[Noozhawk’s note: One in a series of profiles of the 10 candidates running for three Santa Barbara City Council seats in the Nov. 8 election.]
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Running for a second term, Santa Barbara City Councilman Dale Francisco says he has the experience, willingness to listen and courage to make the right decisions for the city, even if they are unpopular.
He has been part of the City Council majority pushing recently for more police officers to be hired, and says if one of the council incumbents is ousted in the Nov. 8 election, “that would come to a screeching halt.”
Each new police officer would cost about $150,000 a year, city staff have said, and Francisco said the pension system eventually will need to be restructured, perhaps into a two-tier system as Santa Maria and other cities have created.
Since the City of Santa Barbara has paid the employee’s share of the pension costs in addition to its own up until recent concession agreements, some people could make more in a pension than they ever did in base pay, Francisco said.
“I’m certain unless things turn around, we’ll ask for more concessions — at least if I’m elected,” he said.
The generous “3 percent at 50” formula, awarding 3 percent of the final year’s base pay for each year of service, shows the “corrupt system” between unions and politicians, according to Francisco.
“It’s a real problem when unions elect the management,” he said.
In the long term, the city’s General Fund — the source for most of the costs and expenses — needs much healthier revenues, and encouraging businesses to stay and thrive in Santa Barbara would boost sales taxes, he said.
Francisco wants the city to be cautious of new spending, but thinks more police officers — and outreach workers — are critical to his priority of making a measurable difference in the homeless population. He said the revolving door of homeless people, many of whom are mentally ill or have problems with drugs or alcohol, through local emergency rooms, medical response calls and the County Jail is an expensive problem that needs a collaborative effort to solve.
“The goal is for places like parks to be enjoyed by the public — people who pay taxes and make all of this possible,” he said.
Francisco attended SBCC and UCSB, and worked locally as a computer engineer for years before moving to San Jose. He came back and was elected to the City Council in 2007. He unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2009.
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Additional Resources
» Click here for Dale Francisco’s campaign Web site, or call 805.218.2950. Connect with Dale Francisco on Facebook.
» Click here for more information on the city of Santa Barbara’s Nov. 8 election.
— Noozhawk staff writer Giana Magnoli can be reached at gmagnoli@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
