ECT: Q&A With Brentwood City Council Candidates

Below are questions we have posed to the candidates running for Brentwood City Council this November. With two seats open with five candidates, this has become a three-person race.

Candidates include: John Fink, Karen Rarey, Robert (Leo) Rodgers, Claudette Staton, and Mark Stoiber. Neither Rodgers or Stoiber submitted their answers.

Questions were sent via email and answers were provided in written form.  Candidates order rotates on each question:

1. Why are you running for Brentwood City Council?

• Fink: As a Planning Commissioner for the last seven years, I was part of the update to our General Plan.  I feel that there are very important goals and objectives in the General Plan that I wanted to play a greater role in.  Being on the City Council will give me the opportunity to do more in our City to help it grow.
• Rarey: For a number of years I have been encouraged to run for local office, but have declined previous opportunities. I was simply too busy with other community projects, working and raising a family. I now feel that the time has come for me to seek elected office. I want to bring a wealth of experience and my well-known positive forward-looking thinking to the Brentwood City Council. Brentwood is at a crucial turning point as a city. We are currently teetering at around 75-percent of our build-out, which is 81,000, and we really need to focus on economic development to ensure the city’s future fiscal sustainability. Currently, according to our General Plan, our economic development is only at 30-percent.
• Staton: As a member of the Brentwood Planning Commission and Brentwood Neighborhood Committee, I am committed in helping to protecting the quality of life for all our residents. As a small business owner and member of the General Plan Update Working Group in 2013, I believe I have the experience and knowledge to continue to serve Brentwood on the City Council.  I also want to note that in the last ten years there hasn’t been a woman serving on the City Council.

2. What are your goals if elected?

• Rarey: We need to become business-friendly in order to entice companies employing high-wage jobs to plant their roots here in Brentwood. There is a multitude of emerging technology-based businesses out there that are ripe for the picking – clean technology, telemedicine, solar and biotechnology just to name a few.
  By bringing a high-quality, high-paying workforce here to Brentwood, whether these jobs are secured by Brentwood residents or reverse commuters, we ultimately increase dollars spent in town on shopping, eating and recreating – bringing a broader base for tax revenues for the city.
  One idea I have also been developing with the local farming community:
  We’re surrounded by agriculture, so why not create agribusiness above and beyond the U-pick farms? We need to work with the County so that our farmers don’t have to jump through hoops to open commercial kitchens, wineries, olive oil mills, restaurants and bed & breakfasts on their properties. By creating agritourism, Brentwood would directly see an increase in its tax revenue base due to tourists staying in our hotels and shopping & eating locally.
  It is this broader tax revenue base which will provide the funding we need to improve and enhance public safety and maintain the quality of life we have accustomed to in Brentwood.
• Staton: If elected I will focus on balancing Brentwood’s budget and maintaining our 30 % reserve for emergencies. Also I will also work closely with our police, our District Attorney and Sheriff to ward off violent crime. I am proud to have earned the endorsement of the Brentwood Police Officers’ Association, Sheriff David Livingston and District Attorney Mark Peterson. The other issue I care deeply about is providing a more direct route for ambulances to get to local hospitals in 911 medical emergencies – perhaps looking at extending Sand Creek Road to Sutter Delta and Kaiser Hospitals.
• Fink: Improve and support our public safety.  We need to fix the issues with the East Contra Costa Fire Protection district and get our stations reopened.  We also need to give our police the tools they need to keep Brentwood safe.  I am the only candidate that has been endorsed by both the local firefighters and our Brentwood police officers
  Maintain our fiscal goals and policies and keep Brentwood on the right track financially.  We have a number of large expenditures currently with the new dispatch center and the new library. There are also future obligations we need to be addressing for employee pensions and benefits as well as debt for past projects such as the Civic Center.  Our City “must” be ready for the next downturn in the economy so we are not caught short and would need to make cuts that would compromise our quality of life in Brentwood.
  Inside out Economic Development is a phrase I am using as a two pronged approach to bring in jobs from outside Brentwood but also create new jobs from within Brentwood.  We need to increase the staff of our Economic Development Department from two to four people.  Two to work on bringing in business from other parts of the Bay Area, and the other two to work on building up small businesses in Brentwood and helping them grown and thrive.  The City still owns the Brentwood Education and Technology Center.  Besides housing Los Medanos College, there is a large section that the City built a number of small office suites.  They were designed to help “incubate” small business and help them become larger employers in the City.  I want to reopen the incubator and start that process going again

3. Should Bart come to Brentwood?

• Staton: I absolutely believe that Brentwood deserves its own BART extension – especially since Antioch will be getting their own service at the end of next year. Our citizens have been paying for BART through their taxes for many years – it’s time we are able to reap the benefits of not having to commute every day through awful Highway 4 traffic.
• Fink: No…Public safety is very important to my goals.  When BART comes into a City, it invariably brings with it an increase in crime.  Our Police officers understand this, and have said it could put a strain on our resources.  However, there is a clear financial reason not to have eBART.  The “proposed” location for a future eBART station would be at the Mokelumne trail near Home Depot.  If you drive on Highway 4 from that location to the new Hillcrest eBART station, it takes approximately 5 minutes.  Why should BART spend hundreds of millions of dollars for a Brentwood BART station when you can drive to one in five minutes?  BART could better spend that money elsewhere instead of asking us for more tax dollars to maintain their systems.  It will also maintain a buffer between Brentwood and the Hillcrest station that will help keep crime from filtering into our City.
• Rarey: There are still questions that need to be answered before I can say whether I’m in favor of an eBART station in Brentwood. Will it bring crime? Will we see an increase in the homeless population? And what are the costs associated with eBART and who will pay for it?

4. Do you support the Brentwood Utility User Tax?

• Fink: Yes. we are facing a serious reality of a fire service that will not be available when we need it.  We need to do something to inject revenue into the district to get more stations open in the short term.  Once we have increased service we need to put all the options on the table to consider for the future and that includes a possible “Brentwood Fire Department”.
• Rarey: Public safety is of momentous importance to me. We need to find ways to strengthen public safety. As you know, our fire district is in dire straits. While I’m not in favor of more taxes, facts are the majority of fire calls are for emergency medical aid. Doing nothing is unacceptable in that lives will be at stake. If we don’t pass the UUT, residents living 5 miles or more from a firehouse could see a $580 annual increase to their homeowner’s insurance – this per an insurance agent, who said this number came from insurance actuaries. I spoke with an insurance broker, who said it’s just not the distance, but response times too. Another person said while looking for insurance, she was turned down by 9 out of 10 insurance companies because there are too many red flags in East County (she lives 1.5 miles from a fire house). If the Utility User Tax passes, the downtown station will reopen in 2017 and a new station on north Shady Willow will be built in 2018. If it fails, homeowners may soon be paying an additional $580 a year on their homeowner’s insurance and still only have 1 fire station to service Brentwood.
• Staton: Yes I do support it. The benefit of the Utility User Tax is to provide adequate emergencies services to the residents of Brentwood.

5. Brentwood has grown by more than 6% the last two years. Is it growing too fast, too slow or just right? Explain your answer.

• Rarey: Currently the homes being built are developments approved 8 years ago when the recession hit and the housing market crashed. But I do believe we need to slow down. According to the City, it estimates conservatively that 3,005 new homes will be built, which in turn will result in another 10,000 in population (conservatively). We need to stop relying on residential developer fees to help balance the budget and start working on economic development. We need to bring high-quality, high wage jobs to Brentwood, which will help to reduce traffic on both SR 4 and Vasco Road through the employment of Brentwood residents and reverse commuters.
• Staton: Brentwood has a growth management plan which is imperative so we can continue to maintain quality levels of services to our community. All future growth must be planned carefully. As a member of the Brentwood Planning Commission, I have worked diligently to balance the need for housing with our community’s desire to preserve and protect open spaces and valuable agricultural lands.
• Fink: This is a question I get asked a lot as a Planning Commissioner.  The growth we have seen over the last two years is grow that was suppose to occur several years ago before the Great Recession.  The homes and projects you are seeing built now we approved years ago.  Now that the economy has come back, so have the developers.  I actually believe we are growing just right at this time.  It is “future” development that we have to pay close attention to going forward.  In a way, the Great Recession was a good thing for the City.  It made us take a “pause” and allowed other areas of the City for roads, schools and other City services to catch up and be ready for the current phase of development.

6. What is your view on affordable housing?

• Staton:  “Affordable housing” is a term that everyone wants to talk about, but no one really defines what specifically this term means. Property values in Brentwood are back from the recession days, which is terrific. But I do believe we need to do more for our retired senior citizens, who may or may not be able to afford quality housing after retirement. I am proud of the options Brentwood has offered our 55+ residents, and the safe environment we have here in Brentwood for our elderly population. But I know we can always do more.
• Fink: In my opinion the City of Brentwood has sufficient affordable housing that meets the state requirements.  Larger developments then what we currently have could put a strain on our already stretched public safety services.  I will support what the State requires us to have to meet our Housing Element responsibilities to the State.
• Rarey: Brentwood has several apartment complexes in town with subsidized rentals, as well as some Section 8 housing rentals.

7. Are you in support of Grey Wolf coming to Brentwood? If successful, what do you picture happening and what it will do to the area?

• Fink: Yes…I am in support of Grey Wolf coming to Brentwood.  I think the jobs it will generate will be beneficial to our citizens and the tax revenue to the City could help in ways that would benefit public safety.  Word of mouth is the best advertising.  When Grey Wolf was first proposed, I started asking friends of ours who have visited other locations around the country, what their experiences were.  They had nothing but wonderful things to say about the staff, the facilities, but most importantly the safety and security.  One person said that Grey Wolf has their own security staff.  In the water park portion alone, there are always numerous security personnel posted in several locations and they switch positions every 5 minutes.  This couple was there with their grandchildren and felt totally fine leaving them in the water park while they went and did other things.  That was the best recommendation I could have gotten and why I would support them coming to Brentwood.  I feel the “proposed” location is a perfect spot for the facility.  There is little or no housing in the area and the neighboring businesses, Lone Tree Plaza and the Streets of Brentwood, could get a much needed boost for their current and future merchants.
• Rarey: I think it would be great – we would become a destination city. The city would gain a significant amount of tax revenue base from hotel taxes, and from hotel guests shopping in the area and eating in our restaurants. It would also bring jobs to the area. But there are still more questions, most importantly – how will this impact our fire department, which is already taxed beyond its limits. And like all destination cities, how will our city be impacted by crime?
• Staton: The Grey Wolf Family Resort would be an incredible addition to our community. It’s family oriented, and would provide hundreds of local jobs for our youth and other residents. Before Grey Wolf receives approval from the City of Brentwood, there is one issue that I would want to seriously address and that is the question of recycled water. Here in California, rain is scarce and the drought is real. I would want to make certain that any water use would be done efficiently, with safeguards that water will be recycled and purified for use at the resort.

8. Do you believe the Brentwood has enough police officers? Is crime a problem in Brentwood? 

• Rarey: Our police force, while adequately staffed, could also benefit from additional personnel and assuring their crime-fighting technology stays current with the times. I believe overall that Brentwood is a pretty safe city to live in with a low crime rate.
• Staton:  Our police officers here in Brentwood do an AMAZING job keeping our neighborhoods safe. I am also so honored to have received their endorsement to my election to the City Council. That being said, we have a very unique challenge in Brentwood:  How do we keep the violent crime that has infiltrated other area cities out of our neighborhoods? We can’t put our heads in the sand when it comes to keeping Brentwood safe for our families. There needs to be a proactive plan. If elected, I would like the opportunity to work with law enforcement toward this goal. After full review of budget issues, I would support the highest number of police officers to patrol neighborhoods and prevent violent crime as our budget would allow.
• Fink: The General Plan calls for 1.5 sworn officers for every 1,000 persons living in the City of Brentwood.  As we grow, we are going to need to continue to hire more officers.  Currently the City Council has approved 5 additional positions above the current levels to make up for those on disability to make certain we are fully staffed.  As a City Councilperson I would continue that overstaffing going forward.  As for crime in Brentwood…we do have some challenges with theft in some neighborhoods on the West side of the City, but the bigger challenge we are facing is the increase in our homeless population. Our officers have told me that we need to have more enforcement tools to give them to better deal with the issues that come with an increase in the homeless population, and I am in complete support of doing what I can to help them protect the Citizens of Brentwood.

9. What is your understanding of the Brentwood budget? Is there anything that the current council has spent money on that you would do differently?

• Staton: Brentwood has a balanced City budget and 30% reserve for emergencies.  I commend Mayor Bob Taylor, Vice Mayor Joel Bryant and the entire Council for their commitment to watching over Brentwood taxpayers’ funds. I am supported by Mayor Taylor and Vice Mayor Bryant and, if elected, will work closely to continue their work to balance our City budget.
• Fink: I know our City Finance Department has done an extraordinary job.  Our former Director of Finance, Pam Ehler received numerous awards from her peers on the excellence she showed in managing the City’s funds and Brentwood has been recognized more than once by the Contra Costa County Grand Jury for being a “model city” when it comes to our finances.  However, there have been a number of large projects and expenditure that concern me.  The fact that the City has the Budget Stabilization Fund and the 30% reserve on our General Fund is important, but between the new dispatch center at $2.6 million, the new library at $12 million and the new Corporation Yard offices at $3 million, I am concerned about what we are saving for the next downturn in the economy.  As a new Councilmember I will be asking our current Finance Director about where we are on our saving for a “rainy day
• Rarey: Don’t get me wrong, I feel a new library in town is invaluable, but not a 20,000 sq. ft. library, with a café, to the tune of $12 MIL (originally the new library was to be smaller and was budgeted for $6 MIL).  Also in the 10-year fiscal model, is an estimated $1.5 million for operational and replacement costs for the new library. I don’t feel it was in the city’s best interest when this project was increased in size and cost, especially with a deficit budget looming over the city for at least the next decade.

10. Do you support providing the mayor with a $500 a month stipend increase on top of his monthly salary? Why or why not? 

• Fink: Years ago, before I was ushered into the world of politics, I would have said no.  But…the more you do, the more time it takes to do the things that need to be done.  Being on the Planning Commission does not take as near the time it does to be on the City Council, which is about 20 hours a week.  For the Mayor…it is far more.  Our current Mayor not only has his time for the meetings, other committees he serves on in the City and another 20 (yes there are 20!) outside committees for the County and the State that he has to be a part of.  Sure, he does not “have to” commit to all of them, but by doing so, he has been able to accomplish a lot of things for Brentwood by being as involved as he has.  His biggest accomplishment by his work is all of the improvements to highway 4 from Lone Tree to Sand Creek and now to Balfour.  So is that worth paying him a few thousand a month to get done what he has, yes…I think it’s worth it.
• Rarey: No! While I appreciate the Mayor’s attendance at a majority of the events in our town, his attendance is not a requisite of his job. He does it because he wants to – I respect that.
• Staton: Our Mayor has worked hard day and night to improve our City’s quality of life for all our residents. I see him at every event. I know how hard he works and wholeheartedly support this small increase.