Lompoc residents to vote for mayor in November election ballot

LOMPOC, Calif. – The race for Lompoc mayor is a rematch between Jenelle Osborne and Jim Mosby.

The two last faced off in 2018.

Mosby was a city councilman for six years. He said if he becomes mayor, safety will be his priority.

“Opioid deaths and murders and such in this town, kind of a record for Lompoc,” said Mosby. “It’s not really addressed, approaching 35 last year.”

Osborne, who has been mayor for six years, is seeking re-election. She said safety is a top priority as well.

“We’ve really started to invest in it and I want to continue that,” said Osborne. “It is a short two years and there is still a lot of work to be done.”

Mosby said his time as a city councilman, and his background as a local businessman make him qualified.

“I was able to budget some of the money,” said Mosby. “I did refinance the 95-million-dollar unfunded pinch of obligation. Got to save taxpayers over 20 million dollars. We financed it for a 15-year payoff.”

Osborne,  originally from Texas, said she is qualified because she understands Lompoc's value and potential.

“Because I have another place to compare it to,” said Osborne. “And it is amazing and is really a dream come true to live on the Central Coast to California, in a community that feels this connected."

Lompoc leaders and the community are dealing with issues like homelessness, crime, and concerns over the cannabis industry in town. Both candidates explained how they would combat those topics.

“One of my slogans is solutions, not excuses,” said Mosby. ”You’ll see the majority always make excuses of why they can’t do something. They blame something from the past. You need to have the solution now.” 

“What we have finally been able to do is fully staff the police department again,” said Osborne. “That’s great, but we still need to go further and make sure they have all the equipment they need, all the training they need, retaining them.”

As for local businesses still struggling financially due to COVID, the two candidates say they will do their best to help all business owners. They believe supporting local businesses is essential.

“We have 54 vacant properties underused properties that were picked up by the cannabis industry bringing thousands of jobs to the community to the area,” said Mosby. “We need to be mindful for all the other businesses coming into the community.”

“Whatever it is that a business has seen as helping get through the pandemic if they want to see that continue, we want to work with them,” said Osborne. “To make sure we have our ordinances on the books to make sure we can maintain that.”

Whoever wins in November will be Lompoc’s mayor for the next two years. 

“As much as I travel on behalf of the city, as much as I go to Sacramento or D.C. or go home to visit family in Texas, I always want to come back to Lompoc,” said Osborne. “I want to return to the beautiful weather, caring people, and an amazingly run city.”

“Because the people of Lompoc really deserve better, and they need a mayor to go up and do the hard work,” said Mosby. “As an example, we haven’t had a public utility commission meeting in almost two years. Utility rates are being raised without the important questions of why.”