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Mayor Tom Holden Interview
Mayor Holden has always made himself available to our HOA Board. He first reached out to us when he initially ran for Mayor. The reason was obvious, he wanted our support. But that meeting was the beginning of a pattern of demonstrated interest, helpfulness and openness. During his tenure we have met regularly with the Mayor to voice our concerns and needs. He has always been readily available to meet and has listened intently. On many issues he has taken action to help us, on others he has told us why he could not help. It has been a healthy, professional relationship that has benefited the members of the HOA.
As an incumbent, Mayor Holden has often gone out of his way to seek ways to help us when we made our needs known. There are four specific areas where we have seen him demonstrate this:
Accessibility: He has always been available when any Board member called. He attends our meetings and readily takes questions from the floor. He also makes sure his staff comes to address specific “pressure” areas for us. He has met with your HOA Board members frequently when issues have come up. In those meetings he strives to understand the actual problem or the cause of the problem then offers ways he might help. To be sure, he also pushes back when there is nothing he can do or when he disagrees.
Action: Accessibility is good but action is better. Your Board approached him when residents learned that the vacant lot on Hemlock owned by the City was being marketed as a R4, multi-unit development opportunity. We immediately called for a meeting with the Mayor and explained the situation to him. He was not fully aware of the situation and, while understanding, said he needed to look into it. During our conversation he suggested several options that might be viable but said he needed to first learn more from his staff. This was not the answer we wanted at the time but it was all he could offer. Following up with him, he affirmed that he had intervened and discovered that the lot, in fact, was being marketed without R1 limitation. To staff he mandated that the property be granted no greater zooming than RW1; the same as the rest of the street thereby keeping the use consistent with the street. This was consistent with what one of your Board members learned when he had earlier checked with planning about the potential use of the lot. This is what was desired by the neighbors and shows how, when he can do it, the Mayor has acted swiftly and decisively on our behalf.
Leadership: Your CIWHA Board has always been concerned about water quality in the harbor. For years we have worked on a committee represented by the cities of Oxnard and Port Hueneme, Ventura Country and the agencies involved in harbor maintenance. When we voiced our frustration to the Mayor as to the lack of being able to actually get anything done by this committee, he said the problem was that we did not have the decision makers in the room. He coordinated with Supervisor Bennett in attending the quarterly meetings when decisions were needed. The result of having these two leaders at the meeting was immediate. Staffers were held accountable to complete tasks or assignments from meeting to meeting and Supervisor Bennett and Mayor Holden championed and funded the Clear Creek devise that now protects the harbor from surface run off flowing from the flood channel running down Channel Islands and into our harbor.
Problem Solving: Sea wall maintenance is an issue near and dear to our hearts. We literally see the cracks in the walls and know that regular maintenance is required and that some day they will need to be replaced to maintain the safety and value of our homes. Some of us with sail boats also appreciate the need to periodically dredge the channel lest we run aground mid-channel. Your HOA was struggling to get the issue of funding the work addressed within the Water Quality Committee. Unfortunately we were not making any progress as it was not the domain of all of the members of the committee and the responsible staff representatives were in no position to commit for the City. What everyone agreed to was that the assessment district funding was falling disastrously short of covering the required costs. Mayor Holden, made aware of the situation by the Board, proactively created a special committee headed by Ken Ortega to address the matter. Two of your Board members were made part of the committee. The Mayor knew that a joint effort was required to solve the problem. He also knew the larger committee was not the right forum. This effort is, albeit slowly, coming to a head because of the Mayor’s initiative in creating the committee comprised of only those involved, the City and HOA. We feel we can count on him when it goes to council.
So we know Mayor Holden based on what he has done. As a candidate we thought it would be appropriate to ask him if re-elected where he will stand on the current issues that impact us. We posed the following questions to him:
CIWHA: Concerning Seawall maintentance and repais we have been hard at work trying to get an agreement as to how to fund the maintenance and repair cost of the sea walls and channels for the last four years. We know you have been supportive of the process and, in fact, were instrumental in getting the committee formed that has been able to make progress. Now that we are finally coming together on a plan, to share the cost 50/50 with the City, can we count on your support when the matter comes to a vote later this year?
Mayor Holden: You know that I am in full support of the planned solution and sharing in the costs. The channels are an integral part of the City of Oxnard and benefit all of its residents and attract visitors from throughout the region. The solution, as we have discussed, is to come up with a comprehensive plan that provides the ongoing funding necessary to maintain the channels now and into the future. I support the approach the committee has evolved as a very effective solution.
CIWHA: As a follow up, we have been frustrated at how long the process has taken. What will you, as Mayor, do to help push the process along?
Mayor Holden: I appreciate the frustration with how long the process has taken. Staff is currently preparing the Work Plan for presentation to Council. I will bring the experience of the issues and my ability to work with Council to build a collective support for the plan
CIWHA: We appreciate your intervention with the Hemlock lot zoning consistency issue. While the lot remains for sale and is yet to be zoned, we still need your watchful eye to make sure that things don’t change.
Mayor Holden: You have that. As you know, I personally make sure the zoning for a single family dwelling will be maintained. I have directed staff to limit its use accordingly and will make sure nothing changes while I am in office. I know you would have preferred to see the lot left as open space but, again, it is a balancing act. The City needs the revenue a sale of the lot offers and, in return, we can make sure that it is kept compatible with the rest of the street.
CIWHA: The Fresh Creek system at Victoria and Channel Islands is working well. The water Quality Committee contemplated a similar, albeit smaller, device for the West Drain. We have now heard that we will never see a second device. We also hear that the City feels they can replicate the device at a lesser cost. It would seem that to properly protect the water quality integrity of the Harbor the second device should be a priority.
Mayor Holden: I agree but this requires more than unilateral action on the part of the City of Oxnard. In the past key members of the CIWHA Board has been the driving force behind getting the Water Quality Committee together regularly. I have asked them to restart the quarterly meeting so we can continue the good work we achieved last year.
CIWHA: Good point and, as a follow up to your request, we now have two dates in October that work for Supervisor Bennett. We will coordinate these with your office. Trevor Smith of the CIWHA Board is this year’s chair.
Mayor Holden: Great. It takes a collective effort to make things happen. This is an excellent example of how the County, Harbor, City and residents need to come together with a plan and see it through. Your biggest contribution, frankly, is to keep the focus on these issues. The squeaky wheel does get the grease!
CIWHA: It seems that your opponent, Tim Flynn, is making traffic mitigation the corner stone of his campaign. We have heard the counter attack that his plan will result in stopping any development. While that may be true, our members are not only concerned about traffic, they have been impacted by it with the advent of projects like Seabridge. And they clearly recall the fact that the City Traffic Engineer said assessing impact on Harbor Boulevard was unnecessary. So it was not addressed in the EIR and, as a result, no mitigation was required. Frankly this seems to have been the City working with the developer to minimize the costs of the project rather than fairly assessing and mitigating readily foreseeable impact.
Mayor Holden: I must first say that traffic is a problem in our city. It is a high priority of our residents and it must be addressed. Having said that, Measure V is a very poorly written initiative which does nothing to improve traffic and has great negative impacts on the economy of Oxnard. It has the ability to effectively stop all growth. A perfect example is the Drum Workshop. This company has 170 employees, all with good benefits. He needs to expand his facilities to meet demand and is planning to relocate into 150,000 square feet in a new 40 acre business park that has been approved by Planning Commission and Council. Under Tim Flynn’s plan, the developer would need to upgrade Five-Points and any intersection within 5 miles of the project. There is no way such a burden can be absorbed into a project of that size. So the Drum Workshop has two choices, not expand or relocate out of Oxnard. Also, most that are familiar with the language of the initiative say it will stop the redevelopment of the old Casa Sirena and Lobster Trap property. These are just two examples of many. This is not in the best interest of Oxnard or its residents.
CIWHA: We understand the problems with Tim’s plan. But people genuinely feel that something must be done about traffic. And if his plan is the only choice between that and doing nothing then they will be tempted to vote for the plan to force something to happen. So rather than focus on the impact of the Flynn Proposal, our members want to know what you, as Mayor, plan to do about traffic in Oxnard; especially on Victoria, Harbor and Wooley.
Mayor Holden: First, we are in the process of developing a city-wide Traffic Mitigation Model. We have been working on this for almost two years now and it is due to be completed within two to three months. At that time we will introduce it to the community in small, community workshops to get the input and support of everyone. The Traffic Mitigation Model will conform with the 2020 General Plan Update. Not only will it address growth through residential and commercial developments, it will also factor in the real population growth that occurs without development. Did you know that 60% of the growth comes not from new developments but from our population’s internal growth? That needs to be addressed, too. The City-Wide Traffic Mitigation Model does that. Secondly, we are in the process of updating our 2020 General Plan. I agree with the planning experts that we must adjust how we grow in the future so that we create acceptable traffic service levels with any development.
CHWHA: But what will you do now, if elected, that people can get their minds around?
Mayor Holden: As Mayor I propose that prior to moving forward on any significant development we have a completed Citywide Traffic Mitigation Plan completed. This way, our residents will know that if a development anywhere in the city, traffic will be addressed. Everyone knows we have a traffic problem that is worsening. But we need a coherent, forward-looking plan; not a quick fix that harms the community.
CIWHA: A follow up issue that is being raised. What control does the City of Oxnard have over the County’s projects in the harbor. They are huge and their impact will be significant on both Victoria and Harbor. (At this point the Mayor, true to form, asked us to hold on while he conferred with staff to make sure his next response was accurate. This was refreshing in that we prefer he speak with confidence rather than off the cuff and later have to change his position.)
Mayor Holden: I just confirmed that the County projects will have to pay the traffic mitigation fees in place and that they will have to comply with the 2020 General Plan and the City-Wide Traffic Model that we just discussed. To be clear, to get their permits they will have to address the City of Oxnard traffic mitigation measures in place at the time they request permits.
CIWHA: Additionally, there is concern that the 50 mph speed limit on Victoria south of Wooley and on Harbor south of 5th poses a danger to residents. George says the general consensus of these two areas should be reduced to 40 mph. Your opinion on this specific issue would be helpful.
Mayor Holden: We are always concerned about safety on our streets. As areas change it is appropriate to reassess things like speed limits and the frequency of traffic lights. In the case of Victoria, a number of signalized intersections were added which have been designed to reduce the speed and increase safety. We will certainly look at the two areas you have brought to my attention. The first thing we can do is increase enforcement to get the speed down to 50. But watch out for that. We don’t want the solution to be tickets for your members. In addition, I will discuss this issue with Chief Crombach and our traffic engineers for a long term solution.
CIWHA: You and the City have worked a miracle reducing crime in central Oxnard; especially gang related murders and violence. You have been so effective that gang activity has literally relocated to adjacent cities and states. That said, our members have seen an increase in neighborhood crimes like auto break-ins, burglaries and even an incident of a break-in and beating. You have been very supportive of our effort to get neighborhood watch programs initiated but the police assigned to our neighborhoods seem to be resisting an increased neighborhood awareness of crime and focus on crime prevention. We are confused by the dichotomy between you and the senior police officials and the officers on our beat.
Mayor Holden: Yes, we are absolutely behind the neighborhood watch programs and know that they work. Forewarned is forearmed and community awareness is the first line of defense against the crime you have described. Cars need to be locked, valuables removed from sight, and doors must be locked. Open garages are a standing invitation to burglaries. We are constantly looking at how we can improve things through staffing and backing the neighborhood watch activities. I will work with our Chief to assure that coordinated efforts between the residents and officers are effective. I am always available to assist in any way in implementing individual neighborhood programs. I am committed along with the rest of the Council to continue the proactive efforts to reduce crime in your neighborhoods and throughout Oxnard. We are proud of the statewide “Community Policing” award recently bestowed on us by the Attorney Genera. We will continue to work to improve the standards already achieved. Creating Safe communities continues to be my highest priority!
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