With Reelection Assured, Council Incumbents Ready to Do Business

Ronald Bates and Charles E. Sylvia can already claim victory in the upcoming City Council race. Neither is opposed on the ballot for the only two seats open.

“This is the first time I haven’t had a challenger,” said Sylvia, 63, who has run in six council races. “You hate to think people feel government is so corrupt they don’t want to have anything to do with it.”

Bates, 50, said he would “like to think it’s because both incumbents have done a reasonably good job. We have a balanced budget and provide good police and community services, and there are no major unresolved issues.”

Both incumbents say boosting the city’s revenue tops their list of goals for their next four-year terms.

Sylvia hopes to lure more retail businesses to the city to increase Los Alamitos’ share of sales-tax dollars. He said he wants to expedite building permit processing so new businesses can move forward easily with construction plans.

“The faster they can get something approved, the cheaper it is for them in the long run,” Sylvia said. Los Alamitos is an ideal location for businesses because it sits between the San Diego and the San Gabriel River freeways, making it easy accessible to Los Angeles, Long Beach and other parts of Orange County, he said.

Bates, who has lived in Los Alamitos for 20 years, said he wants to bring financial stability to the city by working to get legislation passed that would prohibit the state from taking larger shares of cities’ property-tax dollars.

“It’s not fair that they can balance their budget on the backs of local government,” he said.

Bates also wants to meet with local business owners to make sure their needs are being met and learn what the city can do to improve its relationships with them.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Los Alamitos Council Candidates

Two incumbents are seeking reelection to the Los Alamitos City Council. They are running unopposed. A quick glance at the candidates:

Ronald Bates

Age: 50

Occupation: Financial consultant

Background: Six years on City Council; first vice president, League of California Cities; member, Southern California Assn. of Governments’ regional council and chairman of association’s transportation committee

Major issues: Bring financial stability to city by recovering funds lost to state during last five years; revise general plan to make city more business-friendly

Charles E. Sylvia

Age: 63

Occupation: Electrical engineer

Background: On City Council for 21 years; board member, Los Alamitos Pony Baseball League

Major issues: Develop stronger sales-tax base for city through economic redevelopment; work closely with other Orange County cities to restructure county government

Source: Individual candidates; Researched by LORI HAYCOX / For The Times