Cruzito Herrera Cruz
| Candidate Name: | Cruzito Herrera Cruz |
| Position Sought: | Santa Barbara City Council – District 1 |
| Website / Social Media: | Facebook: Cruzito Herrera Cruz |
| Why are you running for office? |
| Almost twenty years of Income Tax preparation experience with local Families, single taxpayers, and business clientele. Added with social service work for thirty years in the City of Santa Barbara provides the foundation to be a public councilmember for District 1. This would allow me to work on my Three-Point Plan (TPP). This comes straight from my election Ballot Statement to be printed for November 5, 2024, ""My candidacy and the community’s focus is to advance “economic and social revitalization” of our Milpas/Downtown precincts. My election campaign is based on a Three-Point Plan (TPP). First, as a councilmember I will advocate for increases in the City’s operating budget for senior, youth, and education services. Second, I will work to support and improve our public infrastructure and housing affordability. Third, I will emphasize fiscal responsibility in the financial management by working for a balanced budget and to curtail governmental over expenditures." |
| What makes you qualified for this position? |
| Work ethic, higher education research both at SBCC and UCSB, and Community & Work activism in Santa Barbara. Plus, I am registered voter in the City of Sta. Barbara, which gives any registered city voter(s) the civic eligibility to qualify as a Municipality of the City of Sta. Barbara City Council candidate(s), respectively District 1, 2, & 3 this election cycle of November 5, 2024. |
| What are the two hardest issues facing the candidate who wins the office you are running for? |
| My candidacy and the community’s focus is to advance “economic and social revitalization” of our Milpas/Downtown precincts. My election campaign is based on a Three- Point Plan. First point is of importance, as a councilmember I will advocate for increases in the City’s operating budget for senior, youth, and low-income housing services. The advancement of these two themes of “economic and social revitalization” of our Milpas/Downtown precincts and advocating for increases in the City’s operating budget for senior, youth, and low-income housing services city-wide are prevailing issues to publicly address. Simply, my candidacy goals are to support economic vitality and to improve a quality of life for Santa Barbarians. |
| How do you plan to address the issue of inflation and its impacts on your constituents if elected? |
| The City of Santa Barbara fiscal operating budget has challenges. Dealing with the following budgetary themes of city employment retention & recruitment, affording labor wage increases, city healthcare costs, dealing with the economy with the current spike in inflation, supporting and maintaining a strong reserve policy, dealing with city contract's for self-insurance program funding, and, especially important, for city future liquidity is in reducing and investing cost-saving methods and practices into the pension cost increases & unfunded liability are the financial issues to address. The City of Santa Barbara's revenues & cost and levels of services are not aligned to be a fiscally sustainable as a governmental organization that is responsible to it's SB City constituents, business stakeholder(s), and the community. "My candidacy and election campaign is based on a Three- Point Plan." Third point focuses precisely on point from my Ballot Statement, "fiscal responsibility in the financial management by working for a balanced budget and to curtail governmental over expenditures." The work experience application of my 20 years of Income Tax preparation in the City of Santa Barbara provides employment experience in balancing and servicing clientele in the City. Applying my income tax preparation skills as a councilmember, would result in future balance budget for the next budget cycles without no new local sales tax legislation. Santa Barbarians will decide on November 5, 2024 if passage of CITY OF SANTA BARBARA ESSENTIAL LOCAL SERVICES MEASURE, which is for local governmental use by establishing a 1/2¢ sales tax providing approximately $15,600.000.00 annually to the City operating budget. Nevertheless, this new local sales taxation measure is to financially cover the present projected General Fund Deficit of $7.1 Million (FY 2025 Budget). As a councilmember for District 1, within my Three Point Plan, advocating for less local governmental over-spending to not exceed the budgeted amount is a councilmember duty of utmost importance. In attaining an annual balanced budget, results in the efficiency in city services, productivity in city employment labor, and less taxation on our constituents, stakeholders, and, SB community members. Santa Barbarians need for the City of Santa Barbara and present City Council Mayor & Councilmembers to service and work for the public good of the city & business taxpayers in having a balanced budget. This how to civically address the aforementioned "inflation" and effects upon our constituents/stakeholders/& city population. |
| What major crime issues do you plan to address if elected and how? |
| City wide and in District 1, it is imperative of maintaining public order and safety. Any councilmember(s) duty is preserve and support our public safety personnel to deal with the public at-large and issues related with crime & fire. Need more statistics to be able to articulate a reasonable answer. |
| How do you plan to address the issue of housing if elected? |
| The City of Santa Barbara has not built enough housing for Santa Barbarians. We face the civic problem in how address the gap between housing production and housing need in the community. Housing affordability is based on the relationship between household income and housing expenses. Within the City of Santa Barbara, the home-ownership price is generally unaffordable to the vast majority of households which means a majority of the households in the City are renters. The City of Santa Barbara has a serious dis-balance of housing stock of market rate housing and "affordable units". Our City needs policy to create the governmental change to adopt and implement housing programs that facilitate housing at all income levels, but especially for the housing need of extremely low, low, very low, and special/mental needs households. My election campaign is based on a Three-Point Plan (TPP). The second point, "I will work to support and improve our public infrastructure and housing affordability" is one of my main focuses as a councilmember. It is critically important to create city housing policy that prioritizes affordable housing to the workforce and vulnerable communities. Santa Barbara is a rich & poor community, for this reason we have to address and give attention on housing policies that meets the need of extremely low, low, very low, moderate, middle income, and special/mental needs households. The Housing Element implementation (2023 - 2031) 6th Cycle - Adopted by City Council on December 12, 2023 - Resolution No. 23‐162 and certified is a step in the right direction in identifying building affordable housing. The housing needs for the City are determined through the Regional Housing Need Allocation (RHNA) process. The City’s 6th cycle RHNA allocation (8,001 units) is 95 percent higher than the 5th cycle (4,100 units), which means producing in the 6th cycle sufficient housing for very low income (2,147 units), low income (1,381 units), moderate income (1,441 units), above moderate income (3,032 units) is critical to reaching housing production goals. The housing production forecast is 8,001 total units allocated for the City of Santa Barbara for 2023-2031. The City is in the process of streamlining the permit process which will make it easier for developers to build affordable housing in the future. The general problem is how does the City of Santa Barbara finance the building of affordable housing for the future? We understand some of the reasons why "affordable units" are not being produced, at the same level, as market rate units. The return of investments is not as lucrative for "affordable units" in comparison to market rate units. Plus, this has been the housing trend for the past decades not to build because it has been stated that Santa Barbara is "built out" and has been reluctant to build up. This has changed with housing height limits implemented giving developers more air space to build up. Therefore, the required steps to maintain a secure source of affordable housing financing for developers is to have a permanent source of local funding to produce affordable housing within the City limits. Continue supporting and allocating funds to the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara who provide an exemplary housing service to many Santa Barbarians. Continue and increase investment funding with the housing support assistance through financial resources and supportive services to members of the extremely low & low-moderate income households. Locally legislate from the Dias stipulated funding from the future increase of the TOT tax a couple of percentages to reinvest in the community towards the forecast of 8,001 total units allocated for the City of Santa Barbara for 2023-2031. Funds generated from TOT increase would be strictly utilized as a permanent source of local funding to produce affordable housing. Our tourist-based economy can be reinvested into the affordable housing economy of the City of Santa Barbara. Coordination with surrounding communities and our regional agency partners is beneficial to the housing balance with the current housing issues to be addressed. Seek from State of California housing grants/funds and Federal housing programs grants/funds to help with matching funds for our local city affordable housing stock and local housing trust fund. |
| What do you hope to accomplish in your first year in office if elected? |
| The goal is first to be elected by the Voters in District 1 for the Santa Barbara City Council. First day on the job, commence in working on my Three-Point Plan. First, advocate for increases in the City’s overall city services. Second, work to support and improve our public housing affordability. Third, emphasize fiscal responsibility in manifesting a future balanced budget. |
| What actions do you plan to take to reduce political divide? |
| The City of Santa Barbara is not in a political divide. The learning curve to implement the spirit of District-Based Election in the City of Santa Barbara needs leadership from the Mayor top down or unilaterally amongst respective District 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6 councilmembers. If the Mayor is unifying, than the City is not in a political divide. Leadership comes from the Mayor to work collaboratively with each district councilmember. All six Districts in the City of Santa Barbara are all components of constituents & stakeholders that make up the very rich cultural diversity wheel of it's city populace. If each respective six District(s) create a task of capital improvements, a public infrastructure needs list, and or raise civic issue related to a district "plan", than each "plan" from each District(s) can be remedied and or worked on to accomplish as city-wide goals for city service. The wheel of local governance and city service would revolve more efficiently for the overall public good for Santa Barbarians. In my civic opinion, what is missing currently are district-management plans to tackle city-wide issues and create district-based solutions which will unify the Mayor with all the councilmembers, city-wide residents, and commercial stakeholders. Political unity comes from the implementation of district-base management plan(s) in the City of Santa Barbara. |
