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MBCA 2008 CANDIDATES VIRTUAL FORUM:
YUCCA VALLEY TOWN COUNCIL
To create the questions for our Virtual Forum, we polled our members as to what questions they would like candidates to answer. We compiled and edited those questions and emailed the exact same list of questions to each of the candidates in this race.
The candidates were instructed to take as much space as they needed and to make the content of their responses exactly as they wanted them to appear, as we would not be editing them in any way but only copying and pasting. Of note, the responses are solely the candidates’ and should not be assumed to reflect the views of MBCA or the members of its Board.
We acknowledge that an electronic forum does not assure perfect and equal access to all candidates as not all candidates are necessarily comfortable or available in this format. We encourage voters to seek as many sources of information as possible on the candidates, including in-person forums, media interviews, candidate Websites, and the candidates themselves.
We very much appreciate the candidates taking the time to participate in our 2008 Virtual Forum and to reach out to you, the voter, for the betterment of our communities and our desert.
(To return to the Virtual Forum Main page, click here.)
SEE FORUM RESPONSES FOR:
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Note: We did not receive responses from candidates Jason Elsasser, George Huntington, Frank Luckino, or Sabrina Peukert.
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CANDIDATE: Bill Souder
1. What do you see as your primary responsibility as a Town Council Member?
Bill Souder: Keep the Town financially solvent
Provide for the public safety
Set policy on the future vision of the Town and how to get there
Implement and update the General Plan
2. As a candidate for the Town Council, explain your ideas on how commercial elements of the town of Yucca Valley can be more sustainable and viable.
Bill Souder: Commercial developments should adhere to the plant protection and night sky lighting ordinances.
3. What California (or other) village, town or city would you like Yucca Valley to be like?
Bill Souder: I don’t know of any place that is exactly like what I would like Yucca Valley to be like. In general, I would like our Town to be similar to the smaller tourist destinations. On place I like is Line Pine Calif.
4. Please tell us what you would propose to do about the golf course.
Bill Souder: I would ask the council to support a resolution to actively pursue potential buyers of the property.
Evaluate the value of the property and water rights to see if it is feasible for the Town to purchase the property and maintain it until a buyer can be found.
I do not support the Town buying and trying to run a golf course.
5. There have been many tragic accidents because of the low number of crosswalks in Yucca Valley. Would increasing the number of crosswalks be a priority for you, and why or why not?
Bill Souder: The statistics that I got from the Highway Patrol show that we have a relatively low number of pedestrian accidents on Highway 62. Many of the pedestrian injuries occur when the pedestrian is drunk or under the influence of drugs. However, I would ask Caltrans to evaluate the safety aspects of pedestrians crossing the highway to see of they could support more crosswalks. I like the ones in 29 Palms that have flashing lights in the crosswalk in the pavement.
6. How do you think that new residential and commercial development should pay for the costs related to the additional demands they place on the infrastructure of the community? If you’re in favor of impact fees, explain how you would apply them.
Bill Souder: The Town of Yucca Valley paid consultants to determine the maximum legally assessable Impact Development fees for various types of projects. The study did not include all possible impact items so the actual impact is actually greater than the maximum fees calculated. Although the Town is millions of dollars short of funds to catch up on past development, we must charge the maximum fees to implement the impact of development of future projects.
7. If you believe the Town should set an example by lowering its energy use, where would you place the priorities?
Bill Souder: The Town should set a policy of energy conservation. One way to encourage this is in incentives to builders to implement sustainable buildings. Also, there is a tremendous waste of energy in exterior lighting fixtures. BY tightening the Town’s lighting ordinance, hundreds of kilowatt hours of electricity could be saved every night while improving our dark night skies.
PLEASE TELL US WHERE YOU STAND ON THESE CONSERVATION ISSUES:
Native Plants
1. What value do native plants afford us in Yucca Valley?
Bill Souder: Native plants represent what our community is all about. We are adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park and should set the “tone” for what visitors to the Park can expect. The plants survive with little or no watering other than what nature provides. They help retain water during our torrential downpours.
2. What do you think of the adequacy of the existing landscaping and native plant ordinances? Do you think they favor either property owners or native plant protection? If you think they are not adequate, how would you change them?
Bill Souder: The existing Native Plant Ordinance has flaws that let builders clear blade when it is not necessary. The ordinance favors builders. I would try to strengthen the enforcement provisions. I do think that there needs to be much better education to new residents and builders about why these plants need to be retained.
Grading
1. As a Town Council member, how would you deal with a property owner’s decision to clear-cut their property for development and the likely negative consequences for the neighbors and the Town as a whole (e.g. erosion, environmental health, and scenic views)?
Bill Souder: As in the above question, education on the value of native plants is critical. I believe that in most cases, drainage can be controlled by tactical means (very local adjustments in the grade) rather than mass grading.
2. Are existing codes adequate to protect the land from flooding and erosion? If not, how would you mitigate these threats?
Bill Souder: Existing codes seem to not be adequate to control flooding and erosion. There should be grading requirements dependant upon that slopes/natural grades of each lot.
Dark Night Skies
1. What value do dark night skies add to our quality of life?
Bill Souder: Many people come to Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree National Park to enjoy our dark night skies. Those skies are an important part of tourism to this area.
2. Should home security lighting be exempt from lighting codes? If so, why?
Bill Souder: Security lighting is not specifically exempt from the lighting codes now. Unfortunately, most people confuse architectural lighting with security lighting. Both can and should be fully shielded to prevent light from aiming above that horizontal. Lights on motion detectors are the best lighting for security.
3. Are lighting codes currently adequate to protect our dark night skies? If not, how would you mitigate these threats?
Bill Souder: Our night sky lighting code is nearly worthless. Lights at 40 watts and below are exempt from exterior house lighting shielding requirements. There is no limit on the number of lights that are allowed. The grandfather clause on residential and commercial lighting has no expiration clause except for major construction. ALL lighting should be shielded. This would allow the planning department or code enforcement to detect improper lighting easily. The maximum illumination from any parcel show be limited as in Sedona and Flagstaff to avoid overall glare form a parcel.
Rural Character
1. What is your definition of rural character as applied to Yucca Valley, and what does it add to our quality of life?
Bill Souder: To me, rural character includes opens paces, native plants and architecture that reflects our desert environment/
2. Is development pressure eroding our rural character? Please explain why or why not, and if so, how would you mitigate the threats to our community’s rural character?
Bill Souder: Yes, development pressure is eroding our rural character. I think that the problem is not the average growth rate, but the boom and bust cycles. I think that those cycles can be significantly reduced by proper planning and financial incentives. The boom times cause building to bypass controls and hurt our environment and economy in the long run.
Commercial Development
1. What pace of commercial development do you think is best for Yucca Valley?
Bill Souder: The pace of commercial development is not as critical as the type of development. See Q2 below.
2. Should “Big Box” development be promoted for economic growth? If so, should tax breaks, reduced impact fees and code exemptions be offered?
Bill Souder: Big box development hurts the small Town character of our community. Tourists go places to see small, unique businesses.
Residential Development
1. What pace of residential development do you think is best for Yucca Valley?
Bill Souder: Residential development should respect the unique environment of Yucca Valley. Native plants and animals all work together to sustain each other and our environment.
2. Should large residential developments be promoted for economic growth? If so, should tax breaks, reduced impact fees and code exemptions be offered?
Bill Souder: Economic growth should be emphasized as a component of overall growth. Commercial and retail businesses can provide sustainable jobs.
3. What compensations or mitigations would you propose if large residential developments lead to challenging increases in school enrollment, traffic congestion, air pollution, crime and other situations that reduce our quality of life in the entire Morongo Basin?
Bill Souder: I believe that the Town should charge the maximum Development Impact fees allowed by law. If we don’t, then we will forever get behind in infrastructure.
Regional Issues
1. What should be done about regional traffic problems, both from environmental and safety/emergency evacuation viewpoints? How should the Town deal with the cumulative traffic effects of increased development in the Morongo Basin?
Bill Souder: Traffic is one of the issues that should be addressed across the entire Morongo Basin. The way each community develops will affect each of the other communities. Caltrans needs to participate in planning
2. Should Yucca Valley support and encourage the use of sustainable building materials? If so, how?
Bill Souder: Every community should encourage sustainable building. That definitely includes the use of sustaining materials. Energy conservation in housing is a key component of our nation’s energy plan. The Town can give exemptions to the development impact fees or make other accommodations as incentives to sustainable building.
3. What other agencies would you partner with in efforts to maintain and improve air, water and land quality, including animal habitat? How would you initiate such an effort?
Bill Souder: There are several private and government organizations that are involved in these issues.
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CANDIDATE: Wade White
1. What do you see as your primary responsibility as a Town Council Member?
Wade White: To represent all present and future citizens as fairly as possible, evaluate all points of view and all sides of every issue, and help to lead the way to a new economic development strategy for the Town.
2. As a candidate for the Town Council, explain your ideas on how commercial elements of the town of Yucca Valley can be more sustainable and viable.
Wade White: Adopt a new economic development strategy based on unique local attributes, tourism, artistic community, gateway position to the Joshua Tree National Park, and hometown business community, its people and resources.
3. What California (or other) village, town or city would you like Yucca Valley to be like?
Wade White: Santa Fe, New Mexico
4. Please tell us what you would propose to do about the golf course.
Wade White: See if there is a way to acquire it, keep the water rights, and make it into a multi-use open space recreational parkland, including a nine hole golf course.
5. There have been many tragic accidents because of the low number of crosswalks in Yucca Valley. Would increasing the number of crosswalks be a priority for you, and why or why not?
Wade White: We do need more traffic lights and crosswalks. Look at future diversion of Highway 62 around the Town.
6. How do you think that new residential and commercial development should pay for the costs related to the additional demands they place on the infrastructure of the community? If you’re in favor of impact fees, explain how you would apply them.
Wade White: Full cost of the development impact fees should be assessed to all new development projects without exception and paid up front in accord with Public Facilities Development Impact Fee Study May 2, 2005.
7. If you believe the Town should set an example by lowering its energy use, where would you place the priorities?
Wade White: Conduct energy audit, recommend ways to lower use, and take appropriate action where indicated.
PLEASE TELL US WHERE YOU STAND ON THESE CONSERVATION ISSUES:
NATIVE PLANTS
1. What value do native plants afford us in Yucca Valley?
Wade White: Native plants are an important dimension of our quality of life values; they provide conservation of native habitat, water, enable passive erosion control. Require an approved native plant conservation plan for each new project.
2. What do you think of the adequacy of the existing landscaping and native plant ordinances? Do you think they favor either property owners or native plant protection? If you think they are not adequate, how would you change them?
Wade White: Not adequate. Remove loopholes. Ordinances must provide for approval of projects based on strict conservation policy.
GRADING
1. As a Town Council member, how would you deal with a property owner’s decision to clear-cut their property for development and the likely negative consequences for the neighbors and the Town as a whole (e.g. erosion, environmental health, and scenic views)?
Wade White: Prohibit mass grading entirely. Require erosion control plan for all projects.
2. Are existing codes adequate to protect the land from flooding and erosion? If not, how would you mitigate these threats?
Wade White: Existing codes to regulate flood control and erosion, inherited from the county, are inadequate, and put downhill properties at risk. Develop new standards and put them into place.
DARK NIGHT SKIES
1. What value do dark night skies add to our quality of life?
Wade White: They add greatly, especially for tourism strategy. Ordinances should be strengthened and strictly enforced. There are too many holes and opportunities for misinterpretation.
2. Should home security lighting be exempt from lighting codes? If so, why?
Wade White: There is no exemption now for security lighting, but architectural lighting is now exempt. There should be no exemption for either.
3. Are lighting codes currently adequate to protect our dark night skies? If not, how would you mitigate these threats?
Wade White: No. All lighting should be shielded, and regulated as to level of illumination, not just electrical power usage.
RURAL CHARACTER
1. What is your definition of rural character as applied to Yucca Valley, and what does it add to our quality of life?
Wade White: Rural character is: low density of development, limited paved roads, gutters, sidewalks, street lighting; provisions for animal keeping, preservation of native plants, animal habitat, and open spaces,
2. Is development pressure eroding our rural character? Please explain why or why not, and if so, how would you mitigate the threats to our community’s rural character?
Wade White: Yes it is. Adhere to provisions of General Pan without exception, disapprove exceptions to increase density of new development, and rollback exceptions already permitted.
COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT
1. What pace of commercial development do you think is best for Yucca Valley?
Wade White: Slow. Build on local business and local resources, and within limited available resources such as water supply.
2. Should “Big Box” development be promoted for economic growth? If so, should tax breaks, reduced impact fees and code exemptions be offered?
Wade White: No and no, no, no. All new development should pay its way.
RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT
1. What pace of residential development do you think is best for Yucca Valley?
Wade White: Slow, and within limited resources, and compliant with effective grading and native plant ordinances.
2. Should large residential developments be promoted for economic growth? If so, should tax breaks, reduced impact fees and code exemptions be offered?
Wade White: No, and no, no, no. All new development should pay its way
3. What compensations or mitigations would you propose if large residential developments lead to challenging increases in school enrollment, traffic congestion, air pollution, crime and other situations that reduce our quality of life in the entire Morongo Basin?
Wade White: We really don’t want to encourage large residential development with their block walls, sidewalks, and street lights, which are inconsistent with preservation of dark night skies, rural character, native plants, and animal habitat as envisioned by the Town Comprehensive General Plan (see Vision Statement on page I-3). Apply full allocation of development impact fees, create open space conservation zones.
REGIONAL ISSUES
1. What should be done about regional traffic problems, both from environmental and safety/emergency evacuation viewpoints? How should the Town deal with the cumulative traffic effects of increased development in the Morongo Basin?
Wade White: Evaluate regional build out scenario in General Plan in respect to traffic solutions.
2. Should Yucca Valley support and encourage the use of sustainable building materials? If so, how?
Wade White: Focus on energy and water conservation, solar/thermal power, passive heating and cooling, structural/thermal design methods to reduce power consumption in order to minimize resource requirements.
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