ZANETA ENCARNACION: I WILL FOCUS LOCALLY WHILE ELEVATING OUR VOICE
Q: Rate outgoing Mayor Mary Casillas Salas. What was her biggest accomplishment? What did she most neglect?
A:
Chula Vista is an
amazing city and is at the epicenter of opportunity! I’m proud of the work that Mayor Casillas Salas has done to elevate our voice in the region, and it’s crucial we have leadership in City Hall who can take it a step even further.
Mayor Casillas Salas has been successful in securing state grant funding for park renovations and other infrastructure projects, including the development of our long-awaited bayfront. She has also been successful in holding the San Diego Association of Governments accountable for removing the toll on state Route 125 by requesting an audit that identified waste and savings, and is working with our state and regional partners on legislation that will eventually remove the tolls. I am committed to carrying forward this important work.
With Chula Vista the second-largest city in the region, it was disappointing to see that we received no earmarks in last year’s state budget to fund critical projects in our city. As mayor, I will remain focused on the hyperlocal issues that impact each neighborhood, while elevating our voice in the region and state to make sure Chula Vista gets its fair share.
Q:
How would you rate
the Chula Vista Police Department? What are its strengths and/or weaknesses? Would you favor increasing or decreasing its budget and why?
A:
Our Police Department has built a community-policing model that has earned the trust of the community so much that our residents voted to tax themselves to increase police presence in the community.
I have served as a Chula Vista Citizen’s Adversity Support Team volunteer (a program that sends trained volunteers with police officers whenever there’s a call involving someone dying to provide support and care the survivors need while officers conduct their investigations) and as an employee of a nonprofit that sends social workers out with
officers on every domestic violence call. These are model community partnerships that should be expanded.
As mayor, I would be committed to working with our community and department to identify areas for expansion and resource them through budget allocation. I support the council’s recommendation to form a Police Community Advisory Commission to review police programs and make policy recommendations on community policing issues.
I believe that we (community members and police) want the same thing — a safe and thriving city for our residents. As mayor, I will not be afraid to bring people together to tackle the difficult conversations that address the overpolicing in communities of color, while also acknowledging the need to ensure our community remains one of the safest cities in the region.
Q:
How would you approach police use of surveillance such as drones and license plate readers?
A:
Technology will continue to play a larger role in public safety as it continues to evolve in areas of businesses and personal matters. There are strengths in technology’s ability to safely deescalate situations through the drone as a first-responder program and to be a pivotal piece of investigations through the license plate reader program. It’s helped identify and apprehend dangerous individuals since its implementation. However, with technology like this there must be accountability and public trust, and that requires independent oversight. I believe we do better when we work together, and as mayor, I would work with our police and community to ensure the public’s trust in these processes.
You do this by involving the public in this process. I support the newly formed Technology and Privacy Task Force made up by citizens with expertise in this area because hearing from community members that the system is working properly is more powerful than hearing that from the city.
Q:
The median home
price in Chula Vista is $732,500. How would you approach housing development in Chula Vista and encourage affordability amid the housing crisis?
A:
Our residents have
deep roots in this city and want their children to be able to stay in this community — but they are getting priced out. The lack of affordable housing options is what drives up the cost of housing for our residents. Yet there is also resistance to new housing because we are a city of commuters. As mayor, I would be committed to addressing the housing crisis while being mindful of neighborhood impact and infrastructure support needed to accommodate growth.
A priority of mine is to create affordable and accessible pathways to home ownership so that our residents can begin creating financial stability and generational wealth. We can do this through new and infill development near major transit corridors with diverse housing products that include low-income homeownership opportunities through community land trusts, naturally affordable units that are market entry points (smaller units, onebedrooms, studios, work/ live lofts), and market rate product. We must provide housing opportunities that do not congregate lowincome households in certain areas, but instead provide opportunities for anyone to live in any part of our city. We also need to preserve affordable and stable rental homes by creating a database of deedrestricted affordable rental housing units and naturally affordable market-rate properties citywide and explore strategies to extend covenants to prevent displacement while also strengthening protections for renters and mom and pop landlords.