District 2 candidates discuss city issues
Topics include public safety, homelessness and more
As voters in District 2 decide who they want to fill the last seat of the new by-district Vacaville City Council, an opportunity to hear the candidates on the issues was presented in a virtual forum Wednesday hosted by the Vacaville Chamber of Commerce.
Business co-owner and former Diplomatic Security Service agent Joe Desmarais, former Councilman Curtis Hunt and mortgage broker Greg Ritchie are vying to fill the seat vacated by Mitch Mashburn, who left the council in December after being elected to the Solano County Board of Supervisors, in a May 4 special election.
All three were present at the forum, which was held at the Vacaville Opera House and streamed over Facebook Live to allow for social distancing protocols in the time of COVID-19.
The forum was moderated by Michael Fortney, chair of the Chamber’s Business and Community Political Action Committee.
One question regarded what the city could do to improve access to housing. Ritchie said it was important to ensure affordability was being met.
“That’s not getting done through legislation or something that we can do,” he said. “We need to make sure we provide high-income jobs to increase the median income to afford the housing.”
Desmarais said affordable housing has been an issue for awhile and has only gotten worse. His proposals included incentivizing firsttime buyer programs and prioritizing senior housing.
“We need to make affordable higher-density housing attractive,” he said. “Higherdensity housing is going to be more affordable, but developers aren’t going to do that for free. Developers are in it for money. We need to remember that.”
Hunt said there were approximately 50,000 people working in the biotechnology or service industries in Vacaville but living elsewhere. He felt housing should target them and proposed providing different types of housing. He also said the city should acknowledge that its fees were prohibitive of providing housing for all.
“The average cost to build a house in Vacaville before you sell the house is $70,000,” he said. “That is an incredible amount that drives the housing cost, and I think we need to work with our developers with zoning alternatives and incentives.”
The candidates were also asked if they proposed any changes in funding for police or fire services as well as hat the public safety responsibility was when property damage, such as the graffiti and breaking of glass at City Hall in January, affects private business’ interests.
Hunt said the discussion around defunding the police appears to have “created a dynamic that you’re either with us, or you’re against us.”
“I don’t believe that,” he said. “I think you can support the police and, at the same time, advocate for a full-service city. I think you can support the police and talk about the importance of senior services, parks and teen activities.”
Regarding last month’s vandalism, Hunt said it was “not a matter of left or right” but “a matter of right and wrong.”
“That was wrong,” he said, emphasizing that the perpetrators should have been arrested.
Ritchie said the current level of public safety is good. He said the police and fire departments have a responsibility to “make sure Vacaville stays a place where you want to live, reside, invest and come.”
“People are not going to want to move to live (or) bring businesses here and spend money and circulate funds through our city if it’s not safe,” he said. “Vacaville’s a great place, but what keeps it great is making sure we have top-tier public safety and make sure the community
members feel inclusive.”
Desmarais said he did not support any cuts toward police funding, but as a former law enforcement officer himself, he acknowledged there is always room for improvement. He cited frequent trainings as a vital tool for all police departments.
“Training is everything,” he said. “You could have the best resources in the world, the best pay and benefits in the world, (but) if you’re not training regularly in a professional way, it doesn’t work. While I see a lot of resources and things for the police and fire, what I’d love to see is an investment in training.”
Desmarais also said that property damage should never be tolerated.
“I was actually surprised there wasn’t a stronger show of force (or) a stronger statement from a lot of our city’s leadership,” he said.
The candidates were asked if they would make any changes regarding the city’s approach toward homelessness. Ritchie said the city should have a longterm program. Currently, the city is operating a warming shelter at Georgie Duke Sports Center to give unhoused individuals a place to stay during the winter while the facility is closed due to COVID-19. He felt the shelter should not be extended, and the center should go back to its intended purpose of providing sports to residents.
“We could look at other opportunities to find places to house and assist the homeless,” he said, citing the partnerships between faith-based organizations to help individuals transition to housing. “(We need to make) sure people that are homeless have resources or services for mental or physical impairments, but we need to make sure that we give them a ladder to climb and do better.”
Desmarais suggested a multi-pronged public/ private partnership and felt the city and Solano County have done a good job through programs like the Homeless Roundtable and the Community Action Partnership. He felt the real failures regarding homelessness have been at the state level.
“Some of these issues have been a little out of control, but we do have to continue to address them,” he said.
Desmarais said the city should have more programs that “break the cycle” of homelessness rather than emergency shelters, which he said were “Band-Aid solutions.”
“Having solutions like that are important, but they should be short-term solutions,” he said.
Hunt, who served on the statewide Homeless Task Force, said the city should have an evidence-based response.
“Homelessness is an extremely complex issue of mental health, substance abuse … lack of job history, no abilities,” he said.
Hunt also said mental health outreach and providing low-barrier housing were important. He also praised the work of the Downtown Streets Team, a nonprofit in many communities that identifies homeless individuals and puts them to work cleaning up streets and rewards them with gift cards. Vice Mayor Nolan Sullivan had previously suggested bringing the program to Vacaville.
“It creates an opportunity for homeless to contribute in a real way,” Hunt said.
Fortney also asked a question on an issue specific to District 2: the proposed development of the former Green Tree Golf Course. The candidates were asked what kinds of elements they would like to see.
Hunt, who has been actively involved in the process since the golf course closed, said it should have things that meet seniors’ needs since the project is a part of Vacaville with a large senior population.
“I think we need a property that has trails (and) parks,” he said. “Seniors need to have access. They don’t need a tot lot at their park. They need a park that they can walk to (with) even surfaces that creates opportunities to get them into the community.”
Hunt also said he would not approve any Green Treerelated project that is not collaboratively planned by Leisure Town residents.
Ritchie said he would want something that serves the residents of District 2 but also the city at large. He suggested a multi-use project that includes small-lot housing.
“Small-lot housing is very difficult, but it’s something that can be attained,” he said. “We can do small-lot apartments for senior living. We can also do workforce housing…(or) condos that appeal to people that don’t need a backyard.”
Desmarais said the current site is “an eyesore” and felt the plan should have more open space and parks as well as senior-restricted housing. He also suggested working with developers to adjust traffic patterns but felt that what District 2 residents want is more important than what he wants.
“I’m going to do two things: I’m going to shut up, and I’m going to listen,” he said. “I’m going to ask (residents), ‘What do they want in the Green Tree project?’ To me, that’s more important than what I’d love to have.”
The full forum can be viewed at Facebook.com/ vacavillechamber.