There will be at least one new face on the City Council dais in San Clemente following the November general election.
Six candidates are vying for two open positions in city Districts 3 and 4. This is the first time the city has held by-district elections, which the council agreed upon in October.
The switch to by-district elections comes after San Clemente’s at-large system – used for decades – was challenged in July for being “racially polarizing” and diluting the voice of minority groups. In response, the council began looking at how the city could be carved into specific districts in August.
While the two coastal districts are up for election now, voters in District 1 and District 2 will choose their councilmembers in two years and the at-large election for mayor will be held then, too.
District 3
In District 3, which runs along the coast on the north end of San Clemente, incumbent Rick Loeffler faces challengers Lois McNicoll, a retired North Beach resident, Amanda Quintanilla, a retired nurse, and Angela Watts, a local business owner.
In responses to the Orange County Register Voter Guide, the candidates stated their positions on how the city can best meet the demands for more housing, whether they prioritize issues related to climate change, paying off pension liabilities and debt, and what each perceives as the city’s greatest need.
For Loeffler, a former LAPD police officer, the city’s biggest challenge is creating affordable housing with the limitation of a lack of undeveloped available land. An option, he promotes, is working with developers to find older projects that could be torn down and replaced.
“Any new development would include an affordable element,” he said.
Regarding climate change, Loeffler said he worries about rising sea levels and the impacts on the city’s beaches.
“Achieving zero carbon emissions is attainable but will take a collaborative effort from government and private stakeholders,” he said. “San Clemente has an established Climate Action Plan that identifies city sources of greenhouse gas emissions and contains goals and policies for the reduction of emissions over time.”
Loeffler said the city’s biggest need is to have a competent, responsible and motivated city staff, as well as elected officials who effectively set policies the staff can carry out.
McNicoll said climate change is not among her most significant concerns but that forming relationships with other beach cities regarding sand erosion might be helpful.
To help with sand erosion, McNicoll points to technology that retains sand on the beach.
“This is a permanent solution because we would own this methodology,” she said. “It can be moved, removed and stored. We would be using our own sand so there would be no expenses for purchasing, transporting or placing the sand on the beach.”
She’s not a fan of the current Army Corps of Engineers project, which, she said, costs San Clemente $10 million every five years for 50 years, covers a limited area and is only a temporary solution.
McNicoll has been active in community groups, including with the North Beach Homeowners Association where she helped push for private security. She said she’s running because she believes, as a resident, she should be more engaged and that those on the council should do more than just work from the dais.
“Information that affects our entire community must be presented in a venue outside of council chambers where people can truly voice their opinions and ask questions,” she said.
When it comes to the city building more affordable housing, Quintanilla also points to the limitations for building and adds that unstable land is also a consideration in any area that may still be open.
“The city should reach out to private landowners and develop solutions to address affordable housing,” she said.
She agrees that climate change should be taken seriously. To that end, she’s participated with several committees and spoken with lawmakers to address the threat.
“San Clemente is a coastal city and will be impacted by erosion to our beaches, bluffs causing landslides, flooding of coastal canyons, creeks and watersheds,” she said. “For months, I have urged our city to work collaboratively with partners, like the OCTA, and other stakeholders to protect our beaches with sand replenishment, facades or revetments.”
Quintanilla said that in addition to her concern for the beaches, public safety is another hot topic for her.
“A recent survey showed that keeping public areas safe and clean ranked at 96%, making it a priority for San Clemente residents,” she said, adding that only two new sheriff’s deputies have come on board. “Previous efforts by the city were to hire four additional deputies.”
Watts said the way to create more affordable housing is to encourage mixed-use developments, incentivize affordable housing, preserve neighborhood character and invest in infrastructure.
“The city can meet the demand for more housing, including affordable options, by pursuing a balanced approach that integrates smart growth principles while preserving the quality of life in existing neighborhoods,” she said.
When it comes to climate change, Watts said this calls this a “top priority.”
“I would actively support efforts to help San Clemente contribute to California’s goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2045,” she said. “Addressing climate change is not just about protecting our environment but also about safeguarding the health and well-being of our community for future generations.”
Some of her ideas for reaching the goal include promoting renewable energy, enhancing public transportation, supporting green buildings and protecting open space.
District 4
In the race for District 4, Sarah Schneider, a library media technician, faces Zhen Wu, an architect. The district runs from the border of Avenida Victoria — which divides the two coastal districts — to the city’s southern end above and below the 5 freeway.
Schneider said she promotes “local control” when it comes to adding affordable housing in a city that is already built out to ensure that new development aligns with the character and needs of the community.
“Our general plan, which has guided San Clemente’s growth for nearly a century, offers a strategic approach to placing new developments in areas that can handle growth without compromising the quality of life for our residents,” she said.
She also believes the city should take responsibility for protecting against climate change, though she said that responsibility first falls to the state and federal governments.
“We see the effects of climate change most acutely in our coastal zone, where beach erosion and bluff stability are significant concerns,” she said. “I am committed to proactively addressing these challenges through coastal resiliency policies, beach and coastal bluff protections.”
She also stressed the importance of reducing fire risk by enhancing fire prevention measures and “ensuring the robustness of the city’s emergency response plans.”
Schneider said she’d make a strong leader because of her focus on local issues and ability to build coalitions that unite people.
“My strength lies in listening to the citizens of San Clemente and addressing their concerns with a pragmatic, business-minded approach,” she said.
Wu said there must be enough supply of affordable housing to address the market’s needs.
“The supply-demand balance is reached by the market mechanism, but the local government’s policy has a tremendous influence on the supply,” he said. “The state mandate for more housing, including affordable housing, may be met by shifting the city’s land use and housing policy to allow more housing to be built.”
However, he emphasized that it’s also important to consider the neighborhoods where this housing is placed and make sure it doesn’t change the community’s existing character.
“The impact of traffic and building mass/height must be carefully studied and mitigated,” he said, adding that his background as an architect, certified planner and planning commissioner provides a unique appreciation. “A good model is mixed-use developments. They provide the density needed, reduce the parking demand and traffic and at the same time make the neighborhoods safer and more walkable.”
Wu said the city’s plan to pay off debts and manage pension liabilities should include increasing revenue, trimming the budget, or, most likely, a combination of both.
“My preferred way to generate new revenue is through economic development, not taxing the people since I am concerned about the cost of living for our residents, especially working-class families, seniors living on a fixed income and low-income families.”
“As of today, the city has a $52 million unpaid pension liability,” he added. “Once we bring in more revenue and get control of the spending, we should have a surplus budget. The surplus can be used to pay down the pension liability, to build a bigger reserve or to meet residents’ needs.”
Wu said his prior experience on the city’s planning commission, Design Review Subcommittee and Coastal Advisory Committee gives him a solid understanding of the city’s needs.
As a first-generation immigrant and world traveler, he is keenly aware of other cultures and lifestyles.
“I will listen to people and serve them as my constituents regardless of color, gender, age, sexual orientation, educational level, marital status, home ownership and partisanship,” he said.
The newspaper’s voter guide asked the candidates questions about budgeting, climate change, meeting housing demands and what makes a good leader. Check out what they said at ocregister.com/voter-guide. The guide includes all the races on the ballots and San Clemente’s Measure BB.
Ballots may be mailed back, returned to an OC Registrar of Voters official dropbox or taken to a vote center. Vote centers start opening for in-person voting on Oct. 26 and Election Day is Nov. 5.
