Candidate Q&A: Andrew Sandoval for Salinas 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. Andrew Sandoval is running for District 5 on Salinas City Council, against incumbent Christie Cromeenes.  

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

In walking the neighborhoods and talking to residents the most pressing concerns have been:

Housing:

The reality is the city failed to work with school districts to address concerns before attempting to build housing. Poor planning has led the city to bad traffic, congestion, and roads too small to handle growth. I will improve communication with the school districts, to resolve any issues and make sure when we build we plan properly. I will advocate for more affordable housing and make sure we do what we can to have people that live in Salinas be able to afford a house in Salinas!

Sidewalks:

15- to 20-year backlog on getting your sidewalk repaired is unacceptable. The City of Salinas asked the residents to pass a tax measure to fix our sidewalks. The residents voted to approve this $0.01 tax increase. I am a member of the Measure G Oversight Committee which monitors that money. At a recent meeting, I asked "how much of Measure G money has been spent on repairing sidewalks?" The answer was ZERO! I will push to use money that was supposed to go to sidewalks and instead put it away in reserves to be spent immediately, the same year, so we can keep our promise to residents and have their tax dollars go to where they intended the monies to go when they voted on Measure G.

Streets and Potholes:

The time is now to invest in our pothole-ridden city! The same Measure G money that was contributed by our residents was put away instead of being spent. I will push for those funds to go to much-needed repairs. The residents shouldn't feel like they are off-roading when driving in Salinas, unless the city wants to pay for car shocks, we need to fix our streets.

Our Parks:

I've had the pleasure of being a coach for my four kids in various sports, unfortunately finding fields with no dangerous gopher holes or safe facilities for basketball has been a struggle. Not having access to restrooms makes practice more difficult. Our kids deserve better and I will work toward achieving safe spaces for all by investing more money and coordinating volunteer opportunities.

Trash:

I grew up in Salinas and remember a time when I could drive down Main St. and not see garbage all over our city. The residents' hard-earned tax money is often not utilized properly when it could go toward cleaning up our city. We need to take a hard look at the city's priorities and make sure we are taking care of them. If we want to attract new businesses, opportunities, and high-paying jobs, then we must show we are proud of our city by making sure it is clean.

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

I watch City Council meetings regularly and I attend, in person, when I want to make a public comment. For many people that work, 4pm meetings are difficult to attend. I will push for Zoom participation to give everyone a chance to attend.

I believe the current City Council is making great progress and focusing on the much-needed investment in our neighborhoods, which are too often neglected. There is still much work to be done, as a constant theme I hear coming from the Council, is concerns and recommendations for outreach. There needs to be a standard strategic plan to contact businesses and residents when a change or issue will affect them. For example, like campaign season, this means knocking on doors and talking to people.

The Downtown Vibrancy Plan has been years in the making and it is no longer just on paper, but you can see the changes in the streetscape and the neighborhood. Do you think the city did a good job on implementing this plan? What could have been done better?

Oldtown Salinas looks great after millions of dollars were spent. With that being said, I think spending that much money, Measure X funds, on an area that most Salinas residents don't visit is wrong, especially when it was perfectly fine the way it was. Reducing parking downtown, taking down trees, and completely replacing perfectly good roads is completely ridiculous, especially when there are so many roads all over Salinas in complete disrepair.

It's too late to talk about what could have been different but I will not allow that type of preferential treatment of downtown again.

With the Alisal Vibrancy Plan also in the works, are there any lessons learned you would apply? What do you hope and believe is a realistic timeline to see that plan begin to really take effect now that SVSWA has closed the Sun Street Transfer Station?

It's been many years of meetings and planning for the Alisal Vibrancy Plan. I remember a few years ago getting a call from a resident asking Chris Barrera and me to attend to observe and stay vigilant as she believed it was just a show and no real investment would be done. Thankfully the new Council gave direction to the City Manager and real investment is happening.

Salinas, like all local cities, is facing an ambitious housing creation target. The city still has a RHNA obligation to zone for 6,674 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?

There hasn't been much media coverage about the lawsuits three school districts won against the city. These lawsuits were important because they were addressing real concerns that the previous City Manager and City Council were not being responsive to. As new houses get built and new families move in there needs to be schools and proper planning of roads. These concerns need to be dealt with now! For many years, the city and the school districts only communicated through lawyers and letters.

As a school board member for the Santa Rita School District, I have personally had sit-down conversations with City Council members and the new City Manager and we are making progress. Unfortunately, some City Council members refuse to meet. I believe in an open dialog and working together to solve issues. I will work with my fellow City Council members to get these developments started responsibly and push for our residents to have an opportunity to buy those houses.

In terms of economic development, do you believe Salinas should pursue any particular direction? Is there more opportunity in ag tech? Would you like to see an Amazon warehouse, for example?

We need to keep our jobs local and support working families. We can't allow big corporations to make back-door deals with staff while the representatives that we elect don't know or don't approve these non-disclosure agreements as Amazon did.

As a small business owner for 15 years, I know the struggles many face. We need to improve resources, improve communication and make it easier for businesses to be successful. Small business owners know if the city comes knocking it's likely because there is a complaint, citation, or fine. There should be 10 times as much door knocking at those businesses to check on, offer resources and support them. The Permit Center needs to be in a location where small businesses feel welcomed, after all the City of Salinas should be customer friendly.

What should Salinas do about homelessness? What are your plans to address this issue?

The City Council has made great progress with the SHARE Center and the purchase of hotels to house the homeless. We need to be innovative and think outside the box with this issue. I'm in support of a tiny home village, and a safe place for our homeless, this will help keep our city clean, provide much-needed housing for our homeless and provide resources. The key is partnering with nonprofits, volunteers and seeking grants. 

Do you think the police department is adequately funded, under-funded or is its budget bloated? What kind of changes would you like to make, if any, to city-police department relations?

Yes, is adequately funded, the police department currently has 12 more officer positions funded, the new police chief has made a good decision by not continuing the two assistant chief positions, he has made it work with one. Like any department, the Salinas Police Department should be evaluated for efficiency annually. I would like to see more things like Coffee with a Cop and Caffecitos.

Do you believe Salinas used its $54 million in ARPA funds effectively? What would you have changed, if anything, about the allocation and process for determining how to allocate those funds?

I support the way the ARPA funds were spent. I would have liked more to go to pothole repair, sidewalks, and traffic calming.

What should the city’s role be in pursuing regional water solutions?

I have recently been appointed to a Water Subbasin Committee and I'm beginning to understand the importance of finding water solutions. As a city we need to be at the table when these decisions on the water are made, this will affect our housing and business growth.

Do you think the city is doing enough to offer recreational opportunities and green space? Are there additional steps the city should take to increase or improve parkland?

No, some of our parks are in bad shape. As a father, I have had an opportunity to coach many of my kid's sports teams. One of my priorities will be ensuring that our current facilities get maintained and brought up to basic standards. Often when looking for a place for my team to practice I have to get there early to avoid getting stuck with the part of the field that is full of gopher holes and no grass. Just trying to find a safe part of the field should not be a coach's number one worry, our kids deserve better.

Please rate the performance of the city manager, the city attorney and the police chief. 

The City Manager has made huge progress, and he is at least twice as good as our last City Manager. We have started to build a good relationship, looking forward to working closely with him.

The City Attorney has had an open door policy with me and the organization I belong to. He has been responsive and professional.

Chief Filice has made great improvements with the Salinas Police Department. We have had many meetings and honest conversations. We have a great relationship and I'm proud that Chief Filice gives parking citations, jumps on his motorcycle to patrol the city, and has been responsive to residents. I've seen him firsthand waiting for a tow truck for an abandoned vehicle. Most police chiefs would not be on the ground doing what patrol officers do. This is a great service for Salinas and a good way to see the needs of the community, firsthand. 

Who else are you supporting for City Council? For mayor?

Cary Swensen [for District 3] and Amit Pandya.