Council candidates quizzed by youth

ERIC LINDBERG
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

On the raised stage of the San Marcos High School Auditorium, with a flowing red curtain behind them, the eight candidates for Santa Barbara City Council answered questions from a group that has received a lot of attention in this election: youth.
Armed with questions submitted by students and members of the Santa Barbara Youth Council, a panel of student body presidents from Santa Barbara, San Marcos and Dos Pueblos high schools drilled the candidates on issues facing youth in Santa Barbara, including gang violence, bilingualism, graffiti and homelessness.

Only three candidates answered each question posed, allowing the panel to rip through a panoply of topics, starting with how candidates plan to involve the bilingual community in the future of Santa Barbara.
“I believe that success of bilingual and bicultural acclimation starts in the schools,” Brian Barnwell said, explaining that dual language programs coupled with efforts to get Spanish-speaking kids into youth programs is key to creating an inclusive community.
Dale Francisco called immersion the best way to learn a new language, explaining that Spanish speakers “have a great opportunity to learn English,” and they should take advantage.
English is the language of business, Dan Litten said, adding that it is important that people learn the language in order to advance.
A graffiti wall where youth could legally create spray paint art came up as the next topic of conversation, namely its viability and appropriateness in the community.
“We can chase it out on the streets with police or we can create a legitimate place for it,” Das Williams said, voicing his support for the concept.
Conversely, Frank Hotchkiss said some forms of graffiti are not artistic, but merely forms of marking gang territory.
“Graffiti is a fundamental aspect of gangs,” he said. “I would discourage it of any sort.”
The difference between graffiti and vandalism is an important distinction to make, Helene Schneider responded, saying vandalism is different than sanctioned, productive, nonviolent artistic expression.
As questioning continued, the discussion turned to what specific action each candidate would like to take right off the bat, if elected.
Bringing together all stakeholders on the gang issue is how Michelle Giddens responded. She also cautioned against focusing on enforcement, saying, “No law or amount of police officers will prevent the gang problem.”
Robert Hansen called for a heightened focus on global warming and advocated converting the National Guard armory into a trade school for youth.
Coordinating youth programs through a joint city and county commission is how Barnwell would like to start his second term, along with fixing the Los Banos pool and rehabilitating the waterfront.
Attention then flipped to the homeless issue and how candidates propose to help people get off Santa Barbara’s streets.
Francisco distinguished between two groups of homeless people: those with true mental health issues that need help, and those with alcohol and drug problems that need to be helped out of town. He said Santa Barbara has made them feel welcome, which is unfair to people who live in the community and pay taxes.
Litten described how Santa Barbara County spends $30,000 on each chronically homeless person every year, saying, “If you are spending that much money per person, you’ve got to think there is a better way to coordinate that spending rather than just taking them to the hospital and to jail.”
Providing more housing and services is how Williams envisions the path forward. He explained that if officials can replace emergency care with preventative care, it would save a huge chunk of money.
Switching gears, the panel quizzed the candidates on whether they felt a frequent campaign cry by Hotchkiss — for local gang members to get out of their gang or get out of Santa Barbara — is a realistic approach.
Answering first, Hotchkiss said he doesn’t believe it is a realistic approach, but rather an idealistic one.
“But if you don’t shoot for something, you’ll get nowhere close,” he said.
Giddens, criticizing the current Council for not taking action sooner, said the city is at a critical point and advocated approaching children at a young age with education efforts.
Calling the statement impractical and morally unacceptable, Williams said the Council should try to reach out to marginalized youth, adding that he would gladly watch as Hotchkiss told a hardened gangster to get out of Santa Barbara.
As the discussion turned to how candidates prioritize spending, Hansen reiterated a common campaign theme, the conversion of the National Guard armory to a trade school.
“We have underserved our youth,” Barnwell said in turn. “There is no question about it.”
He said he would like to see more facilities for youth, but stressed the importance of public safety and infrastructure as the ultimate priority.
Public safety also rang out as Francisco’s top priority.
“We do not have enough police,” he said. “We don’t have a real police presence downtown and on Santa Barbara streets.”
One of the final questions posed to the eight candidates centered on whether they felt youth representatives should hold a voting position on city boards and commissions.
Barnwell voiced his support with a simple, “Yes,” and pointed out that he is the only current Councilmember with children in school.
Calling that suggestion appropriate for some commissions and not others, Francisco also suggested offering more internships in city government.
Litten said youth should hold advisory positions only and that children need to develop more respect for adults.
“Old people seem smarter the older I get,” Litten said.
Cosponsored by the San Marcos High School Leadership Class and the Santa Barbara Youth Council, yesterday evening’s forum marked the last organized candidate event of the election season, which will officially wrap up on November 6 when voters head to the polls.