City of Port Hueneme February 11, 1998 Transcript of State of the City Address, Port Hueneme Chamber of Commerce Breakfast, Mandalay Beach Resort Mayor Jonathan Sharkey As I was preparing for this address, my thoughts wandered back to a rainy November day in 1982 when I first came to Port Hueneme and bought the house in which I still reside. I remember walking into the office of Joe Villa, my real estate agent, who jokingly greeted me with, “Here’s the Mayor of Port Hueneme!” I don’t know if he realized what kind of a prophet he was, or if he planted the seed which grew into the reality. One of the great things about a small town is that it is possible to get involved -- to get in and really make a difference. My fascination with local government is that this is the level which not only has the most immediate effect on your lives, it is the level at which you can have the greatest impact as well. In fact, if local government is to work at all, your involvement not only desirable, it is necessary. You’re all aware that we had some problems caused by the storm last week. We lost part of our pier. I expect that we will be receiving some emergency funding from the Federal government. Repair work on the section damaged in 1995 is scheduled to begin in March, so we have a lot of spare parts -- pilings and caps -- already on order, so, in some ways we are ahead of where we were after the 1995 storm. More seriously, we had some people flooded out of their homes due to a malfunction of the County Flood Control pumps. I’m not interested in fixing blame -- I’m interested in fixing problems. Our Public Works Director, Doug Breeze, has offered staff and technical support to the county in order to get these pumps in proper working order. That we should have families living in the Red Cross shelter due to a mechanical failure is totally unacceptable. This problem must be fixed -- and it will be fixed. Up and down the coast, last week’s storms caused problems with erosion. I, along with Supervisor John Flynn and Ventura City Councilmember Brian Brennan, serve on the executive committee of an organization known as the Beach Erosion Authority for Control Operations and Nourishment -- otherwise known as BEACON. BEACON is currently working on a program that has been successful in San Diego County -- a standing permit program for opportunistic sand replenishment. What this means is that BEACON would hold all the necessary environmental permits so that when appropriate sand becomes available -- for example, from an inland construction site -- we would be able to make use of that sand without having to go through the normal two year Federal permitting process by the end of which, the sand would be long gone. These issues of coastal erosion are far too large for any single jurisdiction to deal with alone. I have been active in working with other coastal cities to deal with this problem. I have formed a coastal cities subcommittee at the League of California Cities to help convince the folks in Sacramento that the coast is important and does deserve their attention. On our own beach, I am pleased to report that the Corps of Engineers is going to be giving us an allotment of sand this year -- one year ahead of schedule -- in addition to our normal replenishment next year. We are still losing 1.25 million cubic yards of sand every year and, although we’re getting enough to stay even, we somehow have to start building the increment so that we can get ahead of the erosion rate. For that we’re going to continue our reliance on Congressman Gallegly and our other friends in Washington. We have some good economic news in the city this year. The City Council recently approved the Westin Company’s plans to complete the retail center at the corner of Channel Islands and Victoria Boulevards. This is a project that was originally started in 1987 and, due to the slowdown in the economy, was never completed. This is good news for the economy of the city and for our sales tax revenues. Some of you may have seen the story in the L.A.Times about Port Hueneme’s historic downtown. This is an area that is very dear to my heart. It’s right around the corner from my house. I believe it has great potential. However, the time is not yet right to realize that potential. The economic heart of Port Hueneme is along Channel Islands Boulevard and, as this new development indicates, it is beating strongly. A point of great pride for all of us is our water treatment plant which, I am pleased to say, will be coming on line in May. What really impresses me most about this project is that the cost of the water produced by this plant is going to be exactly what we predicted it would be back in 1994. Think about this. This is a $15 million construction project that came in exactly on target. I think that’s quite an achievement. The water agency board, Dick Velthoen, Kennedy/Jenks engineers all deserve a round of praise for the work they’ve done to bring this project home. One of the corollaries of our water project has been the rate audit we were able to do on the United Water Conservation District from whom we have been buying most of our water. As you are probably aware, the audit turned up some problems. We are currently in discussion with United and, I believe, that we will soon have a resolution to this issue that is satisfactory to everyone. We will continue to look out for the interests of our ratepayers. We will continue to make every effort to keep our water rates as low as possible. It’s not an easy thing when you talk about tripling water rates, but let’s look at what that really means. Right now, our water rates are the lowest in Ventura County, and among the lowest in the state. After completion of the project, our rates will still be competitive with every other city in the county. And what is more, we will be able to guarantee rate stability for the foreseeable future. If you follow the news, you know that every one in California is going to be paying more for water -- in some cases a lot more. By building the Port Hueneme water plant we are insuring stability in our rates at a competitive level. In addition we are reducing our dependence on local groundwater -- which we are required to do by law or face the consequences. I can assure you there will be no water rationing in Port Hueneme. We will also be able to meet every foreseeable clean water mandate. Right now the Federal government is considering a tough new standard for tri-halomethanes -- a byproduct of the treatment process itself. Some water agencies are going to have a hard time meeting these new standards. Port Hueneme is not one of them. We are building a plant that will answer the water needs of the next generation. We all ought to be very proud of our efforts. As I look back on my brief term in office, I see many accomplishments in Port Hueneme in which I take pride. We have instituted a first-time homebuyers' assistance program -- converting a rental neighborhood into an owner-occupied neighborhood; an effort which is improving the quality of life in our town. We have negotiated a new revenue-sharing agreement with the Harbor District which benefits both parties. With the transfer of the Civil engineering property -- the first of its kind in the nation -- and the application of redevelopment law we have created an economic opportunity for the city and the Harbor District of major importance. I would like to say a few words about redevelopment. There have been some people recently who have been critical of redevelopment and, yes, there have been some examples of bad use of this law; but there is not a city in California that has not benefited -- and benefited greatly -- by the sound application of redevelopment. At the recent audit of our redevelopment agency, the auditors told me, “You’ve got one of the best-run redevelopment agencies we’ve ever seen.” I think that’s something to shout about. When you look at the changes that have taken place in this city since my arrival in 1982 -- or for some of you longer ago than that -- you see an example of how redevelopment is supposed to work. We have placed an emphasis on improving the neighborhoods where people live. Low interest home improvement loans have been a benefit to many in our city -- including the people on my block. Port Hueneme has a good redevelopment program -- and it works. One area that has always been strong in our city is public safety. Our police department has a record and a reputation that is unmatched. I believe that one of the most significant and long-lasting contributions to the well-being of this city that this present city council has made is the hiring of Steve Campbell to be our new Chief of Police. The better I get to know this man the more I am impressed with his abilities. He is the right choice to lead our police department into the 21st century. A city is more than public works, pipes and pumps, business, and public safety. A city is also about culture and quality of life. An important part of the life of the city is the library. We all know that the library system has taken some hits over the last few years from outside forces beyond our control. Supervisor Schillo deserves a lot of credit for taking the bull by the horns and attempting to save the library system. I must confess that I am not altogether happy with the results. We have a dichotomy in this county between big cities and small cities. And when big cities clash with small cities, it’s usually the small cities that get the worst of it. I believe if we are to have the kind of library service we deserve, then we must provide a stable, ongoing, independent funding source for our library. Currently, the city council has approved a $10 thousand matching fund to boost the library budget. But that is only for one year. We need to find a more permanent means of funding our library. I am proposing that we seek an assessment for the library service area -- which, by the way extends beyond our city limits -- for a limited term only. For example, just to use round numbers, if there were a $12 per parcel assessment we could provide a $20 thousand boost to the yearly library budget, and at the end of five years we would have nearly a half million dollars in the bank, the interest from which would provide an ongoing funding source that would meet our needs for years to come. This, of course would require a 2/3 vote of the property owners, but I believe, that if you went to the voters and said “Give us $12 a year for five years, and we will guarantee you a quality library” that we could pass such an assessment. Here’s where you come in. If we’re going to be successful in this endeavor, we’re going to need the support of everyone in this room. Local government only works if you participate. We can choose to succeed or chose to fail. In my remarks to the Agricultural Policy Working Group I said, “We are doing nothing less than shaping the future.” Right now we are shaping the future of our city. Port Hueneme has the tools. We have the talent. We have the resources. It’s up to us to determine what that future will be. I believe in the future. I believe in Port Hueneme.