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Candidate Questionnaire – part 2

In the November 4 election, eight candidates are running for three seats on the Sonoma City Council. Here is part two. See how the candidates stand on three more important issues. Part one can be found here.

Water:   We are in an historic drought with no relief in sight.  What specific actions do you think City Council should take to assure that existing residents and businesses in the City will continue to have an adequate supply of water?

Commercial & Business Regulation: In order to preserve and protect Sonoma’s character, quality of life and property values for residents of the City, should there be more, or less, regulation of business and commercial activity, or is it about right?  If you think changes are in order, what specific regulations would you propose to add, change or repeal, and why?

Affordable Housing: What specific actions might the City take to increase its supply of affordable housing?

 

Madolyn Agrimonti

Water

The drought demands we all work together.  Supervisor Gorin’s April meeting allowed citizens time to express their concerns regarding the drought. On April 7, 2014, only days later, the Sonoma County Water Agency met with its water contractors, the City of Sonoma being one. They reaffirmed the voluntary 20 percent decrease of water use. I understand Sonoma has used 16.2 percent less water between April and July than the previous year, still short of the voluntary 20 percent. We’re working together, what’s missing?  What’s missing is a compelling call to action for water efficiency from our city leaders.

I will join others on the Council to support the Stage Two water conservation measure by decreasing home irrigation to only two evenings a week. We need a “call to action,” because the issue needs urgent attention. We’re in this together and if the weather isn’t cooperating we must suggest additional measures.  Simply put, encourage the use of drip systems for lawns instead of wasteful overhead systems or suggest restaurateurs use a “request only for water service.”  I agree with Councilmember Barbose, “that the rules don’t go far enough.”

I will work to ensure that water meters be calibrated to enable consumers information to help measure  use accurately. I expect the City staff will resolve citizen concerns regarding water metering and billing. Residents, businesses, city staff and our leaders must work together to manage what may very well be the “new normal” for our water system.

Commercial & Business Regulation

Complying with local regulations can often be difficult. However if you read through its content, each addresses the goal to control conduct that impedes others. For example, “outdoor display of merchandise.” The regulation addresses the use of areas adjoining a commercial business. Why? The purpose is to encourage commerce and promote pedestrian traffic on the sidewalks in the City of Sonoma. This regulation is outlined and expresses its purpose, to display merchandise but to provide safe travel for a pedestrian.

The challenge comes when a business person actually walks into City Hall. Commerce at times doesn’t mesh with bureaucracy. The difference, business people have a goal and a regulation impedes that goal, especially with tenant improvements for small business. Small business is pressured by loans, inventory, marketing, profit and loss and bureaucracy’s goal is to get compliance to a regulation.

Implementation of regulations is sometimes the result of a new trend or circumstance that local government has to address.  Recently the proliferation of Airbnb rentals in Sonoma is a business trend that has to be dealt with because it impedes the rights of others and causes a loss of revenue for the City. Regulations can be seen as a necessary evil but its purpose is to protect Sonoma’s character, quality of life and property values for residents of the City.

Affordable Housing

I attended the September 3, 2014 joint study session between the City Council and the Planning Commission to review the City’s Housing Element Accomplishments. I’ve chosen four examples that increase the supply of affordable housing of the thirty-one presented in the study.

I am the only candidate publicly committed to preserving the 1993 Rent Control Ordinance that affects 385 mobile homes in Sonoma. The study suggests that it is a successful program and the City should continue to preserve stable rent for seniors and families in the City’s Mobile Home Parks. I support partnering with affordable housing developers like the Burbank Housing Corporation to increase affordable housing. They completed 34 affordable ownership units, the “Valley Oaks” project in 2013. The City might consider alternative housing models. Seattle’s Backyard Cottage Program provides an important addition to housing choices for both homeowners and renters. These units would increase the supply of affordable rental housing in single-family areas that fit into the scale and character of the neighborhood.

The City’s objective is to build 137 affordable units by 2022. The study clearly outlines how that can be accomplished. In a City where families living here have decreased from 63% to 54%, where 90% of our workers live outside the City and many seniors face overpayment for housing, the City must increase affordable housing. I will work with others on the Council to ensure the goals are achieved.

Ken Brown

Water

The City of Sonoma is pursuing a very aggressive water conservation plan. We are now in Stage 2 and have limited citizen’s hours of watering. We have a new water billing system that allows citizens to more accurately track their water usage. The city is actively exploring additional wells within the city limits and outside of city limits. We are working on the water issue from every possible point of view and will continue to do so.

We are working very closely with the Sonoma County Water Agency where we draw the majority of our water. We need to have a vibrant ground water monitoring system in place. The city can do much more in how our wastewater is disposed and reused. I support the process for installing grey water enhancements without the burdensome planning process. The city is actively partnering with the Valley community about providing a grey water system for parks and golf courses.

Commercial & Business Regulation 

There is nothing more important then preserving and protecting Sonoma’s character, quality of life and property values of residents of the city. Business and commercial activity must me monitored at all times. We need to explore ideas and concepts that have worked in other towns. We need to stay a participant within the California League of Cities to be enriched with the latest concepts throughout California that are working in other jurisdictions. Running the city is a task that calls for utilizing all the help and expertise we can muster. In my 16 years of service on the council I have constantly kept an open mind to any and all possibilities. Experience counts.

Affordable Housing

I have been a consistent supporter of affordable housing in Sonoma, even when that support has been controversial in some quarters. I am a founding member of the Affordable Housing Task Force. The city has helped build affordable housing on Highway 12 inside city limits. I am currently (along with Council Member Laurie Gallian) the city’s liaison to our local Mobile Home Parks. We are currently working on principles and policies that ensure rent management protections. Protection of the Mobile Parks is very high on my list of priorities and I have had consistent and strong support from mobile home park residents throughout my public career.

Protecting Sonoma from the continued pressure that comes from Airbnb and other organizations wanting to convert rental housing stock is a must. We must explore multi-family ideas and increase the number of folks that can live on the open parcels. The land available on Broadway near The Lodge on Clay Street must be developed for affordable housing. We must work with Sonoma County, who owns that land, to ensure it happens. I am willing to discuss increasing our percent of affordable housing within each and every piece of land we develop. Sonoma is very small geographically and each opportunity must be fully realized.

Linda Corrado

Water 

My goal is to create a long term, permanent solution to our ever-increasing need of water usage reduction. As council member I will fight to create a truly collaborative approach to build our own community supported system whereby we give more to the land than we take from it. Let’s fix this together!

Commercial & Business Regulation

An idea that I have through collaboration with the artist and wine communities is to develop the Broadway Corridor as a destination center for tourists. I would create a council of community members to work with me on researching, planning and presenting a completed plan to the Council and Community to vote upon.

Affordable Housing

This is my main goal — to specifically create enough that ALL income levels can afford. We must bring enough attention to this issue to make it real. We are an agricultural area and the things that have allowed this area to remain the same are the same things that keep affordable housing at bay. There is a growing gap between rising housing prices and medium income. As a community we must preserve the need to serve many generations who cannot afford rising rents much less buy a home.

 

Gary Edwards

Water

Number one is for the city council setting an example of reducing its  own personal consumption of water to set the example for the rest of the citizenry.  And for the city to conserve and to use conservation measures with every opportunity that is within the city’s control.  Every possibility in the public domain to curtail water usage: parks, plaza, etc, while not endangering.  And as far as the plaza goes, we need to be cautious not to endanger our tree habitat.  It took tens of millions of gallons of water to grow the trees on the plaza and you don’t want to endanger the health of the plaza trees or landscape.  The council should do as much as possible to limit the wear and tear on the plaza which causes massive amounts of additional water to be used to bring the landscaping back to health after the events that are held on the plaza.

Commercial & Business Regulation 

Sonoma has a process in place in which I have participated for over 15 years.  From planning commissions, design review, city council, etcetera, these people have helped shepherd the character of Sonoma, and I would hope that we would continue to encourage people to sserve on these committees and commissions, so that all voices can be heard.   I am really not in favor of more regulation. I am in favor of staff planning and building departments to be mindful of how difficult it is to start a business, build a business, and get financing from the banking world.  I am concerned about being mindful of the business community in Sonoma that has invested in the form of brick, mortar, taxes, fees, and so on, to be given consideration in planning.

The character of Sonoma is great the quality of life is fantastic, property values are over the top.  Should there be more regulations?  There is a process in place that in certain circumstances has become a real burden for businesses.

Affordable Housing

In my 15 years serving on city and county planning commissions, affordable housing has been part of virtually every conversation with regards to new development.  Whether if be mixed use, PUDs or apartments, affordable housing supply has been mandated and with the new housing element being drafted currently, affordable housing and studies that have been done by consultants and the work being done by planning and city council, I am confident that affordable housing will continue to be a priority.

Rachel Hundley 

Water

Water is, without a doubt, the most pressing issue for our city. I support our Public Works Department under the leadership of Public Works Director and City Engineer Dan Takasugi. This year, our Public Works Department will tackle a number of projects including completing a new well project, starting groundwater banking, and establishing a plan to build a pipeline to provide recycled water for irrigation at Sonoma Valley High School. I will give Mr. Takasugi and his department the support they need to research, plan and execute projects that will bring us closer to achieving water security.

Going forward, we need to curb our greatest water use: irrigation. Limiting lawn irrigation is a start, but the City should aggressively encourage the installation of greywater and rain catchment systems for residential, commercial, and public properties. The City should continue to incentivize the replacement of lawns with drought-resistant landscaping. The Plaza is currently an exception to new lawn irrigation restriction. While I also enjoy our beautiful square, the City needs to take the lead and create a long-term plan for the sustainable maintenance of our public spaces, utilizing recycled water where possible.

We should explore additional well projects while monitoring the health of our aquifers and expanding our groundwater recharge program. We should work with the County and State to ensure the Russian River pipeline is maintained, our aquifers used responsibly, and Sonoma will benefit from any newly available sources of water.

Commercial & Business Regulation

Maintaining Sonoma’s character, quality of life and property values requires a balanced approach to regulating business. In addition to limiting the kinds of businesses we don’t want, we must support and encourage the kinds of businesses that we do want. I have been out knocking on doors and introducing myself to all of you for the past month, and the one issue upon which everyone seems to agree is supporting local businesses. Local businesses are the backbone of our economy. Supporting them not only provides tax revue and jobs, it also supports local business owners and employees who are deeply connected to the community and tend to invest in it well beyond their economic interests.

I support regulations that encourage the creation, growth and success of local businesses that provide us with a diverse array of goods and services. I support our Formula Business Ordinance, which helps preserve the unique character of our Historic District and protects existing and future local businesses in that area. I support regulations that preserve our historic architecture and small town aesthetic, as long as they are clearly communicated and applied consistently.

I don’t believe the answer to every problem is a new regulation, and it might be time to overhaul some of our permitting processes and regulations to make them easier to understand and more efficient to implement. Regulations should achieve specific results, be applied objectively, and be enforceable. Owning a business carries enough risk on its own with us adding to the uncertainty.

Affordable Housing

Once again, the key here is balance: we must maintain the balance of our city character. It is important to have residents from across the spectrum of our community living inside the city. A recent study showed 90% of the people working in Sonoma do not live in Sonoma. This echoes the concerns I’ve heard from parents who wonder if their children will be able to live here after they graduate college. We must create new affordable housing opportunities and protect our existing affordable housing stock.

Although undeveloped land is scarce, we should incentivize and assist the development of affordable housing. We should stay informed about affordable housing grants. We are all familiar with the empty lot on the corner of Broadway and Clay Street. As the result of recent litigation, a pool of redevelopment funds is going to be dispersed. We should work with the county, who now owns the land, to create affordable housing that fits into our city.

We can protect our existing affordable housing by strengthening our mobile home rent control ordinance and make it harder to close these communities and displace their residents. We can protect our already limited rental housing market by enforcing our stringent limitations on vacation rentals. Sonoma is best served by homes that are filled with people who live here and invest in our community. We should also legalize the development of “Junior Suites” in single-family homes where owners have rooms to spare and want a source of rental income.

Andrew Sawicki

Water

Citizens: Set limits of water usage with grace period to establish new routine in personal water usage. Modification/Adaptation to all forms of water use per home. Use of rainwater capturingand gray water. After grace period, fines instituted for 6 months (?) and then if not followed impose water restrictions or shut-off.

Business:  Same policy as citizens with higher fines. Reward businesses that implement new and innovative ways of saving or reducing water use. Agriculture: Work with farmers, ranchers and vineyards in new and innovative ways to use our dwindling resources. Incentive programs.  Make the most of the least.

Summary:  (?) of conservation.  Local papers identify abusers and innovators.

“Knows on use of the hose” – It’s about survival!

Commercial & Business Regulation

Do not over-regulate or businesses will fail or flee.  Regulation is necessary in how it fits with the overall plan, now and into the future. Deal with real issues, not red doors and flags. Keep historic framework of Sonoma with available needs for the citizenry.

Affordable Housing

What is affordable?  Tied in with minimum wage and job availability.

Cameron Stuckey

Water

This was a pivotal issue in the election 2 years ago and has become increasingly problematic due to the lack of funding for our water infrastructure.  The city itself only has 4 tanks with 5.5 million gallons of storage capacity and 5 wells that produce 1 million gallons daily.  In case of an emergency, such as an earthquake or another natural disaster like a pipeline rupture, we will be in dire straights if our water storage tanks are not up to par.

I propose the following:

• Help city water maintenance workers do their jobs more efficiently by providing more man power, more knowledge and more resources.

• Provide better customer service for customer leaks and water quality complaints.

• Survey and develop more water wells in the City of Sonoma.

• Reach out to the Valley of the Moon to see what input they can bring to the table to help brighten our prospects for our future water supply. Ultimately, there is no magic bullet to this problem.

Commercial & Business Regulation

I’m not sure if “about right” would be accurate given how many commercial business spaces are open, so something needs to be done.  We need to make it easier and more attractive for small businesses to come here.  By providing tax breaks, streamlining the permitting process and providing incentives for landlords to offer lower rent by reducing their taxes, we can begin to reinvigorate our business community.

Affordable Housing

This would be part and parcel with the business model I mentioned earlier. We need to use the resources we already have.  How many vacant commercial spaces can be converted into a ‘mixed use’ space for affordable housing?

In addition, we need to attract builders by leasing more land for affordable housing and the city needs to incorporate more mixed use properties into our community. Again, these are just ideas; solutions need to be a concerted effort between the community, local businesses, city staff and city council.

Jack Wagner

Water

Our State, and region, is likely entering a long-term dry period, following a cycle that had produced the wet-period we have experienced since the time California became a State. Rain will come, but the overall trend, based on historic trends, is long-term dryness. To overcome this, we can implement a series of water-catchment projects throughout the Valley to help store precious rainwater in our watershed. As it stand now our Water Shed is lowering as Salt-Water from San Pablo Bay is coming in. Waiting too long to fix this could cause serious long-term problems. Water catchment into the land is the only sustainable solution. I recommend looking up “Greening the Desert” on YouTube.

As long as we move forward on Recharging our Water Shed, we can pursue new wells, such as one in the Plaza as suggested by Councilmembers Barbose and Cook. We should consider a moratorium on new water hook-ups until we have a clearer picture of our water future.

I support encouraging the incorporation of gray-water systems, and water rooftop collection, throughout the City, whether through incentives or mandates, whichever is successful and necessary. In the modern era it is incumbent upon Cities to maintain an infrastructure that supports long-term water needs.

Commercial & Business Regulation

Without diminishing quality control in regards to safety, workers’ rights and environmental protection, and while ensuring steps that respect our historical culture, we should always look for ways of making the process of starting and maintaining a local business less burdensome. As long as we maintain Sonoma as an attractive place to live, property values will continue to increase. Regulations on business should keep in consideration what makes our City valuable; our diverse historical small-town culture.

With less open lots and empty storefronts, each new addition to Sonoma should be looked over conservatively. Once accepted as a beneficial addition to our City, projects should be given all the support they need to succeed.

While I support reforms such as possible increases to our local Minimum Wage, I also support finding unnecessary fees and processes to cut, and to help expedite some of the permitting process. We all want is best for Sonoma. Let us work together and support each other in both our personal and communal pursuits.

Affordable Housing

As long as we limit growth and increase the quality of life in Sonoma, housing prices will continue to go up. Since we want to both limit growth and increase our quality of life, we must, as a City, interact with the market if we want to maintain affordable housing in Sonoma. We already have some Rent Control and Affordable Housing requirements in the City. We should look at expanding, or increasing those requirements, however, this still won’t prevent overall housing costs from increasing over time.

We are required to have 137 potential units in the City for the next 30 years. We can provide about 401 potential units, well above our requirements. I would support looking for means to fund a Public Housing Project in a portion of those potential units, such as the income-adjusted housing available in San Francisco through the Presidio Trust, or the low-income assisted housing provided by the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority.

This would put the City, and the Public, in control of the rent of at least a few dozen housing units, if not more, which an increase to the TOT could help fund. I support tourism and I invite everyone in the world to come visit Sonoma as much as possible, at the same time it makes sense to tax that tourism in order to fund services and projects that secure our Small-Town Culture, balancing the influx of visitors, tourists, and moneyed-interests.

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