The Saratoga Retirement Community faces a controversial expansion plan, and residents who attended an Oct. 4 forum were eager to hear about how the candidates for Saratoga City Council would navigate planning projects and tree preservation.
Developers have proposed adding new buildings and tearing down dozens of trees on the property to make room for more people. Residents worry about the impact to their quality of life over years-long construction and the removal of outdoor recreation spaces.
Moderator Hugh Roberts, who is not a member of the Saratoga Retirement Community’s resident council that organized the forum, also asked candidates questions about top issues in the city, like council term limits, the budget and housing development.
Five candidates are running for three open council seats in November. The winners will join Mayor Tina Walia and Vice Mayor Kookie Fitzsimmons. Councilmembers Mary-Lynne Bernald and Rishi Kumar, who is running for the 16th Congressional District, aren’t running for re-election.
Yan Zhao is the only incumbent in this election. She joins Bill Dalton, Belal Aftab, Chuck Page and Priya Shastri on the ballot.
Saratogans will also be voting on whether to place a two-term limit on councilmembers. Roberts asked the candidates whether or not they agreed with term limits.
Zhao and Shastri said they were in favor of the limits. Zhao voted with council to put the question on the November ballot earlier this year.
“We want more people to have the chance to run for city council, to serve our community,” Zhao said. “We have a lot of talent; we want to see new ideas, energy and new perspectives on the council. I hope people will support this measure.”
Shastri said Saratoga’s population has changed a lot over the past few years, and the council should reflect the community it serves.
Dalton, Page and Aftab said they were against the measure, largely because of the institutional knowledge that was lost due to turnover on the council.
“We have the ability to vote people in, but we also have the ability to vote people out,” Aftab said. “I think having a mix of folks that are experienced on the council and a mix of folks who have new ideas is really helpful.”
Budget concerns
Saratoga’s budget held up fairly well through the pandemic. This year marked the 15th consecutive tome the city won the Government Financial Officers Association’s Distinguished Budget Award, given to only 14% of California cities.
However, the city will face some challenges in the coming years with costs increasing due to inflation and revenues stagnating. Candidates said that while the city has healthy funding reserves, it will have to watch its discretionary spending.
Shastri said that building more houses where appropriate could help boost local property taxes, and that council should make an effort to support local businesses.
“The city is doing the right thing in terms of building houses where it can be built and looking at the projects that need priority,” Shastri said.
The city spends a significant portion of its budget on its contract with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.
“I think it’s important that safety is No. 1, but we also have to make sure that we’re taking care of the roads,” Page said.
Saratoga’s roads have been underfunded for years, Page said, adding that having safe roadways is an important part of public safety.
Housing development, affordability
Under the state Regional Housing Needs Assessment, Saratoga has to plan for 1,700 new housing units to be built between 2023 and 2031 or face consequences that limit local control over future development or litigation from developers.
Council came up with a plan for how to disperse the housing, though many residents were upset that the lion’s share of the new units are being planned for the northern end of town. There’s no guarantee that these units will actually get built.
Dalton said he is against the state-required housing, and said he would consider an affordable housing development at the Prospect Center because it’s underutilized and the city owns the property.
“The 1,700 assignment does absolutely nothing in regard to affordable housing,” Dalton said. “If high-density (housing) was cheap, it would be cheap to live in New York City, and we all know it certainly isn’t.”
“I think we should try and meet a fair number of those units,” Aftab said. “I think the 1,700 number is too high, but it definitely shouldn’t be zero. It’s got to be somewhere in between.”
Aftab added that cities like Saratoga are losing local control over development. “California just passed, I think, a dozen new state housing laws that are only going to make it easier and easier to build.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com