Voters Face Many Choices

From an incumbent who touts his environmental commitment to a challenger who says the city is “boring” and needs a casino, strip club and offshore oil drilling, voters will find no shortage of choices in next month’s Ventura City Council race.

Incumbents Brian Brennan, Donna DePaola, Jim Monahan and Mayor Sandy Smith face seven challengers in the Nov. 6 election, the only city council race this year in Ventura County.

Of those challengers, three have drawn support from a handful of local groups--such as the Chamber of Commerce and the city employees’ union--whose endorsements take on greater importance in a race in which spending is limited by local campaign contribution laws. The maximum individual contribution is $250.

The challengers include consultant Neal Andrews, who led a successful campaign against a ballot initiative to turn over the county’s $260-million tobacco settlement to private hospitals; Mike Osborn, chairman of the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission, and antique store owner Diane Underhill.

Those elected to the seven-member City Council serve four-year terms and are paid $600 per month; the mayor earns $700.

Central among issues framing the campaign debate is whether to let developers build homes on the hillsides and in the canyons bordering this coastal city--and whether politicians or voters should have the final say.

A consortium of landowners is seeking to build as many as 1,900 homes on 6,100 acres just north of the city. Some say the city needs more high-end, “executive” housing and property tax revenue; but many environmentalists and longtime homeowners oppose the plan.

Voters will decide in November whether they want control over such development. Measure P would require voter approval before housing essentials such as water and sewer service could be extended to hillsides and canyons.

Another hot topic is the so-called “living wage” ordinance likely to go to a council vote next year. It would force companies contracting with the city to pay a minimum hourly wage of $9 with health benefits, or $11.25 without.

Meanwhile, the announcement last week that Ventura-based copy shop giant Kinko’s plans to move its headquarters across the country has reignited debate about how a community bound by environmental restrictions and rising housing costs can attract and retain businesses while maintaining small-town charm. The move will result in the loss of as many as 700 jobs over the next 15 months.

Candidates tout their backgrounds and goals as factors making them uniquely qualified to lead.

Brian Brennan

Brennan, 49, was elected in 1997. A consultant for the restaurant industry, he is managing partner in Scotch & Sirloin at Ventura Harbor. His endorsements include the political arms of the local Sierra Club chapter, the Ventura Chamber of Commerce and the Ventura County Coastal Realtors Assn.

Brennan supports Measure P, but said his position is “somewhere in between” the most ardent opponents and the landowners. He said he would consider only a significantly smaller development in the hills and canyons that meets strict environmental standards and minimizes traffic effects.

He also supports a living wage ordinance, and said creating affordable housing for teachers, nurses and law enforcement officers is a priority.

Donna DePaola

DePaola, 48, also was elected in 1997. A family law attorney, she earned her law degree from Ventura College of Law.

She supports Measure P and hopes to convince hillside landowners to focus on scaled-back plans. She wants the city to borrow money while rates are low to expedite construction of a sports park. Expanding senior housing is another goal.

It was DePaola who brought the living wage proposal before the council. But she is better known for a failed millennial New Year’s Eve bash at Seaside Park, which cost her $50,000 and forced her event planning company into bankruptcy. In the process, she was investigated by the district attorney for bouncing a $5,000 check. No charges were brought, but some challengers believe the fiasco damaged her reelection prospects.

She is endorsed by the National Women’s Political Caucus and Planned Parenthood, but not by key local groups. DePaola said it wasn’t the bankruptcy that cost her those endorsements, but her support for City Manager Donna Landeros, who is often criticized for her brusque management style.

Sandy Smith

Smith, 51, was also elected in 1997 and has served on the city Planning Commission. He teaches at-risk youth at Pacific High School and is executive chef at Anacapa Brewing Co. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Cal State Sonoma, and he earned his state teaching credential at UC Santa Barbara.

A longtime restaurateur, Smith, too, was forced to file for bankruptcy last year, having accrued more than $260,000 in debt through his investment in Rosarito Beach Cafe.

He takes credit for bringing Measure P before the council to place on the ballot. He does not rule out development on some of the 6,100 acres in question, but said he could support only canyon homes, not hillside construction. He said he would also demand that developers set aside significant swaths of land for conservation on their project sites.

Smith has yet to decide on the living wage ordinance, saying more study is needed. Like DePaola, he wants the city to borrow while interest rates are low. But he advocates using loans to upgrade aging infrastructure such as streets and water systems. Finding jobs for workers displaced by the Kinko’s move will be a top priority in months to come, Smith said.

His endorsements include the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Sierra Club and the Realtors’ political action committee.

Jim Monahan

Monahan, 66, is the council veteran, having served since his 1977 election. He ran unsuccessfully last year for the Ventura County Board of Supervisors.

A key ally of the business community, his endorsements include the chamber, the city police and fire departments, and mobile home groups. He is president of a company that extends oil, water and gas service for fire protection and construction projects.

Salary increases for police officers and firefighters are a top priority for Monahan. He believes the departure of Kinko’s proves “you have to go out on a limb sometimes to help businesses stay here.” He backs Measure P, and said he thinks ultimately voters will support scaled-back development on the project site. Meanwhile, he wants to build mixed-use commercial and apartment buildings along downtown thoroughfares.

He is “leaning toward” supporting a living wage ordinance but thinks the city should set minimum requirements for health care coverage rather than let businesses decide what plans to offer.

Finally, Monahan said he will continue to push for a veterans home scheduled to be built in Saticoy with state and federal assistance. Red tape at the state level threatens to snag the project.

Neal Andrews

Andrews, 58, spearheaded last year’s campaign to defeat Measure O, the private hospital plan to wrest control of the county’s tobacco money. He is a management consultant with a background in health care. He holds a master’s degree in political science and public policy from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s in political science from Duke University. He was long active with the local Chamber of Commerce.

He said he can bring consensus and leadership to a council that relies too much on city staff for its direction. His primary goal is to rebuild what he sees as the “crumbling” economic base of the city, underscored by the Kinko’s pullout.

He supports Measure P. He said he is likely to support scaled-back hillside home construction, but under certain conditions.

“Whatever is built there, it has to pay for itself,” he said. He has reservations about a living wage ordinance, which he said could limit the number of organizations that contract for city services. Andrews’ endorsements include the chamber, mobile home groups and the Realtor group as well as SEIU.

Diane Underhill

Underhill, 42, lost a bid for the council in 1999. She holds bachelor’s degrees in design and English from Stanford University.

She supports Measure P. She is an outright opponent of plans to build on the hillsides, saying the city has no shortage of high-end homes and should instead be focusing on providing affordable housing for senior citizens.

Underhill’s priorities include protecting historic and cultural programs and launching a “Buy Ventura” campaign to teach residents how buying locally boosts city tax collections.

Rather than trying to attract new residents, Underhill wants the city to pitch Ventura as an affordable weekend getaway for Los Angeles residents. Her endorsements include SEIU and the Sierra Club.

Mike Osborn

Osborn, 52, is service manager at Crown Dodge, a smog compliance consultant and a motorcycle enthusiast who ran for the council in 1997.

Public safety funding is his priority, he said. Osborn said the council lacks leadership. He sees himself as someone who can tell residents that they either need to pay higher taxes or build more housing, and he will aggressively seek businesses if they agree to repair aging streets and expand city programs.

He said he has not yet decided how he’ll vote on Measure P, but is inclined to oppose it, saying voters elect public officials to make decisions for them. his endorsements include the chamber, mobile home park owners and Realtors.

David L. Norrdin

Norrdin, 42, who last year lost a primary election bid to Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), has the most controversial platform.

He wants 2,500 hillside homes, more than the landowners propose. He also wants a casino and strip club in the hillsides, plus horseback trails and a civic arts plaza. He advocates offshore drilling and would like regular boat races and bikini and bodybuilding contests on the beach.

“I respect voters, look them in the eye and tell them exactly how I feel,” said Norrdin, a customer service manager at Pic ‘N’ Save and former substitute teacher. “If they don’t like it, they can vote for someone else.

“Ventura is boring,” he continued. “My vision is to make it more cosmopolitan, like L.A. or Hollywood.”

Jon Patton

Patton, 47, is a licensed psychiatric technician who works as a clinician for the county’s behavioral health crisis team.

The first-time candidate said he’s running because the council needs a stronger anti-growth voice. He supports Measure P and wants to extend ballot-box decision-making to every development proposed in the city. He opposes hillside development and said the city should wage a fund-raising campaign to buy the 6,100 acres in question. Patton also wants the city to expand regional tourism efforts. He supports a living wage ordinance.

Brian Lee Rencher

Rencher, 41, is waging his sixth bid for city office. He is homeless and said he chose to forgo a traditional lifestyle so that he could attend city meetings day and night and research government transactions. “I don’t think that folks understand that I am making sacrifices for them,” he said.

“What I’ve seen is a narrow group of people at City Hall who make decisions that tend to benefit themselves. We need objective decision makers who are not beholden to special interests.” If elected, he said the monthly council salary of $600 would allow him to get a small apartment.

He believes the problems of DePaola and Smith have weakened their reelection prospects and improved his chances this time around.

Rencher holds an MBA from the Oxnard campus of the University of La Verne, as well as bachelor’s and associate’s degrees in business, real estate and liberal arts.

He supports Measure P and opposes hillside development, but said he could support canyon development with major concessions from developers. He opposes the living wage ordinance.

He believes the central issue for the city is its underlying financial strength. He criticizes leaders for certain budgetary maneuvers, such as leaving positions unfilled to cover shortfalls, and for giving breaks to developers and business allies.

Carroll Dean Williams

Williams, 59, has been a fixture in local politics for two decades, having run for City Council in every election since 1981.

A onetime mechanics instructor who is no longer employed, Williams charges that many incumbents misuse power. He has frequently attempted citizen arrests of officials. He said he could support development about half the size of the 1,900-home plan that prompted Measure P. He does not support a living wage ordinance.

Williams predicts local issues will be overshadowed in the coming year by bioterrorism fears and the nation’s economic woes. “I believe the city of Ventura has sat on their thumbs thinking we’re untouchable to these sorts of downturns,” he said. “I think it’s going to hit us much harder than we expect.”

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FYI

Candidates for Ventura City Council will square off Tuesday night at a debate hosted by the Ventura Westside Community Council. The debate will be from 7 to 9 p.m. at De Anza Middle School, 2060 Cameron St. A Spanish interpreter will be present. For information, call 648-8133.