12 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY october 24-30, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com The City of Seaside has seen a tumultuous year in its City Hall, with resignations and firings at nearly every top position, from city manager to directors of the city’s finance, public works and human resources departments. Last summer, the City Council hired former city manager Craig Malin to come in on a part-time basis—flying in from Wisconsin on Wednesday nights—to spend two days a week trying to right the ship, which remains a work in progress. Publicly, the city’s elected leaders have maintained a “nothing to see here” posture, and as the issues are personnel-related, they remain mostly obscure. It is against this backdrop that Seaside residents will be voting on who to lead the city going forward, as three positions on the City Council— mayor and two council seats—are on the ballot this Nov. 5. All of those positions are held by incumbents running for re-election—Mayor Ian Oglesby and councilmembers Dave Pacheco and Alexis Garcia-Arrazola—against a number of challengers. Karla Lobo and Dennis Volk are running for mayor, and Shanda LeBeouf and Diana Ingersoll are vying for council seats. No candidates are campaigning on wholesale change, and many use the word “forward” when describing the direction they’d like to see the city move. Mitigating the housing crisis and transparency come up repeatedly in discussions about what moving the city forward means. All of the candidates are either Seaside natives or have lived there most of their lives, and if there’s a unifying theme in their respective messages, it’s this: Seaside’s government should look after residents first, and try to ensure that its residents can remain so. That might be tougher when the biggest housing project the city’s seen in years—formerly known as Ascent but since rebranded as Seagrove— hits the market come March 1. The 106-unit project, which the council approved in 2019, will have 16 affordable units, but the other 90—a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, as well as some townhomes, won’t likely be affordable to the vast majority of renters in the city. The lowest starting rent for a one-bedroom apartment, according to Rene Ruiz, a regional manager with Apartment Management Consultants LLC, which manages the property, will be $3,796 per month. If someone were to only spend one-third of their income on rent, that would require an annual salary of $150,000. In the mayor’s race, Oglesby is leaning on his years of experience and leadership in the community. Volk runs Mal’s Market, a corner store on Noche Buena Street that is a fixture in the city’s fabric, whether or not Fox News is playing on the store’s TV, as it often is. Lobo, meanwhile, sees herself as a disruptor. She’s unhappy that Seaside is, in her view, a “laughing stock” to some locals, and thinks the council should have a more adversarial role with city staff. Up in the Sea Seaside voters are faced with candidates aware of the city’s challenges, if not how to fix them. By David Schmalz Seaside City Councilmember Dave Pacheco was the city’s recreation coordinator for decades, and has been a strident advocate for Cutino Park, which hosts the city’s only soccer field. NEWS The lowest starting rent will be $3,796 per month. DANIEL DREIFUSS Do you want to go InSIDE PRISon anD lEaRn wItH tHE InCaRCERatED? Members from the public engage in weekly discussions with inmates, sharing life stories related to empathy-building topics. Anyone over 18 is welcome to join! Offered Mondays from 4pm-6pm over 8-week cycles at CTF Soledad Prison - a voluntary commitment is required. Contact Program Director – Megan McDrew for more information and to sign up. Space is very limited! Professor Megan McDrew mmcdrew@transformativejusticecenter.org TransformativeJusticeCenter.org JEAN RASCH EXPERIENCE AND PARTNERSHIP COUNT www.jeanrasch.com Paid for by the Committee to Elect Jean Rasch Council District 3 2024 FPPC #1468148 VOTE FOR JEAN RASCH MONTEREY CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 3 Proud to be Endorsed By Monterey County Weekly Alan Haffa, City of Monterey Councilmember Ed Smith, City of Monterey Councilmember Clyde Roberson, former mayor, City of Monterey Nancy Selfridge, former City of Monterey Councilmember Libby Downey, MPC Trustee, former City of Monterey Councilmember George Riley, MPWMD Trustee...and many more.
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