Council Member, Distrito 1 — Ciudad de El Cajon
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Candidatos
Gary Kendrick
- We brought our reserves up to $44M while cutting your...
- We reduced homelessness in El Cajon by 11% while neighboring...
- Public safety is my priority. Crime in El Cajon is...
Ben Kalasho
- Hire 3 new police officers, dedicated to policing...
- Advocate for bringing new businesses to the city,...
- Continue meetings with residents to hear their concerns...
Mis 3 prioridades principales
- We brought our reserves up to $44M while cutting your taxes. I will continue my strong record of fiscal accountability and balanced budgets. That's one of the reasons I am endorsed by Supervisor Dianne Jacob.
- We reduced homelessness in El Cajon by 11% while neighboring cities experienced a 25% increase. I will continue to lead the fight in combating homelessness in El Cajon.
- Public safety is my priority. Crime in El Cajon is down 13%, and we hired 4 new police officers and 2 city park rangers. That's why I am endorsed by El Cajon Police Officers Assn. & El Cajon Professional Firefighters Assn.
Experiencia
Experiencia
Educación
¿Quién apoya a este candidato?
Featured Endorsements
- Supervisory Dianne Jacob
- El Cajon Police Officers' Association
- El Cajon Professional Firefighters Association
Organizaciónes (2)
- San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce
- Pacific Southwest Association of REALTORS
Funcionarios electos (19)
- Steve Goble - City of El Cajon Councilmember
- Bob McClellan - City of El Cajon Councilmember
- Bill Wells - City of El Cajon Mayor
- Randy Voepel - CA State Assemblyman
- Joel Anderson - State Senator
- Dan McAllister - San Diego County Treasurer / Tax Collector
- Ernie Dronenburg - San Diego County Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk
- Ronn Hall - City of Santee Councilmember
- Rob McNelis - City of Santee Councilmember
- Brian Jones - City of Santee Councilmemeber
- John Minto - City of Santee Mayor
- Bill Baber - City of La Mesa Councilmember
- Guy McWhirter - City of La Mesa Councilmember
- Jerry Jones - City of Lemon Grove Councilmember
- Mark Robak - Otay Water Board Director
- Jo Medina-Alegria - Cajon Valley School Board Member
- Jill Barto - Cajon Valley School Board Member
- Dr. Gary Woods - Grossmont Union High School District Board Member
- Jim Kelly - Grossmont Union High School District Board Member
Individuos (2)
- Tony Ambrose - City of El Cajon Councilmember (retired)
- Joan Shoemaker - City of El Cajon Mayor (retired)
Preguntas y Respuestas
Preguntas de The League of Women Voters San Diego (4)
Fletcher Hills west of Interstate 8 is already built out with single family homes. I would not support any increased density in that area. I believe in smart growth, meaning we should establish quality mixed-use multi-family housing east of Interstate 8, especially near the Transit Center.
Under my leadership, the City has approved the conversion of 3,000 apartment units to condominiums, giving first-time homeowners the opportunity to achieve the American Dream.
Our multi-faceted approach has reduced homelessness in El Cajon by 11%, despite the rest of the East County Region experiencing a 25% increase in homelessness. I voted to hire a housing navigator, who has helped 60 people attain permanent housing in the last 6 months. There is a lot of work to be done, but I am proud of the progress we have made.
The Downtown Business Partners have experienced tremendous success in their downtown cleanup program. I propose that the City expands this program city-wide. We will partner with non-profit service providers who will provide a job and housing for individuals who are willing to give up alcohol and drug use. These individuals go through rigorous screening before being employed by our partners to clean up litter in the city, allowing them to re-join society in a meaningful way. The advantage of the non-profit partnership is twofold; firstly, these folks are experts in the field of homeless services, meaning they are uniquely equipped to evaluate and supervise their formerly homeless employees. Secondly, this partnership will prevent the city from incurring tremendously increased insurance costs associated with hiring these individuals directly.
The City of El Cajon has the second-lowest development impact fees in the County. We need to continue our track record of being growth-friendly. This includes expediting permits and building quality houses and condominiums. The City has already approved the conversion of more than 3,000 apartment units to condominiums, and I intend to expand this program. This provides increased revenue for more police and firefighters and provides entry level home ownership, so our residents can achieve their American Dream.
I propose that the City uses our increased revenue from new hotels and car dealerships to hire more police officers.
Police shootings are investigated by the District Attorney and the FBI, which services as an independent watchdog. The police serve as an apolitical institution in the interest of the people. It should not be politicized.
Información de contacto del candidato
Mis 3 prioridades principales
- Hire 3 new police officers, dedicated to policing Fletcher Hills and Grossmont areas in District 1, to ensure the protection of people and preservation of home values.
- Advocate for bringing new businesses to the city, provide more jobs & enhance the tax base (Since the city has $40 million in reserves, & there is great potential for bringing new businesses to the city, there may be options to reduce taxes on homes
- Continue meetings with residents to hear their concerns and represent their interests at city council meetings. Also, continue to set up neighborhood watch programs & senior programs in the city.
Experiencia
Experiencia
Educación
Actividades comunitarias
Biografía
Accomplishments:
1/ First councilman to hold town halls with city-wide constituents in decades
2/ Proposed changes to city operations suggested by constituents at meetings held at their locations, to ensure that their voices were heard on specific issues
3/ Sponsored and collaborated with citizen groups to clean up city parks and other areas.
4/ Prior to being elected to office, Ben was a member of Save ECPAC, a citizen group, to prevent the city council from demolishing the theater, which they closed in 2009. After Ben’s election in 2016, ECPAC was remodeled and Live Nation hired to manage the theater, with the first shows to occur in 2019.
5/ Promoted hiring sufficient public safety staff to keep the city safer from crime, fires, and disturbances in the parks
6/ Devised a plan to deal with the homeless issue by hiring some to do city maintenance, even though the council would not implement the policy. (He supported their alternative of housing the homeless in a transitional center.)
7/ Encouraged cost-saving measures, such as collaboration with other cities to sweep city streets, as well as requiring all multiple source services to be bid competitively, saving tax dollars for residents
8/ Supported business-friendly policies and practices that resulted in two business class hotels locating in the city, to provide jobs and increase the tax base
9/ Promoted policies and practices that result in merit pay for city employees
¿Quién apoya a este candidato?
Featured Endorsements
- OVER 10,000 EL CAJON RESIDENTS.
- FOUNDING FATHERS
Preguntas y Respuestas
Preguntas de The League of Women Voters San Diego (4)
Do you support increasing the housing density in your district of the City of El Cajon? What other options might there be for improving the City's supply of affordable housing?
Do you approve of the City's current approach to addressing the problems of homelessness? What specific changes, if any, would you make?
In only 2 years on the council. I brought the Marriott Hotel, struck a deal LIVE NATION to re-open ECPAC and working on bringing in the Hampton Hotel where the old Police Station was. I am a great negotiator and businessman. I can find the right businesses which will improve the general image of our city. We need more councilmembers like me, with fresh new ideas that will make El Cajon compete with Santee and La Mesa. Before I got there, we were losing to those cities on every category.
I support the idea of Mixed Use where it's approperiate. Smart growth by integrating technology to better our roads and improve our travel times. I will continue to work hard to bring in companies like APPLE, TESLA or INTEL to our industerial areas. Work to hire locals and raise the quality of life for our future.
Do you believe that the El Cajon Police Department needs an independent, civilian review board or commission (to investigate any allegations of officer misconduct)? Why or why not?
Creencias poliza
Filosofía política
Fiscal Conservative. Adhearing to the teachings of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.