Paso Robles City Council candidates address key issues at Chamber of Commerce Forum

Measure I-24, homelessness, and affordable housing among discussions with district candidates

PASO ROBLES — Constituents got to hear from their respective candidates running for City Council this November during the Thursday, Sept. 26, candidate forum hosted by the Paso Robles and Templeton Chamber of Commerce (PRTCC). The forum was held at the Paso Robles Elks Lodge and streamed live on YouTube for those unable to attend in person. The streaming is still available online for anyone to watch.

The forum was held in two segments, with District 4 candidate Fred Strong joining District 1 candidates Linda George, Kris Beal, and Sharon Roden. The second segment included District 3 candidates Michael Rivera, Jeff Carr, and Steve Gregory. All candidates were asked the same 10 questions brought forward by residents in the audience and allowed two minutes for a closing statement.

Gregory, Strong, and Roden are all currently serving on the Paso Robles City Council. Roden was appointed to the District 1 seat after John Hamon was appointed mayor in September 2023. She is running for the remaining two years of the normal council term. Strong is running unopposed.

PRTCC President and CEO Gina Fitzpatrick opened the forum by saying, “There is a lot to review this evening. I want to first start off by saying that we hope that this will be a positive experience for everybody. We all love our community greatly, and that is why we’re here tonight.”

Standout topics discussed ranged from how to tackle homelessness, tourism, affordable housing, and Measure I-24. 

If approved by voters, Measure I-24 will maintain an existing half-cent local sales tax currently known as Measure E-12, which was originally set to expire on March 31, 2025. The city anticipates I-24 will generate $6.5 million annually into the city’s general fund and prioritize its allocation towards local road repair projects. 

You can find more information on I-24 here prcity.com/1221/Measure-I-24

Collectively, the candidates seemed to support Measure I-24. However, District 3 Candidate Jeff Carr had some reservations.

“I have mixed feelings about I-24. The city does need the revenue … but the city has presented this in a way that has put me between a rock and a hard place,” said Carr. 

He expressed his concerns that while the city says the funds generated from the tax will be prioritized towards roads, there is no set plan for implementing that, but he still acknowledged that the city needs that revenue. 

Rivera stated that he supports the measure but also had concerns of confirming the funds’ use, “I’m totally in support of [Measure I-24], with one caveat: That it goes 100 percent to roads, but that’s not the way [the city] wrote it.” 

Homelessness has been an ongoing topic of concern for citizens and when it came time to give their stance, candidates were on the same page that something needs to be done — but on how to accomplish that was a split consensus.

Fitzpatrick presented a question to the audience regarding homelessness in the city: “What can be done about the homeless population that does not want a home from people such as ECHO (El Camino Homeless Organization)?”

This question brought up the Supreme Court ruling in June siding with the City of Grants Pass, Oregon, in a case involving its anti-camping ordinances. In July, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued his executive order directing state agencies to “address homeless encampments while respecting the dignity and safety of Californians experiencing homelessness.” The order also urges local governments to “use substantial funding provided by the state to take similar action.”

Candidates Roden and George held different opinions on the ruling. While Roden was excited about the ruling, George was not, saying, “I don’t believe in policing our homeless.”

Roden was first to answer the presented question on homelessness. 

“We all know that you have to be willing to accept help for there to be any closure or any solution to that,” said Roden, referring to those experiencing homelessness due to drug or alcohol abuse.

Roden hopes that the overturning of the Grants Pass decision will allow the city more rights to handle homelessness in the city and that the police’s hands have been “tied for a while” but that she is also proud of the relationship that the city has been able to develop with ECHO.

While George disagreed with cities like San Francisco’s homelessness policies, saying it is inhumane to let people continue to do drugs in the Salinas Riverbed, she did not agree with clearing encampments with force.

“There are a lot of people that will not want help but we need to help those who want help,” said George. “To be honest, our homeless is not that bad compared to the bigger cities.”

While Rivera held the ground that the city needed a firm stance that people cannot camp in the riverbed, others like Gregory and Beal advocated that the city needs more places for unhoused to go with accountability programs like ECHO.

The forum can be watched here youtube.com/watch?v=kyXSLRM4GG0&t=4327s