Half Moon Bay to decide on councilmembers

“I’m really proud of the progressive nature of the council. It’s really a step forward. We’re really working to empower some of the people that have been most impacted by the shooting that happened a year and a half ago,” Rarback said. “We’re trying to build more … low-income housing, we enacted rent control to help the poorest of the poor.” 

Increasing equity for the community’s most low-income residents, essential workers and the unhoused will continue to be a priority for Jimenez if reelected, he said. Building housing for farmworkers, in particular, will be a key component of bolstering the coastal town’s economy in the long run, Jimenez said. 

“You’ve seen the living conditions farmworkers are living in are nothing new. It’s been happening for many years,” he said. “The city, county are looking into it right now, really deep. We need about 1,000 new homes for the farmworker community on the coast. That’s actually investing in the future.” 

When it comes to farmworker housing, approval of the 555 Kelly Ave. senior farmworker housing project was a big win for some in the community and a cause of controversy for others, who resented the size and scale of the project, what they termed a lack of traffic considerations and a lack of communication about the building’s design. 

Jonsson and Nagengast both expressed concerns about the project. Nagengast was one of three appellants on the Planning Commission approval, citing dangers at the nearby Kelly Avenue intersection, including a cyclist who was killed there last year. Those appeals were denied by the City Council. 

“This town is very passionate with issues. Folks are very deliberate with their thinking processes. It could have been handled much better, timing-wise it came at the last minute,” he said. “I also believe, personally, that there were safety concerns that were not addressed and should be addressed.” 

When it comes to future development and growth, the city needs to be creative, Nagengast said, suggesting mixed-use development at the city’s large shopping centers along with a potential transit center in the area. Ultimately, it’s up to the city to create the right balance. 

“Folks that have been here generationally know Half Moon Bay as they lived it through their lives. New folks come in with a lot of energy, a lot of great ideas, and we use the general plan and its various elements to try to provide that balance,” Nagengast said. 

When it comes to building farmworker housing, Jonsson said he felt the city is “doing pretty good,” citing upcoming housing construction for families at 880 Stone Pine Road. The 555 Kelly Ave. project lacked communication with residents, who didn’t understand the scope of the design, he said. 

“We have to be cautious about what we do in the future, and make sure people are aware of it, and constituents are aware of it, and they’re a part of the planning process,” he said. 

Additionally, the city needs to stick to its guns to ensure controlled growth, keeping in line with existing Measure D provisions for a 1% to 1.5% annual population growth limit in the city, Jonsson said. 

Jimenez, who has had to recuse himself from all 555 Kelly Ave. discussions and votes due to his previous employment with Ayudando Latinos A Soñar, a co-applicant on the project, said he believed the city did its best to inform residents of the housing build’s design changes with a host of community meetings. 

By contrast, Rarback said he believed the city could likely have been more communicative with residents about the changes. He was in favor of the project and concentrating development upward and in downtown so the city can preserve its open space and growth caps like Measure D.  

“It’s quaint, and we would like to keep it that way, within reason,” he said. 

Tourism, traffic and revenue

As Half Moon Bay grows, residents disagree on the right balance to strike on tourism — which generates income for the city, but can also further burden its limited traffic infrastructure. Candidates, who generally agree that tourism has become an integral element of Half Moon Bay’s economy, have different opinions on how to manage the city’s uncertain financial future. 

Jimenez — who “welcomes tourists to Half Moon Bay,” he says — cited the upcoming sales tax measure, put on residents’ ballots by the current City Council, as one way to deal with the city’s upcoming $4 million structural deficit. That deficit was caused by a combination of lackluster hotel tax profits and unexpected increases to fixed costs like the Sheriff’s Office support and attorney fees, staff have said. 

“The cost is going to continue to go up. The cost of living is going up, food prices are going up, everything is going up,” Jimenez said. “We have to advertise tourism on the coast to receive [Transient Occupancy Tax], maybe implement the tax measure to increase revenue. That’s something we have to do to better serve our community.” 

Another one of his priorities if reelected is working with local unions and countywide organizations to promote trade education to high schoolers and adults looking for career changes, as another way to benefit personal economic mobility.

Rarback agreed that the upcoming tax measure is one integral way for the city to boost its revenue and pushed back on suggestions that the City Council has been spending excessively, noting a 10% cut to expenditures across all departments. 

Other recent council actions, like the burgeoning Opportunity Center of the Coastside and increasing the Business Improvement District’s revenue so it can promote the city to potential tourists, will promote job growth and tourism, respectively. 

“The [Ritz-Carlton], which is the single biggest source of [Transient Occupancy Tax], is suffering from a lack of international travelers,” he said. “I don’t know what exactly can be done, but we need to advertise it as much as possible.” 

Both Nagengast and Jonsson suggested that the city was outsourcing too heavily, creating unnecessary expenditures. 

“We may be have staffing issues, outsourcing too much,” Jonsson said. “We’ve got income coming in [but] our bills are coming higher than our income. It doesn’t seem right.” 

The city should hit pause on hiring an excessive number of consultants for projects that might not come to fruition, Nagengast said, noting that many residents are not seeing the benefits of the consulting in a tangible way. Half Moon Bay should also work with outside agencies like the county and Caltrans to share resources whenever possible and cut down on costs. 

“Is there a way we can share — whether it’s material equipment or type of work such as maintenance on a road — might be some cost savings with the three of us getting together and figuring out if we could be more efficient?” he said. 

When it comes to traffic problems in Half Moon Bay, Nagengast is focused on creating more walkable and bikeable areas for residents, as well as long-term planning like potential light synchronization, to make those issues more livable. 

“We have to be able to provide residents alternatives to be able to get around town when there is a lot of traffic. Are we able to walk or ride bikes? Can we still get to our shopping centers, grocery stores, schools, churches when traffic has gridlocked?” Nagengast said. 

Similarly, Rarback said the city should emphasize pedestrian-friendly areas and the reduction of single-occupancy trips.

Jonsson and Jimenez were more grim, with both saying little could be done about traffic issues. Jonsson cited long-term planning as the only real solution. 

“There’s nothing we can do about traffic,” Jimenez said. 

Environmental issues 

Jonsson, who said he would not be in favor of electrification mandates, said his number one environmental issue was homeless encampments by creeks and under highway bridges that were leading to destruction of natural and protected habitats. He was shocked to discover individuals damaging the riparian habitats with their homelessness, he said. 

“We need to clean up, that’s for sure,” he said. “That’s something that was shocking to me. That’s an environmental issue we need to stay on top of.” 

Electrification mandates are also a concern for Nagengast because he’s worried about the community being totally reliant on one type of energy in case of an emergency, since power can often take much longer to be reinstated on the coast. He would be interested in looking at community power grids and neighborhood solar, he said. 

The City Council passed an electrification mandate for new homes that is now optional based on recent legal action, Rarback said. Aside from that, he is in favor of promoting electric vehicles and increasing their charging stations. 

“We have modified that in the sense that we’re not gonna enforce it,” he said of the ordinance. “We are going to educate and encourage people who are remodeling or developing new construction to go 100% electric.” 

While Jimenez is in favor of electrification conceptually, he acknowledged it can become an equity issue for low-income residents and said he would prioritize subsidies for the replacements of gas appliances. In addition, he believes education around sustainable farming and climate change would be of great value to the community.