Evan Chandler
News
Housing unaffordability emerged as a predictably hot topic Thursday night as four City Council candidates for District 1 and two for District 2 appeared in a candidate forum hosted by the Santa Fe Hispanic Chamber of Commerce at the Santa Fe Public Library.
“I learned about the help that we could provide as a family to those that couldn’t help themselves. I think that starts with housing and the jobs to afford them,” Geno Zamora, a former city attorney seeking the District 1 seat, said before referencing that rising home prices aren’t in line with the median household income. “It doesn’t compute. We need to work with our builders to provide middle class housing that’s necessary and low-income housing and then the jobs.”
Phil Lucero, a member of the city Planning Commission running in District 2, also cited affordability issues as a primary reason for many of the city’s current challenges.
“Rising crime and rising homelessness are indicative of the big problem we have, which is affordability. People who wouldn’t have hard times traditionally are. That’s the public health crisis we are in today,” Lucero said in response to a question from moderator and chamber President David Fresquez about how to stop crime. “This is a problem we need to address in multiple ways…How we work with the root causes of these problems is how we’re gonna get past it.”
Incumbent District 2 Councilor Michael Garcia joined the chorus of candidates to lament Santa Fe’s high cost of living and gap in available housing.
“Santa Fe was just too expensive. I had the opportunity to move back here for work. I got an amazing opportunity for housing from my family,” he said, holding back tears. “Without that, I’d probably be living in Rio Rancho or wherever I could afford to live. Santa Fe changed.”
Garcia was one of eight members of the governing body to vote in favor of placing a high-end housing excise tax on the ballot in the same Nov. 7 election where council seats are up for grabs. Under the proposal, a buyer of a home over $1 million would pay a 3% excise tax on the portion of the home sale exceeding the first million. The revenue from the tax would go into the city’s Affordable House Trust Fund. Zamora, Lucero, District 1 candidate Alma Castro have said they favor the tax.
Rising home costs are among factors contributing to growing numbers of homeless individuals on the streets of Santa Fe. Candidates discussed a pending plan to erect pop-up shelters, or pallet homes, on private land throughout the city as well other efforts including the shelter building it owns on Cerrillos Road.
“I wish we could’ve started sooner with pallet homes…The problem is growing, and it seems government is slow.” District 1 candidate Katherine Rivera, a former operations specialist, said. “The other thing we should look at is what other cities have done.”
Several candidates spoke about the need for more transitional housing, but not every candidate agreed more services were the answer, including District 1 candidate and business owner Brian Patrick Gutierrez.
“Wraparound services are only as good as the people who want the help, and for those who don’t want the help, they need to know there’s consequences for the actions they’re taking,” he said.
Later in the evening, all candidates voted yes to a rapid fire question on whether or not they would renew a lease with a nonprofit to operate the Pete’s Place shelter. All but Gutierrez also said they would raise the city’s minimum wage.
Café Castro owner and District 1 candidate Alma Castro, who previously worked in labor organizing, advocated for raising wages to help alleviate issues of homelessness.
“We have over 900 children experiencing hunger everyday. As a business owner, I know and make sure nobody leaves without $20 an hour,” Castro said. “We cannot afford to pay people a wage so low that they have to have three jobs in the city. If we have enough money to pay our rent, we won’t be in the street.”
The business association plans to hold a similar event for District 3 and 4 candidates at 6 pm, Oct.12 at the Southside Library.
The League of Women Voters of Santa Fe County announced its candidate forums Thursday:
City Councilors for Districts 3 and 4: 6:30 pm, Oct. 4 at the Santa Fe Community College Jemez Room, 6401 Richard Ave.
City Councilors for Districts 1 and 2: 6:30 pm, Oct. 5 at the Santa Fe Preparatory School Founders Room, 1101 Camino de Cruz Blanca
Santa Fe Community College Board and Santa Fe Public School Board District 2 candidates: 6:30 pm, Oct. 10 at the Santa Fe Community College Jemez Room, 6401 Richards Ave.
