Here are some comments that stood out to me in tonight's City Council and Mayoral Candidate Forum, and here is the full video of the forum.
City Council Candidates Forum
Three candidates for the two open City Council seats were present, Edward Belden, Sergio Jimenez (incumbent), and Jesus Rojas. A fourth candidate, Antoinet Mushet, did not attend.
Rojas said that as a police officer (for El Monte) his top concern is public safety. He said he wants to make sure the police and fire departments have the resources they need. He said the Monrovia Police Department is short on officers, that he would work to get the department its own armored vehicle (currently, he said, it shares with other jurisdictions), and would work to get more license plate reading cameras around town. El Monte, he said, has far more such cameras, and they have dramatically cut down the amount of time it takes to solve crimes. He said he'd like to work with the school district to increase police presence on school campuses and have officers patrol the Metro trains. Also, he said, he wants to make sure the fire department has the tools it needs to fight fires on the top floors on the new, higher buildings in town.
Jimenez said he wants to keep working to prevent the "New-York-ization" of Monrovia. He said it is hard to fight Sacramento's decrees, but at least it should be possible to prevent high levels of development in selected areas. Also, he would like to see more electric vehicle charging stations around town to help the environment.
Belden said he is familiar with finance, being a project manager for multi-million dollar projects and the treasurer of various non-profits. He would like to reduce carbon emissions in city buildings and vehicles. He said his top priority would be safety, but "you can't be safe without a home," so he would put affordable housing as his number one priority.
All three candidates said they support ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units, aka "granny flats") as a way to provide lower-cost housing, and they would also require developers of multi-unit housing projects to provide a percentage of low-income housing. They also all expressed concern about the short-term rental of single family homes (as through Airbnb) if they are used as party houses. Rojas suggested passing an ordinance regarding parties at rental houses, and perhaps fine the property owners for problems.
Mayoral Candidates Forum
Both incumbent Mayor Becky Shevlin and challenger, Council Member Larry Spicer, were present.
Spicer said he is running for mayor because the office needs "new thinking" and that he would push to get business into Station Square, while Shevlin said she believes she is the best qualified, with years of leadership experience.
Shevlin said her top priorities would be to preserve Canyon Park and the city's historic homes, helping to create more historic districts, which have some legal protection against Sacramento's overruling of local zoning ordinances. Spicer said his top priority would be affordable housing.
Both agreed on the importance of public safety, affordable housing, and addressing homelessness. When asked how they differed from each other, Shevlin said she only recalls their voting differently once, on a vote of No Confidence on District Attorney George Gascón. She didn't say which way they each voted.
Regarding Station Square, Shevlin said when there are more people circulating in the area that should make a restaurant viable. Spicer said that twice a year he would host young entrepreneurs at Station Square to see what they might propose. He would like to bring the Old Town feel to Station Square.
Regarding diveresity, Spicer said he would like more African Americans on city staff so it is a replica of the community. Shevlin said the city tries to be as diverse as possible, and always invites everyone.
Spicer suggested that a commercial building could be used to house the homeless. He added that one building owner he talked to was open to the possibility but was concerned about drugs and the cost of making repairs. Shevlin said her homelessness focus is on prevention - using education, preparing people for jobs, addressing mental health and substance abuse problems.
To promote community involvement Spicer basically suggested parties. If you make it fun, he said, and include food, people will show up. He added that for seniors he'd like to provide food for them each month from a different restaurant; that and provide more trips and activities.
Someone asked how the city could be more welcoming to the LGBTQ+ community. Shevlin said all city programs are open to everybody. Spicer said the city should provide more programs surrounding Pride Month, and promote it as it does for others.
- Brad Haugaard
