First-time Candidates Talk Affordability, Environment
A political newcomer will represent voters in the Pacifica City Council’s District 2 where sitting Councilman Mike O’Neill is termed out of office after the November election. In separate virtual interviews, Christine Boles and Robby Bancroft answered questions about their vision for the future of the city they hope to help lead.
District 2 is a northern swath of the city and includes much of the northern coastline of the city.
Boles is an architect who has been active in city planning issues for some time. She helped found the Coalition of Pacificans for an Updated Plan and Responsible Planning in 2020 and lists the Pacific Beach Coalition, the Pacifica Historical Society and the Pacifica Education Foundation among the local organizations she supports regularly. She says Pacifica’s ongoing planning efforts animate her and she is one of two residents who appealed the Planning Commission’s approval of the city’s General Plan.
Bancroft is a Pacifica native and Rockaway Beach business owner, operating The Breakers restaurant in Rockaway Beach with his father. He is on the board of directors of Pacificans Care and worked as development and communications coordinator for the Pacifica Resource Center. He speaks passionately about the need for more affordable housing in the city and says he would work to address mental health needs of constituents.
Both Boles and Bancroft answered the same questions and what follows is a distillation of their responses.
▸ Regional planning authorities are asking Pacifica to plan for nearly 2,000 new housing units by 2031 — four times the previous ask. Do you support that goal or does it go too far or not far enough to address the area’s housing crunch?
Boles: “Well, it doesn’t go far enough in addressing the housing crisis, but it goes too far in terms of what Pacifica is capable of,” she said.
She said the city is largely built out and has important protected space as well as land that would present hazards if built upon. Coastal erosion, hillsides subject to landslides, and sea level rise all make building in some areas difficult, if not impossible. She worries that the General Plan didn’t consider the environmental concerns of the development regional authorities contemplate.
Bancroft: “I do support affordable housing and I think the (Regional Housing Needs Allocation) is a good tool,” he said. He added that the way to plan for additional housing is through the development of an appropriate Housing Element underpinning the city’s overall plan — an effort the city is coincidentally undertaking this election season.
Bancroft noted his endorsement by the pro-housing YIMBY Action network and said he thinks relationships he has built with other elected officials will only help the city as it seeks to do its part to meet the shared needs of the region.
▸ The city faces a structural deficit of more than $2 million for the 2023-24 fiscal year, and that is expected to grow to $3 million by 2030. What would you do to address that growing disparity between revenues and expenses?
Bancroft: The co-owner of the Breakers restaurant in Rockaway Beach said the city needed more visitor-serving businesses like his to generate revenue for the city and said addressing the finances of Pacifica was among his priorities.
He supports Measure Y, which would increase the sales tax by a half percent to fund the city’s general fund. "It's important that people know it's nine years so we do have to look long term (which means) getting some small industry or another hotel is key..." he said, noting that balancing the budget will be a goal for years to come.
Boles: She noted that past councils have failed to deal with this issue. She noted that property taxes don’t cover the city’s needs. “What we really need to focus on is building businesses that are successful and trying to attract new businesses,” she said. She said the city has drawn more visitors during the pandemic but hasn’t figured out how to capitalize on that success.
She thinks Manor Plaza could be redeveloped to put a better “face forward” for visitors approaching from the north. She foresees a better community space and parking alternatives there and thinks the Sharp Park Specific Plan is the beginning of a more tourist-friendly downtown area.
▸ Citizens of Pacifica have already seen the effects of climate change along the coast. What concrete steps can the Pacifica City Council take to make a meaningful difference in mitigating those effects?
Boles: “This is the main reason I’m running personally. I realize I’m not doing enough in my work, one project at a time, to make a dent,” the architect said. “We can do more as a city.” She said the city’s 8-year-old Climate Action Plan is out of date and needs rewriting with stricter policies, including “reach codes” like an ordinance that requires electrification and thinks it should go further than new building to include some remodels. She takes pride in having built the city’s first “net zero energy home.”
She notes that the city isn’t measuring local emissions and says the climate hasn’t been a priority of the current council. “I would like to see us become a leader and bring new ideas forward,” she said.
Bancroft: “I’m definitely one of those Pacificans who has seen the effects myself,” he said. He noted that his dad lived in an apartment on Esplanade Avenue, where coastal erosion has been devastating to many.
He is in favor of reach codes as well and would support provisions requiring new development to rely on electric energy. He said he understands that change like new laws governing energy use can be difficult, but “we need to come together and talk about this because it affects all of us,” he said.
▸ There is a perception among many that homelessness is on the rise in Pacifica. What ideas do you have to ease the problem and help ensure Pacificans have a roof over their heads?
Bancroft: He is perhaps most animated when talking about people in need of adequate housing. “I have so much empathy for people who are unhoused or vehicularly housed,” he said, adding that recently a friend he knew growing up in Pacifica had died on the streets. “I think everyone wants to be a good neighbor.”
Bancroft worked in development for the Pacifica Resource Center, and mentioned that he himself became a client as well during the pandemic. He said everyone should know what resources are available and not be ashamed to ask for help before the need becomes a crisis.
“Half of Pacificans can’t afford to live here” according to official poverty income thresholds, and he wants to ensure that service industry workers and other essential workers can make ends meet.
Boles: She says she sees the problem in her district, particularly along Esplanade Avenue. She says the city mishandled the Oversided Vehicle Ordinance and had to pay $1 million defending bad policy. “That money could have gone a long way if it had been spent in other ways,” she said.
She said she doesn’t think Pacifica can solve a problem that extends well beyond its borders. “But every family we can help is a betterment to our society,” she said.
Boles says building affordable housing is key — from studios to family units — but acknowledges addressing the problem will take time and partnerships with nonprofit developers and funders. She worries the city doesn’t have resources to adequately address the problem.
▸ The Sharp Park Specific Plan envisions a more vibrant downtown. Does it jibe with your vision for the area and do you have any concerns or particular hopes for the future development of an important part of the city?
Boles: She said the ideals are good and that higher density as envisioned is the right path. She would like to see some business uses beyond the ground floor.
She is concerned about the susceptibility of the area to sea level rise.
“Some of these images with all these businesses on the ground floor aren’t realistic,” she said, noting the California Coastal Commission wants greater resiliency in such development.
“It’s not ready for prime time,” she said saying she would work more closely with the Coastal Commission on the details.
Bancroft: He supports the vision outlined in the Sharp Park Specific Plan and thinks a more vital downtown is key to the future of the city. “Knowing that Pacifica is the slice of heaven that we can’t keep secret forever,” Bancroft says it’s incumbent upon the city’s leaders to welcome visitors to a robust commercial area characterized by mixed uses.
He would like to see more infill housing and restaurants with full kitchens that would increase the possibilities on a renewed “Main Street” for Pacifica. “If we all contributed to Main Street, we can make a difference,” he said.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified parts of Pacifica included in District 2. It also corrects a quote from Bancroft with respect to his position on the sales tax proposition. In addition, it corrects that Bancroft's father lived in an apartment on Esplanade Avenue.
By Clay Lambert, Pacifica Tribune | Oct 18/20, 2022
