Spencer Rhoads
Why are you running for city council? I’m running for Lodi City Council because I see the massive rift between our city council and the rest of our community. Unlike a majority of the council members, I was born and raised in Lodi, so I’ve seen the transformation of our community throughout my life, and want to fight for the future of our community and the city my two kids are being raised in.
Why are you the best candidate for the District 2 seat? Lodi voters are going to be faced with a choice. Do they want the same old thing, or do they want some new blood and real change? Four years ago, we elected two new members on the idea that they’d shake things up and be fiscally responsible. What we got were the same politicians — increasing utility rates, proposing tax increases, and no real results. I’m the best candidate for the job not only because I’m a homegrown candidate, but because I really want to work and solve problems. I’m not afraid to get “down in the trenches” and work.
If elected, what do you hope to accomplish? I’m not going to spew the typical politician talking points, because I think we all agree that we need more officers and want to reduce homelessness. I hope to bring some new perspective and new ideas to the council, pushing our city to embrace technology, and increase government transparency. I hope to create a business-friendly and vibrant downtown, expand community volunteerism, and bring in more activities for our youth. Most of all, I don’t want to be a leader with his own agenda and a closed mind. I want to listen to ongoing community concerns and work on their behalf.
What role should a city serve and how can you measure success? The primary role of government at every level is to preserve life, liberty and property. The government has an obligation to protect its citizens and their property, while at the same time staying out of the way so that each resident can maximize their individual freedom. How we measure that is less about numbers and more about how the public feels our government is doing. I believe that social media is becoming a more and more relevant in gauging public opinion.
How can Lodi better serve its citizens? Lodi can best serve its citizens by ensuring that they have more money in their pockets. While the rest of the state has gotten out of the recession, economic growth in agricultural communities like Lodi has lagged behind. Wages haven’t gone up at the same rate as inflation. So every time the city asks for more taxes and higher utility rates, entire households are forced to cut back, and service levels remain the same.
Who’s a leader you admire and why? Former governor Hiram Johnson. He was unconventional, a staunch opponent of government corruption, and introduced the initiative process. My favorite story about him is how he hated the railroad so much that he campaigned for governor in an electric car.
Your thoughts on:
Measure L I’m fundamentally against tax increases, and Measure L in my opinion, is kicking the city’s budget problems down the road for future city officials to deal with. Five to ten years down the road we are going to be having this same conversation about raising taxes, and I’d like to solve our budget issues now rather than later and develop a plan for long-term success.
Homelessness I don’t blame anyone for wanting to call Lodi home. It’s a great community with a big heart. But in order to be a part of this community you must share our same values, and follow our local laws. It’s unfortunate, but our spare change is often fueling the cycle of substance abuse issues in our homeless population. We need to educate our community on available services, who to contact, and encourage them to donate to community organizations instead of giving directly to the homeless. We also need to prioritize those who actually want to get out of homelessness.
Affordable housing Unaffordable housing is a symptom of a much bigger problem, which is the lack of housing supply throughout the state of California. California must reform environmental regulations that stop local builders from building the much-needed supply. I think we give residents more power to afford housing when we put more money in their pockets and stop forcing them to open up their wallets.
Service priorities With the recent city survey, Lodians made it clear that they value two major categories: public safety and parks. I believe that the city should listen to its residents and budget according to those priorities.
Economic development/job creation Lodi needs good paying jobs, and it starts with creating a business-friendly environment, a vibrant downtown, and educating the future workforce. I believe that our tourism economy could benefit from a more vibrant nightlife, and our agriculture industry would benefit from a local university with programs in agribusiness and the trades.
Growth policies: From everyone I’ve talked to, residents want Lodi to remain small. As the city develops its southern border, Stockton has made it clear that it wants to move north, and that gap between the two cities is getting smaller and smaller. We should listen to our residents’ desires to remain small and prioritize infill development. If we want to grow, I believe we need to look at building west instead of South, building up instead of sprawling outward, and make it easier for projects that provide housing for renters.
Public employee salaries/pensions/benefits When I worked in the State Assembly, I contributed a portion of my paycheck to CalPERS, but our formula was vastly different than what our city provides. I exchanged great benefits for low salary, no overtime, and there was no way I could retire at 50. When our city has over 65,000 residents, has only 390 full-time employees, and spends $61 million for salaries and benefits, something is terribly wrong. I believe we can give future employees good-paying jobs that are more reflective of what’s going on in the private market.
State vs. local control I’m all about local control. Working for the state, I’ve seen the negative impact on local governments through unfunded mandates. Local governments know what’s best for their individual communities.
Marijuana ordinances I’ll be honest that I don’t necessarily agree that marijuana deserves to be recognized as an illegal drug under federal law, but I do have concerns about what message the legalization of marijuana and other controlled substances has on our youth. One of my biggest concerns is driving under the influence. Our city has a big problem with drinking and driving, and I think adding marijuana to the mix makes our roads less safe. Ultimately, this all goes back to local control. If communities don’t want marijuana, they should have every right to ban it.
Taxpayer accountability Taxpayers absolutely need to keep their governments accountable for the spending of their tax dollars. It’s not government’s money. It’s our money. I would like to increase government transparency, especially around our budget process. It shouldn’t take a tax increase to establish a budget oversight committee. We’ve needed budget oversight for decades. I’d like to see a much longer and more detailed budget process, and the establishment of a budget subcommittee.