little bit stale It's ready for that redo. So hopefully we'll come up with some good ideas and make that a very vibrant Part of our community. Thank you We obviously need to increase the liveliness and the vitality of our downtown That's a constant concern and we need to do whatever we can to improve Visitors attend being in downtown improve the use of our downtown. I am concerned about the cost For the current courthouse square plan. I am concerned about the availability of funding for it I think right now we are in a position where we're not providing maintenance to the rest of our downtown And we don't have appropriate graffiti removal yet. I think we need to handle taking care of maintenance and graffiti removal in advance of Funding a major project downtown I have talked with a number of downtown merchants regarding a proposed parking plan that they would like to implement What I'd like to say is at this point. I am open for suggestions I am still listening and I will continue to listen on this particular issue Well, my business is downtown and I'm lucky enough that I can walk from my home But not everyone lives close enough to do that and what I've been hearing out of my fellow downtown merchants Is that the parking situation is deterring their customers? It's really funny Well, probably not funny for them But the ladies who have to leave their salon appointments in the middle with the foils still in their hair because they've got to go feed their meter That's a real deterrent to encouraging people to come to our lovely downtown. So Obviously addressing our parking situation. I'd like to see us offering 90 minutes free in our structures If you study Donald troops parking theories, you need to keep people moving off of the surface streets and into our structures Which will help us pay for those bonds Reunifying courthouse square gives us a real opportunity to morph downtown into a great community space Offering late night movies in the park and community events downtown is going to be a real boon We also need not to forget our friends in railroad square and increasing Pedestrian connection from courthouse to railroad square is going to make people realize that our downtown is so vibrant Please come to downtown Well, I'm proud to actually say I was a past board member of rudat and city vision So I've been a part of this for probably 15 years And we've probably had five or six studies and it's an evolving process I think what's important is is even during these tough times. We've made pretty significant headway rendezvous as mentioned has made the east corner look quite attractive Cantina's remodeled to the La Rosa and flip sides on the other side So certainly courthouse square is going to be a showpiece and when we get through this recession And I know we will we can revisit it and maybe we'll be fortunate enough to have some improvements and we can work around them So even during these tough times, I think we've made great progress and I'm going to stick up for the restaurant industry for doing a good portion of it at the moment, but I Agree that it should be a showpiece and we should Do something with it eventually. Well, I think that First and foremost we have to do what we can to fill our vacancies and that's what the aggressive economic measures were all about That's the first thing Secondly, people have mentioned parking as I've been walking precincts a lot of folks have said to me Unfortunately that they don't come here because of the parking issue. So I do think that we do need to address that I also think that safety is another issue There are some folks that you know at certain parts at times of the day and in the evening That seem to feel safe, but there are a lot of families that don't so we need to encourage them to come here But we also need to ensure that there is safety also I think that Chorex for example is a business that actually has changed with the change in the economy and in technology And I think more and more business needs need to look at that because we also need to have culture in downtown Santa Rosa But overall I think we're pretty Hopping most of the time which I think is great when I'm downtown during the day or even in the evening But we need to do more things to encourage more of that and that is to make people feel welcome. Thank you Well as I've mentioned before we're pretty world-redown for all the great things we have here in Santa Rosa one of the things I don't want to be known for us having the world's most expensive cup of coffee and That four dollar cup of coffee becomes thirty nine dollars when you get a parking ticket So that's why I think everybody that Agrees that we need to do something about the parking issues. It's the right spot on Bring people in here. Why don't we do some festivals that might generate some revenue for the city for downtown? We've got a great place to do it. We've got a great arts arts districts. What I what and we're in wine country Why don't we have a Santa Rosa Art and Wine Festival like a lot of the other countries a lot of the other cities and then? Russian River Brewing on 4th Street has plenty the younger which was rated the number one beer in the world And people come from all over to go there. Why not do a plenty the younger festival? There's plenty of ideas of Making things happen. It'll generate revenue and will improve the downtown area. Thanks Next question we'll start with mr. Y. Saki. Do you support measure Q on the November ballot? Yes, I do One of our issues is we have a lack of diversity in local government We just received a report about diversity on our committees We have committees in some years that are more than half represented by people in the northeast That's unacceptable. It makes the people in the West mainly feel left out of government One thing that I've done as a councilman. I've always solicited applications from the public at large for my major committee appointments I've been quite surprised There's a lot of quality folks out there that want to participate with district elections We help diversify our representation in our government and that's good government It's long overdue. There's also a financial reason my appointee to the Charter Review Committee His his measure to help study that to help us even comply with the California Voting Rights Act Was told he couldn't go forward because lack of a budget. That's simply unacceptable We can do a lot better by encouraging more diversity with from our people Thank you. So so far I have remained neutral on measure Q What I have said to the community is that as mayor as a community leader I should let the voters decide and that I would Operate under whatever system you decided But you know what people reminded me that I was elected to be a leader and I was elected to have an opinion on important issues That face our community. So I am going to be taking a position on measure Q I oppose district district elections and I oppose district elections because it takes away 85% of the current your current votes to members of the community for council It also we also need to be reminded that many of you with this election today this year Many of you would not be voting for a city council member if we had district elections in place at this time I'm a strong supporter of measure Q and was active in getting it onto the ballot working with the Public to get to turn out at the Charter Review Committee In 30 years, we have only ever had four people west of highway 101 Represent west of highway 101 on council some years. We have had all seven members be from the northeast part of town We've never had someone from the southwest. We've never had someone from South Park or Kiwana Springs We've not had people north of West 9th on Avenue, so we have large blocks of the city that have never been represented So there are democracy and fairness issues associated with measure Q There are two other reasons one of them is that it costs our city. It's fiscally responsible It costs our city approximately thirty five thousand dollars on election more To have at-large elections than district elections and we can save our city thirty five thousand dollars Into the future which will go a long way toward cleaning graffiti and cleaning park bathrooms In addition we have the concern that we would have Thank you lawsuits Unfortunate I do support measure Q I believe district elections will connect voters more closely with the person that is elected to represent them I also believe district elections would allow more modest means candidates to run viable campaigns for council As anyone up here will tell you anyone who's been elected It is very expensive and time-consuming to run a citywide campaign Many people cannot afford to take the time away from work or and do not have the means to self fund The needs of that campaign. It's not a panacea To our community's lack of diversity on our on our boards and our commissions passing or not It's going to take a commitment from the entire You know newly elected council from the entire community To step up and require and support diversity on our boards and commissions throughout the city But I do support measure q Well, I I supported measure q the right for people to vote and make their decision and I know that if we had District elections that's having one represented from the southwest may not achieve their goals personally. So it's a tough question Um, I do think we have as mentioned we have lots of neighborhood groups. We do get a lot of representation and there's some pockets Um, I'm proud to say that I do live north of northwest of 101 and I do live in the northwest quadrant So, um, I'm all for getting elected and voted for and bringing some diversity to this city council. So It's it's a valid issue until measure q is is answered and I and I do think it's important And I do think it's difficult for people from different regions to run. So And I feel I've got the qualifications. So that that would be a start to Balancing out the city council. Thank you Well, I absolutely support measure q I many years ago Headed up a petition drive to bring district elections to santa rosa I also was very active in getting folks to the charter review to speak on the issue of district elections I really truly believe that they will bring both geographic and Demographic representation to the city and I think that's really important the city is changing It is almost 30 latino So it's really important that we make sure that everyone feels represented And I think it will go a long way in doing that It will cost the city less to run an election for district elections. There is a savings as julie combs mentioned also I believe that um any Candidates and and elected officials will be more accountable and more accessible to their neighbors You will be able to talk to them and really get them to focus on the issues that are important to you And I also believe that when there are issues that affect the whole city even members Excuse me council members that are elected by district elections will put the best interest of the whole city First thank you I don't think anyone's arguing that a community deserves fair and equal representation And there's ways to make it happen. Measure q is just not one of them It limits choice You get one choice you get one person to call if you have an issue with the city Right now if I have an issue with the city and I can't get a hold of someone I call someone else until I get a hold of somebody and you've got seven people It absolutely creates people that are looking out for the whole city At large that's why they call them at large elections And you hear a lot about the money, you know a personal cost I've raised over $25,000 and I've only put in 99 dollars of my own money and the average donation I have is about 125 dollars per donation. That's a lot of donations So people are getting involved because our whole campaign is a reason to believe back in City government again, and we've got people that are doing that by small donations And they're getting involved and that's how you create fair and equal representation It's not only inviting people to give you their input But you also want them to participate I do have some real concerns over district elections. I'm concerned about how our districts will be drawn How many districts that we're talking about drawing? And I think there's a real concern That it might splinter our community even farther I think we went to a seven-member council Just to help Avoid district elections before Excuse me, so I I just I'm not sure about district elections. I have some real concerns. I know my wife and our are split over our vote So I think we'll be One one way one one the other way. Thank you Thank you One more question from the audience start with mr. Olivares Please share with us How you have worked with the Hispanic community to date? And how do you plan to continue to work with this fast growing community? I have always worked with our latino community when I came since I came here in 1979 to work with the police department Having served 30 years. It's something that I continue to do and I take that Responsibility more as a role model because there's a lot of young latinos out there that need role models I try to act as a role model for them. I'm actively involved in on the west side of town In particular with an advisory group with lcl in high school Rowsing you rose in university prep school I participate with the hispanic chamber of commerce who has a wonderful leadership program I facilitate one of the one of the groups. They recently started a a young latino Professionals group that I'm going to be speaking to on thursday. It's my life. It's something that I've always done Not and again, not just with a latino youth, but with all of our community's youth Because they are our future and it's important for all of us to be actively engaged with them in some way or another As a member of the community advisory board. I've been very active I represent the area of south centeroza on that board and am frequently uh working within the school systems and with neighborhood groups in south centeroza um, I was uh Initially began working with the kawana elementary school following a knifing incident on their playground The parents there like parents everywhere want Safety at their school and I went and met with them. We met on a regular basis Eventually the dia del nino program was developed It's a wonderful day of the children's festival and it has since spread to three schools in the area including tailor mountain and Sonoma academy so We've seen a real expansion and involvement The parents are now feeling much safer much more connected to their government because I went to them I went there and I think that one of the things we have to do is not just have an open door policy But to actually Move into communities comfortably and talk. Thank you Was thank you for the question I think it's very important to be able to actually speak and communicate with all the members of our community My work reaching out to the hispanic community I like to say goes back a long time all the way back to my college days When I was doing voter registration for latino and black voters in arizona during the kerry edwards campaign We also did humanitarian missions into the sonoran desert offering aid to people traveling to America trying to capture that american dream I uh, let's see. I have had conversations with our latino democrats Our latino leaders. I also sponsored a scholarship to one of our rosalyn university prep students And and furthermore i'm committed to diversity in my appointments It's probably no shock to you that I am not myself latina But I do represent diversity of a sort and it's a difficult diversity to force And so that you have my commitment in that that my appointments will be diverse Well, I think I have a quite diverse Track record. I worked on the international parade in the southwest area quite a few years ago I'm currently the emcee for the redwood empire chinese association Been president of the jju south korea sister city committee Numerous years responsible for bringing the giant statues that are sort of directly behind me there somewhere Have exchanged their students to our community and vice versa And uh have always been involved in the cultures and we still have the vietnamese community the e-trian And the list goes on so I've been involved in that for 12 years and very proud of it And we'll continue doing the same thing in the future Well, I have a very deep deep commitment to the latino community I am as many of you know, I'm the co-chair of the single the mile and rosalyn committee That started because of gang violence on the day of single the mile So we fought to have an event that was supported both by the city and the county And we're going into our eighth year now and with very little disturbances if any That has been a labor of love for me. It's all volunteer run Also as president of the latino democratic club What we do is all about bringing latinos into the political process both with voter registration and citizenship, which I think is key I always say we've got the numbers, but we don't have the votes And and third, you know working on latino civic engagement united farm workers. I could go on. I I mean as Mayor alavada said it is part of my a huge part of my life. And so I will always have a deep commitment to my community. Thank you I remember growing up in san josei my folks would take me down to the migrant camps of gilroy And while they did their work I hang out with the other kids my age and had no idea that they were poor And I think one of the ideas that we need to really relate to our children Is that latinos are not second-rate citizens? And I think that is very important that we start with our own children To make them realize that they may be in different financial situations different ecosystem economical situations 30 seconds That we're all equal and What I've been doing lately is I've been working with susan more to help raise money for the roslyn college preparatory and The advisory board I currently serve on is pediatric dental initiative And what they do is they take Children that have no medicow and no insurance or medicow that doesn't cover But they do real canals and they do serious dental work on children that would lose their teeth. Otherwise I sit on the board of the panoramic education foundation and I think A real problem for young latino families, especially for parents who don't speak english is For young students the directions don't always come home to the parents on on what actually is supposed to Be happening in the schools. And so we have developed a program An after-school program to help latino children's who parents do not speak english Do their homework Thank you. Well, abla poquito espanol Mostly spank spanglish muscle menos But the question points to the fact that america is a nation of immigrants We've always been a nation of immigrants my my grandparents both sides came through ls island They all had a fair shake They had a shot. They had an opportunity One of the joys of coaching at piner high school is I had some of the tougher sections of the city and those kids Just want a shot and they give you more as any teacher will tell you then you could possibly give them So the guidance right there that I still when I knock on doors and they say coach It's you can't buy that Bayer park i've supported in the southwest Magdalena rhinos doing a great job with craig anderson But a key area is the islands of incorporation in the southwest over 50 that they're underserved The city doesn't want to pay the counties under under perform their Freedmen's would help pay for that if we'd bring it into the city yet. There's been no movement from this recent council It's I've advocated it for from day one. I'll continue to that would help pay for the services in the southwest And that's what they need Thank you all very much. We do not have time for any more audience questions right now I know there were many of them and thank you all for turning those in We're going to go to closing statements, which will be um, two minutes up to two minutes for each candidate I am going to follow the same order. Um, sort of talked about this, but in any case What we'll do is start with mr. Olivares and Go in The order that we started with for opening Thank you very much and I do want to begin by thanking you again for hosting this forum I think we've come a long way from where we were back in 2008 when I came out of the city council I think we've done a lot of good work But I still believe that we need to continue to work on the council divide Even tonight we're still using words like the four three split the current majority recent council and such But I really want to thank the community for supporting what erin and I have committed to doing Working together for the benefit of everyone in our community Not just one segment of it for the past week Many citizens have reached out to me to support the concept of our working together My hope is that our actions will start to bring the city council together That is what this joint endorsement means to me erin colstrom has acknowledged the challenge of bringing together the members of the city council Erin sees the need to change and to change the way we have been doing things and she has committed herself to change It takes courage to commit to this type of change It is a change that will be uncomfortable for many as we work past the legitimate disagreements Of the past to build a new future for santa rosa and I ask for your vote on november 6th. Thank you My thanks also to the league of women voters and the american association of university women for holding the important candidates forum I think santa rosa can do better for our residents We citizens like all of you here work hard We volunteer at a higher level than anywhere else in the state We have raised taxes on ourselves Measure m for roads measure o for safety and measure p for parks Yet with all this support that we the people Have given our city council majority continues to not listen to us They have turned out street lights We cannot maintain the bathrooms in our parks and we have seen no decline in kids joining gangs I believe we can do better I am willing to work with everyone To make santa rosa a better place and especially with our neighborhoods I want to be your neighborhood advocate to listen to you We have a great climate for agriculture a great climate for retirement And a great climate for building a strong local economy here Because I have a track record of getting things done susan goren marcia vastu pray gary waisaki norine evans michael allen lin wolsey the democratic party the sierra club and concerned citizens for santa rosa have all endorsed me I want to work with you With our public employees with our local businesses And with our neighborhoods to create a better santa rosa I will stand up for you My name is julie combs, and I ask for your vote Thank you again to the league and to the auw for hosting us this evening. Once again I'm erin carlstrom and as a local business owner. I'm committed to creating more jobs in santa rosa I'm committed to making santa rosa a safer place to live and work And i'm committed to protecting our environment and supporting our neighborhoods I know that we can be a healthier and safer city with ample job opportunities I know that we can do this by working together I've committed to collaborating with each of the candidates up here, and i'm proud to have taken steps to foster that collaboration I'm also proud to have the endorsement of organizations as diverse as the sierra club and the chamber of commerce I also recently received word that i've been endorsed by emily's list in my race for city council So I know that if we work hard together as a council and as a community the entire community can be served I'm ready to get to that. I'm ready to do that work I'm ready to get to work, and I hope you'll join me by voting on november 6th Well, thank you for coming out to listen tonight My name is don taylor, and I've been in this community as mentioned for 35 years I'm proud that i'm endorsed by mayor oliveris, and if elected i'm gonna Honor his code of getting along and working together Endorsed by the north bay leadership council and endorsed by the chamber commerce and many other groups 35 years in santa rosa. This is our third recession as a family I'm like everybody else out there. I like the good times better than the bad times So I want to be a part of bringing us back to the good times getting some money in the bank and Enjoying the services that we've had in the past I have a track record of respecting different people's opinion And I've had the community involvement that brings my understanding of some diversity in this community So I want to be a part of the business community that brings that to the table the understanding of balancing a budget Operating two businesses what it takes hands-on experience to rejuvenate a downtown What it takes to open up a new business what it takes to maintain a business. It's 35 years old Um, definitely invested in this community two businesses two commercial buildings and two payrolls. So I'm really motivated to be a part of getting us back on track I'm very proud that i'm one of the more qualified people to come from the northwest region So if you're for measure q vote for me if you're not vote for me Because I answer that question right there and then let's get some more people on this city council from the northwest And other areas of the town. So it's a good solution this time around. Thank you very much I'd like to thank the legal women voters and the american association of university of women And all of you for taking the time to learn about the candidates this evening So as you make your decision, um about who you're going to vote for in this council race I would like you to consider a few things I would like you to consider the experience that I bring for this my experience in the city and all sectors of the workforce My commitment to rebuilding the economy protecting our environment Implementing district elections when it passes And promoting citizen involvement And most of all my commitment to all of you the voters the residents the citizens of santa rosa And with you we will make santa rosa the best that it can be for everyone I've been endorsed by many groups elected officials and community leaders including the sierra club The sonoma county democratic party the latino pack of sonoma county emily's list as well the honorable congresswoman lin-wulsey and many others But most of all i will never lose sight of why i'm at the council and in my view that is to serve all of you And i found a quote i want to share with you about that At the center of the universe is a loving heart that continues to beat and that wants the best for every person Anything that we can do to help foster the intellect and spirit and emotional growth of our fellow human beings That is our job Those of us who have this particular vision must continue against all odds life is for service and that's fred rogers So i invite you to check out my website. It's just my name caroline van millis dot com I respectfully ask for your vote and i thank you all for being here for watching and for listening. Thank you Our campaign for san rosa city council has been based on a reason to believe in local government again I think we can do that if we first address our own identity crisis We need to believe in ourselves that we are the destination and not the gateway With that as our focus i have reason to believe that we can end current divisiveness on the council I think we can generate the much needed revenue That would give us reason to believe that we could provide jobs and housing So our kids don't have to move out of the area because they can't find affordable housing Or high paying jobs I have reason to believe that we can guarantee our public safety is not compromised because we don't have enough funds And again a community without public safety could not survive So as i stated before i had a couple aha moments And i'm hoping that you guys will have an aha moment too when you vote for me and have a reason to believe That we can improve the quality of life in san rosa And believe again in in the city council. Thank you I'm number seven on the ballot just in case you need to know Well again, thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak with you tonight You know I live in an ordinary neighborhood here in san rosa And I work hard every day to provide for my family I'll bring A voice to the working person here in san rosa I will find a common ground to solve our issues Excuse me. I'll find a common ground To solve our issues And I am asking for your support on november 6. Thank you Indeed I thank you all for giving up your time to come and listen to us and as part of the civic process A big part of this job is listening To everyone it's part of the process When I held the gavel as vice mayor No one was cut off. All ideas were concerned with respect. The issues were discussed thoroughly. That's democracy In this election as in the last election. I have the most diverse Range of support of all the candidates It's best illustrated by a blue dog congressman named mike thompson and a progressive conca caucus congresswoman Name lin woolsey. No one else has that span. I have taxpayers advocates such as dan drummond and bob andrews Environmentalists as bill cordham sonoma county conservation action Business leaders the ones that actually meet the payrolls dick dowd who futrell bill freedman and I have neighborhood leaders such as jenny barred Dick latimer john sutter jack swearington to name a few This job's hard work. It takes time intellectual curiosity is a must And you need a background of expertise in some area that you can contribute. I have that as your c as a cpa I do pledge to continue to approach every decision With an open mind to decide what's best for our city to consider public business in public To use my experience as a business owner as a cpa as a former teacher As a former neighborhood leader And as a father and husband to do what's best for the city. I hope you vote for me yuri waissaki. Thank you On behalf of the league of women voters of sonoma county and the aau w I would like to thank All of you candidates for being here this evening And also for your time and effort and interest in serving the people of santa rosa. We all appreciate it Thank you also audience for attending the forum to become better informed and those of you who are listening at home and rebroadcasts Thank you all for taking an interest Thank you to the community media center of the north bay for broadcasting this evening live and rebroadcasting the forum There is more information about that. I believe available up above as you leave and also on the website of the league of women voters If you go to smart voter dot org there are statements from candidates Links to excuse me links to statements from candidates complete ballot information websites for candidates If you need more information about either the people for santa rosa city council or other offices The website which is l wv sonoma.org Has the information on the rebroadcasts of this forum and other forums that are being held for this election Thank you to Amy southwick as well as to andrea english who did the Timekeeping and everybody was very good about staying on track and Getting all of it done today without any arguments. Thank you And remember all of you please to register to vote by october 22nd That's the deadline and then vote on november 6th now that you have all this wonderful information Thank you and good night