Vista candidates lay out visions
Candidates tackle a range of issues from Emerald Drive, housing, homeless services and a sales tax during forum
VISTA — City Council candidates continued their local tour with their third forum on Monday at the Vista Civic Center.
Candidates running in the District 2 and 3 races spent one hour discussing their visions for the city and how to address specific issues such as homelessness, housing affordability, public safety and transportation, to name a few.
In District 2 are Jeff Fox, who owns a local marketing company, and Anthony White, a Marine veteran and community advocate, while in District 3 are incumbent Deputy Mayor Katie Melendez, a social worker, and challenger Denisse Barragan, who owns an auto body shop.
The League of Women Voters moderated the event, and co-hosted by the Vista Chamber of Commerce, and will post the video by Wednesday.
County election offices will begin mailing vote-by-mail ballots on Oct. 7, according to the California Secretary of State website. Secure drop boxes open on Oct. 8 and from Oct. 7-Nov. 5 is the voting period to return mail-in ballots.
The issues
Fox said his top priorities are public safety, housing and economic development, while White said his top issues include housing affordability and accessibility, public safety and infrastructure development, to name a few.
Melendez said she wants to continue her work on affordable housing for all income levels, public safety, the community’s health and well-being and develop a more robust hospitality industry. Barragan said her priorities include quality of life, public safety, improving the city’s streets and engaging with the city’s Spanish speakers, which account for one-third of the population.
White, who was homeless for one year after leaving the Marines, said housing is critical for the city and its residents, especially those in lower income brackets. He said his experience navigating the system, along with his advocacy work, has given him a unique experience to lead on the council regarding more affordable housing development.
“I’ve spent the last 10 years as part of homeless advocacy,” White explained. “I’ve helped draft state legislation to help assist homeless college students, which was a position I was in. I’ve worked far and wide with those niche groups like students, veterans … and seniors.”
Fox, meanwhile, said the combination of public safety, housing and economic development work together and the city can leverage all three to create a stronger business climate, build housing and develop local jobs to help residents live in the city. He said a priority should be fixing State Route 78 so workers can more easily access the city to work and live.
As for housing, the candidates discussed whether they would support legislation coming from the State Legislature or work with legislators to push back on some of the mandates. Under the Regional Housing Needs Assessment, Vista must have 2,500 units prepared to be developed by 2029 and has currently built 683, Melendez said.
She said it would be best for the city to work hard and fast to reach its RHNA allocation to avoid any potential penalties from the state.
“We know that’s not enough,” Melendez added. “If we want to maintain local control, we should do our best to adhere to state guidelines as they are now, and make sure we are developing the housing our community needs.”
Barragan said the increase in population by 2050 shows an estimated 50,000 new residents, so the city must ensure zoning is in place, and approach with careful consideration with infrastructure in mind to handle a growing population.
White questioned whether the city has been given the tools to succeed as the city needs middle-income housing. Fox said the 2050 plan puts the city in a strong position but must work with legislators to push more housing into the unincorporated county as to not overwhelm Vista.
Melendez and Barragan, though, each targeted Emerald Drive and the lack of safety measures for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. Emerald Drive cuts through the western part, and boundary, of the district
Melendez said she’s pushed for a community plan to install a Complete Streets policy for all modes of transportation. She said she’s the only council member to receive money from Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA) to begin addressing high speeds and other issues. She said roundabouts could help as a solution, but a piecemeal plan would not work, so a Complete Streets policy is needed.
Barragan, meanwhile, said Emerald Drive is one of the biggest reasons she decided to run as neighbors and other residents have long complained about a lack of safety. She said the road lacks crosswalks for kids to go to school or nearby parks and residents are scared to pull out of their driveways. She said better signage is needed a good starting point, while noting the city has failed to secure enough grant funding to meet the $15 million cost estimate to implement the plan.
“I grew up on Emerald Drive,” Barragan said. “We were promised many changes. We’ve not been successful in getting funding to improve that road. It is important to me something gets done rather than nothing.”
Specific to D2, Fox and White were asked about what improvements they would make to Brengle Terrace Park, which is also home to the Alta Vista Botanical Gardens and Moonlight Amphitheater.
Fox said there’s not much more to be done other than more pickleball courts and a dog park. White said more lighting needs to be installed as the park is poorly lit, especially during the winter months when the sun sets earlier. (All the candidates support more pickleball courts)
Another discussion item was public safety and how to better leverage the sheriff’s department. Fox said the city’s violent crime rate has slightly increased over the past several years, so an additional deputy or two would help addressing crime. Melendez said she approved allocating $3 million toward the sheriff’s contract this year, although she and Councilwoman Corinna Contreras reallocated cannabis funds from adding a new deputy in 2021 when two council members were absent. At its next meeting, the council then reversed the action and added a deputy to the Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving (COPPS) Team.
However, Melendez said she’s also pushed for a Safe Parking Lot program, help secure funding for a homeless shelter, expanded homeless services and other actions to help address public safety and the homeless.
The candidates also addressed Measure L, a half-cent sales tax increase approved in 2006 and enacted in 2007. The tax sunsets in 2037 and has been used to fund public projects such as two new fire stations, the renovation of another fire station, constructing the Vista Sports Park and Civic Center, to name a few.
“When it does sunset, I believe it would be most prudent for our city, with the will of our voters, to continue the tax,” Melendez added. “I would want to make sure the sales tax doesn’t go against purchases like food and similar-type goods. I do believe it is essential to retain the measure.”
Transportation was another topic of interest as White and Melendez both championed better public transportation options and a functional system. Fox and Barragan said pushing for funds to address SR 78 would help residents and those coming into the city to work.
Melendez said public transportation ridership is going up, noting the latest data show 760,000 are using transit each month.
“When it comes to traffic, a lot of it is during those high peak traffic times,” Fox added. “Only about 1.4% of Vistans actually ride public transportation to and from work. Only about 14% that live in Vista work in Vista and 50% who work in Vista live outside the 78 corridor. We rely heavily on the 78.”
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