Santa Cruz Sentinel

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SANTA CRUZ — Voters are faced with 12 City Council candidates, and only three have both name recognition and political experience. The lesser-known candidates have been trying to separate themselves from the pack during recent forums, including a Monday meeting sponsored by the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce.

At the chamber event, former council members Cythnia Mathews and Mike Rotkin emphasized practical experience and coalition building. Mathews, founder and spokeswoman for the local Planned Parenthood office, pledged to build consensus on difficult issues.

At the forum she spoke of neighborhood building in the Beach Flats, the completion of a Metrobase transportation center and investing in law enforcement and social services.

Rotkin stressed practicality, and his desire to minimize the "often excruciating public process" that characterizes city meetings. He spoke of recruiting companies to open here to help offset the loss of Texas Instruments and other companies. He said the loss of utility tax revenue — Measure P on the Nov. 5 ballot would repeal it — would devastate the city.

Incumbent Tim Fitzmaurice stressed his efforts to bring low-income housing to the Beach Flats neighborhood, his work on a city living-wage ordinance, a temporary skate park near the Municipal Wharf, and low-income senior housing on Gault Street. He stressed support for the utility tax.

Virtually all council candidates either support the utility tax strongly or have steered short of criticizing it.

Steve Argue and Thomas Leavitt stressed the rights of the poor and working people, and condemned new downtown behavior rules, drafted in July and now taking effect. Both say the city lacks true progressive leadership. Argue said most city leaders come from more privileged backgrounds.

"I’m not a boss or a landlord," said Argue, who wants rent control in the city.

Argue and Leavitt are sometimes lumped together because both say the city criminalizes its poorest residents. But Leavitt is the only candidate who opposes Measure Q, which would increase the city’s transient occupancy tax from 10 to 11 percent to provide revenue for tourism promotions. Most other candidates have said such a measure would free up city funds that would otherwise support the promotions. Leavitt dismissed Measure Q as a "tax grab which insulates the hospitality industry from the budget crisis."

Aldo Giacchino, even before the debates, achieved some name recognition by launching an unsuccessful legal challenge to Mathews’ and Rotkins’ eligibility, based on a clause in the city charter. He accuses the city of not boosting its economic base, and said the city should promote more "spin-off" industries involving UC Santa Cruz.

Phil Baer has been outspoken regarding heroin problems in the Beach Flats. He accuses past councils of ignoring and worsening the problem.

Baer said the City Council’s resolution opposing a U.S. war on Iraq and the recent flap over medical marijuana contributed to the image of "wacky, smoky Santa Cruz. Is this really good for business? I’d like to see us come across as Americans, for example. That would be refreshing."

David Eselius, Jeromy McMillan, Greg Lopez, Karen Woblesky, and Connie Thomasser also are in the race.

Eselius said that both the Boardwalk area and the downtown need shoring up to make them more attractive to tourists and to increase local revenue.

McMillan, who was not at the chamber event, has emphasized the need for a more safe, secure and comfortable Santa Cruz.

Woblesky has been emphasizing fiscal responsibility, and entering into more business partnerships with UC Santa Cruz. She has said the latest generation of Santa Cruzans have inherited "a dismal financial legacy." She said police, fire and the road systems are all improperly funded and that the City Council is sorely lacking in diversity.

Lopez speaks of turning the Beach Flats into more of a revenue-producing "crown jewel" in Santa Cruz while shoring up tourism. Lopez said Santa Cruzans should show their civic pride by shopping in the city.

Connie Thomasser has spoken of improving the city’s financial base by encouraging young people to invest in small businesses, while providing a friendly environment for them by addressing downtown behavior problems. She proposes volunteer patrols as well as policing.

"I don’t think downtown is safe after a certain hour," she said. "I don’t feel comfortable."

Contact Dan White at dwhite@santa-cruz.com.

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