Candidate Q&A: Liesbeth Visscher for Marina City Council.

As part of the 2022 election season, the Weekly asked candidates for several offices to answer questions about some of the issues by email. Liesbeth Visscher is running against Leslie D. Martin to represent District 4 on the Marina City Council.

What are the biggest issues facing Marina in the next four years, and why are you the best candidate to address them?

• Unacceptably long emergency response times for part of the city, especially District 4. I am planning to help inform residents why we will need to tax ourselves in favor of a bond so that there will be funds to construct an additional fire station near Imjin Parkway/California Ave. This second fire station will help shorten response times for all residents because the Palm Ave. station will be more available for residents in central and north Marina. The bond will also allow the design and construction of a new civic center to replace the “temporary” structures that have been in use since 1975. When I moved here, in the spring of 2017, I noticed that our new city needs better maintenance. In 2018, I have helped a citizens’ initiative to get three proposals on the ballot, by going door to door to inform residents at Abrams Park, Preston Park, at the Dunes, and several streets in Central Marina. The voters agreed, and those three tax measures now generate $2 million per year for our city. It confirmed how important it is to provide information. In our previous city, I have organized community meetings with reps from PG&E (about smart meters) and our water company (about drought).

• Water: The city of Marina and its residents will need to continue opposing Cal Am’s proposed desalination plant because it will take water from the aquifers, which are MCWD’s sole drinking water source, and the extraction will be of one of California’s 21 critically over-drafted basins. And it would be a prime example of environmental injustice to add yet another industrial facility to our city, especially since Marina would bear all the harms and risks but would not benefit from this one, at all! As a Citizens for Just Water volunteer, and chair since 2020, I am actively involved with the regional water issues. 

• Maintenance: The city needs to have long-term maintenance plans and budgets for all its assets. It is exciting that new parks will be constructed but it is very important to maintain the older parks, and to have a maintenance plan for the new parks, right from the start. Just to name some issues, we should not lose play structures due to lack of maintenance, traffic signs need to be in good condition, and street lights need to be repaired as soon as possible. I can use my background in property management (I have a master’s in architecture) and my experience as project manager for the implementation of a long term maintenance plan for 3,000+ homes to help improve city maintenance programs. 

• Developments: The Dunes and Sea Haven will take several more years to get built out. Construction of Marina Station should start soon. Cypress Knolls offers one more option for a large development in Marina. I would like to see affordable housing included in this area, plus senior housing. I live at the Dunes and for the last 3 years have worked as Community Association on-site manager at Sea Haven, so I am familiar with some issues in those two new developments, like the narrow streets that don’t offer enough space for large delivery trucks. 

• Sports and Aquatic Center: It will be a welcome addition for Marina to have a place for people of all ages to swim, work out, dance, etc! I support the plans to remodel the two existing Fort Ord structures and to connect them with a new building. I have submitted comments for the conceptual design, which was presented at city hall in July. 

How often do you currently attend City Council meetings? Do you think the current council is effective?

Since the city council meetings are being offered by Zoom due to Covid, I have attended almost all of them, and regularly give public comments. Although I think that most of the city council meetings are too long, I do think that city council is effective; staff and councilmembers just have a lot on their plate. It sometimes is hard for the public (including me) needing to accept that it takes time to see the results of council decisions.

Marina is growing quickly as Marina Community Partners develops. Do you think anything needs to be done to connect new neighborhoods to existing neighborhoods? What vision will you bring to help Marina feel cohesive?

Yes, I do think that we need to connect new neighborhoods to existing neighborhoods. I support the plan to connect Del Monte Boulevard to 2nd Avenue so that residents no longer will need to use Highway 1 to drive between north and south Marina.

The development at Cypress Knolls will be another option to connect existing and new neighborhoods, because it borders Central Marina, Sea Haven and the Dunes. Even although it seems that the site for the new civic center already has been chosen, in the area west of the library, I would like the city to at least look into the option to design the new civic center in the Cypress Knolls area because it is more centrally located, and has more space, which offers the opportunity to create a town square, something that now is missing in our city.

Marina is unusual in that growth is actively happening. But the city still has a RHNA obligation to zone for 685 new housing units by 2031. What are you going to do to help the city achieve that RHNA number, and to advance affordable housing units specifically?

Cypress Knolls offers space for housing, including workforce and affordable housing. I would like the city to research the option to construct “tiny homes." And I would like the permitting process for ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units) to be simple and affordable so that homeowners who wish to add

living space will be able to do that in a short timeframe.

Cal Am has resubmitted its application for a desalination plant in Marina. Would you be able or willing to help broker a dialogue between Cal Am and the city? Are there specific environmental justice concessions that you believe should be made?

Thanks to my involvement as one of the Citizens for Just Water volunteers, and since 2020 as chair, I am familiar with Cal Am’s proposed desalination plant in Marina, and the environmental justice issues this causes for our disadvantaged community. I do not see how Marina could afford to allow

the construction of a desalination plant that will take massive amounts of water from the aquifer under our city, which is the only drinking water source for Marina Coast Water District, our public water company. There fortunately is a feasible alternative: Pure Water Monterey offers recycled water that is cheaper and does not jeopardize the aquifers. According to MCWD and MPWMD, the PWM Expansion will offer enough water for the region for at least 30 years.

I am not against desalination but I think it should be the last resort, due to the cost and the amounts of (potentially toxic) waste. And it should not be as large as proposed by Cal Am and it should not be located at the Cemex site!

More information can be found on our website:www.citizensforsjustwater.org.

With the closing of the sand mining plant, which has been active for more than 100 years, Marina will finally have a chance to create easy access to a pristine beach, home to threatened and endangered species that live at the shoreline. This is important because Marina only has a few beach access points. The Fort Ord Dunes beach can only be reached by people who can walk well. When the Cemex plant is closed, a year from now, the site will be sold to a public agency or agencies who will offer a parking lot and boardwalk so that everyone can enjoy the beautiful beach, without another industrial facility!

For a long time, Marina has served as a watchdog to Cal Am’s desalination proposal. Is there any other role Marina can/should play on regional water issues?

As councilmember, I will support the city in engaging in collaborative talks with Cal Am and water agencies. I support public, regional projects.

I attended the Monterey County Board of Supervisors’ Water Forum on Sept. 20. Several opportunities for additional water projects were presented,

which can be successful if we all work together. Marina should (and does) support PWM recycled water, the expansion, and potentially even another expansion.

For the common areas in the new developments, the city restricts the plant  and tree selection, to promote the planting of drought-resistant and native species. This must already have saved a lot of water. If not already done, it would be good for Marina to share their experience with these plant

lists with the county so that water can be saved in the entire region.

If a desalination plant needs to be added in the region in the future, the city should be a partner, under the condition that the plant will be publicly owned, that it does not negatively affect our water supplies, our shoreline, and our wildlife habitat, and that Marina will benefit from it.

Do you like the current Dadwal hotel proposal? Is there anything you would change about it?

Yes, I like the proposal that is eco-themed and focuses on low environmental impact. The “waves” roof will make this a landmark for Marina at this unique location. It will be good to work together with CSUMB to offer internships for their Sustainable Hospitality Management Program. I haven’t seen detailed plans and don’t have suggestions for changes.

Do you think the equestrian center concession agreement was handled well? How would you have voted on that contract?

Yes, I think that the agreement has been handled well. As I expressed during public comments, two different issues were discussed during the Sept. 7, 2022 council meeting. I understand that it is hard to accept for the current users, but City Council already had made a decision one year ago. The

question whether the selected concessionaire will be able to run it well is a separate issue, which staff can look into. I support the motion made by Councilmember Lisa Berkley.

How is cannabis going in Marina? Would you like to see the number of cannabis businesses increased?

I haven’t heard or read any negative comments about the current three cannabis businesses. I don’t know if there have been any recent requests to increase the number of cannabis businesses. I would always be interested in hearing more about pros and cons.

Do you think the public comment period at council meetings should be shortened? What will you do if elected to increase public engagement?

Yes, I think that the public comment period at council meetings should be decreased from four to three minutes. I support all changes proposed in the meeting packet for the Aug. 12, 2022 council meeting. This agenda item (11d) unfortunately was not discussed due to lack of time.

If elected, I would like to engage residents by encouraging them to join neighborhood apps (Nextdoor, local Facebook groups), to register for meeting alerts from the city, and to join an email list for communication from the councilmember who represents their district. For those who don’t have online access and/or don’t speak English, different ways to communicate need to be found, e.g. postcards (potentially with translations).

At the moment, we again have a Citizens for Just Water booth at the famers market, to inform residents about the Nov. 17 Coastal Commission meeting. We reach quite a few people. It might be a good idea to now and then have a “City Booth” at the farmers market to inform Marina residents about issues and plans. I would be happy to regularly volunteer for that, as councilmember, because I really believe in providing information.