The Primary election is next week. Candidates for local, state and federal races continue to make their case on why voters should choose them.
Daniel Eduardo Hernandez, with The Riverside Record, broke down what's on the ballot in the city of Riverside.
So break down the races. How many are there, and who are some standouts so far?
Yeah, so in the city of Riverside, there are 10 hopefuls running for three city council races. It's going to be in Ward Two, Ward Four, and Ward Six. In two of those seats — specifically Ward Two and Ward Four— they're going to see a new representative take the role, specifically because Council Member Clarissa Cervantes is vying for a state Assembly seat, while Ward Six Council Member Jim Perry is set to retire. Ward Four has the sole incumbent, with Council Member Chuck Conder running against two challengers.
And in terms of any standouts, so far there's no definitive data to show which of the candidates are leading the pack at the moment, but Ward Two candidate Gracie Torres and Ward Six candidate Oz Puerta have received some key endorsements from the mayor and several council members. Others, like Ward Two candidate Aram Ara and Ward Six candidate Luis Hernandez, have seen quite a bit of grassroots support.
And what are some of the key issues concerning these candidates?
So, the Riverside Record interviewed eight of the candidates on a set of several citywide issues, and across the board, what we heard first and foremost is that they want to focus on increasing street repairs. It doesn't matter if it's in the Magnolia Corridor down to the Ward Four Woodcrest area — they really want to focus on street repairs and fixing those potholes that everybody's complaining about.
But another big citywide topic is how they want to address and tackle homelessness, though their plans on how they want to tackle that ranged widely, from more progressive ideas to one person even taking a pretty tough-on-crime approach to it. Finally, several of the candidates also focused their messaging on wanting to create more affordable housing for working-class communities, but again, those ideas ranged greatly.
There's also Measure Z. Can you talk about it and where candidates stand?
Measure Z is a 1% sales tax that was first approved by residents a decade ago to help pay for a range of public services. The city recently received a report showing that the fire department needs some massive upgrades to keep up with the city's growth, and to help pay for that, the city is bringing Measure Z back to the table and asking voters whether they want to increase the sales tax by a quarter percent and extend its deadline — which is currently set at 2036 — until, quote, "ended by voters."
The candidates, across the board, again said that they are in full support of the fire department, but some of them — like Ward Two candidate Mike Vahl and Ward Four candidates Jessica Qatawi and Rich Vandenberg — said that they oppose the measure because of its lack of guardrails.
And what are those guardrails, Daniel?
Basically, Measure Z right now is set as a general sales tax, which means there isn't anything specifically saying that the city needs to use the extra money, if approved, specifically on helping out the fire department. It would go into the general fund, and people have complained previously that the money has been used by the city council for things that weren't really a priority for them.
A decade ago, it was sold as something that would help public services and public safety specifically, and since then, they've seen that money go elsewhere. So, some of the candidates have been asking for it to be brought to the table as a special tax. A special tax would ensure that the money is set aside specifically for the fire department, but it would also require a two-thirds majority instead of a simple majority like the general tax.
You've been to some forums and debates across the city. How do voters feel about the field of candidates?
As expected, in a working-class community, the city does feel largely tuned out to the primary race here, at least locally. But the ones who are engaged have really shown that they are eager to get to know many of the new faces and see if they align with their vision of the city's future.
