SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO : Council Gets First New Faces in Decade

Two neighbors in the historic Los Rios Street section of town, Jeff Vasquez and Gil Jones, will become the first new faces on the City Council in a decade after winning seats in Tuesday’s election.

The third open seat went to the one incumbent who ran, Mayor Gary L. Hausdorfer.

Vasquez, 34, a local filmmaker and photographer, criticized the council during the campaign. When several department heads left the city staff this spring, people began to feel uneasy about city leadership, he said.

“I think that there is a feeling in town that San Juan Capistrano is losing its charm, mainly because of the excessive commercial development,” he said. “People are also concerned about the turnover at City Hall and believe something is not right there.”

Local political activist Russ Burkett, who helped Vasquez with his campaign, said Vasquez won because he worked hardest.

“Jeff went to the churches, walked the mobile home parks, and worked the phone banks right up until 8 on election day,” Burkett said. “He didn’t have someone go out and work for him.”

Like Vasquez, Jones, 58, lives in a refurbished home in the Los Rios neighborhood next to the railroad tracks downtown.

“We have a total of 40 people in Los Rios, and now two of us are on the council,” Jones said. “Maybe that says something about the value of historic preservation in this town.”

Jones, who owns a small farm, said he believes that his straightforward approach won him the seat.

“I didn’t get involved in political rhetoric or mudslinging; I tried to keep it straight,” he said.

Hausdorfer, 44, a mortgage banker, said challenges lie ahead.

“Like every other city in this state, San Juan Capistrano faces challenges in budget and finance,” Hausdorfer said. “We’ve also made a commitment to see the open space program go through smoothly.”