Jeff on the issues!

By Jeff Haferman

Vote for Jeff to make it happen!

1. What is the level of your commitment to the city acquisition and reuse of the State Theater? Are you willing to delay other spending to make it happen?

Restoration of the State Theater is one of my highest priorities, and I have listed it as such on my campaign literature and website for the last several months. However, note that city acquisition is not the only way to accomplish this restoration # the city should also be looking for partnerships with private non-profit or for-profit investors and the city should attempt to provide incentives for the restoration. Possible buyers besides the City of Monterey include the National Trust or The State of California; each of these entities already has substantial ownership of historic buildings in Monterey. However, my preference would be for the city to acquire the theater and use it as a performing arts venue.

Fiscal responsibility is another one of my top priorities, and we must always look at the current financial environment before making any decisions. I am willing to delay or make cuts elsewhere if necessary in order to see that the State Theater is restored. Time is of the essence.

2. Can Monterey afford to maintain its current budget and current city operation/service levels?

For its size, Monterey is one of the richest cities in the state. For the current fiscal year, our total city budget is $71 million, and our general fund budget is $44 million. Our annual revenue from hotel tax alone exceeds the entire budget of many peninsula cities. However, the entire country is in a recession, and Monterey has not been immune. The forecast from the city budget planners is that we could see an $8 million deficit over the next two years. We do have $6.5 million in emergency reserves, but even this would not cover the projected shortfall. But, as of today, $14.5 million dollars has been set aside for the construction of the "Public Services Center". My recommendation is to scale back the size and cost of the Public Services Center, and take a very cautious and fiscally conservative approach going forward.

The short answer is that we can continue our current operation and service levels, but during these shaky economic times we must look for places to cut wherever possible. The Public Services Center is clearly the first place a cost reduction must occur. If we don't cut there, we would be forced to cut elsewhere, for example: infrastructure maintenance (streets, sewers, storm drains), employees (reduce staff, reduce benefits), open space acquisition and new facilities (Window on the Bay, Sports Center, parks). By reducing the cost of the Public Services Center, we can avoid making cuts to other important city services.

One final note: our police force is currently short 8 fulltime officers, including 2 traffic officers. We must make public safety a higher priority! We need to cut back on excess spending in order to provide livable wages for our police and fire forces (by the way, I do support Measure A, the binding arbitration initiative for our public safety officers).

3. Identify three things that are wrong with Monterey and provide your solutions to them.

a) Traffic congestion and limited parking # there are a whole range of solutions to traffic and congestion, depending on how much we are willing to spend.

First, the $100 solution # make the free trolley service available year round, and encourage ridership for tourists and locals alike. The trolley has already proven itself, and business owners indicate it is paying for itself by increasing visits to their shops. Encourage people to use existing pedestrian and bicycle facilities.

Second, the $1,000 solution # restrict commercial delivery trucks to non-rush-hours only. This is done in many other California tourist towns, and works very well.

Third, the $10,000 solution # simply synchronize traffic lights around town. This will cost money, because our traffic engineer will need to spend time to analyze the lights (using a commercial computer program), and we will need to send staff out to adjust the lights, but this will get us the most bang for the buck.

Fourth, the $100,000 solution # create a pedestrian overpass at Washington and Del Monte, and also at Pacific and Scott. The overpass would be designed to work for pedestrians, bicyclists, and the handicapped. Because Del Monte is now 7 lanes wide at Washington, we should not keep the mix of pedestrians and vehicular traffic, because it is dangerous for pedestrians, and because pedestrians take a long time to cross, they severely impact traffic flow.

Fifth, the $1,000,000 solution # work with the Military to provide better access through the lower Presidio. This portion of the Presidio is leased to the City of Monterey, and we can work with the Military to come up with a shared-improvement arrangement to take some of the burden off of Lighthouse Avenue by utilizing Artillery and Private Bolio Streets. Make the lease a permanently binding lease that would prevent the Military from closing these streets. Incorporate overpasses as mentioned above.

Finally, the $10,000,000 solution # widen Del Monte and add turning lanes. Acquire property as needed to link the widened Del-Monte (see the $100,000 solution, above) with Artillery and Private Bolio in the lower Presidio. Ultimately, this is the solution we will need, and it must be phased in over several years.

b) Price of housing is out of reach for most people # see #9 below.

c) Public Education # see #11 below.

4. Does the city need to spend $16-20 million on a new city hall? Are there other solutions to city staff working conditions?

The answer to the first question is "no", and part of the reason is the cost (see answer to number 2 above). Other reasons are that the proposed structure has too many negative impacts on the community # the structure is larger that what is allowed by zoning ordinances, several landmark trees will be lost (it is possible to avoid this), there will be a parking shortfall, and the proposed structure will smother the National Historic Landmark District that it is to be located in.

I am on the public record as having spoken out against this building many times over the last year. Lately, the current city council and several of my opponents are beginning to agree with me. However, I have also said that the city staff does need improved facilities and working conditions, we just need to reduce the size and the cost and impacts on the surrounding area.

One thing that has not been well publicized is that the city has already spent over half a million dollars on studies, plans, and designs. In 1998, the city commissioned a study by local architect Hugo Bianchini, and the "Bianchini Study" proposed a smaller scale "Civic Center" that would cost on the order of $10 million. My opinion is that the city threw out the Bianchini Study because the proposed Civic Center was not grandiose enough. The City made a mistake by not following many of the recommendations in the Bianchini Study, and this mistake has already cost all Monterey residents. The City employees deserve better working conditions, and we should do it now, following most of the recommendations in the Bianchini study.

5. Does Monterey do enough working regionally with other cities?

Yes and no. First, the City is generally represented on, and/or works with, a number of City and regional agencies, for example: Fort Ord Reuse Authority (FORA), Monterey Peninsula Regional School District (MPUSD), Monterey Peninsula Water Management District (MPWMD), Monterey County Planning Commission, Transportation Agency of Monterey County Technical Advisory Committee (TAMC TAC), Monterey Bay Pollution Control District Air Quality Board (MBPCD AQB), Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST), and the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG), to name a few.

The "yes" portion of my answer is that we are involved and work with these other agencies. The "no" portion is that we have not found solutions for many problems. For example, we have not pushed FORA hard enough to provide affordable housing. We have not worked closely enough with MPWMD to come up with water solutions, and now we are faced with the prospect of dissolving the district and forming a "Joint Powers Authority". We have not always followed the lead of TAMC on regional traffic issues. All in all, I think we have done fairly good job of working regionally with other cities, but we could do better if we had stronger leadership on the City Council.

6. Name your top three priorities for the city.

a) Protect our community atmosphere - and Monterey's special character. This can by done by getting traffic moving again; giving higher priority to schools, public safety, fair wages for city employees, and housing; finally, apply water and zoning rules fairly and consistently.

b) Reduce the size and cost of the proposed $16 million City Hall addition ("Public Service Center") # thereby avoiding an $8 million budget deficit over the next two years.

c) Continue to promote our local business and arts communities, and preserve our historic assets.

7. Describe your vision of Monterey in 2025.

Monterey will be an even more beautiful City by the bay in 2025. We will still draw tourists from around the world, and they will be coming here to enjoy our stunning natural beauty and historic treasures. We will continue to be a City with lovely forested hills. Our neighborhoods will be clean and safe, and our parks and open space will continue to be cherished. These are the things we have today that it is important to protect for future generations.

What will be different in 2025? In our neighborhoods it will be safe for the elderly and children to walk because traffic will move primarily on downtown boulevards. Public transit, walking, and bicycles will be popular modes of transportation. We will have beautifully paved streets lined with mature trees, and we will have a cultural center in our downtown where we can safely enjoy seeing a movie, watching a play, listening to the symphony, or simply enjoying a cup of coffee.

Our school system will give our children a first-class education. We will still have many parks, baseball diamonds, and football and soccer fields. We will have solved our water problem using a combination of approaches including either a dam or desalination, new technologies, and conservation. We will have grown in population, with most of the new homes built in the Fort Ord and Highway 68 area, and many of the old run-down homes that we now have will be fixed up gems. Our historic adobes will still be the historic jewels of our city, and Colton Hall and Friendly Plaza will look very much like they look today, with a smaller and compatible "Civic Center" in the background. Most importantly, we will have a community that works together, and a Mayor and City Council who carefully listen to their constituency.

8. What has been the City Council's worst mistake of the last 10 years?

I'm going to give two answers: First, I think that many people would say that the City Council's worst mistake of the last 10 years was fighting the City of Monterey versus Del Monte Dunes case all the way to the Supreme Court, which cost tax-payers approximately $2 million. However, the main issues in the case began way back in 1981 when a developer wanted to build on Del Monte Dunes, and over the next 5 years the plans were repeatedly turned down by the planning commission and City Council. It was fought in the courts over the next decade, and in 1999 the Supreme Court upheld the $1.45 million award to the developer.

In hindsight, fighting this battle looks like a bad mistake. However, in the end, the State of California was left with a near-pristine beach in the City of Monterey, instead of a development of around 200 homes. My point is that the loss of a $2 million lawsuit sounds like a big mistake, but that cost may have been worth it to keep this beach as open space. The real mistake may have been that this property was zoned for housing to begin with, when it appears the real desire of the community was to keep it as open space.

My second answer is the real "worst mistake": the City Council has been unable to make any real progress in solving our traffic problems over the last decade. The City Staff has done numerous traffic studies over the years, and I understand that one of cost nearly $300,000, and the resulting recommendations were never implemented. Our population over the last decade has actually decreased, yet our traffic problems have only become worse.

So, failure to get a working traffic circulation plan together is the biggest mistake council has made. But I have lots of ideas for solutions, as explained in item #3 above.

9. What is the best idea you have about solving the housing shortage?

There isn't a housing shortage, if you have several million to spend!! But, there is a shortage of "affordable" housing.

The "best" idea I have for affordable housing is two words: Fort Ord. The City of Monterey has rights to build on over 100 acres at Fort Ord. The land is being virtually given to the City, but what we must do is kick the Fort Ord Reuse Authority in the behind and get moving on this now!! We can do something very similar to what CSUMB has done on Fort Ord: the City can own the land on which a house is built, and the buyer only builds and purchases the structure. This is done at CSUMB, and the houses are in the low $100,000 range, but you must be a staff member of CSUMB to participate. If the City of Monterey does the same type of thing with our allocation at Fort Ord, we can provide several hundred affordable homes.

I also have a couple of other ideas: First, the City of Monterey does a lot of "opportunity buying" of homes in the City. We should continue to buy run-down homes in the City, and provide incentives (such as zero down payment to qualified buyers) so that willing buyers can step in and in return for the provision of affordable housing, the buyers are willing to "spruce up" the property. This is called a "sweat-equity" arrangement.

Another idea is to do "mixed-use development", where, for example, commercial developers would provide housing on a second story for their employees, and the main business on a lower floor. I think that this type of housing should be limited, however, but it can provide a partial solution. Finally, there is room for additional housing along Highway 68 across from the airport where we should explore the possibility of building "affordable" housing.

10. Do you favor dismantling the water board?

This is perhaps the only issue where I refuse to take a firm position. The opposition to the district is very vocal, but I want to make sure it is a majority. So, I will let the voters decide. This issue is Measure B on the upcoming ballot, and I am fully committed to supporting whatever position the electorate takes. I do know that we must have more water, not only for new homes and additions to existing homes, but also for the very realistic scenario of drought. Based on the sentiment of the community, I would be willing to support either a dam or a desalination plant, but again, it is important to gauge the opinion of the community, and then proceed.

11. Do Monterey schools meet your expectations for public education?

No! I went to public school growing up, and I know that public education can and should be much better. Many of the problems of MPUSD stemmed from "Enron-style" accounting and negligence in making timely infrastructure repairs. However, we must put the past behind us and learn from those mistakes.

MPUSD has a new superintendent, and I am confident that he can lead the district to being a quality educational system. However, a continuing problem is that all California school districts get their money from the state, and each year MPUSD administrators will spend much of their time simply fighting for funds. In order to fix our problems from the past, I believe we have only two options: (1) we must pass a small school bond issue or (2) we must take the necessary measures to dissolve MPUSD and form a Monterey City school district, similar to what Pacific Grove and Carmel have. Option 1 is the most feasible, but we must be willing to examine all options in order to provide quality education to our children.

12. What are your opinions of the new Ocean View Plaza project?

There is a lot of confusion about this project, so I want to explain my understanding of all sides of the issue, and then at the end (skip ahead, if you must), I will state my position.

First, the area is zoned for commercial and mixed uses. This basically means the owner has the right to build shops and condominiums. Of course, this must be done following the Cannery Row Land Use Plan, and existing zoning ordinances. As the project is proposed now, it essentially meets all of the height and size requirements. However, there are 3 main sticking points that I see: (1) the city rules state that new construction on the water cannot provide parking on the bay side of the structure # but, this conflicts with another city rule that states that new residences must provide onsite parking; (2) the proposed project will provide its own water using an onsite desalination plant # there is a precedent for this because the Monterey Aquarium provides its water using an onsite desalination plant; (3) the proposed project will create additional traffic burdens on the Lighthouse Avenue Corridor.

Now, many people in the community think that the proposed project should not be built and the area should remain open space. However, the owner of the property has the right to build a project on this land, because it is zoned for commercial and mixed uses. In order to keep this space open, either the city or a private investor would need to purchase this property and turn it into a park. We need to decide as a community if this is the course of action we want to take.

In conclusion, it is likely that ultimately a project will be built on this site. However, based primarily on issue number 3 above (traffic impacts), I cannot support the current project, because I believe that Lighthouse Avenue in particular cannot handle any additional traffic burdens. It is a life-and-death public safety issue, and I have spoken in public on this issue several times over the last couple of years at planning commission and city council meetings.

13. What are the most pressing issues you hear from local business owners?

I talk to local business owners on a daily basis. The most pressing issue I hear from most of them is we need to work harder on bringing "overnight" tourists here, and not "day-trippers", because the overnight tourists contribute more to the economy through hotel and sales tax. Other issues are highly dependent on the type of business and their location. I'll break it down into a couple of major concerns.

First, for people in the downtown business area, there are three big issues: 1) they would like better signage to bring people into the downtown area # currently, most of the signs direct people to the Cannery Row area; 2) restore the State Theater as a performing arts venue; 3) revitalize Calle Principal, primarily by providing pedestrian level landscaping, atmospheric lighting, and by providing incentives for local businesses to create an attractive streetscape.

For businesses on the North Fremont business corridor for the last decade, the issue has been revitalization. Every election year, the City Council promises to provide funding to "clean up" the area, and then when elections go, nothing is done.

For businesses on Cannery Row and in New Monterey, the big issue is getting a year round WAVE or trolley that will get people to leave their cars and reduce the traffic impacts on Lighthouse, while still getting people to visit the local businesses.

14. What do you do for fun?

a) write semi-detailed responses to short questions to see if newspaper editors will actually read all the way through.

b) "adventure bicycling"... I have ridden around Tasmania solo, and my wife and I have ridden our tandem to the top of Haleakala (10,000 ft) on Maui. We do a lot of riding around here.

c) I love hiking with my wife and our dog down in the Ventana Wilderness.

d) Vacations! We take short road trips around California, and also longer trips both in the United States and to other countries. We are "do-it-yourself" vacationers, we stay away from organized tours.

15. Name the last book you read.

Fiction: "The Screwtape Letters" (C.S. Lewis)

Non-fiction: "John Adams" (David McCullough) # I read mostly non-fiction.

Last book that I helped to write: "Light Scattering by Non-Spherical Particles" (edited by Michael Mishchenko).

16. What is the role of city leader? Are you a leader?

The role of a city leader is to be a caretaker of the city. A city leader must have the desire and the energy to spend long hours oftentimes with little reward, must have the willingness to listen, must have the courage to make tough decisions, and must have the integrity to take responsibility for their actions and not make excuses. They may not know the answers to all of our problems. But they must be able to listen to and work with the community, and try to build consensus.

Yes, I am a leader. From a young age I was a leader. In high school I was student council president. In my jobs I have quickly risen to positions of leadership. I was born and raised in the midwest, earned a Bachelor Degree from the University of Chicago, and I have an M.S. and Ph.D. in Engineering. I have worked in the Budget Office at the University of Chicago, and also have worked at the Chicago Board of Trade, so I have a strong financial background. I have worked at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and there I truly learned the meaning of "teamwork" and "faster, better, cheaper". This is a philosophy that we may need to use in Monterey over the next few years until our financial condition improves.

I am currently employed by the U.S. Navy at Fleet Numerical, where I analyze satellite weather images. I chair a joint Department of Defense # NASA # NOAA research panel. I have served as Vice-President of the Old Town Neighborhood Association from 1998-2002. I have lived and worked all over the country, but my family now calls Monterey home. I am first and foremost a resident, and my motto for this campaign is "let's take care of Monterey".