Record Number Register to Vote in Santa Paula

Five candidates will vie for two Santa Paula City Council seats Tuesday in the city’s first municipal election to be held at the same time as California’s traditional statewide ballot.

About 10,400 residents, a record in the town of 24,000, have registered to vote, City Clerk Stacey MacDonald said.

The campaign issues include development of Santa Paula’s commercial and industrial sectors, drug abuse, the council’s effectiveness, and affordable housing. Candidates also want the city’s long-planned community center built.

The candidates offered similar solutions to most of these issues, but differed mainly on which issues they considered most pressing.

The campaign for the at-large, 4-year seats pits incumbents Les Maland and Al Escoto against challengers Al Urias, Paul Kaiser and Thomas Coene.

Maland, 66, a 20-year incumbent, wants a balanced approach to residential, commercial and industrial development. The three areas should be improved at the same time so that the city’s economy and tax base remain stable, he said.

High-Income Housing

Santa Paula, which has approved mostly low- and middle-income housing projects for years, should encourage more projects for middle- and high-income residents, said Maland, a semi-retired civilian engineering executive for the Navy.

Maland said he favors luring non-polluting industries and large retailers to Santa Paula to provide jobs and shopping within the city. As many as half of Santa Paula’s residents travel to jobs outside the city and many shop in regional malls, he said.

He said he will also work to continue strict enforcement of city ordinances governing rent increases in mobile home parks, which are home to nearly 13% of the city’s residents. He said the parks have been a prime target for speculators who try to arbitrarily increase rents.

Escoto, 48, a Ventura County Transportation Department official, is running for his second council term. Escoto said he will continue to promote the fight against drug abuse among Santa Paula youths. Escoto, who founded the city’s alcohol and drug awareness council, said he has helped create school programs to educate children about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

Favors Rural Atmosphere

He said he wants to preserve the agricultural land that borders the city, citing the threat that development poses to Santa Paula’s rural atmosphere.

Escoto said the city needs a balanced housing market and supports several projects of homes costing $300,000 or more, including the controversial Prairie Pacific plan for 30 custom-built homes on a hillside north of downtown. He also expressed a desire for more federal housing assistance for low-income families.

Escoto, a Santa Paula planning commissioner for 8 years, said he would start an economic redevelopment agency to direct civic improvements, which would enlarge the city’s tax base.

Urias, 63, a former 3-term council member, wants to achieve the city’s decade-old goal of building a community center, which lacks money for construction and maintenance. Urias said the council should solicit community contributions and apply for grants to finish the project.

Urias is a part-time real estate agent and teacher, has worked as a police officer, and has coordinated vocational education programs for California’s community colleges.

He said he is personally involved in the city’s fight against drug abuse as president of the Boys and Girls Club. He said he believes Santa Paula can do more, using state and national funds it has yet to tap.

Creating more affordable housing is next in Urias’ priorities. He said the city can use California’s funding programs for housing and offer developers incentives for such projects.

Growth within the commercial or industrial base should be reflected in the city’s approach to housing, he said. An influx of labor-intensive industry jobs should be accompanied by efforts to build low-priced housing, he said.

Kaiser, 56, a semi-retired helicopter pilot, said he thinks the council has failed to do its job. “I don’t think the City Council is putting enough energy into solving problems in general,” he said.

He criticized the city for failing to correct flaws in its regulations on mobile homes.

His solution to the affordable-housing dilemma is simple: more mobile homes. He said he wants the city to expand the areas zoned for mobile home parks. No other residences can be purchased in Santa Paula for less than $100,000, he said.

Kaiser also promised to help local businesses attract customers, an effort that the council stymies, he said. One motel has been repeatedly rebuffed in its attempts to post a sign visible from California 126; it only posts a 50% occupancy rate, he said.

‘Not Given the Tools’

“We have people who are trying to bring more industry into the city but are not given the tools to succeed,” he said.

Coene, 37, the owner of a small oil-field service, believes the campaign is about accountability. “The most important issues are officials that represent the population and follow responsible courses of action. Well, we’ve had cases here where they do not follow the wishes of the people,” he said.

The write-in candidate cites the Prairie Pacific development. He said he had the site inspected by a consultant, who concluded that the hillside is too steep to support the proposed homes. City officials acknowledge that part of the slope is too steep but say the development will skirt that area.

Coene said he would adopt a fiscally conservative line if elected.

“The main purpose of government is to protect and look after the welfare of its people, not to bleed them to death,” he said. “Contract out the services to private industry.”