Candidates' Answers to Question #8

8. The protection and improvement of environmental quality affects people from different economic strata in different ways. How will you bring together your vision of social justice and your commitment to environmental issues?

Bill Fulton: It’s wrong to think of them as separate issues. A lack of environmental awareness actually accentuates social disparity by making life more expensive and encouraging those with considerable financial resources to use those resources on a lifestyle that harms the environment. A more sustainable community will reduce the overall cost of living for everyone, thereby decreasing social disparity.

Doug Halter: I absolutely have supported the pursuit of social justice and have an understanding of how protection and improvement of environmental quality affects peo0le from different economic strata. I would use my relationships and ability to persuade and lead to encourage those with more resources including power to support environmental protections. We should only be attracting businesses that support our community values including those around environmental appreciation, protection and restoration.

Christy Weir: Most smart environmental practices are equally beneficial to all citizens. We all breathe the same air, swim in the same ocean, appreciate the beauty of our urban forest—we can all do some of the following: recycle, plant trees or other landscaping, cultivate a vegetable garden, walk/ride a bike, plan our car trips more efficiently, conserve water.

Carroll Dean Williams: Yes. I support both.

Mike Gibson: I will strive to balance the environmental improvements the City embraces in its policies, practices, and land use decisions with the needs of the community at large, as opposed to those improvements that may benefit only a particular segment of the community, for example, those with pristine coastal views. I will try and improve the City's inventory of available open spaces and parks, as one example, to provide more outdoor recreational opportunities for everyone in the community, regardless of economic status.

I will try and be fair and equitable in decisions that may benefit homeowners on the hillsides or along the coast while reducing the economic opportunities for the remaining residents of the City. An example would be on decisions related to limiting building heights in certain areas of town, which, clearly, would disproportionately benefit the well-to-do living in hillside homes. However, this decision could, in effect, reduce affordable housing opportunities for the less well-off and/or reduce tax revenues to the City, which could be used for other general community benefits (better public safety, more parks, better maintained streets, etc.).

Carl Morehouse: I believe my actions demonstrate my commitment and belief that environmental quality affects people from different economic strata in different ways. First of all, I believe strongly in providing everyone decent, safe and sanitary housing and I have pushed for better housing opportunities for all economic segments of our community, including agricultural workers. These people are the backbone of the precious agriculture industry we are trying to preserve so we do not end up looking like the San Fernando Valley. I also support the reduction in the use of pesticides and other chemicals that have negative impacts upon the health of farm workers and residents alike.

Additionally, all of the smart growth principles I’ve been promoting over the past
ten years are not just about stopping suburban sprawl and increasing density, but I have also promoted a diversity of housing types for all economic strata and creating the availability for pedestrian and transit alternatives for those without cars. We can ill afford, as a community, to become an elitist enclave of wealthy, elderly white people that simply doesn’t want any more growth period. That’s neither moral nor realistic in my view.

Jerry D. Martin: Protection of our environment is the responsibility of all of us. The main argument for moving away from traditional power sources such as fossil fuels is the fear of damage to our economy.

I believe education, the promotion of research and development of new technology for clean water and clean air will strengthen our economy and our quality of life.

Lou Cunningham: By using common sense and building trust within the citizens of Ventura.

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