Editors' note: This is the second in a series of [email protected]'s with local candidates vying for seats in the November election. To see the questions answered by Hollister Mayoral candidates, click here.
In San Benito, two candidates are vying to represent District 4 on the San Benito County Board of Supervisors. They include Incumbent Jerry Muenzer and Victor Gomez, a Hollister city councilmember. They answered questions related to the top issues facing San Benito County, the ongoing closure of Rancho San Justo Reservoir and more.
Name: Victor Gomez
Age: 36
Political experience: Hollister city council 2008-present; San Benito County Council of Governments director and chairman; League of California Cities; San Benito County LAFCO; San Benito County Gang Advisory Board; San Benito/Hollister Inter-Governmental Committee; Finance Committee, City of Hollister; Deputy Chief of Staff for San Jose Councilmember Khamis.
1.) Tell us about yourself and why you are running for office.
I'm no stranger to San Benito County. Born and raised in Hollister, I'm both a lifelong resident and a proud graduate of San Benito High School.
Growing up in a civically-minded family and having the desire to contribute to the community, I ran for and was elected to the Hollister City Council in 2008. I was re-elected in 2012 and serve as the current City Councilman for District 4, focusing my efforts on expanding programs for children and seniors, creating jobs, and preserving the beauty of the county’s agricultural land.
I understand what it takes to establish, grow, and maintain a business as my wife and I owned and operated the local Papa Murphy’s Pizza franchise for over 17 years. My business expertise has been bolstered by my term as Chairman for the San Benito County Chamber of Commerce.
In addition to my business and policy experience in San Benito County, I also work for San Jose Councilman Johnny Khamis, crafting policy issues pertaining to transportation, the environment, land use, and gang prevention for the over 100,000 constituents who reside in District 10.
I live in Hollister with my wife and three daughters.
2.) What would you say are the top three issues facing San Benito County in the next five years?
The three most pressing issues that San Benito County is facing are public safety, tourism/economic growth and infrastructure improvements.
The shortsighted budget cuts to the Sheriff’s Department have led to higher crime rates in our communities. The County Supervisors have made questionable decisions when it comes to providing the adequate resources needed for our law enforcement departments and the safety of our residents has been jeopardized as a result. Since taking office in 2011, the incumbent has slashed the Sheriff’s Department by nearly 40 percent. That is why the San Benito Deputy Sheriff’s Association has endorsed me over the current Supervisor.
Tourism has been ignored by the county. Since being re-designated as a National Park, County supervisors have done nothing to promote this wonderful destination. While the incumbent has sat on his hands, I passed a new Tourism fund for the City of Hollister allocating thousands of dollars to promote our county and bring outside dollars to Hollister.
Our county roads are in terrible condition. Yet, county supervisors refuse to encourage economic growth and jobs to help grow the tax base and provide additional funds to repave our roads. Innovative ideas to create additional tax revenue need to be implemented.
3.) Water is a pressing issue as drought continues in California. What measures would you support for conserving water in San Benito County for municipalities, business owners and residents?
As a Hollister City Councilman I have supported water conservation measures and have helped encourage residents to rethink their water use habits. Additionally, I believe we should incentivize residents and business owners who convert their landscaping to low water use landscaping. Bay Area agencies have started rebate programs for homeowners who convert to artificial turf. That's something we should look to implement.
4.) A 6.0 earthquake hit near Napa recently. What ideas do you have to support emergency preparedness in San Benito County for potential disasters?
Empowering our community is a must. Emergency preparedness workshops throughout the community should be prioritized. Good collaboration between our public safety officials is essential for a successful implementation of any emergency plan.
5.) Do you support hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas in San Benito County? Why or why not?
Fracking activity is not occurring here in San Benito County neither is it planned to happen. Unfortunately, this topic has shifted our focus away from very important issues like rising crime and gang activity. Our community has suffered through a couple of homicides these past few months; and I will not tolerate this for our community. We need to keep focused on the safety of our community and how to stop the gang activity that has put our community’s safety at risk. We also need to focus on economic development, tourism and job creation. We need to work together to encourage economic prosperity for our residents.
6.) Do you support the proposed River Parkway and Regional Park in San Benito County that would connect San Juan to Tres Pinos with trails? If so, how would you provide support to move the project forward during your term in office? If not, explain why?
Yes, I support the proposed River Parkway & Regional Park. Encouraging outdoor recreational activity is important to the health of our residents. It's proven that communities with a variety of outdoor recreational options tend to live healthier lives. As cycling and running becomes more and more popular, it’s important to make sure pedestrians, cyclists and motorist remain safe.
As county supervisor, I will work closely with my colleagues and the San Benito County Parks Commission advocating for this regional park and also exploring new potential funding options for it. We must also explore short term options for recreation in our community. The regional park has a large price tag, so we must be willing to make short term well planned investments for our residents.
7.) When will the issues with San Justo Reservoir be resolved and this recreational asset returned to the public? How can supervisors help resolve the issue?
As a teen growing up in San Benito County I spent every summer fishing along the shores of San Justo Reservoir with my friends. I have found memories of spending my time their till as recently as 2007. In early 2008 we were all disappointed to hear about the infestation of the zebra mussel. Not only does the closure of San Justo Reservoir eliminate a recreational destination, its one less reason to spend money and keep people working in San Benito County.
Name: Jerry Muenzer
Age: 62
Political Experience: First-term San Benito County Supervisor; two-term Tres Pinos Union School Board Member; Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments Board Member; Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District Board Member; San Benito County Council of Governments Board Member
1.) Tell us about yourself and why you are running for office.
I’m running for office because I care about San Benito County – plain and simple. My grandfather came to San Benito County over a hundred years ago and now my grandkids are growing up here. The future of the county is very important to me.
2.) What would you say are the top three issues facing San Benito County in the next five years?b
Many issues are currently facing our county that deserve attention and careful consideration. In my opinion, the three issues that are likely to garner the most attention from the Board and county staff will be:
a) Finishing the General Plan update. The General Plan update will establish how we want to grow as a county. It will allow for the creation of new business that will increase the amount of jobs here in the county.
b) Issues relating to the rising problem of crime and gang violence. Last year I worked on the committee that consolidated the fire departments of the County and the two Cities. It has been working out great so far. I was also pushing for the consolidation of law enforcement. The city of Hollister voted not to consider it. The consolidation would have saved money and provided better service. I hope to bring that back to the discussion table.
c) Population growth: In the ’90s the City of Hollister was allowed to grow too fast. It out grew its own infrastructure. They were hit with a building moratorium and then with the housing crash of 2008. Now that we are recovering, we must plan our growth smarter. Not only do we need the houses, but also we must bring in the jobs and commercial establishments for our people to be able to buy the things that they need here in the county and not have to leave the county for those purchases.
3.) Water is a pressing issue as drought continues in California. What measures would you support for conserving water in San Benito County for municipalities, business owners and residents?
Water conservation will be critical to ensure that San Benito County residents, businesses, and farmers are protected during this difficult and prolonged drought. There is no question that if the drought continues into 2015, local government will implement water conservation rules to reduce overall water usage and mitigate wasteful behavior. Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in January because of the dry conditions across California. The governor has called on all residents to reduce consumption by 20 percent. I support the governor’s call to action and will work with Board of Supervisors should the drought continued into 2015. I have served on the Governance Committee, which is made up of the county of San Benito, the city of Hollister, the San Benito County Water District, and the Sunnyslope County Water District. This committee has been studying the water needs of the area and planning for those needs. Also I support the use of grey water and the recycled water for ag and landscaping.
4.) A 6.0 earthquake hit near Napa recently. What ideas do you have to support emergency preparedness in San Benito County for potential disasters?
San Benito County should always be prepared for a major earthquake or natural disasters. Having lived through the earthquakes of 1962 and 1989 and the floods of 1996 and 1998, I know how important it is for the county to be prepared. I support evaluating our current emergency preparedness programs and working with county and city officials to ensure that there is close collaboration between all departments and staff.
5.) Do you support hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas in San Benito County? Why or why not?
I am deeply concerned about the potential negative environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing. Along with Supervisor Anthony Botelho, I worked to rewrite the county ordinance 19.21 titled ‘Oil and Gas Wells’. We increased the regulations on drilling and increased the safeguards for water, air, and wildlife; however we chose not to completely ban any type of drilling. San Benito Rising felt without the ban, we did not go far enough. They collected the required signatures to place the issue before the voters and I will respect the decision of the majority of San Benito County voters.
6.) Do you support the proposed River Parkway and Regional Park in San Benito County that would connect San Juan to Tres Pinos with trails? If so, how would you provide support to move the project forward during your term in office? If not, explain why?
I feel the regional Ppark is a very important part of the County’s Park & Recreation Master Plan. Veteran Memorial Park has reached capacity, and as the community continues to grow we will need more space for additional ball fields, gathering places, and area for the public to just get out and recreate. The Board of Supervisors has already started acquiring the pieces for the regional park. I want to thank the SBC Park and Recreation committee for all of their hard work and many hours in developing the plan. I also want to thank the public for their assistance of the plan.
7.) When will the issues with San Justo Reservoir be resolved and this recreational asset returned to the public? How can supervisors help resolve the issue?
The issues with San Justo Reservoir are very complex. The reservoir is owned by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, while the San Benito County Water District is responsible to provide the water to the San Juan valley farmers during the summer months. The County of San Benito was overseeing the recreation, picnicking, boating and fishing. In January 2008, zebra mussels were discovered in the water. Zebra mussels are a non-native, invasive species. Because the threat of the mussels spreading to other bodies of water was so great, the park needed to be closed. Since the closure, the Bureau of Reclamation, the SBCWD, the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the California Department of Water Resources, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Department of Boating and Waterways, and the California State Parks have all been working on a plan to eradicate the zebra mussels. Their plan now sits with the USBR waiting budget approval.
8.) What ideas do you have to promote tourism to Pinnacles National Park via the eastern entrance to the park?
On June 8, 2012, I had the opportunity to appear before the Congress Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands. I was able to give testimony to the members of the subcommittee of the local support for Sam Farr’s HR3641, “Pinnacles National Park Act.” President Obama signed the legislation on Jan. 10, 2013 naming the Pinnacles as the country’s newest national park. Since that time, I have brought the idea to both the county and the City of Hollister to increase our ‘transient occupancy tax’ to promote tourism in San Benito County. I also support Supervisor Botelho idea to create a ‘Tourism Business Improvement District’. The General Plan Update will include a ‘Wine trail overlay’ which will help promote our wine industries and bed and breakfast establishments. In addition, I have been a very strong supporter of Hollister Hills and Congressman Farr’s latest bill HR1776, which will reopen the Clear Creek area to off road vehicles once again.
