YOUNG VOICES |
Editor’s Note: This November, Salinas voters will elect council members in four districts and the next mayor. With five seats at stake, the council’s make up could change dramatically.
In an effort to keep Salinas voters informed, Young Voices correspondent Isaac Díaz González has sent the same questionnaire to all the Salinas city council and Mayoral candidates. Voices of Monterey Bay will be publishing the responses as the candidates respond.
By Isaac Díaz González
ANTHONY ROCHA, INCUMBENT
VOICES: What is your position regarding the renters protection recently approved by a majority of the city council? Will you support a process to enforce them or will you advocate to repeal them?
I strongly support the recent ordinances passed by the Salinas City Council which enact Rent Stabilization, Tenant Protections, and Tenant Anti Harassment policies. This is a data-driven approach aimed at creating a fair housing market in our community. The process to develop these ordinances included robust community outreach and resident engagement. We held community meetings as well as technical advisory committee meetings, and reviewed the ordinances at the Housing and Land Use Committee before they were voted on at the City Council. Now that the three ordinances have been approved, we must work towards creating, and supporting a process to enforce the ordinances, which I support. I also support periodic reviews of the effectiveness of the ordinances, and programs to determine how they are working, and if there are areas where we can improve upon. The overall success of these ordinances will greatly benefit our community.
VOICES: According to the U.S Census, nearly 48,000 children lived in Salinas as of 2020 — almost 30 percent of the city’s population of 163,542. Salinas is younger than other cities in California, as its proportion of youth is higher by 8 percentage points. What projects can be offered so children and youth can thrive and feel they belong in the city?
I believe in investing in recreational and educational opportunities for our youth. On the Salinas City Council, I have supported the renovations to Closter Park, the complete reconstruction of the Hebbron Family Center, allocating 8.1 million for the creation of a brand new recreation center, investing $2 million in park infrastructure upgrades all throughout our city — with a requirement for the majority of the funds to be spent in the 93905 and 93906 zip codes. These zip code requirements were put in place to ensure areas that were most impacted by COVID-19 see significant, long-overdue investments. The City also has a Youth and Government Institute aimed at introducing students to local government. The city can always do more and I look forward to continuing advocating for programs for youth in our community.
VOICES: Is the city doing enough to build housing? What would be the solution to support people who don’t have stable housing?
The Salinas City Council has made significant efforts towards producing housing that meets the needs of our community. The City Council allocated $7 million towards affordable housing production with the American Rescue Plan funds; in addition the City Council approved applying for a matching funds state grant, which established an additional housing production fund and received $3.8 million from the State of California. This amount was matched by the city and will be used for affordable housing. The Salinas City Council also approved the tentative map for the Central Area Specific Plan, which will bring over 1,600 units of housing and 335 of those units will be deed-restricted affordable housing. The Central Area Specific Plan will have a diversity of housing options that include not only single family homes but also condos, townhomes, and apartments. In fact, the majority of the units built will not be single family homes. The Central Area Specific Plan has a requirement to build the affordable units concurrently, which will ensure affordability is prioritized throughout the development. Our efforts have earned the City of Salinas the Pro-Housing designation from the State of California, which identifies our city as a local government entity that is adopting policies, and plans to boost housing production.
The solution to support people who do not have stable housing is to build more housing, and especially affordable housing. While more housing production at all income levels is needed to address our housing crisis, we cannot lose sight of the need to build more affordable housing for our community. There should be housing options for people at all stages of their lives, from young people who want to move out and rent a place of their own, to residents who are wanting to rent at an affordable price, to residents who want to move on from renting and purchase their first home, and seniors who want to downsize and retire comfortably. While we are working on building more housing, and specifically affordable housing, I believe that the Rent Stabilization Ordinance and Tenant Protection Ordinance will help renters who are facing severe rent hikes, and are at risk of losing their housing due to being priced out of the housing market.
VOICES: Business owners have been complaining about the permit process, arguing that it takes too long to open a business. The challenge has been pinpointed to a lack of employees. What can be done to recruit more city employees? What is your plan to recruit more people to work for the city?
I believe that we need to not only provide competitive wages to recruit and retain employees but also invest in professional development training so that our employees feel, and are supported in their professional careers. Through hiring more staff and retaining staff ,we are able to reduce the workload, increase efficiency, and boost morale. I also believe in investing in technology to support the permit center so that our city employees have the necessary tools to carry out their work in the most up-to-date manner with regard to industry best practices.
VOICES: In which areas could the city work together with schools to improve services? How can they work together to improve student safety?
I believe having regular meetings between the school superintendents and the city manager is critical as it relates to increasing opportunities for collaboration. As areas of concern arise for student safety, it is important that school superintendents have a strong working relationship with not only the city manager but also the City Council. I support looking at ways to support traffic calming projects, safe routes to school, and a partnership for funding crossing guards.
VOICES: What is the most important contribution that the immigrant population makes to the city of Salinas in particular and the Salinas Valley in general?
My father was an immigrant to this country who came to the Salinas Valley at a young age, and worked in the agriculture fields until he passed away in his early thirties due to cancer. Understanding his struggles has informed my work as a policymaker. I deeply value our immigrant community. While many can rightfully point to the significant impact our immigrant community has had on driving our local agricultural economy — and to be clear our immigrant community is the backbone of our local economy — I believe their contributions go far beyond economic value. Our city’s rich history and our values are rooted in our immigrant background. We are a hard-working community made up of residents who have dreams for a better future for not only themselves, but also their families. I believe the most important contribution that our immigrant community makes to the city of Salinas is the powerful hope that a better future is possible for the hard-working people of Salinas, and the determination to make that future rooted in uplifting our community not only possible but a reality. This is also true for the entire Salinas Valley — we are proud to be a hard=working community and we look out for each other. This set of values is derived from our region’s long immigrant history.
For more information on Anthony Rocha, visit www.electanthonyrocha.com.
Have something to say about this story? Send us a letter.
SUPPORT NONPROFIT JOURNALISM 
GET OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
