| All candidates are in alphabetical order |
Land Use Policy - Affordable Housing |
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| Kayla Jones | Ian N. Oglesby | Lisa Anne Sawhney | |
| What is your position on affordable housing? Please be specific with regards to policies you support or oppose. | To keep it short: We have a serious lack of affordable housing in the area, and what we do have is middle class people moving into those homes because we aren't building enough workforce (nurses, police, teachers, etc) housing that they can afford. The City currently does not have a definition of what affordable housing is and tends to use Bay Area stats which is wholly inaccurate for the Peninsula. I support independent reviews of what it means for our area and codifying it via an ordinance so it's weaved in to all of our development contracts. I also support a separate ordinance defining workforce housing so that we have a mix of affordable for low income folks, workforce housing for the middle class, and then a mix of other housing for people that can afford current Peninsula prices. | We need more affordable housing. I believe the city should partner with nonprofit affordable housing providers and build low to moderate income and workforce housing units. | Affordable Housing first needs to be defined in Seaside. What is the specific definition? Who exactly are we trying to provide housing for? Are there specific definitions or dollar amounts for either income or housing price? Clarity on what 'affordable' means is needed. I value diversity of housing options and definitely think we need greater life-cycle housing options: from Students, living individually or with friends, married/partnered, families, and then Seniors. More living space(s) in our community will potentially improve affordability depending on what is built. I do support meeting the State and Federal affordable housing requirements for developments. In addition, I'd encourage more public and private partnerships to address the community need for down-payment support and matches so a working family can obtain a mortgage, as well as savings education for individuals and families, more affordable housing alternatives, additional housing variety and prices, etc. |
| Do you support modifying city policies to make it easier and cheaper to build housing? If so, what specific policy changes do you support? | Yes. I support prevailing wage which developers claim make affordable housing difficult to build, but we are sitting on prime real estate here on the Peninsula. I am supportive of the City being more proactive and stronger in our language when talking with developers so they know exactly what the community needs and can go about it. I don't necessarily believe in the "well it's the market..." argument that they tend to so heavily rely on. | Yes I do. I support up-zoning for density and height requirements, scaling all fees by square foot, not per unit, reducing some: parking and commercial space requirements, defer impact fees until the Certificate of Occupancy is requested, and enhanced bonus density policies i.e. setbacks ect... |
Yes, I think Seaside can review their fee structures for both new and existing homes that want to add on and/or remodel or add improvements to current property. |
| Do you support requiring developers to actually build inclusionary units instead of paying an “in lieu” fee? | Yes. | I do! The best time to build inclusionary housing is when the market rates are built. Hard to be inclusionary if no units are included in the development. | The in lieu fee can be set aside for a public entity, or a public-private not-for profit partnership that can ensure greater housing options on the Peninsula. With such an approach, the community can provide multiple housing options to residents in need of affordable housing alternatives. |
| Do you support requiring that “inclusionary housing” units be made permanently affordable, even upon resale? If not, please explain. | Yes. | Yes I do! Seaside does not have enough deed restricted units. | I do think that most of the time inclusionary housing shall be left for the housing stock; however can imagine scenarios where long-term ownership or investment might support a different approach. |
| Do you support requiring developers of hospitality, commercial and industrial projects that significantly increase demand for already scarce housing resources to also build workforce housing? | Yes. | Yes I do! And should be build near the work place. | Depends. I understand how a Community, like Half Moon Bay required this when such a development was proposed for their quite small community. I would approach this question on a project-for–project basis, unless Seaside as a community has a strong desire to enact legislation or guidance for such. |
| What other housing policies do you support or oppose? | I am creating a first-time home buyer program to give our residents first priority to buy homes on our new development sites. I am supportive of the housing being built on Fort Ord, but want to make sure that it's the affordable and workforce housing that is built first. I am also open to the idea of having a rround table discussion around rent control, with all stakeholders involved. | Increase funding to a true “Affordable Housing Fund” to subsidize construction and/or rehabilitation of low and moderate income housings, create a strong ADU (granny units) ordnance and “guide book” that assist owners and renters. Look at increasing inclusionary housing percentage. | I am intrigued by the Tiny Homes idea for many within our community and applaud the school district for considering donating land for teachers and others who serve the community to have a space. I do appose the idea of buy one, give one free that was recently published in the Weekly. Any hard working person, does not want to be burdened with providing living space equally to another individual free, in my opinion. |
Water Supplies |
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| Kayla Jones | Ian N. Oglesby | Lisa Anne Sawhney | |
| What specific proposals do you support to ensure your community can meet its water demands without over-drafting groundwater aquifers or, if you live on the Monterey Peninsula, also the Carmel River? | I support Public Water Now and believe Pure Water Monterey is a far less costly solution to our water issue than the expensive de-sal plant Cal Am would like to proceed with. | I support increasing Pure Water Monterey groundwater recovery and Monterey Peninsula Water Management District's recycled water efforts. | I currently understand, the large Desalinization project, estimated at $300+ Million would take years to build. As all information for that specific project has not been researched or documented yet, I reserve judgment as to whether that is the best approach for a long-term solution for the Peninsula’s water shortage. Yet, this long-term investment and solution does not address the current immediate needs for Seaside of ensuring water credits. This will be a critical area of focus for the next Council. I have been researching and some ideas to explore include: -Greater usage of Gray-water might assist Seaside in securing more water credits -Consider a partnership with CSUMB to foster fog collection alternatives, which is already being researched at the University. -Working with Marina Coast Water district/and or Sand City to purchase water. -Work with Sand City to expand their desalinization plant, allowing greater water capacity. -Consider building a new desalinization plant in Seaside, much smaller than the $300+ million proposed in Moss landing, near 218, where Seaside does have access to space and could pipe water from the Pacific. -Etc. I do find, like many in the area and even world, and see water as the ‘blue gold’ and a precious commodity for our Community that will be a priority for the next Council to address. |
| Do you support expansion of Pure Water Monterey as an alternative to building a desalination plant? | Yes! | Yes, if, Pure Water Monterey can provide the required acre-feet of water (afy). That satisfy the Water Master order to stop over pumping the Carmel River and thereby lifting the moratorium to new water hookups and job creation. | I believe that Pure Monterrey has done more to steward and ensure water resources for the Peninsula and Seaside than other entities. |
Sprawl Reduction |
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| Kayla Jones | Ian N. Oglesby | Lisa Anne Sawhney | |
| Do you support the creation of “urban growth boundaries” or expansion of the existing boundary as a way to prevent urban sprawl, and to insure that future growth is compact, efficient, and protective of the environment? If not, what measures would you support to prevent urban sprawl? If yes, will you sponsor an urban growth boundary in the upcoming year, and make it one of your top three priorities | Yes, absolutely. I am not a fan of sprawl. | Yes to both! Seaside should focus on infill and creating a walk-able downtown. i will include it within my local “jobs and opportunity” creations policy proposals. | Yes, I believe preserving natural areas will be a gift we can give future generations as well as the current and think responsible, ecological development can be concentrated and planned around services, transportation, centers, roads, etc. |
Transportation |
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| Kayla Jones | Ian N. Oglesby | Lisa Anne Sawhney | |
| New commercial developments and hotels create more trips and additional vehicle miles travelled on already overcrowded roads and highways. Both residents and visitors pay the price of delay and increased pollution. What specific traffic congestion relief solutions do you support? | Addressing affordable housing and making it easier for folks to live where they work will be a tremendous relief to our traffic issue. I also support roundabouts, walkable communities that are bike safe, ride-share programs in partnership with the City, and do not support development that will bottleneck traffic like what we see near Seaside High. | Support development and transportation improvements that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and VMT. | Traffic all over the Country and State is a concern. Additional options including public transportation, ride share and less commuting alternatives for employment are all potential solutions, or a combination of such. |
| Do you support roundabouts on Highway 68 and other roads? What other transportation policies or practices have you seen that local governments should incorporate? | Yes, I support roundabouts and do not support East Side Parkway. | Yes, I support roundabouts. Seaside should construct as many as feasible. Cities should incorporate TAMC’s “Community Development Principles" create more safe bike lines, | I value round-abouts and agree that they are an option to manage traffic intensive areas. Within Seaside, I would also consider more one way traffic streets/roads as well as specified parking areas to ensure public transportation and the public safety services and vehicular traffic can traverse all City Streets. |
Fort Ord Reuse Authority (FORA) |
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| Kayla Jones | Ian N. Oglesby | Lisa Anne Sawhney | |
| What is your position on the Fort Ord Reuse Authority? Do you believe the Authority has achieved its original goals? If so, what evidence do you cite? | I do not believe FORA has achieved it's goals and it needs to sunset by 2020, as state mandated. Gail Morton gave an excellent presentation to the League of Women Voters last year I believe, and reading her presentation and attending board meetings is how I've informed myself on the issue. | They shoud sunset, I do not believe anyone thinks they have reach their goal(s). | It amazes me that FORA was tasked with creating a plan to sunset and ultimately plan it's demise. As one with an organizational design and management background, I've never heard of such a thing. I do think FORA has not achieved it's original 3 goals of education, environment and employment for Seaside, and after more than 20+ years, I think it's time another agency or County/State partnership be created to address the remaining unaddressed goals. |
| Which do you support: 1) sunsetting the Authority in 2020 as current legislation contemplates or 2) extending the Authority beyond that date? If you support extending it, please explain why. | Sunsetting in 2020. | Sunsetting in 2020 | Sunsetting; FORA has already had an extension. |
| What is your position on the Eastside Parkway/Freeway/Road? | I think it's being painted as traffic mitigation when we all know it's about open land up for development. I do not support it. | The pros and cons should be laid out and the public invited to weigh-in. | It is my understanding that the Eastside Parkway, at least that name, is no longer being explored/designed. I recently attended the Scoping meeting by FORA for another road, currently nameless, with many similar attributes and some of my concerns are: -Close proximity to Imjin -Width and speed limits of the road -Want to ensure habitat preservation -Like to see more bike, pedestrian, horse, etc. trails vs. paved bike lanes. -Consideration of other pathways to Highway 1 -Etc. |
Leadership |
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| Kayla Jones | Ian N. Oglesby | Lisa Anne Sawhney | |
| If you are elected, what will be your top three priorities? | Affordable housing, securing a sustainable and affordable water source, and creating not job opportunities for youth and recent graduates, as well as increasing minimum wage. | Low to moderate income housing development, reducing the high cost of water, creating local livable wage jobs and opportunities with career paths | More open, inclusive and collaborative Council Meetings, greater fiscal oversight, and working with the Sunset of FORA, or whatever Agency remains or takes over, so Seaside can move forward with more Safety, Stewardship and Success! |
| What land use policies are you willing to champion for the community? | I am more than willing to consult with LandWatch, Sustainable Seaside, and the unions to create policies we can all be supportive of that will promote sound, environmentally conscious land use. | Smart Growth policies that moves Seaside forward | As already stated, I would support an urban growth boundary initiative with the Council. I also would work with Council for greater park and trail planning. In addition, if exclusive development agreements are established/created, I would like to see time limits clearly defined in contracts. |
| What accomplishments in your career or public service are you most proud of? | There are so many! But my top three would be: 1) Pushing the City to define affordable housing and weaving it into development contracts 2) City-sponsored childcare at Council meetings and 3) establishing the Environmental Committee and Committee on the Status of Homelessness. | As a member of the Monterey County School Board I advocated to move from MPC from an At-large to District elections of their trustees. Resulting in the Seaside, Sand City, and Marina being able to truly elect someone that lives in their community. As a member of the Monterey Regional Waste Management District I fight to have Waste Management Inc. contracts (with most of the peninsula’s cities) open to competition and a fair bidding process. Resulting in new contracts being signed with Green Waste Recovery. Saving residents of Seaside $3.5M -$4M on their garbage bills over the live of the contract. Each city had similar savings depending on their size. As a member of the city’s Blue Ribbon Task Force for the Prevention of Youth Violence I worked to receive a matching grant of $3M. Which was use to create the Seaside Youth Resource Center helping youth and their families with wrap-around services. |
I am most proud of my ability to understand large and complex problems and organizational challenges, which I find akin to the Monterey Region, as well, I'm very strong in finding positive, innovative, and collaborative ways to address large and complex challenges facing organizations and communities alike. Seaside has many challenges facing the community and I believe I can bring a new perspective, financial acumen, and a new approach to leading Council meetings. In addition, a more collaborative approach to working with Council members as well as many City employees to ensure Seaside's Safety, Stewardship and Success. |
Background |
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| Kayla Jones | Ian N. Oglesby | Lisa Anne Sawhney | |
| Occupation | Professional Makeup Artist | CDCR Corrctional Officer | Business Owner & Organizational Management Advisor |
| Years Lived in Area | 21 | 28 | 6 |
| Education | MPC | Courses at MPC and Hartnell | Master's Certificates in Leadership, Human Resources and Project Management from UC Irvine and George Washington University and a BS-Business from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. |
| Experience | My term as a Councilmember, my experience as a member of the working class, 2 years as an EMT, and my lived experience as a mother, renter, student, and person of color in a majority-minority community. | Past Seaside Mayor Pro-Tem (2014-2016), Seaside Council Member (2008-2016), Planning Commissioner (2004-2008), (2017-present), Monterey County Board of Education (2004-2008), United Way Monterey County (2006-2011), the last sixteen years in community governance. Served on boards of TAMC, FORA, AMBAG, MPRWA, MPWMD, and MRWMD | I am a businesswoman and Organizational Management Advisor with strong leadership skills, organizational design, human resources experience, and change management expertise. In addition, I have served various non-profits, including: Boys and Girls Club, CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), Helping Paws, Meals on Wheels, Rotary in the capacity of roles from co-chair, Board Member, Host Family, and Volunteer. |