Question 1: What specifically will you do differently from the past council, and more importantly, how will it be funded?
Perla Mendoza
What will distinguish my service to District One is proven advocacy experience and the persistence to turn priorities into results. My priorities are clear: protect the character of Old Town and Surfside, keep Main Street clean and beautiful, help businesses succeed, tighten the budget before considering new taxes or fees, complete the San Gabriel River trash-mitigation project, and secure sand replenishment to protect our beach.
My approach will be proactive and collaborative: build on what is working, focus on what still needs attention and follow through until the job is done.
For Old Town, good government begins with the basics residents see every day. Trees should be trimmed regularly; sidewalks, landscaping and public spaces should be clean and well maintained; and neglected areas should be addressed promptly. Consistent attention to these details will make Old Town more attractive and preserve the welcoming, small-town character residents value.
Main Street’s independent businesses are essential to that character. I will meet with business owners, listen to the challenges affecting them and include them early in city decisions. By collaborating on beautification, maintenance, community events and promotion while avoiding unnecessary fees and obstacles, we can help our businesses succeed and keep Main Street vibrant.
Fiscal responsibility must guide every priority. Before asking residents or businesses to pay more, the city should examine spending, set clear priorities and find savings. Essential services, public safety and maintenance come first. As a visitor-serving community, Seal Beach should use visitor-generated revenue to help offset the cost of maintaining the beach, public spaces and services that support tourism. We should pursue outside funding to reduce the burden on taxpayers.
My advocacy experience has taught me how to make the calls, bring the right people together, find resources and follow through until the work is done. I will use those skills to work constructively with the existing council and with county, state and federal representatives. The San Gabriel River trash-mitigation project is already underway; I will advocate for it, monitor its progress and help see it through to completion. I will also press for the federal partnership and funding needed for dependable, long-term sand replenishment.
These projects protect more than our shoreline. They protect our homes, wildlife, local economy and the beach culture that defines Old Town and Surfside.
Together, we can keep our town beautiful, Main Street thriving, taxpayers protected and our beach secure for generations to come.
Matt Smith
I, Matt Smith, am convinced the next City Council will be doing many things differently, as we’ll be tasked with unique challenges that no prior council has had to face.
We currently have 1300 homes and apartments in Old Town. A quarter mile from our border, Long Beach and the State of California decided to approve three massive developments that will add 1261 housing units at the intersection of PCH and Studebaker.
Again, 1300 in the entirety of Old Town, and in the next 2 years another 1261 units will be built less than 1 mile from Main Street.
Could I have stopped the development had I been on City Council back then? Unlikely. The construction already underway includes “units for very low income households”. 13 units out of 271 total. And that 4% of the total got them a state-granted height waiver which allowed the developer to build a 6 story structure in a zone that was previously limited to 3 stories. It defies explanation.
1261 units means Old Town will be slammed with shortcut traffic by non-residents looking to avoid gridlock on PCH, while our streets could become overnight parking lots for the thousands of new cars that may not have enough on-site parking. City Council and Seal Beach Police need a strategy when petitioning Caltrans to stop the incursion before it takes hold.
But wait, there’s more! The Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach just solicited a “Lease and Development Opportunity” for their 27.6 acre parcel on the corner of Seal Beach Bl. and PCH. The “Potential Land Use Categories” already approved include, “Hotel, Residential, and Rental Residential”.
It is imperative that our position on a project of that size and magnitude inside OUR city border is heard and addressed. We could be fighting a war on two fronts with massive residential developments at each end of our city. And two front wars historically haven’t ended well.
How will this effort be funded? With my own personal sweat equity.
On November 3rd, think long and hard about which candidate you want taking on this fight and communicating Seal Beach concerns that will impact our city for the next half century or longer.
Vote Matt Smith for City Council. www.smithforsealbeach.com
Matt Terry
I’ve lived in Old Town my whole life, 37 years, so I’ve developed a list that spans from jetty to jetty of things the city should do differently. With that said, the city’s financial forecast doesn’t look good, so that nixes a lot of my ideas, and any new revenue the city comes across should go to maintaining a balanced budget, not new spending. Taking that into consideration, below are some big impact things I would do that don’t require new city spending.
First, water rates. Last year the city voted to double our water rates. I was at the water rate meetings giving presentation after presentation on the problem with the city’s calculations. In short, the Naval Weapons Station is a unique customer, but what the base pays doesn’t come close to covering its share. The difference gets picked up by the rest of us. I will push to move the base to a service-based agreement, easing the pressure on everyone’s water bill.
Second, the OC Loop. It’s a 66-mile protected bike and pedestrian route circling Orange County along its rivers and coast that is 88% built. The stretch between Surfside and Old Town is one of the last gaps. It would be a separated path spanning the bay adjacent to PCH, creating a much-needed connection between Surfside and the rest of town. Main Street would benefit too because families on bikes fill the beach path south of Surfside every weekend, and they all turn around at the gap. That’s a lot of potential customers who don’t need a parking spot or add to traffic. It can be built with county, state and federal money, but it’s stalled because no one at City Hall champions it. If elected, I will.
Third, safer streets. As a parent of three kids, I want our streets to be as safe as possible. So it’s disheartening to watch the city repave a street and build it back exactly as it was, even when we could make it safer at no additional cost. I will make sure what we build gets more scrutiny than it gets today. Also, the city council dropped the ball when it comes to the work Caltrans just did on PCH. That street needs to be safer because families cross it every day to take their kids to school, and I will push Caltrans until it is.
Scott Davis
Editor’s note: In a recent text to the Sun, Davis wrote: “This is Scott Davis. I’m traveling overseas with limited/no service in Southeast Asia. Unavailable for comment at this time and will reach out when I return.” The Sun texted him the question but it is unknown if he received the message.