The city’s top budget priorities, Lompoc’s cannabis industry and a variety of other topics drew differing opinions among candidates for the job of mayor and City Council member.
A virtual forum last week spanned two hours as the Lompoc-Vandenberg Branch of the American Association of University Women moved through questions asked by moderator Dianne Owens, a former Santa Barbara County supervisor.
For mayor, incumbent Jenelle Osborne is seeking a second two-year term, with a challenge by Councilman Victor Vega, a real estate broker.
Voters across the city will participate in the selection of the mayor.
This marks the second district-based election for Lompoc, with only voters in a specific area selecting those in races for two council seats.
The District 4 council seat will pit incumbent Jim Mosby against challenger Jeremy Ball, a businessman and community advocate.
Incumbent Councilwoman Gilda Cordova is running unopposed for the District 1 seat.
From public safety and rundown parks to economic development and ongoing homeless issues, the candidates shared their thoughts in a sometimes congenial, sometime contentious forum.
In response to a question about the top budget priorities facing Lompoc, Osborne said public safety and infrastructure remain concerns, noting the Police Department has 30-year old radios, equipment needing parts only available on eBay,
“If we don’t solve those issues that we’re having with outdated equipment … then we’re not providing our community with the most modern of equipment and the safest ability for our department to respond and protect them,” Osborne said, adding that officers also need body cameras.
The city also needs to address issues with at-risk youths, working to support other organizations to provide opportunities for success and avoid drugs and gangs, she said.
Vega said he wants to work with public safety officials to boost community involvement.
“What we were doing in our past decision-making processes was trying to make sure that everything was affordable because along with giving raises, more importantly, I think job security is an issue here also,” Vega said.
“I believe that Lompoc has been sequestered because of many things that have happened here in Lompoc in the past years — South County decisions, General Plan updates,” he said. “We need to look at the General Plan to also make sure we can move forward with what we need, because sustainability is an issue, sustainability is good for everyone.”
Ball agreed the key budget priority should focus on boosting public safety “back to something healthy.”
While rising crime has been blamed on other factors, Ball said, the city needs “to take responsibility for the causation of some of the issues that we have.”
For instance, he said, the Police Department no longer has gang and drug task forces, a homeless liaison or a traffic officer.
“All of these things weigh on our community. It makes it hard to attract families and keep families,” Ball said, “It makes it next to impossible to draw in a business and help them see the potential of opening here, so we have a lot of work to do.”
Mosby also cited public safety as a main budget priority, but said the city needs a stable reserve fund. He contends that Lompoc is “in decent shape” right now financially.
“The other thing is getting forward with a proper capital-improvement plan, and adjusting the budget accordingly in that way,” he said. “Throw a third thing in there — that we don’t move forward with good ideas and great ideas that we don’t have funding for. That’s probably a very important item in the budget.”
Lompoc, unlike other cities in the county, rolled out the red carpet for the cannabis industry, putting no limits on dispensaries and other related businesses.
Saying he’s pro-cannabis since the dozen dispensaries bring tax revenue to city coffers, Ball added that other parts of the industry aren’t sufficiently taxed by the city.
A manufacturer making $100 million — “which the industry is already projecting blowing past in my community,” Ball said — would pay a $30,000 fee, the same amount as a cannabis producer making more than $2 million.
“Now that is not an equitable and fair system,” Ball said.”That is not helping my community …. I know we’re trying to build toward an industry. We’re trying to help them thrive, but the rest of my community deserves to thrive as well.”
Mosby disagreed.
“A tax on production is a tax on labor,” he said. “If you tax labor, labor leaves.”
He said other communities have adopted zero taxes so Lompoc must keep its rates low to attract businesses.
“These people wouldn’t be coming here if we didn’t have a free market with a minimal tax component,” Mosby said. “They will go somewhere else.”
Cannabis companies already pay a state tax, property tax, and income tax while being unable to take advantage of federal tax deductions since cannabis remains illegal.
“If you want economic development, it’s happening,” Mosby said.
Osborne called for a conversation about cannabis taxes and how they are affecting both the industry and the community.
“Finally, we need oversight and we need to use that tax money for the oversight because the state isn’t doing it,” Osborne said.
Noting the council took a unique approach, Vega said the low fees meant Lompoc attracted businesses to the community. This has meant long-empty buildings have been purchased and remodeled for new cannabis-related businesses.
“It’s dishonest to change the rules before they even established,” Vega said.
The Lompoc mayor and council forum can be viewed, available by clicking here, on City of Lompoc TAP-TV’s YouTube channel, available by clicking here and fast-forwarding approximately 48 minutes.
The forum was presented in both English and Spanish thanks to a grant from The Fund for Santa Barbara.
The AAUW branch also plans to host a forum for the Lompoc Unified School District board candidates, starting at 7 p.m. Oct. 8. For more information or to register to watch the forum live, click here.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.