In advance of Tuesday’s debate, we asked the six candidates for the District 3 seat to answer five written questions. Four of the candidates completed the survey:
- Kellie Davis
- Ryan Keim
- Shari Mackin
- Amber Newman
Of the remaining candidates, one (Bill Batchelor) declined to participate, and the other (David Zernik) did not respond.
Below are the responses to the two questions related to beaches and parks. The answer to the three remaining questions can be found here.
1. The city/federal priority for beach replenishment has been for the area around the pier; what is the short term and long-term solution for restoring South O beaches?
Kellie Davis
There are six conceptional ideas that have been presented to the City for restoring the beaches, which center around sand retention and beach nourishment. Admittedly, at the date I write this response, I have not spoken with any residents who currently reside along the coast of South O; I am hoping to rectify this soon. In order to give a proper answer to what the short- and long-term solutions are for South O, I would need to speak with people who are immediately and directly impacted before submitting an answer.
After attending a virtual meeting on the topic, I asked Mr. Kiel Koger a similar question, what are solutions for restoring South O beaches. He said there wasn’t one particular option his office was in favor of, and he hoped going through a “criteria matrix” will help things become more clearer and narrow down the decision as to which option to choose.
I would like to hear again from Mr. Koger after he goes through the criteria matrix, and directly from the residents from south O before making any decision about what the short term and long-term solutions are for restoring South O beaches.
Ryan Keim
The priority of the federal government (Army Corp of Engineers) is not beach replenishment and hasn’t been for decades – excess sand from the annual harbor dredgings have traditionally been dumped near the pier and harbor; the sand was only a byproduct of that process and not for the explicit purpose of replenishing our beaches. To save beaches throughout Oceanside we have to identify, fund and, complete a sand replenishment and/or retention project immediately.
After more than 20 years of waiting, I ordered a sand replenishment study last year (which was unanimously approved by council) that will identify potential solutions in 2021. Simultaneously we need to continue to hold the federal government responsible for their role in the loss of our beaches and ensure they provide the funding and support we need to complete a project.
Shari Mackin
As for short term solutions, sand has typically been replenished to Tyson St. without regard for South Oceanside. As deputy mayor for the City of Oceanside I was Oceanside’s representative on SANDAG and member of the Shoreline Preservation Committee and was able to bring opportunity sand to South Oceanside beaches via barge and/truck which gave us beautiful sandy beaches for several seasons. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been a focus for the current city council and their lobbying efforts have failed. I’ve always had a great relationship with agencies that have so much control on what happens or doesn’t happen in Oceanside and I’m confident that I will be able to secure funding for additional sand movement to our beaches. I would like to explore a relationship with Camp Pendleton to “shift” some of the sand from the
Santa Margarita River, the boat basin, and Del Mar beach to our beaches as the buildup is soon to become a big problem for them. Finally, I also believe there is some opportunity to create living shorelines along our coast which could provide a means of managing coastal areas to protect, restore, and/or enhance habitat and hopefully sand retention.
As far as long term solutions, the city has contracted with a consultant to look at various ways to protect City beaches from the impacts of long-term shoreline erosion with the goal of the study to identify a beach replenishment strategy that is “environmentally sensitive, financially feasible and has a reasonable chance of being approved through the regulatory permitting process”. Since the city is in the middle of conducting data collection with the help of the CCIA at Scripps, it would be premature to discuss suggested long term solutions without data to support any proposed “solutions” at this time. I’ll let the scientist do their work and then base my opinion on the science.
Amber Newman
I’ve long felt that city hall is hyper-focused on tourists to the point where they seem to forget that the rest of us actually live here and need amenities, entertainment and recreation opportunities as well. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t be welcoming to our visitors and do everything we can to make sure they have a good time and come back, but we also need to make sure our residents enjoy living here and want to stay. Our beaches are a big part of that.
I won’t pretend to be an expert on the best practices of sand retention. What I can assure is that as your councilmember I will continue to interface with qualified personnel and ensure that an ecologically sound solution which serves residents as well as visitors is properly funded. How can I ensure the money will be there? The truth is, we can’t afford not to invest in sand retention. To do so and slowly lose our beaches means we also say goodbye to the 300 plus million a year that happy beachgoers bring to our city. That goes for local residents as well as our guests.
2. What changes would you like to make to city parks and how would you pay for it?
Kellie Davis
In echoing the recommendations from the Parks & Recreation Master Plan 2019, part of the changes I would like to see implemented is evaluating the conditions of the park on a regular basis by maintenance staff, and giving maintenance staff proper training on how to maintain a City Park’s appearance. Even if funds where presently available to renovate Oceanside parks and its facilities, it is paramount to have trained staff who know what the City of Oceanside’s standards are, and how to maintain those standards for our parks.
Training staff to properly maintain our parks would be a nominal expense, and one I hope is already covered when the City of Oceanside hires new maintenance employees.
After staff is properly trained, I would then evaluate and address the aging infrastructure of our City Parks. In understanding the challenges of our current economy, a possible revenue stream could come from citizens or businesses donating to the park, or, would like to memorialize a loved one by: purchasing a portion of an asphalt pathway in their name; donating the cost for a picnic shelter; planting a tree; purchase plaques or signs, and display in the park in their honor.
Ryan Keim
Parks throughout the City are in different states of condition and we need to identify the greatest needs in our recent Parks Master plan. This plan was developed by input from the community, Oceanside Parks and Recreation Commission and the City Council and provides a good outline of our current priorities. Additionally, going to the beach is the most popular family pastime in Oceanside and it acts as community park for much of our City. By preserving access to our coastline and restoring beaches, we can increase usable “park” space.
We also need to ensure our parks and beaches are safe and comfortable for families by addressing the increasing quality-of-life crimes. Funding will come from delivering a balanced general fund every year without raising taxes or cutting services and partnering with the County and State for grants and awards. Last year, I coordinated with Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath to receive more than $7 million for beach-front improvements and similar partnership is vital going forward.
Shari Mackin
I feel the city has completely dropped the ball in fulfilling its original plan to bring parkland and playing fields to El Corazon. The developer made promises he did not keep and there is no one at the city to make him fulfill his obligations to create more playing fields and parkland. I would like to see El Corazon dedicated parkland to protect what little we have left for our community rather than uses such as more housing and hotels – it’s free! Fields can be developed through our Parks and Recreation Foundation and community outreach.
I would like to revisit our Parks Master Plan and make sure that the property currently housing the La Salina Wastewater Facility is incorporated into the master plan once decommissioned. Our LCP states that the property should remain in the public’s hands should the plant be decommissioned. The property should be dedicated parkland, therefore protected by our park ordinance to expand Buccaneer Beach Park. Due to my ongoing relationships with State agencies, I am confident that I would be able to get funding (as discussed years ago) from the Coastal Conservancy for the planning and creation of the beach park. Additionally, we can create a fund that could accept mitigation payments to help fund the park.
Amber Newman
One issue that I’d like to address with regard to our parks is a situation I was made aware of by resident concerning Oak Riparian Park which borders Carlsbad. There used to be a footpath into Carlsbad over the creek but recently it’s fallen into disrepair. I am concerned about foot traffic across the creek disturbing the local ecosystem in this prime piece of natural habitat. Environments such as this are few and far between in our city and they must be cherished and protected. I would like to get to the bottom of which city holds the onus for addressing the situation and work on a mutual solution that benefits visitors from both cities.
Save South O 