Candidate for
Council Member; City of Oceanside

Esther stepped up to the plate in 1998, after Prop V passed by a slim margin. Prop V was the initiative placed on the ballot by the city council to approve private development in the beach area. That a city council would give away the public beach and pier, close public streets, bulldoze bluffs, build 12 stories on three blocks, and give away 445 acres of prime land at El Corazon inspired Esther to research issues, voice her concerns at city council meetings, then finally to seek office.

Esther won election to the city council in 2000, with the most votes ever in the history of the city.

In preparing for the race, Esther went door to door to ask residents for their vote. Talking to people in different parts of the city gave Esther a sense of the issues and concerns of residents. It also gave her the sense that the interests of residents were not being addressed by the council.

The concerns at that time were Manchester, El Corazon, traffic, public safety, senior services, lack of parks and recreational opportunities, the elimination of senior neighborhoods, and encrouchment of undesireable development into communities.

One of her first acts as city council member was to bring to the council the concept of a second senior center in the middle of the city. The concept was approved, and the center is scheduled for groundbreaking next year.

Esther maintained her opposition to the Manchester Project, which continued into her term for 2 years. The Manchester Project dominated city hall, using up most of the city's and city staff's resources/time. The Coastal Commission turned down the project by a unanimous vote in June of 2002.

Esther voted against the $2.2 million settlement with Manchester, based on the advice of attorneys that the city would prevail.

Turning a divided community into a united one was Esther's next challenge. She brought the environmental community to the table, achieving a consensus on future development of the beach resort. This led to a unanimous vote on the Watkins/Fairfield timeshare, going forward without an appeal to the Coastal Commission, to break ground next year; and to the current 3 developer proposals for a beach hotel.

Esther also held a traffic summit that was well attended and featured guest speakers such as Gary Gallegos, SANDAG executive director, Pedro Orso Delgado, regional director of CALTRANS, Jerry Harmon, director of TRIP ("Traffic Relief is Possible"), and others.

Esther voted to move forward on the expansion of the Oceanside Museum of Art. She advocated for improved response times for fire/paramedics, after learning that the wife of a former councilmember died after paramedics took 15 minutes to respond; called for the affordable housing crisis, which lead to the creation of an affordable housing taskforce; promoted more parks and recreational opportunities; voted for jobs and economic growth; called for the revitalization of Crown Heights to stop the violence there; and called for the creation of a small business advocate/ombuds in city hall.

In addition, Esther has attended various community meetings, lending assistance to neighborhoods in addressing their issues.

Esther is seeking re-election because she wants to continue addressing our public safety and traffic issues, ensuring that our communities are safe and have access to good, quality schools, parks, youth programs and libraries, striking a balance between protecting our priceless environment and strengthening our economic base.